Discipleship Network Forum

Music is beautiful when there is the perfect balance of a strong melody and a complementing harmony. For two accomplished piano players, whose love for music was stifled by debilitating strokes, this ability to enjoy the eighty-eight keys was severely diminished. Margret was impaired on the left side and Ruth on the right. Yet, the lives of both these women changed when the director of their convalescent center placed them side-by-side on the piano bench. What came from that moment was a life-changing partnership.

Christian leadership involves a unique cooperation. The effective leader recognizes the melodic guidance of the Holy Spirit. The leader follows the Holy Spirit in perfect harmony toward the glorification of the Lord and acts as the “conductor” for a “choir” of followers. Leadership is Christ-honoring and productive when the leader relies fully upon the guidance of the Holy Spirit to direct followers into a deeper relationship with the Lord Jesus.

The purpose of this blog is simple: To explore the work of the Holy Spirit as He empowers Christ's church to enjoy the task of ministry. I want to dialog with people who serve the Lord in a variety of settings and ministry areas. As I discover the truth of God's Word on this topic, I will share my thoughts and invite your responses, stories, and even rebukes.

You can read much more content on my website www.SpiritLedConnecting.com.

It is the priviledge of each beliver in Jesus Christ, even to the humblest, to be taught of God (John 6:45).

“Prepare your work outside

And make it ready for yourself in the field;

Afterwards, then, build your house.”

• Proverbs 24:27

Recently, after meditating on the words of the Preacher, I was struck by the wisdom of his simple words. The SPIRIT of GOD impressed on me to read and ponder about it again and again. The words carried a very practical approach to a life that would be fruitful in GOD's way. Here is how the SPIRIT impressed the meaning of this proverb:

1.  Prepare...everything in life needs preparation. Whether it is a simple task or a complex project, we need to prepare every step towards completion. I need to ask myself, am I prepared to do the project from start to finish? Do I have what it takes now or do I have to equip myself with the knowledge and skill to accomplish the job excellently? Do I have the necessary resources to complete the project?GOD prepared Joseph for 30 years to become governor of Egypt. It took 40 humbling years for Moses to be ready. Even YESHUA prepared Himself for the ultimate mission for 30 years.

2. Work...am I working the work that GOD has assigned me to? If so, then I am a perfect fit for what I am doing because GOD has equipped me and is equipping me along the way. GOD has a specific work for each one of us and He has tailored it beforehand for us as part of our destiny. No one can do it better than I because I have been commanded to “make it ready”!

3. Outside...the field is our workplace. Do not restrict yourself merely on your immediate surrounding but explore and expand your territory as the LORD leads you. The limit only exists on your mind. It used to be that business is only conducted among people buying and selling personally but since the world wide web opened all borders, we buy and sell any and all kinds of goods in cyberspace. But it all starts in the field of my heart. Unless I am totally sold out and persuaded about my work, about my goals, with integrity, I could not succeed. Unless it was the LORD who placed my work in my heart, whatever I do would not prosper.

4. Now...I have to prepare and do my work now! I may plan my work for tomorrow but I have to translate that tomorrow in my mind and do it now so I can bring it forward and progress. I have to bear fruit now so I have something to provide my family because it is useless to build a house if I have nothing to feed my family at the present. There is a progression in every project and I must follow the proper timeline to accomplish bite-size goals to achieve my ultimate goal. Bearing fruit in the business or work that GOD has given me is the foundation of my prosperity. Work is good and work done excellently is an honor to our great GOD.

5. If I lay the proper foundation of diligent preparation and excellent work, then I am assured that GOD will give me success and I can surely build my house, both on the inside and on the outside. Persistence and diligence are two indispensable ingredients to success.

LORD, help me to make You proud of me in my work!

ἀγγελος

GOD has no money!

“For every beast of the forest is Mine,

The cattle on a thousand hills.

I know every bird of the mountains,

And everything that moves in the field is Mine.

If I were hungry I would not tell you,

For the world is Mine, and all it contains.”

• YHWH (Psalm 50:10-12)

GOD has no money. But He owns everything and everyone. EL ELYON is the possessor of heaven and earth (Gen 14:19). What GOD has are concrete, tangible assets that have real value. He created all that we see and cannot see by His Word and He sustains all these by the power of His Word (Heb 1:3). Since the beginning of time, all the gold, silver and all other precious metals and gemstones in all the earth, wherever they may be found, whether in the vaults of men or the vault of the earth, belongs to GOD and carry the same value as it was in the beginning. Their value has not waned nor have their worth been subject to the manipulation of clever, greedy men. Although one might argue that their equivalent value in different currencies vary.

The money that we know today is actually fiat money, printed at will by governments without the corresponding solid foundation of valuable assets such as gold or silver. If you and I would print a US dollar bill, we would be arrested for counterfeiting. But the government prints money at the pleasure of politicians and call it legal tender. They fund all these “legal tenders” by collecting taxes from citizens. But if their tax collection fall short of government spending it results in a deficit. To fund the deficit, the government issues Treasury Bills and Bonds and sells it to the market at interest for redemption at a later date. Since many (if not most) governments practice deficit spending, the debt of a nation is always increasing. So to cover the annual deficit, politicians enact new tax laws to collect more from its citizens. This is a vicious cycle and the losers are the citizens. Who says the government is of the people, by the people and for the people? This is good rhetoric but painful to our pockets. Mr. Madoff did this (did not call it taxation but investment) and went to jail because what he did was a Ponzi scheme to defraud people out of their hard-earned money. The government freely prints money out of nothing and declares it legal tender, supposedly backed-up by the Treasury and nobody goes to jail. Today, in the US, Microsoft has more money in its coffers than the US Treasury!

GOD did create out of nothing by His Word. He did not create money. He created real valuable assets that you can take to the bank. He formed man wonderfully and fearfully writing his destiny on his DNA. He embued man with real tangible assets through his numerous skills and talents. These skills and talents are the seed by which a man may prosper. If man will give back his life to GOD and surrender it by choice, the HOLY SPIRIT energizes those skills and talents so that it may be used to its full potential. To what purpose? To get money? Of course not! Fiat money is actually worthless because the one who is backing it up is unable to deliver. Man was created to rule and subdue the earth in behalf of GOD to expand His Kingdom with the ultimate goal - to glorify His Maker and FATHER.

Undeniably, we live in the world and operate with man's laws; however, as children of the Most High GOD, we do not have to conform to their beliefs and standards. We realize that we are subject to the supernatural laws of GOD written in Scriptures and we implement those laws wherever and whenever. We realize that even in the midst of a global crisis, we will perform exploits and GOD will establish the work of our hands. We are not shaken by the upward and downward or erratic movements of Wall Street or any major market because our very lives do not depend on world circumstances but on the circumstances especially created by our GOD in our favor. We know that GOD causes all things to turn out for the good of those who love Him and who are created for His purpose (Rom 8:28).

I bless the GOD and FATHER of our LORD YESHUA the Messiah, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in CHRIST (Eph 1:3), and who raised Him up from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come; who has also raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places (Eph 1:20,21; 2:6). If we truly appreciate the words of Scripture and believe the FATHER's will in these words, nothing can shake us!

I leave you with the words of the LORD YESHUA in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your FATHER who is in heaven.”

ἀγγελος

August 8, 2011

“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He had received the promises, yet he was ready to offer up his only son. God had told him, "Through Isaac descendants will carry on your name,"and he reasoned that God could even raise him from the dead...” (Heb 11:17-19)

Some people would ask, “How great is your faith?” But the question should be, “How great is your GOD?” At the time of Abraham, nobody has ever heard of anyone being raised from the dead, or any of the gods of the nations raising up the dead. The idea of a resurrection has not even entered their minds. But to Abraham, nothing was impossible for YHWH! After all, if YHWH caused all things to be, why would it be impossible for Him to bring the dead back to life? Abraham has heard YHWH promised him that through Isaac he shall bear many nations after him and he believed GOD (Gen 15:6; 17:16). This is the first time in Scripture that a man 'believed' GOD. Abraham believed GOD so much he was committed to that trust even beyond what he could see or even imagined.

We are talking here of boundaries. In the natural world, we are limited by our senses and by what we have experienced. Scientists propose theories and perform experiments to empirically prove their theories but they are limited to what their hands can handle, what their eyes can witness and what their other senses can experience with all the machines at their disposal. Man is limited by the three dimensions he lives in. However, when a man believes YHWH and His Word, the SPIRIT breathes into him life that breaks the physical boundary and transports him to a new level, a new dimension – eternity with YHWH.

In the spiritual realm, the usual boundaries do not apply. The man who is born from above learns a new language – a language of the spirit that connects him directly with the Almighty. His mind is constantly being transformed into the mindset of YESHUA. Like his FATHER, he becomes more and more creative and wiser as he walks in the SPIRIT. He is taught of GOD and the Torah is imbeded in his heart. He speaks and prophesies with the Word of GOD. He walks the talk.

The natural laws only has meaning to him as a pilgrim in this world but in no way bars him from transcending it. Israel crossed the Red Sea on dry land. Moses called on fire to rain on Egypt; frogs to flood Egypt; turned the Nile into blood and many more miracles. Joshua prayed that the sun would stand still and it did for almost 24 hours until they conquered the Amorites at Gibeon. YESHUA walked on water (Mk 6:48-50). Shadrach, Mishach and Abednego were not burned in a fiery inferno (Dan 3:19-27). Lions could not eat Daniel! (Dan 6:22) Joseph interpreted dreams and so did Daniel. A jail could not hold Peter (Acts 12:6-12). Shackles could not hold Paul and Silas (Acts 16:26-29). The Romans tried to boil St. John but they could not harm him so they exiled him instead at the island of Patmos where he wrote the Revelation of YESHUA. They simply could not stop him from fulfilling GOD's purpose in his life. Today, the SPIRIT of GOD is still working with the same resurrection power that He used to raise the LORD YESHUA from the dead on all who would perform exploits for the glory of the FATHER.

If you are led by the HOLY SPIRIT then you are a son of GOD (Rom 8:14) and nothing is impossible for those who believe, as Abraham believed in the GOD who makes all things possible. It is not a question of how great is your faith, for you only need a mustard seed size faith to move mountains. It is not about you or I. It is all about GOD, and we do things for His glory.

ἀγγελος

It's been awhile since I've posted . . . life has gotten in my way. I spent last week in New Orleans with my daughter and son-in-law, so I didn't teach my Bible study class last Sunday. When I returned this week, the large marker board in the classroom was covered with notes and a second marker board was beside it with one statement: "And Margie's answer is . . . " I wasn't even sure what the question was until class members began to arrive. The question was about how we see God in control.

The class I teach is made up mostly of people in the 50s and early 60s (my age group). We have couples and singles, and we share the struggles of being a part of the sandwich generation.

Most of us are parents. Some have teenagers still at home; others have kids in college, starting careers and/or marriages, and starting families. We have some whose kids have gone through divorces, marital separations, job losses, bankruptcy, home foreclosures . . .  The hardest thing a parent ever figures out how to do (at least in my opinion) is to parent adult children!

Then, many of us are dealing with aging parents. We've faced catastrophic illnesses, deaths, finding in-home care, the loss of memories, and dealing with hospice or long-term hospitalization. We've struggled with the emotional baggage that comes from trying to take care of those who spent so much of their lives taking care of us.

And finally, most of us are in positions at work in which we are covered up with responsibilities and high expectations. We work more hours than we should, use weekends to catch up, and feel guilty that we're so stretched that we don't feel we're doing anything well.

Sound familiar? It's a constant theme with our class members in prayer requests as we all try to handle this stage of our lives. In the midst of all that, when our lives feel so out of control, the class members were challenged to recognize how God is in control of their lives. I guess it's no wonder that they tried to pass the buck and let me answer the question.

As one wise person told me recently, "I see how God is in control of my life most clearly when I look at my past. It's there that I can see how God has orchestrated my path in a way that makes sense now, even if it didn't make sense at the time!"

That's a good reminder of how God is at work in our lives, even when we're too overwhelmed to recognize how He's at work in our lives. For, "faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see" (Heb. 11:1).

Blessings.

Margie Williamson

Community Manager

It seems to me that prayer is an essential element of discipleship; maybe the core component. Without the ability to converse with God, how can any of the other responsibilities of being a disciple have life? Is it possible that so many church-discipled Christians are experts on studying, memorizing, learning, singing, giving but inexperienced in authentic, proactive, world changing praying?

Phil

www.PhilsBlog.net

Erik Erikson, Developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst, theorized that the foundational stage of hope is basic trust versus basic mistrust. When a person looks at the world through eyes of trust versus mistrust, the world appears different and causes that person to interact in and with the world accordingly. When a person looks at the world with trust, he feels hopeful; but if the person looks at it with mistrust, he feels hopeless.

Presently, many people view the world with mistrust. Everytime you open the news channel, you see and hear the tragedies happening all around us. Since 2008, the world economy has experienced the worst crisis ever to hit the markets, and it is happening everywhere. You hear of revolutions in the Middle East, suicide bombings, war in Afghanistan and Iraq, bombing and massacre in Oslo, Norway and in the US and many other horrendous crimes.

The leaders we elected, not just in the US but almost in every other country, are not working for the people but for themselves. The citizens have become hostage to the greed of government officials and big bankers and they have collaborated to tax the people out of their hard earned money and home by printing more fiat money out of nothing while they preach a cure by spending more of the citizen's money to 'get out' of the problems they have created and we have help them create.

If we look to our leaders and put our trust in them, we will feel hopeless, because we know they are but men; subject to the vagaries and temptations of their position. If we expect them to have the wisdom to solve our problems, we would only be fooling ourselves. They all have their limits.

Does it really matter who is the President? Have they really delivered their citizens from real bondage? Or have they instead contributed to their downfall (whether wittingly or unwittingly)?

Erik Erikson was right that hope is seen through the eyes of basic trust or basic mistrust. The question is, what is the basis of trust or mistrust? We usually trust because of past experience/s with the object of trust that resulted to our benefit. Out of that initial encounter, a relationship blossomed that is either mutually beneficial or beneficial to one of the parties. As humans, we are extremely personal and we desire interaction with those we relate with.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,

the evidence of things not seen.”

-Heb 11:1

Faith is too much a religious word for most people, so let me, instead, use the word 'trust'. A person does not hope for something that he has not seen or experienced. The object of hope has to have substance; or as the Scriptures says, “evidence of things not seen.” Is there any one leader among those serving the public worthy of our trust? Most of them, if not all, has disappointed us. We cannot take their word to the bank. To be fair, there is no one presently leading that can possibly not disappoint us. Why? Because they are all mere mortals and imperfect beings. Besides, we ourselves tend to look at them with biased eyes and impossible expectations.

There is only One who can qualify man's expectations – YESHUA the Messiah. He rises out of human history as one who never sinned, who never had any taint of cruelty or injustice, or pride, or even an iota of inordinate desire. YESHUA literally changed the course of history and in fact, we base time with respect to His entrance to our world. Those who wanted to arrest Him even said, “We have never heard any man speak like Him!”(John 7:46) Those who got to know Him never came back the same – the sick were healed, the demonized got delivered, the dead were raised, the lame walked, the blind saw, the dumb spoke and the deaf heared. But the most important gift YESHUA gave to people was the complete deliverance from the corruption of sin. And this is the very reason why YESHUA is the only person we can fully trust. His gift of salvation is total – spirit, soul and body. And you can take that to the bank!

The Son (YESHUA) is the radiance of the Father's glory and the representation of his essence, and he sustains all things by his powerful word (Heb 1:3). All the fulness of GOD's deity dwells in Him. I got to know Him in August, 1972, and my life has never been the same. He turned my world right-side up. I have been walking with Him everyday; and I will walk with Him til eternity.

I have come to understand that everything that is happening around us are passing. Many leaders have come and gone and have barely left a lasting mark, except those whom GOD sent. Every civilization that had risen have fallen because as they ascended, every form of perversion also ascended with them. How the mighty have fallen! The greatest and brilliant of men have come and gone; but for all their 'genius', they have left the world lacking and empty. When you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind!

“So says YHWH, the King of Israel, and His redeemer YHWH of Hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and besides Me there is no God.(iSAIAH 44:6) I am YHWH your God who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way that you should go.”(Isaiah 48:17)

The world has seen all types and system of government but not one system has offered a viable solution to man's aspirations. We seek perfection but there is no perfection among mortals. Only YESHUA can give us the perfect solution and mankind will experience that during the Millenium. As of now, we can only work with GOD to fulfill His word upon the earth. Yes, for our destiny has already been written. Each of us who are children of light have a destiny in YESHUA and it is all written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

The question is, is your name entered in the Book of Life? Only YESHUA's hand can write your name upon your surrender and pledge of allegiance. And you can take that to the bank...in heaven!

ἀγγελος

What did God say to you today? It depends on what you were waiting for God to say. I have a friend who is so intent on seeing - I know, hearing? seeing? which is it? Just bear with me a minute, after all they're both senses we don't often get right - anyway, my friend is so intent on seeing a pileated woodpecker that after a day of birding he, "hasn't seen anything!" But meanwhile my lifelist has gotten longer with warblers, orioles, etc.

My friend wants to "get on" through the forest and "find his" bird. I like to take the sit awhile and wait approach, see what reveals itself to me. When I ask myself, "What has God said to me today?" I realize I'm better at birding than waiting on the Lord. What has God said to you today?

At the end of the Apostle Paul’s third missionary journey in Acts 21-23, Paul faces a very strange and difficult time. He had been told over and over “Do not go to Jerusalem” and since the moment he arrived, it has been a total train wreck. Paul first gave the Jerusalem church a large offering, but instead of appreciation they immediately started accusing him of wrong-doing. So Paul tries to make peace by joining a Jewish ritual, but a mob tries to kill him in the process, and the Roman soldiers have to save him from his own people. He then asks to speak to them one last time, which goes terribly bad, and the Roman Commander has to save him again. Then the Roman Commander himself decides to have Paul tortured, from which he barely escapes. Next, he is put in front of the Jewish ruling council, which goes so bad that the Roman Commander throws him in prison just to keep him safe.

Paul’s time in Jerusalem has been a total train wreck of a ministry operation. But there is a critical message in these difficult chapters for us; In the midst of failure after failure, with everything going as wrong as it possibly can, even then, God is at work behind the scenes. If you have given your life to God today, then he is at work behind the scenes, whether it looks like it or not.

After Paul’s string of failures, he is finally carried away by the Roman soldiers and thrown into prison. Alone and in the dark, Paul is physically, emotionally, and spiritually - spent, finished, done. Paul’s love for the Jewish people and his love for Jerusalem, lay in ashes at his feet. Right now Paul needs some serious encouragement. So the Lord himself, who has been at work behind the scenes the entire time, personally delivers the encouragement Paul needs. Acts 23:11 says; “The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “take courage . . . (esv).” The Lord Jesus stood by Paul’s side. That alone makes all the difference in the world. Paul was in the fire, and Jesus was there with him. just like the 3 Hebrew boys thrown into the fiery furnace in Daniel Ch 3. The king saw a fourth, divine figure, in the fire with them and the boys walked out not even smelling like smoke. This is the same Lord, in a similar fire with Paul, and the first thing Jesus says is; “Take courage.” I am with you, take courage.

Then Jesus tells Paul; Your ministry is not finished yet. Continuing in Acts 23:11, the Lord says; “ . . . for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” Jesus is confirming Paul’s ministry efforts here in Jerusalem. He is letting Paul know; This has all been part of the plan. It doesn’t seem like a very good part, but it has been part of God’s plan. And God is not finished with Paul yet. God is sending Paul to Rome. At this point Paul knows - the Lord is with him and he is at work behind the scenes, right in the midst of all these difficulties. This confidence absolutely carried Paul on a very long and difficult journey to Rome. Through it all Paul knew he was going to make it there, because the Lord was with him, and Paul was headed right where God wanted him to go.

Isaiah 43:1–3 says; ". . . Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior . . . (esv).”

If you have given your life to Jesus Christ today, then he has redeemed you and called you by name. He is with you, and he is at work, maybe behind the scenes. But he has promised to finish the good work that he has started in you (Phil 1:6). Trust him. Meet him, right in the middle of the flood, right in the fire, right in the midst of uncertainty . . . he is there - look for him! All of Paul’s efforts in Jerusalem had failed miserably, but in Acts 23:11 the Lord confirms that he was still right in the middle of God’s will for his life. God was still at work, right on schedule, right in the midst of all those train wreck failures. Isn’t that good news for those of us who are following the Lord in the midst of our own failures? Take courage. God is at work, behind the scenes. The only question is: Will we trust him, and follow him, no matter what? If we will, then we will find that God was at work all along, behind the scenes.

If you like the way Pastor Dave writes, you can get his weekly sermons on CD mailed to you FREE. Simply request them at www.wordbymail.com

I recommend  Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion by Gregory Boyle (New York: Simon & Schuster [Free Press], 2010). It's the story of a ministry with street gangs in LA. It is very well-written and moving. Here's a quote: "Here is what we seek: a compassion that can stand in awe at what the poor have to carry rather than stand in judgment at how they carry it."

One day a former parishioner returns to visit the church on a weekday:

"Then he takes in the scene all around him. Gang members gathered by the bell tower, homeless men and women being fed in great numbers in the parking lot. Folks arriving for the AA and NA meetings and the ESL classes. It's a Who's Who of Everybody Who Was Nobody. Gang member, drug addict, homeless, undocumented. This man sees all this and shakes his head, determined and disgusted, as if to say 'tsk, tsk.'

'You know, ' he says, 'This used to be a church.'

I mount my high horse and say, 'You know, most people around here think it's finally a church.'"

“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.” (Gen 1:11,12)

GOD created each blade of grass, each herb and each fruit bearing tree from the ground with the spoken word. Each division of the plant kingdom were made to grow out of the ground by divine power without dew, rain or any horticultural process, sprouting and growing in a single day. Each grass, each herb and each tree produced seed of their kind. Each seed would fall to the ground and die and be energized by GOD again to sprout another of its kind.

In the case of sea creatures, flying animals and land animals, GOD also created each according to their kind, to multiply after each of their own kind. This is the natural cycle that GOD ordained from the days of Creation.

Since the fall of Adam, all of creation has been placed in the bondage of corruption, not of its own will but by the sinful act of man (Rom 8:20). Thus, paradise was lost and the rule of the Adversary devastated much of planet Earth.

Adam, himself, created in the image and likeness of GOD, bore a child in his own human image (Gen 5:3). Since the fall, Adam lost his consciousness of GOD and failed to produce offspring and disciple them in the ways of YHWH. As men multiplied, the corruption became greater until the thoughts and deeds of men were continously evil.

The Physical Dimension. The seed is a picture of each plant that grows outside your window. Everything that you see, comes from a seed, whether plant or animal. The seed holds the secret of all natural life. To produce a plant yielding fruit by artificial means is unnatural and therefore, corrupted. Today, you can see so many fruits and vegetables sold in supermarkets that are seedless and which are genetically altered. Scientists have found that genetically altered fruits and vegetables may be bigger and immune to diseases but can cause cancer. Cancer in itself is a corrupted cell that multiplies within the body. While profits grow from producing genetically altered fruits and vegetables, the end-result in human health may be irreparable. The same is true with sin. The acts of sin may provide instant gratification for a time but the sinner soon bears its dire consequences.

The Spiritual Dimension. After Cain killed his brother Abel, he went out from the presence of the LORD and wandered and he settled in the land of Nod and began to multiply his evil seed. We can read the tale of his long line of descendants and see how totally evil they became in Genesis 4:16-24. They were driven to succeed in the physical realm but were totally bankrupt in the ways of the LORD. It came about that when the descendants of Cain multiplied, their beautiful daughters were taken as wives by the faith line of Seth and the result was a mutation manifested not only in the physical but more devastatingly in the spiritual realm (Gen 6:1-5). I believe the sons of God in this passage were not angels but simply men who worshipped the one true GOD since angels are spirits and have no gender and neither can they perform sex. Eating the fruit of the knowledge of the good and evil corrupted Adam and all his descendants after him. Thus, a corrupted seed will always bring forth corrupted seeds.

The corrupt seed must die so that GOD can resurrect him to new life in union with YESHUA. This is the essence of the Gospel – we die with YESHUA on the cross and we bury the old self so that GOD can raise us up in resurrection power with the LORD YESHUA. We know that YESHUA cannot die again so death no longer is master over him; and so it is with us who believe (Rom 6:8-9). Since the firstfruit is holy, all the brothers in CHRIST are holy. If the root is holy, the branches are too. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. The body that was sown was but a bare grain, but GOD gives it a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own. All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish (1 Cor 15:37-39).

Men have borne the image of the earthy, but men will have to choose to unite with the LORD YESHUA, to bear the image of the heavenly. A caterpillar is a very unlikely candidate to flight. All the more when it hides itself inside a cocoon, seemingly to die from its original form so that it can be transformed into a beautiful butterfly, able to fly, no longer earth-bound but suddenly expands its horizon through flight.

What type of seed are you of? Are you a man's man, or are you GOD's man? The FATHER has written a destiny in your DNA from the time you were formed in your mother's womb. The question is, are you going to fulfill that destiny?

“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,

and which have not entered the heart of man,

all that GOD has prepared for those who love Him.”

• 1 Cor 2:9

The FATHER has stretched out His arms of love to you but you must accept and submit to His lordship. Would you eat from the Tree of Life?

Godliness is a tree of life but the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil is death.

ἀγγελος

Yesterday I taught a Bible study on one of my favorite passages, Acts 16:6-9. I love this passage so much, because God uses it every time I study it to remind me of a couple of things. This is the story of Paul and his companions trying to take the gospel into western Asia, but the Holy Spirit kept putting obstacles in the way. I wonder about those obstacles . . . it's not like they were going through border checkpoints, but they KNEW that those obstacles came from God.

They finally went to Troas, an artificial harbor, to figure out where to go next. In a vision, Paul was asked by a Macedonian man to come there to "help" him. The word for "help" there was more like an SOS. It was an urgent plea for help. Paul and his companions were "convinced" this was God's leading and they "immediately" left for Macedonia (northeastern Greece today). I love that feeling of urgency and response and obedience and of not looking back, but of only going forward––even into the unknown.

When they arrived in Macedonia, landing in Neopolis, they walked the 10 miles to Philippi because that was the major city in the area. If it had been me, I would have been looking for the "Macedonian Man" who had called us there.

In Philippi, Paul and his companions went to the river outside of town for worship since there was no synagogue in the city. There they met a group of women and sat down to preach. In time, Lydia, already a worshipper of God, accepted Christ and asked to be baptized. 

So why does this passage resonate with me so completely?

Because I've run into so many obstacles in my life when I thought I was doing what God wanted me to do. And yet, each time He has redirected me, he has led me into something I could never have imagined for myself.

Because I tend to see things literally. If I had been with Paul, I would have been tempted to pass over seeing the women as part of what God was calling us to do . . . I would still have been looking for that "Macedonian Man." It's a good reminder to me that my expectations of what God is doing are often wrong.

Lydia not only took Paul and his companions into her home, but her home became the gathering place for believers in Philippi (see Acts 16:40). And it's obvious from Paul's letter to the Philippians that the church there was loving and generous and open to those in the community.

So God's reminder to me, again, is to look at the obstacles in my life to see how He is redirecting me, and to not get so literal in my expectations that I miss what God is leading me to do, to see, to meet.

Have you seen obstacles that were God's way of redirecting you? What have you learned through the process?

Margie Williamson

Community Manager 

June 27, 2011

The Power of the Day

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,

and do not return there without watering the earth

and making it bear and sprout,

and furnishing seed to the sower

and bread to the eater;

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;

it will not return to Me empty,

without accomplishing what I desire,

and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

-Isaiah 55:10,11

The Scriptures tells us that since the creation of the world, GOD's invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen and could be understood through all of creation (Rom 1: 20). After just driving through farmlands today, I observed how beautiful GOD's creation is. Everywhere I turned, it was green and the goats were having a heyday eating their fill of luscious grass.

I also fondly remembered a time when my wife and I were on vacation in Germany, and our dear friends, Randolf and Britta were driving us, early one morning through Rudisheim and we passed by a field full of wonderfully blooming sunflowers. It was simply a breathtaking sight!

GOD caused a mist to rise up from the ground and the early morning dew to drop from heaven to water the fields. The sunflowers wake up to the taste of heavenly water and begin to lift up their faces toward heaven searching for the precious rays of early morning sun. The sunflowers themselves teach us that life begins from GOD and is continuously provided by GOD. Their leaves are lifted up in worship, its veins straining to absorb precious life-giving rays from their Creator. All throughout the day, they turn their face in unison towards the sun as it travels its cycle til sunset, never losing sight of its Source.

In the same way, the godly wake up to the beat of GOD's drum. His heart begins to beat to the rhythm of GOD's heart and his soul yearns for the presence of the Divine. His soul cries out to be fed with the very Word that created him, sensing that his life energy depends on it. He cannot be satisfied with anything else for only the Word is true food and GOD's very presence, true energy. He longs to walk with GOD throughout the day. He has so many questions and only GOD has the answer.

Even at night, the spirit of the godly does not sleep, but communes with the SPIRIT of GOD. It is at this time, when the spirit of the godly is at its most aware of the spirit realm since the body is asleep. The SPIRIT instructs the godly as he sleeps with dreams and visions. The mind and body are unaware but the spirit of the godly is learning much of the activities of the spirit realm. But this only happens when the godly chooses to commune with the SPIRIT throughout the day and so, continue at night. It is a choice that is empowered by the SPIRIT as the godly leans toward GOD.

Do you walk in power throughout the day? The godly has resurrection power – the same power that raised the LORD YESHUA from the dead; and it is available to all who ask for it in righteousness. The godly is complete in union with YESHUA. We are more than conquerors in YESHUA the Messiah and nothing can separate us from the love of the FATHER!

Live it!

ἀγγελος

Could it be that churches (we as leaders) are chasing after the next fad, and attempting to stay on the cutting edge to such a degree that we are failing to do the basics well?

Could it be that we are so busy attending conferences and reading the latest “how to” book in order to find the next new trend that we have missed God’s purpose for the church we serve?

As I look on my shelf I have…comeback church, transformational church, purpose driven church, transforming church, connecting church, new kind of church, essential church, simple church, total church life, comeback church, organic church, and on and on.

If new books were the key we would have won the country to Christ 30 years ago.  I have nothing against books that help us see what God is doing in a particular context or that really probe our thinking but is the future of your church in the next new book? 

A few questions…

1.  Should the church mimic the culture in order to reach the people in the culture?  In other words do we change music style, dress, and even the architecture of our buildings in order to be more seeker friendly?   Is that the key?
2. Do we find another pattern, strategy, methodology from a highly successful church and simply transpose (or impose) that strategy upon our congregation?
3. Do we really believe that the Holy Spirit could lead our church on a new path and direction that is different than any other church in our city for His glory?
4. Is God blessing only one particular style of worship or ministry or model or preaching style or congregational setting?

There are no silver bullets to growing a healthy church.  There are many bullets that could be aimed at you if you ask the right questions.

I have served churches that averaged 60 in worship to 2,800 in worship.  Like many of you I have attended my share of conferences and seminars.  I have all the notebooks on my shelf as evidence. Again I am not anti conferences but there has to be more.

I think many churches are not even asking the right questions. 

1. Is your church seeking God’s specific will for your future?
2. Is prayer the main way your church and church leaders hear the voice of God or does it have to come through the latest trendy book?
3. Are you attempting to fulfill the Great Commission?   Being a true great commission church should be our aim.  Two parts-Evangelism and discipleship.  We must win the lost and disciple the saved so that we can win the lost and disciple the saved so that…

Bill Hull writes about a change in his ministry direction several years ago.  He shared with his congregation that the Great Commission is more about depth than strategy, and being spiritually transformed is the primary and exclusive work of the church…believing the right things is not enough—being a Christian means actually following Jesus. We don't drift into discipleship or amble our way half-heartedly down the path of obedience. It is a choice.

He went on to say this, “When I changed from a strategist to a shepherd, when my teaching was filled with love rather than data, the congregation began to melt. They sensed that something prophetic was happening, and it changed our church.”

Could it be that we as pastors have ceased being pastors (shepherds) and feeding the flock from the Word because we are now strategists in church growth, CEO’s seeking to lead a spiritual organism with a business model?

Could it be that we have forgotten who founded and ultimately blesses and grows the church? 

We need to remind ourselves of the truth of Matt 16:18 where the Owner of the church said, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

Make no mistake; Jesus is capable of building His church.  Sometimes we need to just get out of the way and allow Him to lead. 

Could it be we are seeking to build the church but on the wrong rock?

Keep the Son in Your Eyes,

Mike James

                                                   Someone asked, “Did Solomon ever lose his wisdom?”

True wisdom resides in GOD. Wisdom creates what is good. Wisdom innovates towards what is good. Wisdom builds what is good. Wisdom illuminates what is good. So if a person is near GOD, the nearer he is to wisdom. As King David once said, “The nearness of GOD is my good.” (Ps 73:28a).

As Solomon grew in stature with the LORD, he wrote some of the Psalms, the Proverbs and the Songs; but when he disobeyed the LORD, he found futility and vanity in his pursuits. No matter what he did under the sun without GOD, it was useless! But I am so glad that at the end of Ecclesiastes, he concluded that there is nothing better for man to do than to “fear GOD and obey His commands” (Eccl 12:13).

So if you desire wisdom, desire GOD!

May you seek the face of the LORD with all your heart, all your mind and all your resources so you may find wisdom, and joy along with it. Know though, that with much wisdom, comes much responsibility!

Shalom!

ἀγγελος

“Without a prophetic vision, the people throw off all restraint;.

but he who keeps Torah is happy.” (Prov 29:18)

In the old days, the Seer is revered by the people as one who is given a special anointing by GOD to speak on His behalf. GOD speaks to the Seer through dreams and visions and in exceptional cases, as a friend like Abraham and Moses. The Seer is GOD's mouthpiece and he must speak only what GOD directs him to speak, no more, no less. Certainly the sovereign LORD does nothing without first revealing his plan to his servants the prophets (Amos 3:7).

Today, many Christians do not regard prophesy as relevant. Many do not think GOD still speaks to people like He spoke to the prophets of old. What do you think?

It does not matter what you or I may think. Our opinion does not matter; for ADONAI says, “I, ADONAI, do not change” (Mal 3:6). The Scriptures declare that YESHUA gave us apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip GOD's people for the work of service that builds the body of CHRIST (the Church) until we attain unity through trusting and knowing the SON of GOD, to the full standard of maturity set by the Messiah's perfection (Eph 4:11-13). We are given direction through the operation of the major spiritual gifts given to certain individuals in the Church so that we may grow to the full stature of YESHUA. The major gifts are provided so that GOD's people may be properly guided. Just as Daniel examined the writings of Jeremiah and other prophets so that he may serve the people well, GOD's gifts also interpret the Scriptures by the power of the HOLY SPIRIT to direct the Church to the right path. Individually, we too, must become intimate with GOD so that the Scriptures may become rhema (living word) to us.

The Word of GOD gives us a general guideline on the way of life of YESHUA. But the HOLY SPIRIT who indwells each believer gives specific directions on how to live a godly life according to the Word of GOD. The prophet Joel prophesied, “I will pour out My SPIRIT on all humanity. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions...”(Joel 3:1). In the last days, the life of a true believer is nothing short of supernatural. Never before has the Scriptures been written and made available like it is today. To the true believer, the Word is indeed in his heart and on his tongue since he is in union with YESHUA the Messiah who is in union with the FATHER.

About three years ago, the HOLY SPIRIT reminded me of a memory long buried deep in my psyche. I was about four years old and I was lying in bed dying. Beside my bed, I saw my mother kneeling. She was praying ang begging for mercy...”Father, if you let my son live, I will see to it that he will serve you all the days of his life...” I have always wondered why I was always searching for the Truth. Early in life, I was reading books about GOD and asking priests and nuns about Him. The SPIRIT taught me that day the very reason why I am not my own and the purpose of my life. Truly, the LORD has led me all these years so I may know Him for who He really is and who I am in Him.

FATHER, may Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven!

I also know that whatever God does will endure forever;

nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken away from it.

God has made it this way, so that men will fear him.

“nothing is hidden that will not be revealed,

nothing is secret that will not be made known.”

- Matt 10:26

ἀγγελος

Jacob went out from Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed the night there, because the sun had set. He took a stone from the place, put it under his head and lay down there to sleep. He dreamt that there before him was a ladder resting on the ground with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of ADONAI were going up and down on it. Then suddently ADONAI was standing there next to him...Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Truly, ADONAI is in this place – and I didn't know it!” (Gen 28:10-13a, 16)

I am sure many of us can relate with Jacob. We go about our daily routine focusing on the job at hand or we can travel to distant places but we are rarely ever aware of GOD in our midst. There are too many voices clamoring for our attention. We are too busy with work and when we get off, we get too busy having fun. Even on weekends, we work or we go out shopping or drive somewhere for a change. Almost everything that we do is for little ME. In our estimation, self is the biggest person in the universe and we must feed him continuously with new toys, new tastes, new experiences, new everything!

Jacob thought he could put one over his brother, Esau, without reaping the consequence. He cheated him out of his birthright and then even fooled his father, Isaac, and cheated Esau out of his blessing. But soon he found that feeding only his ego will ultimately lead to a downfall. Jacob had heard about ADONAI from his father, Isaac, but he didn't take the stories seriously. There were so many gods around; why only worship one? After all, his neighbors worship different gods for different needs and occasions. This practice sounds more logical and convenient. Sounds familiar? After all, his grandfather, Abraham, used to be a moon worshiper out of Ur, until he had an encounter with EL SHADDAI. But Jacob did not know EL SHADDAI personally.

The other peoples never related with their gods personally. In fact, the idea is strange to them. Men are mortal while gods were considered immortal who inhabited a different dimension and are endowed with great power and must be appeased so that they will grant them favor. They never thought that their gods were omnipresent nor omnipotent or omniscient. It was thought that sometimes they would come down to earth to make sport of men and sometimes impregnated women. They often go to battle against each other and were extremely capricious and temperamental. The gods were to be feared.

YHWH appeared to Jacob in a dream and his life was never the same. YHWH introduced himself as the GOD of Abraham and Isaac and at that moment, Jacob realized that the stories he was told since he was a little boy around campfires were true. YHWH reiterated the covenant he made with Abraham and Isaac and told Jacob that he and his descendants will expand to the west, to the east, to the north and to the south but the greatest promise was, “I will be with you, I will guard you wherever you go, and I will bring you back into the land, because I won't leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Gen 28:14-15) Until that time, Jacob was unaware of YHWH, but after that we can see the blessing of ADONAI on his life.

Are you conscious of GOD's presence in your life? If you are a believer, you had an encounter with the LORD YESHUA, just like Jacob, or did you? If you are a believer, you would live your life with the mark of the LORD YESHUA and you would be undergoing a transformation from day to day. You would be so hungry for His presence, your day would be characterized with secret consultations, burst of creative inspirations, light-bulb situations and challenges that would threaten your security but instead strengthen your trust in YESHUA. Sometimes, the LORD allows extreme trials that would test your resolve but are designed to build up your endurance and character.

Once upon a time, my business partner and I had an opportunity to earn more than a hundred million from a series of transactions with the government but in so doing, we had to give in to demands of paying kickback to government officials. We would be corrupting people as we corrupt ourselves also. It would have been easy to justify our situation by saying, it was the usual acceptable way to do business with government and everybody was doing it anyway. But we were not “everybody”, we were sons of the living GOD. So we abandoned the transaction.

I never forgot that lesson. The presence of ADONAI in my life is so real and means so much to me, I can't exchange it for any amount of money or anything or anyone. My relationship with my GOD is non-negotiable. I cannot be who I am not. My GOD defines who I am.

May ADONAI bless you as I am blessed! Shalom!

ἄγγελος

I just returned from our annual family reunion camping trip in the north Georgia mountains. We always go to a campground our family found over 45 years ago. There's a sense of history and constancy each time we go back there. This year we had 32 family members with a couple of friends there. We spent time playing cards and Scrabble, eating, catching up, and sitting around a large campfire until we could no longer keep our eyes opened. It was a wonderful four days.

I couldn't help but think about the legacy of family, especially of our faith as a family, as we were all together. In this one small branch of our family tree, we have one full-time minister, one part-time minister, two seminary students, two who are working with international students and feel called to the foreign mission field, a retired pastor, a former seminary professor, at least two deacons, a church administrator, and two firemen. That really just scratches the surface, but it gives you an idea of this legacy of faith that strings us all together, that binds us together, and is strengthened by our shared faith.

There's a sense when we're together that we are brought together by something greater than ourselves––our faith in Christ.

I don't know everything about my ancestors, but I do know about those who are alive today. We have been chiseled into sones which fit perfectly together to represent Christ.

That doesn't mean by the way that we're not competitive, sometimes manipulative, even cranky. It does mean that we  are brought together through our faith in Jesus Christ and are stronger because of that. Isn't that a great picture of the church––God's family of faith?

How do you see that legacy in your family? 

Margie Williamson

Community Manager