whats happening

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

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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!

Setting things Right

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What do you see?

Psalm 97: 6 (Message)        The heavens announce that he’ll set everything right, And everyone will see it happen—glorious!

  • Announcing heavens
  • Set right
  • Non-restricted seeing

All to do with my heavenly Father, he is glorious.

The NASB translations says it like this “…The heavens declareHis righteousnessand all the people’s have seen His glory…”

A heavens that speak to us is our wonderful gift, a declaring, an announcing heavens, lets listen to what it declares, the coming of “…Let your kingdom come…” the arrival of a King arriving to “…set everything right…”       The order, and rule, the right way up, as it is in heaven, is being declared through and by the heavens, lets listen!   Letting the eternal sound catch our inner person grooming us drawing us to look beyond the moment to see what is still to arriving in God’s economy.

“Setting everything right” is this not the same as your kingdom come, you and I have been brought into asking, praying, for what the heavens and Christ are declaring, the work of a unified voice of all creation people and heavens.   The Fathers order coming, the house of God arriving in all creation, the Kings way a highway through all of cosmos which includes my ‘little’ world.    At the school gate, in the office during classroom time, at home with the toddlers, on the road as I drive, you see it around you as you live it.    Making the far country where my abode is to be that my life is, the far country of the Kingdom of God that has arrived and is still arriving this order everything set right that is the Fathers house.

This setting in order that the Psalmist speaks of is not to be a hidden thing or in a removed place secluded small with drawn place but a place where the seeing is non-restrictive a place that “…everyone will see it happen…”

“And every one will see it happen-glorious” or “And all the people’s, have seen His glory” can this be the glory that is Christ given that is in the process of being reveled, the same that Paul writes to the Ephesus church about in the book of Ephesians that the church is to be “…the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places…” (Eph 3:10) followed by “…to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen…” (Eph 3:21).   The reveling of the church, the called out ones that are the carriers of Gods glory that will fill the earth “…as the waters cover the sea…”?

The called out people of God are the display of His Glory, we are introduced and believe in Christ that is a gift giver to the church, in John 17 we note that he gives to the church two things, one being His Word and the other, wait for it this is mind bending, see now he has given, past tense, to the church……His glory.     Not something to be hunted for or chased after but lived in light of, now read these two scriptures before you stamp all over me:

John 17: 5 “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was…”

V 22 “…The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one;”

The glory to make an open display of in the whole fabric of creation – every one will see it happen-glorious.

One of our Western challenges, or where ever there is the hold of consumerism in the culture we live in, that has subtle impact upon all of us in relation to our desire for God our chase of the Holy Spirit which I believe we need to be careful and wise with.   If we do not we will find our journey towards maturity and desire for the Father being put off course.

Firstly let me say, of course the people of God are to deepen their intimacy with the Father realizing that he has made the way possible and it is not us that creates the possibility or means but its his grace that has done it all.   Every blockage has been removed, every meandering pathway has been straightened, every chasm has been crossed by the Father.  In essence there is no reason but for our own self that we cannot be deeply intimate with the Father.    The work has been “…finished…” it is open to us to first enjoy and be one with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The onward chase or search for God must not come from our way of society, from our cultural paradigm.    The society we live in places demands on us daily see it or not its there.   A demand from leadership at the top of every organization, we are expected to increase our results against our expanding changing forms of evaluation, just look at our schooling system let alone the business world.   It’s the promise of unlimited progress with the need of continuous improvement (Japanese concept – kaizen).    Most of our world is competitive, we like to win and beat the competition.    We must not bring this into the world of the Father.

Our world holds up individual liberties as a high goal along with the pursuit of happiness and consumer mentality but this way of life has produced a cycle that has been so below our radar.    In the retail world we see first “customer satisfaction”  as being a high goal and so it should, but here is the subtlety, in order to bring satisfaction we have first have to produce dissatisfaction with where we are, what we are, along with what we have gained.   Paul tells us that had learned to be content with little/nothing and much, I would suggest that contentment was not based on what was still to come but on what has been given and what is available now.

We see our commitments at point of purchase only lasting until the next unit is developed and made available, when the next model or style or fashion comes on the market dissatisfaction moves in.   This has a way of pushing its way into our relationship and pursuit of God which me must become fully aware of, other wise we are wanting more due to societies ability to subtly produce discontentment’s and we want more.

Of course we are to be intimate and enjoy God, for he has made a way.   It’s an overflow and growing of our love that manifests in our desire to be continuously conscious of the Christ and the Father as there is never a moment where he is not present in his fullness.  Which should have an effect on how we live NOW.   Not because I need more as what I have is not enough due to consumer dissatisfaction

Be careful that my cry for more flows from my love and not from this invasion of the society we live in that has a subtle way of producing discontent with a promise of contentment “when I”, “if I”

The psalmist here brings an encouragement to join the declaration throughout the fabric of creation “set things right” we are to declare “Your Kingdom Come” make this place the setting of your environment o Lord as we bring your Kingdom in daily life we declare we show the heavens the glory of the Lord.

The heavens and the called out people of God  announce he will set all things right,  a unified voice, purpose and work come about in setting things right with an invading Kingdom that is arriving at every hand

Announcing heavens

Set right

Non-restricted seeing

“How should we respond?”

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“…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?

” – “…Between the Times, a hyphen between two dates!

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Far Reaching

” –  ” will you be willing to put your trust in God… even when nothing is happening?

Acts 1:12-26, what a passage when people’s’ worlds turn up side down then a promise “…wait until…” what did they expect?    they had become quite aware of the unexpected by now.   Who is going to come?   Is this what we are waiting for the “…promise…”.   O the topsy-turvy times of following Jesus.      These two things seem to go together, wait and promise, wait and promise, can you hear them it’s on its way, but all you can shout is WHEN?

How many times do we go through this emotional roller-coaster, how many times are we left to our own devices? it seems like he is there,  we see and hear him, then silence and what do we do?   does it sound familiar,  all you have to do is wait!

I focused on the question of whether the 120 disciples in the upper room did the right thing in choosing Matthias as Judas as successor. Hey I am not going to bring a judgement, just a reflection and a question that poses itself over our lives.  They were “between the times“—following Jesus’ ascent and before the Holy Spirit’s descent.    Between times, have you ever thought of people’s’ graves or epitaphs “David Smith 1934 – 1998,  the person’s whole life is concluded with  a hyphen.   all you have done, all you hoped for, all you waited for summed up in ” – “.  How long is yours?  ” – ” what have you done?  ” – ” sums it all up, we are all marked with the same mark are we not? at the end of the day a ” – “.   So what happened in your ” – ” did it all just roll by,  did some one take hold of your life and formulate it, or did you design your own ” – “?.

Between times, between two dates I wonder what are life’s’ joys, trials, advances and successes and of course some set backs,  where are the places and times when God  shows himself?   I think it all comes down to how I conduct myself in the between times.

Consider these thoughts:

  • When nothing is happening we often tend to make things happen. The disciples had no direction or instruction to do what they did, that I can see, to choose Judas’ successor. The 120 may have felt a need to do something during the time they were waiting for the promise of the Father (see Acts 1:4).    Been there?  Abraham was….. and in that between time was when he agreed on a plan to produce a son?
  • When we get simple instructions from God we should take them with both hands. Their instructions were clear and simple: Don’t leave Jerusalem, and wait.     Complicated or what?   there must be more we say inside our selves!
  • When nothing is happening but we are obedient, it is God’s problem, not ours.

When I’m in South Africa I am asked,  when in the UK I am asked, in the USA I am asked…..”What are you seeing amongst the churches in this nation or that one today?”  “What is God doing in UK, Africa, Asia?”    We have great pockets of God at work right in front of us along with behind the scenes, many will say your missing it if don’t you know about this place or that ministry?……But the the answer is: “Not a lot these days”, now before you go down my throat and defend what your involved with, this is not a denial what God is working in lives and places but let me say something,  Certainly when you compare what is happening to what is coming! If we sum up whats happening in light of what God has  promised, we have to get real.     I thank God for bright spots in the world, the places where God is manifesting his rule and his power, the great testimonies of his love and grace don’t misunderstand me!   But as the saying goes, “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

I think we are somewhat in the position of the 120, God is working and yet we still  have to be obedient to wait and to work — between the times. The awakening that will shake the world has not yet emerged.    But boy can you feel it rising, we call for a wave of God, deep movings of God to be seen, evident on every shore of every country.   I long to see a moving of God, not just captured in one place where the Christian world runs to, to see, copy and glean from, but  what i call a NOAH revival when the deeps open up and the rain from on high meet and the whole world at one time is flooded with God himself, for this must be revival “God Himself” this is my definition……. when every historic well, every visitation of the past, every uncompleted work of God on earth explodes together when no man or movement can take it up and market it, or promote it as a product of a ministry or a place, but God himself comes to all these places at one time Azusa, South Wales, Hebrides…. on and on the list goes, where God came himself……. and now they all break-forth at one time no one but God will own that!   then we will see a restorative work to herald the Christ, a restorative work of God!   So between times let us do all we have been told, being attentive, obedient, which at the end of the day is true worship is it not, to sing songs is a wonderful medium to communicate heart and emotions by but with our obedient hearts its just singing, with obedience its powerful, while looking for the promise that is coming.

Between Times!