Stone Speak

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:59:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:20:00 +0000

Special Guest Clive Corfield

We are happy here at Stone Speak to announce a special upcoming event. The Vineyard Church in Beavercreek presents Clive Corfield. Join us for our Saturday evening and Sunday morning services as Clive shares about Heaven on Earth. Clive will also be speaking for a special Hearing the Voice of the Lord event Tuesday, October 11 at 7 p.m. in the main auditorium. A love offering will be taken for this event.

Thus says the LORD: “ Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? Isaiah 66:1

Clive has a passion for Jesus, the Kingdom of God and spiritual reality. The message he delivers is non-religious, often humorous but always challenging! There is a strong prophetic edge to Clive’s ministry and a zeal for the presence of God. His teaching, especially in the areas of spiritual warfare and healing, always seeks to be an expression of the Father’s deep love that declares and demonstrates freedom and wholeness. He delights in drawing people into intimacy with Jesus, imparting faith and encouraging believers to live victorious lives. Clive is ordained with the Elim Pentecostal Church. He is married to Karen and they have five children.

Lift up your eyes to the heavens, And look on the earth beneath. Isaiah 51:6

King and the Kingdom Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 18:43:00 +0000

We thought you might want to know about an exciting event coming this month. The King and the Kingdom Conference is being held in Cincinnati, Ohio! This is a fantastic opportunity for you to hear from the Lord, experience God's presence in worship and receive ministry. Check out the following brochure for details. I hope to see you there!

Cheers,
Rebecca Holihan

The Royal Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 17:54:00 +0000

Why are we so enamored with a royal wedding?
I woke this morning to an AP Breaking news, Prince William and Princess Kate exchanged vows and are declared man and wife. The next message I got was about the exchanging of a kiss on the balcony of Buckingham palace. Why do we think that's breaking news or even note worthy? I also heard that 2 billion people (that’s a third of the world!) watched the wedding. And we’ve heard the news of how exclusive the guest list was, the who’s who invited to this royal wedding. What incredible hype. What makes us so intrigued with royal wedding?
Maybe because at the first royal wedding God was the father of the bride and the best man. He was there to give Eve to Adam. He gave us the institution of marriage, the wonderful institution that tells His love story. Maybe we are intrigued with royal wedding because Christ calls us His bride and He is the bridegroom. That's how Paul describes us, that we are robed in his righteousness, beautiful and radiant like a breath-taking wedding dress.
Maybe because at the end of the Bible, at the end of this age, there will be a royal wedding feast celebrating our relationship with Christ. It won’t be the who’s who the world will put together. It will be for all those who by God’s grace, acknowledge Jesus as their King, those He has espoused to be His bride. That's the ultimate royal wedding we should long for!
So maybe the reason we are intrigued by a royal wedding is that we have royalty in us because we are made in His image. He gave us the first royal wedding and He promises to give us the most awesome royal wedding feast. Will you be there?

Jackpots, Super Moons and the Coming King

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 14:47:00 +0000

I was flying once to a National Gardening Conference held in Arizona. We made a quick flight change in Las Vegas...I was thankful it was quick. We walked through an airport filled with party lights and slot machines. Now, I have never played one of these, but I investigated how they work. A slot machine reel corresponds to a computerized or virtual reel with stops, which is what determines the chances of hitting a particular symbol combination, and consequently, the big jackpot. The size of the jackpot will depend on the number of combination variations on each reel.

The odds of all three jackpot images lining up on all three reels (with all three reels set up in the same manner) would be 32x32x32 = 1 in 32,768. Those are some amazing odds!

When I began to explore the prophetic words I have received about 2011, I realized there were many things lining up about the return to kingly rule. Actually, it was over-the-top as to the number of dots that were beginning to connect for this year. As I began to look at all the various combinations of words and signs I had to ask myself, “Is it possible that 2011 is the jackpot of heavenly alignments concerning the King of kings?”

Let’s look at 3 symbols occurring in this amazing year and how they line up...

1. Festival signs
The concept of appointed times in scripture and Jewish festivals are very connected. Both the phrase “appointed times” and “festivals” can be used interchangeably. They are used as landmarks of what God is doing prophetically. God has always displayed His glory at appointed times. As scripture says, Jesus came in the “fullness of time.” For many, this is clear reference to the festival season and a move of God.

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for festivals, and for days, and years.
Genesis 1:14

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts. Leviticus 23:1-2

You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; none shall appear before Me empty). Exodus 23:15

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son. Galatians 4:4

“The festivals allow us to actively prepare for something that can happen this year or the next! Therefore these appointments with God place us at the right place, at the right time, doing the right things. Festivals are symbolic of a ‘type’ of future event.” Gregg Killian

As we eat this (matza) bread and drink of the third cup (during the Passover royal banquet) we do announce the Master’s death until he comes (again). Corinthians 11:26

“The Biblical festivals are rehearsals, set by God. We rehearse certain events in time in order to be prepared for, and prophesy about, future events.” G. Killian

Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a festival, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days: Which are a shadow (prophecy) of things to come; but the substance is of Christ. Colossians 2:16-17

The 2011 festival season began with an unusual occurrence that holds many prophetic and cosmic implications. It is the feast that falls on the Biblical calendar month of Adar and is known as Purim. The holiday of Purim celebrates the salvation of the Jews from Haman, an advisor to the king, through the leadership of Queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai. Purim is called the Feast of Lots because the villain of the story, Haman, cast the "pur" (the lot) against the Jews yet failed to destroy them. Unlike other Jewish festivals, Purim is the one festival that has no requirements for fasting or mourning because it is the festival of joy.

And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:9-11

“All festivals will one day cease, but the days of Purim will never cease. Since Purim contains within it the major themes and influences of all the other festivals, the influence of Purim is a concentrated culmination of them all.” G. Killian

And these days of Purim shall never pass from among the Jews nor shall their commemoration ever cease from among their seed. Esther 9:28

What is especially unusual about this year’s festival is that it falls on a leap year. That means there are two Purims in one month! The first Purim, known as “Little Katan”, is an important marker for us. This special and unique sign tells us that the smaller symbol is a reflection of the bigger one that follows. Both are similar and of great value, but the one is a type of the other. Little Katan literally means,” little king.” It is the same word Samuel used when he anointed David. Jesus was from David’s line. In essence, David was a reflection or type of the one to come as we read in scripture:

And David was the smallest (katan): and the three eldest followed Saul. 1Samuel 17:14

The term small (katan) with regard to Purim Katan, has an amazing association to “this small one will be great,” (alluding to Purim Katan and King David) with the true and complete Redemption in the one to come, which is Christ the King.

“Purim Katan is the only time we have a minor festival preceding the actual festival. This suggests that there is something special about a leap year, which demands a Purim Katan. Since Purim Katan is a time to prepare for Purim, we learn that Purim is an extremely important festival.” From The Watchman

2. Earth Signs
The Hebrew word, "sign", is defined in Strong's as “a flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, mark, miracle, or token.” As a sign connects to an appointed time, we begin to see the prophetic significance of the moment. Earth signs are expressed in a variety of ways that portray a deeper picture in the heavenly realm. As spoken of in prophetic circles, “What is true in the natural is true in the supernatural” or “as above, so below.” When we observe the shaking of the earth’s plates and the shifting of poles we can begin to understand how metaphorically they apply to the heavens and how literally things are transitioning in the spirit. We can look at collapsing governments, currencies and the talk of a new world order and know that a new day is dawning for us in history that will reestablish earthly kingdoms and draw us closer to the kingdom of God. Earth signs then are shadows or facsimiles of the unseen realm of the spirit and draw us into thinking that is above our understanding.

...Who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. Hebrews 8:5

For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. Hebrews 10:1

“For thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the LORD of hosts. Haggai 2:6-7

“Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Hebrews 12:27

Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look on the earth beneath. Isaiah 51:6

We see these earth signs all around us, but as we talk about connecting the dots, millions will see the most prevalent place these types of signs can be observed this month. As we approach a royal wedding on April 29, 2011, there is symbolic application of a type of rule that is about to shift. Kingly rule is on the horizon, and so many things are pointing to the return of the king. Prophetically, this is a time marker of huge impact. Christ’s return will play out in the shadows of earthly rule.

Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10

3.Celestial Signs
At the end of last year and the beginning of 2011, there have been several astronomical signs. The Israelites followed a strict understanding of the lunar calendar as it applied to feasts and heavenly signs. Throughout scripture there are many references of watching and waiting for prophetic events as they relate to the moon.

The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. Joel 2:31

“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Luke 21:25-26

There have been three moon signs that have led up to the appointed time of Purim. The first was in December of 2010. It was a complete, blood-red moon, lunar eclipse that fell on the winter solstice. The unusual circumstances of this alignment has not happened since1638, and it was only the second time in history since the time of Christ over 2,000 years ago.

The second sign was what is known as a lunar pedigree. Pedigree means, “the point in any orbit nearest to the body being orbited.” As a full moon, this “super moon” was not only 90% greater in appearance, but on March 19, 2011, the moon made its closest appearance to the earth in 18 years! Finally, a strange occurrence happened on March 17, 2011 that connects quite clearly to the festival of Purim. There was an occultation event with the moon. Occultation, according to Wikipedia, is an event that occurs when one object is hidden by another object that passes between it and the observer. Essentially, the moon eclipsed or occultated a star...but not just any star. Out of the constellation, Leo, there was a star that the moon passed between it and its observer, REGULUS (Alpha Leonis). This star appears in the heart of Leo and has a second name, the Latin name means "the little king,"(Katan) and is a reference to a kingly star going back to ancient times. Regulus outlines the head of the celestial Lion. The star is almost exactly on the ecliptic, the path of the Sun, and is regularly occulted, or covered over, by the moon according to astronomy journals.

Vibrational shifts affect all things on some level, which has been scientifically proven in the concept of a “butterfly effect: “the more the shift, the more the affect.” Consequently, when time markers align with an occultation, the shift is greater. The reason? This is an appointed time; it is more than a seasonal shift. It is the revealing of things aligning in the heavens. It is the combination of the time marker of the appointed time with the vibrational shift. It is the ebb and flow of the spirit and a prophetic combination that is a jackpot of revelation.

To everything there is a season, and time for every purpose under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1

God is bringing about the sky signs that will correspond to the earth signs and appointed times according to His divine will because, "the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands." (Psalm 19:1).

When we look at these different signs, it is clear that there is a common thread, the coming of a king. It is also evident that these signs express that a smaller image represents and is associated with a larger image. The one is the reflection of the other. The macrocosm can be seen in the microcosm. These things bear witness to a major change on earth and in the heavens.

“Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”1 Corinthians 13:1

As we witness the many events, signs and symbols of this year, we can watch in amazement at the alignment that has already come. As the year unfolds, God will continue to reveal how the dots connect, how the coordinates of the signs align and how the heavens will declare His glory as the King of Glory establishes His throne.

The Crossover:Changing of the Guards Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 19:38:00 +0000

“You think you know a story, but you only know how it ends. To get to the heart of the story, you have to go back to the beginning.” King Henry VIII

She was said to be “the people’s princess”, a girl from Wales who captured the hearts of millions. In her passing, she enchanted us with a sense of Snow White mystery, being laid to rest on a private island of her family’s estate. For all her prestige and beauty, Diana captured the child- like wonder of princess stories and showed her true, royal posture in her unending charities to see the world become a
better place.

For many, the changing of the guards was marked by that tragic day in August when Diana lost her life in a car chase in Paris. The outpouring of support in flowers, cards, and weeping in the streets of London revealed to the establishment that a new sense of honor, royalty and government was in the air. It was a cameo in the life of “England’s Rose”.

Goodbye England’s Rose
May you ever grow in our hearts
You were the grace that placed itself
Where lives were torn apart
You called out to our country
And you whispered to those in pain
Now you belong to heaven
And the stars spell out your name

And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never fading with the sunset
When the rain set in
And your footsteps will always fall here
Along England’s greenest hills
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend ever will.

All across the world there are signs of the crossover season we are in. The shaking and shifting of governments, to the shaking of the earth, the changing of the guards has begun.
Yet, for one government, there will be no end...

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Isaiah 9:6-8

There is a king returning. Over the centuries, this has been marked by legend and fantasy in story and film, but the Biblical reality is the government to come will be a kingdom government ruled by the Lion of Judah. All will bend a knee to the Lord Jesus Christ, “the light of the world”. The Lord
is revealing this in many forms as the acceleration of His return is displayed. As we prepare for the Lord’s coming, His desire is to reveal His majesty in this crossover season. With anticipation, we are to discover the imagery of this mystery of a “once and future king” as we watch the changing of the guards unfold.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. Revelation 3:20-21

I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret
places, That you may know that I, the LORD, Who call you by your
name, Am the God of Israel. Isaiah 45:3

The imageries the crossover for me have been numerous.
I realized the changing of the guards years ago during the

Queen’s Jubilee. It started with a dream...

In my dream, my son, Taylor, was wearing a proper, night’s cloak of robin’s egg blue. Taylor walked over to a stone and effortlessly removed a sword just like young King Arthur. He looked at me and smiled. Taylor has always represented Jesus in my dreams. I knew from the simple dream a king
was returning.

The next day, we took Taylor to visit St Paul’s Cathedral. Suddenly, I saw moving through a stream of visitors a man wearing the same cloak I saw in my dream! I began to move quickly to see who it was, but a buzzing group of officials closed in around him and hurried him into the cathedral. We waited patiently to see if we could get a glimpse of him when they reopened St Paul’s. We discovered later that the man in the cloak was the Duke of Kent who was being ushered in to a knighting ceremony. The pageantry took place in a small chapel where a painting of Christ hangs called Light of the World.

Minstrels in blue cloaks assemble
Poets of the Holy Grail
Abbey bells ring over London
As tales of Troubadours avail

Light of the world
We bow down
Lost in your wonder love and praise
And all the Kingdoms of this world will cast down
All of their kingly crowns
All of their kingly crowns
In March squires to the order of Saint Michael and Saint
George to the Fanfare of the knighthood
Drawing arms and lifting swords

Light of the world
We bow down
Lost in your wonder love and praise
And all the Kingdoms of this world will cast down
All of their kingly crowns

All of their kingly crowns

July at St. Paul’s Cathedral
Golden celebration days
I dreamt my son drew from a stone
The sword that brought King Arthur praise

Light of the world
We bow down
Lost in your wonder love and praise
And all the Kingdoms of this world will cast down
All of their kingly crowns
All of their kingly crowns
Rebecca Holihan

The excitement of what the Lord was doing led me on a quest to discover many mysteries in the days ahead. I studied, researched and “spied out the land” to not miss the coming king. I had a clear word that this would be as much in the natural as the supernatural, so I became watchful like Simeon.

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon,
and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of
Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. Luke 2:25

I let all the imagery, symbology, stories and tales build in me a kingdom mindset. Every thread that weaved into the concept of kingdom became infused within my spirit. Through journaling, I created a mapping of the coming days. I began to see patterns as well as an acceleration of the coming king. It was astonishing to see how these things were being drawn so close to me even though I was living
on the other side of the pond. I was being captivated by the picture the Lord was creating and keen on any manner in which He would use me to establish His design. As a way to express my own creativity, I began to build royal gardens, write poetry and music to express the intimacy I felt about His kingdom.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33

The sun is setting on the Heartland
It rises on Cathedral skies
And I’m no longer that cowgirl in the sand
And only God could answer why

A thousand years of prayer has brought me here
Centuries of people crying out in God’s ear
Now I’m flying ‘cross the ocean with my mustard seed and fears
A thousand years of prayer has brought me here
A thousand years of prayer has brought me here.
Rebecca Holihan

It is hard to look at the imagery surrounding the royal family without being focused on heraldry. It is a bit of a strange word in the West, but basically it is the art that signifies and identifies a person or group. The first Coats of Arms were used by Christians during the Crusades, but heraldry dates
back as far as the tribes of Israel. I saw the similarities between English heraldry and Biblical mantles. Mantles were worn as a sign of authority.

Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water; and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground. 2 Kings 2:8

Similar to heraldry, a mantle could be passed on to others revealing the significance and mystery of God’s favor on an individual. In the realm of kings and queens, this is seen as the mark of a sovereign put in place by God alone.

Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, “Where is the LORD God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over. 2 Kings 2:11-14

In many ways, we have not seen ourselves as “kingdom people” or “royal priesthoods” because of our inability to grasp the concepts of royal imagery and symbols. If we understood that there are mantles to be picked up, and heraldry to be handed over to us, if we would assume the persona and the role God has ordained for us we would live like royalty. This is our birthright. Royal inheritance is God’s good gift and is birthed in us like children from the Lord. We have authority we have not utilized and inheritance unclaimed.

Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations:
Before I was born the LORD called me; from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver. He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.”

Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court. Psalm 127:3-5

Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you. Though in anger I struck you, in favor I will show you compassion. Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations— their kings led in triumphal procession. For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly ruined. Isaiah 60:10-12

I have set my heart on pilgrimage, similar to those over the centuries looking for treasure and spices. My desire is to usher in the king and raise the age-old foundations in order to participate in the changing of the guards. Like the Lady of the Lake in poet’s tales, I want to see the King restored to
His rightful place and His government to be established.

Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage. Psalm 84:5

And near him stood the Lady of the Lake,
Who knows a subtler magic than his own--
Clothed in white samite, mystic, wonderful.
She gave the King his huge cross-hilted sword,
Whereby to drive the heathen out: a mist
Of incense curled about her, and her face
Wellnigh was hidden in the minster gloom;
But there was heard among the holy hymns
A voice as of the waters, for she dwells
Down in a deep; calm, whatsoever storms
May shake the world, and when the surface rolls,
Hath power to walk the waters like our Lord.
'There likewise I beheld Excalibur
Before him at his crowning borne, the sword
That rose from out the bosom of the lake,
And Arthur rowed across and took it--rich
With jewels, elfin Urim, on the hilt,
Bewildering heart and eye--the blade so bright
That men are blinded by it--on one side,
Graven in the oldest tongue of all this world... Tennyson

The Princess who stole the hearts of millions has left a living legacy. The heraldry of Diana lives on in her son William, the future king of England. This year marks an amazing witness of the changing of the guards. Amidst our dreams, passion and pilgrimage we can be enamored with the crossover into
kingdom government as we watch in anticipation for the coming of the King of Kings.

Mankind is many rivers
That only want to run.
Holy tragedy and loss make the many One.
Mankind is a holy, crowned
Mother and her Son.
For worship, for mourning:
God is here, is gone.
Love is broken on the Cross.
The flower on the gun.
6 September 1997
Ted Hughes, Poet Laureate

Featured Artist: Curt McAdams

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 23:56:00 +0000

Curt McAdams has been a part of the Dayton Vineyard since 1996 and currently helps lead vineyardMEN, the men’s ministry. He and his beautiful wife, Phyllis, live on five acres of woods north of Waynesville, Ohio.

Curt’s interest in photography began through writing a food blog called Livefire (livefireonline.com). Curt discovered that photography helped meet the need for a creative outlet and that inspiration doesn’t have to be far from home. In fact, about half of the photos displayed are from within a mile of Curt and Phyllis’s home including their own yard.

Curt’s photography has been used by restaurants and food personalities in Dayton, Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and Toronto, and Curt has been honored to have been able to contribute photographs of Vineyard events for church use.

Rebecca Holihan: The Crossover and the Changing of the Guards (Part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 05:28:00 +0000

She had visions from God with instructions that she was to recover her homeland from the English. She was martyred at the age of nineteen for leading the French army into battle against the British, and was responsible for the coronation of the “Dauphin”, the prince who would be king, Charles the VII. The title “Dauphin” literally means “dolphin” and is the French equivalent of Prince of Wales, a title relating to the heir of the throne. Joan of Arc is considered a heroine of France.
As a young girl of thirteen, Joan began to hear the voice of the Lord. She had rarely heard His voice without seeing bright light. According to historian, Robert Lacey, “After hearing her,” recalled one eyewitness, “the would-be king appeared radiant.” Joan led the Dauphin’s army into battle with skill and clarity about her mission.
As stated in the book Great Tales from English History, “The fascination of Joan’s story is that a teenage girl should have persuaded ever-widening circles of people to agree with her that the King of Heaven had chosen her to bring reparation to the kingdom.”

We read such stories, legends and tales of heroes and heroines with an almost distant gleam of thrill and excitement. Stories like this and those of giant slayers are only the reality of today’s movies, right? But what if you were called to change history or to advance history? What if you were like Moses, called to deliver a people from slavery after 400 years of crying out to the Lord? Such tales seem more and more uncommon today. In fact, there seems to be few true history makers in our modern era that create that air of adventure and passion as those of the past. What would it take to be a history maker? When hearing God’s voice, what has he called you to do that is bigger than your image of yourself, bigger than your imagination?

In this season of the crossover, we must first realize that we have come into a new age, an age like no other. We are living in a time of history in the making. We have entered a new epoch--which means this is the dawn of a new appointed time. As God’s people, we have a role to play in the advancing of this historic moment. The changing of the guard implies that a fresh anointing has come, a new move of the prophetic is on the horizon and an increase of God’s government is about to be revealed. With this window of opportunity in 2011, we must each ask ourselves how will we respond to the unfolding of events this year and what will it take to crossover into the new realm of the season we are in? Consider the following:
• You are not a spectator
Many of us have come through a time of preparation and testing as we have waited on the promise God has for us. This past season has been like those who wandered in the wilderness awaiting entry into the promise land. Now that the promise has come, we can still be a bit bewildered about what to do and how to make the crossover into the new. We are on new ground with new circumstances. There is no spiritual map that has led us to this point. If we stand and do nothing, we are mere spectators. At one time in Joshua’s journey he saw God part the waters, but in this new place, the waters didn’t part until the people of God made the move to crossover.

So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground. Joshua 3:14-17

It is a brand new day, and like Joshua, the situations and circumstances of life have changed. With the promise at hand, it requires us to no longer wait but to respond. This is a year of action and stepping into the waters as we experience God’s new plan.
• You have to have a story
I love a good story. I am always excited to hear something amazing about expeditions, daring feats and tales that are handed down as epic events in history. When I was young, I would read these stories imagining myself as the character who slayed the giant, won the battle, or got the prince. As we grow older and time passes, imagination like that seems to be in vain. Yet, the Bible is clear that we need to believe He has so much more for us.
However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” -the things God has prepared for those who love him. 1 Corinthians 2:9

At times, it is hard to fathom that we are Bible characters, but the story didn’t stop after the book was written. We have a role and a responsibility to step into the pages of history. This role is more profound then any time in history.

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 11:39-12; 1-3

As you crossover into the new, there is an expectation that you will begin to walk out the promise. It will require you to come out of the wilderness of the past and to see things with fresh eyes. It will mean laying down old traditions and embracing change. With the shift in thinking, there will be new expectations. As was told to Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, ”You are not in Kansas anymore.”

On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan. Joshua 5:10-12

• Live out your assignment
In order to fulfill your destiny, you must complete the assignment you were promised. This takes a lot of focus and faith to believe that God is using you for something much bigger than you have ever considered. He wants you to be a history maker. When we think less of ourselves than the image God has for us, the tendency is to doubt the promise and work it out ourselves.

Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!” Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.” When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.
Genesis 17:17-22

You are a Bible character called to do great things. As you crossover into the promise that God has spoken over your life, walk in boldness with the belief that God is about to make history, and He is going to use you to fulfill it. You, too, will have a story to share that will go down in history and bring glory to God.

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you… Luke 1:1-3

History Maker

Is it true today that when people pray
Cloudless skies will break
Kings and queens will shake
Yes it's true and I believe it
I'm living for you

Is it true today that when people pray
We'll see dead men rise
And the blind set free
Yes it's true and I believe it
I'm living for you

I'm gonna be a history maker in this land
I'm gonna be a speaker of truth to all mankind
I'm gonna stand, I'm gonna run
Into your arms, into your arms again
Into your arms, into your arms again

Well it's true today that when people stand
With the fire of God, and the truth in hand
We'll see miracles, we'll see angels sing
We'll see broken hearts making history
Yes it's true and I believe it
We're living for you

Vision & Destiny Insights & Prayer

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 06:29:00 +0000

he first 9 Vision & Destiny Insights and accompanying prayer:
Every single human being has been created by God to know Him, love Him, and be loved by Him. In God’s extensive and extravagant love are His unique plans for each of us. When we come to be cognizant of those plans we are experiencing His calling on our lives. When we begin to move into those plans we begin to experience destiny.
The following 9 insights and prayer are intended to be simple, yet powerfully effective, to help each of us journey towards the fulfillment God has for us. Please feel free at any point to pray the prayer. And feel free to pray your own personal version of it often. It is built around several of God’s great promises. As we communicate with Father God, we don’t use scripture as incantations but we do constantly use it as our platform, grid, and wisdom to know (and pray) God’s kind intentions for each of us.
1.    Vision & Destiny Insight #1: One of the greatest lies satan uses to hold people back is “as it has been, so it will be”. This lie can get ingrained into one’s thought patterns to the point where one’s identity and future is always determined by the past disappointments & failures. God has more for those who love Him than can even be imagined. (1 Cor. 2.9)
2.    Vision & Destiny Insight #2: God not only sees you in Christ, He sees you and calls you according to the calling (destiny) He has for you. In John 1 Jesus acknowledged Peter’s current name of Simon, (“reed like” and “shifting sands”). Jesus then said you shall be called “Peter” which means a rock. (Christ like, as Jesus is The Rock). God knows our current issues but always sees us according to His finished work!
3.    Vision & Destiny Insight #2, con’t. God sees you according to His calling(s) on your life. His vision of you, as you move towards His vision, makes room for the mistakes He knows you will make on the journey. Abraham & Peter made mistakes in not fully trusting God between the times they were called and the times of fulfillment. God’s vision for you is situated between His all knowing & His mercy/grace.
4.    Vision & Destiny Insight #3: God’s great plans for your life were established in His sovereign will before even one of your days began. (Psalm 139.16 & Jer. 1.5) Despite what seems like random & even bad circumstances in life He is working past & through all of that to bring you to a banqueting table- even if you are surrounded by enemies. Your job, like Enoch, is simply to walk with God! (Genesis 5.22)
5.    Vision & Destiny Insight #4: Your destiny in God is unique. God is never a paint-by-numbers artist. While He is always the same in whom He is, He rarely does the same thing, the same way twice. His destiny for you is as unique as your fingerprints, vocal chords, and eyes. The spirit of religion, which is fear based, breeds conformity. God, the creator of creativity, releases uniqueness out of love!
6.    Vision & Destiny Insight #5: Walking out your God given destiny is intended to be unique. Due to the mix of your primary motivational gift (Rom.12.6-8), your God given passions, and gifts (natural & supernatural) the odds are there is no one else exactly like you! And that is due to God fearfully & wonderfully creating YOU. Religiosity demands you blend in. God desires you to compliment the whole by you being you!
7.    Vision & Destiny Insight #6: For clarity’s sake, it could be said there is a difference between destiny & calling. Destiny is God’s will for your life. Calling is the recognition that you have experienced the leading/voice of God’s Spirit calling you into His primary will for you in life. The former is already given. The latter you need to experience and respond to. The first is true of every one, the second is only realized by those in Christ!
8.    Vision & Destiny Insight #7: Along the journey (of destiny) God will, from time to time, do miracles in your life. Because God purposely causes His destiny for you to be unreachable without His amazing grace He will, from time to time, allow you to be surrounded by impossibilities. He is merely setting you up for miracles as you learn to place dependence on Him, which in turn releases His miraculous grace
9.    Vision & Destiny Insight #8: As you grow (mature) in Christ you will find God’s destiny goals for you are not merely the ones He initiates. As you delight in Him (adapt your ways & goals to His) He expects you to have faith that He desires to bless your desires. (Psalm 37.3-7) Maturity involves trust, commitment (prayer & obedience), and last, but not least, resting in the truth that He desires to prosper you soul!
10. Vision & Destiny Insight #9: Keys to determining God’s goals for your life: 1) There will be accompanying faith, despite the challenges. 2) You will experience God’s peace. 3) It will call for miracles on God’s part for fulfillment. 4) There will be mature Christians who will help confirm it as time goes on. 5) It will provoke a growing passion within you. 6) You will feel over your head! 7) THERE WILL BE OPPOSITION!!!
Praying into your destiny (don’t forget to personalize it):
Father God, Father of all glory, and the God of my Lord Jesus, (Eph. 1.17) I trust you and thank you today for the amazing promises you have made me. Thank you for fearfully and wonderfully creating me in your image. (Psalm 139.13 & 14)). I ask that as you teach me of yourself and your ways you will lead me and guide me by your Holy Spirit (John 16.13)) into the fullness of your kind intentions for myself and my family. Thank you that your intentions are to give me a hope and a future not plans for destruction. (Jeremiah 29.11) And thank you for the ultimate gift of Jesus- that by His life and love and sacrifice on the cross I can know and live an abundant Holy Spirit filled life. (John 10.10) Thank you that these plans are filled with your amazing creativity. They completely exceed all that I can think, hear, or see. (1 Cor. 2.9) Thank you for your great grace for me to live life as Your Son (or daughter). (1 John 3.1) Thank you Father that as I enter into the destiny you have created for me I can reflect Jesus and your love to all I meet.
In the powerful Name of Jesus,
Amen.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 04:07:00 +0000

Feature creep is the rapid expanding of features in a product such as Extra features go beyond the basic function of the product and so can result in over-complication, or "featuritis", rather than simple design.

There is a temptation to want the latest and the best in what we interact with. There is a love of newness and improvements, but are these upgrades actually useful? About six months ago I experienced the excitement of iWork '10 on my work computer. Mostly because I needed to maintain compatibility with my coworkers, but having just finished taking in the keynote video I knew beyond a doubt that I was about to step into a new evolution of office software. I clicked the Pages icon and experienced a welcome video of true awesomeness, teleporting me into a new era of word processing. I closed the video once it was done and what did my eyes see? Essentially the exact same thing that was there in iWork 09... and 08... and 07. Each year there are these minor additions. In the past four years, I think there is really only one new feature, dynamic outlines, that I actually use. So I must sit and ask myself, was the resources I spent on this upgrade a sound, stewardly decision? Or did I weaken my available resources by taking on something that was unneeded?

I consider the ramifications of these principals when we evaluate our churches. It is easy to feel we constantly must offer more and more programs, new opportunities, new methods, and new ministries. Is there a risk that churches can contract "featuritis?" With a constant push for new things, will the older, established ministries and programs suffer? With limited time, manpower and resources we must really evaluate what is the core of a church and ensure that anything new that is created will reinforce the vision and mission of the Kingdom. Minor programs might come and go, but if those new things begin eating away and destroying the core, then these programs risk becoming parasites that blur what Christianity is all about.

This is not to say that a church cannot change, but rather when planning new endevors, a serious consideration must be made to what will this new idea take away from. The average American church member will only participate in approximately 2 events a week. With this in mind, if you are wanting to start something new, what will people stop going to in favor of it? There may be some new people come on board, but it is highly likely that parts of the core that supported other aspects will reallocate themselves. With this reallocation, has the kingdom become stronger through diversity? Or has it become spread thin and frail?

What do you think? Is feature creeping in the church a serious threat?

The love of Christ does not negate accountability. Rather, it gives a context for which healthy accountability can function.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 10:00:00 +0000

The love of Christ does not negate accountability. Rather, it gives a context for which healthy accountability can function.
There are those who claim that it is incorrect to call Christians into account for sin due to a very lopsided view of the grace of the cross. Please note: I am not speaking of those in the process of coming to Christ, but those who claim to be Christians and desire good standing within a congregation, or a ministry.
The grace of the cross is simply not available aside from truth. The apostle John tells us that not merely mercy was realized through the cross but ‘grace AND truth were realized through Jesus’. (John 1.17) Psalm 85.10 tells us “loving kindness and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” This is a prophetic picture of the grace of Christ. To claim forgiveness, as in one’s sins being washed away without truth (repentance) renders transformation an impossibility.
Should we have compassion for victims of sexual and substance addiction? Totally! But Biblical compassion is far more than feeling sympathy for the victim. It is to be moved by God in such a way that we lovingly call the victim into a sense of responsibility for their choices and assist them in reaching out to the power of God’s compassion. It must be stated, however, that God will not violate one’s free will. One must make the decision to reach out to God and trust in His power to change. That power through the Word and in the Holy Spirit cannot be experienced aside from repentance. We must take repentance out of the dusty church closet of shame and condemnation and view it as a great gift that God has given us to move towards wholeness & holiness.
Pseudo Restoration
Due to the onslaught of adultery taking place among church leaders today there has arisen a common scenario of what I call ‘pseudo restoration’. Pseudo restoration is a less than a real healing process that in many ways is simply waiting until the dust settles and then reinstating the still fallen leader back into their ministry position. Pseudo restoration has more to do with spinning the message than it does true accountability of the messenger.
Just because an individual takes a short break from ministry does not necessarily mean the root issues have been dealt with! It takes real time to realize God’s convicting truth in one’s innermost being. Merely feeling sorry for being caught and the damage one may have caused by one’s sins is less than knowing truth on a deep, deep level.
Partially the syndrome of quick fix restoration is due to the church not always grasping the importance of Christ like character being the foundation for one’s ministry. But, mainly, it is due to unsanctified compassion. We say ‘look at the high calling’ and ‘well, there under so much stress due to ministry’. Both are an affront to God. How can one claim to be a servant of Jesus and refuse to honor the ways of Jesus? Jesus after all stated that if we truly love Him we will obey His commandments- the Word of God!
True restoration takes time.
As stated it takes time to allow God’s truth to filter past layers of guilt, shame, and bring about deep down change at the root level. It takes time to rebuild equity and trust between a leader and his/her followers and supporters. It takes time to close the doors to condemnation so that the enemy can no longer manipulate one through the memories of sin. It takes time simply to rebuild trust in one’s own self towards one’s own will. When we see patterns over several years of sexual sin, or financial impropriety, or substance abuse some of the blame lies at the church which places greater value on that stumbling leader’s ministry than on the leader as a person in need of true, not false, compassion.
“If the foundations are destroyed what can the righteous do?”

(Psalm 11.3) Edmond Burke is credited to have written “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” I believe that God is calling church leaders today to rise up and begin to champion grace based holiness. Grace based holiness is teaching the truth in love, without condemnation! While the foundation of Christianity can never be destroyed we can quench the Holy Spirit to the degree that we render the church impotent in moving in the fullness of the grace and power He has for us. He is after all ‘the Holy Spirit’. I believe that God is calling the contemporary church to essentially four responses in regards to the plague of misperceived grace, which is afflicting many ministries and congregations.
1)   Pray for a revelation of God’s heart and power to walk, model, and champion grace based holiness especially for leaders. Let’s cry out for a revelation that would cause us to echo the cry heard around God’s throne- ‘holy, holy, holy’. Isaiah 6.3 & Revelation 4.8
2)   Begin to boldly, yet, with love & humility, educate and encourage the church in what the Bible has to say regarding healthy behavior to the point of hating sin! It is possible to hate sin, and yet love sinners- after all Jesus did it.
3)   Become intentional about taking to heart Paul’s admonishment to “not grieve” (offend) the Holy Spirit- the very presence of God in our lives and midst! After all we no longer belong to ourselves. He is the one who is in us to do His will & good pleasure.
4)   When serious sins do emerge in the life of a leader, let’s learn to value them as a person, more than their ministry. Let’s take the time to deal with the source of the issues rather than simply putting on the band-aid of ‘time out’.

Biblical Grace Under Assault

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 15:22:00 +0000

God’s grace does not give us the freedom to do what we like and get away with it. It releases the power of God’s Word and Spirit to become individuals conformed to Christ.
Over the last few years a number of ministries have embraced a perception of grace that, Biblically speaking, is demonically distorted. True God given grace does not give us the freedom to do what we would like and get away with it. Rather, it releases to us the power of God’s Word and Spirit to become individuals conformed to Christ Jesus. Two passages found in Romans- 8.29 & 12.2 both address the conformity God is after in our lives. Perhaps more directly to the point, however, is Peter’s writing found in 1 Peter 1.14-16, which reads:
“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

1) The assault of Old New Age Gnosticism
There are three primary sources feeding the current perversion of grace. First is a resurgence of Gnosticism. This, in essence, as with much of ancient Gnosticism, is a false separation between what is spiritual and what is physical. In ancient Gnosticism there was the teaching that the two were completely unrelated. In effect the belief was that what one believed and nourished in the spiritual realm was unrelated and untouched by one’s actions within the physical realm.
The emerging Gnosticism in the contemporary church is not so much due to a deliberate teaching as it is from a growing ignorance and ignoring of the Word of God. In some church circles where things like prophecy, healing, and impartations of the Holy Spirit are valued there is also, unfortunately, a devaluation of the written word of God. This vacuum of ignorance has sucked many into a spiritual climate with a lack of regard for the holiness of God. That holiness is what we were born again to experientially walk in. To reference Peter a second time, 2nd Peter 2.20-22 warns that those who have come to know Christ Jesus but return to practicing former sins are like ‘dogs who return to their own vomit’.
To some degree the current hunger for spirituality and spiritual experiences devoid of an appetite for the Person and ways of God is witchcraft. This witchcraft manifests in two essential ways: 1) a hunger for spiritual experiences aside from the Lordship of Christ, and 2) a prevailing of anti authority attitudes. Witches love to move in spiritual dimensions but also despise authority, which is in keeping with the demonic realm. As well, as was with Jezebel, there is usually a fascination with perverse sexuality. To sum up modern day Gnostic traits emerging in the church there is a hunger for spirituality while there is a de-emphasizing of the Lordship of Christ governing one’s attitudes and actions. The false application of grace provides the loophole to continue in doing what one feels like doing and still praying the prayer “bless me, Lord”!

What has also, in a huge way, fed into current Gnosticism is a de-emphasizing of the Biblical mandate to make disciples. In many churches today the gospel is reduced to the two things: 1) free fire insurance, to escape the flames of hell, and 2) consistent teaching from the pulpits that God simply wants to give us formulas for success regardless of our lifestyles. Of course, God does want to bless people, but not apart from our embracing God’s principal of dying to self and living for Christ by embracing Christ’s ways. Galatians 6.7 reads: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”
If we sow to carnality that is exactly what we will reap- bondage and death, on many differing levels. The growing mantra today is “it’s okay to do what you like. God will forgive you.” Forgiveness is the result of repentance. Repentance, essentially, means to see things from a higher perspective (God’s vantage point) and to change one’s behavior accordingly. The remedy is church leaders must return to preaching the gospel of ‘the kingdom’ that Jesus preached and seek ‘its righteousness’ not merely its blessings. Otherwise, when a so-called Christian is continually grieving the Holy Spirit it is the spirit of this age that rules them, not the Spirit of the living God!

2) The Assault of Fear

As much as the church growth movement has been a help to many leaders for the last several decades, I believe, it has also proven to be a curse for some. It has mandated the wrong measuring stick. God measures the success of leadership by things like obedience, fruitfulness, and the making of disciples. Strictly using the ‘nickels, noise, and numbers formula’ to qualify/quantify one’s ministry is like trying to assess heaven by earth’s standards. By many church standards today Jesus would have to be labeled as a poor leader due to His message of ‘eating His body, and drinking His blood’. Because of that message He went from the multitudes following Him to barely the twelve. It would be a contemporary pastor’s worst nightmare. Jesus, however, measured success by obedience to the Father, not the accolades of man or the size of the crowd!
Proverbs 25.29 states “the fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted.” Due to success being primarily measured purely by numbers there has come about a great fear of offending church attendees by saying the wrong thing from the pulpit. That ‘wrong thing’ too often means anything that might cause that attendee to stop attending. Without necessarily intending to we can inadvertently become pleasers of men rather than of God. We must constantly remind ourselves that the gospel message itself (if Biblically preached) is offensive. It is offensive simply because God calls people to die to themselves and change their behavior. Less than a changed lifestyle is less than Biblical Christianity.
When the incomplete message of ‘it’s okay, God loves you just the way you are’ prevails there will be very little room for the Spirit’s conviction for change. The other half of that message is begging to be preached: “He also loves you too much to leave you the way you are”! Yes, by all means let’s be as welcoming and as friendly as the good news itself to all. But a physician who won’t warn a patient about a growing cancer tumor out of fear of depressing, or offending that patient is a lethal care giver! There is after all a sorrow the Spirit can release that leads one to repentance. (2^nd Corinthians 7.10)
We need to learn to discern between religious condemnation and the Holy Spirit’s conviction. The former wraps people up in the legalism of religion, while the latter opens people up to the potential of healing and abundant life in Christ!
The current statistics of 50% percent of all Bible believing, church going Christian men and 20% of the same group of women being addicted to pornography tell us that something is seriously out of order in the church today. As if that is not enough of a problem there is almost the same percentage of divorce in the church as there is among non-church goers. If the ancient boundaries that God has established for healthy living are moved then we have managed to learn to graze in the camp of the enemy without fear of consequences! If the foundations are destroyed, or at least obscured, what can the righteous do?
We can begin by proclaiming and praying for a return to God’s standards of ‘grace based holiness’. If judgment starts first with the household of God, then it is probably a safe bet that judgment will start first with the gatekeepers of the church- leaders. We can either fear man, or fear God, but not both at the same time.

3) The Assault of Unsanctified Compassion
Due to past movements, which practiced a focus on the control of individual Christians, the word ‘accountability’ has almost been thrown out the window. Accountability, Biblically speaking, is not so much a thing of control, but rather of encouragement and strength. The truth is all healthy relationships demand some sort of accountability in order to function well. A relationship where there is a fear, or pride, based resistance to honesty is doomed to fail to reach it’s potential.
Out of fear of treading on people rights, or offending people in one’s church, accountability has become neglected. So when problems arise due to ongoing destructive behavior (sin) there is too often the tendency to issue blessings based on ‘unsanctified compassion’. Many church attendees and members want prayers of blessing and breakthrough despite the fact that the hurtful condition they are in may be due to reaping what they’ve sown. To continually bless some one who will not truly repent (change) from destructive behavior is comparable to giving throat lozenges to some one dying of throat cancer and thinking that because the pain is temporarily gone all is well.
In contrast to unsanctified compassion Paul and Jesus were seemingly harsh. Paul wrote, “if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat” regarding the distribution of charity to poorer church members. There was absolutely no sense of unearned entitlement with Paul! Obviously, he was not speaking of those who simply could not work. When it comes to those who refuse to stop coarse sinning Jesus said to treat them as sinners, not as redeemed members of a congregation. (Matthew 18.17) Jesus also, categorically, without any ambiguity what so ever, stated that a man who leaves his wife to marry another woman is to be treated as an adulterer- a flagrant practicing sinner. (Matthew 19.9) Of course, this is excepting when his wife first committed adultery. Today there is a veritable plague of men and women in church leadership abandoning the ‘wife (or spouse) of their youth’ for a younger version! Truths regarding marriage, such as oneness and covenant, which God emphasizes have been treated as obsolete by many current ministry leaders. God simply sees this as sin on a grand scale. Yet the church has learned to sweep adultery, financial impropriety, substance abuse, and many other sins under a heavy carpet incorrectly labeled ‘grace’.

The Five Greatest Challenges Facing the Church

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 16:48:00 +0000

I was recently prompted to consider what the five most significant challenges facing the church today are. After considering this for quite some time, I believe I have arrived at how I feel at this time.
We Christians must discover our individual identity in Christ.

“As Wesley emphasized, the image of God is restored within us. If the leading edge of the gospel is that ‘we matter to God,’ the ‘trailing edge’ of the gospel is that Jesus Christ has come to make it possible for each of us to become, in this life, the people we were born to be, conceived to be, and deeply within us have always wanted to be.” (Hunter, 52)

It seems odd that this is a challenge facing the Church. The reality is that we have largely become a religion of people who have become very good church members, instead of becoming very good Christians. This is not to say that there are not people, or even congregations who have become both. This said, it has been my observation that more often than not, the trend is that there is a profound disconnect between the life being declared on Sunday mornings, and the life being lived. This has led to the common perception of Christians being hypocrites.
Hypocracy has been used, and to an extent, abused when targeted toward Christians. There are common accusations of this double standard-living that stem from the cultural opposition to accountability or universal acceptance, and these are debatable in validity. The hypocrisy that Christians must learn to overcome is the temptation to live a complaisant, apathetic faith instead of a compassionate, apostolic faith. The radical life that Christ calls us to live is one of boldness. In God’s ultimate plan, through the workings of prevenient grace, and through the careful attention to the calling of the Spirit, each and every one of us has an identity we are to stand up and respond to in the Kingdom.

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." Luke 9:23-26

We the body must work together.

“Churches differ in which … populations they “target.” Many growing churches effectively target unchurched Christians – people who believe but do not belong. Many “renewal” oriented churches show less “numerical growth” than “Kingdom growth” because they target churched non-Christians – helping nominal church members experience reconciliation with God and become genuine disciples. (Hunter, 26)

Many times, it seems as if a churches greatest critical opposition comes from the church up the street. I hear of camp meetings that warn of the Calvinist epidemic consuming America. There are hateful things spoken of Orthodoxy and how they only care about ceremony, and there is uninformed hype surrounding churches that are described simply as experientialists. There is an unfortunate amount of tearing down of churches by other churches, and this is not unnoticed by non-Christians.
There is a level of healthiness for the Kingdom in having a wide variety of denominations and forms of worship. They all have their distinct atmosphere that can be an effective witness to individuals that may be turned off by other atmospheres. While this level of superficial personal preference will need to leave an individual at some point during their path toward authentic worship, it can be healthy from an evangelistic perspective.
The danger is that we make enemies within our own faith instead of rallying as the greater Church toward the mission and calling that God has placed on any healthy congregation. Becoming the bigger man, setting aside the “but they believe…” and living in peace with one another is important. It is likely that a day will not come where all churches suddenly work happily in unison, but not tearing each other down or dismissing them as not being authentic worshipers is essential and must come to an end if the Church is to continue to thrive in our time.

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:1-6

We must appropriately leave our buildings and seek the lost.

… many believers confuse biblical word pictures, and this leads to unintended results. For example, one could say that holinessi s a call to heart purity and to be “set apart” for acts of spiritual service. However, this imagery is often confused to mean “come apart,’ thus encouraging the isolation of the church from the world. Such a confusion can cause the church to see itself as a fortress, a refuge from the dangers of a sinful world. (Sweet, 86)

It is safe to stay inside. It is comfortable, to stay inside. It is easy, to stay inside.
We live in a fallen world and this can often lead to messy evangelistic situations. These truths have led to many churches falling into one of three responses.
The first is, we do not leave our doors and wait until someone is willing and open to the Lord to walk in. This is safe, and easy.
The Second approach is one of exstreme boldness by entering into the world, standing on street corners with a bible, bullhorn and signs, boldly declaring the gospel truths. This is abrasive, and often does more harm than good.
The final is to stand around and conversationally talk about what is happening at church, but never turn the table and ask what another person believes. This approach is easy to feel missional while doing, but rarely leads to actually influencing another person to be reflective in their own life.
The thing about all of these methods of outreach is, they are all incomplete. They lack boldness out of the desire for holiness. They lack compassion or love, out of the desire for boldness. They lack discipleship, out of the desire for love and compassion.
As the church body, we need to try to generate good press. We need to spend more hours in the week ministering to the community than we do hiding within the safe fortress of our church buildings. If the Church does not begin immersing ourselves in the community, carrying with it the uncompromised word of God with it by way of genuine love and gentleness, then our churches will die and our missions will fail.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8

We must assess what are the core beliefs of Christianity, and make sure to prioritize the teaching of those over guidelines stemmed from wisdom.

In seeking to communicate the core of the gospel among people who have little or no knowledge of who Jesus is or of the biblical stories and concepts, much more time and patientce is required. The same missionary principles must be applied in a Western Context as in other parts of the world, whether pre-Christian or post-Christian. In both scenarios, a great number of misconceptions may need to be cleared away in order for the message to be heard. (Gibbs, 207)

We live in a culture with a rapidly increasing illiteracy rate. With Christians not being immune to this intellectual epidemic, the wisdom in assuming that members of our churches will know the Biblical narrative from their own devotional time is becoming questionable in its wisdom. It is unfortunate that this is a truth we must begin to contend with, but it does not mean the death of Christianity is on the horizon. For nearly 1900 years of Christian history, illiteracy was common place in the regions of the world where it thrived. For these centuries, people still knew the Biblical narrative through the use of iconography and oral tradition.
While we live in a new era with advanced technology, it would be foolish for us to ignore the need to recognize the likelihood of the majority of our congregations reading their Bibles on their own time. We must therefore respond in ways that may differ from congregation to congregation in order to ensure core knowledge.
It is helpful, when teaching people toward a life of holiness, to teach lessons that give guidelines that come from wisdom. It is also good to teach conceptual, topical messages about day to day living. It is essential, however, that if we are to expect the Church to carry out the call of the Priesthood of all believers, that we offer lessons that teach the Biblical narrative. How are we to expect people to deliver their testimonies and explain who Jesus was if we never tell his story start to finish? Above all this, we must also ensure that before we address culturally focused topics, that people within our faith understand and are dedicated to core Christian beliefs. These can be summed up within the Apostles creed.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ Philippians 1:9-10

We must train others into the priesthood of all believers.

The New Testament idea of “priest” has so radically departed from the Old Testament that the entire body of believers is now described as by nature a priesthood. . (Gibbs, 88)

There is a widespread attitude among Christians that the majority of the priestly duties fall on the pastor, staff, and perhaps deacons of the local church. This attitude is a symptom of a lack of ownership of identity among Christians. I believe that a serious concern and challenge for the church today is to minimize the perceived gap between laymen and leaders. To raise up the priestly nature, and the authority of those who declare Christ as Lord who are among our churches. To encourage them to visit the sick with an authority and compassion that is equal to the presence of anyone else.
This priesthood is the fruit of finding one’s identity in Christ, of cooperating with others, of leaving the buildings and carrying with us the basic core that Christ laid out for us. This priesthood is God’s destiny for all who proclaim his name.

9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests,* a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 9

Works Consulted

The Crossover and the Changing of the Guards (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 15:20:00 +0000

It was in the middle of the night in October 2010 that the Lord began to speak to me about the prophetic direction of the coming year. In one evening, I was awakened having two visions and two dreams. Like Peter in prison, the visions were so vivid that I didn’t know if I was asleep or awake. In the first vision, I saw my husband, Dan, climbing across the bed to get out on the other side instead of simply getting out of bed on his side. I asked him what he was doing, and he said, “I am crossing over.” I woke in a state of shock, wondering how I just then woke up when I thought I was awake. This happened twice, the same vision, the same phrase, “ I am crossing over.”

I then had two dreams where I am instructing my son, Taylor, about what it means to crossover. I woke from the first dream, went back to sleep and had the same dream again! By 6:30 in the morning, after little sleep, I got up and asked the Lord what was going on. He said, “It is 10-10-10; it is the day of the crossover.”

Over the years, the Lord has spoken to me many times about a coming “crossover.” This is just the beginning of what He has shown me. I have been waiting a long time to see when He would create a land marker or time marker to align these words so that I could release them. Often the Lord would use phrases like, ”It is the changing of the guards.” to describe the same concept. As I went back through my journals and the recent events of what He has been saying, I found several things in common. As you ponder these signs and concepts, begin to seek God for what He is saying in your own life as we “crossover into 2011, the year of transition.

Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.
I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Revelations 19:10-16

The most significant sign for which I have been expectantly waiting has been a history making prince who will be the future King of England. For over twelve years the Lord has literally and metaphorically used the life of Prince William to signify a coming new age of the prophetic. Through dreams about medieval kings, legends and personal encounters, I have known for nearly twelve years, that as Prince William approaches the throne of England, a new wave of prophetic would crossover England and change the prophetic scope around the globe.

The Coming of Arthur by Alfred Lord Tennyson (an excerpt)
`The King will follow Christ, and we the King
In whom high God hath breathed a secret thing.
Fall battleaxe, and flash brand! Let the King reign.'
So sang the knighthood, moving to their hall.
There at the banquet those great Lords from Rome,
The slowly-fading mistress of the world,
Strode in, and claimed their tribute as of yore.
But Arthur spake, `Behold, for these have sworn
To wage my wars, and worship me their King;
The old order changeth, yielding place to new;
And we that fight for our fair father Christ,
Seeing that ye be grown too weak and old
To drive the heathen from your Roman wall,
No tribute will we pay:' so those great lords
Drew back in wrath, and Arthur strove with Rome.
And Arthur and his knighthood for a space
Were all one will, and through that strength the King
Drew in the petty princedoms under him,
Fought, and in twelve great battles overcame
The heathen hordes, and made a realm and reigned.

In the years to come, the crossover and changing of the guards will be signified by many things:

The coming of the King
The restoration of the prophetic
The release of ancient wisdom and treasures

JERUSALEM (from 'Milton') by: William Blake (1757-1827)
AND did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England's pleasant pastures seen?
And did the Countenance Divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark Satanic Mills?
Bring me my bow of burning gold!
Bring me my arrows of desire!
Bring me my spear! O clouds, unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire!
I will not cease from mental fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant land.

England has been God’s landmark and time marker for me as I have waited to see the things unfold about the prophetic crossover and the changing of the guards. The Lord has used Prince William’s life to speak of the “helm” of prophetic transformation and restoration. The helm of a ship steers the direction and course of the ship, and in leadership it represents government. The Lord told me several years ago that the new prophetic would be called out by the name “Lliam”; It is Irish for William and means “The English resolute protector”. William and Lliam both mean ”helm”.

William also represents the return of kingship. Many things have had to fall into place historically for this to occur. Beyond the symbolic honors bestowed upon him by his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, Prince William got engaged this month to his girlfriend of eight years, Kate Middleton. She has been given the sapphire ring of Prince William’s mother, Princess Diana, for the engagement. The wedding is to take place in 2011. These signs and many others are the birth pangs of the transition coming as we crossover into 2011. They signify a new anticipation and passion for royalty and honor in the body of Christ. We are now preparing for the Lion of Judah, the king of Kings and Lord of Lords as the prophetic is ushered in and we crossover from the old epoch into the new.

Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Revelation 5:5

So much will depend on us embracing the paradigm shift of what a royal priesthood looks like. The prophetic will take on new dimensions of beauty, majesty and stature as we poise ourselves for kingdom thinking. It is a season of embracing the Lord just as the Knights of the Roundtable embraced Author. We are to usher in the king and prepare His people for the coming kingdom.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9

The third thing this crossover will establish is the rise of ancient wisdom and the release of treasures stolen from the enemy of the King. Just as in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, the metaphors of a returning king will be seen in this season. The children of light will reclaim many of the ancient treasures stolen as plunder by the powers of darkness in this new age. This will be a time of miracles and wonders as God releases from the storehouses of heavens his armies to battle in the heavenlies. We will begin to see Joel 2 unfold as dreams and visions are poured out on all flesh. God is revealing to His people secrets and mysteries that have been buried for centuries. The truth of many ancient secrets will be known in this coming age, and God’s people will be filled with wisdom and receive treasures of old.

Gird your sword on your side, you mighty one;
clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.
In your majesty ride forth victoriously
in the cause of truth, humility and justice;
let your right hand achieve awesome deeds.
Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies;
let the nations fall beneath your feet.
Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever;
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy.
All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia;
from palaces adorned with ivory
the music of the strings makes you glad.
Daughters of kings are among your honored women;
at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir. Psalm 45:3-9

In all of Christendom there has never been a more exciting moment. We are on the cusp of an appointed time that will be more historic than anything before and more glorious than any myth or legend ever told. It is the greatest story...and you are all the characters of this new chapter.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Three Dangerous Phenomena within the current prophetic movement Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 05:01:00 +0000

Does Truth Matter?

Two presidencies ago (in the U.S) the president was caught in a very public lie
regarding martial infidelity. At one point while being questioned he responded to
a particular question with the question: “what does ‘is’ mean?”. Essentially, with
one swell swoop, the truthful meaning of words was, to a large degree, thrown
out the window. And while politicians have always been politic to the point of
saying the right things to the right crowd, in today’s arena of public speaking,
whether political, or otherwise, truth is now largely seen as negotiable. In a
demonic Machiavellian manner the end justifies whatever means are utilized.
This almost absolute disregard for truth has, in turn, infected some contemporary
prophetic ministries. When I say prophetic ministry I am more speaking of the
ministry of prophets as opposed to the ministry of prophetically gifted people in
the local church. These are two very different ministries with two widely differing
spheres of influence.
The first red flags I began to notice were back in 1998 and 1999. At that time
it was quite fashionable, albeit, unanoited, to prophetically jump on the Y2K
bandwagon. A lot of the ‘whose who’ in the prophetic arena prophesied that
global economic destruction was going to take place as we entered the new
millennium due to the computers not being able to handle the digital change.
While I have certainly made my share of prophetic mistakes I heard the Lord say
quite clearly that not only was the Y2K catastrophe not going to happen, but the
false prophecies were actually going to derail many churches which were quite
focused on prayer and outreach to their communities. To a certain degree this
did happen. Many, many churches began to focus on the supposed inspired
message to buy generators, store up food, water, and supplies and get ready.
Well, the catastrophe never happened. And a lot of the church members who
were part of those ‘get ready for the worst’ scenarios ended us very disillusioned
with prophetic ministry. I saw first hand how the number of churches in North
America, Europe, and the UK who were beginning to grow substantially in
intimacy with God and seeking to know His voice began to view prophecy today
with real skepticism.
As bad as all of that was, that in and of itself, was not the worst part of the
problem. The big problem was the lack of accountability. Very few, indeed, of
the big voices who had given the false words ever came back in a public way
and said “sorry”. For the most part no one is expecting prophets to be perfectly
accurate. The weight of New Covenant priesthood is for the hearer of
a word to correctly weigh the word and see if it bears witness with his or her
own discernment from the Holy Spirit, as well as ascertain the Biblicality of it.
But to the level that God grants visibility
accountability must be in evidence, or else the whole of the ministry comes into
disrepute.
A friend of mine who pastors an influential church on the East Coast confronted
one of the loudest voices of the Y2K message. When he asked for a mere public
acknowledgement of being wrong that prophet responded “oh no, because we
prophesied the warning the church prayed and the problem never happened”!
The problem with her justification, how ever, was it was simply dead wrong.
The prophecy had not been “if My people pray”. It had been “this will absolutely
happen and God will use the chaos to birth revival”. Now 10 years down the
road many so called prophetic ministries used this sort of ‘open ended’ theology
as a loop hole for false prophecies. Any evidence of humility and authentic
accountability has been thrown by the wayside. The reality of this can be seen
in the 2008 U.S. presidential elections when so many prophetic ministries cooked
up wrong predictions as to who would win. And only a few of those I know of
who falsely predicted the outcome have publicly acknowledged their mistake.
In order for the body of Christ to take seriously a critically important God
given gift there must be accountability within the context of grace. Since many
prophetic ministers head up their own ministries the weight is doubly on them to
regard accountability as a context for the operation of the gift. Other wise the gift
of God speaking will continue to be devalued in the church at large and those
ministries will end up kings of ‘anointed entertainment’. There will be a degree
of revelation and power but it will not have the true kingdom fruit God desires.
If we are going to represent the truth of Jesus, in truth, then that begins with our
hearts and motives being focused and absorbed with the Truth, Himself. Let’s
take heed of the prayer from the ‘man who shook the world’: “Now to Him who is
able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the
power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus
to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”
Marc A. Dupont
September 28, 2010

David Crowder Band - O Praise Him

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 15:27:00 +0000

Three Dangerous Phenomena within the current prophetic movement Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 15:23:00 +0000

I have had the opportunity of being involved with prophetic and apostolic ministry
and ministries internationally for close to 3 decades. I count myself the richer
and wiser for this privilege of rubbing shoulders with many men and women who
God has spoken through to the body of Christ in wonderful ways with wonderful
messages of encouragement and exhortation.
Unfortunately, over the last decade, or so, I have also seen the current prophetic
movement both become more extreme and, more extremely irrelevant to
true Biblical Kingdom purposes. I believe there are three specific harmful
phenomena that have emerged which are much in evidence today. They are:

A Phenomenal focus on self promotion
A Phenomenal lack of self accountability
A Phenomenal emphasis on phenomena, to the cost of de-emphasizing
the Lord Jesus

Dangerous Territory
For the sake of not unduly loosing anyone too quickly, allow me to discuss the
last point first. I have absolutely no problems with Holy Spirit caused, or induced,
manifestations. Whether it is Holy Spirit induced laughter, weeping, shaking, or
such things as gold dust appearing, or even gold teeth. My concern is rooted in
the hunger for these things as opposed to hungering and thirsting for the person
of God and His righteousness. As my friend Loren Sandford has written “In the
church today there is a trend toward seeking ways and means to generate these
experiences by our own initiative”
The danger of seeking after spiritual phenomena is really two fold: Firstly, it
ends up becoming a downward spiral of deemphasizing the Person and lordship
of Christ in one’s life and ministry. Secondly, it opens the door for demonic
deception in a huge way. The devil can, and will, appear as an angel of light
if that’s what you’re hungering for. My fear regarding this current hunger for
phenomena is summed up by the apostle Paul’s words found in 2 Corinthians
11.3: “I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds
will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”
Ministries which continually emphasize extreme phenomena and revelation do so
to their own, and others, destruction. There is absolutely nothing more extreme
than the love, the compassion, the power, and the majesty of God Himself.
The moment we begin to emphasize His gifts, or manifestations, more than He,
Himself, we are headed down the same track of those carnally obsessed lost
souls Paul spoke of in Romans. They chose to exchange the worship of creation
for the worship of the Creator!
Until we have truly grasped and realized the height, the width, the depth, and
the breadth of God’s love let’s not settle for focusing on anything less than
that. If, as we journey with God, He sovereignly causes phenomena to happen
and releases paradigm shaking revelation then let’s grow in our sense of
amazement and wonder of His goodness. But to digress from seeking Him and
allowing Him to lead us and guide us as He sees fit is a demonic digression.
What’s being built- the Kingdom of God, or the empires of man?
Earlier this year (I won’t say when, or where) I spoke at a conference with two
other speakers. One of the speakers took one of the night sessions and spoke 3
hours and mentioned the Lord Jesus twice in passing. The Bible was never once
referred to. His whole message, and his whole ministry I suspect, is all about…
his ministry. God wants to heal us of all woundedness, but there is such a thing
as a Godly brokenness which David sang about in Psalm 51.16 & 17: “You do
not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt
offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart,
O God, You will not despise”. This ‘godly brokenness of David’s is evident in his
prayer in Psalm 27: “One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple.”
Jesus’ whole ministry on earth was to restore people to a vital relationship with
the Father. (John 17.3). His protein, what nourished Him, was to do the will of
the Father. He was so fixated on pleasing the Father He walked away when
the crowd wanted to crown Him- it simply wasn’t the Father’s time. Too many
ministries today, however, run to any opportunity at all of being crowned before
men.
Speaking for myself, I love to tell testimonies of God healing, delivering, and
revealing Himself to people. And I thoroughly enjoy the privilege of being able
to be part of the process. But there is a huge difference between telling stories
in such a way that glorify the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as opposed
to glorifying me, myself, and I. Much of the self-promotion being done today on
websites, book covers, and presentations is at the very least self aggrandizement
and at worst demonic in that it, again, deemphasizes the wonder of Jesus. And
what seems to be a bigger problem is the willingness of many Charismatics
to chase after ministries that are preoccupied with themselves. After nearly
sixty years of the countless moral failings of supposed giants of faith with midget sized
character the Charismatic and Pentecostal church is still hungering for the next
hero. This speaks volumes of our lack of discernment due to a lack of experience
with the real thing- Jesus. At the very least let’s take hold of Paul’s wisdom
regarding reputation; “For it is not he who commends himself that is approved,
but he whom the Lord commends.” (2 Cor. 10.18) Let’s live and breath for the
commendation that comes from God. That commendation is often far from the
conference crowd.

Calling & the Pastor / Congregation

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 04:34:00 +0000

So with it now established that it is through multiple levels and forms of calling that we are now called into a state of discipleship wherein we fulfill the great commission, where does this line reside that divides those who are Professional Christians, and those who are Christian Professionals? In an era of such strong value place on ordination, credentials, education and, regardless of career, professionalism, it is a pretty radical notion to declare that there is little difference between these individuals. In his book Unfinished Business, Ogden speaks of another reformation that is coming where the ministry is to be returned to the people. We again look to the influence that Luthor and Calvin, in particular, had in the movement of trying to remove the hierarchy of the high church and provide a more direct line from Christian to Christ, as well as a more universal priesthood among believers. This institutionalized church had been established for thousands of years prior to their day. In the Old Testament, the priests and Levites were set apart from the other tribes as it was their duty alone to act as the go between people and God. As previously discussed with calling, they were called to this practice due to their position in the system, their circumstances and accepted this duty. This did not exempt the other sons and daughters of God’s chosen from worship and sacrifice, but it did essentially predestine those who were to become the priests and those who were to be the laymen.

This Old covenant system was turned upside down with the coming of Christ. With Christ, the office of priesthood is actually eliminated, in the sense of it belonging to a select group of people. Through Christ shedding his perfect sacrifice, acting as both high priest and sacrificial lamb, he removed the need of further sacrifice and therefore, the key function of the Old Testament priesthood.

In fact, the New Testament idea of “priest” has so radically departed from the Old Testament that the entire body of believers is now described as by nature priesthood. By ascribing to the church the images formally applied to the nation of Israel, the apostle Peter makes it clear that the new priesthood is the church: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people.

And this was echoed by Luther when he wrote:
Therefore we are all priests, as many as are Christians… The priesthood is nothing but a ministry as we can learn from , “Let a man so account of us as the ministers of Christ, and the dispensers of mysteries of God.”

So with this Biblical perspective of the priesthood of all believers, what does this leave the role of the clergy with? I heard it phrased once as, a pastor is a teacher of teachers. This has always stood out to me as a great viewpoint of the role of New Covenant clergymen. The mission of a professional Christian is barely different than that of all other Christians. The key difference is, the professional Christian would ideally be to minister to those who have already entered into a relationship with God, whereas those individuals would minister to the world. This is a pretty lofty goal, though. Consider the words of Luther above, and similar words from Calvin, and even as recent as Billy Graham and the philosophies of the Emerging Church movement. All of these echo a similar longing to return the priesthood to the people.

During our recent conference, John Paul Jackson had spoken of the Tower of Babel and used the example of how many churches build buildings with a heart not too different than that of the Babylonians. I'm inclined to think that there is a risk of repeating the error of the Babylonians on an emotional and spiritual level as we grow into the priesthood. There is a tension that must be held between having an intimate relationship with God and also having the honor and respect that the Alpha and Omega deserves. When a person who matures as a believer and enters into the priesthood, if they focus entirely on the relationship element, then they risk of effectively climbing up a great building to reach God, instead of respecting the Almighty as someone who descends and comes upon our lives. We must not raise ourselves up, but instead point others to Heaven and establish them as leaders in the Kingdom.

Kingdom Transformation

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 04:01:00 +0000

This fall, we have an amazing opportunity to hear John Paul Jackson speak at our church during the Kingdom Transformation Conference. I have been privileged over the years to hear John Paul share on everything from dream interpretation to current revelation facing America... but the most exciting thing I ever heard John Paul share was the prophecy he spoke over my son in the spring of 2000.

In the early part of that year, my son, Logan was experiencing a series of encounters. Logan has always been very gifted...as early as 3 years old he was seeing angels. Logan also scored at age 5 with an IQ of 155. The combination of gifting and brightness led my confused, teenager down a very strange path. He began to entertain the demonic and saw spirits in our house. He scared kids in his youth group with talk of these images. I returned from a Global Awakenings Conference in St. Louis to find Logan without any color in his face and ranting about a character in camouflage clothing that he had no control over. He said this entity told him he was to be “promoted”. I was very distraught. As a single mom I was receiving all kinds of advice as to what action I should take. Logan's older brother, Michael, and I began to seek the Lord for a plan of action. Many pastors and counselors thought we should medicate Logan. The images were so vivid; many thought he was bipolar or schizophrenic. I was so unsure what to do. I didn't want to put Logan on medication.

I was sure this was spiritual. I prayed and began to think that if I had to pay to get John Paul here I would do it. Within a week or so, we found out John Paul would be in Columbus, Ohio. I told Logan,” You are going to this." Well, our entire small group went. The Vineyard in Columbus seated over a thousand people. They needed an over-flow room for this conference. It was packed. John Paul had several people stand that he had prophetic words for...one was my Logan. John Paul prophesied about Logan from birth to the present and told him "You have been told you would be promoted." John Paul spoke to Logan about all the things the Lord had waiting to give to him from heaven if he would turn from the dark things he was focusing on. All those who were with us were crying, knowing the accuracy of the words being spoken over my son. When Logan sat down, he looked at me and said, "Did you get all that, mom?" I told him it was recorded and that we would get the tape.

I keep that tape in my kitchen and play it often for friends.
Shortly after the words John Paul spoke, Logan's color came back, he turned from all he was doing, started school at Morningstar, and five years later launched a church from the ground up in Ireland...he was 24 years old. I cannot tell you how much this created change in the other kids in our family. Two other children went on to Morningstar and one of Logan's sisters joined him to do ministry in Ireland.

It is a privilege to have John Paul coming to our church during a time when our focus is on transformation. It was a real transformation that happened to Logan, a beautifully gifted kid who was heading down such a wrong path till that day in Columbus, Ohio in 2000 when the Lord, through John Paul’s words, picked him up and placed his feet on a new path. May you experience the transforming power of God’s love in a miraculous way at the Kingdom Transformation Conference September 22-25 at the Dayton Vineyard.

Cheers,
Rebecca

Calling & Christian Vocation

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 04:01:00 +0000

Christian Vocation
Following the notion of a personal call to a specific profession is the broader concept of a Christian Vocation. There is actually rather little biblical evidence to support the idea that one would be called to a specific career field. When we look to the Old Testament concept of calling, we see many patriarchs and heroes who are called through circumstances that unfold around them. People who are called are brought forth to fulfill God’s greater purpose, and not often a sensation of being guided toward a specific position or office. In the Old Testament, we see many miracles unfold and dramatic stories surrounding individuals, but these occur only because of the individuals absolute submission to the Almighty.

When we look to the New Testament, we do see a transformation occur within the disciples where they leave secular jobs to follow Christ. I must question the right-ness of basing the way we should live our lives off of the dramatic encounters with a physical Christ and a personal teaching that these first disciples encountered. When we consider the twelve, they all had other jobs prior to meeting Christ and they abruptly left them to follow Him and learn. These close apprentices to Christ were more or less prototype disciples that Jesus was establishing to spread the good news. Jesus knew his time on earth were short, and he therefore called upon these to continue the good work after the crucifixion and resurrection. When we look at the words kalon who is God, the one who calls, and then keklemenoi, the called ones, then it seems to fit that the act of kalein, to be called, is a general call to salvation and commitment than it is to a specific ministry. This essentially levels the playing field that all Christians are expected to be equally committed to discipleship.

What does a disciple look like in scripture? There is a threefold image that can be rooted. First, belong to God. Identify yourself as a member of the heavenly family and and recognize others as brothers and sisters. Second, be a member of this family in life. Pray and commune regularly, live a life of holiness and recognize God’s sovereign and providing hand in all situations. Third, do God’s work. Consider the things we’ve discussed in this article, as well as the previous one. Your natural talents, abilities, circumstances, background and passions and embrace these through the lens of holiness. This can be accomplished in virtually all career fields, save those professions that are in direct contradiction to living a life in accordance to scripture.

Calling & Personal Vocation

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 04:01:00 +0000

Calling. This is something that I've heard thrown around since coming to Christ. It seems as though there is a rift created between those “called into the ministry” and those everyone else. I’d like to unpack this sense of calling for a few minutes, and explore what could be viewed as three vocations or callings to which all Christians are called. Over the next weeks, we will be exploring the Personal and Christian Vocation, and the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

Personal Vocation.
It is with the Puritans in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries that we first encounter a systematic distinction between the call placed on all Christians and a specific call which God places on an individual. In the New Testament, there is no specific doctrine of calling to a particular task but rather, it is out of Greek dualism that we see a differentiation between the Marys and Marthas. From the dawn of Christianity through the middle ages, Christians did not seek any sort of divine revelation to determine calling, but rather it was out of economic status or generational vocation that calling was established. It was assumed that people were actually called into royalty, serfdom, wealth or poverty and people of faith were to operate within those capacities in accordance to the manner all Christians are expected to operate. Later, Luther embraced a bold and new translation of 1 Corinthians 7:17 and applied it to all occupations and applied the call to all Christians. Luther stressed that calling is the duty of serving God by faith according to the Word in one’s situation. Note this does not point to a career, but rather something that everyone should do no matter their place in life.

John Calvin later established two forms of calling, the call of salvation and the call of ministry. The Puritans then built on Calvin and emphasized calling as “the particular dutie [sp] which God requires of us in our estates." There was a balance achieved between duties and occupation. In that culture, though, the concept of family business was heavily engrained, and the only avenue by which one could escape following in the footsteps of a family trade was to pursue a vocational call in the church. This has essentially led us to our current understanding that there is a unique call wherein people feel led to pursue a specific role; more often than not leading to being a pastor or missionary. In our modern culture, the sense of calling to a profession has spread to other professions, such as medical professional, care-giver, school teacher, and other positions of influence where our culture can assume to clearly do God’s work.

This notion is an interesting one, as it seems to limit what professions one may feel called. This leads to the question of, "Does everyone receive a call?" After all, if everyone receives a call, and yet a calling is usually attributed to select professions, then what is a Christian to do who is not inclined toward these fields?

There are four different calls which can emerge in our lives that will determine the path by which we serve. The first is the “The Effectual Call of Christ to Become a Disciple.” This is the process of discipleship and deepening of our relationship with Christ. Within this call, some might arrive at the realization in an instant and never look back. Others will take their time, growing in a slow eb and flow motion, and slowly work into a rhythm, embracing the spiritual disciplines. It is however, a fundamental call that applies to all healthy, growing Christians.

The second is our “Providential Calling.” It is here we look to discern the providential hand of God in our lives, background, education, personality, and the opportunities that unfold in our lives with the Almighty to discover our calling.

The third is “The Charismatic Call.” The Charismatic Call is geared toward the gifting and talents we possess. These can be skilled trade abilities, leadership skills, anything that we have an overwhelming natural aptitude to do. As long as these skills can be done in unison with a healthy progression of discipleship, then these skills are of God and may very well be pointing us to the calling that God has ordained us to pursue.

Finally, there is the “Heart” call. It is this call which many people speaking about when they feel a burning desire to do something. This calling requires the most prayer and guidance, as it is one that will often make the least sense. Obedience to God is essential, but if one does not see any inherent skills that would support the calling, nor see God’s hand guiding them through life toward that destination, then prayer for discernment, guidance and confirmation should be sought.

In the next post in this series, we will explore the nature of the Christian Vocation, and then the fufilment of the Great Commission.

Sneak Preview

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 04:01:00 +0000

Have you ever been really excited about worship? This is one reason why our fall conference is going to be unlike anything you have experienced before. We thought our readers would like an inside look at the upcoming Band, Kevin Prosch and The Black Peppercorns, who will be leading worship for the Kingdom Transformation Conference September 22-25. The following is a history of Kevin and the band taken from Kevin Prosch’s website...

Kevin grew up in the deep south with a love for music early on. His father loved country music and stayed up all hours of the night playing records, his mother loved classical music and played the Piano. His childhood was a troubled time and music became a great encouragement for him. He listened to the likes of, Motown Artists, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Hank Williams and Ron Woods, and the Mystic Moods Orchestra. He began to travel playing gospel music from county to county and eventually began to do larger events.

Kevin had a fresh new sound and loved the spontaneous element of music. Along with many ethnic instruments, long time friend and drummer Martin Neil had played a big role in encouraging him with this sound, himself also playing several of these instruments, such as log drums and didgeridoos.

Kevin has influenced more worship artists than any other worship leader in this decade such as Martin Smith of Delirious, Matt Redman, Darrell Evans, and many others.

Kevin then in 1993 formed a club band, The Black Peppercorns produced by Ethan Johns (Kings Of Leon, Emma Lou Harris, Ray LaMotayne) with the likes of Counting crows and Peter Gabriel as his influences and began to travel to different countries and play shows from Albania, Switzerland to New Zealand.
He now resides in Amarillo Texas and owns and operates a recording studio Third Ear Music which specializes in old tube equipment and an unusual array of old instruments and amplifiers. He also pastors a church.

His hobbies are helping other musicians with their music, Engineering, Fishing, lots of camping, and a good glass of Lagavulin.

He also has a not for profit organization that sends musical instruments to young musicians in need around the Globe.

I hope you will join us for an outstanding time of spontaneous and engaging worship with Kevin Prosch and the Black Peppercorns during the Kingdom Transformation Conference. We thought you might like a sneak preview of a call to worship that translates the mundane into the realm of God’s presence. Enjoy! (insert Music video)
For more information about Kevin and his latest projects, check out this web address:
http://www.themusiccoope.com

Featured Artist: Laura Hoke

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:57:00 +0000

Recently I have been trying to challenge myself and figure out where I want to go with my art. I realize that art is much more powerful and enjoyable when it is well communicated especially to those who aren’t usually “artistic”.
I pull most of my inspiration from music. Some of my favorites are Angels and Airwaves, Adam Young, and Switchfoot. If I get a new cd, I usually listen to it for the first time with my eyes closed; imagining things that go along with the sound. I love
delay pedals and guitar loops; I love stage lights and sunsets. I hope to capture this type of energy with my art.
I love that God blesses us as artists and as his co-creators. I love that I can pull inspiration and beauty and truth from anywhere because God has already blessed my passion to create when he created me.
I am a sixteen-year-old. I am active in the drama department at my school, Xenia Christian High School, and I work at Tim Horton’s. I live with my fantastic parents, Jeff and Annie, and my hilarious brother, AJ. I like to dance for fun, and I enjoy eating with chopsticks.
Thank you so much for reading. I’m willing to sell my art, so contact me if you’re interested and we’ll decide on a price. If you have any comments or things to say to me, I’d absolutely love to talk to you or receive an email from you.
Sincerely,
Laura Hoke
ImageNation@hotmail.com

Ventilator Jesus

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:19:00 +0000

We recently witnessed the dramatic act of nature on I-75’s sculpted Jesus that burned to the ground. Lightening hit the $300,000 sculpture constructed of Styrofoam and plaster over a metal frame covered by a thin skin of fiberglass. The sculpture had been the centerpiece of the front lawn of the Solid Rock Church, and was the talk of media across the country, referring to the piece as, “Butter Jesus” or “Touchdown Jesus.” According to Newsvine.com, church leaders are vowing to “rebuild the iconic King of Kings statue.”

The enormous, sculpted form has been a shock to many over the years. My daughter’s response, after seeing the sculpture for the first time was, “Oh Jesus!” She had been napping in the back seat and was startled by the sight. It was probably most people’s response even when they were awake.

Strangely enough, the same week I received phone calls and emails about the meltdown of the statue, I had a vision of a man on a ventilator for life support. The Lord asked me if I knew who he was. I said no. He said it was Jesus. The problem wasn’t that Jesus needed assistance to breathe or maintain life. The problem was assuming our assistance was needed to keep Him alive in our ministries. The vision was metaphorical to the fact that people had discovered how to keep ministry self-sustaining by life support techniques of their own-making. With these techniques, Christians are able to monitor the life and breath of what they are doing for Christ. In fact, the Father said that an epidemic had developed in the body of Christ; an epidemic I have decided to call the “Ventilator Jesus Syndrome.” It is the syndrome that occurs from self-reliance as the life support that powers our ministry.

How did we get here? The answer is not as simple as it may seem. Self-reliance is spreading through the country like a disease. The following are a few symptoms to help you evaluate your spiritual health and see if you have caught the Ventilator Jesus Syndrome.

1. Blurred Vision
This symptom is revealed when people find themselves creating good ideas that are not God ideas. We borrow perspectives that work outside of our own sphere and then things get cloudy as we try to make them fit our own environment. If you find yourself stumbling around trying to make something work that keeps tripping you up, you may have blurred vision.

Jesus said, “I only do what the Father says to do.” Actually, Jesus goes deeper than this when speaking to the mother of John and James in Matthew 20:20-23,
“Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. ‘What is it you want?’ he asked. She said, ‘Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.’ ‘You don't know what you are asking,’ Jesus said to them. ‘Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?’ ‘We can,’ they answered. Jesus said to them, ‘You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.’”

Jesus clearly saw whose vision He was to align Himself with. He did nothing on His own. When we think we can create, build or establish government or a church apart from the Lord’s voice, we will always have blurred vision.

2. Irregular heartbeat
This symptom is a result of not getting to the heart of what Christ desires. It is manifested when our personal interests over shadow God’s heart in a situation creating an abnormal heart pattern and rhythm that is unlike His. The systemic problems are revealed in these verses of Philippians...
“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:1-4

Jesus desires that we have nothing tugging at our heartstrings other than His heart’s desire. Over time we can become calloused to this, thinking we have things figured out or that our ideas are the right ideas. This symptom makes us territorial and arrogant toward others. If you find you are having trouble getting to the Father’s heart due to your heart beating differently than His, you may be experiencing a heart irregularity.

3. Restlessness
This symptom is related to those aspects of ministry where you are not satisfied with how things are going. You may find you react instead of waiting for answers. You may also experience boredom and lack motivation. Many times when a person is operating out of their own strength, restlessness is the result. Restlessness is directly related to the need to push forward when you should be patiently preparing your spirit for the next God move. The tendency is to “jump the gun”. This is a serious symptom to address. Such conditions stem from having no “God time” on your radar. It happened to Cain...

“Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth...” Genesis 4:14

This symptom of restlessness mutates into fear when you become concerned about others getting ahead or becoming more successful.

“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways.” Psalm 37:7

If these symptoms persist, they will inevitably lead to other side effects. The tendency is to get busier, fueled by driven ness, when the remedy is to stop moving.

4. Confusion
This symptom is of a more serious nature and is a result of the first three symptoms persisting over time. Unless this is treated soon, confusion will lead to chaotic responses and disorder in choices. This is the development of old patterns of worldly thinking...

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2

The result will be a type of spiritual, cognitive dissonance where we act and do things out of a fuzzy state of understanding and imbalance, placing our trust in our own thinking and becoming double-minded.

“But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”
James 1:6-8

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

Confusion creates the illusion of right thinking. We fabricate in our own wisdom ideas we attribute to God. It is the substitution of relevance for genuine revelation.

5. Shortness of breath
With this symptom comes burnout. Anytime we are operating out of our own strength, we begin to find ourselves short of breath. It will not be long before we experience sleepless nights, anxiety attacks and other related conditions that are a result of shortness of breath. In time we breathe artificially to sustain our existence and eventually lose the strength to withstand the forces around us.

“We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.” Colossians 1:28-29

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.” Acts 17:24-25

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

Shortness of breath is a clear signal that you have the Ventilator Jesus Syndrome. This symptom has developed as a result of striving in ministry to the point of exhaustion. When we operate out of the spirit, “His burden is light and our joy is made complete.” He really is the one who “holds all things together.”

So what is the cure for the Ventilator Jesus Syndrome? On the spiritual health-meter, how do you score?

1-------------------- ♥---------------------10

We have become so clever, finding so many ways to be self-reliant. This is surely why Paul said we must “labor into our rest.” The reason for such a declaration is because of how hard we struggle to get the job done or how guilty we feel when we don’t. Here is a remedy you may consider if you are struggling with this syndrome:

• Take daily doses of the Bread of Life.
• Exercise the eyes of your heart.
• Get a lot of Sabbath rest.
• Meditate on God’s word.
• Don’t forget to breathe.

Warning: Take no supplements to this lifetime plan. If symptoms persist, increase the remedy till the problems are eradicated.

Revival Generation (part 4)

noreply@blogger.com (PropheticEdge) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:31:00 +0000

Acts 2:42 "They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer."

In this post, I will address the third part of Acts 2:42: "They devoted themselves to the breaking of bread" When looking at this statement, we must look at it in 2 parts. First, breaking bread is symbolic of sharing a meal together. Secondly, breaking bread is symbolic of communion. As we have been looking at what it takes to sustain a revival that will last an entire generation, we see a significant theme. This theme is the importance of intimacy. As we talk about breaking bread, I really want to drive home the importance of intimacy.

Intimacy can be defined as a close association with, detailed knowledge or deep understanding of a person, place, or subject. How do we gain detailed knowledge or deep understanding? We do this by spending time with a certain person or in a certain place. We can also study subjects to gain knowledge and understanding. The main theme in defining intimacy as we see here, is spending time with who or what we are trying to know and understand. As we spend time with each other, we begin to know and understand each other on new levels.

In the buisiness of our everyday life, how do we find time to get to know and understand each other? The answer is quite simple. Slow down and make time for each other. One of the best ways to make time for each other is by sharing a meal together. Sharing a meal invites people into our home. When we are in our home, our defenses come down and we tend to open up who we truly are to each other. Conversations during the meal provide opportunities to bond, plan, connect, and learn from one another. Meals provide an atmosphere of warmth, security and love, as well as feelings of belonging. When we feel like we belong to something greater than ourselves, we become free to open up, explore, and become who the Lord has called us to be.

Exploring, with each other, who the Lord has called us to be is where the concept of communion comes into play. Communion can be defined in two ways. First, communion is an act of remembering what Jesus did for us and our connection with Him. When we accept Jesus, we come into communion with Him.

Matthew 26:26-29 says, "While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. "But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom."

Secondly, the word communion comes from the words common and union. Merriam-Webster defines communion as mutual participation; an act or instance of sharing; intimate fellowship or rapport; and, having a common faith and discipline. When we come into communion with each other, we share a common ground and are able to strengthen, encourage, and help each other become who we are called to be.

In my next post, I will be addressing the final point of Acts 2:42 – the importance of prayer.