Month: June 2011

Essential, Primary for our TIME

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my times are in your hands

Three seasons of time are spoken of in relation to Jesus, “… yesterday, today and forever…”     I would suggest to you that time is a gift created by the Father and given to you along with a place, both creational gifts given to humanity.     We make the mistake of seeing eternity as a long period of time but actually its no time, a place where time is no, the place that time was created form as a gift to you and me.      Place and Time are to be celebrated, but let us focus on Time for now, time is to be redeemed, time is to be accounted for, we learn to “…number our days…”, asking the Father to teach us to make them count. This is not a heavy judgment but the celebration of looking forward to making each day full in destiny and purpose.

Hebrews 13:8 tells of these three seasons whether Christ of God should be found in yesterday, today, forever, in other words in every day, hour, minute, even second, it encourages us with the statements of “For Jesus doesn’t change—yesterday, today, tomorrow, he’s always totally himself.” (Message).

Within yesterday, today, tomorrow we are engaged in many activities many focuses, many visions that require us to take up another three resources we have in life, we employ the these three resources time, money and of course people. In these three seasons of yesterday, today, tomorrow we have three resources people, time, money and it is in the way we take hold of these resources and combine them in the seasons that will have a major impact and influence on what we call the Kingdom of God.

Let me suggest to you a further ‘threesome’ that are necessary in life’s scope, to make sense of sometimes a senseless world and to bring clarity in confused circumstances. I will offer this threesome as questions, firstly to ask that you might ponder them, considering our ways in the light of each answer we might furnish

What is the Primary purpose of God in History?

What is the Essential purpose of God in Christ?

What is the Essential message of God for our time?

I have a one word answer for you to ponder, it is the answer to all three it is RESTORATION

But what do I mean by that?   Simply as a definition one could say “ bringing things to their final state”  or “Progress of God’s purpose to its fullness”. For we are not looking to restore back to any particular moment of history or of time, but restoration embodies the restoration of Gods full intention when he spoke into being seasons and time.    Restoration to Gods ‘ultimate intention’, what He had in view when he said “Let there be…”

In order to understand the message of God for our time lets call it the “now” word of God we must first note the phrase “Times (seasons) of restoration” Acts 3:21, and must equally note that Christ with the culmination of time after in such a season as this.

Seasons – what picture does this word cultivate “times of refreshing”, the ages of mankind, childhood, youthful seasons?    We often hear today of the necessity of Revival with which I would concur with completely. However Revival must flow into a Reformation, which in turn must bring Restoration, anything less would be a distraction and a loss. Revelation must flow to renew which must go through a season of establishment so that very revelation must become part of life, each one flowing into the other, each one leading from one to another to achieve a climax.

Although we look through history, history that we can appreciate unravelled when a season flowed from one season to another such as Luther, Wesley, and Whitfield each had its impact and made its contribution.    What about in our lifetime baptism, gifts of the spirit, healing, supernatural, worship and praise, discipleship, faith in life, restoration of apostles and prophets, Kingdom focus all these of being seasons that each one of us have seen flowing from one to another. Yet we are still waiting ‘…times of restoration…’, of fullness. These seasons are accelerating by rushing into each other to become part of each other as each one of these revelations and experiences belong to the whole.

This is an unstoppable move of God as we see the rushing of the Holy Spirit to complete the eternal purpose the bringing of the church to its fullness and the final glorious condition where all of creation would declare the Christ of God (Heb 11:10,16; 12:22; 1314; rev 21:2, 21:10).    Maturity in the church, making her the instrument of blessing worldwide not so much as all of us becoming evangelists, although we must all share our faith but a corporate evangelist communicating the life of God to mankind in a way that they might become the Disciples of Christ. In a way that is incarnational and culturally relevant “…explaining the father…” John 1:17 (NASB) to our generation and time.

This is the Essential message of Jesus.

God fully expressed in mankind “Word became flesh”, you and I might be the incarnation that our neighbours and work colleagues might find the full expression of God in their daily routine of life. But this is no science-fiction story but a truth that God’s ‘Tomorrow-Age’ mankind, mankind in its final condition in the image of God will rule and fill creation (mankind the lover of mankind, mankind the communicator of God, mankind the disciple maker).

The essential message of Jesus brought mankind and God together to be engaged in a throne destined.

The message of God to our time is not so much what we are saying but it is what you and I are becoming, that the word might be made flesh again, that our words might become tangible in them through lives. Should be seen in these two simple statements:

What we are becoming as individuals in Christ

What we are becoming as a corporate Christ the church, ecclesia

But this tomorrow aged people flesh out the:

Love of God

Life of God (happy, content, excited, fulfilled)

Nature of God (Creator, Saviour, Father, James 5:20 disciple)

Being as he was, the is “ perfect” – complete, holy, righteous, well-adjusted

Perfectly at home in humanity

Perfectly at home in God likeness

All this brings demands upon us as we seek to  become mature in the fullness of Christ we are to:

Know God – right concept, your view of God

Know ourselves

Live in reality

Live as a community of the King

Live in the power of God’s life

What is the message of our time?   WE ARE

A closing thought, If ours does not prove to be the final generation of TIME, let mankind look back on what “WE ARE”, not what we taught, information only. As we serve God in our generation.

His purpose: his interests: his will and goals.

We pray that history about time will have more to say about the many much more, the mature, full corporate people than just the one or two.

Theme Song!

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Every Colour under the sun

As we walk our faiths journey becoming more and more like the Christ of God, we find, on occasions, that the precise quality of our faith and journey are difficult to determine.   Many of our experiences are subjective and therefore difficult to pass on to others, as they pertain to my own personal walk,  we can even create a sense of lack in others if they are led to feel unable to enter into these experiences that our worlds are often filled with.

However we have many life stories and recording of experiences of men and women, who have displayed their closeness to the Father which in no doubt become a provocation on our journeys.

Our lives must have these signs and helps to those who w ear still to encourage in their walk towards God.    One of these constant experiences outlined by the saints gone by,  is to sing of mercy and to be redesigned by judgments, these to would appear to most Christians a suitable expression of their feelings.   David seems to express in a review of his life that both mercy and judgements are proper grounds for praise and thanksgiving, along with the determination given by the Holy Spirit  to praise God for them.

Psalm 101:1 has in its opening lines this declaration “My theme song is God’s love and justice…” this  started me thinking down a number of avenues, the first being, what is my theme song?     Is it of the Fathers love, the magnificent justice of a creator that has the ability to rule in my life?

A theme in my view captures a life, it sums up a whole life, it’s the overarching bias and constant experience of a life.   I wonder what theme my life has caught or is under girded with?

The phrase theme song or may be, more popularly said, a signature tune may be used to refer to a song that has become especially associated with a particular performer or dignitary; often used as they make an entrance. Examples of this association include: the President of the United States with “Hail to the Chief”; the Queen with our national anthem, a song or tune directly associated with a person.   The purpose of the music is to connect a person with some truth, aspect of their lives or their status in life then.  It  is also used to establish a mood for an event or show.   In terms of a show I it provides an audible cue that a particular show is beginning, the lyrics of the theme song provide some necessary explanation for people unfamiliar with the show or event.

So what is your theme song?    What does your life sing of?  

What song will be associated to you and used to herald your entrance.   Will it be a positive of negative theme, are we those who are looking to communicate the great love of God, or the challenge of the walk, being near to depression with  the weight of responsibility?    What theme proceeds us as we enter a room, live life, is there a running and hiding from us?  a people saying o here comes pressure?   On the other hand it could be such a theme of overwhelming joy that all want to be in your company, for the theme to rub off?    The mood we create by the theme of our inner life

Before you go away thinking well I do not create a mood, I wanted this simple opening stanza to assist us in realising how we can change the theme of our song, to create an opening and heralding an arrival that all would wish to create.    Rather than give up, consider what your inner life dwells upon.

“My theme song is God’s love and justice”  the song that I should take hold of inside and allow to be the song that precedes me, is the love of God,  being overwhelmed,  revelling in his love for me, never mind how unlovely I see me, He loves me unreservedly.   This is the beginning of the rewriting of my inner theme, allowing  the nature and theme of God’s Love and justice to be my constant thought of him.

The dealings of the Father with us as his people, display the wisdom and goodness of God.

Consider the mix of these two foundations for a theme song, love and justice, mercy and judgments.   Mercies, if unmixed, would “exalt us above measure;” and judgments, if unmixed, would sink us into despondency. A ship needs both sails and ballast, to carry it forward in safety: and so the Christian needs a diversity, in order to accomplish in them the purposes of God’s grace. God sends them to his people to

–       Form them into the divine image. So that the perfection of a Christian consists not in one grace, or even in one set of graces, but in a combination of all the graces which are suited to a redeemed soul, and calculated to advance the honour of our God.

–       Stimulate them on their way to glory.    Mercies have a tendency to fill the soul with love to God, and to make it pant for the full enjoyment of God in heaven. Judgments also operate to the same end, by weaning the soul from present things, and causing it to long for that rest which is in Christ

The saints in every age have acknowledged the goodness of God in them

Now let me ask again “What theme song do you have?”    Bathe your mind and heart in his love and mercy revel in his judgments and justice so that our theme can be as one song sung in heaven!

Go on be bold compose a Theme Song

A Necessary Focus – part 3

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Keys of the Kingdom

Here we go the last section of this article, it is my concluding thoughts on the reason why we must proclaim the same message of Jesus Christ – Kingdom of God, we will complete this session with the implications if we agree in any way on the thoughts presented happy reading and i trust you will be stirred as I am to see the Kingdom of God in fullness in your home, town, city, and world!

-The message of the Kingdom of God  empowers and involves everyone, it stimulates the world changes (entrepreneurial, leaders, managers, politicians, statesmen and women) that come into the churches to come on board.   When these world changers are told that their highest calling is to minister for two hours on a Sunday it disengages them. The Kingdom of God gives the why of our salvation.

-This message brings about the necessity for every believer to search the scriptures so that they might have a voice to their particular marketplace, ensuring a demand to think biblically and gain an ability to speak into their world.

-This Kingdom message brings about a world view and challenges each minister not to continue to preach a therapy gospel making people feel good, but takes each servant of God and empowers them in their works of service with all its challenges.

-The message of the Kingdom of God would release the creativity of God, releasing writers, actors, artists. Once again the church preaching the kingdom of God would become the founders of universities, hospitals and our governments would be affected by this kingdom message, because the people of God are bringing kingship and rulership after possessing the gates of the Worlds once again (Genesis 17:5-7)

-The Kingdom of God proclaimed, will deliver our preaching from being a single message dealing with life after death which alienates world changers  sending them into the world with a feeling that their gifts were not appreciated by the church. The message will deliver us from only nurturing platform, ordained preachers to appreciating and endorsing people called to our culture as profits like Joseph –  Genesis 37 to 50 and economists will save the nation; Daniel –  Prime Minister profit brought national transformation, as well as city bodybuilder such as Nehemiah

  • Proclaiming Kingdom message will empower parents to “ bring up the child in the way they should go” discipling them to be ministers of the kingdom.
  • A Kingdom viewpoint  empowers the theologians just see an entire view of both Old and New Testament to bring about a model, to see and establish judicial laws and thus herald the coming of the Kingdom as a means of bring a relevant structure to our society
  • The kingdom of God demands a reinterpretation of many passages from the scriptures that have been traditionally practiced with an individualistic application, it demands a corporate body application.     Luke 4 passage is a great mandate declaration of King Jesus and it has been used to release individuals that have been oppressed and held captive yet it cannot be just for the deliverance of the individual, it has at its central core a Kingdom concern for justice in re reading Isaiah 61 we see that communities and cities are lifted by a Kingdom message not just individuals.

If we take up the message of the kingdom, and agree in any way in the list outlined, it has an implication on you and I as the readers, it has practical hands and feet that have daily implications on each of our lives.

The message of the kingdom of God has therefore brought:

  1. An understand that being born again is not about going to heaven but more about bringing the Lordship of Christ to the whole cosmos.
  2. An  understanding the word doesn’t have spiritual and non-spiritual things but brings us to a place of realization that everything is spiritual whether in the unseen or in the material world and we must bring the will of God. Paul was not Christ the “ word made flesh” which must have an implication that flesh is not evil.
  3. An understanding that the ministry of Ephesians 4:11 are equipping ministries for life and its marketplace to fill up all things, Christ all in all (Eph 4:10-12)
  4. An understand “ that God so loved the world”  has an implication which is much more than the and about the redemption of the “cosmos” –  world
  5. An understanding that the people of God, the ecclesia is to be the primary agent of the kingdom to be salt and light in this world, to realize that your light resides in darkness and is not hidden away (Matthew 5)
  6. An understanding of the body of Christ is to nurture world influences and changers not just to find a place for ourselves.
  7. An understanding of the Christ as the king of the Earth as well as the head of the body – The church.
  8. An understanding that we as the Christ must be in our world, not delivered from our world. The kingdom means being immersed in our cities and serving our cities and not anxiously waiting to escape and be delivered from our world, hence seeing our Sunday gatherings as a respite, a temporary escape from our evil world, but understanding that God and his Christ loves this world that we have seen as evil for far too long.
  9. An understanding that  the scriptures were never written as a book about heaven but more about heralding the kingdom of God and therefore the stewarding of Peoples and nations and the Earth
  10. An understanding that we have an ultimate call, not for revival but for Reformation which ultimately will bring Restoration

We discovered that the scriptures are blueprints for people, grouping people in localities, forming faith communities, to be first in the household of faith then moving out to structure society and be salt and light, bringing Christ to our world.

We have before us the challenge of society, realizing that it will either be under the rule of godless human religions and biblical traditions, or under the rule of the kingdom of God, we have the responsibility to preach, teach, and be the hands and feet to the message of the kingdom of God

Embrace – Announce – Herald the Kingdom of God

A Necessary Focus – Part 2

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Eye Eye!

A Necessary Focus – I wonder with what mind are you reading these crafted thoughts, with an open mind or a preset mind, a perception that is heavily walled and set, I pray that you mind find a freedom to hear the voice behind the printed words and hear the Spirit through the few words on this electronic page.

I have taken time to write not to give me something to do, as we all have enough on, or with a hope that I get better at writing, but with a conviction that what I pen has significant weight in our day to bring a now gospel impact that will transform people to become world changers, transformers.

I admit that I am a bit of a science fiction buff, I like the films and programs and am looking forward to the next sequel in the Transformed film due out the end of June 2011.    How ever that film will cost million and make millions and pass on but these words will bring around transformation when we take on its focused message, the single life style and message of the Christ and make it the first cause of our lives, this is why I write to be a TRANSFORMER and to inspire others to TRANSFORM their life, home, street, community and world.   TRANSFORM WITH ME AS YOU READ ON.    These words will not pass by like the film but will bring about the goal of times work

As previously mentioned I am laying out my reasons why I proclaim the Kingdom of God, I trust this will firstly clarify my own thoughts, secondly I trust it will be of benefit for those who read.    My appeal is that we once again strongly announce, herald and preach the Kingdom of God with open hearts, not as those who have heard it before, or done it in the past, got the tee-shirt, rode the ride, but with new eyes looking and listening again.

Here are my reasons I trust that you will join and agree with me:

– It is only the Kingdom of God that seeks to release all of God’s people, that are part of the ecclesia, to serve as ministers in his kingdom in their works of service set for us all before the foundation of the earth. We understand that the Kingdom message empowers people to take up their various callings, to mature in their roles in the marketplace. The Kingdom has need of educators, politicians, economists, social workers, factory workers, builders, lawyers, etc.

-The Kingdom of God saves us from misrepresenting the cross for individual redemption, rather the kingdom understanding brings back the focus of the cross to the purpose of reconciling, bringing back all things, including the created order back to God’s full purpose (Col 1:20)

-The proclaiming of the Kingdom of God cannot be done holistically outside of releasing the Holy Spirit which will bring a wave of creativity with it. The first “day of Pentecost” let me suggest is when the Spirit hovered and in the beginning was sent forth at the creation of all things (Genesis 1, 3). The Holy Spirit is still hovering in creativity in the image bearers of God as we work and function in our marketplaces. To proclaim the kingdom without the Holy Spirit  would not be a full Kingdom message.  Therefore to preach the Kingdom is to be the spoken word that releases the Holy Spirit, to be the “Let there be” once again.

-This message is the only message that Jesus, Paul and John the Baptist preached it is also the primary focus of the New Testament (Matthew 3:2, 4:17, Mark 1:15, Acts 28:31)

-The kingdom of God is the only message that is generational. It connects all the seeds throughout the Scripture (Genesis 3:15 – seed of the woman; Galatians 3:29 – seed of Abraham who would become the church; Genesis 12:1-3 –  children of God who called to bless the families of the Earth; Genesis 17:5-7 – rulers of the kings of the earth;  Genesis 22:17 –  possesses the gates of our enemies, this only outlines an application that our children’s children should be engaged in our world and the practical affairs of this life are to be under the influence and blessing of the kingdom.

-The Kingdom message demands the church to consider its collective stewardship to manage the cosmos and the Earth, it challenges us not to preach escapism but to be accountable for the world that he has planted,  to extend and increase the garden of God. For we are the first garden, i.e. the garden of our lives under the order of God (Kingdom of God) that we are to take the seeds of our lives and go forth and rule extending the garden into our families, streets, communities and marketplaces.

–If the ecclesia, the church, the called out ones of God would once again embrace and preach the message of the Kingdom of God it would most definitely result in cultures being transformed, cities being transformed, and Reformation would come to the nations.

The nations of the world do not need governments, PM’s, presidents, or healing crusades but primarily they need the people of God to be in government, the apostolic government would bring the King in order, therefore allowing the rule of God to root out corruption. By preaching the kingdom of God and making it practical, wisdom for building and for the restructuring of nations under the rule of God would soon follow.

– Psalm 2 outlines the inheritance of the Messiah which the Kingdom of God continues to announce. Jesus died to redeem all nations and people groups not just the individual this sits along with our inheritance of saints (Eph 1:10-11, Matthew 28:19) being commissioned not just to reach individuals but to disciple all people groups and disciple nations,  once again we will see all nations baptized and born again  as outlined in the narrative of Jesus’s conversation with Nicodemus they “might see the kingdom of God”.

 

Here is another 8 reasons added to the 3 already outlined in Part 1 still have a few more to challenge you with let me know whats it stimulating in you!

A Necessary Focus

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Focus

In all our travels I have gained a sense of what the Holy Spirit is highlighting in various places, in saying this, I am fully aware that it is impossible to say ‘the thing’ ‘the one thing’ that people often want to hear of what God is saying, as I believe just as we are introduced to God speaking in the book of Revelation he is shown to be speaking seven different things to seven different churches in one region, therefore it is impossible to say the one thing he is saying,  but we can have some grasp of the constants, truth or focus that is being spoken or seen in many places across our globe. Seeing what is presented in many places, I think we should pay attention to this as “things are confirmed in the mouth of two or three witnesses”.

Sandra and I travel to the USA, Africa, India, Sri Lanka as well as in the UK and I would have to say that in all the noise of debate regarding the various aspects of truth that come and go, alongside the things we make the ‘fashionable sayings of Jesus’ as I call them, if there are such things, yet the church does appear to have its fashions, also the cyclic experiences and insights that come around every decade or so, there is, I believe, in our small world a sense of God’s focus on the one message that Christ carried and proclaimed.

I believe that until we grasp hold of this central message of Christ we will be confronted constantly by the Holy Spirit, until we embrace it in every possible way, through confession, teaching, and practice the central message of the kingdom of God will be spoken out constantly in the heavens.

In the opening chapters of the book of Hebrews we are told that God has spoken in these last days, making these words important for the last days, our days, and he has “spoken in his Son”, his Son, the Christ of God being the King that brings his kingship which means the Kingdom of God is on the front burner in the last days along with all the related details and implications.

Therefore it is imperative that we teach, preach, and practice everything possible to bring about the domain of God, “Heaven coming to Earth”.   We are encouraged to pray “your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven” but it is not enough to pray, we must pray and work until our world is one with Christ, which is kingship and rule. To some degree the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven, the same thing, is still to come to Earth, but on the other hand, heaven has already come in those who have welcomed Christ into their lives and they have to extend the kingdom rule of God. It’s about bring the implications of the Kingdom to bear in the cosmos first in our lives.

My aim in writing is to lay out the reasons why I proclaim the Kingdom of God, I trust this will have two implications, firstly it would clarify my mind and secondly I trust it will be of benefit for those who read.    My appeal is that we once again strongly announce, herald and preach the Kingdom of God with open hearts, not as those who have heard it before,or done it in the past. Got the tee-shirt, rode the ride, but with new eyes looking and listening again, before we all get lost in a sea of a ‘church only message’ or ‘church gospel’ which is around us all, but step up to re state the ONLY message of our Christ, the Kingdom of God.  Once again the message is required to be announced to empower, advance and deliver the people of God and our world.  Here are my reasons I trust that you will join and agree with me:

-The Kingdom of God reconnects us to the purpose, the why of all creation and the activity of God our Father. It confronts  us with a narrative of Scripture rather than getting lost in our fashions, fads, “now words”  but keeps is rooted in the ultimate purpose of God giving the reasons the cross, the ecclesia, the call of God in bringing everything under the rulership of Christ (Ephesians 1)

-The only message of Christ – the Kingdom of God gives Christ his proper place as King of Kings, the proclaim of the Kingdom and the rulership of God. To separate the gospel from the Kingdom is to take the Christ out of our message. ( BOY DO I WANT TO SHOUT THIS FORM THE ROOF TOPS)  In separating the Gospel from the king to only introduce people to a gospel that deals with an escape into the next life. To have a message without the kingdom is to deny the prophecies that speak of Jesus as the ruler of nations (Genesis 49:10, Psalm 2:9-11, 110:1-3, Isaiah 9:6, 7 Daniel 2, 4, 7). It is to bring a covenant with the father made with creation into practice.

-This sole message is the connection to the original mandate spoken to all humanity through Adam in Genesis 1:28, this passage must be seen as the starting point of the kingdom mandate, that of Christ proclaimed with the church continuing its proclamation.

NOW THAT IS JUST THREE REASON FOR YOU TO FIRST THINK THROUGH MORE TO FOLLOW I HAVE A GOOD LIST FOR YOU TO CONSIDER!    
WATCH THIS SPACE!