Monthly Archives: January 2014

Why Leaven?

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Matt 13:33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

Many are living their Christianity in a non fullness lifestyle has come to be the new normal for many. Without knowing what can be, most are never realizing they are missing out, or don’t know there is truly more. Still others there is denial of the more, it does not mean it does not exist, but this only means they  have decided to ignore it. Believe it or not a sign of Kingdom evidence is the rejection of the message of the Kingdom. Since the kingdom is like leaven we must realize it will require much confronting. The word leaven actually means mental and moral corruption. The kingdom is a mixture and has mental and moral corruption and if not confronted, which is what has happened, this corruption could leaven all the way through. These iniquities, which defined as twisted thinking, has caused many to live far below the intentions of God. Let me explain probably the biggest wrong thinking which is the devil has a kingdom to. There is only one kingdom, Gods, and all things are in that kingdom. There is no kingdom of darkness only darkness hiding in Gods Kingdom.

The bible says there is the Kingdom of God, and the Kingdom of Heaven. The kingdom of God includes both believers and unbelievers. Both can feel the influence of the kingdom. The Kingdom of Heaven is only for those who believe, as we define heaven as the placement of Gods throne and access to it. The church or ecclesia is the voice within the kingdom of God. The Ecclessia has authority in that kingdom through its voice. Authority only works if we work it so our voice must be worked. The church is not the kingdom nor are we in the religious mountain, unless we are in a structure that is not bring a life giving flow, then that structure is in the religious mountain. We are the mountain of the Lord, called to be above all other mountains, or belief systems.  Now with the understanding of the kingdom established, let’s look back to the leaven within the kingdom.

The Lord has revealed to me how this leaven is working in Gods kingdom. There is a familiar spirit operating within Gods kingdom. It is demonic in source, and is not typical as in times past of demonic lies as demons whispering to Christians, but it is functioning through Christians who have not been taught Gods word properly. These Christians are whispering in the ears of other Christians, things that sound like God, but are not coming from God. A mixture of truth. With so much lack of discernment in the body almost all things are considered to be true, and more detrimental optional. Thus the confusion results of what to put the hand to, commitment to, how to interpretation truth, isolation from the truth, and also what to belief to be true. It has caused a mental and moral dilemma and made many things as either/ or  and formed many open belief systems. It has thus corrupted many of the people of God and affected how leaders conduct spiritual business. We end up as leaders scratching our heads over how people can think certain ways and react in certain spiritual situations. How can you say this is the best thing going and yet not participate. A familiar spirit whispering. How can you say apostolic is needed and understand the value, yet walk away from apostolic. How can you be taught the kingdom and the spirits flow and go back to a lifeless structure? A whisper coming from a person who has moral or mental corruption.

Let’s face it we all have these type of things that have happened. I don’t mind someone if they move on and their life is more fruitful, but most of the time it is not. Most of these types of situations end with a type of denial of what is being offered. I understand the unwillingness of change but isn’t  that not saying the mental corruption carries a higher weight than the truth.

This principality over our nation and even our states needs to be broken. There is a  remnant in this kingdom. There are hungry ones, pressing in. There are prodigals about to come in. There are pockets that have disconnected to the un-fullness lifestyle and want the fullness. Finding these is part of the challenge. Paul was able to find them when he entered a city by allowing the Spirits activity to flow through him. To me this is the key to unlocking all things. The nature of God coming to cities, the breath of God released in cities.  We must be consistent in carrying his nature and releasing his breath. We must not be discouraged by those who only attend a meeting once but somehow encourage them to attend until they get it. Paul taught and taught and taught. But he and Jesus both confronted. They confronted 2 things. Moral corruption and mental corruption. They did it by uncompromising truth. We must realize we will always have this mixture in the kingdom, but we need to live far above it, seeing is there but not allowing it to affect us. We need to take final authority over these demonic forces for the sake of our people. We have been positioned to confront these forces, steward demonic forces holding them at bay so the spirit of truth can come and change people and the word not being stolen by the whispering.  This will be require work to come to this point, but a great work of the spirit will follow.

Sufferings Reward

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I felt I should write the other side of the coin on suffering and that is the successes that come. My wife and me have been privileged to travel internationally to many nations teaching leaders, oversee a full time school of ministry, plant a church, plant a kingdom center, plant a second kingdom center, speak at national conferences in the USA, oversee a network of ministers, and ordained about 60 into into ministry. This has given so many opportunities and memories and contacts and of course spiritual sons and daughters.

In my last post I talked about the sufferings that go with raising spiritual kids, specifically the ones who turn away after investment. But for everyone that turned away there remains a multitude that appreciated the invested and took the words to heart and APPLIED THEM. They are out doing exploits, changing lives and touching culture. I want to share some of these stories.

First the more you sacrifice the higher your appreciation. Our international students have been our greatest success. The price they have had to pay in their nation for their faith, and also the cost of traveling here, leaving family, and coming to a different culture, made them apply themselves with certain self disciplines we did not see in many of our American students. I would say a high percent of these spiritual kids are doing ministry.

One is actively involved in an orphanage in Papa New Guinea and is actively pursuing politics running for mayor in a city of 3 million. Another is leading worship in a church in New Hampshire while others are pastoring churches in Philadelphia, Massachusetts and Florida. One spiritual son and his wife have started a network of churches both here and in Indonesia. Still another from Kenya is preaching weekly at a church here in Iowa.

One of my students is in California and working in a church, still another couple led a church in Chicago and has a church going on Purdue University with students. Another son is in the Klondike and has a new type of martial arts based on the Scripture. His Journey has given him the endorsement of Chuck Norris, Franklin Graham and others. He has students come to him from all over the world.

I currently have a spiritual son in Nigeria who has the largest school of Ministry in the nation and the largest Christian library which we helped him with. I still have other sons running schools there as well. At one point we had 32 schools operating.

The American sons and daughters also have accomplished great things as well. One son and Daughter are pastoring a small church, touching youth as teachers, involved in families who are deployed in the armed services and started a small awakening of youth in a rural area. I took both of them to Nigeria with me once. I have one spiritual son who has climbed the corporate ladder of a large food supplier and is now influencing the top leadership of that corporation.

There is one spiritual son who went on to lead others who grew up fatherless as well. Imagine after years of no contact when he showed up to tell me  how my life has impacted him. Yet another who moved on to do youth work modeled her marriage after ours, still another took a leading role in reform in the medical industry in the state of Oklahoma.

I have many others who are involved in ministry or leading ministry or starting ministry. At the Base now we have several spiritual sons and daughters active in music, serving, working with high risk youth, ministering to other musicians and finding places of expression. But probably the greatest joy in all the suffering is to also have my own son stand with me in ministry over all the years and changes that it has brought. He too has suffered alongside me with deep sufferings, some deeper than my own. But he has stood leading worship weekly. He has seen 4 worship teams developed and countless musicians who moved on and some abandoned as well. He too has lost friendships over ministry.  If he had not been alongside I know many things would be different. Because of the strength he brings in worship and insight, many things might not have had the impact.

It’s amazing the areas we have touched by the investment we made. There are countless others as well, both current and I know yet to come. The thing I have learned in all of it is the ones who don’t flatter you are probably going to be your greatest success. The others are only trying to see what they can get. You soon know an appreciate heart by their actions in honoring. It seems when honoring stops, so does the person receiving from you.

You don’t know who really was impacted until years later. I have lost contact with some as seasons change and the time of doing the work comes. But then one will come from out of nowhere and send a letter or track you down showing at your door and tell you the report of how your life impacted their life. These unexpected bonuses are Gods way of keeping us going. After all we are doing all things as unto the Lord.

Sufferings

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I have had many people in the last few days tell me how appreciated they are of my wife and me not giving up when so many have abandoned us along the way after so much invested into them. They can’t believe we are still going on and still investing so willingly. I quit along the way several times but I didn’t give up. LOL. First they can’t believe people walked away from so much and second they can’t believe we are still willing. Leaving a ministry is not what it is about but breaking covenant is what it really is. With so many leaders this past week telling me of lifelong investments to only see their spiritual children leave, is heartbreaking. But maybe the most heartbreaking is that only the spiritual father’s hearts are broken and it seems to not have any effect upon heartbreak on the spiritual children’s side. They take lightly all that was invested. They forget they will one day give account for that investment. Now that is really heartbreaking indeed.

Some have said they see it as a ploy from the enemy along the way to bring discouragement and to make us quite so we would not be available to help so many leaders. For the most part the ones most appreciate are leaders going through the same thing, who have no one to talk to and see our example of tenacity in the midst of broke relationships, covenants and even desertion.

But I would be lying to say that I’m not getting tired, not discouraged, but tired by it all. It has taken a toll but has not dimensioned my drive and I won’t let it. I am so glad the Lord told me “No more investing where there won’t be any return”. This has made me slow down and see who really wants my time who appreciates it. Who really wants the input and who should I really invest into. It is pre-qualifying before any real investment is made. For some whom come across my path they say they want it but in reality once they are kind of put on hold to see if they will pursue I have found out they are not real serious. But for others the heartfelt appreciation reveals who to really put effort into.

We have a prophetic word for this year of prodigals returning. I believe this word to be true. I also know it does not mean all the spiritual kids who once were around will return. I wish it did because a trained army would be in place. It does mean a new influx of people who will be positioned to receive from spiritual fathers. It also means they will come in spiritually spent from wrong focuses and in dire need of investment. Many of them will be most appreciative of that investment.

So for the many leaders who have invested to many sons and daughters only to see it squandered on worldliness, there is a group of people God has just for you. All the investment was not wasted but perfected you to invest at a higher level. It has enabled you to look at your motives. You have safeguarded your heart. It also has revealed to you the gift of God you really are and the great value you have inside. I would rather 10 hungry hearts, ten hearts willing, ten hearts already convinced, ten heart who would do something with the investment than a multitude who give lip service but their heart is far from it.

Right now I’m actually looking for the next bunch of new spiritual sons and daughters to start the process in. The thing different now is the revelation to impart is so much higher than times past and the intentions of God so much more serious about it. These next sons and daughters will have a greater potential. If your one of those reading this and you are serious then you need to get a hold of me.