Why Jesus Came to Earth
When Jesus
died on the cross, He stretched His arms and took your sickness and disease.
Jesus is your healer, but you must receive it; this means that you must
appropriate it. You need to appropriate your healing and miracle. Appropriate
what belongs to you; the work was finished at the Cross.
Jesus is a reality that can be experienced in the now. Jesus gives us
quality of life and the grace to live a long life.
Purpose:
1. Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost.
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that
which was lost.” Luke 19:10
2. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil.
“He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned
from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He
might destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8
3. Jesus came to destroy the power of sin and death.
“For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are
not under law but under grace.” Romans 6:14
4. Jesus came to destroy the power of sickness.
“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was
bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by
His stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5
5. Jesus came to destroy the power of poverty.
“Christ has
redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us for it is
written, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” Galatians 3:13
6. Jesus came to deliver us from the kingdom of darkness and place us into
the Kingdom of God.
“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and
conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love…” Colossians 1:13
7. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus is the answer.
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the
life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6
Why did Jesus do
all this?
The motivation behind these things is His love.
Conformity
When Jesus died on the cross, He stretched His arms and took your sickness
and disease. But many people have conformed to their sickness and believe that
God cannot do it. Nothing is impossible for God.
Appropriate
Jesus is your healer, but you must receive it; this means that you must
appropriate it. You need to appropriate your healing and miracle. Appropriate
what belongs to you; the work was finished at the Cross.
Every believer is a carrier of the supernatural power of God. Wherever you
go, you must release what He has put in you.
Repeat this prayer and appropriate your miracle: Father, I thank You for
the finished work. On the Cross, Jesus paid for my sins, sickness, salvation,
and right now, I appropriate what is mine. I take it right now.
CHRIST Manifested in Our Mortal Flesh
What did Jesus have in mind for His followers when His ministry began?
What was His holy objective? I am absolutely convinced that Christ not only
came to seek and save the lost, but at the highest levels came to replicate
Himself in us. And whether we are just beginning our spiritual journey or we
are seasoned servants of many years, true Christianity is nothing less than the
living manifestation of Christ in and through us (Gal. 2:20). Indeed, our
destiny does not find sure footing until the actual life of Christ emerges
through us. When I speak of Christ, I mean His meekness, His love and redemptive motive. I am speaking of His power and His deep surrender to the Father’s will, which produced His expansive authority over all things. And when I speak of Christ in us, I am not merely referring to the right assemblage of theological precepts, as though salvation was purely a test of doctrines. Our doctrines are important to the degree they germinate into the character and power of Christ living through us.
This inner, Christlike transformation of the church was the utmost concern for Paul. He wrote,
"My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you" (Gal. 4:19). For those who hunger for spiritual substance, your food must be Christ Himself, in you, alive, conforming you to His likeness.
Consider also Paul’s words to the Corinthians. He wrote, "For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh" (2 Cor. 4:11).
Beloved, Christianity is the "life of Jesus manifested in our mortal flesh!"
What does this mean? It means that the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the lover and redeemer of mankind, reveals Himself through us. This unveiling of Christ in us is the only thing that satisfies our quest to know the substance of God. Anything less than, or other than, Christ living in us is mere religion.
It is not enough to decry sin in the world; our motive must be to redeem it. Jesus said, "As [the Father] sent Me into the world, I also have sent them" (John 17:18). We are sent as He was sent, with same mission, same vision. It is the same Jesus who died for men, reliving His purpose and power again through us.
This world, with all its evil, is the very reality God has chosen to perfect our conformity to Christ. You see, to discern what is wrong in the world requires little spiritual growth, but to see our communities and neighborhoods transformed requires we grow in Christlike maturity and vision.
We must go beyond the condemning of sin to the laying down of our lives for sinners. We must learn how to persevere in prayer, embrace Spirit-led fasting, and become committed to love until what was evil is not just identified but transformed.
Yes, this world is evil, but it is the perfect place for Christ to be manifested through our mortal flesh.
* * * * * * *
Conform to Religion or Be
Transformed by His Glory
All secular and religious institutions are being shaken. The economy
throughout the world is being shaken. All that is not of the Kingdom will be
shaken because it is not aligned with the Kingdom of God. Nuclear disasters and
terrible acts of nature are in complete chaos. Diseases increase. The world
needs answers. The state of the church is on the rise with seeker-friendly
churches that are anti-power and that reject the things of the Spirit. These
churches do not have the answers this world needs. The only solution is the
movement and outpouring of the Glory of God.
“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are
being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from
the Lord, who is the Spirit.” —2 Corinthians 3:18
We are transformed from glory to glory; this is the reason it is called a
movement.
The Movement of the Glory of God
“Movement” is a thought of God in motion. Revelation is the direction the
movement moves towards. When revelation stops, movement stops. You can’t go
beyond the revelation you have. Movement comes from the sovereignty of God, not
out of man. It is not the anointing of a person, but God himself. It operates
beyond faith, beyond the anointing, and beyond the gift of a man.
To move in the power of God is not a gift, it is the glory of God. When a
movement is based around a man, the movement will die when he dies; but when it
is based on God, it will remain.
Prayer gives the movement power. The enemies of the glory of God are
religion and spiritual conformism.
Time for Change and Transformation
The greatest tragedy of life is to lose the Presence of God and not even
realize it. When you are stagnant, the presence is lifted. The equivalent of
transformation is change, and the essence of Christianity is to be transformed.
If you remove transformation from Christianity, only religion will remain. No
religion has the ability to transform the heart.
When we are not transformed, we lose relevance and stop being an active
part of the body. When a Christian stops being transformed, he returns to
religion.
But Jesus conformed to our image so that we might be transformed to His
image.
The maturity of a Christian is measured by his or her change. If we stop being
transformed, we stop maturing and growing. Everything we conform to becomes our
reality.
What is transformation?
The purpose of transformation is a change of heart. When the heart remains
unchanged, everything it holds will pour out.
“For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual
immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” —Matthew 15:19
This is a difficult message to preach because to be changed in the heart,
we need to make a decision. Many have conformed to sickness, sadness, religion,
or the past, but today is a day of change. People don’t want the glory of God
because it requires change—this is a movement of change.
Isaiah, a prophet of God, exercised his functions in his old age, and when
he had an encounter with the presence of God, he recognized that he needed
change; that he was a man of unclean lips.
The first thing you must do when you are transformed is to abandon your
“self” or ego. Every time you are transformed in an area, your innocence comes
back. This is what Adam had in the beginning: Innocence. This is why God wants
to change your heart. When you are transformed, God becomes your supreme
reality. Many hide their lack of character behind a gift, but in the presence
of God, you are who you are. You cannot hide nor pretend.
Christ was perfect, but he became sin. That was His first transformation.
Then, for three and a half years, the disciples saw Him operate under the
anointing, until He took them to the mountain of transfiguration where He
transfigured to his original state. Since He was perfect, He was able to change
from anointing to glory.
Why do we need change?
- When we cease to be transformed, our flesh becomes our reality. We cannot see beyond what our flesh perceives. There is a great movement of God taking place, but we cannot perceive it.
- The greatest problem a religious person faces is the inability to perceive or to discern that it is time for change.
- When we exhaust every resource and continue standing still in the same place, change is urgently needed.
- When frustration comes with a present situation.
- God releases spiritual hunger for Him and for His presence, which nothing else can quench. If you have lost your hunger, you’re stagnant.
Change is the enemy of the old guard. They prayed for revival, for the
presence, and for the glory of God, but when these came, they rejected them for
religion.
When change comes, you will lose relationships because they continue in the
old faith.
Obstacles of Change
- Rebellion and stubbornness
- The ego or “self”
- Pride
- Religion
- Disobedience
- A hardened heart
You cannot change beyond your submission to God. The time to choose is now.
Do you want the same as yesterday or do you want change? Do you stay with
religion or do you choose transformation?
How does change take place?
Through the renewing of the mind: Romans 12:2. Sadly, religious people do
not see the importance of change because they have conformed.
Change comes by your spiritual diet; from milk to meat—or revelation. Let
the fivefold ministry impart over your life.
You need to break away from your environment. Many have conformed to
people, places, religion, sickness, poverty, depression, and circumstances.
Break away from that environment!
Have a heart of repentance, like Isaiah. Speak to God. Repent of religion, disobedience,
pride, and all that has held you back from allowing God to change your heart.
Take a moment, and let the Spirit of God do what He wants to do for you.
Now that you have allowed Him to bring a change to your heart, He is ready
to bring change into every area of your life: your finances, business, church,
and home. God will continue to take you from glory to glory!
Scripture declares that He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and
power. The Holy Ghost is the power of God. You can expect Him to
take an active role in your life as you experience the nine gifts of the
Spirit, the anointing, and signs, wonders and miracles. After Christ’s
resurrection he met with His disciples for forty days teaching about the
kingdom of God. He told them not to go into the world until they received the
baptism of the Holy Spirit. He said they would receive power to witness in all
the world “after” the Holy Ghost had come on them (Acts 1:8). This is
significant. Jesus knew what it would take to build a Church the gates of hell
could not prevail against.
Not only will the Holy Ghost help you strengthen your spirit man, pray
effectively, give you power to witness but He will also use you to flow in the
supernatural power of God. The Holy Spirit is promised to every believer. He
was given to empower you to do what God has called you to do. In other words,
you are gifted by Him to do great things. When the Holy Ghost comes on you, not
only will you speak with other tongues and prophesy like those in Scripture,
you will also be a candidate for the manifestation of the nine gifts of the
Holy Spirit. Scripture lays out the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit as following.
“Now there are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit. And there are
differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of
operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the
manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one
is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by
the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of
healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another
prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues;
to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and
the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.” (1
Corinthians 12:4-11)
Notice “the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.”
When you receive “the gift", the Holy Spirit, you also receive the nine
gifts of the Holy Spirit “dividing to every man severally as He wills.” These
gifts are not just for the preacher, they are for every born again believer
that is baptized with the Holy Ghost. He is that “same Spirit” Paul was
referring to.
REVELATION, POWER AND UTTERANCE
The nine manifestations of the Holy Spirit can be broken down into three
categories: revelation gifts, power gifts, and utterance gifts.
REVELATION GIFTS (A gift manifestation that knows something.)
1. A word of wisdom
2. A word of knowledge
3. Discerning of spirits
POWER GIFTS (A gift manifestation that does something.)
4. Gift of faith
5. Gifts of healing
6. Miracles
UTTERANCE GIFTS (A gift manifestation that speaks something.)
7. Prophecy
8. Divers (diverse) kinds of tongues
9. Interpretation of tongues
These manifestations of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to
every son and daughter of God after they are baptized in the Holy Ghost.
* * * * * * *
A Review of Angelic Assignments
A. Three Primary Functions of
Angels
1. Psalm 148:2, 5 – Praise and worship unto God..
2. Hebrews 1:7, 14 – Ministering spirits, flames of fire to render
service to those who will inherit salvation.
3. Psalm 103:20-21 – Angels excel in strength, obey the voice of
His word, and perform God's word.
B. Types of Angelic Activities
1. Minister the presence of
the Lord
2. Messengers pronouncing God's will
3. Release understanding in dreams and visions
4. Help to give guidance and direction
5. Deliverance
6. Protection
7. Death of the saints
8. Release strength
9. Healing instruments
10. Praise and worship
11. Spiritual warfare
12. Bind demonic powers
13. Divine watchers
14. Reapers and gatherers
15. Execute God's judgments
2. Messengers pronouncing God's will
3. Release understanding in dreams and visions
4. Help to give guidance and direction
5. Deliverance
6. Protection
7. Death of the saints
8. Release strength
9. Healing instruments
10. Praise and worship
11. Spiritual warfare
12. Bind demonic powers
13. Divine watchers
14. Reapers and gatherers
15. Execute God's judgments
Five Foundational Premises Regarding God, Men, Prayer
& Angels
A. Believers are co-workers
with Christ
God's resources are released by man's invitation through intercession.
God's resources are released by man's invitation through intercession.
B. God hears and answers
prayers
Prayer and intercession influences or helps determine the destiny of individuals and the direction of nations.
Prayer and intercession influences or helps determine the destiny of individuals and the direction of nations.
C. There is an innumerable
company of angels available
Heaven's army of angelic hosts is waiting for their next assignment and are ready to be dispatched (unemployed angels).
Heaven's army of angelic hosts is waiting for their next assignment and are ready to be dispatched (unemployed angels).
Jeremiah 33:22 As the hosts of Heaven cannot
be counted and the sand of the sea cannot be measured...
Hebrews 12:22 But you have
come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and to myriads of angels...
D. Angels are involved in both
the spiritual and practical affairs of mankind
Angels are released from God's throne in Heaven into the affairs of man. They are involved in all facets of life in both the spiritual and in everyday normal activities of man.
Angels are released from God's throne in Heaven into the affairs of man. They are involved in all facets of life in both the spiritual and in everyday normal activities of man.
E. Angels are used to deliver
God's answers to man's prayers
Angels are especially utilized and involved in delivering the answers to our prayers from the throne of God.
Angels are especially utilized and involved in delivering the answers to our prayers from the throne of God.
Three Scriptural Examples of Angelic Intervention
Through Intercession
A. With Abraham and Lot –
Lessons from Genesis 18 and 19
1. Genesis 18 – Prayerful example of Abraham's intercession
for Sodom and Gomorrah.
2. Genesis 19:1 – Two angels tell Lot's situation.
3. Genesis 19:11 - The ungodly men outside Lot's house are
stricken with blindness.
4. Genesis 19:16 – Next, the angels lead Lot and his family out
of the city before the destruction takes place (this demonstrates the
compassion of God).
5. Genesis
19:22 – "Hurry,
escape there, for I cannot do anything until..." This shows
God's desire to deliver the righteous before the judgment occurred.
6. Genesis 19:29 – "God remembered Abraham" (this is
the key verse). What did God remember? Abraham's intercession!
B. With Peter and the Church –
Lessons from Acts 12:5-19
1. Acts 12:7-10 – Peter was kept in jail, and an angel appeared
to him. A light shone, the angel woke Peter up, and the two chains which had
held him fell off. He was told to "Gird
thyself, and bind on thy sandals." He then passed by two
guards, the iron gate to the prison opened, and he goes out into the street as
the angel departed.
2. Acts 12:11-19 – Next, Peter goes to the house of John Mark's
mother where many had gathered to pray for him. A young woman named Rhoda came
to the door. She knew Peter's voice and went to tell the others; however,
"You're crazy!" was their response. "No, it is his angel."
Peter kept on knocking. They went to the door, and opening it, were amazed. It
really was Peter! This caused such excitement that Peter had to admonish them
to calm down and not be so noisy in their excitement to see him delivered out
of the hand of Herod and those Jewish authorities who had sought to end his
life.
Peter told them to inform
James and the other apostles that he was alright after all. When the matter
became known to the wicked king, he demanded the lives of the jail keepers as
punishment that they had somehow managed to allow Peter to escape.
3. Acts 12:5-12 – The emphasis is on verses 5 and 12. What was
the Church doing before the angel was released? Praying fervently! Thus we have
another example of angelic intervention as a result of man's intercession.
C. With Daniel – Lessons from
Daniel 9 and 10
1. Daniel 9:20-23 Now
while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my
people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God in behalf
of the holy mountain of my God, while I was still speaking in prayer, then the
man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme
weariness about the time of the evening offering. He gave me instruction and
talked with me and said, "O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you
insight with understanding. At the beginning of your supplications the command
was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed; so give
heed to the message and gain understanding of the vision."
2. Daniel 10:12-14 Then he said to me, "Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first
day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself
before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your
words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for
twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help
me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. Now I have come to give
you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for
the vision pertains to the days yet future."
3. Daniel 10:20-21 Then he said, "Do you understand why I came to you? But I shall
now return to fight against the prince of Persia; so I am going forth, and
behold, the prince of Greece is about to come. However, I will tell you what is
inscribed in the writing of truth. Yet there is no one who stands firmly with
me against these forces except Michael your prince."
The Relationship of Prayer, Judgment, and Mercy
A. Read Revelation 8 and 16
1. Revelation 8:3-7
a. First: Angels gather the praise and prayer of the
saints (verse 4),
b. Second: Which goes into the censer with the fire on the altar before God (verses 3, 5).
c. Third: They are thrown back down to earth. (Remember, what goes up, must come down!)
b. Second: Which goes into the censer with the fire on the altar before God (verses 3, 5).
c. Third: They are thrown back down to earth. (Remember, what goes up, must come down!)
2. Why? How does this work?
a. Mercy triumphs over
judgment.
b. There are always pockets of mercy established amidst the historic righteous judgments of God.
b. There are always pockets of mercy established amidst the historic righteous judgments of God.
3. Revelation 8:5 – Then voices, thundering, lightning,
earthquakes (signs and wonders) are released.
4. Revelation 8:6 – Then angels prepare to blow trumpets so that
the righteous end-time judgments of God begin.
5. The supernatural activities
in Revelation 16 are inter-related to those found in Revelation 8.
B. Zephaniah
2:1-3 Gather
yourselves together, yes, gather, O nation without shame, before the decree
takes effect – the day passes like the chaff – before the burning anger of the
LORD comes upon you, before the day of the LORD'S anger comes upon you. Seek
the LORD, all you humble of the earth who have carried out His ordinances; seek
righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the
LORD'S anger.
The prophet Zephaniah again
gives us the principle that the Lord gives time for His people to gather
themselves together and call on His name before His judgments, anger, or
ordinances are released. His desire is that we be hidden in such a day.
C. A Vivid Dream While in
Jerusalem
On the Day of Atonement in 2005, I was given a series a detailed dreams while in Jerusalem, Israel. In one of these dreams, I was shown three angels each holding a shofar or a ram's horn.
On the Day of Atonement in 2005, I was given a series a detailed dreams while in Jerusalem, Israel. In one of these dreams, I was shown three angels each holding a shofar or a ram's horn.
The first angel stood in rapt
attention and had already blown its trumpet. When the sound of the horn went
forth, the word "calamity" was released. The word "natural
disasters" appeared in the dream, indicating the increase of hurricanes,
volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and such phenomena. Next in the dream, I saw a
second angel step forward and put a shofar to its mouth to blow. Out came a
sound declaring "plagues" were being released. This appeared to be a
pronouncement that was happening right at that moment.
But in this experience, a
third angel was standing behind observing what was transpiring. This angel had
not yet been commissioned to release its sound. I was not told what the
pronouncement of this third angel would be at that time. But the most important
thing, I was keenly aware that there was yet time to intercede before the
declaration took place.
Intercession results in
breakthroughs and intervention! It creates a postponement or even pause in the
activity so man can respond and be prepared.
D. Ezekiel
9:3-6 And
the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was,
to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen,
which had the writer's inkhorn by his side; and the Lord said unto him,
"Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set
a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the
abominations that be done in the midst thereof." And to the others he said
in mine hearing, "Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not
your eye spare, neither have ye pity: Slay utterly old and young, both maids,
and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the
mark; and begin at My sanctuary." Then they began at the ancient men which
were before the house.
1. The angel was told by God
to mark the intercessors.
2. What was the mark put upon
the foreheads of the people? Some say
the mark was the Hebrew letter Taw, the final letter of the Hebrew alphabet,
which resembles an "X" or the Cross of Christ. Jack Hayford comments
from the Spirit-Filled Life Bible, which he edited, that this mark,
placed by a seventh warrior angel "clothed with linen" (verse 3), was
for protection (see Revelation 7:3) and symbolized that God would spare the
righteous remnant.
3. Who received this mark from
the angel? All who sighed and groaned
over the abominations of the city of Jerusalem were privileged to receive this
sign of protection.
Conclusion
Yes, it is true! Angelic
intervention is released in response to man's intercession. It is time to
intercede! Let Heaven's angelic army be released into the affairs of man as a
result of our invitation called prayer! Let intercession arise! Let God's
secret agents be released!
Blessings!
* * * * * * *
Man cannot save himself. We live in a world taught that they don’t need the
God of the bible. Secular humanists have educated them to believe they are
their own gods and capable of finding their own way through life.
The sad conclusion of this doctrine is complete moral collapse, unmitigated
corruption and lack of identity, direction and purpose. The only salvation
for humanity is Christ. Jesus said, “Come to me all ye that labor and are
heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and learn of me; for
I am meek and lowly in heart and you will find rest to your souls. For my yoke
is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
Jesus is still looking for disciples that will take his Gospel into the
harvest fields. Unfortunately, we have a problem. Churches around the
world have become ineffectual in reaching the lost and unchurched. Our
model of ministry, draw people to a building with every gimmick you can
think of, is not working. We need a better way, a New Testament way, and an
apostolic way.
Christ will return for a glorious Church that
has cleared away the humanistic dross and rediscovered God’s model for
effective ministry. Ministry leaders are
struggling with falling church attendance, apathy and lukewarmness in
their congregations and the lack of spiritual fervor. If we want something
different then we must do something different. We need a new model of ministry.
Current church models do everything they can to draw people to their
buildings to attend services. That model only produces a group of people
shuffled from one church to the next. No new converts.
Apostolic ministry gifts bring structure and order to the Church
(Titus 1:5). We cannot expect change by doing the same thing this year that did
not work the year before. To reach our cities for Christ apostolic tactics are
needed. Building apostolic teams and companies of sent ones from Antioch
model ministries is one of those tactics (Acts 13). Instead of expecting the
lost to attend our churches on their own accord we must go out and get them. This
how the founder of the Church, Christ, taught his disciples. Jesus said,
“Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in that my house
may be filled” (Luke 14:23). We must learn how to compel the unchurched
to come into God’s house. This is the New Testament model for church
growth, go get them.
If we are going to see the glorious church revealed then we need to
change the way we reach our cities with the Gospel (Ephesians 5:27). Apostolic churches
are modeling a different pattern for ministry. Instead of doing
everything possible to attract people to a church they are training
various harvest teams to invade their communities. This type of ministry
will need us to build apostolic teams and companies. They are, however,
effective. Forming apostolic teams and companies is one part of the new
apostolic church revolution. Let’s learn how the Apostle Paul
built an apostolic team.
PAUL’S APOSTOLIC TEAM
The Apostle Paul showed us how he built an apostolic company by
finding disciples, laying hands on them to receive the baptism of the Holy
Ghost, spiritual impartation, modeling boldness, forbidding prejudice and
showcasing deliverance ministry. We can find his example in the
following scripture.
“And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having
passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus and finding certain disciples
said to them, Have you received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said
to him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he
said to them, To what then were ye baptized? And they said, To John's baptism.
Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying to
the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that
is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of
the Lord Jesus” (Acts 19:1-5).
STEP ONE: GATHER DISCIPLES
Apostles don’t work alone. Jesus didn’t send them out alone and neither
should we. He sent them out two and two (Mark 6:7). They have an anointing to
gather disciples and put them to work as a team. Paul’s first step when he
entered the city of Ephesus was gathering disciples. He didn’t have many to
begin with, only twelve are mentioned. From these twelve he formed an apostolic
revolutionary team that built one of the greatest churches in history,
the Ephesus church.
Gathering disciples was putting “first things first.” A true disciple
(Greek mathetes) of Christ is not simply a born again believer. A
true disciple is a person that lives according to the Word of God to the best
of their ability. Jesus described a disciple as one who “abides in His
Word” (John 8:31). Disciples love the Word, are lifelong students, doers of the
Word, and are spiritually hungry and remain teachable (2 Timothy 2:15; James
1:22). They know the Word of God and the ways of God. There are many believers,
but few disciples. Notice Paul asked these disciples if they had received the
Holy Ghost since they believed in Christ. Their response was revealing. They
said they had never heard of a baptism of the Holy Ghost.
At this point in Paul’s life he is a seasoned apostle. Many years passed
since being sent out of Antioch. Because of the warfare against his life and ministry
he knew that these disciples had to be filled with the Holy Ghost. When Jesus
formed His revolutionary team right before His ascension into heaven he
directed them to wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit. “But you will receive
power after the Holy Ghost is come on you and you will be witnesses to me”
(Acts 1:8). Notice Jesus said you would receive power after and not before. Apostles
never ignore the spiritual condition of their team members. Team members
need the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other
tongues and prophecy. “And when Paul laid his hands on them the Holy Ghost came
on them and they spake with tongues and prophesied” (Acts 19:6).
STEP TWO: BAPTIZED WITH THE
HOLY GHOST
Second, Paul laid his hands on these disciples and prayed that they might
be baptized with the Holy Ghost. This is the New Testament biblical pattern for
building apostolic teams. Apostolic team members should be filled with
the Holy Ghost to be effective in ministry. Remember, we are
rediscovering the Apostle Paul’s apostolic model. This is it. There is
no way to handle the extreme pressure and opposition to the Gospel without
Jesus’ dunamis power to witness, the Holy Spirit himself. Not only does the
Holy Spirit give you power, he is your spiritual teacher.
There are many references to the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the Word of
God. After Jesus’ resurrection he commanded his disciples not to leave
Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father. Jesus had spoken of this
same promise when he said, “If you love me keep my commandments. And I will
pray the Father and he will give you another Comforter that he may remain with
you forever even the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it
seeth him not neither knoweth him: but you know him for he dwelleth with you
and will be in you” (John 14:15-17). Jesus declared, “For John truly baptized
with water but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days from
now.” Jesus also assured them that they would “receive power after the Holy
Ghost was come on them and that they would be witnesses to him” (Acts 1:4-8).
John the Baptist also prophesied of this great baptism. “I indeed baptize you
with water to repentance but he that cometh after me is mightier than I whose
shoes I am not worthy to bear he will baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with
fire” (Matthew 3:11).
Then that precious day came. “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come
they were all with one accord in one place and suddenly there came a sound from
heaven as of a rushing mighty wind and it filled the entire house where they
were sitting. And there appeared to them cloven tongues like as of fire and it
sat on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to
speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4). The
Apostle Peter was also in the Upper Room that day and was filled with Holy
Ghost power and spoke with other tongues. After he left the building people
asked him the same question that is being asked today, “What meaneth this?”
Responding, he preached his first Holy Ghost empowered sermon. His message
pierced the hearts of the hearers and they asked, “What must we do?” Peter, who
just days before denied the Lord Jesus, answered with great boldness. “Repent,
and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission
of sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is to
you and to your children and to all that are afar off even as many as the Lord
our God should call” (Acts 2:37-39).
This same baptism of the Holy Spirit is available for you right now. Let’s
pray together. Jesus. You are my Lord and my Savior. Lord I want everything
that you have to give me. I want this same precious gift of the Holy Spirit that
you poured out on your servants in that upper room. By faith and according to
your word, baptize me and fill me right now with your Holy Spirit. I accept
your promise by faith. Thank you, Lord.
STEP THREE: LAYING ON OF HANDS
AND SPIRITUAL IMPARTATION
Paul modeled his apostolic ministry through the laying on of hands
for impartation on those twelve disciples. “And when Paul had laid his hands on
them, the Holy Ghost came on them and they spake with tongues and prophesied”
(Acts 19:6). Paul taught his new team the doctrine of the laying on of hands
and the power of apostolic impartation. This doctrine originated with Christ
(Hebrews 6:2). After he prayed there was a release of the Holy Spirit on these
believers and they began to speak in other tongues and prophesy.
Apostolic ministry is a ministry of impartation. Paul said in
Romans, “I want to come to you that I might pass on some spiritual gift to the
end you may be established” (Romans 1:11). There are many examples of the ministry
of the laying on of hands throughout Scripture.
STEP FOUR: MODEL BOLDNESS IN
SPIRIT
The next step the Apostle Paul did was to show a bold ability to
preach and teach the Gospel to a not so receptive group of religious people for
three months.
“And all the men were about twelve. And he went into the synagogue and
spoke boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things
concerning the kingdom of God. But when divers were hardened, and believed not,
but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and
separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus” (Acts
19:7-9).
Grace for spiritual boldness is an apostolic trait. The Apostle Paul
trained by example. Here the team gets a chance to hear Paul speaking boldly in
the synagogue challenging and swaying the listeners. Apostolic boldness
expresses itself during conflict. Notice too that Paul taught about the Kingdom
of God. Certainly Paul spoke of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ
and the atoning blood of Jesus. This Scripture, however, says he spoke boldly
about the Kingdom of God. The message of the Kingdom of God is reestablishing
the Kingdom of God on earth through Christ’ disciples. The Holy Ghost loves
boldness. To be bold shows a readiness to take risks and face danger. Not
boldness worked up by man’s soul but evidence of the infilling of the Holy
Spirit. Apostolic grace is visible.
STEP FIVE: FREE OF RACISM AND
PREJUDICE
The fifth principle the apostle models are breaking down walls of racism
and prejudice. Paul left the church after three months and taught in
Tyrannus’ school for two years. This was a multiethnic school with both Jews
and Gentiles. Here Paul’s grace flourished and “all of Asia heard the word of
the Lord” (Acts 19:10).
Paul, taking the pattern from the Antioch church taught the gospel was not for Jews only but also Gentiles. He teaches them to breakthrough walls of cultural separation, prejudice and racism. It’s unfortunate that people who say they love Christ refuse to worship in multiethnic settings. The apostolic team must guard themselves from partiality, favoritism and discrimination. Racist people can never enter the new apostolic Church revolution.
Paul, taking the pattern from the Antioch church taught the gospel was not for Jews only but also Gentiles. He teaches them to breakthrough walls of cultural separation, prejudice and racism. It’s unfortunate that people who say they love Christ refuse to worship in multiethnic settings. The apostolic team must guard themselves from partiality, favoritism and discrimination. Racist people can never enter the new apostolic Church revolution.
STEP SIX: TRAIN IN DELIVERANCE
MINISTRY
The sixth step to forming an apostolic company is training in deliverance ministry.
“And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: So that from his
body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons and the diseases
departed from them and the evil spirits went out of them” (Acts 19:11-12).
Paul was given the opportunity to display the miracle working power of God
and teach the newly formed team about deliverance ministry. Apostles
don’t ignore the devil. You cannot build a new apostolic church and
ignore enemies in the unseen spirit world.
In the past some untrained overzealous people have abused the merits of
deliverance ministry but that doesn’t mean we should stop helping
people. Some try to replace holy living and obedience with excuses for sinful
behavior that can often be linked to generational curses, soul ties and
witchcraft. Our apostolic teams, therefore, must train in spiritual warfare and deliverance ministry. Jesus said that “deliverance is the
children’s bread” (Matthew 15:22, 26). Paul trained the members of his church
to put on the armor of God and engage spiritual enemies. “Finally, my brethren,
be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of
God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we
wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness
in high places” (Ephesians 6:10-12).
Before Jesus sent out his apostolic teams he gave them power against
spirits. “He gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out and to
heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease” (Matthew 10:1). Again,
Jesus never taught his apostles to ignore the devil. Jesus didn’t leave them
alone and neither should we. Demonic powers are still saying, “Let us alone;
what have we to do with you, thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy
us? I know you who you are; the Holy One of God.” Jesus answered them, “Hold
thy peace and come out of him” (Luke 4:34-35). Disease is often, not always,
directly related to demonic activity as seen in the following Scriptures.
“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who
went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil for God
was with him” (Acts 10:38).
“There came also a multitude out of the cities round about to Jerusalem,
bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they
were healed every one” (Acts 5:16).
Understanding your authority as a disciple in spiritual warfare and deliverance ministry is important to the apostolic team. spiritual warfare is simply binding and loosing in prayer and attacking on purpose spiritual
strongholds of opposition and resistance to the advancement of the Gospel in a
territory (Matthew 18:18-20). It is a taking up, in prayer, the authority of
the believer that Jesus gave his disciples (Luke 10:17-20). This is all with
the understanding that we are not wrestling with people, but with
principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual
wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12).
Deliverance ministry and the casting out of demons is the first sign
that should follow the believer. “And these signs will follow them that
believe; In my name will they cast out devils” (Mark 16:17). An apostolic
governing church never substitutes deliverance with counseling. They
don’t try to talk out what can only be cast out. This is not to say that they
don’t offer counseling, they do. Apostolic ministry, however, flows in
the anointing that sets captives free. There are many different types of prayer
in the Word of God, all given for Spirit-life living and the advancement of the
Gospel (Ephesians 6:18).
Apostolic teams must
prepare to meet strong opposition from Satan and occult influences in society
(1 Thessalonians 2:18). Christians cannot continue to avoid spiritual conflict
while hiding behind a comfortable and often backslidden condition. To do this
ignores the needs of those around them. Opposition, abuse and resistance are
all part of the package. Paul declared, “For a great door and effectual is
opened to me and there are many enemies” (1 Corinthians 16:9). The effective
advancement of the Gospel always causes a reaction, some are negative.
STEP SEVEN: A SERVANT'S HEART
Apostles train those with servant hearts. Step seven for forming apostolic
teams and companies is the servant’s heart.
“After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had
passed through Macedonia and Achaia to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have
been there, I must also see Rome. So he sent into Macedonia two of them that
ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus; but he stayed in Asia for a season”
(Acts 19:21-22).
Paul completes the apostolic pattern gathering, teaching, training and
sending. He chooses Timothy and Erastus, two of his spiritual sons that
ministered to him and sent them on apostolic assignment. Erastus was not only a
servant he was a city manager (Romans 16:23). Until you have learned to serve
someone else you can never be a sent one. Minister, from the Greek minus or
minor, means one who acts as an inferior agent in obedience or subservience to
another and one who serves or officiates in contrast to the master (magnus).
The most familiar English word describing a servant is deacon. Someone once
asked, “How do I know if I am a servant?” The answer is, “You find out when you
are being treated like one.”
The Holy Spirit is teaching us the importance of apostolic teams and
companies. Once we thought of the apostle’s Paul or Peter working alone, but
now we know they never worked alone, they formed many teams.
ACT ON EXERCISE
I know that you want to do something great for God with your life. Follow
the Apostle Paul’s example and get baptized in the Holy Spirit. He is
your teacher who will “lead you and guide you in all truth.” Next, do
everything you can to renew your mind with the Word of God. Spiritual maturity
is a must and only comes through learning and applying God’s truth to your
life. If you don’t think right then you can’t believe right. As you continue to
grow in the Word, learn the ways of the Holy Spirit. Watch what He likes and
dislikes. Then start using the spiritual authority he gave you by submitting
yourself to God and resisting the devil. Finally, make sure you find a good
bible believing, Holy Spirit anointed church and join the revolution of
righteousness.
* * * * * * *
Christ set in the Church five distinct ascension gifts of apostles,
prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. All of them are quite different,
distinct and carry different graces needed to equip the born-again believer for
effectiveness in life and ministry.
“And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and
some pastors, and teachers” (Ephesians 4:11).
All five ministry gifts are equally important. We need the apostle. He is a spiritual father, architect and builder. We need the soul winning evangelist that reminds us of reaching the lost. We need the pastor who counsels, nurtures and comforts and the teacher to instruct, tutor and explain God’s Word and ways. And we need the prophet, God’s voice of edification, exhortation and comfort. All five ascension gifts have decided graces on their lives that add something clear-cut to the born again believer.
LOGOS TO RHEMA
Prophets are gifted with living (rhema) Word to the Church. Your bible is full of words known as logos, the written Word. Have you ever read your bible and suddenly the words sprang to life and you received a revelation of what you just read? That is an example of the Word, logos, changing into rhema, or life-giving Word. That’s what we call spiritual revelation. Prophets flow in revelation or rhema.
“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.” (Revelation 2:29)
We need to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Church, not just what the Spirit hath said. We need the freshness of prophetic revelation, that life-giving rhema that comes through the prophet’s gift. Without that refreshing we die a boring religious death and are not spiritually relatable to our generation. We all need the prophetic voice to come into the earth that we might have a “living Word” imparted into our lives. Without the life provided by the prophetic voice, the Church would be like the dry bones in Ezekiel’s vision.
God wants to raise a prophetic people who are able to hear His voice clearly. Not just lone prophets, but a prophetic people. It is important the world hears the Word of the Lord with power and refreshing that comes from the prophetic anointing. We need a prophetic people who have been delivered from the “fear of men” and who are not “men pleasers.”
ROTOR ROOTER MINISTRY
Prophets carry a great sense of spiritual authority. They enjoy rooting out, pulling down, and destroying all spiritual opposition that gets in the way of the plans and purpose of God.
“See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.” (Jeremiah 1:10)
In this verse, nations are symbolic of the natural realm, and kingdoms symbolic of the spiritual realm. To “root out” means to lay hold of the root of a thing and pull. The prophet is called to root out. He is called to pull down. He is called to destroy. He is called to overthrow. Notice that all these words deal with destroying opposition. Prophets are God’s spiritual reformers and revolutionaries. To reform means to bring about change.
Prophets make some people nervous and they will try to get rid of the prophet or close his mouth before he gets to do what he is best at, building and planting. God builds by His Spirit and there are many spiritual obstacles that must be dealt with before the building and planting begins. When we understand the prophet’s gift we can all be more effective when warring against the spiritual forces that oppose the establishing and advancement of the Kingdom of God.
BREAKING PLOWS
The Holy Spirit uses Christ’ five fold ascension prophets as spiritual plows to break the hardest of sin-blackened soils and cut the deepest furrows within the heart of man. The prophet is gifted to prepare the way toward spiritual breakthrough through his rotor-rooter challenge of any spiritual opposition that might get in the way. One reason some feel uncomfortable with prophetic operations is because of the results of the prophet’s prayers. What the prophet attacks through intercession in the Spirit will sometimes reveal itself in the natural. If he attacks rebellion, for example, then any common ground with rebellion in the people will manifest. But rather than stop the prophet’s rooting out intercession, we should continue to press in and let that prophetic grace finish its work. Once the spiritual warfare is finished the prophetic gift will open the heavens to us. Remember when Daniel was battling the principalities and powers? Because he didn’t give up and quit the angel was able to get through with the Word of the Lord for the nation.
Sometimes when the prophet speaks, people get stirred, troubled or offended. Offenses are the bait of Satan used to unplug you from important spiritual relationships. If you are being challenged, perhaps the Holy Spirit is trying to prepare you for your future. I have seen the prophetic gift in action used to prune out the dead wood that keeps us from growing. Pruning is good for us all because pruning is necessary to produce more fruit. Currently we are in a time when the Church is being challenged to awaken from its sleep. Roots of binding religious traditions are being pulled out because some have been sitting in religious comfort zones for too long. As the “restoration of all things” continues on so will the restoration of true prophetic ministry. The Church is moving forward. From be healed, for example, to be taught. And from be blessed, to be changed. Everybody likes to be healed, taught, and blessed because it requires little of the hearer. But the restoration of the prophetic moves the Church into governmental authority that requires more of us. All believers are called to govern. They are a priesthood of kings given spiritual authority that enables them to be more than conquerors. In the days ahead prophets will be more involved in activating the spiritual authority of every believer to make a difference with their lives.
ON PERSONAL PROPHECY
Some people think that a prophet must give personal prophecies to qualify to walk in the office of a prophet. That’s partially true. He will give personal prophecies, but his revelation gifting goes far beyond personal prophecy. Personal prophecy is the lowest prophetic operation of the true prophet. I say that because some have hyper-focused on personal prophecy and miss the big picture of the prophet’s ministry. Prophets also:
1. Are forerunners who make a way for “greater things” to come (Matthew 3:3).
2. Deal with spiritual climates (Jeremiah 1:10).
3. Turn people from sin to holiness (Jeremiah 23:21-22).
4. Are front line intercessors (Jeremiah 27:18).
5. Turn the hearts of fathers and sons (Malachi 4:5-6).
6. Challenge dead traditions of men and dangerous spirits of religion (Matthew 3:9-10).
7. Are stewards of the mysteries of God (Ephesians 3:5).
8. Carry lamentations, mourning and woe (intercession burdens) (Ezekiel 2:10).
9. Are fore-tellers of things to come (Amos 3:7).
10. Contend with false prophets of divination including Jezebel and Baal (1 Kings 18:19).
11. Challenge demonic territorial guards (Acts 13:7).
12. Speak to the nations and kingdoms (Jeremiah 1:5).
Prophetic ministry is a wonderful gift from God. Moses said, “Would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them” (Numbers 11:29). With them Jesus said, “I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail.”
All five ministry gifts are equally important. We need the apostle. He is a spiritual father, architect and builder. We need the soul winning evangelist that reminds us of reaching the lost. We need the pastor who counsels, nurtures and comforts and the teacher to instruct, tutor and explain God’s Word and ways. And we need the prophet, God’s voice of edification, exhortation and comfort. All five ascension gifts have decided graces on their lives that add something clear-cut to the born again believer.
LOGOS TO RHEMA
Prophets are gifted with living (rhema) Word to the Church. Your bible is full of words known as logos, the written Word. Have you ever read your bible and suddenly the words sprang to life and you received a revelation of what you just read? That is an example of the Word, logos, changing into rhema, or life-giving Word. That’s what we call spiritual revelation. Prophets flow in revelation or rhema.
“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.” (Revelation 2:29)
We need to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Church, not just what the Spirit hath said. We need the freshness of prophetic revelation, that life-giving rhema that comes through the prophet’s gift. Without that refreshing we die a boring religious death and are not spiritually relatable to our generation. We all need the prophetic voice to come into the earth that we might have a “living Word” imparted into our lives. Without the life provided by the prophetic voice, the Church would be like the dry bones in Ezekiel’s vision.
God wants to raise a prophetic people who are able to hear His voice clearly. Not just lone prophets, but a prophetic people. It is important the world hears the Word of the Lord with power and refreshing that comes from the prophetic anointing. We need a prophetic people who have been delivered from the “fear of men” and who are not “men pleasers.”
ROTOR ROOTER MINISTRY
Prophets carry a great sense of spiritual authority. They enjoy rooting out, pulling down, and destroying all spiritual opposition that gets in the way of the plans and purpose of God.
“See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.” (Jeremiah 1:10)
In this verse, nations are symbolic of the natural realm, and kingdoms symbolic of the spiritual realm. To “root out” means to lay hold of the root of a thing and pull. The prophet is called to root out. He is called to pull down. He is called to destroy. He is called to overthrow. Notice that all these words deal with destroying opposition. Prophets are God’s spiritual reformers and revolutionaries. To reform means to bring about change.
Prophets make some people nervous and they will try to get rid of the prophet or close his mouth before he gets to do what he is best at, building and planting. God builds by His Spirit and there are many spiritual obstacles that must be dealt with before the building and planting begins. When we understand the prophet’s gift we can all be more effective when warring against the spiritual forces that oppose the establishing and advancement of the Kingdom of God.
BREAKING PLOWS
The Holy Spirit uses Christ’ five fold ascension prophets as spiritual plows to break the hardest of sin-blackened soils and cut the deepest furrows within the heart of man. The prophet is gifted to prepare the way toward spiritual breakthrough through his rotor-rooter challenge of any spiritual opposition that might get in the way. One reason some feel uncomfortable with prophetic operations is because of the results of the prophet’s prayers. What the prophet attacks through intercession in the Spirit will sometimes reveal itself in the natural. If he attacks rebellion, for example, then any common ground with rebellion in the people will manifest. But rather than stop the prophet’s rooting out intercession, we should continue to press in and let that prophetic grace finish its work. Once the spiritual warfare is finished the prophetic gift will open the heavens to us. Remember when Daniel was battling the principalities and powers? Because he didn’t give up and quit the angel was able to get through with the Word of the Lord for the nation.
Sometimes when the prophet speaks, people get stirred, troubled or offended. Offenses are the bait of Satan used to unplug you from important spiritual relationships. If you are being challenged, perhaps the Holy Spirit is trying to prepare you for your future. I have seen the prophetic gift in action used to prune out the dead wood that keeps us from growing. Pruning is good for us all because pruning is necessary to produce more fruit. Currently we are in a time when the Church is being challenged to awaken from its sleep. Roots of binding religious traditions are being pulled out because some have been sitting in religious comfort zones for too long. As the “restoration of all things” continues on so will the restoration of true prophetic ministry. The Church is moving forward. From be healed, for example, to be taught. And from be blessed, to be changed. Everybody likes to be healed, taught, and blessed because it requires little of the hearer. But the restoration of the prophetic moves the Church into governmental authority that requires more of us. All believers are called to govern. They are a priesthood of kings given spiritual authority that enables them to be more than conquerors. In the days ahead prophets will be more involved in activating the spiritual authority of every believer to make a difference with their lives.
ON PERSONAL PROPHECY
Some people think that a prophet must give personal prophecies to qualify to walk in the office of a prophet. That’s partially true. He will give personal prophecies, but his revelation gifting goes far beyond personal prophecy. Personal prophecy is the lowest prophetic operation of the true prophet. I say that because some have hyper-focused on personal prophecy and miss the big picture of the prophet’s ministry. Prophets also:
1. Are forerunners who make a way for “greater things” to come (Matthew 3:3).
2. Deal with spiritual climates (Jeremiah 1:10).
3. Turn people from sin to holiness (Jeremiah 23:21-22).
4. Are front line intercessors (Jeremiah 27:18).
5. Turn the hearts of fathers and sons (Malachi 4:5-6).
6. Challenge dead traditions of men and dangerous spirits of religion (Matthew 3:9-10).
7. Are stewards of the mysteries of God (Ephesians 3:5).
8. Carry lamentations, mourning and woe (intercession burdens) (Ezekiel 2:10).
9. Are fore-tellers of things to come (Amos 3:7).
10. Contend with false prophets of divination including Jezebel and Baal (1 Kings 18:19).
11. Challenge demonic territorial guards (Acts 13:7).
12. Speak to the nations and kingdoms (Jeremiah 1:5).
Prophetic ministry is a wonderful gift from God. Moses said, “Would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them” (Numbers 11:29). With them Jesus said, “I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail.”
* * * * * * *
The religious spirit is the strongest opposing force against Christ'
Church. We need not worry because the Holy Spirit used religious persecution to
launch the greatest spiritual revolution of all time, the New Testament Church.
One of your greatest opponents against transition into apostolic ministry will be the religious spirit. Religious spirits fear loss of
position, new things and being wrong. They will oppose all whom they feel
threatens their sense of importance. We discover the beginning of apostolic ministry and the apostolic Church in Jerusalem after the resurrection of Jesus.
Shortly after His resurrection the Church was persecuted by the religious
spirit and scattered throughout the entire region. scripture says, “Now they
which were scattered abroad because of the persecution that arose about Stephen
traveled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the Word to none
but unto the Jews only” (Acts 11:19).
Stephen was a disciple of Christ. He was man full of faith and power that
did great signs, wonders and miracles among the people. Sometime during the
course of his ministry he found himself being challenged by the leaders of a
religious stronghold. The spirit of religion is always frightened by
those who are anointed by the Holy Spirit because religious spirits sit
in seats of governing authority that do not belong to them. To hold on
to their usurped positions of authority they mounted up an offensive attack on
a man that carried God’s true governing anointing.
As the testimony continues, “And Stephen, full of faith and power, did
great wonders and miracles among the people. Then there arose certain of the
synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and
Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. And
they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spoke” (Acts
6:8-10).
Notice these men formed a confederacy of religious leaders from at least
three different synagogues that were unable to resist the wisdom and the spirit
by which Stephen spoke. So they stirred up the people, elders, and scribes to
join with their opposition against Stephen. Religious spirits have a
dark ability to inflict fear and strife as they motivate others against the
things of God. Religious opposition and persecution is often evidence of
entering into an apostolic dimension of ministry. The old always seems to
resist the new and the dead always fear the living.
THE APOSTOLIC AND RELIGIOUS OPPOSITION
Religious spirits are murdering spirits. As
these men conspired together against Stephen, “They furnished men, which said,
we have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. And
they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him,
and caught him, and brought him to the council” (Acts 6:11-12).
Councils are religious courts that religious leaders use to defend their
seats of authority and exercise territorial control over the people.
Historically disciples of Christ regularly meet religious persecution or occult
opposition as soon as they began to obey the Holy Spirit. That’s because the
anointing activates spiritual authority that confronts anything that hinders
the advancement of the Kingdom of God. Here, in typical slanderous fashion, the
religious spirits set up false witnesses to build their case against
Stephen, a man who was moving in the apostolic and doing a lot of good works
among the people.
A key to remember is that Stephen stirred up trouble while ministering on
the streets, not in any local church. Ministering outside the four walls of the
local church and in the market place where the people are is one of the
earmarks of apostolic ministry. Religious opposition and persecution is evidence of entering into an
apostolic dimension of ministry. One time I took a team of believers with me to
minister on the streets in a small town in Belgium. I will never forget the
call one of our team members received by the town’s religious council asking by
what authority were we preaching the Gospel in their village. I sent a message
back to the caller, “We got permission from headquarters.” We never heard from
them again.
The apostolic mantel of authority will expose a religious spirit every
time. At Stephens’ meeting with these religious folks they, “Set up false
witnesses, which said, this man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against
this holy place, and the law: For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of
Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses
delivered to us. And all that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on him,
saw his face as it had been the face of an angel” (Acts 6:13-15).
THE DAY A GOOD MAN DIED
The anointing on Stephens life was visible to those in this meeting but it
didn’t matter. They wanted to stop him at any cost. But Stephen was bold and
didn’t back down. He preached a powerful anointed message in his defense
proving from scripture that God does not dwell in houses made with human hands
and concluding that these leaders were resisting the Holy Ghost and acting like
religious leaders before them that persecuted and killed the prophets of old.
They were cut to the heart, so much so, that they gnashed their teeth in
furious anger. Imagine that, grown men and religious elders of the city unable
to control their murderous emotions. Scripture says, “When they heard these
things, they were cut to the heart and they gnashed on him with their teeth”
(Acts 7:54).
While Stephen was being pummeled with stones from these murderous religious
leaders he had an open vision and saw the glory of God with Jesus standing at
God’s right hand. “But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly
into heaven, and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of
God. And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of man standing on
the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55-56). apostolic ministry has these kinds of prophetic operations. It’s of note that the Holy Spirit
never abandons those who stand fast against ungodly religious opposition.
Stephen, while drawing his last breath, and in a loud voice, asked the Lord not
to lay this sin to their charge then he stepped victoriously from this world
into glory.
Again, the religious spirit that Stephen faced was a murdering spirit.
Scripture says they stoned Stephen “Calling upon God and saying Lord Jesus
receive my spirit. And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord lay
not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this he fell asleep” (Acts
7:59-60). This was the day a good man died.
As it was in the genesis of the apostolic Church so shall it be during its
restoration. The religious spirit will be the strongest opposing force against
your transition into apostolic ministry. Jesus spoke of religious spirits,
“Wherefore you be witnesses unto yourselves that you are the children of
them which killed the prophets. Fill you up then the measure of your fathers.
You serpents, you generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of
hell? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets and wise men, and scribes:
and some of them you shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall you scourge
in your synagogues and persecute them from city to city” (Matthew 23:31-34).
The religious church is a man-motivated, dead religious works oriented,
carnal church that has a form of godliness void of the presence of the Holy
Spirit. Little did Stephen know that God was going to use his death to launch a
great apostolic revolution. After the vicious murder of Stephen the believers
were “scattered abroad and went every where preaching the Word” (Acts 8:4).
Religious persecution always results in the advancement of ministry. The Gospel
of the Kingdom cannot be stopped.
* * * * * * *
Expect the Unexpected
What is Living Hope?
Hope means a favorable and confident expectation of good. Living hope has a solid
foundation. As believers, if we don’t have hope, we have a problem. Our hope is a living
hope. Unlike believers, non-believers do not have living hope. Some of them have hope,
but it is false. Their hope is abstract because it is not based on anything.
If your hope is dead, don’t expect anything. Many believers have not received what they
believe for because there is no expectation. You come to church and go through life
without expectation.
When there is no expectation of something good, there is expectation of something bad.
Fear is the opposite of hope, and it is nothing more than to believe and expect that
something bad is going to happen. We have to change our mentality. We used to be
negative people, but now we have living hope!
Another definition of “hope” is “the full manifestation of the life that each believer
possesses.” The life that you possess is the resurrection life. The hope is that one day that
life will manifest from the inside out. It will manifest fully here on earth.
“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
- 1 Corinthians 13:13
The Bible tells us to abide in faith, hope, and love, but I believe lack of hope is one of the
saddest conditions in human beings. Depression derives from hopelessness; this is what
people feel when they think that something is beyond their control.
The saddest thing for a person not to have is hope. Hopelessness is the main cause of
depression in a person.
Constant Expectation
God works in cycles, and as we go into this next year, there must be an expectation for
something good to happen.
In Heaven, there is a constant expectation for God to do something good. We should live
with this same expectation. If you are constantly expecting something bad to happen,
there is no difference between you and the people in the world whose hope is abstract and
false.
How to Walk in Constant Expectation
For someone to be in constant expectation, it usually means that he or she is walking by
faith. People who walk by faith are always expecting something good to happen. This
means that they don’t focus on the circumstances but on the promises they are expecting
to receive by faith.
Until you obey, you will not have any expectation for good. For example, you cannot
expect to be blessed financially if you do not give your tithes and offerings. Once you
obey, you can begin to expect something good. You cannot expect oranges if you didn’t
take time to sow the tree.
The right to expect comes from doing what the Bible says:
“Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is
written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope
should be partaker of his hope.” - 1 Corinthians 9:10
Religion tells you not to expect anything because you are doing it for God, but the Bible
teaches you to live with expectation. Every time you give or sow to God say, “Jesus, I
expect my harvest.” You need to have living hope and expect to receive a harvest. Expect
to receive fruit from everything you sow.
The devil will tell you that you’re a fool and that you’re wasting your time. The devil will
tell you to stop sowing, but you must continue doing so because you have living hope. If
you want a great harvest, you have to sow a great seed. You have to do something! Don’t
expect anything if you are not doing what God has asked you to do. The right to expect
comes from doing what the Bible says to do. Have you done what God put in your heart
to do and what He put in His word that you should do? If your answer is yes, then you
have the right to live with a great expectation.
The Expected, the Unexpected, and the Above and Beyond
You should expect the expected. Expect what you pray for to come to pass. If you bring
your tithes and offerings, the expected should be that God will open the windows of
Heaven and that the favor of God will go with you wherever you go. Expect the
expected—expect to see what He said come to pass.
We must expect the unexpected. These are the unanticipated breakthroughs such as: a
check arriving in the mail or an unexpected raise at work.
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or
think, according to the power that works in us.” - Ephesians 3:20
We should also expect the above and beyond. Our God is above and beyond any problem
or circumstance. When you do what you know must be done, then you must expect the
expected, the unexpected, and the above and beyond. Who can defeat you if you have
that kind of hope?
Change your perspective and say: Something good is coming to me today. Let Jesus be
the foundation of your hope. Do not let your reason kill your faith and expectation; praise
Him instead. Declare that your harvest is on the way, and live in constant expectation of
the great harvest to come.
* * * * * *
Do the people of God reject Him?
After years of captivity the Israelites came near the Promised Land. Moses sends out twelve spies. Ten came back and reported that it would be impossible to enter the Land. Thus in spite, two men, Joshua and Caleb believed that the Lord can give them the Promised Land. Caleb said: "The land we explored is an excellent land. If the LORD is pleased with us, he will take us there and give us that rich and fertile land. Do not rebel against the LORD and don't be afraid of the people who live there. We will conquer them easily. The LORD is with us and has defeated the gods who protected them; so don't be afraid." (Numbers 14:7-9) The Israelites refused to believe and wanted to kill them when God appeared in a blinding light and said to Moses: "How much longer will these people reject me? How much longer will they refuse to trust in me, even though I have performed so many miracles among them?” (Numbers 14:11)
God showed me two kinds or
groups of people. Firstly there are those who choose not to believe. Like the
ten, all they see is powerful people in very large and well fortified cities.
They confess and say: “No, we are not strong enough to attack them; the people
there are more powerful than we are……That land doesn't even produce enough to
feed the people who live there.” (See Numbers 13: 28 -33) It is them that
say: "Let's choose a leader and go back to Egypt!" (Numbers 14:4)
The second kind or group
says: “If the LORD is pleased with us, he will take us there and give us that
rich and fertile land. Do not rebel against the LORD and don't be afraid of the
people who live there. We will conquer them easily. The LORD is with us and has
defeated the gods who protected them; so don't be afraid."
And God spoke to me asking:
"How much longer will these people reject me? How much longer will they
refuse to trust in me, even though I have performed so many miracles among
them?”
Today, God is saying:
"How much longer will these people reject me?” You see when faced with
trials and tribulations our lack of faith magnifies the size of the problem.
Mere anthills appear to be mountains and a cough brings fear of cancer. In
desperation we say: “This land doesn't even produce enough to feed the people
who live there.”
Sadly, in times like these
many people choose leaders who leads them back to Egypt, back to slavery. It is
in times like these that man runs towards others, to mere mortal beings hoping
that they can bring light, that they can restore peace or that they can bring about
healing. The people rush of to miracle campaigns; follow false teachers and
prophets, denying God. They run after names, travel to other towns and cities,
fly to other countries, and spend their life’s earnings in an effort to get
well, to be delivered or to be healed. Today, God is saying: "How
much longer will these people reject me?”
I have come to learn this
truth. Unless we deny ourselves and follow Christ, we are destined to spend
time in the desert; we are destined to spend years wandering around like the
Israelites who spend 40 years in the desert after rejecting God. The following
is true: Unless you place your trust in God, by accepting Jesus Christ you will
not experience God’s blessings to the extent that He has promised. Further to
this we need to know that no person, irrespective of who they are or what they
proclaim to be, can save, deliver or heal.
But there is One who can.
Not just by what He has done but also because of whom He is. Jesus Christ
remains our only hope, our only Savior and the only one through who we are
healed. For it is He, Jesus, who was wounded for our transgressions, bruised
for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his
stripes we are healed. (See Isaiah 53:5) Christ himself carried our sins in his
body to the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. It
is by his wounds that you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24)
When looking at the church
today, I see that we are still facing the same dilemma Paul experienced. Pail
said: Each one of you says something different. One says, "I follow
Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow
Peter"; and another, "I follow Christ." Christ has been divided
into groups! Was it Paul who died on the cross for you? Were you baptized as
Paul's disciples? Christ did not send me to baptize. He sent me to tell the
Good News, and to tell it without using the language of human wisdom, in order
to make sure that Christ's death on the cross is not robbed of its power. For
the message about Christ's death on the cross is nonsense to those who are
being lost; but for us who are being saved, it is God's power. As for us,
we proclaim the crucified Christ, a message that is offensive to the Jews and
nonsense to the Gentiles. (See 1 Corinthians 1: 12, 13, 17, 18 and 23) Paul
took it upon himself to forget everything except Jesus Christ and especially
his death on the cross. (1 Corinthians 2:2)
Today, I urge you not to
reject God, not to reject Jesus Christ. I urge you not to be followers of men
but to seek and follow the Lord. Let us not place our hope or put our trust in
man but let us rather cling to Christ knowing that He is able to bring us into
the Promised Land, to safely guide us to our eternal home while taking care of
us each step of the way.
* * * * * * *
Identifying Antichrists
“Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.” (1 John 2:18)
Evangelicals expect “the”
Antichrist to be revealed in the future, yet there are more warnings about
“many” antichrists who are currently and actively plotting evil. John lists two
specific identifying factors that enable us to spot these “anti” Christs.
“Who is a liar but
he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the
Father and the Son” (1 John 2:22).
“And every spirit
that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and
this is that spirit of antichrist . . . and even now already is it in the
world” (1 John 4:3).
This much is clear. Anyone who
refuses to accept the incarnated Christ as the Son of God is anti-Christ.
Perhaps we need to see this term in its simplicity. Those who are “anti” Christ
(oppose, reject, against, opposite to, before, instead of, in place of) are antichrists!
Peter warns that false
prophets and false teachers are also “anti” Christ—and that they may well come
from among the Lord’s visible Kingdom.
“But there were
false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers
among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord
that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2:1).
Thus, we are told that Satan’s
“ministers also [are] transformed as the ministers of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 11:15). No wonder we
should have caution. This is the last time (days), and we need to be alert!
* * * * * * *
Is Anything too Hard for the Lord?
There is a story in the
bible about a great man of faith named Abraham. Abraham and his wife Sarah
left their families and even their country trusting the Lord at His word to
bless them and make them a great nation. In Genesis chapter seventeen the
Lord appeared to him when he was ninety nine years old and told him that his
wife Sarah was going to have a baby boy the following year. She would be
ninety and he would be one hundred years old. Abraham fell on his face and laughed.
Although he was a man of faith, this sounded ridiculous to him. In chapter
eighteen, The Lord appeared to him again as three men came to him. He told
Abraham once again that Sarah was going to have a son. Sarah overheard this
conversation and she also laughed in unbelief. Although they trusted the Lord
all along, they were now looking at their situation in the natural which was
their old age. Then the Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh,
saying, 'Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?' Is anything too hard
for the Lord?
The Lord says, is there
anything too difficult for Me? Don't allow situations in the natural to steal
your faith. Trust in My promises and provisions. Do not see yourself as
inadequate but know that I can do more with your life than you could do in
the natural. I am El Shaddai and nothing is too difficult for Me. Just
as I asked Abraham to sacrifice that which was most precious to him, I
will not take from you that which I promised to you. Just as I told him to
leave everything behind and trust Me in the journey ahead, I am calling you
to trust Me with your future. Just as I lead Abraham, I will also lead you. I
am the same yesterday, today and forever and I am still speaking today. Just
as I honored Abrahams prayers and did not destroy the city for ten righteous,
will I not honor your prayers? Trust Me for your families, your cities and
even your countries to be brought into My kingdom. Believe My word to answer
every prayer and supplication.
Don't make hasty
decisions which will produce an Ishmael. Wait on that which I have
promised to you because it shall surely come to pass. Just as I made a
Covenant with Abraham, I have made a Covenant with you. Wait on the promise,
your promised seed, Isaac is on the way. Don't allow the enemy to magnify the
difficulties in your life and make then appear unconquerable. I will bring
you through situations that you have not been able to go through on your own
and open the doors that need to be opened. Trust Me to move every obstacle that
is blocking you from getting to your destination. Go forth in that which I
have commissioned for you to do. Go without fear or wavering, surrendering
all for the assignment that I have for your life says the Lord.
|
Genesis
17:15-17
Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai
your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.
And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her,
and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from
her." Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart,
"Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall
Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?"
Genesis
18:10 -14
And He said, "I will certainly return to
you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a
son." (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) Now
Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the
age of childbearing. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying,
"After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old
also?" And the Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying,
'Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?' Is anything too hard for
the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time
of life, and Sarah shall have a son."
Romans 4:3 Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
Hebrews
11:8 -12
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to
go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went
out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise
as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs
with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has
foundations, whose builder and maker is God. By faith Sarah herself also
received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past
the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one
man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in
multitude-innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.
* * * * * * *
Overcoming Persecution and Accusation
“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has
been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to
those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”;
for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each
one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when
desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown,
brings forth death.” James
1:12-15
God has given the enemy three legal
powers:
The enemy has the power, but he does not have authority. The only one that
can give the enemy authority is you. We are in a conflict between two kingdoms,
and because of this, God has allowed the enemy to have certain legal powers.
Temptation:
The Lowest Form of Attack
The strength of every temptation corresponds to the desire that is
within you.
The word “temptation” means “to seduce, disobey God, and commit evil.” God
does not tempt anyone because temptation has to do with seducing you to commit
evil. God does not want you to disobey His principles and commit evil. When
there is an evil desire within you, temptation will come. You are tempted in
whichever area you are not dead to. Satan doesn’t know who you are inside, but
he knows the way that you react to certain things. If you do not react to it,
it is not in you; but if you do, it is in you.
“Do not love the
world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the
Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the
lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the
world.” 1 John 2:15-16
Temptation is based on the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the
pride of life. The word “lust” means evil, perverted desires. Every temptation
is founded in deception and lies. The devil will always tell you that the grass
is greener on the other side, but do not fall into that trap. The strength of
every temptation corresponds to the desire in you. If you don’t have any
desire, the temptation won’t have any affect on you. The type of people that
get close to you will show you what’s inside of you because spirits attract one
another.
When Satan brings temptation, continually, it is because the desire is in
you.
The plan of the enemy is to wear you out through temptation. Satan has no
new tricks. He overcomes Christians through persistence. He will keep bringing
things to you that will elicit a response.
Everyone is tempted every day. Being tempted is not a sin, but falling and
giving into the temptation is a sin. You need to know how to stand and resist
temptation. You need to be praying and seeking God because temptation is
everywhere.
Overcoming
Temptation
Jesus was tempted, but He used the Word to overcome the enemy. Every time
that temptation comes to you, declare the Word.
The power of temptation is in your flesh. The person that crucifies the
flesh is dead to it, so the devil cannot touch you. A sign that someone
has been delivered is the lack of desire for what once controlled them.
“And those who are
Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:24
In order to overcome temptation, we need to do the following:
You will be tempted to give up, but tell Satan that you are not a quitter.
You are a fighter! Resist temptation, rise up, and fight! You have the weapons
to fight, you just need to use them.
Persecution:
The Second Level of Attack
When persecution comes, it is because you overcame temptation. When you
overcome temptation, Satan realizes that he cannot stop you. When that happens, he moves to
persecution.
“Blessed are those
who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds
of evil against you falsely for My sake.” Matthew 5:10-11
Persecution means to be falsely accused. You can be persecuted for two
reasons: 1) righteousness or 2) for doing the right thing. But when people
start bad-mouthing and persecuting you, instead of complaining, just stand
still and walk in holiness, righteousness, and truth.
“Blessed are you
when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you
falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your
reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12
How many of you are being persecuted, right now, in your home, job, or
school? Rejoice because there is a blessing and a reward coming from heaven to
you. Rejoice because great is your reward in heaven. Rejoice and be glad in the
persecution because they are helping you to get your reward.
Accusation:
The Highest Form of Attack
“Then I heard a
loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of
our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our
brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.” Revelation 12:10
Accusation is the highest level of attack. Satan accuses us day and night.
Accusation is the last resort of the enemy. This is when you see people rise up
against the men and women of God. The purpose of accusation is to attack
credibility. There will always be one person who will stand against the person
in order to discredit them. When a pastor’s credibility is attacked, they can
lose part of their church; this happens when the church lacks discernment.
Accusations come when you become a threat to the enemy. If you are not a
threat to the enemy, nothing is going to happen to you. Defending yourself is a
work of the flesh. When you defend yourself, you are saying that you are alive
in your flesh and that it hurts you.
Adam fell at the lowest level, but Jesus overcame. Adam fell by eating.
Jesus overcame by fasting. When you overcome temptation, Satan brings people to
persecute you and when that doesn’t work, he will accuse you. But Jesus
is your defender.
Today, I encourage you to rise up, fight, and overcome every attack of the
enemy. In the name of Jesus, surrender your life to God, and let Him guide you.
Let God remove all evil desire from your heart. Let Him be your rock and your
defender!
* * * * * *
The Power of Thanksgiving
If this page has blessed you, click on "Like" below! Being
thankful is a character virtue that is developed by recognizing that what we
have and what we are come from God. We are taught total dependence on and
recognition of God.
“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I
would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” Psalms 27:13
By praise, we acknowledge greatness. Through worship, we acknowledge God’s
holiness. Through thankfulness, we acknowledge His goodness. He always works in
threes because that is how He acknowledges the deity; that’s why we have
thanksgiving, praise, and worship. We don’t jump from one to another. We first
come to God with thanksgiving. We start by thanking Him not by presenting Him
our issues. Declare: I believe in the goodness of God!
Being thankful is a character virtue that is developed by recognizing that
what we have and what we are come from God. We are taught total dependence on
and recognition of God. It keeps us humble. It’s not that we are smart but that
we are intelligent and have good memory because God gave it to us. There is a
difference between being the owner of a business and a steward of a business.
When we have a steward mentality, we recognize that we don’t own a business.
When we own a business, the business is our responsibility not God’s. In the
end times, we will see that men will become ungrateful and pleasers of
themselves. They will stop caring or being thankful—that is the character of
the evil man in the end times.
Why Be Thankful?
Be thankful because God is good. We cannot put a price on what God has done in our life. Let us not do
anything without giving thanks to God for it. Let us always acknowledge that
what we have and who we are come from Him.
Failure to give thanks to God quenches and grieves the
Holy Spirit.
“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts to which
also you were called in one body; and be thankful.” Colossians 3:15
God command us to be thankful in everything and for everything because it
is His will. Things may sometimes get tough and turn into something unexpected,
but God wants us to be thankful anyway. We don’t need to understand what we are
going through, but we do need to be thankful. We must refuse to complain and
give thanks because the answer is on the way.
We must be thankful to the people that believed in us, especially when no
one else was willing to stand with us.
What Does Thanksgiving Produce?
Being thankful opens and extends God’s favor to us.
“Favor” in the Old Testament is what we now call “grace” in the New
Testament; it means access and special treatment and privileges. When we have
the favor and grace of God, we are covered with something that makes us
irresistible to others. We clothe ourselves with favor and grace when we are
thankful. Favor can do what money cannot do. Some doors will only open due to
God’s favor upon us. When God gives us favor, we take everything from Egypt. In
one day, God gave the nation of Israel favor, and they took the wealth of the
Egyptians. One day of favor does more than one year of labor.
We can work the curse or work the blessing. When we work the blessing, we
work through favor. Favor cannot be earned. Sometimes, we might want to do
things in our own strength that will ruin what we endeavor to do. We need to
ask for favor!
Thanksgiving Extends His Mercy
Mercy is God not giving us what we deserve. How many times a week do we
miss the mark and fail God? When we miss the mark, we deserve to be punished,
but instead, God spares us. How many times a day do we need mercy? We need a
lot of mercy. Do we need God’s mercy when we eat fried food that clogs our
arteries? God forgives and allows us to enjoy it!
Being Thankful Allows God to Trust Us with More
When we are thankful for hundreds, God will bless us with thousands. When
we are thankful for thousands, God will give us millions. When we are
trustworthy with praying for headaches, God will trust us with raising the
dead. When we are thankful for what we have, rather than complaining of what we
don’t, God will release what we don’t have.
Giving Thanks to God is the Key to the Supernatural
Being Released
“And Jesus took the loaves, and
when He had given thanks he distributed them to the disciples and the disciples
to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish as much as they wanted.” John
6:11
“However, other boats came from Tiberias, near the
place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks.” John 6:23
“Martha said to Him, Lord if you had been here my
brother wouldn’t have died.” John 11:21
Jesus needed to feed the multitudes with a few fish and loaves of bread.
Jesus showed them that being thankful brings multiplication. A decree of faith
flows from thanksgiving. We don’t have to bind or release anything because we
are releasing a decree of faith for it to be done. God is waiting for us to
release that decree of faith. With Lazarus, Jesus thanked God, and it released
the decree of faith. When we thank God, we release faith to get what we don’t
have.
Thanksgiving is the Simplest Way to do an Act of Faith
After praying for people, I tell them to do an act of faith; to do
something they couldn’t do before. Sometimes it is not a matter of doing some
physical movement but simply saying “thank you” as an act of faith.
Being Grateful Seals the Blessing of God in our Life
“Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and
supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God.”
Philippians 4:6
“Nor complain as some of them also complained and were
destroyed by the destroyer.” 1 Corinthians 10:10
Being thankful to God is done with more than mere words; it is an action.
Let us seal our thankfulness with a thanksgiving offering. Ungratefulness
corrupts the heart, and it makes us think that what we have and what we are come
from us and not from God. Ungratefulness is an open door for the destroyer to
come into our life and do exactly what his name implies: destroy.
Call to Action
Seal the blessings that are coming to you! Declare your thankfulness to God
for what you have and for what is going to be released!
* * * * * *
Honor God with Your Firstfruits
God always
judges intentions and motives; thus, we should always commit to honor God with the
following three things at the beginning of each year:
1. Fasting – presenting the body in sacrifice.
“Moreover,
when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure
their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you,
they have their reward.” Matthew 6:16
2. Prayer – communication with God.
“In this
manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.” Matthew 6:9
3. Giving – honoring God.
“Take heed
that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise
you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable
deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and
in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you,
they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left
hand know what your right
hand is
doing.” Matthew 6:1-3
Using these
scriptures will bring the greatest breakthrough in your life.
What is honor?
The origin
of honor is God. The first person God honored was Himself. In Matthew 6:9, we find
the word “hallow” which means to honor. Honor is a principle established by God
to put Him first. In society, in the family, and in the church, we have seen a
loss of honor. This is because we have not had an understanding of the
principle.
Honor means
to “respect,” “revere,” “value,” “esteem,” and “consider being precious.” For example,
a son honors, respects, values, and esteems his father. We are to honor,
respect, value, esteem, and revere God.
When we honor God, it is evidence of spiritual
maturity.
Honor must
be a revelation to us. If we lack understanding of honor, we will not do it. We
must have a personal revelation of what honor is because when we understand the
principle of putting God first, we will perceive who the person is and what he carries
in the spirit realm. Honor is currency, as is faithfulness and loyalty. These
virtues are well rewarded in the Kingdom of God.
The Revelation of Honor
There are
levels and measures of authority in the Kingdom. You must discern the level of
the person’s authority, or you will become familiar with that person, think you
are equal to him, and despise him. For example: Parents become friends with
their children, and the children begin to think they are equal to their parents
and no longer honor them.
There is an
impact of revelation of honor; if you honor a prophet then the anointing,
grace, and favor over their lives may come over your life.
Through honor you have access to what a person
carries in the spirit.
You do not
need to wait for an apostle to lay hands on you and impart. It begins in your
hands. Honor places a demand on what a person carries.
Once you
understand and have revelation of the principle of honor, you must work the
principle and demonstrate honor to those who are above and equal to you.
The Firstfruit Offering Honors God
“And in the
process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the
ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of
their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect
Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. So
the Lord said to Cain, “Why are
you angry?
And why has your countenance fallen?” Genesis 4:3-6
What
touched God’s heart that made Him honor Abel’s offering? Abel was the keeper of
the sheep and Cain was the tiller of the ground. Abel brought the firstfruit of
the flock and their fat, and Cain brought an offering of fruit of the ground.
The Lord honored Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his
offering. Cain brought just an offering. It involved no sacrifice.
What is an offering of firstfruits?
A
firstfruit offering says, “God is first to me.” A firstfruit offering is made
from a place of sacrifice. Abel brought his firstfruit offering from a place of
sacrifice. It goes beyond normal giving;
above what you usually give.
When you
put God second, you give from a place of convenience. It is not a sacrifice to
you, and it is not a sacrifice to God.
That which is not a sacrifice to you will not
be a sacrifice to God.
Honor puts to work the law of exchange.
“Therefore
the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I said indeed that your house and the house of your
father would walk before Me forever.’ But now the Lord says: ‘Far be it from
Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be
lightly esteemed.” 1 Samuel 2:30
Abel made a
spiritual offering from a sacrifice. The blood offering represented something
that cost him something, and that cost was beyond normal. Something had to die
for something to live.
“Honor the
Lord with your possessions and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so
your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new
wine.” Proverbs 3:9-10
The firstfruit offering is the root that
governs the rest.
What you do with the first portion will
determine what happens the rest of the year.
A
firstfruit offering has the power of redemption; anything left will be
multiplied by God. A firstfruit offering brings favor. You cannot have favor
until you honor God.
Honor God
this month, and everything you receive for the rest of the year will be
increased and multiplied. Any firstfruit offering that you give will be
multiplied; all that is stolen will be lost. If the firstfruit offering is
holy, the rest will also be holy. It will insure your finances, protect you, rebuke
the devourer, and more. You had increase, blessing, and favor last year; now,
honor God
with your firstfruit!
|
* * * * * * *
God is Moving
We Are at the Beginning of
Something Beyond Anything We've Ever Seen
All around the world the Body of Christ can feel the stirrings of a great
move of God. We are at the beginning of something awesome, something global,
something beyond anything we have ever seen. For years now, we have been
believing for it, praying into it, and declaring it. God is moving. The key
for the Body in this hour, is to discover how to move with Him and follow Him
into all He has for us.
It may sound simple: We pray for God to move, He begins to move, we move
with Him. But actually the early stages of a move of God can be the most
challenging part. So often when God begins to move the response of the Body is
not, "Yay! God is moving!" but instead, "Hey! God where did You
go?!"
Seeing New Aspects of His Fullness
A move of God by definition involves God moving. Which means we may
not "find" Him exactly where (or how) we have in the past – because
He is doing a new thing. Mind you, He is not changing, God never changes
(Malachi 3:6). He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). But
He loves to reveal more of Himself to us in greater and greater depths and
dimensions so that we can know more of Him (and thus make more of Him known to
the world around us).
Often the way He does this is by blessing us with a season where He seems
to not be doing things (or even meeting with us) the way He has in the past. He
does not stop being who He "has been," but He adds to our
revelation of all that He is by helping us see new aspects of His fullness.
He woos us into a greater revelation of all He is by leading us from the
comfort zone of what we have already come to know of Him.
Think of the Israelites in the desert. They knew the Lord as Deliverer, the
One who brought them up out of Egypt. And now He was leading them – cloud by
day, fire by night – across the wilderness into all He had spoken to them of in
the Promised Land. Day by day the Israelites learned to look for and follow the
presence of the Lord. Sometimes, for days, He would remain in one place with
them, helping them to see and know Him as Provider, Healer, or some other
aspect of I AM.
But then a day would come when the cloud would move. The Israelites had to
be in active relationship with the Lord to realize He was not "where"
He had been; they had to be looking for the cloud of His presence each day.
When the cloud moved they had to trust that He was still with them and seek
where He had moved to, so that they could follow.
It is the same for us today. God is moving. The key to following Him into
all He is bringing us into begins with us trusting that – even if we are not
finding Him where He "was," He is still present. After all, He never
leaves us nor forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5-6). God is wooing the Body right now in
a powerful way. There is a great grace for increased intimacy and relationship
with Him – a great grace to know Him in new ways and follow Him into new
depths.
A Place of Song of Solomon
A Place of Song of Solomon
Prophetically speaking, I believe we are in a place similar to the end of
Song of Solomon 2 and the beginning of Song of Solomon 3.
In Song of Solomon 2, the Lover is wooing His Beloved to a new place in
verse 10, "Rise up, my beloved, my fair one, and come away," he
invites. He then goes on to declare that "the winter is past…the flowers
are springing up, and the time of singing birds has come…the fig trees are
budding, and the grapevines are in blossom," and then he repeats his
invitation for her to arise and come away with him (Song of Solomon 2:13).
The Lover is announcing that it is a new hour, a new season, and that he
has new things to show her, new places to take her, new heights for them to
soar to together. She is hearing him on some
level (SoS 2:8), and yet at the beginning of Song of Solomon 3 we see that
while she is yearning for her Lover, she is still reaching out for him where
she has always found him – and discovers that he is no longer there (SoS 3:1).
She has a choice to make. She can continue to search for him where he has
been, or she can respond to the invitation to arise and step into the
uncertainty of the unknown, discovering him in new places and in new ways (SoS
3:2-4). She chooses the latter, and in doing so embarks on a journey with
her Lover in which she comes to know him, rely on him, and lean into him to
such a degree that she is completely transformed – so much so that her peers do
not even recognize her when she returns (SoS 8:5).
Like in the Song of Solomon, we have entered into a new season. The Lord
is beckoning us, wooing us, inviting us to come away from where we have been
and arise into a new place with Him – a place of greater revelation and
demonstration of all that He is.
If you have noticed lately that things seem different, or you're not quite
finding God "how" or "where" you have in the past, do not despair;
do not be discouraged. He is simply answering your prayers. He is moving. He is
inviting you to come along with Him.
Arise Beloved!
Prayer Directives:
So let's pray this month for the Body of Christ:
1. Our hearts will be fully His, and we will follow where He is leading.
2. We will discern the times, know His intentions, hear His voice, and
follow His lead.
3. We will value what has been and all that He has done to date, but we
will also be excited and expectant about what He is doing and what is breaking
forth in the earth.
4. None will be left behind, and all will hear and respond to His
invitation to arise and come away with Him into this new time, this new season,
this new move.
5. That we will love one another as He loves us, so even if some respond to
His beckoning at a different pace or in different ways than we do, we will
respond in love and with encouragement.
6. And most of all, that the fullness of what He has planned for this
season will come forth and that He will receive all the glory and all He is
due!
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