Category Archives: Culture

Pharisees, Sadducees or Kingdom?

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As I look at the intentions of God to provide for the advancement of the kingdom I started a journey of reflection of the early church. As the early church was put in place in the earth they were positioned to be a voice of authority in the spiritual realm of cities and regions. The true church defined by kingdom definition is the one moving in authority, carrying Gods breath with a fresh life-giving flow, ones esteeming each other and ones who love the lost that are longing for hope to be free. All the churches related to Paul as an apostolic father and he allowed each to have their own expression of spiritual life. There was not a central form of government but a kingdom structure and relationship alignment that allowed freedom of expression to be formed.

I wonder how today Paul would view the current church structures we have built with over 600 denominations and so many expressions with the bulk not relating to any apostolic father and having such diverse believe systems. It seems to me Paul would probably be rebuking them openly, and then if not repentant would be dis-fellowshipping many churches that would reject Gods ordained means of oversight. Paul would probably look at these religious positions as equal to Sadducees and Pharisees and forms of religion but denying the power of God to work through them. Disconnected to the kingdom and thus really not fully Christian or Christ like. Perhaps they would be looked at as new young believers but not truly disciples.

During the time of Christ and the New Testament era, the Sadducees were aristocrats. They tended to be wealthy and held powerful positions, including that of chief priests and high priest, and they held the majority of the 70 seats of the ruling council called the Sanhedrin. They seemed to be more concerned with politics than religion and being seen. They did not relate to the common man. This seems to be somewhat how the church today is viewed with the Hollywood style preacher with all the glitz’s and glamour. The other group the Sadducees who were legalistic only considered the written word to be true. The common person would relate the Pharisees who looked at oral traditions as equal to the written word. Both of these group put demands of offerings and giving upon people to support both of their traditions and to increase their positions of influence. This group to is easily seen in the current religious structures we have as well. The striving for position, jealousy, and the ladder of succession has created a great division and a spirit of competition, much like the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Paul even saw many who tried to imitate the apostles and even spoke the same messages. For these he accepted them as long as truth was presented but when truth was twisted or screwed he then would call them out and rebuke them. The woman declaring who Paul was for three days until Paul turned and rebuked her is a great example. The woman’s intention was to draw people after her and not Paul. Her insights and words were right but her intentions and motive was wrong, a self promotion to make converts to follow her. She was stating I also have this believe system to add to my own so if you join me you also are joining into Christianity.

So am I saying that many places need to be rebuked? Am I saying we disassociate with many churches? I know this may not be very popular but have we allowed so many belief systems to be formed because of us not wanting to confront what we know to be false doctrine or partial doctrine? The question always comes… who has made you the spiritual police? What I am saying is we are trying so hard to fit into the overall belief systems and expressions current in our culture, instead of realizing the Kingdom stands separated from all of these. Perhaps we should be more focused on birthing new kingdom focused apostolically connected churches. What if there truly was a network of these types of churches across our nation. What if apostles and prophets were being funded by these networks? What if apostles and prophets were truly accepted and embraced by these churches and had the freedom to travel to these to encourage them? We have spent so much in America on buildings and furnishings and not on supporting leaders and those really doing the work of the kingdom. Culturally in the church we are pretty messed up in our priorities and what we deem important. Culturally we want spotless bathrooms, 4” foam chairs, light shows, bible apps instead of written word, a condensed gathering, and no real confrontation that would create change. We want a soft word to create huge returns and to do ministry when it is convenient so we can feel good about ourselves. The formula is pretty simple to have success as a ministry. Don’t confront, don’t rebuke, don’t speak on repentance, holiness, sin and above all don’t have an expectation of change. As those from China years ago said America is the only nation you can have a successful ministry and God is nowhere to be found involved in what you are doing. Dutch Sheets said a couple of years ago “We know what to say and when to say it. We know how to cheer people on and have become real good at scheming instead of strategically planning.”

As we look backward longing for “old time revival”, we look at the outcomes but seldom look at the messages. Messages that were uncompromising and demanded responses. Messages that went for 2 hours not 30 minutes. Messages that came from preachers who had been through the heart dealings like Peter did so when they delivered it came from experience and not just correct exegesis.

The apostles traveled and their needs were provided by the church as a whole. Offerings were collected before they came and presented by laying them at the apostle’s feet. The life-giving flow of their messages they brought was confronting and convicting. They were in your face and pulled no punches, yet the people appreciated the honesty they presented and also the grace they brought that enabled them to go from glory to glory. They did not withhold their offerings as we do today, if something is not to our liking, but they gave and gave abundantly.  By today’s standards Paul’s ministry endeavors and team traveling with him would cost over a million dollars a year! Nobody is moving to this degree of kingdom provision.

So some real questions arise. How much time will be spent on trying to convince those who really don’t what to change and come into more of a kingdom expression? I for one am so tired of going to so many pastoral driven leadership meetings and seeing so little revelation, truth, and life-giving flow being presented. I look for the breath of God that creates and seldom find the anointing to speak for a few minutes under the spirits unction. It’s time we decide to let go of any religious connection and begin to truly spend our time on what we know to be true kingdom.

What decision? Ouija Boards?

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So new years is now here and everything is to change isn’t it. All the resolutions for self-improvement, decisions for things we have wanted to change, but never did, and now suddenly we have courage to publicly announce that we are going to finally do this thing. We look forward to a brighter tomorrow each year and yet each year it seems nothing truly changes. For some magical reason we believe within a 24 hour period everything in our life is about to change. We celebrate the New Year with all kinds of events, parades, football and gatherings. Don’t worry, I even went to someone’s house for a couple of hours but it was more for fellowship than celebration. But celebrating does not put anything in motion.

We should know the times and seasons like the sons of Issachar and that means knowing more than how to turn of the calendar. For me the new year started about 7-8 weeks ago. It was a new year in the spirit realm and we already are in it. Gods calendar is not the same as ours. Much of the shifting we feel actually started shifting a few weeks ago, we just now are feeling or sensing the shift. So many prophetic words are given about the New Year, and for the most part I dismiss almost all of them. So many are given based on performing for the calendar moment, than truly being led by the spirit.

A New Year starts with so many people having a hope for the next year. This tells me two things. First people are not happy with their lives as they are. They look backward to dismiss the hard times of the year, so they turn forward with expectation for the future. That is the second thing I see each year the expectation of something to change. The desire is sitting inside of people; they just don’t know exactly how to make that change. They hope their sheer will power will do it, when in reality it requires their will to come under the will of God. He wants to be their hope and also be the catalyst of lasting change.

This year the greatest selling game at Christmas was the Ouija board! Alarming yes and no. It shows me the desire for the supernatural is extremely strong in people. But what it really shows me is the desire to know the future is even more dominant. As the world seems in such disarray and evil is increasing, people are starting to come into fear.  It’s a time of many unknowns, and people want something to believe in and also something to put their hope in. I see it both in the world and even in the church as people are leaning at times into fantasy, and spiritual speculations of an ideal world, job, or environment to walk out their faith in.  God did not say he would change the circumstance to be perfect but he would perfect us in circumstances so they do not have a hold on us. It’s time the church become the voice of the supernatural and the future. We need to not be giving some flowery prophetic words but some real words of direction. People are hungry right now and we need to wake up to what’s going on around us. I don’t know how much more ripe things have to be before we actually know the time and season we are sitting in. Jesus is our hope and future. He is our expected end. He has a plan for each person. We are to help people find that plan and find the person of the Christ.

Investing the Revelation Again

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Tonight I got into a conversation with my wife about all the people we have invested into over the years. As I began to reflect on the investment I have made, not just in conferences and speaking to people along the journey of life, I also started to once again remember the past investment of all the sons and daughters we invested into as well. Perhaps I should explain that so you fully grasp what I mean.

We started and ran a school of ministry for over 12 years. We had a high attendance of 45 students teaching 450 hours in a first year and 70 additional hours in a second year. This along with 2 services a week and hours weekly in mentoring and spiritual father the students. Because we housed students and our offices were right there, and with our open door policy we spend a lot of time investing. It would be equal to almost 10 years of teaching in a weekly church service done in one year. In other words a lot of investing and more than most leaders could ever imagine. These students for the most part became my sons and daughters.

Over time some students left and moved on with life. Some to go out and only be involved in life. Still others to do ministry and have impact around the world. A few went backward to old mindsets. Over the years I have been asked a single question repeatedly. How do you keep investing when so many seem to later deny the investment in their lives and dishonor you in their decisions? I hear this about every 3-4 months minimum. Well first they dishonor Gods investment in their lives and second the next person coming along deserves the same chance of investment as the previous ones. You see it’s not me to decide what to do with the investment, it is up to the individual. They will one day have to give an account for was given to them.

Recently we had a prophetic word “do it all over again”. My first thought was “really God are you serious.” You see before we started over 50 schools internationally. We did 3-4 major conferences a year drawing a couple hundred people. We ran a daily school, traveled overseas at least 2-3 times a year with teams and traveled speaking in conferences. All in all raising a family, birthing ministries and coming along side leaders all at the same time was quite the task. I have started down the journey again and even though most think things are moving I feel we are just getting started and are at the beginning stages.

Today the investment continues but this time it is different. This time God has brought me not a bunch of young adults but more mature and seasoned. He has brought me leaders from across the nation who are serious about investment and who immediately put it into practice. God is bringing the prequalified. In all honesty I feel honored by those I’m currently investing into, following my post, listening to my message, and reading my books. It is very different this time in many ways. The influence of Gods working grace in my life makes me feel humbled and very much serious about the next steps to take as we will “do it all over again”.

But what I am investing now is greater wisdom and revelation than any time in the past. Within the last 2 years I feel what I am releasing now does not compare to what was invested in times past. It seems like all of the past was training in “how” and now is the release of “what”. Now what I am believing for is the “who”.

The prophetic word said “Young people would come from all over the nation and live here at the BASE to be spiritually fathered”. I’m believing for another group of young adults, another group of radical warriors, a group that has been presorted instead of post sorted. I believe for those God would relocate here to be a part of things not just for a season, but possible long term in building a Midwest center, a major ministry in Iowa. God has put in my heart to build his throne here in Iowa in the heart of the nation, the first place his throne is really built is the heart. To build a dwelling, to build a spiritual community, to build a people into true sons and daughters who are active not just in faith but in impact.

The Shift From Church Age to Kingdom Age — Part 2

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The dynamics of this shift are many and the catalyst is injustices and the ability to have freedom taken away is bringing the separation required. In this hour we have many things that are coming against us. Potential loss of religious freedom, gay marriage, and other cultural issues are emerging. These are not coming against the church per say, as some of the church is embracing and entering into this, but these issues are affecting the true ecclesia that has hid itself in the Kingdom, yet we were warned. This is the leaven spoke of in Matt 13.33. Leaven is not a positive but a negative. The word means mental and moral corruption. The worlds system knows it cannot stop the kingdom, so it is trying to corrupt it. It is trying to make it like itself with the same approaches and answers to social problem. This corruption is in the church in the form of compromise and even allowing the worlds systems and culture to come inside the walls. We have come to engage in issues and resolve social issues with the same type of  programs our governmental systems and manmade ideas have established. Yet the kingdom age is still coming!

In a desire to be sustained the church age has decided to engage culture by being relevant to. Yet all relevance requires a degree of compromise and acceptance of current culture to be heard.   To be relevant means you have become part of instead of standing opposed. The word relevant means closely connected or appropriate to the matter at hand. It means to be or find significance. That to me describes the ending of the church age, the effectiveness has run its course as it has tried to find significance. Yet our significance is only found through kingdom eyes and seeing the role our life plays in it. All seemingly hard questions are found through kingdom perspectives and not through finding connecting points to culture. Looking at past history every change was like this. Starting with Christ we see he was not relevant to Judaism but was contrary to it. No one is paying much attention to what the church currently does but everyone is paying attention to those kingdom minded who bring things contrary to current culture.

As one age closes and another age opens it will cause a revolution in thinking and function. Awakening is such a shift in lifestyle it will form a new culture. From that culture we will not have reform but radical reform. The kingdom age that is now upon us, like all things kingdom is demanding a response. This now is also another dilemma, will the many answer this call, or will they reject it? If we are not careful as kingdom people we too will try to be relevant to those we are trying to convince and could possible delay the kingdom age manifesting. People change how they function when their believe system changes. What we need to do is give the benefits and values of the kingdom life by both words and display. This is what was attractive in the early life of the believers in Acts. The values presented was greater than the price required to be paid for it. This enabled them to stand and endure while Christianity was birthed for the opening centuries.

As kingdom people we must live with kingdom principles and lifestyle. We must see things and present things not through chrucdom, but through kingdom. We must understand these principles to see them in everyday life and point them out. After all, the kingdom has always been here and is still here. People are not recognizing it because they are only seeing a worldly culture and not an eternal culture emerging.

this book would help you on the journey….

Knowing Those Who Labor Amongst Us

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It has been a while since I have blogged.  As I expected a recent Face Book post really hit home with about 50 people responding and many more liking the post. I decided to write something about it as the Lord started speaking to me on this subject today. Perhaps this will help with the reasoning behind my post. It is the area of relationships, truly knowing a person and being able to pray and decree over their life effectively. Paul said I know no man after the flesh. (after what I observe or perceive, or have heard, or even see)

It seems there is an epidemic of real relationships in the Body concerning truly knowing people, yet almost all the postings on my status came from people outside my region who do really know me in ways those geographically close do not. I find this interesting that my deepest relationships are really with those a long distance from me and those leaders I know also have said the same thing to me. Polling says over 80% of all pastors have no close friend to share their struggles with and 85% say the ministry has been detrimental to their families.

I believe this is because we don’t really have apostolic Kingdom-based relationships with those who can truly help us and with those whom God has placed close to us. There are several factors at work here and I will try and expose a few of them. We really need to ask God “Who is this person to you?” This has been my practice for years when meeting people or seeing how they do certain things. It is looking past all the quirkiness. It is the only way you can develop people, it is by having God’s vision for them. It also is the only way to really know them spiritually.

First of all, long distance deep relationships are not threatening. Both have nothing to really gain but the relationship itself. Mutual commitment is required and the value system is different. Biblically, trans-local relationships held the greatest value and honor and appreciation was often seen. Familiarity breeds a lack of real respect. I find it amazing how easily I can minister when traveling and things are received, while the same things may not be received or embraced regionally.

Long distance relationships seem to have more of an alliance and covenant feeling than local relationships. Tolerance on a local level for the sake of unity versus celebration for the sake of Kingdom advance seems to be the parallel. As Barbara Wentroble once said, “you need to go where your gift is celebrated not tolerated”. The only way we can celebrate someone is to truly know their life. We do not know people by a monthly meeting, planning activities, or coming together with an event. The Biblical way of knowing someone is by doing ministry together. This is why the translocal seems to work at deepening relationships because they generally are called in to co-labor. Locally, we do not do ministry together but do events together with a little ministry attached to it.

Jesus could pray effectively for His disciples because He knew them. He knew how they moved in ministering and how they responded to the struggles in life.  Later we see Paul also praying “for what was lacking to perfect their faith” and to “establish their hearts in love”. You don’t know what to pray for unless you really know the person. Recently in an open Q & A that my wife and I did with our ministry, my spiritual daughter asked the question, “How can we pray for you?” It was so refreshing and actually caught my wife and me off guard. When was the last time someone locally asked you that question? I tell you over the years so many have made assumptions on what to pray over me and told me later how they were praying and some of it was pretty screwed up.  

From my recent Face Book post, I received several calls and responses. Some called out of concern and others called to encourage. Some called just to talk about other things, but it prompted them that they had relationship with me and needed to touch base again, not wanting to lose what had been formed. What seemed interesting is about 80% of those who did respond to the post are leaders experiencing the same things who are on the front lines of ministry to bring awakening and transformation.

You see, it seems we need each other more than we realize. All relationships are ordained by God, either for a season, a moment or for life. But all relationships are to be maintained by men. Some relationships shift as assignments and maturity continues. New ones come. Some need to be let loose of. Those that are formed deep in the heart are not lost but continue to grow. We need to move from relationships that are soulish based on what we experience in meetings and events, to what we experience in the spiritual realm as we minister together. On local levels, the deep relationships will probably not occur unless we start working together DOING MINISTRY.

1 Thessalonians 5:12–13 (KJV 1900) — 12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; 13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

 The Bible says we are to know those who labor among us. The word ‘know’ means ‘to perceive with all the senses’. It means ‘to be apprehended’ and ‘to recognize’. In theological context, the word is not talking about knowing Christ or His workings upon the earth, but knowing Him from an eternal perception! It is not abstract knowledge but a real knowing of mission and purposes. It means to experience the same state or condition. It continues to deepen that the understanding is not natural as the Bible says to ‘know no man after the flesh’. It continues in meaning to know the force and the meaning of the force and what it will do and the defined purpose it will accomplish!

From this, we see why trans-local relationships seem to work. We understand the force that a person brings. We understand the purpose of that life. We see what they carry is eternal. But is the real intention of God that only trans-local is seen this way? Looking at the above verse, it says “among you”. The word ‘among’ is a Greek word to put emphasis on certain things. It is the word EN, or what we say as “in”. It means ‘fixed position in time and place.’  It means ‘to be instrumental in implementation and construction’.

If we take the context of this verse and look at the original meaning, it actually is saying that God has placed people “in” our lives (fixed in position in time and place) on a local level who are instrumental in the construction of the Kingdom. They are fixed in position and have a certain force that is to be released to help build us. They are on a mission that is eternal. If we would embrace them to not hold them back but embrace them to truly release them, the effect would be upon all of our lives and felt by all.     The early church embraced the apostles and the outcome was felt. The 12 embraced Jesus and the outcome was felt. We need to stop the foolishness of some of our actions that we think are building relationships until we really know each other in the Spirit and then see what God would do!

Awakening Nature

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Recently I was in a service and an invitation was given. As people started ministering to the individual the entire room was focused on them and no longer on the Lord. The Lord spoke to me and said this is not awakening. It seemed odd to me because the attempt was being made to meet the need. Then I noticed what he was speaking of. The focus was on the one and not on HIM. The lord said I have ways to meet the need as you remain focused on me. We were trying to meet the need by anointing and even by knowledge of God and not from the nature of God. You see the anointing still ahs a mixture because it is the enablement of our flesh to engage into supernatural. The nature of God is pure and has no mixture, thus the results are very different. You see revival is the activation of the gifts, awakening sir the activation of the nature.  This is a great paradigm shift of how we do ministry.

I was in a prayer meeting and people love how I pray. But I don’t pray very often. I don’t just pray to be praying or to show how eloquent I can pray. I only want to pray what the father desires to be prayed. I only want to come into alignment with Jesus intercession. The anointing enables me to know that, but when I pray I pray from the nature within. That’s why the prayer is so powerful. That’s why people are drawn to the prayer, because it is not me praying but the nature praying. When we pray from the nature we see almost instant results. This is the new prayer paradigm that is coming as well.

We are looking for a certain thing to confirm that awakening is here or not. Many are trying to look at awakening with certain elements or things we are looking for that confirms awakening. We want to see the signs of holy laughter bring a return of joy, healings bringing a return of health, miracles, etc. We want to see outpourings like past revivals. We want to see mass salvations. Yet these are the signs of revival which is restoring things to a former state. Revival deals and focuses on individuals. Awakening focuses on a corporate body.

A Christian that has actually experienced an awakening to those things, their authority, or maybe the unlimited possibilities of God will begin to produce these signs of healings, miracles, prophecy etc. These signs are actually signs of being a Christian that is living to the full or one who has been awakened to the fullness of God. These things are actually the fruit of an awakened heart and not the actual awakening. The actual awakening is not actually seen.

The awakening is a hidden work that occurs in the heart. It is unseen. It is a holy place. A holy work. A work of wrestling for the nature of Christ to be formed that the breath of God would flow outwardly creating and releasing those around. It is an unpacking and unfolding of the nature of God to be allowed to be more dominant than our nature. That’s when the awakening we are all really looking for becomes most prevalent in touching society.

But before society and culture are impacted by this unseen force there has to be the voices of awakening to come forth first. Those who have decided to not live a normal Christian life of ease. Those who desire the very depths of God and are willing to let God deal with them, even severely if needed, to be able to remove the obstacles in their hearts. God is now taking the remnant we have been seeing formed over the last few years, who refuse the seeker friendly, institutionalized structures and is now given them the assignment of confronting the hearts of men. But this confrontation is not with words of men’s wisdom. Nor is it convincing words or begging words, or a memorized 4 spiritual laws or other techniques of the past. This confrontation is coming from the very nature of God within. The nature confronts. The nature carrying Gods breathe and when the words spoken from that point, it changes the heart.

You see the disciples’ were still unsure of who Jesus was even after resurrection. People are the same today looking at the church even after we have been resurrected into new life. The disciples were not following Jesus the man around for 3 years. They were following Jesus the nature of God around. It was the nature and how it was projected that caught there interest and imagination. God does not anoint a person he anoints the message inside the person and thus the person is anointed. The same today is true. People do not need to follow us or be draw to us, that’s the problem with the church and especially our celebrity leaders. No we need them to be drawn to the nature of God within us. It is what will cause hearts to be changed in a moment of time and the answering of the call like the early disciples who left all and followed him (the nature of God).

We have been given the honor (Doxa glory) from God to carry His nature so that other hearts would be awakened. Much like Peters shadow where we walk they feel HIM. Where we talk they understand HIM. You see quantum physics has discovered that just like our brains put out a wave, so does our heart. They call it your heart brain. The wave from our brain is about 6”, the wave from our heart is about 8 feet. So as Peter walked by and His shadow healed it was the nature of God healing. This “Zone” as I’ve been calling for the past two years is when our spirit bears witness to others, when we actually have fellowship with someone requires us to be this close for exchange of conversations, ( we don’t fellowship yelling across a room) and it’s when others gets in our zone they will feel him.

Charles Finney carried this degree of the nature of God. He could get on a train, or enter a building and everyone around could feel the presence of God. Many would sob uncontrollably. Others would enter into repentance without any words spoke. There are other stories of men on ships in New York city coming back from sea with the presence of God so heavy that when they ported much of the city of New York could feel a deep sense of conviction.

So the simple truth to be the voices or carriers of His presence that cause this kind of awakening of hearts is for us to enlarge our capacity for him. To allow more and more of our heart to be changed and convicted. To open up the secret doorways in our hearts, to Gods Holy Spirit to search us and if needed, to sweep us clean. These are the voices of awakening that are rising now. It is more than words. It is those purged so there is indeed more of him and less of us.

Is Your Spiritual Community Wrong?

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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.

Laodiceans

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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.

Kingdom Discipling

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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

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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.