The day the church, the Ecclesia, stops Emerging is the day it becomes a religious institution. Everything we are is coming from the eternal we have tasted of an age to come, the Kingdom has come, is coming and is here, we have been saved, are saved and are being saved. We journey towards an Ever Arriving God, is this not revelation in essence, it’s still coming, the Ecclesia – church along with the Father. God is too large that we know him ALL what a great adventure we have joined.
prophetic
“How should we respond?”
“…Osama Dead – Censored Video Leakedon.fb.me Osama is dead, watch this exclusive
CNN video which was censored by Obama Administration due to level of violence, a must watch. Leaked by Wikileaks…”
I had this sent to me on Facebook and refused to watch it, I am some times amazed at us, we who should “explain the Father” as Jesus did so John 1:18 (NASB) tells us, we humanity being the reflectors of the image of God, it begs the question does the world know more about the Father, creator God through my words actions and love?
Our news channels were filled with surprising news, is this the beginning of a confrontation or an end to a long-standing confrontation, giving us news of things that we were previously unaware of. I have a challenge for us today having watched the worldwide announcement on the death of a man, a man who many have longed to see the end of or the conclusion of a struggle. Without doubt Osama Bin Laden has caused much fear and caused much damage during his lifetime. My writing is not however about this man, to elevate or put down I’m not here to pass judgment on him at this time, but more about the state of affairs in our world and the people we find around us.
It challenges us, especially those of us with faith, we are especially challenged in how should we respond? Our screens have been filled with attacks in Libya in the name of liberation, the fight for liberty within Syria, African nations battle within its boundaries, with all we know that is going on in our world, how do we, with the faith respond to the problem of evil in our world. It seems as though we so easily join those who ignore evil until it hits us right between our eyes, but the question remains, how do we respond?
We have seen Celebrations surrounding the death of this man flooding in to the streets, the concerned conversations of retaliation in political corridors, the soul-searching comments and questions on Facebook, Twitter, and Blogs like mine let alone the news. The spiritual representatives uttering different view whether by the Archbishop of Canterbury or by the Dalai Lama, comments that conflict some times. We see one nation flooding in celebration to the streets and another nation struggling and condemning the celebration of this death.
I note the number of Facebook and Twitter comments re-stating Martin Luther King Jr’s powerful quotation “I will mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
We can be fully aware of evil in its actions and movements and do nothing about it, governments can be fully aware of the axis of evil, Al-Qaeda, the forces that seem to undermine our world, terrorism and its operation and nobody moved to do anything, or wanted to know about it until the twin towers fell, or more lately our banking world collapsed. Until it hit us face on. We are certain that the factors and forces involved were moving and breathing before the disaster, and were even under surveillance but no-one wanted to take it too seriously until it was too late.
The challenges of this evil goes on and we are all fully aware of the problem that faces the developing world with chronic national debt and HIV threats to whole populations but nobody in the West wants to take it too seriously. In the poorer countries of our world the challenge is in the conscious of all the poor who are being de-sensitized by being offered Pepsi and sweetness from the developed world who in turn are tapping into a huge market for themselves, but adding health problems due to excess sugar to the already chronic problems of our world. The banking challenge that we are still facing was there for everyone to see but nobody wanted to take it seriously until it was too late. Today the changes, the implications it has brought about are still to be handled with the rise of the ‘BRICS’ nations and their perhaps rightful demand for change in the IMF, United Nations, it’s far from over, it was plain to see but it was just too late.
Let us not ignore changes and evil except when it hits us between the eyes; let us know how to respond.
How should we respond?
Today I have to admit I’m challenged, disappointed and stand emotionally wondering how should I react? Do I, do we reacting in immature and dangerous ways, we Know that we can no longer be isolated and removed in our actions as our media immediately delivers the emotional explosions right in our living rooms, whether it’s a Libyan politician protesting after very so-called attempted on taking the life of his Presidents or whether it’s people flooding out onto the street celebrating the death of one man.
Our world that celebrates the killing, with joy the TV screens report in my living room, of a killer who celebrates killing I am not sure what to make of the life we live and times we breath in? Is our world just out of control in our immaturity?
How should I respond?
Surely not by lashing out at something you simply know by media. Is it a sign of strength to just tolerate human atrocities? Surely neither of these is the way to build a stable model society. The appalling acts of his unprovoked horror and anger but we must avoid knee jerking reaction, unthinkingly, immature lashing out will get us nowhere and will get misunderstood otherwise we will divide people into acceptable and unacceptable people groups which again is immature. Lashing out as those you perceive as being evil in the hope that we deal with the problem will certainly not solve anything for anyone
‘Evil’ is a four letter word that surely can only be dealt with by another four letter word ‘love’, but how do we love? I don’t hold any particular answers at this time, I am sure that this will frustrate some, but I would say that we should find within ourselves a means for the love of God to be shared abroad for us not to ignore evil, not to lash out and react, but to be wise. How can I display a better way of living with difference? Rather than joining those we see as evil.
I hope you will consider how you and I can counter the quick spiral into evil and prevent the downward spiral of evil and violence from being ours too. Remember the four letter word of God that the ‘love’ of God to be shed abroad and bring healing to the world in a small way, if we all play our part, it would be a big thing. So what do you or who do you see as evil that the LOVE of God can be shown?
How should I/we respond?
What Is God Saying to the Church ?
What is God doing? What is God saying? This is an age old question. One that has been asked and I am sure will continue to be asked through out the ages until he returns. I have a challenge with this question, and it is this, as I read the scriptures I find that God very rarely says ‚ ONE thing‚ the Bible closes with God speaking to the church in the opening pages of the book of Revelation, that book of the blessings when it is read he speaks to 7 churches with 7 different words.
So what is he saying today? I believe He is saying many things around the globe. However whatever way I look at it, and whenever I hear the word of the Lord, I am convinced that He is not silent and is moving powerfully by the Spirit in this hour, in unprecedented ways. I sense that I can cry out and believe for the ‚ Harvest of the Nations in our generation, a Revival move of God that will bring about transformation in society.
Sandra, my wife, and I were commissioned of God in San Diego to go and call in a wave of God, a wave of Revival that would move by the Spirit around the world. Our first port of call was Cape Aghulas, in South Africa, there we saw this wave rise from the deeps of the ocean, even the locals said they had not seen such waves before. A wave of the Spirit is on, we have to call it into being, through the spoken word, hunger, and passion, and we must maintain it until it circulates the globe.
I believe that at this moment, God is bringing to the church, three ‚ I’s, as I call them Intimacy, where God is drawing close to us with an intimate, fathers love. Immediacy, that we are all aware of the immediate presence of God, with no need for spiritual exercises, but the closeness of God comes with immediacy. Imagination, where we are seeing the redemption of our imagination, where God can fill and speak to us in the realm of our imagination.
In this hour we should take on heavens priorities, and join with Isaiah’s cry, Because I love Zion, I will not keep still. Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch. The nations will see your righteousness. World leaders will be blinded by your glory. And you will be given a new name by the LORD”s own mouth, ¶ Give the LORD no rest until he completes his work, until he makes Jerusalem the pride of the earth.‚ (Isaiah 61:1, 7)
Lets follow David’s declaration of what is important when he said ‚ “May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I fail to remember you, if I don’t make Jerusalem my greatest joy.” (Psalm 137:6)
These words restated in the language of today is… “I am ready to loose my gift if I do not put your priority at the centre of my life, as my highest goal, giving voice and life to what you have as the Apple of your eye‚ God I want to line up with your burning zeal for your House.
This Jerusalem is not a long gone historic city or one that will come to a geographical place but it is the Bride of Christ, the Body of Christ, the Church proclaiming and living the Kingdom of God, the Church of God, a people born of the Holy Spirit. He loves his church; it is His answer to his creation in bringing the message of His Christ and the Kingdom of God!
What is important is not only what He is saying, but what is he doing, where do we see His work? Where do we see His will being done?
Clearly there is a strong move in the world today that is heralded by the advance of the Kingdom of God and its message. As a church we are finally returning to the only message Jesus had, that is, the message of the Kingdom, this I believe is God’s heart and burden. We are to give voice to the message that Jesus came to declare; finally it’s no more the message of the Church but that of the Kingdom of God and it is being proclaimed by the Church of God!
For thirty years, I have worked to proclaim the message of Kingdom in areas of family, personal character, finance, accountability, government, Ephesians 4:11 ministries being restored, and today a fresh wave is coming again, bringing a fuller understanding of the Kingdom. I see three prongs to this kingdom advance, one of these prongs, thrust, is the coming of the Kingdom in signs, wonders, and miracles, with signs following an Apostolic Church, a church hungry for its head, Christ Jesus. Being led by a faceless people moved by the Fathers love not by spiritual superstars but rather all who believe. The Kings Domain is coming near and every other domain has to bow the knee. Men such as Bill Johnson from Redding, California are both writing and heralding this, as well as many others. The focus with each of these ministries is a burden to take it to the street into the societies in which we live.
The other prong, thrust, is a message of the Kingdom that has a redemptive implication to society, not an escapism mentality, but one that takes up stewardship for our creation, taking the Kingdom to our society and to creation ultimately. Seeing the Kingdom of our Christ molding and restoring society through you and me.
That finally we will see the coming to pass of Isaiah 58:12 (NASB) “Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up the age-old foundations; And you will be called the repairer of the breach, The restorer of the streets in which to dwell”‚ and echoed again in Zechariah 8:4, 5 (Message) ‚ “Old men and old women will come back to Jerusalem, sit on benches on the streets and spin tales, move around safely with their canes – a good city to grow old in. And boys and girls will fill the public parks, laughing and playing – a good city to grow up in.”
This move of God across the earth effecting society works largely through discipling. The people of God, involved with this move are realizing that they should go out and start communities of Christ where they live, these groups are known as Emerging Church, Organic Church, Simple Church, and these expressions are growing all across the world. In the USA 15 million believers have left established Church structures during the last 5 years to become a part of this emerging move, in the UK some 40,000 simple churches have emerged in the last 18 months, there is a move of God on here. God is working doing something!
Men such As Brian McLaren cry out if we do not change, transform society with the gospel – what is the point? Men such Floyd Mclung (YWAM and Metro Church, Kansas City) even establishing a Simple Church college in Cape Town!
What it all means, is that for the first time we could have a broader Kingdom message embracing the three advances of God to bring about transformation to see Jesus return to a Church that has overcome! With this proclamation of the Kingdom message of Jesus one cannot disregard the growth of a fresh hunger for his authentic Presence and Revival, a Revival first in the people of God becoming so hungry for him, then so filled with him that they will go to every walk of life, school, office, factory, home taking the fire of God with them in their hunger.
We have not yet fully realized the movement that is going on in the Spirit realm, moving heaven, the world is catching up with the moving of God that has been in the supernatural realm since the turn of the Century.
There is growing, in church after church, a people of God who are hungry, a hunger which goes beyond where it has been for years, it is a tangible hunger, there is an intense fire burning in hearts for his presence, a growing hunger. It is a hunger that we will need to persist in and not allow it come and burn out quickly over night but sustain until the Revival arrives at your door. We have to learn to persevere in this hunger for God.
What is God doing then? We have to realize that we are watching and dealing with things that we do not understand today, it reminds me of the wisdom of Proverbs 14:4 “Without oxen a stable stays clean.” Today we have to realize that where God is working it gets messy. Just consider the Corinthian Church with God moving strongly. What a challenge for those who want it done, decently and in order‚ Whose order is the question?
Recently I came across a definition for wisdom that stated, “the ability to act with knowledge while doubting what you know.” that will challenge most of us particularly the theologians, but it is the reality of progressive revelation. Consider this example, those who once preached against speaking in tongues but Gods grace broke in on them, and they spoke, it went outside what they held to so dearly and God was bigger. It is an hour to be flexible in our walk with God, knowing that he is so much bigger than our finite minds.
So what is God doing? Things are so evidently different to days gone by. Have we not cried for new ways, new wine, a new thing? Can we believe that what we are seeing could be the beginning of the Harvest of the Nations. One thing I am convinced of is that the movings of God we see and hear, are creating a burning hunger in His people, which is a fundamental key for our hour.
We believe that there is a move of God to put Revival in our spirits that we walk in a Revival atmosphere with in our own lives and subsequently who ever comes in contact with us will be revived and confronted by the Kingdom of God that makes all other kingdoms bow!
I pray that your hunger is stirred for a wave of God to touch you, and cause you to reach your world right NOW!
Whatever we see, experience and hear at this time we must see it as fruit bearing that is:
Lives are being transformed into the fullness of Christ;
The church is becoming full of life
Lives are finding Jesus through Peoples life stories
Finally society is being impacted on every level, politically, educationally socially in order that justice and righteousness will ring through the whole fabric of day-to-day life.
Your Kingdom Come…….
It’s crumbling: ALL CHANGE!
In the last few weeks what challenges we have seen all heralding World Wide change. Changes focused especially for the UK with the forthcoming election and world-wide travel.
Two historic events right before us, filling the UK 24 hour news channels, with many words and pictures filling out the same news time and time again, repeated every 15 minutes, really very little new news made much. We are seeing the art of making little information go a long way, and in it all Changes are certainly being heralded.
On the one hand we hear of a change that has been spoken about for quite some and is much-needed, so industry and the medial tell us, the adjustment in the aviation industry. A volcanic Cloud halts over 1 million people from travelling by air, keeping them locked up in airport terminals, with little facilities, preventing them from reaching their destinations and others in a holding pattern at holiday destinations. This same cloud hits the slow economy and will affect the already struggling airline companies, with up to £200 million losses per day. We will see the long required rationalisation of the industry, with the small being swallowed up by the big. What ever your view we will see a global change in air travel, brought about by this natural event, an eruption of the volcano in the land of Fire and Ice, Iceland. With all our technical and modern ability a natural creational event brings us to a halt how ironic, when the world thought it was in control a high level wind and little weather change showed us different.
On the other hand we are witnessing a political historic event, the first public televised debate on British Television with the main Political Party Leaders making their positions known.
Change: This will change the preparation of future candidates, their training, the expectations placed upon them, and their ability to stand in front of millions of viewers at any given time. Transforming our politics to celebrity status and making politicians, celebrities.
Change: People are now making decisions based on TV performances rather than on substance or policy. People are being won over by charisma, the way the politician looks into the camera lens and connects with the audience, the use of body language, what about the policies?
Change: Who is there to govern?
Change: Adjusting my financial position often just in the immediate, and yet what about the long-term?
Change: the relationship of the British public with a flat HD ready screen, a relationship with him or her of the celluloid type,
Change: Will we be trapped and find ourselves in a 16:9 box? Or will we be free to herald a greater change, that of the closing of an age. Will we see the church lost to celebrity status in an “I’m a Celebrity, get me out of here” church organisation style, seeking either escape from reality or platform status?
I will not get caught up in this moment, the prediction addiction sickness that some people of God seem to suffer with. Getting caught in predicting what the wind, volcano, particles in the air, and planes, all mean, trying to say it’s prophetic. Being prophetic is much more about interpreting Gods view rather than prediction. As with all prophetic there is only one view and one goal, just as the Father has, this view is called the Son of God the Christ King. So lets see what does it all say about Jesus.
Change: In all this the great change we see this “The King is coming”.
The kingdom, like solar rays of the new age, is being heralded, coming down from the horizon. A Horizon filled with one view, a man, not just any man, but a distinct man. Acts 17:31 tells us of a day coming that God has ordained, when a “man” (NASB) who He “has appointed” to bring a change, not only to bring it but he is the change factor. He is the archetype of the change “appointed” in the Greek the word is ’horizo’ where we gain our word horizon from, he is our horizon in everything. To be the standard, the herald of the change, this man marks out the boundaries and limits of all creation. He created it, he beings the plumb line of life and character, he explains all even the Father (John 1:18). This is real change, we see it coming and it has a World Wide, creational impact. For we see him, “the Man “as the Christ of God. The King heralding in his Kingdom
“The King is coming”
During our age it is about the powerful and permanent breaking in of the government of God, God in our age, “the coming Kingdom”, “the Kingdom already here”. God in our age showing up, better still revealing himself in places and people with the one aim of preparing a people for this coming age; a Kingdom Age. In our living, loving, relating, finance, business, relationships, and family lives
The King is coming.
God in our age is bringing change, changes to they way we think, the way we love, the way we interact, the way we relate to establish a Kingdom.
The King is coming
It’s a time when the old age is dying, it is breaking down and a new age is being born. From the picture in Daniel 2 to now, when the “…Stone… …cut out by an invisible hand”, hit the statue (Daniel 2:34 Message) we have been watching a Kingdom taking its place. The stone shattered a then established Empire, for an Empire has always been in the heart of man and mankind’s aim is always to create an Empire to rule.
The question for you and I is will you be a part of a Kingdom or an Empire, submitted or Caesar, Christ’s cause or your own cause, will you become 1st of a new order.
Luke 2:1 introduces us to the decree of an Empire and then again Luke 3:1. Our Empire model, a string of those called “tetrarch”. The word tetrarch just means the number four, representing mankind in all the four corners of the earth, human government, empirical order. Since man gave away his rule Empire has always wanted to establish itself, a hierarchical rule with mankind supreme in all and being governed by a head.
It’s no coincidence that even in Old Testament pictures mankind is depicted with four faces, four aspects, could this be directing its self to the same thought that men and women of old had to deal with in the midst of all cultures, yet God was to be their King not a Caesar, a loving, giving, Father who would be their all.
The passage in Luke 3 opens with the presentation of the “tetrarch”, the rule of mankind, its priesthood established and a “…word of God came to John…” then Verse 23 we have a small word “began”, “…when he (Christ) began…” such a small word yet packed full of intention of purpose, of Kingdom power. This “began” heralds the stone of the Prophet Daniel hitting an Empire, Kingdom and Empire will always be at the forefront of our fight. Who rules, who governs, a Caesar, mankind or the Christ, a political, business, sports, celebrity or even a church leader. Is it to be His mission or our goals and visions, our plans or His kingdom, our models, or His family, our prediction addiction to end times, or his Kingdom breaking in to a world winding up. The building of religious church with its organisation or the messy dynamic multiplying Kingdom of God extending itself through lives of transformed people and into creation
He “began” a simple word which in its original form, not like a University Challenge question master saying because I began the question I will finish, or even how we start something but translates into “to ruler over, reign over, to be chief, to lead, to rule, to take its first place”. Jesus did not start a project an event or a mission at that hour but took first place in all creation, in rule order, the stone uncut by human hand!
In Luke 3:1 we have the gathering of the Empires Rule, the Celebrity Rule, Popular Rule, Self Rule; it was a gathering of all who ruled with human authority at its highest. It seems as if the chapter deliberately begins with V 1 & 2 outlining earthly authority, the whole weight of political and religious Empire, then we have this eternal pivotal point of “…He began…” he became first in order and we close the chapter with a list of Christ’s genealogy leading back to the “…Son of God…”, this Kings lineage goes right back to the Father of all. Empire pronounced and a simple beginning of a Kingdom of the Son and the “sons of God” established.
Ever since this stone hit the Empire we have been watching the crumbling of every system around us, communism, capitalism, every system, secular and religious all crumbling as a new Kingdom breaks through. Cracks appearing in all systems until the Kingdom emerges in fullness, at the very point of the cross the stone struck with its force, and every financial, political, social system was finished, until now we have been bringing forth a new Kingdom, the Kingdom of his Christ!
“The King is coming”
The people of God the “…called out ones…” the church, has been quietly hitting against every system since the stone struck the statue all those years ago, heralding a day when the King will fully take his place of Rule.
It is not enough however to see it out there, we have to work with it inside us and bring adjustment to our attitudes our appetites our tongue our mind and our actions, these adjustments are as much the kingdom breaking through as are the adjustments to world systems and old orders giving way to a coming King.
We see a generation in labour pains, in transition, as a people we straddle the boundary of time and eternity, tomorrow people today, kaleidoscope together today’s generation, making it ‘s changes to show another design. This generation is busying itself in mission, in transforming society not as a historic repeat, as many historians would say; after every move of God some 30 years on social responsibility hits, but this action comes as an outcome of a Kingdom message. As an implication of what we have seen over the last 30 years that we must bring redemption to our world, to see creation brought out of its inability to complete (Romans 8:18-25). Creation subjected to futility against its will, the Father not allowing creation to finish its course until the “…sons of God take their place…” and creation itself receives of the freedom that these citizen of an age to come live by “freedom”. The Kingdom brings with it a people who have inside themselves a God ordained ability to complete what God has begun as his ambassadors in creation.
We stand as two moral systems, two value systems, two different philosophies of life, but we are not the only ones in history to straddle two times. 2000 years ago at the point of Christ’s birth, He experienced similar, but in microcosm. The same conflict and pressure was evident as something new was about to break forth in the earth just as there is in this the third testament.
Between the Old Testament & the New Testament there were 400 years of silence, a time for dreamers and the faithful of the faith.
Isaiah had spoken 700 years before that a Messiah – a deliverer would be born, Malachi spoke some 300 years earlier and said that Elijah would return coming as a forerunner to the Christ, sent as a messenger to herald the arrival of Christ.
400 years down from the silence began two families, ordinary enough families, normal, one of religious order and the other of humble craftsmen they fuelled the dreams and provided the flesh along with a fresh hope to an oppressed people.
When Jesus and John were born a ripple of reaction spread throughout Israel. John first disturbed a family priesthood, and silence was produced in the temple. When Jesus was born, murder was breathed as the Empire reacted to a simple challenge by an infant; the empire was threatened, and so reacted as Empires do. Ripples of reaction spread throughout Israel, but then 30 more years of silence, life slipped back into oppression, Simeon had declared he had seen the light of the Gentiles but the excitement now had faded and things once again returned to normality. Children played, work went on, the temple strengthened its oppressive hold, and Caesar controlled totally becoming stronger and stronger. As time went on, perhaps the disturbance 30 years earlier was dim to some but to those who had lost loved ones may be not
Then, “there was a man sent by God” out of the desert, out of obscurity he emerges.
“…A Man…”
It is important it says a man, to prepare Gods way…. You are important to prepare Gods way in this generation. For out of the silence a man, the corporate man of God is still to make its appearance, a corporate man sent of God to herald a King.
Word became flesh and dwelt among us, God locks himself into man, the limitless one becoming self-limited, assuming human limitations. His covenant with man demanded his union with man.
Jesus will inaugurate the Kingdom John the last of the old order, Jesus first of new and Empires, systems fall.
A change today for a corporate man, the man the sons of God, the bride church, to herald the way:-
To deal with its separatism, its characterless, to come away from celebrity to the Christ to become the word fleshed out moving out of a community.
To complete creation, and be Christ in our communities, to have the character and measure to contain the gifts and callings of Christ. To be the hands, eyes, ears, feet of Christ to explain the Father to our world
The King is coming
To Rule to change inner hearts, to be those who seek the Kingdom of God, who love the Christ, and see themselves as Gods instruments, the apple of His eye, and give all they have to extend the Kingdom, not just the church, to bring in the new order and see it established through their lives.
The King is coming
To stay away from a church system that becomes a business, that can so easily feel so right and yet is still an Empire, but to be the herald of the Kingdom.
The King is coming
Face2Face - Gareth Duffty Blog 