"Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid. And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves. Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant."-(Mark 9:2-10)
The translation for the word "transfiguration" is revelation in and of itself. The Greek word is "metamorpho" meaning to transform either literally or figuratively; to change. It is an active verb which by definition is to "translate into another form", hence the term "metamorphosis" is used for the status change from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. Furthermore, if you break the word into its two establishing members, "meta" meaning change and "morphe" meaning form, it also operates under the more specific definition "the change of the outward appearance so as to match the inward reality". Jesus' physical appearance is one of mystery and presumption, imagination and idealization. In truth, we can only imagine or surmise what He looked like. In most Christian Art, He is portrayed as Anglo, rarely determining a Palestinian or Middle-Eastern skin-type or heritage. It would appear, for all intents and purposes that the artists responsible for His likenesses in most cases idealized Him as one of their own contemporaries. Perhaps that is due to the closeness of heart that we feel as His followers. We are drawn to His person out of our depth of intimacy with Him, and hence, assimilate that feeling of familiarity into a visage or voice that is also familiar to us. Or, it may well be that the reason He is represented with Anglo pale skin, blonde hair and blue eyes in the majority of Christian paintings, stained glass or colored frescoes is due to the preference of the patron of the craftsman creating the piece. No matter, for it is known to all who have been changed by Jesus, He is BEAUTIFUL to every soul who adores Him, attractive to every heart that has known the Master's touch. But the Word of God does not show us that he was physically attractive. "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering."-(Isaiah 53:2-3) Which leads me to the prior point: Jesus' transfiguration at Mount Tabor was the change of His outward appearance so as to match the inward reality of His divinity. In that unbelievably precious moment of transformation, the three chosen to stand as witness to this divine event witnessed the outward manifestation of Christ's glory. Jesus was turned "inside-out".
Studying this dynamic moment at the pinnacle of His public ministry leads one to many questions. Why were Moses and Elijah there talking to Him? Why did Jesus choose Peter, John and James to witness this event? Why did the three witnesses receive admonition from the Lord? When we examine the Word of God, and find mystery, there are moments when the answer cannot be revealed by study and dissertation alone, but rather by divine impartation. The Word clearly states through the unfolding of this massively important event that Jesus was there speaking with Moses and Elijah, but it is not directly addressed as to what they were discussing; although many scholars surmise that the topic was the upcoming torture, death and resurrection that Jesus was to experience. These same scholars believe also that the two witnesses in the book of Revelation 11:3-12 are Moses and Elijah. The hypothesis of a "supernatural mission briefing" would, if correct, answer the query of the presence of Peter, John and James at the moment of transfiguration as well. This incredible occurrence would most definitely have strengthened the faith of the three men who would remain closest to the Lord as He endured the coming struggle to which they would be held witness of in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of His betrayal and arrest. Other perspectives on the possibilities weave into the divine event the purpose of showing the fisherman and the sons of thunder, that the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah) were perfected with the Son's fulfillment of both. When Peter volunteered to build them shelters, the glory cloud came and the voice of God instructed- "This is my beloved Son! Hear Him!"-(Mark 9:7) Which speaks to the preeminence of Christ above the Law and the Prophets. We are to listen FIRST to Christ who has perfected the Law and the Prophets. "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."-(Matthew 5:17) It is also impressive that there were three earthly witnesses (Peter, John and James) and three heavenly witnesses (Moses, Elijah and God the Father-represented by His voice) present at the moment when Jesus' divine person literally "outshined" His natural person.
But it is the "outshining" itself, which for us bares greater attention in accordance with the unction of the Holy Spirit. While every detail, the seen and the unseen of this milestone deserve deep investigation and study, contemplation and meditation, the meat is in the metamorphosis itself. As stated earlier, the definition which shakes the spiritual and the relevant is "the change of outward appearance so as to match the inward reality". Jesus became the heavenly counterpart of Himself that moment; Jesus became His "AUTHENTIC SELF". The word "transfiguration" is the same in another entirely important scripture that holds paramount significance to the life of a disciple of Christ: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."-(Romans 12:1-2) The word "transformed" is in the original translation, literally the same "transfigured" that is used in Mark 9:2, Matthew 17:2 and Luke 9:28. Moreover, that insight itself lends additional weight to Romans 12:1-2. When we present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God, we are presenting our willing un-transfigured bodies as seed to God in the order for us to become our "transfigured" selves. Being transformed by the renewal of our mind means definitively that we do not operate out of the guidelines and precepts of the world, but rather the supernatural necessity that is defined by the Kingdom of God. "Thy Will be done on Earth AS IT IS IN HEAVEN." May we become on Earth who we are in Heaven. We are, like our Lord, to be made in His Holy image, through His blood, fully transformed and then transfigured. We are to be made new and then turned "inside-out", just as Jesus was that glorious day. Perhaps to fulfill a two-fold purpose: To be presented unto God as Holy, and to be presented and stationed to the world as shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house."-(Matthew 5:13-15) To become our "authentic selves" is not merely to be the best we can in the flesh or the mind. No- it is through Christ. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"-(2 Corinthians 5:17)
When I received my salvation, I distinctly remember hearing from the Pastor, prophetically "Jesus wants to clean you. He wants to make you absolutely new, from the inside-out". And so, in communicating with you regarding this phenomenal moment emblazoned into our picture of the Savior, we wish to inquire of you this question: Is your inward reality or TRUTH one with Christ? If you cannot answer that simply, do not fear. This is a journey for everyone, even believers. But if the reason you could not grant a positive confirmation is a lack of relationship with the Son of God, we encourage you- do not waste one more moment. Ask Him in. "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne."-(Revelation 3:20-21) He alone has the power to make you who you were designed to be. He alone is the architect of your transfiguration, and your eternity. If you make Him your center, your source and your Lord, He will make you a new creation, and turn you INSIDE-OUT.
Pastors Brian and Jeni Stivale travel the globe spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ and ministering with signs and wonders following through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Their ministry of preaching, teaching, prophetic, and worship reaches millions throughout the world via Churches, Conferences, Internet and Television. www.StivaleMinistries.org
Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
EAT THE WHOLE THING
"Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God."-(Acts 20:26-27)
Movements are dangerous. They are not inherently good or evil, but volatile nonetheless. And perhaps that is their innate potential to be used as a positive power; to be explosive enough to be noticeable and implant permanent or lasting change. But in the negative potential of any "movement" lies their finite nature. The DNA of a movement allows that, without commitment and absolute, implanted change, all it will do is make a noisy appearance and inevitably, fade away, leaving in its wake collateral damage and a potentially scarring effect on those who witness its failure to root or create a better life. There are obvious examples in history that will stir some with litigious bents to revel in proving me wrong. However, I would cite that "movements" such as the Civil Rights Movement, Women's Rights and many others only mark their inception with a movement. These platforms are basic human rights that needed a powder-keg to open the door to become revealed truth and necessary societal and cultural changes. We need a kick in the pants (if you will) sometimes as a species in order to develop into better stewards of one another. But in contrast, there have been other "movements" in the history of mankind that have not created necessary, or for that matter, positive change. Take for instance the German "National Socialist" Movement, or Marxism. There is no doubt, (if you have the freedom to read this) that the Nazis and the purveyors of Communism had their own devastating effects on mankind. The only lasting change there was hurt and pain, and a cathartic reminder of what NOT to become or repeat.
But those examples, both positive and negative are only to initiate your involvement in the relative conundrum at hand. Are mere "movements" good for the Body of Christ or the Kingdom of God? I say NO. Why? Because we need more than a brief encounter with change. We need TOTAL change. Movements without permanence are impotent. Or I should say "movements" for their own sake are impotent. When we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives, it is not a temporary means to an end. It is a complete repentant redemption and thereby "re-creation" of our lives. It is not a moment of mercy, but a new beginning for a lifetime of mercy and grace. "Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness."-(Lamentations 3:22-23)
When we were recently ministering in Jerusalem to the beautiful body of Messianic Believers there, a very wise Pastor and dear friend of mine asked me quite candidly "What do you think of the prosperity movement?". I paused to reflect on his intentions, and recognized immediately in the Spirit what he was digging toward. I answered rather tersely "I do not put my faith in 'movements'. I believe that we must receive and preach the whole counsel of God. The only movements that we should seek in the body of Christ are found in the currency and flow of the Holy Spirit." I continued on to cite that Jesus believed very strongly in prosperity as one-quarter of the parables alone speak about money and stewardship, let alone our joy, spirits and lives PROSPERING. I found myself involuntarily impassioned by this query due to the devastating impact that some "movements" have had on the faith of many individuals and countless bodies of believers when they are taken out of balance. Prosperity, Word of Faith and other movements are not meant to be consumed, practiced, developed or taught as singular, free-standing entities. They are all of them incredibly important to the furthering of the Gospel and the building of the Kingdom, but none should be exalted into uniqueness. They are all organs that must work in synchronicity with one another in order to be effective.
When we take a single verse, or a concept from the Word of God and focus entirely on it for the sake of teaching or imparting a life-changing maturation into the lives of our fellow believers, it is imperative that we build with balance. When we teach or preach a specific area without focusing on building the Kingdom of God and glorifying Jesus in the Earth, and instead glorify a concept or "movement" above the King, we have missed the point. "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;"-(2 Corinthians 10:5) In fact, when a concept becomes a denominational identity that ALWAYS leads to unbalanced incompletion.
Before you find offense here, allow me to demonstrate this issue with an imaginary control for our hypothetical edification. Allow me to use something that is NOT a tenet of our faith to exhibit BALANCE. Say that culinary excellence (cooking and dining) is demonstrated throughout the Word of God as a benefit or active necessity to the abundant life of a follower of Jesus the Messiah. Imagine that without understanding the details of fine cuisine, the preparation of all manner of food and the accoutrements that complete a gastronomic experience with excellence, we would be incomplete as believers. Now entertain the idea that due to its complexity, the study of this facet of our faith demands precise attention. Picture if you can a cadre of scriptural and oration experts preaching, teaching and developing believers into becoming expert chefs themselves. But instead of the importance of that glimmer of the entire picture being directed back to the throne, the blood, the kingdom and righteousness of God, it becomes a separate ideal. People spend more and more time, perhaps ALL of their energy concentrating on this area of concern and it consumes them. The food is incredible, the experience is incomparable, and the intense point of convergence in what was intended to supplement becomes a doctrine-based denomination. People are now exalting the experts of this ideal into a position of Apostolic hierarchy and then creating entire branches and umbrella classifications of faith that in truth are partial glimpses at the King and His true Kingdom. Now, through this fairly absurd example (once again I repeat it is NOT SCRIPTURAL) it is poignant to cite "It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”-(Matthew 4:4) For after all, the Word in its entirety is our fullness and FOOD.
The metaphor of food here was not a random choice. One of the most widespread and constant thoughts in many of your minds right now is your DIET. Thanks to a multi-BILLION dollar industry, the word "diet" has been manipulated into an action or verb rather than a noun. Most people define the word as "a torturous time of starvation and deprivation of food to reach a desired weight or physical appearance". It was never intended to be so. Your "diet" should simply mean "what you eat". But that is not the contemporary definition. People are literally consumed with diet fads each with their own claim to victory. But as one of my greatest mentors, the late Brian Klemmer wrote about diets in his book "If How-To's Were Enough We'd All Be Skinny, Rich and Happy", they DON'T WORK. That is right. Diets do not work. They are a temporary means to an end. LIFESTYLE CHANGES WORK. You cannot simply diet for several weeks or months and after losing a determined amount of weight return to your old eating habits and expect to keep the weight off. You must change your mindset entirely. You must change your lifestyle ENTIRELY. Believe me, I know this from personal, fat-losing, self-loathing dieting experience.
Movements without implanted change are diets. Salvation is NOT a temporary way out. It is eternal. The reason true salvation is accompanied with the old man dying and our becoming a new creation is our need to put away the old. The new life that we gain through the blood of Jesus Christ is not a momentary excursion. It is a total lifestyle change. The intentional purpose of our being "born again" in our reception of His lordship is to clear out the old. The old mindset, the old belief system, the old sin, the old lack, the old doubt, the old wineskin. "And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins."-(Mark 2:22) If we do not experience a paradigm shift through our experience with Jesus Christ and His saving blood, we will simply remain the same. That is why we need TOTAL salvation, TOTAL change.
Jesus the Messiah did not suffer the passion and die on the cross at calvary taking upon Himself our debts so that we would live the "partial life". No. He fulfilled the Law and the Prophets so that we would live the "Abundant Life". And that life is one without lack. The perfection we gain in Him is our completion. We cannot live full, complete lives in Him if we do not receive the fullness of the whole counsel of God. That is what we are to consume, become and live out. The entirety, not just a "movement". I want to be effective in building His Kingdom here on Earth with full authority to do so. I do not believe that we can operate in the fullness of His strength, power and Spirit if we only focus on or teach the Word in partiality. We must preach the total Gospel. There are many anointed men and women of God currently teaching Grace without teaching Holiness. There is a new imbalance shifting in the Body of Christ. It is imperative that we share the Grace by which we are all saved, but it is equally imperative to impart the necessity to live transformed lives that are Holy as HE is Holy. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."-(Hebrews 13:8) He was holy yesterday, He is holy today and forever. He was a healer yesterday, He is our healer today and forever. He was the fullness of God's Love yesterday, today and forever. There is no shadow of turning with Him. The movement of the Holy Spirit is not partial. It is with His entire being, the perfect wholeness and manifold witness that He moves. God is multifaceted. The Word describes Him as variegated, many-colored. There is in Him the complexity of ALL creation and existence. The wholeness of His being MUST be exalted.
This may seem to be overwhelming. How do we embrace His fullness? How is it possible to ingest and understand the infinite depth of the most high God? How do you eat an Elephant? One bite at a time. The difference here is that when taking small bites, we never lose sight of the whole picture. God is bigger than the portions that we are currently focusing on. We must never allow a part to be the entire focus. We encourage you to learn, study, investigate and master the endless levels of complexity in the Word of God. But whatever you do, never allow yourself to exalt an idea or "movement" into a denominational pillar. Seek out the whole counsel. Live the the lifestyle not the diet, and embrace the whole thing, or rather EAT the whole thing.
Movements are dangerous. They are not inherently good or evil, but volatile nonetheless. And perhaps that is their innate potential to be used as a positive power; to be explosive enough to be noticeable and implant permanent or lasting change. But in the negative potential of any "movement" lies their finite nature. The DNA of a movement allows that, without commitment and absolute, implanted change, all it will do is make a noisy appearance and inevitably, fade away, leaving in its wake collateral damage and a potentially scarring effect on those who witness its failure to root or create a better life. There are obvious examples in history that will stir some with litigious bents to revel in proving me wrong. However, I would cite that "movements" such as the Civil Rights Movement, Women's Rights and many others only mark their inception with a movement. These platforms are basic human rights that needed a powder-keg to open the door to become revealed truth and necessary societal and cultural changes. We need a kick in the pants (if you will) sometimes as a species in order to develop into better stewards of one another. But in contrast, there have been other "movements" in the history of mankind that have not created necessary, or for that matter, positive change. Take for instance the German "National Socialist" Movement, or Marxism. There is no doubt, (if you have the freedom to read this) that the Nazis and the purveyors of Communism had their own devastating effects on mankind. The only lasting change there was hurt and pain, and a cathartic reminder of what NOT to become or repeat.
But those examples, both positive and negative are only to initiate your involvement in the relative conundrum at hand. Are mere "movements" good for the Body of Christ or the Kingdom of God? I say NO. Why? Because we need more than a brief encounter with change. We need TOTAL change. Movements without permanence are impotent. Or I should say "movements" for their own sake are impotent. When we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives, it is not a temporary means to an end. It is a complete repentant redemption and thereby "re-creation" of our lives. It is not a moment of mercy, but a new beginning for a lifetime of mercy and grace. "Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness."-(Lamentations 3:22-23)
When we were recently ministering in Jerusalem to the beautiful body of Messianic Believers there, a very wise Pastor and dear friend of mine asked me quite candidly "What do you think of the prosperity movement?". I paused to reflect on his intentions, and recognized immediately in the Spirit what he was digging toward. I answered rather tersely "I do not put my faith in 'movements'. I believe that we must receive and preach the whole counsel of God. The only movements that we should seek in the body of Christ are found in the currency and flow of the Holy Spirit." I continued on to cite that Jesus believed very strongly in prosperity as one-quarter of the parables alone speak about money and stewardship, let alone our joy, spirits and lives PROSPERING. I found myself involuntarily impassioned by this query due to the devastating impact that some "movements" have had on the faith of many individuals and countless bodies of believers when they are taken out of balance. Prosperity, Word of Faith and other movements are not meant to be consumed, practiced, developed or taught as singular, free-standing entities. They are all of them incredibly important to the furthering of the Gospel and the building of the Kingdom, but none should be exalted into uniqueness. They are all organs that must work in synchronicity with one another in order to be effective.
When we take a single verse, or a concept from the Word of God and focus entirely on it for the sake of teaching or imparting a life-changing maturation into the lives of our fellow believers, it is imperative that we build with balance. When we teach or preach a specific area without focusing on building the Kingdom of God and glorifying Jesus in the Earth, and instead glorify a concept or "movement" above the King, we have missed the point. "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;"-(2 Corinthians 10:5) In fact, when a concept becomes a denominational identity that ALWAYS leads to unbalanced incompletion.
Before you find offense here, allow me to demonstrate this issue with an imaginary control for our hypothetical edification. Allow me to use something that is NOT a tenet of our faith to exhibit BALANCE. Say that culinary excellence (cooking and dining) is demonstrated throughout the Word of God as a benefit or active necessity to the abundant life of a follower of Jesus the Messiah. Imagine that without understanding the details of fine cuisine, the preparation of all manner of food and the accoutrements that complete a gastronomic experience with excellence, we would be incomplete as believers. Now entertain the idea that due to its complexity, the study of this facet of our faith demands precise attention. Picture if you can a cadre of scriptural and oration experts preaching, teaching and developing believers into becoming expert chefs themselves. But instead of the importance of that glimmer of the entire picture being directed back to the throne, the blood, the kingdom and righteousness of God, it becomes a separate ideal. People spend more and more time, perhaps ALL of their energy concentrating on this area of concern and it consumes them. The food is incredible, the experience is incomparable, and the intense point of convergence in what was intended to supplement becomes a doctrine-based denomination. People are now exalting the experts of this ideal into a position of Apostolic hierarchy and then creating entire branches and umbrella classifications of faith that in truth are partial glimpses at the King and His true Kingdom. Now, through this fairly absurd example (once again I repeat it is NOT SCRIPTURAL) it is poignant to cite "It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”-(Matthew 4:4) For after all, the Word in its entirety is our fullness and FOOD.
The metaphor of food here was not a random choice. One of the most widespread and constant thoughts in many of your minds right now is your DIET. Thanks to a multi-BILLION dollar industry, the word "diet" has been manipulated into an action or verb rather than a noun. Most people define the word as "a torturous time of starvation and deprivation of food to reach a desired weight or physical appearance". It was never intended to be so. Your "diet" should simply mean "what you eat". But that is not the contemporary definition. People are literally consumed with diet fads each with their own claim to victory. But as one of my greatest mentors, the late Brian Klemmer wrote about diets in his book "If How-To's Were Enough We'd All Be Skinny, Rich and Happy", they DON'T WORK. That is right. Diets do not work. They are a temporary means to an end. LIFESTYLE CHANGES WORK. You cannot simply diet for several weeks or months and after losing a determined amount of weight return to your old eating habits and expect to keep the weight off. You must change your mindset entirely. You must change your lifestyle ENTIRELY. Believe me, I know this from personal, fat-losing, self-loathing dieting experience.
Movements without implanted change are diets. Salvation is NOT a temporary way out. It is eternal. The reason true salvation is accompanied with the old man dying and our becoming a new creation is our need to put away the old. The new life that we gain through the blood of Jesus Christ is not a momentary excursion. It is a total lifestyle change. The intentional purpose of our being "born again" in our reception of His lordship is to clear out the old. The old mindset, the old belief system, the old sin, the old lack, the old doubt, the old wineskin. "And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins."-(Mark 2:22) If we do not experience a paradigm shift through our experience with Jesus Christ and His saving blood, we will simply remain the same. That is why we need TOTAL salvation, TOTAL change.
Jesus the Messiah did not suffer the passion and die on the cross at calvary taking upon Himself our debts so that we would live the "partial life". No. He fulfilled the Law and the Prophets so that we would live the "Abundant Life". And that life is one without lack. The perfection we gain in Him is our completion. We cannot live full, complete lives in Him if we do not receive the fullness of the whole counsel of God. That is what we are to consume, become and live out. The entirety, not just a "movement". I want to be effective in building His Kingdom here on Earth with full authority to do so. I do not believe that we can operate in the fullness of His strength, power and Spirit if we only focus on or teach the Word in partiality. We must preach the total Gospel. There are many anointed men and women of God currently teaching Grace without teaching Holiness. There is a new imbalance shifting in the Body of Christ. It is imperative that we share the Grace by which we are all saved, but it is equally imperative to impart the necessity to live transformed lives that are Holy as HE is Holy. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."-(Hebrews 13:8) He was holy yesterday, He is holy today and forever. He was a healer yesterday, He is our healer today and forever. He was the fullness of God's Love yesterday, today and forever. There is no shadow of turning with Him. The movement of the Holy Spirit is not partial. It is with His entire being, the perfect wholeness and manifold witness that He moves. God is multifaceted. The Word describes Him as variegated, many-colored. There is in Him the complexity of ALL creation and existence. The wholeness of His being MUST be exalted.
This may seem to be overwhelming. How do we embrace His fullness? How is it possible to ingest and understand the infinite depth of the most high God? How do you eat an Elephant? One bite at a time. The difference here is that when taking small bites, we never lose sight of the whole picture. God is bigger than the portions that we are currently focusing on. We must never allow a part to be the entire focus. We encourage you to learn, study, investigate and master the endless levels of complexity in the Word of God. But whatever you do, never allow yourself to exalt an idea or "movement" into a denominational pillar. Seek out the whole counsel. Live the the lifestyle not the diet, and embrace the whole thing, or rather EAT the whole thing.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
RIGHT IN THE EYES
"The eye is the lamp of the body; If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light."- (Matthew 6:22)
Growing up in the bustling NorthEastern United States, just outside of New York City, many axioms of conduct and rules of social behavior were imparted to me. One of the first laws of survival was simply "Keep your head down and never look anyone in the eyes". In a city fraught with veritable maniacs on the verge of violent explosions from the pressures of a life without a horizon line, this made intellectual sense. At any given moment, someone who was a maniac, demoniac or a normal person harboring too much stress could attack... Or at least, that is what the paranoid masses believed. And I was throughout my youth a registered member of the paranoid masses of society. For many years, that is how I lived... Head down, eyes averting contact with anyone. The enemy loves this non-committal, passive approach to social behavior. It divides us.
Only in the past few years have I been given access to the revelation of the truth of the matter. God WANTS us to look each other in the eyes. He wants us to remain connected, just as He is connected to us. "For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the Earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him".-(2 Chronicles 16:9) We are made in His image, and therefore are made to do as He does. God WANTS us to look at Him, and to Him at all times. "My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare".-(Psalm 25:16) Catch this principle, it is powerful.
The eyes are truly the windows of the soul. When we shutter those windows or avert our "soul to soul" contacts, we close communion or communication with our neighbors. People crave and need love. "A cheerful look brings joy to the heart".-(Proverbs 15:30) When we offer our eyes to another, we operate as Christ did here on Earth. Jesus did NOT avert His gaze to anyone. On the contrary, He was filled with utter compassion at all times, and for all people, even as He hung on the cross. "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.". -(Luke 23:34) We cannot have compassion for the lost, dying and hungry of this world if we do not see them as they truly are. That only comes from seeing them completely, inside and out. I encourage you to not feel convicted right now... It happens to every single one of us. The enemy tries to convince us and condition us into the belief that we are somehow "safer" or "protected" when we insulate our gaze. While I believe that to be true for the sake of guarding our eye-gates from sin, I know that it is not God's will that we should be divided by our defenses. The adversary is intent on dividing us by any means he can. "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand."-(Mark 3:24) Even the very word "division" means "split vision"or "di (meaning two) visions". Think about it. Try looking at someone with the eyes and mind of Christ Jesus, and see what happens. The hurt and wounded will be moved by your contact. Hope will be instilled and perhaps healing can begin. The insecure may avert their eyes, but at least they will see the love in yours. Keep in mind, this may actually scare some people because it has become an almost totally foreign concept. After all, we have been operating under the misunderstanding that we are to be a society of islands unto ourselves. When in truth, the Lord wishes us to be completely connected and in one accord, in Him.
One of our dear friends and an incredible teacher of Personal Mastery and trainer of "Compassionate Samurai", Brian Klemmer teaches a very powerful concept called "Being with". Mr. Klemmer uses an exercise where he has pairs sit facing each other and simply look into one another's eyes. Not merely for a moment, but for long periods of time. Why does this exercise matter? Because in today's society, we have become so self-centered that the power of simply "being with" someone else without spouting our own agendas or touting our accomplishments or venting our complaints is alien. We have forgotten, as a race, how to look INTO one another. Without words, some laugh, others become confused, and some even break down into tears. It is a walled and veiled area of our hearts and minds that was never meant to be as such, but has been trained into that state. Your spirit-man can SEE and be SEEN both in the spirit and the natural. When you dare to connect with another, you make yourself vulnerable and see into their vulnerability. Remember, this is ONLY if you are filled with the Holy Spirit and have the compassionate heart and mind of Christ. If you have evil within you, or fear, you have no protection from the repercussions that may ensue. But on the other end of the spectrum, if you are filled with the Love of God, that is what makes "your eyes good" and "your whole body full of light". And the Love of God is the most powerful creative and defensive force in existence.
While this paramount truth will impact the lost and hurting surrounding us, it is also an effective weapon against the forces of evil. I mentioned early that Jesus the Messiah did not avert His gaze to anyone, in that, I also believe that He NEVER looked away from those who were His enemies either. We are taught from an early age never to make direct eye-contact with dogs. It is widely taught that dogs will attack if they feel threatened by your gaze. But in truth, I believe that it is not the direct stare that causes the attack, but rather the smell of fear. The enemy, like a dog, can sense and smell the spirit of fear. It comes from him. The spirit of fear is NOT of God, and therefore smells like Satan himself. When the enemy or his minions sense that familiar scent, they attack, just like a wild animal or a dog... I have received what I consider tremendous revelation regarding this. You see, not only does it aid the wounded to look into their eyes and thereby their spirit-man, but it will crumble the greatest of foes to pierce their hearts with the inward gaze of that same Love of Christ. When someone filled with evil, be they demonized or simply heartbroken, angry, and lashing out, see the absolutely pure Love that comes from the Holy Spirit LIVING within you, they have no authority over you. When you walk in the boldness of the authority of the blood of Jesus Christ, you cannot be beaten in a good vs. evil staring contest. Evil will always blink. Beware that when they do, you may have some who press the matter further with queries like "Whattayoulookin'at?"; I advise you to use the standard reply for the Sinner and Saint alike: "Jesus Loves You".
This is a basic, powerful principle that is a necessity to become your authentic self. God never designed us to be hermits. Quite the contrary, He created us for fellowship. Why would the Creator make us to be reclusive and self-existing when He himself sought to have communion with us? Therefore, we were made to commune not only with God, but with our fellow man. I believe the most powerful relationships, whether they are marriages of love or purpose, are those where there is absolute connection and thereby, TRUST. Imagine if you will, a couple who, (although blessed with perfect eyesight), never gaze into one another's eyes. They will be, no matter how close they ever become, incomplete. We were made to "see" into each other. Your eyes are a LAMP! I believe that when the Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world", it meant that His light would shine before men through us. YOUR EYES ARE A LAMP. If He is within you, He will enlighten you. That is they key to all of this.
In order to be the "light of the world", you must have Him dwelling within you. To truly and effectively touch others by looking into them and to look through our adversaries, we need Jesus to be looking outwardly from inside of us. That can only be if you welcome Him into your heart, soul, mind and surrender your spirit and life to Him. You need His saving blood, His working power and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of the Living God. If you do not have the gift of salvation, or know that Love of God, receive it RIGHT NOW. It is the greatest gift of all creation, and it is FREE. Ask Jesus the Messiah to come into your heart, into your life and allow Him to be your EYES... TODAY, and see the world and other people in a different light.
Growing up in the bustling NorthEastern United States, just outside of New York City, many axioms of conduct and rules of social behavior were imparted to me. One of the first laws of survival was simply "Keep your head down and never look anyone in the eyes". In a city fraught with veritable maniacs on the verge of violent explosions from the pressures of a life without a horizon line, this made intellectual sense. At any given moment, someone who was a maniac, demoniac or a normal person harboring too much stress could attack... Or at least, that is what the paranoid masses believed. And I was throughout my youth a registered member of the paranoid masses of society. For many years, that is how I lived... Head down, eyes averting contact with anyone. The enemy loves this non-committal, passive approach to social behavior. It divides us.
Only in the past few years have I been given access to the revelation of the truth of the matter. God WANTS us to look each other in the eyes. He wants us to remain connected, just as He is connected to us. "For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the Earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him".-(2 Chronicles 16:9) We are made in His image, and therefore are made to do as He does. God WANTS us to look at Him, and to Him at all times. "My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare".-(Psalm 25:16) Catch this principle, it is powerful.
The eyes are truly the windows of the soul. When we shutter those windows or avert our "soul to soul" contacts, we close communion or communication with our neighbors. People crave and need love. "A cheerful look brings joy to the heart".-(Proverbs 15:30) When we offer our eyes to another, we operate as Christ did here on Earth. Jesus did NOT avert His gaze to anyone. On the contrary, He was filled with utter compassion at all times, and for all people, even as He hung on the cross. "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.". -(Luke 23:34) We cannot have compassion for the lost, dying and hungry of this world if we do not see them as they truly are. That only comes from seeing them completely, inside and out. I encourage you to not feel convicted right now... It happens to every single one of us. The enemy tries to convince us and condition us into the belief that we are somehow "safer" or "protected" when we insulate our gaze. While I believe that to be true for the sake of guarding our eye-gates from sin, I know that it is not God's will that we should be divided by our defenses. The adversary is intent on dividing us by any means he can. "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand."-(Mark 3:24) Even the very word "division" means "split vision"or "di (meaning two) visions". Think about it. Try looking at someone with the eyes and mind of Christ Jesus, and see what happens. The hurt and wounded will be moved by your contact. Hope will be instilled and perhaps healing can begin. The insecure may avert their eyes, but at least they will see the love in yours. Keep in mind, this may actually scare some people because it has become an almost totally foreign concept. After all, we have been operating under the misunderstanding that we are to be a society of islands unto ourselves. When in truth, the Lord wishes us to be completely connected and in one accord, in Him.
One of our dear friends and an incredible teacher of Personal Mastery and trainer of "Compassionate Samurai", Brian Klemmer teaches a very powerful concept called "Being with". Mr. Klemmer uses an exercise where he has pairs sit facing each other and simply look into one another's eyes. Not merely for a moment, but for long periods of time. Why does this exercise matter? Because in today's society, we have become so self-centered that the power of simply "being with" someone else without spouting our own agendas or touting our accomplishments or venting our complaints is alien. We have forgotten, as a race, how to look INTO one another. Without words, some laugh, others become confused, and some even break down into tears. It is a walled and veiled area of our hearts and minds that was never meant to be as such, but has been trained into that state. Your spirit-man can SEE and be SEEN both in the spirit and the natural. When you dare to connect with another, you make yourself vulnerable and see into their vulnerability. Remember, this is ONLY if you are filled with the Holy Spirit and have the compassionate heart and mind of Christ. If you have evil within you, or fear, you have no protection from the repercussions that may ensue. But on the other end of the spectrum, if you are filled with the Love of God, that is what makes "your eyes good" and "your whole body full of light". And the Love of God is the most powerful creative and defensive force in existence.
While this paramount truth will impact the lost and hurting surrounding us, it is also an effective weapon against the forces of evil. I mentioned early that Jesus the Messiah did not avert His gaze to anyone, in that, I also believe that He NEVER looked away from those who were His enemies either. We are taught from an early age never to make direct eye-contact with dogs. It is widely taught that dogs will attack if they feel threatened by your gaze. But in truth, I believe that it is not the direct stare that causes the attack, but rather the smell of fear. The enemy, like a dog, can sense and smell the spirit of fear. It comes from him. The spirit of fear is NOT of God, and therefore smells like Satan himself. When the enemy or his minions sense that familiar scent, they attack, just like a wild animal or a dog... I have received what I consider tremendous revelation regarding this. You see, not only does it aid the wounded to look into their eyes and thereby their spirit-man, but it will crumble the greatest of foes to pierce their hearts with the inward gaze of that same Love of Christ. When someone filled with evil, be they demonized or simply heartbroken, angry, and lashing out, see the absolutely pure Love that comes from the Holy Spirit LIVING within you, they have no authority over you. When you walk in the boldness of the authority of the blood of Jesus Christ, you cannot be beaten in a good vs. evil staring contest. Evil will always blink. Beware that when they do, you may have some who press the matter further with queries like "Whattayoulookin'at?"; I advise you to use the standard reply for the Sinner and Saint alike: "Jesus Loves You".
This is a basic, powerful principle that is a necessity to become your authentic self. God never designed us to be hermits. Quite the contrary, He created us for fellowship. Why would the Creator make us to be reclusive and self-existing when He himself sought to have communion with us? Therefore, we were made to commune not only with God, but with our fellow man. I believe the most powerful relationships, whether they are marriages of love or purpose, are those where there is absolute connection and thereby, TRUST. Imagine if you will, a couple who, (although blessed with perfect eyesight), never gaze into one another's eyes. They will be, no matter how close they ever become, incomplete. We were made to "see" into each other. Your eyes are a LAMP! I believe that when the Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world", it meant that His light would shine before men through us. YOUR EYES ARE A LAMP. If He is within you, He will enlighten you. That is they key to all of this.
In order to be the "light of the world", you must have Him dwelling within you. To truly and effectively touch others by looking into them and to look through our adversaries, we need Jesus to be looking outwardly from inside of us. That can only be if you welcome Him into your heart, soul, mind and surrender your spirit and life to Him. You need His saving blood, His working power and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of the Living God. If you do not have the gift of salvation, or know that Love of God, receive it RIGHT NOW. It is the greatest gift of all creation, and it is FREE. Ask Jesus the Messiah to come into your heart, into your life and allow Him to be your EYES... TODAY, and see the world and other people in a different light.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
His Eye Is On The Sparrow
"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."-(Matthew 10:29-30)
Not one element of one living creation is hidden from or unseen by God. For a non-believer, this is a most daunting idea. But for His children, those who belong to Him, this is a bastion of our faith. I recall thinking at a very tender age, that God, whoever He was, could not possibly see everything. I thought that it must be impossible for Him to know what everyone was doing at all times. Yet, I believed, for whatever reason, that Santa Claus could. As I developed and time passed on, I found myself reaching a precipice of belief. This canyon drop of faith was far beyond my intellectual understanding. I could not release myself to the idea that there was a God who knew everything at all times. Furthermore, I could not conceive of a deity who was cognizant of my existence, let alone my trials and challenges. I wish I could tell you that in one fell swoop, God provided an angelic figure or a deliverer to lead me over that crevasse. I think it most certainly would make for better writing, and quite probably better reading as well. But that is not what happened, precious people. No, quite the contrary . It was a process for me to gain revelation of God's OMNIPRESENCE and OMNISCIENCE.
You see, I was provided with a fairly active imagination, and as one of its more important components, I was also granted an intellect to match. I thought about it. I thought about it quite a bit. But faith rarely receives proving by way of our brains. In fact, it seems to me that it is far easier for someone who has never experienced the power or presence of God, to THINK their way around it. That is why we must renew our minds. "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.- (Romans 12:2) Joyce Meyer once said "We are in an all out war with the enemy, and the battlefield is our minds." If the enemy can control or steer our thoughts we are paralyzed. I was once told by someone (who will more than likely read this), that I had been, since my salvation and entry into ministry, "BRAINWASHED". Young in the faith and still battling my mind and intellect, I seethed for a while over that commentary . But something occurred to me, after reflecting on my understanding of God's sovereign, all-powerful, all-knowing personality, which I had gained revelation of at that point in my life. In my quest to understand the truth of His love for me, I HAD BECOME BRAINWASHED. There was no way around it. My mind was once filthy and covered in the scales of dissappointment and dissolution that the world and an angry, Godless society had imprinted upon me. But because of Jesus' blood, and God's MERCY and GRACE, my brain had indeed been washed, clean and new as driven snow.
But I share this all with you to reach a certain end. I was struggling with my faith as a result of my doubt and lack of understanding of God's ability, and more directly, His DESIRE to know my every detail. I could not fathom why the Lord of all creation would care to know me. I most certainly did not understand why He would want to think of me. But one day I read"-(Jeremiah 29:11)-"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." I was so thankful for that Word when I gained knowledge of it. I could count on the Lord's direct explanation of His omniscient power,and that He was all at once everywhere and aware of all of His creation. It shocked me in the most marvelous way. I was in awe that the same God who crafted the infinity of Space and existence, created me, and knew me. Indeed, it boggled my thoughts that He not only had knowledge OF me, He had love FOR me. He wanted to bless me. That put me into a truly broken state of mind. I felt somehow residually guilty for even questioning His thoughts. But I found solace in the Word once more. "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:"
God knows you. He knows your sorrows, your joys, your comedy and your tragedy. He recognizes your motives, whether misguided or precisely targeted. The key to finding the joy in that prospect is releasing your need to govern the position of GOD over your own life. That can only come with revelation of His Lordship and more importantly, our singular entry into His Kingdom through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. When I received salvation, I also received the assurance that God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit were watching over and caring for EVERY detail of my life and existence. I know that God sees my greatest challenges and my most infinitesimal quirks. He disregards neither my stubbed toes nor my tsunamis. He sees everything. He knows everything. That is a powerful concept for sinner or saint. To the fallen and misled, it speaks of no safe hiding place from evil or sin. But to the righteous and redeemed, it speaks of HIS HIDING PLACE and HIS VICTORY over sin, death and evil. How could one not be overjoyed at the prospect of this powerful truth? "I sing because I'm happy- I sing because I'm free- His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me..."
Not one element of one living creation is hidden from or unseen by God. For a non-believer, this is a most daunting idea. But for His children, those who belong to Him, this is a bastion of our faith. I recall thinking at a very tender age, that God, whoever He was, could not possibly see everything. I thought that it must be impossible for Him to know what everyone was doing at all times. Yet, I believed, for whatever reason, that Santa Claus could. As I developed and time passed on, I found myself reaching a precipice of belief. This canyon drop of faith was far beyond my intellectual understanding. I could not release myself to the idea that there was a God who knew everything at all times. Furthermore, I could not conceive of a deity who was cognizant of my existence, let alone my trials and challenges. I wish I could tell you that in one fell swoop, God provided an angelic figure or a deliverer to lead me over that crevasse. I think it most certainly would make for better writing, and quite probably better reading as well. But that is not what happened, precious people. No, quite the contrary . It was a process for me to gain revelation of God's OMNIPRESENCE and OMNISCIENCE.
You see, I was provided with a fairly active imagination, and as one of its more important components, I was also granted an intellect to match. I thought about it. I thought about it quite a bit. But faith rarely receives proving by way of our brains. In fact, it seems to me that it is far easier for someone who has never experienced the power or presence of God, to THINK their way around it. That is why we must renew our minds. "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.- (Romans 12:2) Joyce Meyer once said "We are in an all out war with the enemy, and the battlefield is our minds." If the enemy can control or steer our thoughts we are paralyzed. I was once told by someone (who will more than likely read this), that I had been, since my salvation and entry into ministry, "BRAINWASHED". Young in the faith and still battling my mind and intellect, I seethed for a while over that commentary . But something occurred to me, after reflecting on my understanding of God's sovereign, all-powerful, all-knowing personality, which I had gained revelation of at that point in my life. In my quest to understand the truth of His love for me, I HAD BECOME BRAINWASHED. There was no way around it. My mind was once filthy and covered in the scales of dissappointment and dissolution that the world and an angry, Godless society had imprinted upon me. But because of Jesus' blood, and God's MERCY and GRACE, my brain had indeed been washed, clean and new as driven snow.
But I share this all with you to reach a certain end. I was struggling with my faith as a result of my doubt and lack of understanding of God's ability, and more directly, His DESIRE to know my every detail. I could not fathom why the Lord of all creation would care to know me. I most certainly did not understand why He would want to think of me. But one day I read"-(Jeremiah 29:11)-"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." I was so thankful for that Word when I gained knowledge of it. I could count on the Lord's direct explanation of His omniscient power,and that He was all at once everywhere and aware of all of His creation. It shocked me in the most marvelous way. I was in awe that the same God who crafted the infinity of Space and existence, created me, and knew me. Indeed, it boggled my thoughts that He not only had knowledge OF me, He had love FOR me. He wanted to bless me. That put me into a truly broken state of mind. I felt somehow residually guilty for even questioning His thoughts. But I found solace in the Word once more. "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:"
God knows you. He knows your sorrows, your joys, your comedy and your tragedy. He recognizes your motives, whether misguided or precisely targeted. The key to finding the joy in that prospect is releasing your need to govern the position of GOD over your own life. That can only come with revelation of His Lordship and more importantly, our singular entry into His Kingdom through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. When I received salvation, I also received the assurance that God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit were watching over and caring for EVERY detail of my life and existence. I know that God sees my greatest challenges and my most infinitesimal quirks. He disregards neither my stubbed toes nor my tsunamis. He sees everything. He knows everything. That is a powerful concept for sinner or saint. To the fallen and misled, it speaks of no safe hiding place from evil or sin. But to the righteous and redeemed, it speaks of HIS HIDING PLACE and HIS VICTORY over sin, death and evil. How could one not be overjoyed at the prospect of this powerful truth? "I sing because I'm happy- I sing because I'm free- His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me..."
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
LISTEN... Part 1
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. "-(Jeremiah 29:11)
I know that God has a purpose for our lives. He has designated a purpose in us all, individually and corporately. I wake every day to recall immediately with ardent passion, my purpose. I reflect and meditate upon the complexity and depth of that focal purpose, seeking to hear His direction. You see, just as I recognize that God has a purpose for us all, individually and corporately, I also know that God has a PLAN. KNOWING His plan will be the key ingredient in the manifestation and fulfillment of all of our purposes.
How do we hear His plan? We must bathe in His presence daily, growing in our relationship seeking His Will and receiving His maps and directions. In Isaiah, he prophetically speaks of the Holy Spirit saying "Whether your turn to the right or left, there will be a voice in your ears behind you saying 'This is the way, go in it'."-(Isaiah 32:21) We must listen for the HOLY SPIRIT. It is against my better judgement to go into the details involved in the cacophony of our over-stimulated environmental conditions, and how challenging it is to get to the quiet necessary to hear clearly. The answer to battling against the culture and pace of the world, is to get alone, however you must, with God and BE STILL. "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."-John 10:27 Hearing the Master's Will is not something we will usually have success with when we are overwhelmed in the midst of distractions.
When we are operating in God's plans, we are in His Will. When we embrace His directions and dedicate our lives to serving Him and staying under His covering, God grants us an incredible gift. Under His Covering, walking in the direction and steps of His Plans, we receive the benefits of PROVISION, PROTECTION, PROMOTION, PROMISE and POWER. In following the anointed steps which the Comforter specifies, we are cared for, protected, promoted into new levels of responsibility and given greater promises for our future, all the while being provided for and given the power to overcome whatever obstacles stand in the way of God's Design.
Life is a collection of seasons. "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven."-(Ecclesiastes 3:1) When we falter and sometimes miss the direction briefing for the current season, we are missing the specific stratagem needed to remain under that covering of protection and blessing. I have found myself at times holding onto a previous season. When the glory of the Lord moved in those seasons, we must not attempt to make them last past their due time. In holding onto the last season and not actively seeking God's orchestration for the new season, we prolong the time between seasons. God cannot move with us, for us or through us without our obedient response to His specifications. When we are disobedient and fall from under His covering, we miss the providing, protecting, promoting, promising, powerful God who WANTS to see us reach our absolute potential and bear fruit for His Kingdom.
I know that God has a purpose for our lives. He has designated a purpose in us all, individually and corporately. I wake every day to recall immediately with ardent passion, my purpose. I reflect and meditate upon the complexity and depth of that focal purpose, seeking to hear His direction. You see, just as I recognize that God has a purpose for us all, individually and corporately, I also know that God has a PLAN. KNOWING His plan will be the key ingredient in the manifestation and fulfillment of all of our purposes.
How do we hear His plan? We must bathe in His presence daily, growing in our relationship seeking His Will and receiving His maps and directions. In Isaiah, he prophetically speaks of the Holy Spirit saying "Whether your turn to the right or left, there will be a voice in your ears behind you saying 'This is the way, go in it'."-(Isaiah 32:21) We must listen for the HOLY SPIRIT. It is against my better judgement to go into the details involved in the cacophony of our over-stimulated environmental conditions, and how challenging it is to get to the quiet necessary to hear clearly. The answer to battling against the culture and pace of the world, is to get alone, however you must, with God and BE STILL. "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."-John 10:27 Hearing the Master's Will is not something we will usually have success with when we are overwhelmed in the midst of distractions.
When we are operating in God's plans, we are in His Will. When we embrace His directions and dedicate our lives to serving Him and staying under His covering, God grants us an incredible gift. Under His Covering, walking in the direction and steps of His Plans, we receive the benefits of PROVISION, PROTECTION, PROMOTION, PROMISE and POWER. In following the anointed steps which the Comforter specifies, we are cared for, protected, promoted into new levels of responsibility and given greater promises for our future, all the while being provided for and given the power to overcome whatever obstacles stand in the way of God's Design.
Life is a collection of seasons. "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven."-(Ecclesiastes 3:1) When we falter and sometimes miss the direction briefing for the current season, we are missing the specific stratagem needed to remain under that covering of protection and blessing. I have found myself at times holding onto a previous season. When the glory of the Lord moved in those seasons, we must not attempt to make them last past their due time. In holding onto the last season and not actively seeking God's orchestration for the new season, we prolong the time between seasons. God cannot move with us, for us or through us without our obedient response to His specifications. When we are disobedient and fall from under His covering, we miss the providing, protecting, promoting, promising, powerful God who WANTS to see us reach our absolute potential and bear fruit for His Kingdom.
Monday, September 6, 2010
He Touched Me
"A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured."-(Mark 1:40-42)
My heart aches for the untouchable. Those whose state has cast them away from the compassion and loving embrace of others. What terrible distance and ostracism they are involuntarily moved to. What a desperate plight, to be rejected and forgotten. The only reaction that would be of warrant as you entered the presence of those you once reveled with is one of repulsion and disownment. Instead of even the most civil of greetings, you receive instead gasps of disgust and the spitting of curses warning you to keep your distance. They despise you. You are absolutely alone. You are driven only out of necessity to seek exile amongst those who also share your plight. Your new environs are a breeding ground for further decay and a waiting area for inevitable death. You never feel the warmth of another's touch, or a reassuring caress again. How dark the hopelessness must be. But in the presence of JESUS... The most incredible compassionate hands reach out, grasp and embrace those who are no longer received by the world. He does not care for the precepts and unspoken laws of man. His hands, His words and His LOVE heals a ll who receive them. What troubles me about this scenario is that WE are those hands, WE are the earthly carriers of His words and His Love. But, the same vessels who carry the power to heal here on earth, are usually amongst the same crowds who reject the leprous.
I recently encountered a situation where someone very dear to me in the faith called regarding a brother, a mutually close friend, who had fallen into a greatly distressing position whereby sin had taken root and was strangling his anointing and stifling his call in the Kingdom. The news was distressing, and frankly, shocking to say the least. But what troubled me most about this conversation was the immediacy of my dear friend to relinquish his ties with the afflicted. Now, I grant that the mutual friend was in a very ugly situation, and wisdom would suggest that it speaks of one's approval if we behave as though they were not responsible for their actions... But to almost surgically remove them seemed unconscionable. I agreed that professional attachment was not beneficial at this time, but as I listened to the depth of the distance that was being made, I had an ache rise up within me. I heard the Holy Spirit say "Do not run from the Leprous, RUN TO THEM." I did not hide what was shared with me, and I believe that in my disclosing those words, I urged them to hold on to the relationship by at least a thread for now. But after we finished speaking, my spirit-man rose up and I felt the urge to pray. As I prayed, I felt the need to call this mutual friend. Later that day, I did. I did not reach out to them to lambaste them for their idiocy, nor did I feel the call to admonish them to take responsibility for their actions and apologize to those who they were inadvertently hurting through their actions. I simply said- "We Love You".
In spite of the reflection it might have on our character to any misunderstanding spectators, we felt that Jesus wanted us to reach out and speak peace and love. Jesus did not put a priority on people's perception of Him when he was operating during His ministry. He cared more about those who needed help than those who murmured of His breaking the orthodoxy or traditions. We are equipped as believers with the power to bring healing to those who are afflicted. The challenge comes when either party is not willing to give or receive the healing. The argument on the side of sin is usually clouded by the guilt, delusion or pride that is borne of the flesh in seasons of sin. The argument on the side of those of us who are called to be vessels for His grace can be driven by insulated caution or religious misunderstanding. There will always be those who out of fear of moving outside of the socially accepted divides, or out of their creation of an idol which usurps the power of God... Our self-made FENCES. While it is not our responsibility to be the convicting agent in these situations, it IS our responsibility to be the LOVE of CHRIST.
The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin. Believers can be led down a very dangerous path when they take the judgment of others upon their shoulders. While I believe that we are to hold those who have the revelation of the truth to a higher level of expectation, I also believe that we must all watch our own footing. "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!"-(1 Corinthians 10:12) Yes, there but for the grace of God go I... It is no exaggeration to say that some of the Lord's most potent Generals have gone in moments from condemnation of a peer caught in an explicit sin, to they themselves being wrung over the coals when found in a compromising position. Remember, when God has put you on assignment, the enemy works with crafty intricacy to throw you off of the track and out of the hunt. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”-(1 Peter 5:8)
So much is released in the Spirit when we walk in obedience to His calling and at all times operating in LOVE. Precious Lord God, keep us from becoming insu lated, religious, traditionalist, orthodox, offended Christians. Help us to become more like the Master, Jesus. who, reaching out to the untouchables and touching with HEALING, made GLORY for Your name. Let us always remember and embrace the lovingkindness of the perfect Savior, who endured the temptations of the flesh, took on our sins that we would be FORGIVEN in the eyes of the Father. The greatest teacher and example of eternity, is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. There is no way that we can embody His calling for our lives UNLESS WE WALK IN LOVE. Leave the ultimate judgement to the Father, and be consecrated to continue proclaiming the GOOD NEWS of the SON through the working POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT.
"Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."-(Matthew 6:12-13) It is no coincidence that asking for forgiveness for our missteps is paired with a plea for deliverance from the enemy? God wants us to be ALL He has designed us to be. Perfected through His Blood, and empowered by HIS LOVE. Forgive, Speak Jesus into one another's lives. Speak LOVE and be the LOVE of CHRIST to the unclean, the untouchable, the leprous and discarded souls who NEED JESUS and His healing touch. If that is you today, we encourage you to reach out to the loving and forgiving hand of the King of Kings, and He will make you whole. If you simply need Him to touch your heart right this very moment to give you MORE LOVE, than we agree with you IN THE NAME OF JESUS, that it would be done for you according to your faith and the POWER of His Spirit. Forgiveness is part of His ministry- "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation."-(2 Corinthians 5:18-19) FORGIVE. LOVE. BUILD HIS KINGDOM.
My heart aches for the untouchable. Those whose state has cast them away from the compassion and loving embrace of others. What terrible distance and ostracism they are involuntarily moved to. What a desperate plight, to be rejected and forgotten. The only reaction that would be of warrant as you entered the presence of those you once reveled with is one of repulsion and disownment. Instead of even the most civil of greetings, you receive instead gasps of disgust and the spitting of curses warning you to keep your distance. They despise you. You are absolutely alone. You are driven only out of necessity to seek exile amongst those who also share your plight. Your new environs are a breeding ground for further decay and a waiting area for inevitable death. You never feel the warmth of another's touch, or a reassuring caress again. How dark the hopelessness must be. But in the presence of JESUS... The most incredible compassionate hands reach out, grasp and embrace those who are no longer received by the world. He does not care for the precepts and unspoken laws of man. His hands, His words and His LOVE heals a ll who receive them. What troubles me about this scenario is that WE are those hands, WE are the earthly carriers of His words and His Love. But, the same vessels who carry the power to heal here on earth, are usually amongst the same crowds who reject the leprous.
I recently encountered a situation where someone very dear to me in the faith called regarding a brother, a mutually close friend, who had fallen into a greatly distressing position whereby sin had taken root and was strangling his anointing and stifling his call in the Kingdom. The news was distressing, and frankly, shocking to say the least. But what troubled me most about this conversation was the immediacy of my dear friend to relinquish his ties with the afflicted. Now, I grant that the mutual friend was in a very ugly situation, and wisdom would suggest that it speaks of one's approval if we behave as though they were not responsible for their actions... But to almost surgically remove them seemed unconscionable. I agreed that professional attachment was not beneficial at this time, but as I listened to the depth of the distance that was being made, I had an ache rise up within me. I heard the Holy Spirit say "Do not run from the Leprous, RUN TO THEM." I did not hide what was shared with me, and I believe that in my disclosing those words, I urged them to hold on to the relationship by at least a thread for now. But after we finished speaking, my spirit-man rose up and I felt the urge to pray. As I prayed, I felt the need to call this mutual friend. Later that day, I did. I did not reach out to them to lambaste them for their idiocy, nor did I feel the call to admonish them to take responsibility for their actions and apologize to those who they were inadvertently hurting through their actions. I simply said- "We Love You".
In spite of the reflection it might have on our character to any misunderstanding spectators, we felt that Jesus wanted us to reach out and speak peace and love. Jesus did not put a priority on people's perception of Him when he was operating during His ministry. He cared more about those who needed help than those who murmured of His breaking the orthodoxy or traditions. We are equipped as believers with the power to bring healing to those who are afflicted. The challenge comes when either party is not willing to give or receive the healing. The argument on the side of sin is usually clouded by the guilt, delusion or pride that is borne of the flesh in seasons of sin. The argument on the side of those of us who are called to be vessels for His grace can be driven by insulated caution or religious misunderstanding. There will always be those who out of fear of moving outside of the socially accepted divides, or out of their creation of an idol which usurps the power of God... Our self-made FENCES. While it is not our responsibility to be the convicting agent in these situations, it IS our responsibility to be the LOVE of CHRIST.
The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin. Believers can be led down a very dangerous path when they take the judgment of others upon their shoulders. While I believe that we are to hold those who have the revelation of the truth to a higher level of expectation, I also believe that we must all watch our own footing. "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!"-(1 Corinthians 10:12) Yes, there but for the grace of God go I... It is no exaggeration to say that some of the Lord's most potent Generals have gone in moments from condemnation of a peer caught in an explicit sin, to they themselves being wrung over the coals when found in a compromising position. Remember, when God has put you on assignment, the enemy works with crafty intricacy to throw you off of the track and out of the hunt. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”-(1 Peter 5:8)
So much is released in the Spirit when we walk in obedience to His calling and at all times operating in LOVE. Precious Lord God, keep us from becoming insu lated, religious, traditionalist, orthodox, offended Christians. Help us to become more like the Master, Jesus. who, reaching out to the untouchables and touching with HEALING, made GLORY for Your name. Let us always remember and embrace the lovingkindness of the perfect Savior, who endured the temptations of the flesh, took on our sins that we would be FORGIVEN in the eyes of the Father. The greatest teacher and example of eternity, is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. There is no way that we can embody His calling for our lives UNLESS WE WALK IN LOVE. Leave the ultimate judgement to the Father, and be consecrated to continue proclaiming the GOOD NEWS of the SON through the working POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT.
"Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."-(Matthew 6:12-13) It is no coincidence that asking for forgiveness for our missteps is paired with a plea for deliverance from the enemy? God wants us to be ALL He has designed us to be. Perfected through His Blood, and empowered by HIS LOVE. Forgive, Speak Jesus into one another's lives. Speak LOVE and be the LOVE of CHRIST to the unclean, the untouchable, the leprous and discarded souls who NEED JESUS and His healing touch. If that is you today, we encourage you to reach out to the loving and forgiving hand of the King of Kings, and He will make you whole. If you simply need Him to touch your heart right this very moment to give you MORE LOVE, than we agree with you IN THE NAME OF JESUS, that it would be done for you according to your faith and the POWER of His Spirit. Forgiveness is part of His ministry- "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation."-(2 Corinthians 5:18-19) FORGIVE. LOVE. BUILD HIS KINGDOM.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
His Plan: A New Thing
"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."-(Isaiah 43:18-19)
New seasons are a glorious indication of God's plans coming to pass. If we were perpetually trapped in one moment, no matter how wonderful it is, it would be a stumbling block for His plans. We would stagnate and become dwarfed versions of our authentic selves. Seasons are necessary in nature to bring about the cyclical changes in the earth and in the design of creation that the Lord intended for our natural flesh to encounter. I believe that there is within all seasons an incredible metaphor of the Father's blueprint for our spiritual growth and maturation. "Life is a collection of Seasons" is a quote that one of my mentors, Bob Harrison frequently teaches on. And so it is... And for each season there is a purpose and a divine timing. "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."-(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
There is a singular beauty and necessity found in each moment, each season of our lives. These moments and seasons are the very milestones, markers and substance of the JOURNEY itself. We each have a destiny that is specific to God's intended architectural purpose for our lives. If we are to fulfill ALL He has written for us to attain and complete, we must not stand still. At the appointed times, we, just as the seasons themselves, must move on. There is a currency to the Power and Plans of God that flows as a River- pressing on and churning the waters and surroundings, bringing NEW LIFE. It is up to us to be obedient when He directs us to hold our ground, or to go. As my bride and I reflect on the last 3 and a half years of our lives and the surreal frequency of the move of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we EMBRACE CHANGE.
Obedience is the key. Although our flesh or our mind will usually be challenged by active change, our spirits remain focused upon the promise of faith. We know the He is Faithful to those who are faithful to Him. “Without faith it is impossible to please God”-(Hebrews 11:6) I recognize the greatest act of faith to be immediate obedience. Delayed obedience is disobedience, nevertheless. But direct obedience of the direction of the Holy Spirit, the very direction of God the Father Himself, leads only to supernatural guidance and favor. In other words, when our faith level is such that we believe the promises of God in the powerful scriptures of the Gospel He ACTIVATES HIS POWER through us: "And Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, `Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him; Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any one; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."-(Mark 11:22-25) He gives us the desires of our hearts, and when our wills are wrapped up into His, He literally PLACES HIS DESIRE INTO OUR HEARTS.
When the Holy Ghost prompts you to "GO" or to "MOVE"- we urge you- DO SO. Do not delay. If we truly believe Him at His WORD, then we would move at His prompting without question. If He is truly GOD, then we must. When we have covenant relationship with the Holy Spirit through the saving power of Jesus Christ, we will live a life consecrated to Him, DEDICATED to Him. And when we DEDICATE anything unto the Lord, He takes ownership of it. When He becomes LORD over our lives He is responsible for us. He is a loving and faithful GOD. We truly DO TRUST in HIM. When He urges us, we know to obey. "Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, "This is the way you should go," whether to the right or to the left."-(Isaiah 30:21) He will not only guide you, but He will also strengthen you as well. With true faith in the Lord's promises we gain access to receive the blessings of obedience. "I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built."-(Luke 6:46)
So, as we step out in Faith at the direction of the Holy Spirit, and go boldly out onto the waters, we reach out to HIM. And this very day, which represents the first day of our launching out officially, GOD MOVED. There has been no gap between His provision. This morning we received a MASSIVE blessing that will indubitably strengthen His plans for our life together with incredible, uncommon FAVOR. The Favor of the Lord has fallen upon His obedient servants, who are entirely grateful. We LOVE the Lord with all our heart, mind and soul. We worship Him with all of our spirit. He is a truly faithful Father who is our provider indeed.
Today, in your reading of this humbled man's awe of God's faithfulness to His obedient ones, we pray you find encouragement. Stay strong in the Lord, and the Power of His might. We encourage you to stand upon His Word. "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."-(Philippians 1:6) Stepping out of the boat is a daunting act in our minds and bodies, but when our SPIRIT MAN is under the direct cover of God through immediate obedience, NOTHING CAN STOP HIS PLAN. It may take some "taxing" to get you to your Bethlehem, but when you get there God is going to give you your promise. He WILL see it through. He is not making this up as He goes... He has a perfect plan. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."-(Jeremiah 29:11) Trust in the Lord.
New seasons are a glorious indication of God's plans coming to pass. If we were perpetually trapped in one moment, no matter how wonderful it is, it would be a stumbling block for His plans. We would stagnate and become dwarfed versions of our authentic selves. Seasons are necessary in nature to bring about the cyclical changes in the earth and in the design of creation that the Lord intended for our natural flesh to encounter. I believe that there is within all seasons an incredible metaphor of the Father's blueprint for our spiritual growth and maturation. "Life is a collection of Seasons" is a quote that one of my mentors, Bob Harrison frequently teaches on. And so it is... And for each season there is a purpose and a divine timing. "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."-(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
There is a singular beauty and necessity found in each moment, each season of our lives. These moments and seasons are the very milestones, markers and substance of the JOURNEY itself. We each have a destiny that is specific to God's intended architectural purpose for our lives. If we are to fulfill ALL He has written for us to attain and complete, we must not stand still. At the appointed times, we, just as the seasons themselves, must move on. There is a currency to the Power and Plans of God that flows as a River- pressing on and churning the waters and surroundings, bringing NEW LIFE. It is up to us to be obedient when He directs us to hold our ground, or to go. As my bride and I reflect on the last 3 and a half years of our lives and the surreal frequency of the move of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we EMBRACE CHANGE.
Obedience is the key. Although our flesh or our mind will usually be challenged by active change, our spirits remain focused upon the promise of faith. We know the He is Faithful to those who are faithful to Him. “Without faith it is impossible to please God”-(Hebrews 11:6) I recognize the greatest act of faith to be immediate obedience. Delayed obedience is disobedience, nevertheless. But direct obedience of the direction of the Holy Spirit, the very direction of God the Father Himself, leads only to supernatural guidance and favor. In other words, when our faith level is such that we believe the promises of God in the powerful scriptures of the Gospel He ACTIVATES HIS POWER through us: "And Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, `Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him; Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any one; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."-(Mark 11:22-25) He gives us the desires of our hearts, and when our wills are wrapped up into His, He literally PLACES HIS DESIRE INTO OUR HEARTS.
When the Holy Ghost prompts you to "GO" or to "MOVE"- we urge you- DO SO. Do not delay. If we truly believe Him at His WORD, then we would move at His prompting without question. If He is truly GOD, then we must. When we have covenant relationship with the Holy Spirit through the saving power of Jesus Christ, we will live a life consecrated to Him, DEDICATED to Him. And when we DEDICATE anything unto the Lord, He takes ownership of it. When He becomes LORD over our lives He is responsible for us. He is a loving and faithful GOD. We truly DO TRUST in HIM. When He urges us, we know to obey. "Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, "This is the way you should go," whether to the right or to the left."-(Isaiah 30:21) He will not only guide you, but He will also strengthen you as well. With true faith in the Lord's promises we gain access to receive the blessings of obedience. "I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built."-(Luke 6:46)
So, as we step out in Faith at the direction of the Holy Spirit, and go boldly out onto the waters, we reach out to HIM. And this very day, which represents the first day of our launching out officially, GOD MOVED. There has been no gap between His provision. This morning we received a MASSIVE blessing that will indubitably strengthen His plans for our life together with incredible, uncommon FAVOR. The Favor of the Lord has fallen upon His obedient servants, who are entirely grateful. We LOVE the Lord with all our heart, mind and soul. We worship Him with all of our spirit. He is a truly faithful Father who is our provider indeed.
Today, in your reading of this humbled man's awe of God's faithfulness to His obedient ones, we pray you find encouragement. Stay strong in the Lord, and the Power of His might. We encourage you to stand upon His Word. "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."-(Philippians 1:6) Stepping out of the boat is a daunting act in our minds and bodies, but when our SPIRIT MAN is under the direct cover of God through immediate obedience, NOTHING CAN STOP HIS PLAN. It may take some "taxing" to get you to your Bethlehem, but when you get there God is going to give you your promise. He WILL see it through. He is not making this up as He goes... He has a perfect plan. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."-(Jeremiah 29:11) Trust in the Lord.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Love God. Love People.
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."-(Matthew 22:36-40)
Love God. Love People. It IS really that simple. Jesus could very well have delivered a diatribe that unraveled the very mystery of faith and the engineering schematics for creation and God's plans, but He chose instead to encapsulate the heart of the Father with what is essentially the meaning of life. So poignant is this ideal, and so very much like the wonderfully simple ideal of grace, it is almost incomprehensible to our feeble, legalistic minds. We want so desperately to add to it, because "it cannot be that simple..." But the Lord Himself revealed the key to pleasing God and fulfilling your destiny here on Earth. Love Him with ALL of yourself, leaving no part insulated from Him, and love others as you love yourself.
Loving God comes easily for me. I have been forgiven of so much that is, in the natural, and in my own understanding, unforgiveable. But the Holy Spirit revealed to me long ago that I was very similar to the woman with the alabaster box at Simon the Pharisee's house. She was a terrible sinner, particularly in the eyes of the law, but the presence of the Lord, and the Master's forgiveness led her to give all of her love to Him "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."-(Luke 7:47) Love for the Lord leads us into His covering. The very presence of the Holy Spirit IS LOVE. When you bask in His shadow, you are encompassed by the purest love in all creation. We love God because He first loved us. Even while we were ignorantly hurting, cursing, defiling and avoiding Him. He still loved us so much that He gave everything. How could we NOT love Him?
Loving our neighbors as we love ourselves is not immediately easy for most of us. I imagine that the enemy would like to keep us divided and reclusive due to the revelation of the power that unity creates. It would seem, at first glance, that loving others is an issue based entirely around the behavior, reciprocal treatment and the "lovability" of others. My Spirit-Man knows otherwise. We are so often used by the enemy to believe that it is "their fault" or "them" that has the issues that block our love. But I would pose this query to you: What if you do not truly love yourself? How is it possible to love others as we love ourselves, when we truthfully do not? Loving ourselves oftentimes DOES NOT come easily. When we receive the transformative power of salvation, we immediately cling to the Love of God, but it takes many of us a lengthy period of time to be delivered from the lies the adversary tells us about ourselves. Sometimes, it takes an entire lifetime. Sometimes, sadly, it never happens. I know dozens of "saved, blood-bought believers" who are absolutely loveless because they are constantly crippled by the whispers of inadequacy and inferiority from the enemy. I was one of those people. I listened to the lies. Even knowing the Word of God, I believed the fallacies that once plagued my quiet hours. "You are no good. You do not deserve any of this... No one loves you, they are all against you." But God got a hold of me one day long ago and revealed that without Him those statements were true. But WITH HIM, I was forgiven, delivered, renewed, recreated and most importantly LOVED. How do we love ourselves and others? We receive God's Love for us, and He LOVES THROUGH US.
We can do nothing without LOVE. God IS LOVE, and we can do nothing without GOD. Your gifts, talents and earthly tools will never give you entry into the Kingdom of God. Your best laid efforts to enter eterntity based on what you consider as service to the King will be crushed and unrecognized if you do not follow these commandments. The Apostle Paul said it flawlessly: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."-(1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
We are all in "full-time ministry". We are all required by God to minister to one another. Do not leave that up to the oracle ministries. Jesus tells us that the entirety of the Law and the Prophets hang upon loving God and loving people. He FULFILLED the Law and the Prophets and then gave one NEW COMMANDMENT reiterating the importance of our LOVE: "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."-(John 13:34-35)
So the next time you find it challenging to LOVE someone who by the world's standard is unlovable, (perhaps even yourself) think on the Words of the Master. LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS HE LOVED US. LOVE GOD. LOVE PEOPLE.
Love God. Love People. It IS really that simple. Jesus could very well have delivered a diatribe that unraveled the very mystery of faith and the engineering schematics for creation and God's plans, but He chose instead to encapsulate the heart of the Father with what is essentially the meaning of life. So poignant is this ideal, and so very much like the wonderfully simple ideal of grace, it is almost incomprehensible to our feeble, legalistic minds. We want so desperately to add to it, because "it cannot be that simple..." But the Lord Himself revealed the key to pleasing God and fulfilling your destiny here on Earth. Love Him with ALL of yourself, leaving no part insulated from Him, and love others as you love yourself.
Loving God comes easily for me. I have been forgiven of so much that is, in the natural, and in my own understanding, unforgiveable. But the Holy Spirit revealed to me long ago that I was very similar to the woman with the alabaster box at Simon the Pharisee's house. She was a terrible sinner, particularly in the eyes of the law, but the presence of the Lord, and the Master's forgiveness led her to give all of her love to Him "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."-(Luke 7:47) Love for the Lord leads us into His covering. The very presence of the Holy Spirit IS LOVE. When you bask in His shadow, you are encompassed by the purest love in all creation. We love God because He first loved us. Even while we were ignorantly hurting, cursing, defiling and avoiding Him. He still loved us so much that He gave everything. How could we NOT love Him?
Loving our neighbors as we love ourselves is not immediately easy for most of us. I imagine that the enemy would like to keep us divided and reclusive due to the revelation of the power that unity creates. It would seem, at first glance, that loving others is an issue based entirely around the behavior, reciprocal treatment and the "lovability" of others. My Spirit-Man knows otherwise. We are so often used by the enemy to believe that it is "their fault" or "them" that has the issues that block our love. But I would pose this query to you: What if you do not truly love yourself? How is it possible to love others as we love ourselves, when we truthfully do not? Loving ourselves oftentimes DOES NOT come easily. When we receive the transformative power of salvation, we immediately cling to the Love of God, but it takes many of us a lengthy period of time to be delivered from the lies the adversary tells us about ourselves. Sometimes, it takes an entire lifetime. Sometimes, sadly, it never happens. I know dozens of "saved, blood-bought believers" who are absolutely loveless because they are constantly crippled by the whispers of inadequacy and inferiority from the enemy. I was one of those people. I listened to the lies. Even knowing the Word of God, I believed the fallacies that once plagued my quiet hours. "You are no good. You do not deserve any of this... No one loves you, they are all against you." But God got a hold of me one day long ago and revealed that without Him those statements were true. But WITH HIM, I was forgiven, delivered, renewed, recreated and most importantly LOVED. How do we love ourselves and others? We receive God's Love for us, and He LOVES THROUGH US.
We can do nothing without LOVE. God IS LOVE, and we can do nothing without GOD. Your gifts, talents and earthly tools will never give you entry into the Kingdom of God. Your best laid efforts to enter eterntity based on what you consider as service to the King will be crushed and unrecognized if you do not follow these commandments. The Apostle Paul said it flawlessly: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."-(1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
We are all in "full-time ministry". We are all required by God to minister to one another. Do not leave that up to the oracle ministries. Jesus tells us that the entirety of the Law and the Prophets hang upon loving God and loving people. He FULFILLED the Law and the Prophets and then gave one NEW COMMANDMENT reiterating the importance of our LOVE: "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."-(John 13:34-35)
So the next time you find it challenging to LOVE someone who by the world's standard is unlovable, (perhaps even yourself) think on the Words of the Master. LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS HE LOVED US. LOVE GOD. LOVE PEOPLE.
Friday, July 9, 2010
The Role Of Your Lifetime...
On one of our more recent guest appearances on Trinity Broadcast Network's "Praise The Lord" here in the Northwest, we were blessed to be on with our dear friend and a tremendously anointed man of God, Reverend Emmanuel Ziga. We met him as we were ministering at one of our conference appearances with Pastor Benny Hinn, and soon after ministered for him alongside one of our spiritual fathers, Steve Brock. It was as if we had known one another always. I can reflect on about a dozen instances in my walk where the Lord had skillfully designed a divine appointment wherein I would be united with a cohort of destiny. With Emmanuel, Brother Steve, our Russian Brother Dmitry Shatrov and a precious handful of others, I had felt from the very introduction, of the same ilk. It was a reuniting rather than initial introduction. The flow of the Holy Spirit in our friendship is powerful, and so therein is the ministry that we share together; powerfully appointed. In this instance, the interview was spontaneous and charged with His presence. We spoke of God's GLORY, and how the body of Christ NEEDS to experience the wind of the spirit and the glory of God like never before.
Having experienced our original Easter Rock Musical- "The Kingdom" only weeks before, Emmanuel asked me to recount what it was like to "play Jesus". I could reply the only way I knew how: Humbling, life-changing, awe-inspiring and full of tremendous burden. I explained that in the spirit, I had experienced on a microscopic level of consciousness and understanding the amount of weight the Lord endured for you and I. I went on to tell him about what was perhaps the greatest revelation of the experience for me- that was that each of us, is inherently called to "play Jesus" everyday. We are to be Jesus in flesh, spirit and action, every moment of our lives. He agreed and the Holy Spirit then ministered greatly to the viewing audience as we discussed the rigors and importance of penetrating the entertainment industry for the sake of the gospel.
But as I reflected on the main theme of that interview, it overtook and overshadowed my every thought. WE ARE TO BE HIM. It should never be a foreign concept to be as the Lord Jesus, here and now. I recognize that we are mere mortals, simply man or woman and not Christ, but I identified prophetically during that taping, how we are given to the title "Christian" and that in the original Greek literally means "Little Christs". It can be argued that the truer meaning is "slaves of Christ", but the purveyors of that rendering of the definition are mostly agnostics, atheists or those with offenses toward the Way. I prescribe to the former. And as "little christs" we are to be multiplying representatives of Him, His glory and goodness. "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God."-(2 Corithians 5:20) An "ambassador" is defined more specifically as a diplomatic official of the highest rank appointed and accredited as representative in residence by one government or sovereign to another, usually for a specific length of time. And so we are... "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."-(Romans 8:15-17)
I have been immensely blessed in my former career (and life) to have played countless roles. I have been a hundred different identities, some based on real people, others invented, fictitious creations. I have been cowards and carousers, villains and heroes, idiots and geniuses, madmen and maniacs, sinners and saints. I have swam the icy shores of the outsider and known the emptiness of the unloveable. I have been immersed in the heights of infatuation and felt the adoration of others, seeing the fullness of unconditional love. I walked the path of adventure and invention, tasted and seen and lived to tell about it. I was the author of the "Last Temptation of Christ", Nikos Kazantzakis, the height of anti-conformity- Huckleberry Finn and then of course, I have been the accuser of the brethren- Satan, himself... The list goes on and on... In each instance I learned something that God needed me to grasp and hold within out of preparation for the work of the ministry ahead. It is amazing to think that even then, before I was His, He knew how to work all things together for His glory. Each role was a building block in my understanding of the human condition. Every performance granting a different perspective, not only of the characters, but of myself, and my undeniable NEED for HIM.
During the run of Roger Miller's Musical "BIG RIVER" in which I portrayed Mark Twain's unruly, rebellious yet affable and forgivable character Huck Finn, I had one of the most intense and utterly memorable experiences of my life. In my off-time I had been studying Eastern Texts and Books of Religion. I was half-way through The Koran, having finished reading the Dhammapada, the Bhagavad Gita, and was inquiring of Allah, Buddha and the Pantheon of Hinduism for the identity of the supreme being. The character of Huck was one that I could whole-heartedly identify with at the time. He was somewhat lost in a world where he was constantly being told things like "be good" and "read your bible or you'll never get to heaven". He was repelled out of disgust by the boundaries and hypocrisy of religion, yet nevertheless unknowingly watered a desire for grace; Well, more correctly the desire for grace and playing "hookey". He had a heart of gold, though, that throughout the book proved that there was hope for him still. He wasn't quite sure how to communicate his goodness, when he tried he failed, when he tried to do "no good" he was hijacked by providence, and the Lord acted through his deeds without his knowlege nonetheless. I felt for him, and identified with him on a spiritual level. One of the songs I was privileged to sing was "Waiting For The Light" The lyrics testified "I have lived in the darkness for so long, I am waitin' for the light to shine..." I lived that song. I had been working long days in a compressed period of time (as is the case with many rehearsal periods) and had gone directly to my room out of exhaustion and laying down, was deep asleep before the second breath on the bed. It is important that I state that I had, at that point in my life, not yet met the woman of my dreams, and was deeply seeking a revelation of who God was. I promise to share my full testimony sometime in the future, but for now be reconciled that I did not, for many reasons, ever touch a bible or consider Christ, until after the following:
As I slept, I dreamt so vividly that to this day I can recall every second, it was as real as any waking moment. In truth, I believe that this moment was MORE REAL than my waking cognizance, it was beyond describable reality. I saw a desert surrounding me. I could identify each individual grain of sand, and even remember the scent of sandalwood in the warmth of the soothing winds. I looked heavenward and saw an ultra indigo-blue colored sky, without cloud or blemish, with the illumination of a bright and glowing sun, yet I could not, as I scanned the horizon and the breadth of the sky, find the sun. As I peered into the distance, I saw through the nearly invisible waves of heat, a figure approaching. I was not apprehensive. Instead, I felt a peace like never before in my life. As the body gained ground toward me, I began to see the shape of a man, cloaked in white linens from hood to drape of tunic to his sandals. The closer the man got, the more I began to consciously reel over his bearded likeness. He was the most incredible conglomeration of identifiable visions of the Lord Jesus Christ from within and without my knowlege of art, film and imagination that I had ever seen. I knew without asking anything- this WAS Jesus of Nazareth. This WAS Him. He was within arm's reach when gazing through me He offered me as He held out a wooden dipper-"Drink". I looked down into the cup and at once saw the whole of the cosmos stirring in the purest water I had ever seen. I remember thinking in that instance, that the water looked as though it was actually ALIVE. For whatever reason, conditioning, fear of the unknown or stark ignorance, I answered- "But, I'm not thirsty." He smiled at me and said "You will be." And with that I woke up suddenly. I was dumbstruck. I could not utter a word for several hours after, nor could I sleep for the remainder of the night. I have never been the same.
About a year and a half later, I met my love and, fast-fowarding into our relationship, having never disclosed that experience to anyone, shared it with her. Jeni fell silent. She then, after taking it all in, began to explain the meaning of "living water" and then showed me that without any prior knowlege of the scripture, the revelation I had was directly from God Himself. I had, as I believe, an exclusive, intense person to person with the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Why? Because from that moment forward, in spite of my shortcomings and failures I knew that I had a higher calling. I foolishly did not act on it until years later, but I knew. Ultimately, in my spirit, I knew that the greatest role of my life, was to daily play the role of Jesus Christ. William Shakespeare is renowned for the statement from As You Like It-
"All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts"
It is absolutely true. No, it is not scriptural, but there is great wisdom there. We choose which of these parts we play. Some play many and avail no fruit whatsoever throughout their lives. Others play only one and lead meaningful, stable existences. But the truly advanced, the ones who have genuinely tasted and seen that the Lord is GOOD- They play the greatest role of all- They are Jesus, the Son of the Living God, embodied here in this contemporary time, healing, ministering, preaching the good news with the anointing of the Holy Spirit, empowering their roles to the glory of God until His triumphal return.
So, when you put your costume on today, rather than donning the attire that simply defines your likes, dislikes and predispositions of fashion and age, PUT ON CHRIST. Wear HIM. Be HIM for this lost and dying world. Play the part of Jesus to the unloveable miscreants and losers who have forgotten hope. Be Christ to the child without a father, the widow without husband, the sons and daughters without joy. I encourage you, rather than play an existential and ultimately meaningless lifetime out, make the decision to receive direction from the eternal and Magnificent Director, God Almighty. Play today with all of your heart- The Greatest Role... The Role of Your Lifetime- JESUS CHRIST.
Having experienced our original Easter Rock Musical- "The Kingdom" only weeks before, Emmanuel asked me to recount what it was like to "play Jesus". I could reply the only way I knew how: Humbling, life-changing, awe-inspiring and full of tremendous burden. I explained that in the spirit, I had experienced on a microscopic level of consciousness and understanding the amount of weight the Lord endured for you and I. I went on to tell him about what was perhaps the greatest revelation of the experience for me- that was that each of us, is inherently called to "play Jesus" everyday. We are to be Jesus in flesh, spirit and action, every moment of our lives. He agreed and the Holy Spirit then ministered greatly to the viewing audience as we discussed the rigors and importance of penetrating the entertainment industry for the sake of the gospel.
But as I reflected on the main theme of that interview, it overtook and overshadowed my every thought. WE ARE TO BE HIM. It should never be a foreign concept to be as the Lord Jesus, here and now. I recognize that we are mere mortals, simply man or woman and not Christ, but I identified prophetically during that taping, how we are given to the title "Christian" and that in the original Greek literally means "Little Christs". It can be argued that the truer meaning is "slaves of Christ", but the purveyors of that rendering of the definition are mostly agnostics, atheists or those with offenses toward the Way. I prescribe to the former. And as "little christs" we are to be multiplying representatives of Him, His glory and goodness. "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God."-(2 Corithians 5:20) An "ambassador" is defined more specifically as a diplomatic official of the highest rank appointed and accredited as representative in residence by one government or sovereign to another, usually for a specific length of time. And so we are... "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."-(Romans 8:15-17)
I have been immensely blessed in my former career (and life) to have played countless roles. I have been a hundred different identities, some based on real people, others invented, fictitious creations. I have been cowards and carousers, villains and heroes, idiots and geniuses, madmen and maniacs, sinners and saints. I have swam the icy shores of the outsider and known the emptiness of the unloveable. I have been immersed in the heights of infatuation and felt the adoration of others, seeing the fullness of unconditional love. I walked the path of adventure and invention, tasted and seen and lived to tell about it. I was the author of the "Last Temptation of Christ", Nikos Kazantzakis, the height of anti-conformity- Huckleberry Finn and then of course, I have been the accuser of the brethren- Satan, himself... The list goes on and on... In each instance I learned something that God needed me to grasp and hold within out of preparation for the work of the ministry ahead. It is amazing to think that even then, before I was His, He knew how to work all things together for His glory. Each role was a building block in my understanding of the human condition. Every performance granting a different perspective, not only of the characters, but of myself, and my undeniable NEED for HIM.
During the run of Roger Miller's Musical "BIG RIVER" in which I portrayed Mark Twain's unruly, rebellious yet affable and forgivable character Huck Finn, I had one of the most intense and utterly memorable experiences of my life. In my off-time I had been studying Eastern Texts and Books of Religion. I was half-way through The Koran, having finished reading the Dhammapada, the Bhagavad Gita, and was inquiring of Allah, Buddha and the Pantheon of Hinduism for the identity of the supreme being. The character of Huck was one that I could whole-heartedly identify with at the time. He was somewhat lost in a world where he was constantly being told things like "be good" and "read your bible or you'll never get to heaven". He was repelled out of disgust by the boundaries and hypocrisy of religion, yet nevertheless unknowingly watered a desire for grace; Well, more correctly the desire for grace and playing "hookey". He had a heart of gold, though, that throughout the book proved that there was hope for him still. He wasn't quite sure how to communicate his goodness, when he tried he failed, when he tried to do "no good" he was hijacked by providence, and the Lord acted through his deeds without his knowlege nonetheless. I felt for him, and identified with him on a spiritual level. One of the songs I was privileged to sing was "Waiting For The Light" The lyrics testified "I have lived in the darkness for so long, I am waitin' for the light to shine..." I lived that song. I had been working long days in a compressed period of time (as is the case with many rehearsal periods) and had gone directly to my room out of exhaustion and laying down, was deep asleep before the second breath on the bed. It is important that I state that I had, at that point in my life, not yet met the woman of my dreams, and was deeply seeking a revelation of who God was. I promise to share my full testimony sometime in the future, but for now be reconciled that I did not, for many reasons, ever touch a bible or consider Christ, until after the following:
As I slept, I dreamt so vividly that to this day I can recall every second, it was as real as any waking moment. In truth, I believe that this moment was MORE REAL than my waking cognizance, it was beyond describable reality. I saw a desert surrounding me. I could identify each individual grain of sand, and even remember the scent of sandalwood in the warmth of the soothing winds. I looked heavenward and saw an ultra indigo-blue colored sky, without cloud or blemish, with the illumination of a bright and glowing sun, yet I could not, as I scanned the horizon and the breadth of the sky, find the sun. As I peered into the distance, I saw through the nearly invisible waves of heat, a figure approaching. I was not apprehensive. Instead, I felt a peace like never before in my life. As the body gained ground toward me, I began to see the shape of a man, cloaked in white linens from hood to drape of tunic to his sandals. The closer the man got, the more I began to consciously reel over his bearded likeness. He was the most incredible conglomeration of identifiable visions of the Lord Jesus Christ from within and without my knowlege of art, film and imagination that I had ever seen. I knew without asking anything- this WAS Jesus of Nazareth. This WAS Him. He was within arm's reach when gazing through me He offered me as He held out a wooden dipper-"Drink". I looked down into the cup and at once saw the whole of the cosmos stirring in the purest water I had ever seen. I remember thinking in that instance, that the water looked as though it was actually ALIVE. For whatever reason, conditioning, fear of the unknown or stark ignorance, I answered- "But, I'm not thirsty." He smiled at me and said "You will be." And with that I woke up suddenly. I was dumbstruck. I could not utter a word for several hours after, nor could I sleep for the remainder of the night. I have never been the same.
About a year and a half later, I met my love and, fast-fowarding into our relationship, having never disclosed that experience to anyone, shared it with her. Jeni fell silent. She then, after taking it all in, began to explain the meaning of "living water" and then showed me that without any prior knowlege of the scripture, the revelation I had was directly from God Himself. I had, as I believe, an exclusive, intense person to person with the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Why? Because from that moment forward, in spite of my shortcomings and failures I knew that I had a higher calling. I foolishly did not act on it until years later, but I knew. Ultimately, in my spirit, I knew that the greatest role of my life, was to daily play the role of Jesus Christ. William Shakespeare is renowned for the statement from As You Like It-
"All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts"
It is absolutely true. No, it is not scriptural, but there is great wisdom there. We choose which of these parts we play. Some play many and avail no fruit whatsoever throughout their lives. Others play only one and lead meaningful, stable existences. But the truly advanced, the ones who have genuinely tasted and seen that the Lord is GOOD- They play the greatest role of all- They are Jesus, the Son of the Living God, embodied here in this contemporary time, healing, ministering, preaching the good news with the anointing of the Holy Spirit, empowering their roles to the glory of God until His triumphal return.
So, when you put your costume on today, rather than donning the attire that simply defines your likes, dislikes and predispositions of fashion and age, PUT ON CHRIST. Wear HIM. Be HIM for this lost and dying world. Play the part of Jesus to the unloveable miscreants and losers who have forgotten hope. Be Christ to the child without a father, the widow without husband, the sons and daughters without joy. I encourage you, rather than play an existential and ultimately meaningless lifetime out, make the decision to receive direction from the eternal and Magnificent Director, God Almighty. Play today with all of your heart- The Greatest Role... The Role of Your Lifetime- JESUS CHRIST.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
The Anointing Of The Lord
"At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him."-(Mark 1:9-13)
After the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove, and then led him out into the wilderness to be tested, the Lord returned to the civilization of Galilee to begin His ministry. "And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord."-(Luke 4:14-19) And He returned in the POWER of the Spirit. Jesus began His ministry with the empowerment and authority given through the anointing. The glorious witness of every act of grace, power and the miraculous borne of the anointing of the Lord.
Jesus IS the anointed one of God. He is the Messiah. The word "Messiah" (Hebrew 'Mashiach') comes from the verb mashach, which means to smear or anoint with oil, usually for the purpose of dedicating or consecrating something (such as a temple vessel)or someone (such as a prophet, priest or king) for the service of Adonai, the Lord God.
The power of His presence, the very being of His grace was and is surrounded by the substance of the anointing. What is more wonderful, and perhaps most impressive to me, is the revelation that Jesus was anointed by God, the Apostles were anointed by Jesus, we are the recipients of the anointing by way of the sacrifice and substantiation of the new covenant. "He is the LORD our God; His judgments are in all the earth. Remember His covenant forever, The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations, The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac,
And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, To Israel for an everlasting covenant"-(1 Chronicles 16:14-17) Through the shed blood of the lamb of God, we are heirs to the Abrahamic Covenant, and through the anointing we also gain divine consecration from the Father: " He permitted no man to do them wrong; Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes, Saying, 'Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm.'"-(1 Chronicles 16:22)
"Anointed" renders one to be definitively sanctified, consecrated and set apart for a task or a position by God. We find this same word used for "anointed" in the Old Testament termed for prophets, priests, kings and judges. Their anointings were often temporary, empowering them to accomplish their assignment. These offices were types and shadows which pointed to Jesus, THE anointed one. Jesus is singularly perfect in fulfilling all the offices; He came as a prophet-"The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren."-(Deuteronomy 18:15), He is now functioning as our high priest-"You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek"-(Hebrews 5:5) and when He returns He will become judge and reign as our king-He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful."-(Revelation 17:14)
Today, we believers who are purchased by the blood are anointed priests who are able to transport people to be cleansed by the very same blood of Jesus Christ, our high priest by way of the powerfully anointed message of the Gospel.
Perhaps the most dynamic and awe-inspiring attribute of the anointing of the Lord is its supernatural power to shatter bondage. "And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing."-(Isaiah 10:27) My father-in-law wrote an incredibly powerful song that my wife and I minister with, which proclaims "The Anointing of the Lord breaks the yoke of bondage, The Anointing of the Lord sets the Captives free, The Anointing of the Lord brings rivers to your desert, that Anointing is raining on me, That Anointing is raining on me..." I love that song, because as we minister with it, the Holy Spirit brings explosive breakthrough into the lives of those pressing into the flow of the very power of God. I have witnessed the anointing deliver people from addiction, affliction and every type of sin. God uses His power to accomplish His plans and to increase the current of His will.
But the greatest purpose of our becoming the Anointed of the Lord is definitely NOT self-gratification. It is to fulfill the Great Commission. Jesus said "Verily, verily I say unto you, he that believeth in Me, the works that I do he shall do also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto My Father."-(John 14:12) We are given the person of the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us here on earth and the empowerment of the anointing to preach the gospel. "And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the Word with signs following. Amen."-(Mark 16:20)
After the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove, and then led him out into the wilderness to be tested, the Lord returned to the civilization of Galilee to begin His ministry. "And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord."-(Luke 4:14-19) And He returned in the POWER of the Spirit. Jesus began His ministry with the empowerment and authority given through the anointing. The glorious witness of every act of grace, power and the miraculous borne of the anointing of the Lord.
Jesus IS the anointed one of God. He is the Messiah. The word "Messiah" (Hebrew 'Mashiach') comes from the verb mashach, which means to smear or anoint with oil, usually for the purpose of dedicating or consecrating something (such as a temple vessel)or someone (such as a prophet, priest or king) for the service of Adonai, the Lord God.
The power of His presence, the very being of His grace was and is surrounded by the substance of the anointing. What is more wonderful, and perhaps most impressive to me, is the revelation that Jesus was anointed by God, the Apostles were anointed by Jesus, we are the recipients of the anointing by way of the sacrifice and substantiation of the new covenant. "He is the LORD our God; His judgments are in all the earth. Remember His covenant forever, The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations, The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac,
And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, To Israel for an everlasting covenant"-(1 Chronicles 16:14-17) Through the shed blood of the lamb of God, we are heirs to the Abrahamic Covenant, and through the anointing we also gain divine consecration from the Father: " He permitted no man to do them wrong; Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes, Saying, 'Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm.'"-(1 Chronicles 16:22)
"Anointed" renders one to be definitively sanctified, consecrated and set apart for a task or a position by God. We find this same word used for "anointed" in the Old Testament termed for prophets, priests, kings and judges. Their anointings were often temporary, empowering them to accomplish their assignment. These offices were types and shadows which pointed to Jesus, THE anointed one. Jesus is singularly perfect in fulfilling all the offices; He came as a prophet-"The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren."-(Deuteronomy 18:15), He is now functioning as our high priest-"You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek"-(Hebrews 5:5) and when He returns He will become judge and reign as our king-He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful."-(Revelation 17:14)
Today, we believers who are purchased by the blood are anointed priests who are able to transport people to be cleansed by the very same blood of Jesus Christ, our high priest by way of the powerfully anointed message of the Gospel.
Perhaps the most dynamic and awe-inspiring attribute of the anointing of the Lord is its supernatural power to shatter bondage. "And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing."-(Isaiah 10:27) My father-in-law wrote an incredibly powerful song that my wife and I minister with, which proclaims "The Anointing of the Lord breaks the yoke of bondage, The Anointing of the Lord sets the Captives free, The Anointing of the Lord brings rivers to your desert, that Anointing is raining on me, That Anointing is raining on me..." I love that song, because as we minister with it, the Holy Spirit brings explosive breakthrough into the lives of those pressing into the flow of the very power of God. I have witnessed the anointing deliver people from addiction, affliction and every type of sin. God uses His power to accomplish His plans and to increase the current of His will.
But the greatest purpose of our becoming the Anointed of the Lord is definitely NOT self-gratification. It is to fulfill the Great Commission. Jesus said "Verily, verily I say unto you, he that believeth in Me, the works that I do he shall do also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto My Father."-(John 14:12) We are given the person of the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us here on earth and the empowerment of the anointing to preach the gospel. "And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the Word with signs following. Amen."-(Mark 16:20)
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