Greg Crawford

Blog

  • 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

    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.

  • Is Your Spiritual Community Wrong?

    I wanted to put something together after several pieces came to me this week from different places. I want to talk about spiritual community. The BASE is apostolic driven and hence a LARGE part of apostolic is relationships. As a kingdom center we are really a relationship center for those doing kingdom work. Hence if you are not doing kingdom work and just going through life you might not fully fit into the BASE. Second if you are not into relationships or do not like fellowship you won’t fit at all. These two things may limit who wants to participate fully.

    But the relationships at an apostolic center are different than a Sunday church.  In the typical church the relationships are about doing community life, while anything that is apostolic will be about spiritual life. Community life is about surviving life and having family. There is nothing wrong with the focuses of a local church as they are foundational. But a kingdom center focus is much deeper, to create victorious warriors and bring the kingdom to the earth.

    Spiritual life community develops strategy out of relationships with each other and those relationships do a vast amount of perfecting as “Iron sharpens iron”.  Spiritual life communities also have spiritual fathering by investing and life partnering instead of life instruction coming by teaching only. The community is made to mobilize individuals to fulfill calling and bring the dreams and visions in their hearts to come to pass through opportunities and responsibilities. While a typical church life is made to serve the vision of the local gathering, a kingdom center is made to serve the vision and dream in the hearts of those gathering.

    Now with our worship team coming back from a conference were spiritual community was talked about, it was discussed that because people do not fit your community or come and leave it, does not make the community you built wrong, it just means they don’t fit. I have had several national leaders I have discussed this with tell me what you are teaching or doing is not wrong, the people attending are not willing to act on what is being given. That helped but did not explain the why. Now I think I see the why.

    As I look back at 20 years of ministry and those who have come and gone, the pattern seems to hold true. People left because they wanted community life relationships over spiritual life relationships. People left because they did not want deep fellowship. And people left because of being unable to relate because they were not doing kingdom work and were unwilling to fulfill calling or the dream assignment God had given to them for their life.  For those building true apostolic spiritual community keep building what you have started. It’s not wrong, it is from God. People just have to mature yet to fully participate.

  • Exposure of False Prophets and Apostles

                Today there is much talk of Apostles, prophets and the Apostolic move that is now unfolding upon the earth and within the church. With every move of God, there is a constant vying for positioning coming from a spirit of jealousy and competition. This spirit always comes with new moves of God as people who are insecure of their calling and anointing are threatened by the next move. Sometimes it is a feeling of being exposed, sometimes it is a power struggle of having control over their life and others lives as well. I would like to talk about some of the things I see happening as the apostolic movement is emerging.

                I believe what we see now is only a forerunner of the true apostolic movement that is to come. Many are trying to be Apostles with only partial understanding as people have declared these things falsely over people, or they have received some teaching on the subject and think they are an expert concerning this area. I have come to the conclusion that we are indeed living in a progressive revelation that continues to unfold. Because of this, those who are truly doing apostolic work “ have not been this way before” like Joshua, and the answers to define things are not yet fully comprehended. All true apostles eventually come to a statement that they are not exactly sure what this will look like at the end, since God is the one unfolding things and we are only stewards or managers of the “mysteries of Christ”.

                The prophetic movement has come to point to the next movement which is apostolic. The pattern in the Bible is Moses a prophet pointed to Joshua an apostle, Samuel to David, John the Baptist to Jesus and Jesus to the 12 apostles. Each could not define the next movement, but only give some expression of what it would entail. Each of these also had false prophets trying to point to false apostles as well. Today, we are no different with false prophets and apostles trying to operate. False is never birthed outside of the church but within it. True Apostles will point out these false prophets and apostles, and give time for repentance before God brings judgment against them.

                A Biblical example that best exemplifies the things we need to be on guard for is found is 1 Kings 1-2. I encourage you to read the story as you read the following understanding.  David had reached an old age and it was time to pass the mantle of leadership to a new generation, much like today. False is always birthed right before a transition is to occur. Absalom, his son, was killed by Joab, David’s commander of the army, because of rebellion in his life. (2 Sam 18:15). This story has several people involved representing different areas. Here is a list and how they play out so we can see the spiritual pattern. Bathsheba represents the church going before the king and being the king’s bride. Zadok, the high priest is a true prophet from God. Abiathar the priest is a false prophet from God. Adonijah, David’s son, is a false apostle, Solomon is a true apostle, Joab is an intercessor, (The commander of the army who acted out what he thought was right by killing Absalom. Most intercessors who are not submitted act out what they should only be praying about) and of course, David, a true Apostle, who will pass the mantle to the next apostle. It is assumed we all have a good understanding of the dynamics of apostolic ministry of conquerors, builders, and kingdom mindsets. In 1 Kings 1:5 the false apostle, Abiathar, makes a false proclamation concerning his office and destiny. All false people do three things, they proclaim their ministry without affirmation, they gather others to support them in their proclamation, and they promote themselves over the kingdom of God. In verse 7, we see an unholy alliance being formed with a self appointed false apostle, Adonijah, a false prophet, Abiathar, and Joab, an intercessor, who is to be watching out for David as the one in charge of security and the army. The false always tries to bring leadership from the true into to add affirmation. In verse 8, we see the true do not associate with the false but maintains a distance. The false only seek confirmation from the false. They do not expose themselves by coming into a relationship with those who are true. The true will not associate themselves with the false also, as it would mean they approve of their actions. In this story, the false are not submitted, not appointed, and not approved or recognized by Godly authorities already in place. In verse 9, we see that these false leaders produce false sacrifices to affirm themselves. Adonijah did not offer spiritual sacrifices like David gave for example, but offered a fleshly offering. This occurs at the stone of Zoheleth (means serpent) by Enrogel (mount of the fuller), which is one of the two main streams that fed Jerusalem. This is symbolic of the true and false, both spiritual, vying for our cities and regions. In verse 10, we see that those who are true were not invited. We see the deception of those who are false doing things in secret and not openly before others. We also see them try to gain control of the springs of the cities, regions and even nations by going to the sources, in a spirit of competition.

                In verse 11-27, Nathan, the true prophet, spoke to Bathsheba (the church) and revealed what is going on in secret. Today prophets will begin to speak concerning hidden motives and affections. The church needs to listen with new ears and understanding. Bathsheba received direction from the prophet and went before the king to speak concerning the passing of the mantle to the true apostle, Solomon. Nathan, the prophet, backed up Bathsheba as everything must be established with two witnesses. In Mosaic law, accusations had to be done in such a matter for it to be addressed. Today, the true prophets are speaking and telling the church “hidden things” so we can go before our King Jesus and speak these concerns. The King will always give us confirmation that His promises are true (Vs. 28-31). Once we put these things into motion, God will orchestrate that which is true. David called for Nathan and the true priest and made public declaration of the true apostle and rightful heir of the throne.  They had an authorized procession. This brought great joy into the land. The true causes rejoicing, the false does not release joy in the land.  They took the horn of oil from the Tabernacle, set Solomon in place, and sounded a public trumpet to declare the new King (Vs.39). This true anointing and decree was something the false could not do. We may announce that we are anointed, but only if we truly have been appointed by the Lord and not ourselves.

                What happens to the false? He cried out to God not because what he did was wrong, but because he was caught in the act. He feared Solomon but not God. His focus was notKingdom of God focus but kingdom of earth focused. In verses 50-53, Solomon puts the judgment upon themselves. If they be wicked, let them die, if worthy, then not. He allowed the false to be exposed over time, even though he knew them to be false. Solomon, like David, was able to separate family from ministry and place judgment into God’s hand and not his own. Today, these same things are occurring through imprecatory prayers. These are prayers that David prayed concerning his enemies in a way that left judgment up to God concerning them. We see them scattered throughout the book of Psalms. False ministry is always given the time to repent. In this case, there was no true repentance and Adonijah said in 1 Kings 2:13-18 and still proclaimed what he coveed  in his heart concerning the kingdom. He desired to have what the king once had, even if he could not have the kingdom then at least the king’s handmaiden who was still a virgin. (Vs.22) Solomon named all those who supported him and his endeavors. In vs. 23 he declared Adnijah is condemned by his own words and in verse 24 declared that he be put to death. He also address Abiathar the priest, and spoke to him that he will not die but be removed from office. Because as a priest he could not killed but could be disciplined. The final one was Joab, who ran into the tabernacle thinking this would protect him from certain death. But Solomon ordered him to be killed, as well.

                What we see from this pattern, is that the false will be exposed and will be brought down. Their ministries will die, they will be removed out of office. They will be given time to repent but God will decide the final outcome of all things. It is a time to recognize true callings from the false. We should  not associate with those who are false. We also need to realize that God will use men, not in a vengeful way, but in a spirit of humility, to expose and deal with false ministries. When these things begin to come to pass, we will know the mantle is about to be passed to the next generation. Lately, I have had to confront some of these very things. It is not pleasant. For David and Solomon, it was not pleasant but it was all part of Kingdom necessaries.    

  • Laodiceans

    Revelation 3:17–18 (KJV 1900) — 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

     I find it hard to believe so many are in the organized church and are living below what could be a life of true joy and glory in God. The eternal purpose of God was put in place before the earth was formed and man was made to both have fellowship with God and to fulfill this eternal purpose he created us for. Why do so many not live any greater depth of Christian conviction and even many seem to once have the fire in their bones have fallen away and or fallen short of any heartfelt desire to truly know him? Past success, knowledge and relationship does not guarantee future positioning!

    We do know it is the last days not because of wrong eschatology but because as time continues to unfold as we measure it, we are getting closer and closer to a new age invading this present age. The veil between the realms of what we know and understand and the supernatural realm of Gods eternity are thinning on a daily basis. This thinning could be quickened on our side if we would decide to press through our unbelief and begin to live as he said we should.

    Yet the question remains of the great falling away. Many are thinking they have such knowledge of God but are not living the life of God. Many are in self deceived and even delusional state and vain imaginations saying God said, when in reality God did not say. The worst deception is not from the corruption that surrounds us but from our own unwillingness to not face the change required to answer convictions call. This self deceived state makes us reprobate and of no real use to our father in heaven, his plan, eternal purpose, or kingdom. We in our own strength have made ourselves of no true value to the one who paid such a high price for our freedom and for it to be on display before all people and nations.

    The end result seems to be a self induced belief system that is disconnected from full and absolute truth found in Gods word. It also has breed confusion within the unbelievers heart of what is to be embraced and what is to be denied. We have traded the comfort of our own deception and the riches of worldliness and its standards of knowledge over the freedom of God expression and his eternal riches.

    I fear many in that day will cry Lord Lord did we not cast out devils and speak with new tongues and do all these wonderful things for you. Yet those things are not things coming from our own ability but as the spirit wills. They are borrowed and we only stewarding them. God will want an account of our stewardship, but more so He will want an account of our relationship with him to know how we were to steward these things. Many will not be the Bride of Christ found in intimacy. Many will not rule and region as they have not even ruled and reigned their own lives. Many will be cast out thinking their exploits of yielding to the spirit will guarantee them position.

    If you have fears then you have not been illuminated. If you are anxious then you are not found in him. If your faith is not creating then the doubt of the world has become your portion. Only those whose hearts and motives are pure will enter in.  Those who did not love this world or their lives but saw themselves as foreigners and outcast of an unredeemed world. Citizens of a far better place. Ones engaged in the business of a king and His kingdom. These will be the ones chosen in the eternal purpose of God for great pleasures of eternal friendship and privilege of heavens vastness to participate in. Will we be numbered in the redeemed? Will all our works be burned in the fire and tried wanting? Let the Spirit of the Lord illuminate your heart and life with his illumination Glory and let him show you what true freedom really is.

  • Five fold Office or Five fold Gifting

    The Apostolic today is hurting in function due to many false concepts and understandings. Not only did Jesus only commission apostles, but the fivefold “offices” in Eph. 4 are not listed as “offices” but listed as gifting. The word ‘gifting’ is the word “doma”.  “Doma” comes from a word meaning ‘to give so you have an advantage, to supply something that is needed, to extend, and to give to one’s care’. Now this is where we see the confusion in many ways.      

     First, the word ‘office’ is not seen in scripture to describe five fold ministers. It is a definition to describe man made systems of structure and organization. It describes a chain of human authority. The gifting described here is really given to the entire Body. It is a stewardship of the charisma of the Spirit and the grace upon them and how it is transferred to the Body. It is a stewardship role, and not an ownership role that the word ‘office’ applies.  By saying there are offices and not gifts, automatically brings a human authority structure to them, thus diminishing the gifting and loosing the spirit of jealousy.  This is why the prophetic and now the apostolic Doma are struggling to fit into the Body in function. The Body is also struggling as they are not getting full advantage as God has intended.   

     Second, the gifting or doma carries a certain charisma with it. It is a spiritual charisma or function.               1 Cor. 12 talks of this “Charisma” or gifting. All members of the Body of Christ carry “Charisma” or functions of the Spirit. Most people today describe themselves or the fivefold ministry by defining the “office” which has a certain human charisma perspective. This is the reflection of a man’s personality and its influence upon others rather than the Charisma of how that person yields to the Spirit and the Spirit’s flow through them.  In other words, people believe they are apostles based on their own Charisma and not the Spirit’s and based on seeing themselves in an ‘office’ instead of being a gift. This Charisma of a fivefold  gifting is the release of grace the gift carries being seen and not the personality of man trying to give definition to the gifting. It even goes beyond the “Charisma” that all the members are to move in as found in 1 Cor. 12. It is the stewardship of that Charisma so they not only function but accomplish the work of ministry which is the advancement of the Kingdom of God. I see many drawn to the personality of a person, over the personality of God or the Holy Spirit the person is allowing to flow through them. The main difference is the charisma of man stirs the flesh and emotions, the charisma of the Spirit stirs the Spirit within us to come alive to expression.       

     Lastly, all fivefold ministry has a certain grace with it. Paul discovered it and even said he had been given a dispensation or stewardship of this grace. The word ‘grace’ means more than God’s favor. It means ‘the ability of God to produce change’ be it negative or positive. That is exactly what occurs before we are saved, God’s grace is working on us and in some ways He has allowed very negative things to occur. We say’ by God’s grace we are saved’ never seeing the negative as God’s grace as well. When we get saved, we see the grace only in a positive light. But even the hard times can be God’s grace. Paul said it best when he said “God’s grace is sufficient for me”. This grace is required to perfect the saints for the work of ministry. It is required to bring us to unity of the faith.  When we try to operate or steward a grace that is not upon us, we do great damage to the Body of Christ. The outcome is lacking and many end up confused as the grace will produce results unless man gets in the way of its working. The reason we operate in a grace not flowing from us is we do not understand the ways of God, or the way His grace is working. For the most part, the mercy “charisma” tries to step into fixing situations not realizing God has allowed the situation to bring change, thus short changing the full impact and intention of God.  Many today are struggling in their calling because of trying to be in an office, overseeing themselves as a gift, defining themselves by their own charisma and not the Spirit’s, and by trying to steward a grace that actually belongs to another.  We must know the ways of God!

     

  • Kingdom Discipling

    ImageHere is the forward of my book at the printers…..

    I wrote this book because I have sensed a decline of Biblical culture in the Church. For the sake of being relevant and culturally acceptable, we have compromised our original culture as the Church and actually become irrelevant. We have moved from a Church in America that once affected culture and maintained its morality to becoming a group who claims relevance but actually has little to offer and is largely ridiculed and/or ignored.

    For the sake of numbers, we have become seeker sensitive and morally soft. We no longer speak with outrage at injustice but silently stand by and watch as society’s culture is now dictating to us how we spend our time, efforts and money. We have become a subculture within a culture that has no voice.

    Without a cultural shift in how we disciple people in their relationship with Christ, we will continue to produce what we currently have as weak believers, a few disciples and few true authentic Christians. We have no one to blame for the weakness of the American Church but ourselves. We are responsible for what we have both allowed and created. What we have is admittedly broken at least by those with real discernment. The question is why we are still doing what we know produces no results?

    Why are we building so laboriously what the next generation does not want to inherit and will actually tear down and build over? In the mean time, we are wasting valuable energy and efforts and will lose the cultural war as we wait to cycle another generation through a process that is unfulfilling. There has to be a deep repentance for what we have become and a return to true discipleship. We have to get away from the “Club Med” concepts we have grown comfortable with.

    It will require us getting into people’s lives and speaking what is needed to be spoken instead of what they want to hear. We may not have mass numbers and multitudes of followers but we will have solid world changers and influencers of cultural thinking formed.

    The Kingdom is not about membership but relationship. The Kingdom is not about salvation but Lordship.  The Kingdom is about moving people in a strategic manner from being a new believer, to being a disciple, to being a Christian.

    In this book, I look at this premise and how we can move people and some of the elements needed that we currently are not producing. It is not an extensive process manual, but gives the elements needed to transition and produce real Christian Disciples who are willing to lay their lives down for the King and His Kingdom.  We also will look at what has affected us and eroded the correct culture we should be producing.

    This book is not for the faint of heart and for those not willing to approach new concepts with an open mind for change. For those who are willing to embrace this, they will see how Kingdom discipling can have long term cultural effects. May you read with an open mind and allow the Holy Spirit to give you the Spirit of understanding to embrace apostolic grace and Kingdom dynamics.

  • Non Spirit Filled Living, The Life of Ease

    I have noticed something and have been trying to sort it out recently. There seems to be so many people who once were Spirit filled and living the Spirit filled life who have left this life and now are in non Spirit filled environments for their spiritual growth. This, to me is baffling to say the least. I guess if you never really experienced the Spirit filled life fully, and it was more or less a function instead of a daily lifestyle, it would be easy to walk away. But what a person is walking away from is a relationship with the Holy Spirit, a person!

    The Holy Spirit is a real person just like Jesus. The problem is we have looked at the Holy Spirit as a function we decide to engage into, instead of relationship with the personhood of the Holy Spirit. I believe those who walked away did not see what they desired, not knowing the ways of God are only found as the Holy Spirit speaks and instructs us concerning them as we are in relationship with Him. We today are repeating what the Romans and Pagans did in the past; we are questioning the doctrine of the Holy Spirit not realizing we are really questioning the existence of a person of the deity of God. If not careful, the next step is to question salvation and then the existence of God!

    The Romans and Pagans claimed the Holy Spirit was just the influence of God and not a person. That what you saw and experienced were only influences that came because of a belief system. Today many believe in the Holy Spirit and even the Spirit’s activities but don’t believe in the relationship with the Holy Spirit. A lot of the Church today still holds to this belief. It allows us to have a mindset of the possibilities of God not being ruled out, but no real activation of relationship on a daily basis.

     One of the more vocal opponents in the past was Arius, who taught the Holy Spirit was only the “exerted energy of God” realized in a created world; his view was rejected at the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325. Again a lot of the Church believes this, a power not the personhood of the Holy Spirit. Even though there is an energy that is released, it is not released based on our faith as much as the relationship of the Holy Spirit. The relationship like all relationships has energy in it. What we fail to recognize is all the activities of energy we want to enjoy are released as the relationship is engaged. If we deny this person of the Deity, we actually are denying the portion of God that gives us life. We get eternal life from the Son of God but we get spiritual life now from the Holy Spirit. Could the result of denying the personhood of the Holy Spirit which brings life, be associated with bringing the results of abortion in our nation?

    We are in the same place again as the Romans and Pagans in our culture. We also are in the same place questioning the Holy Spirit doctrines? We either see the Holy Spirit as an influence, or a power. It seems the things so many desire to “see” or “experience” fall into either one of these categories of thinking. We seem to think the Holy Spirit is there for our entertainment or at our beck and call. When in reality, only a person can be grieved or can know the thoughts of God as they search out the deep things of God. Perhaps the reason we don’t see the things we desire is we have never really made room in our own lives first and in our corporate gatherings for a person over a function.

    The name of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament for Spirit is Ruach meaning ‘wind or breath’. In the Old Testament, He is referred to as the Spirit of God, or the Spirit of the Lord, My Spirit or just the Holy Spirit (Psalm 51:11, Isaiah 63:10, 11).  In the New Testament, the Greek word for Spirit is pneu’ma. Pneuma, which like the Hebrew, is derived from the meaning of wind or breath. The Holy Spirit is also called as the Comforter or Helper, translated from the Greek word, paravklhtoß.  Parakletos, meaning ‘one who comes alongside to plead the case before the judge’ (John 14:16, 26; 15:26). He is also called the Spirit of Jesus (Phil. 1:19). This breath is living inside of us. It is the life flow of God and needs to have expression also.

    We have relationship with the Son and through the Son have forgiveness of sin and become children of God. Through the Spirit, we experience sanctification and the transformation of our lives. I recently heard someone pray ‘God, help us to repent’. Another time, ‘God help me love you more’. Both are requests based on a non Spirit filled life. A life that only has relationship with the Son, believing salvation should fix the areas requiring sanctification when in reality; it is the Holy Spirit’s role to help empower us to change. It is being responsibility for your own heart and not putting the lack in how you respond on God not changing you!

    Perhaps what many are seeking is to not deal with transformation and change, but are still hoping God will suddenly transform them like when they were first born again. That was freedom from sin and deep forgiveness was experienced but sanctification is an ongoing process. It is easy to live the Christian life without the Holy Spirit’s activity because nothing is really required. Christian life is only living by set standards and these happen to be Christian, not another religious belief. Those standards without the Holy spirits activity borders on works and being under the law.

    Living a spiritual life will require relationship not only with the Son but the Holy Spirit as well. Without the Holy Spirit, there is no leading into truth, which causes change. No sanctification which requires deep dealing. No moving in the gifts which requires responsibility upon us for our future. No relationship means I don’t have to cultivate that relationship. It also means I set my own belief system and bring my own interpretation of the scriptures to my life. I can only come to one conclusion, those who are not living a full Spirit filled life are still at the believer stage of their Christian growth and are in need of transitioning into being a disciple (Disciples are trained by the Holy Spirit’s activity) and eventually a Christian (one who does the works of Jesus). Looking outwardly, we see most of the Church is in need of this type of relationship with the Holy Spirit.

    The scripture says in John 3:3 “Except a man be born again, he cannot “see” the kingdom of God”. That is the Son’s role to open us into that realm and give us access to the Father. But then in John 3:5, it says “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God”. The Spirit is our guide and the one leading us. Not in some super-hyped spiritual way, but in a relationship of being alongside us. Without the life of the Spirit, we cannot be Kingdom people, for it is Spirit filled living and not having knowledge about God or memorized ways of living, which all have elements of the law and Old Testament modeling, that will produce life.

    So my concluding thoughts are that people who have left Spirit filled living never really understood it as relationship. They have walked away from a large portion of how Jesus prayed to the Father to leave the Comforter. You see, until He prayed, this was not the plan of the Father. But our need justified the Holy Spirit staying. I believe people are saved, yes. I also believe unless you are filled with the Spirit, meaning a full relationship with the Holy Spirit, you are living below the fullness of life that God planned.

  • God and Marriage

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    Marching in France today to maintain Traditional Marriage!

    With the Supreme Court deciding to affirm or disband traditional marriage and knowing how controversial it is, I decided to blog on it. There are actually 2 distinct issues, one is economic and the other is a moral issue. To redefine marriage for economic reasons puts God into second place in focus over economic decisions. God defines marriage between one man and one woman. The first mandate God gave Adam and Eve was to be fruitful and multiply. This model is how all Christianity is expressed and the principles of relationship with a creator are exercised through.

    To say ‘I have rights’ is true as in our constitution, our rights are given by our Creator, the problem is we are trying to redefine what those rights are. Rights are not defined by courts nor law but by the Creator. To redefine the rights He gives is to redefine who He is!

    It is amazing that for economic reasons we want to redefine a moral issue. The moral issue is defined Biblically and is looked upon as unnatural for a man to be with a man and a woman to be with a woman. God destroyed cities and judged nations for these actions in the past. He said it was so unnatural that animals did not do these things, who have no ability of reason and only natural desire to repopulate their species. Are we becoming lower than animals? It is an issue of lust, sin, and desires not checked. It is reinforced by a society that has no moral compass. It is defined by a culture of selfishness.

    I know there are many homosexuals professing to be Christians. There is no way they understand God or the things of God. They may have had a type of encounter with God and may believe in God but could not really know God. To be born again means the things of the past, sin and its desire are being purged out. It is not an excuse or intellectual ascent to justify a behavior that is not scriptural and goes against the first principles of God. There is no such thing as a Gay Christian, maybe a Gay believer who is in the process of transformation, but the fruit if their life will bear that out. The fruit of leaving past lifestyles and desires and aligning with God’s word. The same with any church that accepts this behavior, it is not a church by the biblical definition that Jesus used. Just because the name has ‘church’ in it does not mean they are part of God’s Church. We have clouded the concept of loving people to mean I have to accept their sin and make room for it. Is homosexual behavior really Holy? Jesus had violent love and made some harsh statements to many, in love, because God is more concerned about how we end our life on earth than how we enjoyed life. He is concerned about our final destination. I think we as Spirit filled Christians, have done wrong in not publically denouncing churches that are doing nothing but affirming sin.  I feel sorry for so many who think they are fine when in reality they are far from God and even further from eternity in heaven. It really is not their fault when so many Biblically uneducated spiritual leaders have not told them the truth. How dreadful it will be one day after death to stand before God and hear Him say “I never knew you. You did not take on the reflection of my Son, Jesus!

    The polls say we are almost split on this issue as a nation. I believe it. We have such an orphan spirit in our nation caused by one parent, or even no parent families. We have no idea what a family unit is to look like so we are trying to redefine it to deal with deep rooted issues in individual lives that were never dealt with. We also have a culture driven by sexual content and lust. It is a lust for anything that gratifies the flesh. We are a culture in moral dilemma, driven by the “what feels good” mentality. We have lost being principled, lost our moral compass and lost absolute truths that guide the existence of all things. The eroding of the family structure by redefinition does not change the absolute truth of how God defines it. With so many of our children now caught in “the lifestyle” (that’s what it really is if you think about it), we do not want relationships with them affected so we compromise as an older generation.

    If a few want to live in debauchery and sin, then fine, but do not force others to condone or accept it as the new normal. Nor should what has existed from the beginning of time be redefined to allow it. Homosexual lifestyle will always be what it is: sin allowed to come to the full, and deep hurts unhealed. Marriage will always be what God intended as a covenant before Him between two people, one man and one woman!

     

  • Leadership Principles

    I decided to write up a list of leadership principles. I probably could write another 30-40 but generally the first things written will be the most important. So I kept the list short. Be blessed!

    Leadership principle #1    What you build it with, you must maintain.  People come for the dynamic created. If the dynamic changes, then people will either have to change or they will leave. This is why leaders are slow to change.

    Leadership Principle #2    If leaders do not lead, then gifts reign. Gifts seem to function more freely when leaders are not in place. But probably what is functioning is not true or full gifting but mixtures of both the Holy Spirit and the human spirit.

    Leadership Principle #3     It is better to create than to inherit a ministry. When you inherit a ministry, you inherit all the problems you did not create. Thus, you do not know the root of what you are facing. You can only be responsible for what you have created or allowed!

    Leadership Principle #4    All problems in ministry are due to weak relationships. Weak relationships cause disputes, murmuring and gossip.

    Leadership principle #5    All people come through the doors of a gathering because they have a problem. The sooner you discover the problem the healthier the Body gathering will be.

    Leadership Principle #6    The greatest thing a leader can do is to teach their people to hear the voice of God for themselves.  If this is done, counseling is nonexistent, mistakes are few and advancement is great.

    Leadership Principle #7   The greatest role of a leader in a service is not to deliver a message but to make sure the flow of the Holy Spirit is not interrupted and stays on track.

    Leadership Principle #8   The greatest gift a leader should seek is the gift of discernment. Not only will the motive of hearts be seen clearly to receive help and avoid problems but it fine tunes the spirit within to be in tune with God.

    Leadership Principle #9    A leader hears all hearts concerning a matter but only moves with what God has told them. Hearing all hearts shows value and concerns that need addressed. Obeying God allows him to move to resolve the issues brought up.

    Leadership Principle #10   It is better to have an empty hole in ministry roles than fill a role with someone whose heart is not in it. Forcing a person to minister in areas they are not passionate about will only create management problems and frustrations.

    Leadership Principle #11   A leader’s promotion is determined by their faithfulness. It is not capability that determines but whether they are faithful to complete assignments. You choose servants over those doing nothing, sons over servants, and those faithful from sons.

    Leadership Principle #12    Building with Sons and Daughters. They have the same heart and vision. Building without them is like building a stone structure without mortar. Too large without the glue holding it together and it could collapse. They are your eyes and ears.

    Leadership role #13    Never undermine those you have set in places of authority. If there is a problem in an area as a leader, you address the leader over that area and not the problems directly. This empowers that leader and does not violate the structure you have set up.

    Leadership role #14   True ministry is done from your overflow.  This makes ministry effortless and the people are not getting the dregs of the bottom of the pit but the overflow of the freshness of God from the uppermost place.

    Leadership Role #15    A leader leads from a position of strength by humility. One man’s humility may be another man’s pride and one man’s pride may be another man’s humility.

    Leadership principle #16    A leader has vision for what people can become and not the current state they are in. Without vision of who God says they are, you cannot develop them to reach potential.

    Leadership principle #17     A leader has to be solid in their call and office to avoid being threatened by other strong gifts or callings.

    Leadership principle #18    A leader cannot lead others into things they themselves have not experienced.  If you are in depression then you lead others into that. If you are in victory then you lead them into victory!

    Leadership principle #19   A leader is willing to do anything they ask others to do. A leader is a servant to all thus they will lead by serving and not demand others to serve them or do tasks they are not willing to perform.

    Leadership principle #20   A leader has no rights or personal preferences in making ministry decisions. They are not owner but only stewards of what God has entrusted.

    Leadership principle #21   A leader is the only one with all the information.  Many do not understand why a leader would say or do certain things. Most people have a part of the picture but a leader has the entire picture and all the facts.

    Leadership principle #22   A leader covers a spiritual son or daughter’s mistakes. They do not cover up sin but help make the mistakes a learning experience. This is done by transparency and walking out the answer together. It creates willingness to grow deeper and with more confidence in the future.

    Leadership Principle #23    A leader can only impart what they have experienced. Experience is the truth applied and proven by action. This creates dynamics to impart into others’ lives that are proven. Without experience, a leader only has concepts.

    Leadership Principle #24    A leader is never prepared for all situations. There is no way to have a plan for all things you might experience. But a leader is principled so when things do occur, they fall back on the proven principles of God’s word and apply them, thus giving answers.

    Leadership Principle #25   A leader knows the law of reproduction. Not only do you reproduce the good things in your life into others, you also reproduce the ugly. A leader strives in their own personal life to be sure they deal with issues so they are not reproduced in others. 

    Leadership principles #26   A leader continues to receive instruction. The moment a leader stops being teachable then that leader is headed towards stagnation and decrease.

    Leadership principle #27   A leader must forgive all offenses but does not forget all actions. Offenses will come and how we respond determines the future state of our heart. We do not forget the wrong actions of others so we become victims again, but those actions are not held against the person. A leader seeks God on how the actions can be changed by instruction.

    Leadership Principle #28    A leader’s greatest success is the spiritual sons and daughters left behind and not the physical structures or idols they may build.

    Leadership Principle #28   A leader faces all opposition as an opportunity to prove God.

    Leadership principle #29   A leader must have the scars of battles and the fellowship of sufferings to have compassion of heart and exhortations of victorious success.

    Leadership principle #30    A leader evaluates both strengths and weakness to determine the ability to complete what is started. They then mobilize the strengths and allow God to step into the weakness. 

    Leadership Principle #31    A leader is a good listener. Listening reveals the hearts and motives and causes a leader to gain advantages in conversations and the ability to minister to people.

    Leadership Principle #32    A leader is not threatened by other ministry gifts. To do this, they are sure of two things, their identity and their calling.

    Leadership Principle #33    A leader knows they will not live forever so they are always looking at who will sustain and continue the work that is started.

    Leadership Principle #34    A leader can share their heart and risk exposure because they are secure knowing they only need to please God.

    Leadership Principle #35   A leader will always cause others to rise to greatness and even surpass them as a leader.