Refreshing to Restore

The Bible speaks of ‘seasons of refreshing’ and a ‘time of restoration’ two focuses, events that our world and society will be impacted by, these times are spoken of  in Acts 3:19 – 21

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,     

20 and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.     

21 Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.”     

Within a season of Restoration is everything the prophets addressed which  included the reformation of society seen in picture forms in their writing –‘ swords into plough shares ‘.    It’s the fulfilment of promise spoken and written of throughout the scriptures.   We live in a time when the “season of Restoration”  is breaking in upon us, how exciting it is to live in this challenging world that Gods finger prints are all over it, bring a season of restoration.     Be careful in order we don’t get lost in times of refreshing only by camping around them and creating monuments while God has a greater purpose for us.   Enjoy the refreshing and be enlarged, instructed and empowered but our goal is to bring around and advance the season of Restoration being a people of Restoration.

The Message translation pens it thus “Now it’s time to change your ways! Turn to face God so he can wipe away your sins, pour out showers of blessing to refresh you, and send you the Messiah he prepared for you, namely, Jesus. For the time being he must remain out of sight in heaven until everything is restored to order again just the way God, through the preaching of his holy prophets of old, said it would be”.

Until order has come to our world, this is the task for which we were brought into the Kingdom of God, to restore order, Gods order.    We are those working for the restoration of the ‘image and likeness’ of the Father, to see restored back to our created world the image of God for this is the Kingdom of God established fully.    That Christ will fill everything, inside and outside.

O God Restore come and be established, times of refreshing we recognise that these times are in your process, they are necessary, this process means times of refreshing that will come and go, they will grow to a crescendo and pass away, they are supposed to.     “Times” plural that mean one comes and one goes and there will be more than one.   Yet there is a “time” to arrive a “season” to come that is sustaining and remaining that will herald and welcome that will come and not pass away a Time of Restoration, will be that which release the culmination of Gods plan and ultimate intention.   We have been invited to partner with the Father to be fully involved to be part of this heralding work.   Let us all get on Gods time seeing transformation and order coming to pass around us, in our individual lives that will then seen in community life.

Whats in arrears

I read this  it made me chuckle, “a lady in front of me in the queue at the bank had a rolled up fiver (£5) in one ear and a tenner (£10) in the other. When she got to the booth they told her she’s £15 in arrears (behind in payment)”, I hope the play on words is seen by those like me who have English as their second language.

In the light of the word play I wonder what is in your arrears or ears, as it’s should say?    What is in my ear, such a stupid sounding questions but profound in its application, in other words what is getting the most, or who is getting the most listening time from you and I.     What are we investing our listening towards there is so many noises and sounds everywhere which we work though in every day, there is so much accessibility to sound today.   I think we live in an era when silence is fought against.    One thing out of many Sandra and I love in Africa is the deafening, still silence, so still that it ministers to you, yes you did hear right, deafening silence, to stand where there is no sound pollution to rob, distract and overwhelm.

Our world seems to be filled with people who have become adverse to silence  with music in lifts, songs in bathrooms, ear buds full of music in people’s ears.    Sounds and noise every where we go, musac, however you say it, lift music, in-store music, music every where.    Even people who have the TV on in the background for noise with no one listening to it, no attention being paid to whats on, TV being for security and comfort that there is some one there rather than have a still silent house, as I said adverse to silence.

Are we polluted by sound or is there a sound producing in us, is this not the difference, when we are polluted we become unable to conduct life normally or distracted for any actions our thoughts filled with cluttered thoughts, distracted from every angle.    However there is a true pure sound, a sound that will produce an inner person, that brings about a purpose.   A sound of the creator that resonates inside us, calling us, making a clear sound in the midst of so much sound pollution, can we hear it?    Here is a different take on a well-known text on Jesus life, while Jesus challenge in the garden of Gethsemane, a fight of what sound would Jesus listen to, the inner thoughts of his own will against the pure sound of the Father, in the struggle of his mind the human sounds, the voice that said “No”,there has to be a different way”, the voice in your head that says this is life threatening, too hard, go another way.   But a pure sound resonated inside Jesus he cleared the sound pollution become clear purposed “not my will but yours”.    That settled it the noise, the sounds became silent, its done now.      I know submitting to the will of God was and today is the challenge for us daily, however I know that when the purpose and will of God is before me noise, sound pollution of my mind speaks to prevent applying the will of the Father and I have to do a clean out of “whats in my eras“.

Where shall I turn to, whom shall I listen to?    So much information is available to make us all experts, I hear the challenges of some teachers and preachers today, discovering that as they teach, the people listening are more expert than they are, as they have the ability to research what is being said on iPad, iPhones and the like, right in front of the lectern, they can discover even more about the subject than the teacher/preacher does.   I even heard of one setting that invited twitter responses with questions as they taught, so they could deal with the questions in real-time, how exciting a use of modern technology, so to speak, it has become a realisation that people know more due to the accessibility of information.   Who will you listen to?

There was a day when we gathered to hear the superior knowledge, when the teacher at school or at the front, knew more than even mum and dad, when the child said “teacher said”, I recall saying it and hearing it from my own children.   Now with so much sound available, through podcasts, multiple teaching CD’s, books and the number of ‘Christian TV ‘ channels, who do you listen to?

In our world we live in if you do not define or outline the words you use, what you mean by every concept or biblical term, we all hear through gained filters of other people’s definitions and communication.   Try its use a term in a room covenant, authority, Kingdom of God, anointing.   To introduce simple words in conversion or teaching only to discover that even in a room with a few say a dozen people 12 different definitions and view of the same word or term are present.   The self-confessed expert has dominated our ears and we struggle to hear anything different.

More than ever it is necessary for us to help each other hear the sound of God, the voice of the Father, to enable us to say “what is in my ear”, so “What is in your ear?

It’s an time in the midst of so much sound, noise pollution, so much being said, so much teaching available that even contradicts.   How can be sure of whats truth any longer?    Neither cannot return to a day when one teacher had the monopoly of our ears, there is so much available today for us all, TV, podcast, books etc., etc.     Which can be and is a good thing as long as we instruct, teach more perfectly how each one of us can hear vice of God, helping us all to distinguish through our sentiments, emotions, insecurities, whats in vogue, whats the now word, even teaching us not to be subjective but how to know a God Sound.     The scriptures say “my sheep hear my voice” so you can hear God is dealing with the polluted sounds to get the pure sound.    Also realizing that revelation is not an individual event when it breaks in on our world but it is meant to be a corporate experience and corporate forming, so God Sounds are to be openly shared to become more perfect through each diverse life filter.    Find people who you know hear the Father and watch while listening so that they can help you here God Sounds.

So finally “Whats in your ears?”

 

You are the Ecclesia, what’s that?

University Challenge is a competitive quiz on British TV, it sets University against University in question after question to filter though academic grasp.   The quiz master announces at the beginning of every question set, the competitions format is a question is asked which when answered correctly opens up another 3 or 4 questions for the winning team, and only they that win the first question have the right to gain these points.   This first question therefore serves as a gateway question to the further set of questions.     The first question, the gate way question is always preceded with “This is your starter for 10 (points)”, just in the same way here is your ‘here is a starter for …” well the ecclesia, the church this is just a starter, how could we answer “what is it” as the ecclesia is such a major expression, how can you determine what is meant to be fluid and full of growing life?     We could really fully explain in a few short words, but here is a starter in terms of eternity’s view.

The ecclesia is it?

  • A building on a corner and a reclusive grouping, huddled together in fear of the reality of living?
  • A gathering of the emotionally crippled, the mentally scarred, seeking to find a God that will give them something to live for?
  • Or a congregation of bruised & broken, poor & powerless, banded together in common pain, motivated to share their self-pitying lot in life?
  • Or is it again the air-conditioned luxury pad of the affluent, middle class meeting to thank the God that grants them wealth & power & disturbs them not?
  • Or is a group gathered in a home pad hoping to make friends?
  • Or a group of people from every culture enjoying each other and God in a large congregation or house setting?

The ECCLESIA, a people called out according to purpose, the church is the congregation of God on the earth.    It is the manifestation of God on the earth.      His body through which his life & power expresses itself.    A community where the Kingdom of God is manifest in full measure.    A people Declaring, Living, Loving, being the nature and demonstration of the Father to the world.      Jesus respond to the enquiry of “…show us the Father…”, from his disciples those whom he had called to be with him he said to them “…who ever has seen me has seen the Father…” and later in John 1:18 (NASB) we are told that Jesus “…came to explain the Father…”, so too this church, the ecclesia does exactly that, see the community, the church and see the Father, the church is an explanation of God expressed through a family!

Yes it has gathered into itself the flotsam & jetsam of life or perhaps better put the fringes of life have been transformed, conformed and formed into the body of Christ.    The maimed & bruised, the weak & the poor, the lost of all lands forged together to be the people of God expressing the triumph of Christ, becoming the life of God while being attractive to our world (Isa 2).

Yes it has also gathered together the rich & the powerful, who found themselves empty with all but want of Him.

In Christ’s church all are leveled by grace & faith.

We must be elevated to a new place to understand the church, in and thru, which God is not only bring creation to liberty and freedom (Romans 8) but also instructing angels, the supernatural in the love and working of the Father (Eph 3:1-11).

The one thing I CAN SAY is this, THE ECCLESIA IS A FAMILY AND NOT AN ORGANIZATION OR STRUCTURE OR MEETING OR WHAT WE DO, IT IS WHO WE ARE, THE FAMILY OF GOD.    In the Day we live in its more than ever a time we became a family, the family of God taking on all its familial language and proclamation it.    Being those that bring the implication of being a family to bear on the church, being relational, belonging to each, realizing the order is in terms of fathers, sisters, mothers and brothers who have the function of ministries.    Never becoming a structured organization only governed by laws, do’s and do not’s but an organic living church, living by grace, acknowledging that the ecclesia does need some structure it is that which serves the life, enables the living, flowing, organic order to flow and let the family ways, Gods family ways direct the functioning and being of the church!

Re discovering and capturing back to creation the image and likeness of the Father in the Son.

Changing Your View

Changing your view: “We must pray the promise not the problem”.     We increase in faith as we boast in our hope, as we are a testimony of things to come. Heb 3:6

Faith must find it’s true measure; it has to be unlocked, unhitched from the wagon of healing, goodies & money and  given a wider and deeper application to our time & our lives, faith is bigger than the few issues mentioned above.   Unfortunately any one looking in on the church will think there are only a few things that are impacted by what we call faith, don’t get me wrong these issues, money, healing and provision will be reorder by our faith but there is so much more to unlock in our understanding when we consider faith.    So many themes, life factors are hijack to a narrow view of our understanding when there is much more to take hold of in Gods promises.   For example healing, when your sick it’s a blessing but when the promise of God to us is full health then healing  for the world around us let’s believe for health as a covenant people, prosperity finance only when prosperity is a fullness of life in peace, even blessing for me when we are to be blessed to be a blessing.    Rediscovering the truth of “living by faith” is a call for our hour, it is a call to live beyond the immediate, beyond my need, it is a way of life, living by faith is not when I look for income its a way of live continuity not just to get my need we are to live by faith not by events of faith only.

Faith must enrich us in every way and not simply adjust the material realm.     Indeed to be in the worst kind of poverty is to have all the material wealth you could ever wish for and yet be empty, unfulfilled, frustrated, and miserable, then, you are really poor.     Poverty is not a lack of resource but a people who are dependent on others for basic resources, our dependency should be on God not on resources.

In the same way that faith has to be unhinged so too Prophecy.   Prophecy must be seen bigger that just used in the realm of signs and authenticating a man or woman and their ministry, its time to find it’s true message to our time.    Prophecy does have a predictive aspect to it but much more we are to be a people who interoperate God to our world in our daily life, this is prophecy.     Prophecy gives the people of God a voice to interpret God’s onward creative acts in society and our world telling and interpreting.       Prophecy is to confront us with a plumb line of truth, enabling us, asking us, to build in the light of it, the prophecy that is, building according to a divine pattern and foundation, this requires our faith to be applied in our daily living.

Prophecy must be elevated in the ministry, to deliver us into our world, and the Kingdom of God into us.    Prophecy takes the taste of the age to come and increases the taste, allowing the breaking in of the Kingdom of God to enfold further in this world.

Faith and Prophecy are twinned, for many prophecy is shouting out things that come to mind, but our faith is tied to that which we utter and live.   Prophecy must be a life style as well as an utterance, the people of God, the church, will become the direct manifestation of prophecy just as the prophets of old, their lives, the way in which they lived was a gift, you could see the life’s message in their life style choice and the way they lived.

Faith and prophecy twinned, Romans 12:6 says “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith” as we are told to prophecy to the measure of our faith it becomes necessary to re-asses our place, that is, what we are involved with or  what we are doing, checking that it is in line, not only with the prophecy but also with my faith, living by faith every moment of every day.

Two basic questions:

Do we feel content to continue as we are?

Do we desperately want to break through into different realms?

These twins are necessary in order that the twins of mercy and goodness can follow us all the days of our lives…There is no release from the lower sphere of this material realm, of content existence, unless we have experienced the liberating prospect of the Spirit freeing us to rise as an eagle, to climb the air to the high altitudes of living.

Faith and Prophecy unlocks us to soar free, to live out our potential in the Grace of the Father.

Kingdom, Kingdom!

Your responses to life’s situations, your behaviour and actions are the result of your theology not of your intellect or emotions”.   We concluded with this last time I wrote going on to say that, we have come to a world that react rather than living out convictions from the foundation of life actually from the Christ, who is our foundation….to believe is to live out our belief, this has an impact on our view and should reflect what new birth is in reality.     If this cosmos rules in our life then it is questionable, if the other place the Kingdom has been either seen or entered, it will alter our way of life.

The word may have entered the mind, even been welcomed by the emotions even germinated thought through influence but we have to see that only when we have come to live by the Spirit (Romans 8 “…led by the Spirit are we not the sons of God…”)  birthed in us is a power greater than any other.   Christ has incarnate himself in us by the Spirit, that is Christ in you the hope of glory will now rule our direction, emotions, actions and decisions.     A power works with in transforming, forming and conforming us to Christ causing us to become those who are taking on board his interests, his cause as our first cause.   The company we keep, Money decisions, Homes we build , our families  all become expressions and demonstrations of the Kingdom of God, we are disciples of the Kingdom.    The Holy Spirit is so integral to the coming, the establishing of the Kingdom, the coming of the promise of Holy Spirit was a demonstration for early Christians that surely the Messiah had come and his Kingdom is here.   We can not have the Kingdom of God with out the Holy Spirit Romans 14 says it is not external things “…eating and drinking…” but that the “…Kingdom of God is righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit…” that is the Kingdom of God  in the Holy Spirit, as a great teacher Ern Baxter always stressed.

This is the reason we should not get excited about a kind of Christianity that marginalise the Holy Spirit.  How do we marginalise? through over planning, through not giving room for the Holy Spirit in direction and influence in lives.     Do not allow life  to become a system of lists that replaces any form of listening to the Spirits voice, actually not allowing us to learn the art of listening.   To give preeminence to the Holy Spirit means letting go of control and trusting another.    If we are not Holy Spirit directed we will end up making much of minors and little on major issues in our walk and Kingdom life.     Years ago it was getting lost on such issues, minor ones, such as “they had a drink of alcohol”, compliance to dress codes, attendance at all meetings, to show commitment, whilst at the same time allowing people’s attitudes  to stink, allowing un-forgiveness in hearts to remain, divisive conversation and gossip being the major issues we should have been dealing with.   The fight of the cosmic system that continues to try to ‘run’ the agent of the Kingdom of God in this world.

There is a  challenge in getting trapped into programs to ‘attract’ rather than being centers of Holy Spirit activity  where the kingdom of God is manifest, that is what is attractive.   Imprisoned by wrong expectations we have created in people’s hearts a faith of minimum cost and involvement whilst giving maximum rewards and benefits.

There is areal sense on the one hand of God working purpose and advance in some parts of the world, of people turning to Christ, yet we still have a church that has promoted a religion rather than the advancement of the Kingdom of Heaven.   Many Christians have weekly round trip tickets from the Kingdom of God to the Kingdom of…???… Returning to spirituality on Sunday.

To advance the Kingdom of God is to serve God in our generation, it is to serve Gods purpose, God aims and objectives, taking up the Fathers interest and living according to Gods’ will rather than mine.

Actions

1        Bring our own lives in line with Divine rule (not a common term these days but how else should we say it?) letting a Godly order come in our lives

2        Determine for yourself all you have, and see it as totally available for the advance of the Kingdom of God – a son of the kingdom (see blog…???)

3         Recognise you are joined to the body of Christ, discover where you are to be planted by God with a people and function, be yourself there, not a title, but invest you into the lives around you.

4       Rule and overcome in your world (personal, circumstantial, Spirit, possessions…)

5         See your own life as extending its’ influence to the ends of the earth as Abraham’s seed

6         Deal with the enemies of progress in your life.

  1. Possessions – the materialistic chains of the Cosmos, it is not a problem having stuff,  it is a problem  when the stuff has you.
  1. Ambition – ungodly drives that conflict with the Kingdom of God
  2. Position – status,platforms of life you will seek to protect
  3. Relationships – when they bring other kingdoms to distract you
  4. Possessiveness – you are a steward and servant you don’t own any one

May you aim to see Gods order and God’s image and likeness restored to our world in fullness, the coming of the Kingdom of God.