Search This Blog

Monday, January 27, 2014

The allowance, the down payment of the Kingdom

Mark 9:28  When He came into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, "Why could we not drive it out?"
This question indicates that the disciples were used to seeing deliverance.  They were used to seeing healing.
I am very aware that "Kingdom Now" theology is wrong, because it robs from the amazing foretold work of God with Israel in the millennial reign, BUT, while recognizing that all that the 'church' gets now is a down payment, an allowance but not the whole inheritance, I think we have settled for a penny or a quarter allowance, when God would have us to have a 5 dollar allowance.  Hunger, desire, desperation, draws out the heart and the power of God.  When we have that hunger purified by a desire to give glory always and only to Him...then...there will be a breaking forth, such as we have not seen.  Amen, Maranatha!

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Recognizing Jesus, only Revelation

John the Baptist recognizes Jesus first, from inside of the womb of Martha.  But at some point, he loses it, because twice in John chapter one, he admits, "I did not recognize him."  They would have grown up as cousins and known of each other.  But only when revelation comes from God, does John recognize the Lamb of God who comes to take away the sins of the world.  Later on, when Jesus does not fulfill the scriptures that spoke of setting up an earthly kingdom and taking vengeance on the enemies of Israel, when John is languishing in prison, he doubts, he asks, "Are you the coming one, or should we look for another?"
His expectations have caused him to doubt the very one, he was born to 'prepare the way for."

Only revelation, only the Holy Spirit of God, only grace reveals Jesus to us.  Thank you God for mercy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGNuyJsi53s&list=PLXcUpDZ4uGoQeTGMBThQ4A_wVhbMU8yaR

Thursday, January 23, 2014

fasting weakness

He will pay attention to the prayer of the destitute and will not despise their prayer. Psalm 102:17 Destitute - completely wanting or lacking, deprived of, devoid of, or lacking, poor enough to need help from others.
The many scriptures on "waiting" speak of a people who have come to the end of "their plans" and "their strength" and are now throwing themselves onto their God, crying out to Him.  
Hannah cried out to God, "My husbands love is not good enough, I want to give birth to something that will bless You, but I am barren."
 
Contemplate the amount of time God spends with the subject of barrenness, and choosing that which is weak, and moving on behalf of a people who have come to "the end of their strength."
This fast, and any act that weakens our flesh, gives us the opportunity to come into contact with His strength.
Ultimately our desire to live as Paul said, (Galatians 2:20) "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."
"It is no longer I who live" is what a true fast is all about.  My ways, my choices, my strengths, my knowledge of good and evil, are worthless, God what I need is Your Life, let me always and ever eat of that tree.  Let us go forward in weakness and dependency on our gracious Lord, who delights to show mercy.  (Micah 7:18)

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Teaching is useless without revelation.

I'm a teacher.  I gather the scriptures and listen to the ones who have gone before, and read books on the subject, then I pray and try to bring it all together.
And it is all USELESS, without revelation.

A teacher in the world, is trying to transfer information, whether through rote, or question and answer, or illustrations, or dramas, whatever the method, it is an attempt to convey information in a way that the person can then repeat back what they learned.

I am beginning to learn at a deeper level that that is not so, with the 'gift' of teaching.  The greatest amount of preparation will be useless and suffer a painful disconnect if "revelation," that is only available from the Spirit of God, does not come in and give life to what is being shared.

  What is being shared, has to be true, and in God's time, and shared with His heart, so that He can become One with it and give it His Spirit and power.

I save my teachings on this computer on "openoffice writer."  It is not "opening" right now, so I have to start over...and I think this is the lesson.

So God, "Who is sufficient for these things?"   Come and make it happen Holy Spirit.  Prepare me, prepare those who will hear.  Be glorified.

Monday, January 13, 2014

Fresh wind

The emphasis on "Christ in you, the hope of glory."  is not new to me, God started me out in 1983 with the truth of "Christ in you."  It is not new, but it is fresh, in this season.  God's love, His delight, in us, the fact that somehow He uses (redeems) even sin, and forces it to draw us closer to Him, amazes me.  At one point in a teaching Dalton Thomas says, something like, "He even used our sin, to set us free of sin."  When men banded together to see Jesus crucified, they were sinning, sin which they and we are held accountable for, but somehow, God grabs a hold of that evil act, and says, this 'sin' is what I will use to set the world free from 'sin.'
In another teaching Dalton shares the strangeness of God punishing Saul, for what appears to be a minor infraction, and forgiving David for what appears to be a horrible, unforgivable, well-planned, multitude of sins.  It all goes back to the heart.  Saul's heart was one of rebellion against God, David's heart was one of tenderness toward God.  The sin does not intimidate God, He is always and ever looking at the heart.

Grace is dangerous, teaching grace is dangerous.  It 'appears' to soft and lenient.

It is a challenge to teach grace while acknowledging the God who will "one day" judge it all.

Art Katz, often echoed, Paul's cry, "Who is sufficient for these things?"

God help us, take full control, open our eyes.