The Crossfire Minute

Corrective Re-ailignment, A Blessing of Grace

2012-02-12T19:58:00.003-07:00

Corrective re-alignment is a blessing of grace. The New Covenant declares believers in Jesus are holy and pure in God’s sight. Col. 2:21, 22 says ‘Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation.’ Wow! Your spiritual position in Christ is holy and free from any blemish or accusation that could diminish who you are in Christ. It is our perfectly aligned spiritual position in grace, halleluiah!

Before you accepted Christ, you believed you were an enemy of God because of your behavior. Your behavior did not line up with God’s perfect standard of righteousness. Therefore you were not holy and had numerous blemishes on your record. You were not aligned with standard of the law (10 commandments and its regulations). You were vulnerable to accusation from the enemy, the devil. He would say ‘you are not good enough’ and he would be correct. You were not good enough to stand before the Father based upon the law. But now, because you have been reconciled back to the Father through your faith and belief in Jesus, you are aligned, (i.e. your spirit-man is reconciled) as holy, blemish free and resistant to any accusation from the devil about your righteousness, holiness and purity before the Father. What an awesome testimony of grace and goodness through Jesus to position us in good stead with the Father!

From this sure foundation leaders often ask ‘so what do we do about overt evil behavior or patterns of resisting Godly authority in the church? Are we to ignore it?’ How should leaders handle this issue in light of this (and many similar scriptures) that gives a clear picture of our righteous relationship with God? The answer is ‘We handle it the same way Paul did’. He offered an individual corrective re-alignment, when necessary, to maintain the integrity and protection of the church body. The flesh nature and the demonic will cooperate with each other in the church. This will require occasional corrective re-alignment for the common good. It is a blessing of grace. Church leaders, as delegated overseers of the people entrusted to them, carry responsibility for the overall well-being of those people (1 Peter 5:2, 3). Paul told Timothy, the pastor of the church in Ephesus, he should ‘correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instruction’ (2 Tim. 4:2). Correcting a believer does not in any way accuse, blemish, or threaten that person’s righteous alignment with the Father. It brings into alignment that which will wear and cause deterioration in the body unless corrected. It is a blessing of grace….they don’t deserve the blessing, but they get to participate. Leaders who are well grounded in grace will do so with great patience and care. The Father instituted Godly authority in the church to maintain alignment and authority within His kingdom. Therefore you do so as responsible leaders in that kingdom.

The Anointing In You

2012-02-03T19:14:00.004-07:00

The anointing is the power and authority to accomplish something within the Kingdom of God. Jesus declared the essence of new covenant anointing soon after His 40 day wilderness experience upon the threshold of His ministry. He stood up in the temple and read Isaiah 61 saying, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor’ (Luke 4:18, 19). The new covenant anointing and favor and all of its manifestations rest upon this declaration of the Messiah. He said ‘today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing’. It is here!

Many people in the Body of Christ seek some special anointing and favor from other people believing they don’t have enough or simply don’t have it at all. They believe that the anointing of Jesus is not sufficient. They believe that some man or woman can add to it. They seek ‘the man of God’ to get their anointing. Yet Col.1:27 says God has made known to us ‘the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.’ Christ in you is the anointing and favor spoken of by Jesus. It is that anointing to preach the good news gospel of undeserved favor and blessing through what Jesus accomplished for us. We may need to come into agreement with that anointing. We may need to open ourselves to release it as we minister to those around us. We may need to speak more boldly because of our confidence in that anointing, but……..it is already in YOU!!!! Christ is in YOU!!

One of the great travesties in the church is a belief that Jesus in us is not enough. A few years ago I was in Kenya, East Africa ministering with Deborah. One of our African friends spoke of spirit-filled pastors and evangelists going to witch doctors to get more anointing and prophetic words! Yes, I said spirit-filled!!!! There was also a prophet in Kenya who was selling ‘special anointing oil’ that, when purchased and used, would supposedly bring forth all kinds of anointing and manifestations. Needless to say, many paid the price to get that oil because they did not believe that what Jesus spoke in Luke 4 resided on the inside of them to provide what they were seeking. These are overt examples of people believing ‘Jesus is not enough’.

Most of us in the west cringe upon hearing this, yet the west has its own subtle, yet parallel phenomenon. We will send money in response to emotional appeals from TV personalities to obtain a ‘double anointing’ of our bank accounts, divine healing for our body and salvation for our children because we don’t believe that the anointing described by Jesus resides in us. We think there is something special about the person appealing, something more special than Jesus. We will read and forward emails that promise a special blessing or anointing if it is sent to 10 more people. We will seek out ‘prophets’ to give us a special word or blessing because the logos and rhema word of God is not enough. Ouch!!!! Yes, whether it’s Africa or America if we don’t believe we have the anointing and blessing of Jesus Christ in us, we will seek it and it’s manifestation through outside means. As leaders in the Body of Christ, we must embrace the truth spoken by Jesus in Luke 4 and verified and supported throughout the New Testament. Jesus in us is the anointing to do and declare all things that are of the Kingdom of God. We renew our minds to what Jesus said, come into agreement with what He has deposited in us by faith. It is the new covenant way of manifesting His Kingdom on earth.

2012 - Bringing Forth Your Tree of Life

2012-01-20T11:26:00.002-07:00

Pastor Rick and I are in Uganda dedicating a new building for a church and school in the remote village of Nabusozi; in the heart of a valley which birthed the evil empire we now call the HIV virus. We’re here in a valley where an occasional motor bike is the only motorized movement on pathways carved through the African farm and scrub land. It’s the end of the road, so to speak, for those living by the shore of Lake Kijanibalola; the end of the road for many with HIV, the end of the road for many who have little or no access to education or knowledge of Jesus or a hope for a way out of poverty. It’s a place where people usually gather under a tree rather than under a roof.

It’s from this venue that I bring you words of grace and hope. There are times in life when it seems we are at the end of our road; times when it seems the convergence of bad stuff happening makes even the spirit-filled believer grasp for hope. We know God’s grace, His favor theoretically; yet sometimes we do not walk in the experience at any significant measure. If there is hope for this remote village with few spirit-filled believers, there is hope for you in 2012. The Holy Spirit prophetically revealed aspects of the Father’s heart to us on New Year’s Day. He said that 2012 will be a ‘pivotal year’, a year upon which many crucial crossroads will be encountered. He also said that many people in 2011 had ‘hope deferred making their heart sick’ (Prov. 113:12), but that 2012 would bring forth the ‘tree of life’, a refreshing accompanying the fulfillment of some desire in their life. I am now ministering to a remote people whose hope was deferred and were truly heart sick only 2 years ago, but there has come refreshing brought by the Holy Spirit, through people led by the Holy Spirit, with spiritual and practical provision authored by the Holy Spirit.

Be encouraged that whatever challenges you may face in this pivotal year, there will be opportunity to gather under the tree of life where a God-birthed desire is fulfilled, healing the heart and bringing refreshing. Be encouraged even as the people at the end of this road are encouraged! Just when you think you’re at the end your road, the tree of life appears. Hallelujah!

2012 - a ‘Pivotal’ Year

2012-01-10T18:47:00.006-07:00

2012 is a ‘pivotal’ year. A prophetic word for the church is ‘pivotal’, meaning crucial, very important, something upon which people and organizations will turn. In our church we received an associated prophetic word that 2012 will not be ‘normal’ in the sense that there is a substantive realigning coming in 2012. This, I believe, extends well beyond our local fellowship into the CrossFire International Alliance and to nations. To realign is to reposition something to bring it in line. The Holy Spirit is saying that crucial decisions will be made in 2012 to re-align the hearts and minds of individuals, churches, and governments. This will be a crucial, pivotal year to CHOOSE God’s way or another way. When the Holy Spirit speaks forth these things we must have our spiritual radar tuned so that we as leaders have our hearts and minds prepared to turn with Him at the right time as opposed to staying the normal course. The Holy Spirit reflects the abundant favor of the Father by revealing His heart for us to be effective in our Kingdom work. He does this to bring awareness, acuity, and accuracy to the strategic work of people advancing the Kingdom of God.

He desires to bring people, church fellowships, ministries and nations into proper alignment. I believe strongly that the Holy Spirit is telling us to be acutely aware in 2012 of crucial opportunities to position ourselves to bring forth the fullness of our purpose, calling and assignments in the Kingdom. Something will change from what had been normal for you. Very often our ‘normal’ life allows hearts and minds to get off track, to slowly and subtely get out of alignment. We drift off without realizing it. You can be assured there will be efforts by the enemy to keep everything normal, to move or keep you out of position, or to steer you in direction out of alignment with God’s purpose in your life. God’s abundant grace will give you ample opportunity and clarity for these crucial decisions in 2012. He is not hiding anything or being coy. But………you will have to choose. Your choice is pivotal to your purpose and your work to advance His kingdom!! Hallelujiah!

Advancing His Kingdom in 2012

2011-12-29T15:24:00.004-07:00

We close out 2011 having seen the Kingdom of God advance in the hearts of many people. As pastor and apostle I witnessed the evidence of His advancing kingdom. The advance of His kingdom in 2011 was preceded by the Truth of His Word, the unconditional Love of His Son, and the good news of Grace toward all who believe.

People who embraced the advance of His kingdom had to make room for that kingdom in their hearts. They released offenses and judgments, discarded wrong belief systems, disengaged from co-dependent relationships. In their place came the kingdom character of pure hearts, truthful beliefs, and healthy interdependent relationships. This was often painful individually and corporately, but those who endured entered a new place of freedom and faith. Every advance of the Kingdom of God starts in the hearts of His people, before it extends to the hearts and minds of governments, educational institutions, denominations, and nations.

As we transition into 2012, the Holy Spirit is leading each of us in the context of a bigger picture. 2012 will be a pivotal year for the church world-wide. Each person in the Body of Christ has a role in the kingdom beginning at the most basic level of the local fellowship of believers. As each person allows the Kingdom to expand in their hearts, the local fellowship expands its corporate heart. As each local fellowship fulfills its call and purpose, His kingdom advances to the pre-Christian, to denominations, and to governments and nations. 2012 will be a pivotal year for each believer to continue their personal expansion of the kingdom at the expense of leaving behind circumstantial distractions, the cares of this world, and the desires for other things(Mark 4:18,19). Personal decisions will affect the destiny of churches, of elections, and of nations. Advance truth. Accept His unconditional love. Embrace the good news of grace!