Kingdom Shifts

Fasting From the Internet

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdom Shifts) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 20:12:00 +0000

But when you pray, go into your room, CLOSE THE DOOR and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ~Matthew 6:6

I’m so excited as I embark upon my 38^th birthday tomorrow (November 17). Today will be the last day I’ll be on Facebook (or any Internet platforms such as Yahoo, Gmail, Linkedin, CNN, blogging, etc.) for an extended period of time. I’ve felt the Lord tugging at my heart to “opt-out” so that I may give my undivided attention to the One who is worthy of it. Initially I struggled with this due to the amount of time I spend online (I work from home so my time is consumed with sitting before my monitor). Finally this past week I surrendered this to the Lord and joy unspeakable has flooded my heart with great anticipation of what the Lord is going to do in the coming year.

As many of you know, I long to proclaim the glories of Christ Jesus unabated. In recent preaching engagements, I’ve felt a lack in the unction of the Holy Spirit to preach the supremacy of Christ. I’m keenly aware of the subtleties of my own waywardness in seeking the praise of men. I believe this extended fast will be a time to allow Him to purify the desires of my heart so that they truly reflect His heart. I'll preach from a posture of a deep longing that Christ be magnified above all else.

In the past month the Lord has awakened a fresh hunger to pursue Him through the Scriptures. I love the reality of what the Apostle Paul declared in Colossians 2:3 concerning Christ—“in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Friends, there are unspeakable riches to be found in the glorious God-Man that we are unaware of. One dust thread of gold panned in the riches of His beauty will awaken you like nothing else. You were created to be LOVED—and, to lavish that LOVE back upon Him. These hidden treasures of His abundant love through Christ are priceless!

Please pray that I would be further captivated by His splendor. Oh, pray that I would in response to His mercy become a better husband and father; one not prone to be quick to anger (James 1:19). Let us pray together that we’ll continue to be conformed into the image of the glorious Son (Romans 8:29).

In closing I do want to emphasize that I’m not approaching this as a means of “sacrifice” unto the Lord. (Sacrifice?—what sacrifice? This is an invitation from the Lord to spend time seeking His face). It is my wholehearted desire to position myself to gain the revelation of His sacrifice on the Cross (thus growing in my identity as a son of the Lord). I’ve been praying Matthew 9:13, which highlight the words of Jesus as he’s referencing Hosea 6:6: “But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'" I come to the Father on the basis of THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE—the death of His Son on the Cross. Jesus is the One whom I seek in this coming season.

I want to thank each of you for your support.

Beginning in the Prophetic | David Oh

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdom Shifts) — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 21:23:00 +0000

Please LIKE Burning Lamp Media & Publishing Facebook page.

Click here to order this new release.

David Oh has done an outstanding job removing the sometimes mystical undertone to the prophetic and presenting it in a very clear, concise and easy to follow layout. This book is filled with solid sound biblical teaching as well as real life examples on the practical application of prophesy. It is with great pleasure that I recommend Beginning in the Prophetic for everyone who has a desire to hear God’s voice and partner with Him in calling forth His purposes into existence.

Dr. Ché Ahn

Senior Pastor, HROCK Church

President, Harvest International Ministry

International Chancellor, Wagner Leadership Institute

Pasadena, CA

I highly recommend reading Beginning in the Prophetic as a great how-to manual for hearing God. David answers many questions that we all have as we begin listening to the voice of God and steers us in the right direction as we journey deeper into the prophetic.

Cheryl Allen

Director, Pasadena International House of Prayer

Pasadena, CA

It is rare to find an author who is able to introduce a multi-faceted subject in a brief, concise, and thoroughly readable manner without sacrificing clarity or skimping on the essentials. David Oh has produced delightful evidence of just this kind of skill and gifting in the pages of Beginning in the Prophetic. I heartily recommend this prophetic primer, not only to those taking their first steps in prophetic ministry, but also to seasoned prophets who are often called upon to help de-mystify this gift for the equipping and encouragement of the saints. Allow David to “open the door” to the vast treasure room of prophetic ministry and you’ll find your appetite whet for more of God’s communication to and through his children.

Steve Trullinger

Founding Servant, The Father’s Touch Ministries

Chancellor, Wagner Leadership Institute – South Bay

Torrance, California

Praise Him | Aneta Hume

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdom Shifts) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 02:26:00 +0000

He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God. Psalm 50:23 NIV

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name. Hebrews 13:16 NKJ

Praising God is the ultimate end and aim of all we go through. ~Oswald Chambers

Scripture stresses the importance of thanksgiving. Both Old and New Testament emphasizes that above everything else, God wants thankfulness.

We go through our routine of thanking God for our food before we eat; or we may even thank Him when we catch our child as they fall down; or when it stop raining on the day we planned a big picnic; or even during the Thanksgiving holiday we may list out our blessings and reflect on what God has done. However do we really offer the sacrifice of thanks or praise to God continually?

First of all, a sacrifice is something we put effort into—it costs us. I think it means that we are to give thanks in everything, even in a difficult situation when all we want to do is complain and meditate on our hurt or sorrow. The act of sacrificing the thank offering to God, when we do not feel like it at all, will bring forth the“salvation of God” (Psalm 50:23). This “salvation of God” empowers us to overcome selfishness, bitterness or anger; it delivers us from darkness that keeps us trapped. When we stop focusing on ourselves as we lift our face up to look at God to give Him thanks, we are set free from the things that weigh us down. Then we're able to receive the joy that the Lord wants us to have. Giving thanks to Him keeps our focus on God, on what we have in Him, and how blessed we are.

We have to develop a habit of looking around for things that bring us joy, makes us smile; to stop our busy, hectic lives to “smell the flowers” that are around us. Even when it rains, when the first drops touch the warm ground, they bring this special scent that I love. Let us then train our eyes to see beyond the obvious; let us lift our heads and seek God’s beauty in everything.

Oh, there is so much to write on the subject of thanksgiving, but with this short devotional I hope you will be encouraged to be intentionally thankful and in that you will surely be blessed.

Peniel, The Only Way In by | Greg Austin

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdom Shifts) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 02:58:00 +0000

“There are plenty of Christians to follow the Lord halfway, but not the other half. They will give up possessions, friends, and honours, but it touches them too closely to disown themselves.”
(Eckhart, 15th century mystic)

Not every blessing appears in the open. Some miracles are hidden, concealed, veiled.

The blessing of God’s mercy, His grace are often unseen until, unanticipated, Amazing Grace appears in the midst of life’s hard trials. And often, what we interpret as misfortune is, in fact a blessing from heaven.

Paul’s own imprisonment at Philippi would “fall out rather for the advancement of the gospel.” What appeared to be a curse was in fact the favor of God.

When Paul tells the Roman church I have longed to visit you so I can share a spiritual blessing with you that will help you grow strong in the Lord, few, if any of those disciples of Jesus would have understood the hidden blessing in Paul’s heart and mind.

The Face of God appears in the mists of elusiveness, mystery and death accompany His holy visage. From his earliest moments on earth, man has desired to “see,” to behold, to look upon that which God declared would produce his decease: You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.

Yet never in history has there been a lack of those who, in spite of the knowledge that looking upon the divine will bring their demise, will cry out with Moses, “I beseech Thee, show my Thy glory!”

And today, in the midst of so much hype & propaganda, the hyperbole of a religious structure that calls itself “the church” but in so many places has become deception personified, in the midst of so many counterfeit tributaries that label themselves as authentic flows the river of God’s presence and His eternal purpose in the earth.

And there are those in abundance who have determined to remain near God, to move with Him, and these must find a way through the lure and the entrapment of carnal, religious Christianity until they find and appropriate for themselves the transforming power of the heart of Jesus.

More than forty years of walking, running, stumbling, falling and getting up to run again with Jesus have taught this writer that it takes more than a sermon to change eternal souls: We are changed by the impartation, by the conveyance of the Spirit of the living God; mysteriously, eventually, immediately, He works His wonder of conversion: He changes us or we are not changed at all.

Spiritual transformation, the amendment from one form and substance to another cannot be the result of study or of learning or of absorbing and performing flawlessly the requirements of a set of religious rules or qualities. Pop Christianity advertises life without challenge, change without pain, transformation without struggle, but the butterfly emerges only after effort; he must free himself of the burden, the dreariness of the caterpillar if he is to put on the beauty hidden and potently, patiently awaiting within.

Challengeless faith, comfortable and therefore impotent faith is not faith at all. Trial and tribulation are assigned purpose. Bad things happen to good people to reconstruct good people into God’s people.

“The Consequence of Impartation is Transformation”

God intends His children to receive the impartation of Himself. Radical impartation is not achieved when a sermon is preached, but when the Word of God is received in the very core of one’s being. Spiritual life does not consist in memorized spiritual-sounding clichés or in whimsical praise or in Three-Step spirituality. Impartation comes when truth pierces the soul and the result of impartation is transformation.

Multitudes desire impartation, but few are willing to endure transformation, since the latter requires the incision, the piercing, the pain.

When we all will stand on That Day before the great Adjudicator of all that exists, we will be judged not by how much we heard, but how much we were changed into the image of Christ.

The great task of evangelism is never simply to scatter seed but to see fruit growing from the effect of the implanted seed. It is a process Jesus identified as “discipleship.”

James encouraged us all to receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save your souls. He insisted that we become doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Impartation comes only as we receive the Word of God as the tree admits the foreign branch to be grafted into its life. The Gardiner gives us the process: to graft another limb to a living tree, he uses the knife to cut into the flesh of the tree and pull open the wound in its side – exposing the cambium, the living, tissue producing cells of the tree.

And the branch is implanted inside the wounded place. The Gardner then wraps cloth around the limb, binding together tree and grafting. Even so, they wrapped His body, both sealing and concealing, bringing us with Him, Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?

The Cloth is soaked. The tree weeps, its sap, the lifeblood is poured out, but unless it weeps, there will be too little sap to support the life of the newly engrafted branch.

We want to see victory, success, joy, we want to experience the full blessings of God, but so frequently we fail to understand impartation. There must be the cutting, the pain, the weeping, the death if there is to be engrafted life.

In order for Adama to be made complete, to have life, to have companionship, he first must be wounded. Something must be taken from him if he is to enjoy an Eve.

In order for Christ to have a church, He must first be wounded. Blood and water must pour from His side and drain into the earth. He must be laid down in death before He will ever have a Bride.

For impartation to occur, something must be wounded for something else to be grafted in.

There must be travail before there can be birth; loss before gain, death before resurrection.

So God approaches us in our desiring. He answers us in our asking. He comes, and we anticipate, we desire the embrace of heaven, but He comes, not to provide us with a scepter of authority but He comes with the sharpened blade of a knife. He would cut through the bark of our souls, He will saw a gash through the self-protection we have devised to cover, to conceal to shield ourselves. We want to become His righteousness, but first He must pierce through our self-righteousness until He reaches the tender, weeping part of us, that place in our lives where impartation happens. The place where the soul bleeds and where the heart seeps is where God will carve a gorge through which self will escape & the Spirit of God may gain entrance.

“God’s purpose in wounding is invading, entering, becoming from two, one, but the wound is first in Him, and He demonstrates the wound by receiving the first gash.”

God does not create the wound to bring us pain, but it is only through the broken open places in our souls that He can instill His power and plant His purpose in us.

The Genesis account enlightens us. Gen 32:24–32

Jacob is alone; a Man appears, wrestles with him until the breaking of day. And the Man does not prevail against Jacob, so He touches the socket of his hip, “disjointing” Jacob.

On that day Jacob becomes Israel and obscure wilderness becomes Peniel, “For (Jacob) saw God face to face, and his life was preserved.”

The change did not appear until an impartation was accomplished that brought transformation, grace, blessing. We call the experience “The dark night of the soul.” We avoid gross darkness, we hide from pain, we delay the appointment, postpone the inevitable, but out of the shaking and the disruption, the pain in our lives, God opens the mysteries of His being to our languishing and thirsting hearts.

Jacob wondered from whence he had been attacked. God’s face remained in darkness. He could not know with whom he struggled. We cannot always distinguish why, who what causes the wounding, yet in the battle we must hold out for the impartation.

Jacob wrestled until he was changed. How many times have we heard the Word of God, yet we were not moved? How many times have we felt the shaking of God’s presence but we refused to tremble at His word? We too commonly allow ourselves to hear enough to be touched, but not sufficiently to be changed.

Intuitively, we know that in order to be transformed, we must be wounded. We long to touch the royal robe of Deity, but we refuse to allow God to come too near, for fear that He may cripple our carnality. And all the while we know that if we desire to save our lives we must lose them; if we want to walk with God, we must adjust our gait to the limp.

The question beckons, as the yawning horizon breaks forth inviting us to come, to immerse ourselves in the mystery, the unknown, the unseen of its atmospheres.

Are we willing to lose everything, everyone in order to await divine visitation that may come in the black night of unknown possibility?

Are we willing to be crippled by the great Healer and to be forever wounded by the touch of the Hand that knew the shrieking pain of Roman nail? Are we willing never to be normal again, embracing all of God until the dawn of eternity, and to allow the impartation to transform our lives forever and for Him?

In our wounding, God will create sensitivity, like the war-wound of the old man who anticipates the coming rain by the pain he feels.

In the touch of God will be planted the branch of His blessing. In the impartation of His life, we are forever changed in beholding His face.

If we are willing to be wounded, if we are unwilling to let go divine visitation until we receive impartation, we will experience transformation.

Jesus said to them, If any comes after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever saves his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.”

He told us, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Peniel – the Face of God. Jacob’s coming to the end of self – the end of trusting his own wisdom, his own ability, his powers of conniving, manipulating, deceiving.

Confronted with an enemy who swore he would kill him next time they met, Jacob ran out of schemes. There remained no place to run but Peniel, the face of God.

Transformation of a Tribe

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdom Shifts) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:04:00 +0000

This morning Eric Teitelman of House of David forwarded a video to me that deeply touched my heart. It is a true story of a missionary, Mark Zook, who reached out to the Mouk tribe in the jungles of Papua New Guinea. This is a tribe that had no previous knowledge of Jesus Christ or any teachings of the Bible. Watch how the missionary introduces to them Scriptural truths step-by-step over a period of time even before he mentions the name of Jesus Christ. Make sure you watch it to the end to see their response.

What did you glean from this story that you can apply to your own life?

When is Enough Enough? | Jennifer Slattery

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdom Shifts) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:47:00 +0000

I want to introduce a guest blogger, Jennifer Slattery, who shares her heart concerning prayer. It will challenge and inspire you to allow the Holy Spirit to direct your times of prayer. Jennifer has also been a great asset as an editor and publicist on behalf of Burning Lamp Media & Publishing. Enjoy!

When is Enough Enough?

Jennifer Slattery

We’ve all had those moments in our life when we’re ready to throw in the towel. We’ve prayed and prayed, fervently and with faith, for something or someone, to no avail. And we’ve all had those moments when God’s Spirit has burned within us so strongly, we just knew things were going to turn around, our loved ones were going to finally take that leap of faith, our house was going to sell, we were going to get that job. Whatever. But then the moment passes, and our loved ones are still headed down a different road, the house continues to sit, and the job we’ve worked so hard and long for is given to someone else. So what do we do? When is enough enough?

I’ve been on both sides of this coin many times. I have moments where my faith is so strong I’m ready to turn mountains into mole-hills and to command trees to uproot themselves and jump into the sea. But I’ve also had many moments, way more than I’d like to admit, where I’ve thrown my hands in the air with a scowl and a vehement accusation hurled at God.

A while back God gave me just a glimmer of His heart, and it overwhelmed me with sadness. I’m not sure if sadness is quite the word. Sadness mixed with intense longing. I couldn’t stop crying, and praying. As I prayed, I listened to Addison Road’s “What Do I know of Holy” over and over. Like OCD over and over. Not sure why, but the song drew me. Even now, as I think about it, tears resurface. What do I know of Holy? What do I know of God? My human mind fails to comprehend. So what do I do? I box Him in to what is manageable, or understandable. In that moment, God shattered my nice little package with an intense, overpowering love.

I understood instantly that what I was feeling was God’s heart for the person He was calling me to pray for. And I have to tell you, my human love paled in comparison to the gut wrenching emotions that swept over me. And just when I thought I was done praying, and ready to get on with my day (the laundry never did get done and that article I keep talking about never did get written) it’d hit me again, like a Mack Truck straight to the chest, and I was back to tears and desperate cries to my Holy Father.

The pain was so intense it frightened me. If God felt such heartache for this person, did it mean that the person I was praying for had walked away completely? Was God in mourning? The thought terrified me and sent me into another tailspin of fervent prayers. I begged God for mercy, for intervention, for nothing short of a miracle. And then I received an email from a fellow writer who had also been called to pray. She relayed to me the words God had spoken to her, and they resonated so deeply, I was instantly reduced, once again to tears. And more prayers. An hour later, I received another email from another friend who was also being called to pray. She, too, provided words of affirmation and encouragement. Through out the evening, my yahoo account lit up with confirmation after confirmation that I was not, was not, was not to give up. Whether it took a week, a month, a year, or even decades.

So again I ask, when is enough enough?

Never.

And now I’m going to listen to that song again. Want to join me? Oh, LORD, if you touched my face, would I know you? Touch us now. Overwhelm us with Your love.

Jennifer Slattery writes for the ACFW Journal, Christ to the World Ministries, the Christian Pulse, Internet Cafe Devotions and Jewels of Encouragement. You can find out more about her and her writing by visiting her devotional blog, Jennifer Slattery Lives Out Loud. She also works for Tiffany Colter as an editor-for-hire and publicist. Find out more about her services at Word That Keep.

Zeke Lam | subMISSION

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdom Shifts) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:19:00 +0000

As many of you know I started Burning Lamp Media &Publishing at the end of 2010. After a year of much prayer and hard work, we finally published our first book—subMISSION: heeding only His voice by ZekeLam.

I first met Zeke back in 2009 at the Global Day of Prayer event in Culpeper, Virginia where we were both invited to minister. Immediately upon meeting Zeke, I could see his deep passion for Christ and for those in need of the liberating power of the Gospel message. Over the next 18 months our paths crossed multiple times.

Then in early 2011 we had a divine orchestration that would forever alter our paths. Previously we agreed to pray together weekly about a vision to launch The Circuit Riders (a topic for another time!)—however, during a particular phone conversation, I shared that I was going to start publishing Christian books through Burning Lamp. Immediately Zeke confided to me that he was about to finish up a book that he had started called subMISSION. I was intrigued. From that point on the Lord had us partner together to publish his first book, which was released on December 1, 2011.

It was a learning experience for us both while also deepening a friendship between us—and our families. My wife adores his wife, and my girls love playing with his rough-and-tumble boys! We know this couple personally and we can attest to their walk of integrity before God—and to the verifiable fruit of a calling as an evangelist. (If you’re looking for an evangelist to come minister to your church, campus ministry, or at a conference—please consider Zeke Lam.)

You can read his bio on our Burning Lamp Featured Author page.

Also I want to give you permission to share our Burning Lamp banners featuring Zeke's book on your blog, website, or Facebook page. On Facebook go to our Burning Lamp Media & Publishing page and you'll locate the three banners that we have available, each with a powerful quote from Zeke's book.

Here are some guest interviews and articles that Zeke has done on various blogs in the past month.

MARY AND MARTHA (Naomi Dawn Musch)

SUBMISSION IN MARRIAGE (Julie Arduini)

GUEST INTERVIEW (Carol Hatcher)

UPDATE: In 2013 Zeke moved his family to Gainesville, Virginia to plant a church, Submission Ministries Fellowship. Visit them at their Facebook page or to their website to learn more information.

History & Covenant | Jim Arnold

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdom Shifts) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 02:22:00 +0000

I had a dream on 2/22/08 that I want to share with you.

Peter Wagner

Aneta and I were in Colorado Springs. We were in a large room that had both a classroom and a bookstore area. Peter and Doris Wagner are teaching a class over in the classroom section. Aneta and I are off to the side looking at their products. I'm going through these packages that include teaching sets (CDs) with a corresponding manual of sorts to follow. I asked the worker if I could look at the list of all the courses they offered (she had a master list in her hands with all the teachings that they had), but she wouldn't permit me to do so. I could only see what they had in stock there at the store. I see a few by Chuck Pierce and Peter Wagner, but there was one that caught my attention: History & Covenant by Jim Arnold (end of dream).

Although it has been over three years since I had this dream, I've mulled upon it many times since. There are times when a particular dream will "stick" over time and seemingly resurfaces at pivotal points. The primary focus of this dream for me has been on the name Jim Arnold—and the teaching, “History & Covenant”. I've been unable to really discern the thrust what the Lord is trying to say through this dream. Yet, I've felt strongly that this person and the teaching, "History & Covenant" is quite significant for this hour.

Let me share a little of the insights I’ve gleaned from this journey of seeking the Lord.

Last summer on June 3, 2010 I got an email from the ministerial association in Culpeper. For sake of time, I usually don’t read the emails unless something in the subject heading captures my attention as it did on this day—“Death Notice: Jim Arnold”. Immediately my mind went back to the dream I had previously concerning a Jim Arnold.

I was greatly saddened to learn of the passing of this man due to a tragic accident. Yet I was encouraged to read that he was active in his church in Culpeper, New Beginnings Worship Center (the pastor, Paula Jones, was instrumental in leading two dear friends of mine in the baptism of the Holy Spirit). Also Jim Arnold was an educated man: he graduated from Georgia Tech with a BS in Electrical Engineering and from the renown MIT with a Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

A week later I was with my family on vacation at the Outer Banks along with my parents. Out of the blue my dad mentioned that an old colleague of his had recently passed away tragically. Without missing a beat, I blurted, "Jim Arnold?" My dad was somewhat surprised. Indeed it was this person. They had known each other years before when their paths crossed. I was taken back that my dad knew this guy.

This whole ordeal inspired me to search more on Jim Arnold and I came across history books by an author of the same name written about the Civil War. These are books for children and early teens—and are quite well done. I ordered three copies (although there were more books).

Divided in Two: The Road to Civil War, 1861—This theme of division and union has captivated my thoughts in the past few years. Years ago the Lord sent me in August of ’08 on a prophetic assignment to anoint the headwaters of the Mississippi River and it entailed a whole learning process through the Scriptures concerning division and union.

On To Richmond: The Civil War in the East, 1864-1865—Richmond has been frequently mentioned in my dreams; plus this book focuses a lot on Virginia, including the Battle of Bull Run. My prophetic mandate is somehow intricately tied to this historic Battlefield, which is why I relocated my family back to this area in ’09. God is bringing together a white man and a black man to pioneer an apostolic equipping center in the very area that judgment manifested 150 years ago this summer (July 21) at the Battle of Bull Run!

Lost Cause: The End of the Civil War—As I write this I’m reminded of a previous dream with Lou Engle back in ’04 prior to his visit to preach at the first Awaken the Dawn conference. In the dream I told him I’d been praying about a book to get for him called “LOST CAUSES” by George Grant—we walked together into the book store to retrieve it; however, I couldn’t find it and Lou was fixated upon another book about the history of our nation with the subtitles, “DEFINING MOMENTS”. When I awoke from the dream I went to the store to buy that book to give to him at the conference.

Obviously the Lord has given me much to chew on. Yet I've felt led by the Lord to share this dream on my blog, which isn't the norm for me. I think perhaps it will bring greater clarity as I'm able to hear from others. Feel free to share in the comments any thoughts you want to communicate.

God bless you!

An Unexpected Surprise at Eggspectation

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdom Shifts) — Tue, 31 May 2011 19:30:00 +0000

This past month—May 12 to be exact—my wife and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary. From the beginning we dreamed of grandiose plans of a romantic getaway to celebrate such a milestone: a location only reachable by plane; warm weather; opportunities to splurge on fine cuisine; time alone to…ah, talk like newlyweds (cough, cough) while reminiscing upon the memories of our honeymoon. But as the date drew closer, the reality of such a dream-like getaway became obviously just that—a dream.

With my wife’s parents in Poland we were left with only my parents and older sister as resources to help assist with our two precious daughters. However, with my mom’s shaky health, it became increasingly clear that it would not be possible to have my parents watch them especially the younger one on the verge of crawling.

With plan A clearly on the backburner, we went to work on plan B. Possibly we could figure something out that would at least give us a few hours together of uninterrupted time. Granted, it would not be quite the extravagant plans we had previously conjured; but nonetheless, we could celebrate together!

Secretly we hoped that perhaps my family would offer to watch our two girls for a few hours since it was our ten year anniversary. As the weeks passed by and no offer made, we went to work to figure out who else within our circle could take on such a task (an energetic 3 year old coupled with an 8 month old who required ample attention). A dear lady from our church, Ann, came to mind—a kind, thoughtful, cheerful woman, one who was a youthful 60. My wife called her and she graciously accepted the challenge to watch our two girls for four hours on the date of our anniversary, from 2-6pm.

We were elated! All Aneta could talk about for a week leading up to May 12 was our anniversary date—it would be a time of bliss. Questions constantly poured forth: where would we go, what restaurant would we select, what food would we order, would we be able to walk around a historic area? The more we talked about it the more the anticipation grew. I could see the excitement in her eyes, a sparkle of hope. We both love our two precious daughters, but we were looking forward to our time together—alone, uninterrupted for four hours. We were dying to embrace the romantic within as we renewed our commitment to one another on this special day. This would be a time of rejuvenation.

On Wednesday, May 11 Aneta received a phone call from a person with a somewhat hoarse voice. Ann had somehow come down with a severe cold and was sent home from work; however, she assured us that she could still come over the next day to watch our girls. Although we were appreciative of her willingness to do so under such circumstances, we declined simply because our youngest had pneumonia and the last thing we wanted was for her weakened immune system to be exposed to further germs.

We were crushed. What could we possibly do now to plan for our long awaited anniversary celebration?

That morning I called my mom to see what they could do and she offered to watch Simone, our oldest daughter if we took Eliana with us. At this point we had exhausted our short list of trustworthy candidates who could possibly watch our youngest daughter.

Honestly, we were bummed. A lump of frustration persisted in my throat for the majority of the day. Without going into all the details, we just felt frustrated that our family could not do more to help us celebrate this special day. And I felt guilty for feeling this way as my negative attitude persisted.

Perhaps we had placed too much stock into the sentimental values of celebrating our anniversaries on the actual day that they transpire (we have a few different “milestones” throughout the calendar year that we intentionally celebrate as a means to honor Christ and to strengthen our marriage).

And as our day unfolded, many of the minor details were not coming together—simply reinforcing that negative jive within. “Oh great,” I retorted, “How am I going to make this day anything worth remembering on a positive note?”

Finally we dropped off Simone at my parents’ house with Eliana in the backseat. Our plan was to go first to the jewelry store. I had previously purchased a necklace that I felt would be appropriate to commemorate our anniversary. However, it was not quite what Aneta had in mind so we went back to Macy’s so Aneta could select one more to her liking. Our time was short since we had to get back home to put Eliana down for her afternoon nap for an hour. Aneta found a necklace that enthralled her! We raced home to put down a crying baby since we were well behind her normal sleeping pattern.

However, she never fell asleep as she was too overworked.

Finally we grabbed her and sped to the closest restaurant to us—Eggspectation in Gainesville. We had been there before and we both knew exactly what we would order, which would cut down on the time: Aneta ordered her favorite new grilled chicken and fruit salad (with fresh strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries); meanwhile I ordered the Eggsuberant (eggs, pancakes, turkey bacon, potatoes, and fruit). We arrived at the outdoor patio with perfect weather. We plopped Eliana down who was in her seat as her eyes took in the change of scenery (thankfully she probably did not realize that she was technically the third wheel on our 10 year anniversary celebration!).

As our waitress took our order, we made mention to her that we were there to celebrate our 10th anniversary. Immediately, she enthusiastically congratulated us.

A cool breeze could be felt as we sat at our table in the shade. Aneta checked to make sure Eliana was properly clothed. I assured her that Eliana would be fine. We both slumped in our chairs. We were somewhat tired as we had been going nonstop for most of the day; yet, we were trying to enjoy each other’s company, but our attention was fixated on Eliana. Aneta started feeding Eliana her dinner so that she could focus on the meal once it was served. As Eliana swallowed her last bite, the waitress brought out our meals. Simultaneously another woman arrived at our table congratulating us on our anniversary. She commented on how cute our little girl was while asking, “Can I pick her up?” As we started eating our dinner this unknown lady walks around the patio with Eliana in her arms. It was obvious from the beginning that she had a knack for little ones.

Aneta and I glanced at each other as our eyes communicated, “Who is this lady?” I figured she either worked there or was a very good friend of the waitress.

As she walked around with Eliana, Aneta learned that she was a mother of two and a grandmother of three.

Finally she brought Eliana—smiling, and cooing with glee—back to her seat as someone from inside requested out to her attention. We thanked her profusely for giving us a few minutes with each other as she entertained Eliana.

The waitress came back to the table as we finished up our meal. She informed us that they were going to bless us with free desserts: one for each of us! We were taken back, shocked by their kindness. A few minutes later they brought our desserts to us just as the sweet lady returned.

“Maam, do you work here?” Aneta asked. “Oh yes,” she replied, “I’m the manager here.” Furthermore we learned that her name was Joe (at least that's what I understood she said).

She proceeded to pick up Eliana once again to entertain her so that we could enjoy our meal together.

Without question we were touched deeply by the generosity of this woman who blessed us above and beyond our expectation. She was a ray of sunshine bursting through a cloudy day. Humbled, we again expressed to the manager our deepest appreciation. Although our previous expectations for this day of celebration fell short, this act of kindness on behalf of the manager at Eggspectation helped us to enjoy a moment together while reminding us of God’s goodness towards us (and reminding us not to allow unfulfilled expectations to dictate our mood and attitude!).

Well, in closing I want to say, "Thanks Eggspectation and Manager Joe and the kind waitress at the Gainesville Eggspectation!"

IS YOUR HEART SMOTHERED IN BROWNIE BATTER?

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdom Shifts) — Mon, 23 May 2011 01:33:00 +0000

Do you enjoy brownie batter more than the actual baked brownie? Yep, I do! For me, a plain brownie that stands alone is just that—plain, nothing special. Plain brownies tempt me, not! I bypass without hesitation. However, you stick a bowl in front of me oozing with fresh brownie batter and it’s a different story.

Growing up I always had a knack for showing up in the kitchen just when my mom finished pouring the batter into the pan prior to the heating. Being the thoughtful and helpful lad I was, I grabbed the bowl to clean it thoroughly with a good spatula. (It was always messy, but licking good!) Definitely well worth the sacrifice to ensure the bowl was spic-n-span. Needless to say, I’ve continued the habit to this day, to my wife’s delight (what wife wouldn’t want a husband who helps around the kitchen!).

Recently my wife and three year old daughter baked some brownies with some extras like crumbled Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (and other healthy goodies!). As I entered the kitchen that day, my eyes scanned the countertop for the bounty—the treasured brownie batter bowl. I was hoping for dear life that the “unlicked” bowl did not meet an immature and senseless demise in the sink baptized in soapy water.

Off to the side my eyes caught a glimpse. Ah, my heart leapt!

The bowl glistened, undefiled. Untouched, it stood with an inviting allure. My wife noticed my gawking. Being the wise woman she is, she immediately handed me the bowl smothered with batter.

(However, I must state, proudly so, that I decided to set it aside for dessert since dinner was only 30 minutes away. I can’t eat a dessert or snack right before the main meal—my mom taught me well!)

As you may have taken note of, I enjoy—immensely so—brownie batter!

I have a question for you: What is the brownie batter that God unrelentingly seeks after?

Just as my eyes scoured the kitchen for the prized brownie batter, the eyes of God scan the landscape for one thing so dear to Him—namely, your heart of devotion to Him. 2 Chronicles 16:9 states, “For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His” (NASB).

Ah, a heart that is “completely His”—it is like a heart smothered in brownie batter that the eyes of God cannot resist! Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 11:3 precisely this brownie batter smothered heart as “the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” A heart truly devoted to Christ is to be treasured above all else.

Is your heart like a bowl smothered in brownie batter waiting for the taking? Will the eyes of the Lord find your heart as one devoted to Him, one that is “completely His”?

News for Kingdom Shifts!

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdom Shifts) — Fri, 20 May 2011 02:26:00 +0000

Please take a moment to go to our new Facebook page to "LIKE" it so that you can join our interactive dialogue with others. CLICK HERE.

Also what do you think of our new logo for Kingdom Shifts?

J. Lee Grady | Why I Don't Buy the May 21 Prophecy

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdom Shifts) — Sun, 15 May 2011 00:49:00 +0000

Here are three reasons why Harold Camping's end-times prediction should be ignored. (Click here for link to article on Fire in My Bones.)

J. Lee Grady

I spent the past week in Guyana, a South American nation where the people are friendly, the food is spicy and churches are growing at a healthy pace. But Christians there face a serious challenge because of the sad legacy of Jim Jones, the American cult leader who ordered his followers to drink poisoned Kool-Aid at their compound in Jonestown in 1978. The mass suicide, which killed 909 people (including Jones), went down in history as the world's worst example of religion gone wrong.

"Even today, the Jim Jones tragedy poses a problem of credibility for us," one pastor in the city of Corriverton told me last week.

You can imagine my dismay when I arrived in Guyana and learned that groups of Americans were combing the streets and passing out literature claiming that Jesus will rapture the church on May 21. These Christians apparently are so convinced of the prediction that they traveled to the only English-speaking country in South America to deliver a last-minute warning.

This outbreak of rapture fever originated with Harold Camping, 89, a California-based Bible teacher who says he figured out the date of Jesus' return by studying the book of Daniel and other biblical texts. Never mind that Jesus said no one would know the timing of His return (see Matt. 24:36). And never mind that Camping has a bad track record—he previously set Sept. 6, 1994, as the date for the Apocalypse. Many gullible Christians are still willing to trust Camping’s instincts.

I cringed when I heard that Americans were telling Guyanese people they have two weeks left before Jesus arrives to take all true Christians to heaven. Camping's followers also believe the world will end in October. I've learned in the last week that many believers have jumped on this bandwagon; they've put up billboards, purchased TV ads, painted warnings on rooftops, issued radio alerts and flooded nations with printed warnings.

I can't compete with this doomsday madness, but I can offer an appeal for sanity. Here are three reasons why we should not spread Camping's prediction:

1. It is a false prophecy. How can I say this with assurance? Because Jesus Himself said all end-times date setting is strictly off-limits. He told His disciples on the day He ascended: "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority" (Acts 1:8, NASB). If it is not for us to know, then how does Harold Camping know? Is he God? Only the worst form of spiritual pride would lead a person to claim such knowledge.

2. Failed date-setting has discredited Christians many times before. Why can't we learn from history? William Miller, the father of Seventh-day Adventism, was convinced that Jesus would come back in 1844. When his prediction turned out to be bogus (a moment known as "the Great Disappointment"), many disillusioned “Millerites” abandoned their faith.

Jehovah’s Witnesses taught that Jesus would begin His millennial reign in 1914. When that didn't happen, they pointed to the outbreak of World War I and began teaching that this was the "beginning of the end." A few years later they moved the date to 1925. Nothing happened that year, but more than a generation later they circulated the prediction that the world would end in 1975. (They also taught that only Jehovah's Witnesses would survive a global holocaust.)

Recent history is littered with more of these embarrassing predictions, including Jim Jones’ claim that the world would end in nuclear war on July 15, 1967. Jones was a communist who believed he was the reincarnation of Jesus, Buddha and Lenin, so Christians didn’t take him seriously. But when a Christian layman, Edgar Whisenant, wrote 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988, millions of believers bought it. You won’t get much money for that book at a garage sale today.

3. End-times date-setting hinders the cause of Christ. Just imagine what will go through the minds of unbelievers on May 22, 2011. Christians told them Jesus would return, but He didn't. This will make followers of Christ look silly and unreliable.

As sincere as Camping's devotees may be, sincerity is no excuse for theological error. It is wrong-headed and irresponsible for any Christian to tell an unbeliever when Jesus is coming back or when the world will end. That is not the message we were commissioned to preach. Dates and deadlines do not have the power to save souls—only the gospel can do that.

When we share Christ with others, we don't need to provide a date for His Second Coming. Instead, we tell them about the miracle of Calvary and remind them: "Today is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2). No one knows when he will die; every new day could be his last. And every person will stand before God when this life is over.

There is urgency in the gospel, for sure, but it is not about a countdown to the rapture. Hundreds of thousands of people die every day without Jesus, whether or not He returns in their generation. This alone should motivate us to avoid foolish distractions and false prophecies so we can get busy with the task of genuine evangelism.

J. Lee Grady is contributing editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter.com leegrady. His newest book is 10 Lies Men Believe (Charisma House).

Dr. Tom Dooley | Ministering in Manassas, Virginia

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdom Shifts) — Fri, 06 May 2011 21:17:00 +0000

This Sunday, May 8, my good friend Dr. Tom P. Dooley will be ministering at New Covenant Fellowship in Manassas. The service starts at 10am and I highly recommend that you visit NCF if you are in the northern Virginia region. Click here for directions.

I have known of Tom since 2004 when a former disciple of mine was working for Destiny Image Publishers and he mentioned a book that was creating quite a stir in the office. Obviously that is the kind of book I want to get my hands on! This ripple-effect book was Praying Faith by Tom Dooley (since then he’s written two more books: Half-Truths are Lies; Hope When Everything Seems Hopeless). Within a few days I purchased my copy and I was not disappointed! I reread the book in ’06 and at that point I felt something stirred in my heart about connecting with Tom—I had a “knowing” of sorts that he would be a pivotal part of what God had called me to do in this coming hour. I finally made contact with him in January of ’07. We met face-to-face a month later when he was on a prophetic assignment to Washington, DC. Since then we have spent time together on multiple kingdom assignments from the Lord throughout the United States. I am also in my third year of serving on the board of the ministry that Tom founded—Path Clearer Ministries. Click here to visit the website.
Without question I have been immensely blessed by Tom’s friendship, wise counsel, prophetic insights and tenacity of faith—he is a friend whom I consider to be trustworthy. He has profound stories of God doing supernatural, miraculous orchestrations through him on his journey in multiple, diverse settings: from the Pentagon to a platform in Nigeria before one million attendees to a television studio in the UK ministering the word of the Lord.

As you can see, Tom is also quite successful in the marketplace (www.tomdooley.org):
- PhD biomedical research scientist
- Ran as a Republican nominee for Alabama State Board of Education, District 4.
-Entrepreneur & businessman
- Former professor
- Inventor with multiple patents
- Author of 65 scientific publications
- Outstanding communicator (syndicated radio, TV, & print media)
- Chief Scientific Officer - MediQuest Therapeutics Inc. (2004-present)
- CEO & Founder - IntegriDerm Inc
- CEO & Founder - ALtruis LLC

I hope you’re able to join us this Sunday at 10am!

National Day of Prayer

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdom Shifts) — Wed, 04 May 2011 19:11:00 +0000

Watch LIVE tomorrow (Thursday, May 5th) from 9:00am - 12:00pm ET as prominent leaders from around the country gather on Capitol Hill for the 2011 National Observance. CLICK HERE TO WATCH LIVE.

Program highlights include:

•Keynote - Joni Eareckson Tada, 2011 Honorary Chairman.

•Other speakers include: Dr. and Mrs. James C. Dobson, Congressman Allen West, Chaplain Barry Black, Justice Paul Newby, Captain Ryan Voltin, Rabbi Daniel Lapin, and more.

•Special Musical Guest - Ginny Owens.

•Worship Leader - Jared Anderson.

Special thanks to GodTV for partnering with us to broadcast this special event around the world via DirecTV channel 365 and Webcast.

IT'S NOT TOO LATE...

Although the 60th Annual Observance of the National Day of Prayer is tomorrow (Thursday, May 5th), it's not too late to host/find an event. Just this week, there have been thousands of new events posted on our Web site. Now is the time to visit us online and find an event in your community or post the event that you are planning. The searchable event listing is the most popular page on our Web site - posting your event information on www.NationalDayofPrayer.org helps increase both awareness and attendance. The posting process is simple and only takes a few minutes. CLICK HERE to post/find an event now.

Tom Corcoran | Prayer: Secret or Public?

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdom Shifts) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 02:27:00 +0000

Once again the National Day of Prayer is upon us. This year the theme is: "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" (Ps. 91:2). Some believe that gathering together to pray is not in keeping with Scripture (Matt:6:5-9). I admit I'm uncomfortable praying with others. Jesus taught us how to pray. Prayer is not an obvious or natural activity or it wouldn't have had to be taught. We pray because we are followers of Jesus and have fellowship with God. Jesus is our mediator so that our prayers afford direct access to God. Dietrich Bonhoffer wrote: "True prayer is done in secret, but this does not rule out the fellowship of prayer altogether, however clearly we may be aware of its dangers. In the last resort it is immaterial whether we pray in the open street or in the secrecy of our chambers, whether briefly or lengthy, in the Litany of the Church, or with the sigh of one who knows not what he should pray for. True prayer does not depend either on the individual or the whole body of the faithful, but solely upon the knowledge that our heavenly Father knows our needs. That makes God the sole object of our prayers, and frees us from a false confidence in our own prayerful efforts." I share that sentiment...on May 5th whether you are planning to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, be busy at work/home, or gathering to pray with others, spend time in Scripture; hear God speak to you.

__________________________________________________

This portion was derived from an email newsletter of Multi Church DC, which was written by my friend Tom Corcoran. I thought it was an interesting perspective on prayer that I would share with my readers. Please feel free to leave any feedback on your thoughts.

Here is Tom’s Twitter account info; take a moment to follow him on Twitter: @multichurchdc

Washington, DC | Cindy Jacobs

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdom Shifts) — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 02:23:00 +0000

On Easter Sunday, April 24th at 10:30am, Cindy Jacobs is scheduled to speak at the Newsong Church in northern Virginia during her strategic trip to Washington, DC. For those in the region, I'd strongly recommend you attend this service if you are able to do so.

NEWSONG Church
8200 Bell Lane
Vienna, Virginia
www.ournewsong.com

Cindy Jacobs is a respected prophet who travels the world ministering not only to crowds of people, but to heads of nations. Perhaps her greatest ministry is to world influencers who seek her prophetic advice.

Her first calling is and always will be prophetic intercession. Ever since the Lord called her with the scripture, “Ask of me the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the world for your possession,” she has taken that calling seriously. She describes her call to the nations “an inverted homesickness.” Each year she travels and has spoken on nearly every inhabited continent to tens of thousands. Yet, in her heart is the memory that Jesus left the ninety-and-nine to go to the one. Today, in spite of a demanding schedule, she is willing to go for the one lost soul.

Among other things, she is listed in the Who’s Who Among American Women, has written for such publications as Charisma, Ministries Today, Spirit-Led Women. She is a frequent guest on Trinity Broadcasting Network, The 700 Club, and now one can watch her on the God Channel. The television show from her ministry, God Knows, is on nine networks in six languages.

HIGH and LIFTED UP | Homer Owen

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdom Shifts) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 04:15:00 +0000

This is an awesome week for all of us who have chosen the Son of God as our Savior. We are living in the time when our God is bringing forth a greater revelation of Himself along with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I pray that we have a desire to know them all better and allow the Holy Spirit to open up our hearts to receive all that He has for us in these exciting end days.

“If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven but He who came from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:12-15

We are told that we must lift up the Son of Man as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness if we are to have eternal life. Eternal life is for us right now. Paul tells us that we should know Him in the power of His resurrection. Jesus told Mary and Martha that He is the resurrection. This was before He had been lifted up on the cross. We will all be resurrected with Him in Glory one of these days – but we are to experience His resurrection today in our daily walk with Him.

It is a real challenge for all of us to live in heaven at the same time we are living on the earth. What a glorious salvation that we have been given by the risen Christ, we are to live with Him in Glory land at the same time we are to live here on the earth. As we sit with Him we will be illuminated with His Glory so that we can bring forth light into the dark places here on the earth.

“Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” Isaiah 60:1-3

Lord, we are thanking you today for your rising over us with all your glory. Cause us to walk forth in the dark places and expect your light to dispel the darkness. Praise you for so great a salvation. Not just for glory land in the future but right now. We give you all the praise and glory for being who you are.

Be blessed in these days as we mediate on Him being lifted up. May we all kneel at His cross and give Him thanks with grateful hearts for coming forth to redeem us.

Homer Owen

www.homerowen.com

Daddy’s Love Hugs | Bruce Aspgren

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdom Shifts) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 15:36:00 +0000

Sitting at a table at the local homeless shelter park, a mother with 3 children asked for prayer.

After praying one of her sons came over to me, he looked me in the eyes and asked me, "Are you a daddy?" I answered yes.

His next words touched deep within my soul.

He asked me, “Can you give me a love hug like a daddy would?” I looked to the mother and she had tears she nodded yes. I reached out and placed him in front of me on my lap and wrapped my arms around him. I can't tell you any more of a reason why I am a minister—I too remember that a daddy should come to the park and give love hugs.

brbruce

Bruce Aspgren
PO box 211, Caldwell, Texas 77836 -0211
http://www.rockingaministry.com/ website
Bruce Mary Aspgren on Facebook
jesusspokenhear on Twitter

WHAT HAPPENED to THE PENTECOSTAL MOVEMENT? | Wayne Greulich

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdom Shifts) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 00:26:00 +0000

A number of people have decried the Pentecostal/ Charismatic movement as being the doorway through which the current corruption has entered the modern church. There is an element of truth in this, but it is not entirely accurate.

I was born into a Pentecostal church 56 years ago, was raised there, was educated in one of their colleges, and pastored 3 of their churches. I think this gives me a degree of knowledge and familiarity with the movement and its history... I also had the privilege of meeting with and conversing with some of the Pentecostal pioneers while they were still alive. In addition, I have owned a number of Frank Bartleman’s books for years. This is not to put myself forward as an expert, but to let you know that what I say next is not said from a vacuum of ignorance, assumption, and speculation.

The Pentecostal movement was born out of the holiness movement. Many of those who were involved in its birth were people of holiness who had died to self, had picked up their crosses and were following Jesus Christ as He directed them by His Spirit and His Word. The multitudes of transformed lives, the miracles, and the persecution were very real. We can thank God for those pioneers who – under the move and hand of God – paved the way for a renewed freedom and move of the Holy Spirit in Christ’s Church. The problems which arose were not with the move of the Spirit or with many of those who sought the Lord and came into the Baptism and life of the Spirit. Mostly the problems arose – as they do today – from those who wanted to avoid the cross. These were people who wanted the blessings of life in the Spirit, but who did not want to die to sin, flesh, and themselves.

As early as 1907, Frank Bartleman wrote of his dismay over these types of people who infiltrated the Pentecostal movement. Many flocked to Pentecostal movements all over the continent seeking the blessings of the spirit, but not wanting holiness, confession of sin, brokenness before the Lord, and taking up of the cross. We have the same root problem with us today. The modern church is filled with selfish, sinful people who want God’s blessings, but who do not want to go the way of the cross.

The problem has been further compounded by those false preachers, prophets, and teachers who refuse to preach the cross and what it costs to be a follower of Christ. Instead today’s “Christian” heaps to himself preachers, teachers, and prophets who tickle his flesh and make it feel comfortable – those who have become experts at creating a brand of “christianity” which seems to marry the flesh with the Spirit. This CANNOT be, however, since the flesh and the Spirit are enemies against each other. Scripture makes it clear that one must follow one or the other – God or mammon.

It is the shame of many Pentecostal/ Charismatic churches – although, not all (... the mistake of generalizing) – have abandoned the preaching of the cross, holiness, separation from the world, and the true full Gospel. Much of the modern church has abandoned the Christ of the Bible in favor of a “new and improved Christ” who has no cross, but only “love;” who has no holiness, but only “grace;” who has no justice, but only “blessings;” and who is not Judge, but merely a cosmic Santa Claus.

How we need those who will die to self, take up the cross, and be witnesses of the true Christ! How God longs for those who will live godly in Christ Jesus – in spite of the persecution! How we need those who choose to reject the world, who hate sin, who fear none but God; those who will do what He wants, speak what He says, and be molded into the image of Christ by the Word and the Spirit that Christ may have human representation of Himself to a lost and dying world. This is the Church of Jesus Christ.

May God help us. Brothers and sisters, work while it is yet day, for the night is coming when no man can work. Labor faithfully with Him. Fear not what man thinks or what man can do unto you, but fear Him who is your Redeemer and your King.

This article can be viewed also at www.johnthebaptisttv.com

What Does the Name Brian Mean?

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdom Shifts) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 03:34:00 +0000

I like my name, Brian. This was not always so in my early days as I perceived it to be somewhat bland, and so uninspiring. However a few years back I decided to research the original meaning of the name to see if there was anything insightful about what Brian meant. Several words emerged such as honorable, noble, strong, high, strength; etymologically speaking, it is believed possibly to derive from Old Celtic, to refer to a hill as in a lofty place, an exalted place. Interestingly during that season in my research via the Internet and in books, I kept coming across the following two words linked together in the following phrase: Strength and Honor.

The original movie poster.

Immediately upon that discovery I thought of the scene in the movie Gladiators at the beginning prior to the Romans’ confrontation with the barbarians. Maximus—the revered commander of the Roman military—valiantly inspires his troops: “Strength and Honor. Strength and Honor. Strength and Honor…Brothers, what we do in life echoes in eternity.”

“Strength and Honor” was used in the movie as a means of reminding each soldier of their code of conduct even in the face of death. I am unaware if it is historically accurate, nonetheless I found myself stirred all the more to become a man of strength and honor. It has significant implications about living a life of courageous faith and inner fortitude of character that emanates the life of Christ. When others call my name, it is a constant reminder: In Christ you exude STRENGTH and HONOR!

In closing I want to pray a blessing over all those who have been given the name BRIAN.

Father, I thank you for those of us that you’ve bestowed upon the name BRIAN—for this was not by accident. And I pray in this forthcoming season that there would be an IGNITING work of your Spirit in our lives so that we may seize the full prophetic implications of our namesake: “STRENGTH and HONOR”.

Ignite us Holy Spirit even in our weakness before you so that we may demonstrate your STRENGTH that confounds the wisdom of this world. Ignite us O Lord as we kneel before you so that your HONOR would go before all mankind.

I declare this day that those named BRIAN will be a part of the army of the Lord and go forth in STRENGTH and HONOR.

Amen!

The Book That Made Your World | Vishal Mangalwadi

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdom Shifts) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 03:27:00 +0000

Vishal Mangalwadi sent out an email earlier today with some highlights that I want to share with you. Firstly he stated that his Op Ed piece, “Does the Bible Matter in the 21st Century?” has been published in the Opinion section of foxnews.com. Click here to read it.

Furthermore he has a forthcoming book due out that I mentioned in a previous blog posting (read this posting to learn who has endorsed Vishal's new book). Now he is offering a great deal on his new release for a limited time only.

“LIMITED OFFER: You can get a signed (postage free) copy of “The Book That Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization” for $15 only (retail $22.99) from www.RevelationMovement.com. A box of 24 copies can be purchased for $340 (postage free in America). The books should be mailed out by this weekend.”

I signed up tonight to join the Revelation Movement and was able to order my book in five minutes with relative ease (I used my Facebook account to sign on, but you can also sign on without using Facebook). I’ve read Vishal’s last book and I strongly recommend his writings. I’m very excited about this forthcoming book and it should be in my mailbox next week!

Getting the Weirdness Out of the Prophetic Movement | J. Lee Grady

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdom Shifts) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 02:27:00 +0000

Here's a great article by J. Lee Grady, contributing editor at Charisma and blogger at Fire In My Bones. Over the years I have come to appreciate the thoughts that he shares with the body of Christ, especially when addressing the charismatic stream (of which I identify with). Enjoy this much needed word today! Blessings.
________________________________________________

J. Lee Grady

Let’s reclaim the simple, profound purpose of prophecy—and reject all sensational substitutes.

When I was a college student, a visiting minister regularly came to preach at our campus meetings. At the end of his messages he would often point at someone in the room, smile and say something like, “You in the blue shirt, I believe the Lord has a word of encouragement for you.” Then he would prophesy.

This freaked me out! How could this man know what God was saying to someone else? What if he was wrong? I loved the gift of prophecy because I had benefitted from it myself. But I remember telling the Lord back in those days that I would never, ever stand in front of a group and prophesy to an individual like that. Way too scary!

Then, during a trip to China in 2000, an underground church leader asked me to come to a room in the hotel to meet with a group of ministers. When I arrived, the leader told my translator that she wanted me to prophesy over 14 ministers who were already seated around a table. I was cornered! I prayed a desperate prayer—“Help!”—and 90 minutes later I finished praying and prophesying over all those people. The Lord used a scared and insecure American guy to encourage those brave warriors—and I have prophesied to many people since then.

I believe prophecy is a powerful spiritual gift when it is used correctly. Paul told the Corinthians (who had been abusing charismatic gifts) that genuine prophecy has three important functions: (1) edification, (2) exhortation and (3) consolation (see 1 Cor. 14:3). When we give a word from God, it comforts the weary, encourages the fainthearted, propels them toward God’s purpose or breaks spiritual obstacles.

Genuine prophecy is one of the most potent weapons in God’s arsenal. But if we are not careful, the gift can be hijacked—either by devious spiritual con artists or by gullible Christians who don’t have proven character or a solid foundation in God’s Word. This is why the gift of discernment should operate alongside prophecy at all times.

Several people have recently asked my opinion about some of the “prophetic buzz” circulating in churches these days. I’m not the only one who is becoming increasingly concerned about the weirdness that is evident in some charismatic camps. My alarm bells often go off when I read some of the prophetic messages people are claiming to be from God. These messages usually have one or more of these characteristics:

1. Preoccupation with end-time predictions. No prominent prophet in the United States issued a clear warning about the recent earthquake in Japan. But in the aftermath of that disaster, many began to release dire predictions of subsequent quakes—stirring up doom and gloom among the saints. Now some are predicting explosions on the sun that will knock out all electrical power on earth. God never intended prophecy to cripple His church with fear. His word brings comfort, not foreboding.

2. Obsession with numbers. There is certainly a place for symbolic numbers in the Bible. But many prophets today seem to think that every number they see on a clock or a billboard is a message from God. God is not cryptic with His sons and daughters—He wants to speak to us plainly. His will is not a secret code to be deciphered.

3. Overemphasis on dreams. Of course we know God can speak through dreams. But the apostle Paul (whom we are called to imitate) received most of his guidance from the Holy Spirit while he was awake. Some ministers today are spending too much time in the pulpit describing their technicolor dreams—and this could actually lead people into error if the dream has more to do with pepperoni than biblical revelation. Stay focused on the Word!

4. Fascination with exotic visions and manifestations. Our movement has been invaded in recent years by many questionable influences—from New Age spirits to stigmata to a bizarre fixation on gold dust, gems, “angel” feathers and “manna.” In most cases those who claim the substances are real won’t have them verified. In Illinois, a church drew crowds because of reports that giant red and blue gems were falling from the ceiling. The people stopped coming after the guy in charge of the supposed supernatural display ran off with a woman who was not his wife. Please remember that everything that glitters is not gold.

5. Worship of elite prophets. It has become fashionable in parts of our movement today to drop the names of certain prophets in order to establish credibility. After all, if Prophet So-and-So said it, it must be true. Some of these prophets are quoted more often than Scripture—and such glorification of people borders on blasphemy. Groups that focus their attention on hyper-spiritual personalities and their prophecies can quickly drift into cultic behavior.

How do we avoid being deceived by false prophecy and unhealthy spiritual phenomena? The best way I know is to get our priorities in line with God’s Word.

The purpose of any genuine spiritual gift is to edify the church so we can fulfill the Great Commission. If our main goal is to win souls, plant healthy churches, make disciples and advance the gospel around the world, then prophecy can help us do those things. But if we focus on spiritual gifts as an end in themselves, our distraction will lead us into deception of the weirdest kind. Let’s get our eyes back on Jesus.

J. Lee Grady is contributing editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. His newest book is 10 Lies Men Believe (Charisma House).

Read more: http://www.charismamag.com/index.php/fire-in-my-bones/30684-getting-the-weirdness-out-of-the-prophetic-movement#readmore#ixzz1JSYjNLJV

PORTALS: A THEOLOGY FULL OF HOLES | David Ravenhill

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdom Shifts) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 02:18:00 +0000

I want to introduce my readers to David Ravenhill, a well respected minister of the Gospel who has ministered for decades. My wife and I had the honor of sitting under his ministry while attending Christ For the Nations Institute where he came to visit as a guest speaker. I've also read a few of his books over the years that have challenged me deeply. He wrote an article recently that is well worth your read, especially if you are a part of the charismatic stream. Please take time to read his other articles at his blog, THE ANVIL. I believe you will not be disappointed. Blessings!

PORTALS: A THEOLOGY FULL OF HOLES

For the past forty- five years of ministry I’ve been privileged to work with a number of world renowned men and ministries. I’ve traveled throughout the United States and around the world. For most of my ministry I have been involved in Pentecostal or Charismatic churches and ministries. As a teacher, I have always attempted to present a balanced Biblical perspective, avoiding the extremes that invariably seem to be associated with the Charismatic movement.

Having spent years around the prophetic movement, I’ve tried to be accepting of things that didn’t seem to fit my understanding of how things should be. I’ve always had a deep longing to see a true expression of God’s power released through His people in the area of the miraculous. I met Kathryn Kuhlman and spoke several times with John Wimber as well as numerous other men and women who moved in the supernatural.

I’m totally convinced that the Church will eventually be brought to a Mount Carmel showdown between the Living God and the enemy. I am also convinced that the last days will usher in an avalanche of spiritual deception as Jesus warned us about in His Olivet discourse. (Matthew 24)

Hopefully the foregoing intro will offset any charges that I’m some Johnny-come-lately, fresh out of seminary, who thinks he knows everything because he has some letters after his name.

Okay, let’s begin! My publisher sent out an e-mail this week to notify me that one of their authors was going to be appearing on a major Christian television show. The author had recently written a book on the ancient portals to heaven. The host of the show describes the author as having an understanding “that there are portals on the earth today where we can tap into the heavenly realm.”

Intrigued, I called my publisher to find the day and time for this interview. Had I overlooked something in my study of God’s word? My father who prayed hours every day never told me anything about any portals he had discovered. Perhaps I was absent from the lecture hall the day my college professor taught on portals, but surely my fellow classmates would have let me know. Was this so deep that it was hidden from the wise and prudent and revealed only to babes? I do have a rather impressive collection of books numbering in the thousands, yet none of these mention portals. Because I have no real knowledge of Greek and Hebrew, perhaps there was something new to learn that my English translation failed to reveal. Then again I may just be spiritually blind or totally ignorant. After all I’ve never claimed to know everything about the Bible. That’s especially true when it come to eschatology. I’m still trying to figure it all out.

After discovering I had missed the live broadcasts, I was told I could watch it over the Internet. Not long afterward I watched and listened with interest to a young man who claimed to have seen some unusual miracles in his meetings. Several convincing video clips were shown of his meetings where people were testifying to having steel rods disappear from their bodies. Others told of instant weight loss and showed their baggy britches to prove it. The list went on and on. The host of the program then began to ask about these ‘portals’. The guest explained that there are two types of portals; geographic portals and seasonal portals. These portals are places where there is an open heaven to God’s glorious presence. The author went on to say that when you combine a geographic portal with a seasonal portal then you’ve have hit the ‘jackpot’. This double blessing takes place during one of the Jewish feasts in places like Jerusalem, Bethel, or some other significant biblical site. Wow! Tell me more…. This is exciting stuff even for someone like me. Where have I been all these years? How could I have not known this before? I’m sixty eight, but imagine if I had heard about this as a young man? Think how much more effective my ministry could have been.

Forgive me. I’m pulling your leg a little here. To tell you the truth something began to worry me the moment I heard all this stuff. It just didn’t gel with my understanding of scripture. I thought I was listening to a realtor with an emphasis on location, location, location. Here is my concern.

First of all there is no emphasis on anything like this in the New Testament. Paul never mentions it anywhere in his writings. Neither do Peter, James, John or any other writers for that matter. How could these apostolic giants miss something so vitally important?

Well that leaves Jesus. Let me see…ah, yes! There was some mention somewhere about a famous well and an even greater city. That’s it. I remember now. It was when He talked to the woman at the well. The well was said to be dug by none other than the patriarch, Jacob. Now Jacob was a significant individual. I mean, he was the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus however never ‘glorified’ the well. The woman said, “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain but you say that Jerusalem is the place to worship”. Jesus responded by saying to her, “Woman believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem shall you worship the Father.”

Now according to the author, Jesus must have had it all wrong. He should have told the woman forget your mountain and well. Instead, go to Jerusalem. There is a portal there that will get you straight through to God.

When Jesus told His disciples that He was going away, Thomas responded by asking, “Lord we do not know where you are going. How do we know the way?” Jesus said I AM THE WAY! This is the only ‘portal’ God endorses. The veil has been rent and we have boldness to enter through a new and living way. When Jesus was asked by His disciples how to pray, He told them to enter into their closet and shut the door, and pray to your Father in secret. Why didn’t He tell them about some divine portal they could go to?

There is grave danger in placing an emphasis on times, seasons and places. This may work for the New Age crowd but has no place in the Body of Christ.

The second reason for concern is that this type of teaching discriminates between those that have resources, and those that don’t. If you have the time and money to make your pilgrimage to one of these portals, you’ll have instant access to the Throne Room. If you can’t afford to travel, then “ tough luck”. You will have to seek God the way the rest of us do.

I’ve been around the prophetic ministry a great deal of my life. I’m constantly amazed at how they reinvent themselves. This appears to be their latest gig. It has a certain ‘wow factor’ to it. Let’s face it, it’s easier to travel than to travail.

Now please believe me when I say I want all God has available for me. I consistently pray. “Eye has not seen nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man all that the Lord has prepared for those who love Him”. However, the teacher in me raises a red flag and screams “Look out.” Someone recently said “for every mile you walk there are two miles of ditches on either side”. This is certainly true as it relates to the supernatural. I sense a growing longing in many for more of God’s manifest presence; however, one of the dangers associated with this is that we can be so thirsty for more that we satisfy that thirst by drinking from polluted waters.

I’ve said my piece now and shared my heart.

Well, I’m off to India to take a plunge in the Ganges. Then I plan to fly to France and spend some time at Lourdes. Following that I hope to make my way to Rome and from there fly to Mecca. If I can’t find the answer there, I’m guaranteed an open heaven in Jerusalem….especially if I can get there by the Feast of Pentecost. Speaking of Jerusalem, isn’t it called Sodom in the Book of Revelation? Oh, I’m so confused. Where’s my rosary and prayer shawl…I need to pray. Ha!

America's Carmel Moment | Vishal Mangalwadi

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdom Shifts) — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 02:45:00 +0000

Rights are hereby given to reprint this article provided you acknowledge (a) the author’s website www.RevelationMovement.com and (b) the author’s forthcoming book The Book That Made Your World as the source of this essay.

According to the US Treasury, during March 2011, the Federal Government spent eight times more than its total income:

Total expense --- $1.0528 trillion
Net income (Federal Taxes) --- $128.179 billion! Out of this $120 billion went for domestic liabilities (Social Security - $49.8 billion + Medicare – $47.4 billion + Medicaid - $22.575 billion).
By “selling” new “Securities,” the Federal Government borrowed six times its income ($786.5 billion) simply to repay earlier loans (705.3 billion) called Securities.

Little wonder, American “Securities” are making the world very insecure. Erskine Bowles, co-chair of President Barack Obama’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility, who had served President Clinton as his Chief of Staff, summed up Federal Government’s cash-flow situation before Senate’s Budget Committee:

Erskine Bowles

“I'm really concerned...I think we face the most predictable economic crisis in history. A lot of us sitting in this room didn't see this last crisis (2007-08) as it came upon us. But this one is really easy to see. The fiscal path we are on today is simply not sustainable. This debt and these deficits that we are incurring on an annual basis are like a cancer and they are truly going to destroy this country from within unless we have the common sense to do something about it. . . I used to say that I got into this thing for my grandchildren. I have eight grandchildren under five years old. I'll have one more in a week. And my life is wonderful and it is wild. But this problem is going to happen long before my grandchildren grow up. This problem is going to happen . . . It may be two years, you know, maybe a little less, maybe a little more. But if our bankers over there in Asia begin to believe that we're not going to be solid on our debt, that we're not going to be able to meet our obligations, just stop and think for a minute what happens if they just stop buying our debt [Securities]. . . What happens to interest rates? . . . And what happens to the U.S. economy? The markets will absolutely devastate us if we don't step up to this problem. The problem is real, the solutions are painful . . . “

Bowles was telling America what prophet Elijah told Ahab (Israel’s king): It is certain that off shore winds will no longer rain prosperity upon our land.

People are realizing that, like Greece, America can no longer repay its debt without getting into greater debt. So what will the US do?

Raise Taxes and drive businesses away from America?
Slash Pentagon – follow Russia and cease being superpower – economic as well as military?
Print dollars and inflict inflation on the poor?
Devalue dollar and destroy the world’s confidence in capitalism?
Declare Bankruptcy and cheat its lenders?

Go to war as did Hitler? If the birthplace of Protestant Reformation – Germany – could be captured by supernatural powers to produce the 20th century anti-Christ, could the same forces or entities turn the most religious nation on earth into the 21st century Kingdom of the Beast? In Avatar, James Cameron explores that plausibility.

There is, however, another option: on Mount Carmel, Elijah urged Israel to repent and return to her Foundation – the Truth.

The world did not trust America because of Capitalism but because of American Character born of her commitment: “In God we Trust.” Now the world is insecure because secular America has changed its motto to, “In Greed We Trust.”

Bowles is not alone in predicting that it will stop raining. The famine will follow. In March, before the Treasury Report, the TIME magazine and CNN’s Fareed Zakaria expressed similar fears. The drought and the famine will hurt, but they could lead to a new quest for truth, repentance, and a new birth. Can America rediscover the historical truth about its own greatness? What created America’s character, freedoms, inventiveness, trustworthiness, economic and institutional success? What made it a light to the nations? These are questions explored in “The Book That Made Your World: How The Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization.” (Thomas Nelson). My book is already selling on Kindle and will be launched formally in Atlanta on April 21 (see below).

A book that needs to be on your "must read" list!

For the tough times that do lie ahead, the good news is that like Elijah on Mount Carmel, this book graciously confronts “apostate” America with irrefutable Truth. As Dr. MacDonald says below, a small rudder could have saved the Titanic: This book could help change America’s direction and alter its destiny. Here is what people, who care deeply for America, are saying about this book:

Dallas Willard, Professor of Philosophy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles

The condition of a society, good or bad, is the outflow of communal character—of what the usual citizen is prepared to do as if it were obviously right, and is prepared to sacrifice for if necessary. That communal character, in turn, arises out of a system of ideas and beliefs about what is real and what is good. The system of ideas and beliefs that gave rise to and sustained the “Western” world has its unique source in the Bible and in traditions arising out of it. Devotion to truth, to the common good and to the good of every individual, and—within that framework—freedom to live as one chooses, has never in world history had another foundation than the Bible. Look and see. The failure of contemporary education and intelligence is nowhere more manifest than in the appalling ignorance of “leaders” about the true foundation of our ideals and practices of public order and private well-being. With solid, detailed information, clarity of presentation, and logical force, Vishal Mangalwadi enables anyone willing to see how our “Western” world depends entirely upon what the Bible, and it alone, teaches about reality and how to live. We must be aware of that dependence, and of the manifold follies of well-meaning people who, for around two centuries now, have tried to set the Christian outcome upon a secular or non-Christian basis. At this point our institutions are lost. It is time for the prophet. Here we have one.

Chuck Colson, Founder of Prison Fellowship and the Colson Center for Christian Worldview

“I have been a great admirer of Vishal Mangalwadi, and his latest work only enhances my admiration. His uniquely Indian perspective on the centrality of the Bible for the development of the West and its emphasis on human dignity makes The Book that Made Your World essential reading for any thinking Christian. And it serves as a stark warning to the Western world that we forget the Bible and the Christian faith only at great peril to our liberty and even our survival.”

Ravi Zacharias, Author and Speaker

"This is an extremely significant piece of work with huge global implications. For too long now the West has flirted with a Naturalistic worldview that has jeopardized the most sacred aspects of life and living. If the trend to debunk the Bible continues in halls of learning and in institutions that shape Western culture the cost will be that of self-destruction. Vishal therefore brings a timely message and shows how profoundly and meaningfully the Bible does have the prescription for bringing healing to the nations that have never known human dignity or social, economic, and political freedoms."

Hugh Maclellan Jr., Executive Chairman, The Maclellan Foundation, Inc.

"The Book That Made Your World reinforces my 8-year-old assessment that Vishal Mangalwadi understands America better than our own leaders do."

George Marsden, Professor of History (Retd) at the University of Notre Dame

"Vishal Mangalwadi recounts history in very broad strokes always using his cross-cultural perspectives for highlighting the many benefits of biblical principles in shaping civilization."

David Lyle Jeffrey, PhD., FRSC, Distinguished Professor of Literature and the Humanities Baylor University, Waco, TX

"This is a highly accessible intellectual history, part spiritual autobiography, part prophetic warning to the declining West. Mangalwadi's perspective is that of a widely-read Christian from the 'Global South.' From it he provides a sober, unflattering assessment of our identity crisis, showing how it results from an under-nourished, severely atrophied world-view, increasingly divorced as we are from the biblical foundation that once gave us both coherence and a self transcending sense of purpose."

Ranald Macaulay, Founder of ‘Christian Heritage’, Cambridge, England

"After the seismic shocks of the recent financial crisis (the after effects of which are still unknown) I know no other book I would rather have anyone read. Not since Francis Schaeffer’s ‘How Should we then Live?’ in 1977 have we had so lucid and far-ranging an explanation of what troubles the global community. The author’s scholarship and intellectual penetration are everywhere apparent, yet never at the expense of a simple, straightforward and even disarming narrative. I can’t recommend it too highly."

Andrew Briggs, Professor of Nanomaterials, University of Oxford

"Vishal Mangalwadi touches on many of the ways in which the Bible has so decisively influenced every aspect of Western Civilization, richly illustrated from his own experiences and observations."

David McDonald, HealthTeams International and Mars Hill Foundation, WA

"A small change in direction could have altered the Titanic’s fate. Many are seeing the West headed towards catastrophe, but this highly readable, Eastern overview of our history could reshape our future."

Jeff Fountain, Director, Schuman Centre for European Studies, The Netherlands

"This book is well overdue! If there is one book that has shaped Europe's art, architecture, commerce, education, ethics, family life, freedom, government, healthcare, law, language, literature, music, politics, science, social reform and much more, it is the Bible. Yet Biblical illiteracy is almost universal in Europe today. Ignorance or prejudice has kept the Bible out of school curricula at all levels—with serious consequences. We need Vishal's clear, prophetic, Eastern voice to jolt us back to reality before our rich biblical heritage slips beyond our grasp."

Eugene Habecker, President, Taylor University

"An intriguing and necessary read. While the subject matter is of immense importance to understanding Western civilization, rarely have I seen this topic addressed with the breadth represented here. Vishal references competing "truth claims" and discusses their inadequacies for providing hope for a world engaged in ever increasing upheaval. I'm persuaded that reading this book will become an important part of the Christian university curriculum."

Art Lindsley, Senior Fellow, the C. S. Lewis Institute, Washington DC

"Vishal’s book is one of a kind; vast in scope, penetrating in its depth, prophetic in its message, yet easy to read. If we fail to listen and recover the importance of the Bible in personal and public life, then the sun may set on the West. This book is a tract for our times and a must read for anyone concerned with impacting our culture."

The Book That Made Your World is already selling on Kindle. Hard copies are expected by April 15. It retails for $22.99. You can pre-order a postage free signed copy in the USA for $15 from http://www.revelationmovement.com/

Dr. Vishal Mangalwadi’s letters to Arun Shourie, Missionary Conspiracy: Letters to a Postmodern Hindu can be obtained from http://www.revelationmovement.com/

Please join www.RevelationMovement.com and become a regular donor to make it possible for us to make a weekly video for YouTube.

Rights are hereby given to reprint this article provided you acknowledge (a) the author’s website www.RevelationMovement.com and (b) the author’s forthcoming book The Book That Made Your World as the source of this essay.

Great Spurgeon Quote on Apostolic Leaders

noreply@blogger.com (Kingdom Shifts) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 04:20:00 +0000

Charles Spurgeon one of the greatest preachers of the 19th century, posed a question to his audience that is relevant to our times: "Why isn’t the Church accomplishing more in the area of world missions?" He paused to allow the question to sink in—suddenly, he boomed with intensity: "Because we have not apostolic men, they do not go about their work in an apostolic style, they do not have apostolic churches backing them up, and they have not the apostolic influence of the Holy Ghost!”