Month: July 2021

One of the greatest joys of praying the psalms over and over again is that an appreciation for what the Psalmist is going through bursts inside our hearts. Some psalms resonate perfectly with where we are, other psalms resonate perfectly with where we’ve been, and still others will resonate perfectly with where we’re going. I was praying Psalm 88 this morning and it is his dark night of the soul. For you that have been in it and have come out you can appreciate where the Psalmist is, for you that are currently in it you can resonate with it, and for you that I have no idea what I’m talking about, that’s OK just keep journeying with Jesus.

As we pass through the dark night of the soul, that ever so challenging place in life on the other side is a light so bright it can’t be described it can only be enveloped. As we encounter the brilliance of the light of God, though we remember in order to empathize with those still walking through the dark night of the soul, we can’t help but say to those travelers in that place keep going for on the other side is life forever more.

As we passed through the dark night of the soul, that ever so challenging place in life on the other side is a light so bright it can’t be described it can only be enveloped. As we encounter the brilliance of the light of God, though we remember in order to empathize with those still walking through the dark night of the soul, we can’t help but say to those travelers in that place keep going for on the other side is life forever more.

As the body of Christ everyone of us has a Paul in our life that has been placed as we have yet to go; we all have Barnabas is in our life that travel with us right where we are and encourage us for they are in the same place as us; And we have Timothy’s who are coming behind us and have yet to encounter what we’ve encountered, so we get to be pioneers for them just as our Paul’s are pioneers for us. I pray you have eyes to see who the Paul’s are in your life, who the Barnabas’ are in your life, and who the Timothy’s are in your life. We are all in this journey together even though we be at different stages in the process. Keep going my friends others have gone before us, others are traveling with us, and others are coming behind us.

In John chapter 3 Jesus had a conversation with a man named Nicodemus, a teacher in Israel, a Pharisee. Jesus said to him that he was surprised Nicodemus did not understand what it meant to be born again. He even went on to say, you being a teacher in Israel should know this. Jesus said this to him because being a teacher in Israel meant they knew the Old Testament word of God. The greatest gift that Jesus brought to the religious system was old testament truths that they would have known in a fresh way. Jesus actually gave them understanding into things that they had heard but never understood.

What I see coming to the religious system in America, to churches across this country, and the world, and to pulpits all over the nation and the world is men and women that are going to take the truths of both the Old and New Testament and bring the revelation of Jesus Christ. It is going to produce a great awakening like we’ve never seen before.

Here is the Old Testament scripture Jesus was expecting Nicodemus to know when he told him about being born again. Psalm 87:4-6 ”God says, “I tell of some who know Me in Egypt and Babylon;
behold, My people are in Philistia, Tyre, and Ethiopia too: This person was born there.’”
It is said of Zion, This person and that person were born in her.” The Most High God has established that city and makes her strong. When keeping track of His people, the Eternal surely notices, This one was born in Zion.” My friends everything is about to come alive!

People that spend time with God should have the heart of God. The more time you spend with Him the more you become like Him. This is why we don’t read our Bible for a sermon to preach, we don’t worship for a song to write, we don’t go to church for a spouse to find. Those who spend time with the Lord, will carry His heart, which will manifest in service to others, love for all, and an ability to hear His voice and obey quickly.

The Apostle Paul carried the heart of God for people. He wasn’t trying to become famous he loved God so much and he wanted others to know the one he loved. We are told we can’t know people’s motives, but we can sense their heart and if they don’t love you you’ll know it. The people knew Paul loved them so they wanted to know about the man Jesus Christ he loved so much. My prayer is that we would love Jesus so much it manifests for others to see and want to know this Man we know and love.

Religion knows the word but not the man. You may be religious if you can quote the word, preach the word or write songs about the word but you don’t love people. Your character reveals what you love. We must be lovers of Jesus and people not ministry, money and popularity. When you meet a real lover of God you will be able to recognize it immediately. That’s why when people met Jesus they left everything and followed, He exuded love for Hos Father and for people. Let it be said of us, they loved God and we the people knew it because they loved us!

Colossians 2:2 “I’m working hard to comfort and encourage them so that they will be knit together—that many hearts would become one through His love. I do it so they will be rich in understanding and have full knowledge of God’s mystery, which is the Anointed One Himself.”

When I got saved, radically saved, in 1989, I was taught to obey God, hear His voice, tithe, worship because He was worthy of praise, and to go to church because that is where we fellowship and hear the word together. Over the past 30 years there has been a slow decline from what we are called to do for God to what is God doing for me. This change has brought with it, people who have no clue their “identity”, very few have any spiritual authority; and even less know how to hear the voice of God.

Many people can see the decline that has happened in culture, but my concern is the decline I have seen in many people’s understanding of God. God is God and we are human. God is eternal and we are a vapor. God is the head and we are the body. God is ruler over all and we are called to be servants. What I have noticed is that when we lose sight not only of who God is but of who we are, we begin to live as though we are God and God is our servant. It’s not anything anyone would admit as true, but when we listen to sermons, hear songs and listen to people talk, it is obvious the order of who is God and who is the servant has been reversed.

Yes the church needs to repent of sexual immorality, injustice and unrigheousness in a variety of ways, but more than anything we need to repent of being out of order. We need to repent of the attitude that needs continual reassurance that God loves me, but has little to no concern about whether we love God. Until we start serving God rather than seeking to be served by God, we will remain out of order, unhappy, lacking power and continually needing someone to pray for us or prophesy over us.

Many are wondering what the next great awakening is going to look like, sound like, feel like, and honestly I don’t think we know, but I have a sneaking suspicion it is going to sound like maturity. For God has given us the 5-fold ministry for training, equipping, deploying and maturing the body of Christ for the work of ministry. (Ephesians 4:11-13). Maturity is what we as the church needs not a party. This is why it will not be a man we follow, a ministry we want to be known for or a platform we seek, but maturity means we individually and corporately seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. My friends, until it’s literally about following Jesus, becoming like Jesus and loving like Jesus, we will remain immature looking for the next party to attend, no matter if it is in a tent, a park, a church or a house. And even though parties are fun, they don’t prepare you to stand in any situation you find yourself in, but maturity does. Maturity is the gift that keeps on giving and that is what we long for.

Living in a different era, a different culture, a truly different world than those who we read about in the Bible can make understanding the Bible challenging, but thanks to the internet if we do a little research, we can find the Bible comes alive. I was reading John 20-21 this morning and twice it says the disciples were behind shut doors (locked down) out of fear of the Jews. Jesus found them twice behind shut doors out of fear. Fear will always lock you down, but if you are not afraid, you will go out, no matter the fear that is being propagated by those “out there”.

The next time Jesus finds the disciples, after Jesus’ resurrection, they are fishing on the Sea of Tiberias. Now they are outside, so this alone is a shift that is often overlooked. They are out on the sea fishing, but it says Jesus is on the shore or the beach and He sees they caught nothing. How would Jesus know this? Well, a little research on net fishing revealed the answer.

“Recreational netting is considered by some fishers as a relaxing way to enjoy the outdoors while fishing. Net fishing is the only way to catch certain species, such as mullet and baitfish, but if used inappropriately, nets can take high catches of non-target species and undersized fish.

Haul netting also referred to as ‘drag’ netting, is done only in ocean waters from a beach or a boat. A net of up to 60 m in length is ‘shot’ into the water to surround a group of fish then hauled in. One end of the haul net may be fixed to the beach and a rope attached to the other end. Once in the water, the net is kept constantly moving towards the beach.” (State of Western Australia (Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development) 2020)

Jesus is God and He can know anything and knows everything, but the Bible is also very practical, that is why it is relatable to us. Understanding net fishing, specifically haul netting, which is what the disciples were doing based on the reading of the story in John 21, we learn Jesus knew they caught nothing because the net was fixed to the beach where Jesus was standing. Fascinating.

But this reality does not take away from the miracle, because when they put the net on the other side of the boat, per Jesus’ instructions it says, they caught such an abundance they could not haul it in. Our small acts of obedience produce abundant results in the most practical situations. I love that Jesus was and calls us to be supernaturally natural.

John 21:5-6 “Jesus *said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” They answered Him, “No.” And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.” So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish.”

Good Sunday morning my friends. I was walking the dogs this morning at 5:30 AM and there was a full moon in front of me and a huge fiery red sun rising behind me. I felt like I was standing between the end of one day and the beginning of another. I believe this is where we are right now in history. One day is coming to an end, even as we see the beginning of a new day arising.

We are living in a time in history when things are happening simultaneously. Things are coming down and things are rising up at the same time. We are those who are standing between these two days, what a blessed generation we are. Israel had a time in their history where they experienced this exact same thing as noted in Ezra 3:10-13 “Now when the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD according to the directions of King David of Israel. They sang, praising and giving thanks to the LORD, saying, “For He is good, for His lovingkindness is upon Israel forever.” And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, the old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far away.”

It’s all happening simultaneously, some are weeping, some are rejoicing rejoicing, And some are standing between the two days in absolute awe and wonder of our God. In moments like this it can be easy to want to understand everything, to try to figure things out, but what if you just stood between the two days and marveled at the greatness of our God. In the midst of a pull of the last day as it ends and in the midst of the pull of the new day as it’s arising, plant your feet, lift up your eyes and see the glory of God is manifesting in our generation!

Church, it’s a word that carries with it many thoughts in the minds of many people. The word has been used in crusades and revivals; it’s made men both rich and poor; it’s healed many and hurt some. When Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16:18 “And upon this rock, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not overcome it,” many people have espoused to know what He meant and this one verse has been the spring board for many a debate. Is church orthodox, catholic, charismatic, holiness, denominational, traditional, contemporary, progressive, stagnant, judgmental, tolerant, home group, stadium, all of the above or none of the above? The answer lies in what you have been taught, what you have experienced and what your perception is. Henceforth, why all are right in their own eyes and why there are so many discussions and disagreements around the subject called church.

In the Hebrew culture there were three words for what we in the Western world or those of us with a Greek/Gentile mindset call church. To the Hebrews church was not a word they used or were familiar with, rather they used the words Temple, Synagogue and Ekklesia. The Temple was the headquarters of all things Israel. The synagogue was the local expression of the community. The Ekklesia was the legislative body in any given city. They had distinctly different words to describe distinctly different expressions of their “religious” life or as we would call it church life. Gentiles do not have the linguistic luxury that Israel had and has because we have lumped all three into one word called church.

Due to the trilingual understanding of the word church in the Bible, the New Testament editors used the words assembly, ekklessia, and temple. They did not stick with one word, church, but we in the 21st Century have one word for all three biblical expressions. Is it possible this is why we are so confused? Why we argue, discuss and seek to change or not change this thing we call church? Denominations are factions of the church. Denominations are the doctrines of men that divide the body into many theological parts not biblical body parts according to 1 Corinthians 12. Biblical body parts as Paul described it are according to spiritual gifts God has given each of us for the benefit of the whole body. Spiritual gifts are not to be divisive but complimentary to one another just as actual body parts are, at least that is what Paul says in Romans 12.

Back to the tri-fold nature of this word church in the New Testament. In Acts 16:13 says, “And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer (in Philippi); and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled.” The word assembled in the Greek is sunerchomai and it means to come together, a gathering, to convene, to assemble, go along with, accompany. One who denomination calls themselves the Assemblies of God, they come together as the church to pray and hear the word of God.

A second word in the New Testament is found in Acts 16:4-5 “Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering the decrees which had been decided upon by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to observe. So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily.” The word churches here in Greek is ekklesia which means governmental authority, the ekklesia had expansive authority in determining the affairs of cities and territories; it functioned as a legal ruling assembly of a city (Sima, Ekklesia Series).

The third word used in the New Testament is that of temple. We find this word has been transformed from meaning a building in Jerusalem to people. Listen to how Paul says it in 1 Corinthians 3:16 “Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person, for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.” Jesus said it this way in John 2:19-21 “Jesus answered them and said, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. The Jews then said, It took 46 years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days? But He was speaking of His body.” Temple in both places is the Greek word naos which means to inhabit, to dwell.

Now that we have some building blocks to work with let’s put it all together. Jesus said, upon this rock I will build my church (ekklesia) and the gates of hell will not overpower it (Matthew 16:18). Jesus was speaking of building a legislative ruling body in every city or territory, so the church, the ekklesia could rule the atmosphere of that city or territory. This is in alignment with what Paul said in Ephesians 6, our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the powers, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. This was written to the ekklesia in Ephesus.

Not every Christian is a member of the ekklesia, but every Christian is a temple of the Holy Spirit, they are all invited to assemble, to gather with other believers. The reason not every Christian is a member of the ekklesia, is because we are not all excercising the same meausre of authority. New believers are not able to exercise the same measure of authority as a seasoned believer. This is not a hierarchal statement, but rather a historical one. The difference between a new believer and a mature believer is history with God. It takes time, it takes obedience, it takes transformation, it takes renewing of the mind and restoring of the soul to mature in Christ. It does not happen overnight, but it does happen over time as we walk with God. I tell my son, who is 13 years old, the only difference between you and I, is that I have lived on earth longer than you. The same is true for believers who assemble or who are the temple of the Holy Spirit but not yet ready to be the ekklesia.

Our desire should be not to compete with each other, divide over doctrinal issues and definitely not seek some form of hierarchal title, name, position, or anything else for Jesus said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them. It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-28). The members of the ekklesia are servants of their city and their territories as watchmen on the wall, rulers of the atmosphere and defenders of righteousness in the spirit, so those who are assembling as the temple of the Holy Spirit can experience the presence and power of God. Most have no idea who the ekklesia is in their city, for they are not seeking to be seen by men but by God.

This is by no means an exhaustive discussion on the subject called church, but I hope it opens up another measure of understanding of the different terms and definitions of this powerful word called church.

We serve a God of sound! Whether its the wind, thunder, lightning, water, vibrations or silence, our God is a God of sound. Even silence has a sound. LIght has a sound; love is a sound; peace is a sound. When sound connects with words we have a song of the Lord. The sound is God, the source of all sound and the words are the manifestation of God, Who is the Word and it creates a song.

Can you hear the songs of the Lord in the ripping of the veil; the shattering of the rocks; the opening of the tombs; the burning of the bush; the wings of the angels? Can you hear the songs of the Lord in the waves of the sea; the crowds; the crosses in Gethsemane? These are all the sounds put to words which make the songs of the Lord.

Even the silence has a sound. When the sun went black, there was a sound during those three hours of darkness. Can you hear it as you read the story? Can you hear the faint sound of weeping from the women who stood at a distance and watched the crucifixion? Can you hear the sound of the hammer hitting the nails and the gasps of the crowd? Can you hear the astonishment in the voices of the women who arrived at the tomb and saw the stone rolled away? Can you hear the sound of the men’s feet as they rushed to the tomb based on the report the women gave? Can you hear it?

The Bible is the song of the Lord, from the Lord walking in the garden in the cool of the day with Adam and Eve as they heard the footsteps of God; to the sound of the 24 elders in the book of Revelation declaring holy, holy, holy. Sounds, many sounds. As you read your Bible. I pray you can begin to slow down in order to hear the sounds it is releasing in conjunction with the words that are written, for the Bible is the song of the Lord.

Psalm 81:10 ““I, the LORD, am your God, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.”

Isaiah 54:2 “Enlarge the place of your tent; Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, spare not; Lengthen your cords And strengthen your pegs.”

It’s time for expansion! It’s time for abundance! It’s time for overflow! These are not just cute promises that like a penny we throw in a Wishingwell we hope they come true one day. No these are declarations from the mouth of God, from the word of God, to the people of God. You can choose to go back into what is familiar or you can put your hand to the plow and move into the unknown. The expanse is big, the opportunities are endless, but it takes a risk, it takes a step out of the boat, it takes pulling up the anchor, it takes a heart set on adventure with God.

I have never met anyone that does not want more. More of what, depends on who you speak to. But more is the desire of the heart of man because eternity has been set in our heart. We know there must be more than this. Don’t let fear hold you captive to what is comfortable, to what is common, to what is familiar. If a hot air balloon is going to rise it must cut off the sandbags and cut the ropes that keep it grounded. It must light the fire and allow the flame to lift it to heights it had not been before. The choice is yours to stay in the boat, to stay on the ground, or to stay on the shore. But as for me and my house we are headed into the great unknown because we are known by the God of heaven and earth.

My dear friends we are living in the greatest days our generation has ever known. The enemy is fighting with everything he has which when you really think about it is nothing compared to the incredible authority and power of our God. But we must agree with God and go on an adventure with Him that will cause us to live an abundant life. I hear the voice of God saying Follow Me!” The question is will you be like the disciples and drop everything immediately and follow Him? Or are you going to stay on the shore and wait for the testimonies of those who left all and followed Him? The choice is yours, the choice is mine. I’ve made my decision no turning back no turning back I have decided to follow Jesus. What is your decision?

“Keep watching while your waiting. Don’t let the waiting put you to sleep. Watch while you wait.” The Lord just spoke this to me and I believe it’s a word for many of us. The wait is not over yet, keep waiting, keep watching, for we know the day is approaching where we will say with a huge smile on our face, this was truly worth the wait.

Psalm 27:13-14 “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!”