I have been thinking a lot about the power of God. I know there is something more. I am convinced we have access to everything God has for us in His Kingdom based on the finished work of Jesus on the cross. But, I am aware as I listen, read, watch and pray that people are seeing the Kingdom in ways that go 'off the charts' from my old paradigm.
I was invited by my friend Carter Wood, pastor of the Vertical Call church in Santa Rosa, Ca. to go with him to Brazil on a Global Awakening team led by Randy Clark. The short story is that after receiving prophetic 'words' and dreams the money came in to enable me to apply and be accepted on the team.
I have been listening more intently to men and women who walk in impartation and gifting in the area of healing. I have been tracking with the revival and renewal that is 'now' and is increasing upon the earth. I do not know what those who know me will think. But I must confess that I am going for God in this outpouring.
I intend to report on my experience in Brazil. Our trip will Sept. 24-Oct. 6.
Yesterday at the Giving Tree church here in Santa Rosa I brought a message and a declaration from Is.55:10-11.
"The words that come forth from my mouth do not return to me void, they accomplish the purpose for which they are sent and prosper in the thing for which I send them."
After church, Jan, Hannah and I were praying for a woman who had a pinched nerve in her neck and had much pain and migraine headaches for a long time. Tears of joy came soon as she realized her pain was gone! Just like that, gone! She moved her neck with pain free liberty for the first time in years.
Today I got a call from a man who had a promise from God to have his plumbing business prosper so that he could increase in his 'gift' of giving. He told me about how the economy had made things hard lately. He was at church yesterday too. We agreed together Is.55:10-11 again and he hung up.
He called back 10 minutes later and told me that right after we hung up he got a call from a customer who gave him a $10,000.00 contract!
I don't know where I am going with this 'blog' except to say that it is hard to keep a Theology of doubt when you watch the Holy Spirit love on people in tangible ways like that. I will never forget the look on that woman's face nor the joy in that man's voice when they felt His reality touch and transform theirs.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Revival and the Grace of God.
Many of you who know me know that I take God at His word. I believe that includes the reality of His power manifested in signs and wonders. I believe God always wants to heal the sick. I believe that He desires to provide for us in tangible ways. I believe that the presence of the Holy Spirit can be experienced in visions, dreams, prophetic words of knowledge and wisdom and in many 'wonderful' manifestations that are 'out of the box'.
I did not come to this place of 'belief' through the typical path of following the 'signs and wonders'. (though I love following those who walk in these today.) I came to this point by understanding the grace of God at a very deep level. I believe that faith in a God of demonstrable power is the only natural conclusion I could come to when I began to believe in the totality of His favor.
When we grasp the full extent of the revelation of 'faith-righteousness' we cannot help but realize that there is nothing standing in the way of God's blessing. We have a God who is always good, always for us, and always backs up His promise with evidence. I have seen incredible evidence of God's favor these past several years. But that is not where I started out.
What set me on the journey that has taken me into the realm of God's power manifested in many fantastic ways was not first 'seeing' but first 'believing'. As one 'rescued' from years of legalistic Christianity in 1992 I fully embraced, studied, prayed into and accepted what could be called the 'doctrine of Grace', but it was not enough, I still wondered why my life was not going anywhere near the place I had been promised. It was only at the point when I decided to take God's word literally that I began to see the evidence of blessing. That is not to say it was a quick and easy road. Rather, it took a concerted effort to renew my mind and recover from the years of unbelief I had experienced.
But it was the 'doctrine of Grace' as a foundation which led me to the only logical conclusions I came to. He is so radically in love with us that He wants to bless our socks off. He is so desirous of our lives to be full of His presence that He is more than willing to demonstrate His power in our lives. He is the lover of our souls, the restorer of our hearts, the encourager of our faith, the provider of His promise, the rock of our security, the soundness of our mind, the answer to our questions and He is the God of the universe.
We were created for a purpose and it is good. As ones created in His image we carry with us His very DNA. We can do through Him the things He is known for. He is the God of the impossible. That means that nothing is impossible for Him. And if He is for us then nothing is impossible for us through Him.
I encourage you to read my two articles. The one entitled 'The Power of God' will better explain what understanding 'faith-righteousness' brings us into. 'Self Pity' will help you to understand why I believe faith and belief are important to the way we view God.
I did not come to this place of 'belief' through the typical path of following the 'signs and wonders'. (though I love following those who walk in these today.) I came to this point by understanding the grace of God at a very deep level. I believe that faith in a God of demonstrable power is the only natural conclusion I could come to when I began to believe in the totality of His favor.
When we grasp the full extent of the revelation of 'faith-righteousness' we cannot help but realize that there is nothing standing in the way of God's blessing. We have a God who is always good, always for us, and always backs up His promise with evidence. I have seen incredible evidence of God's favor these past several years. But that is not where I started out.
What set me on the journey that has taken me into the realm of God's power manifested in many fantastic ways was not first 'seeing' but first 'believing'. As one 'rescued' from years of legalistic Christianity in 1992 I fully embraced, studied, prayed into and accepted what could be called the 'doctrine of Grace', but it was not enough, I still wondered why my life was not going anywhere near the place I had been promised. It was only at the point when I decided to take God's word literally that I began to see the evidence of blessing. That is not to say it was a quick and easy road. Rather, it took a concerted effort to renew my mind and recover from the years of unbelief I had experienced.
But it was the 'doctrine of Grace' as a foundation which led me to the only logical conclusions I came to. He is so radically in love with us that He wants to bless our socks off. He is so desirous of our lives to be full of His presence that He is more than willing to demonstrate His power in our lives. He is the lover of our souls, the restorer of our hearts, the encourager of our faith, the provider of His promise, the rock of our security, the soundness of our mind, the answer to our questions and He is the God of the universe.
We were created for a purpose and it is good. As ones created in His image we carry with us His very DNA. We can do through Him the things He is known for. He is the God of the impossible. That means that nothing is impossible for Him. And if He is for us then nothing is impossible for us through Him.
I encourage you to read my two articles. The one entitled 'The Power of God' will better explain what understanding 'faith-righteousness' brings us into. 'Self Pity' will help you to understand why I believe faith and belief are important to the way we view God.
Monday, July 20, 2009
It is not your Job
Forgive the play on words. I mean, of course, the 'Job' of the Bible. The one Bible hero none of us want to be like, except at the end of his story. The one too many of us think our lives reflect.
I often include in my sermons some statement that God is not causing or allowing suffering in our lives to build character. After a recent message a woman came forward for prayer. She had a list of trials that she was going through that were very difficult. I assured her that God did not send these trials into her life to test her. Especially the sickness she and her son were experiencing. She asked, "What about Job?"
In the weeks that followed I had several conversations in which the same question came up, "What about Job?" It was not difficult to figure out that people have questions about how the story of Job relates to our present standing in Christ. This is no small issue.
Let me begin by stating the obvious, Job is an Old Testament story. This alone should make us think differently when we draw application to our position as New Testament saints, but many Christians seem to miss something here. They think the only transition between the Old Testament and the New is a blank page in their Bible.
Everything changed at the cross!
I cannot take the proper time in a 'blog' to explain the theological implications of that one statement. I only wish to assure you here that God is not allowing satan access in our lives as he did in the book of Job. (Job 1:6-12) Instead He has positioned us in Christ with a real protection from the enemy that includes 'healing all our diseases' not putting them on us.
Job wanted a mediator, someone to come to his defence. (Job 9:33.) We have Jesus as our mediator. (1 Timothy 2:5) Romans 8:33-34 asks, "Who shall bring a charge against God's elect?" No one. We are justified before God through the blood of Jesus Christ!
In Job 1:6 satan appeared before the throne of God. This cannot happen any longer. Jesus is there! (Hebrews 9:24) He is there "on our behalf!" Can you imagine satan standing there next to Jesus? I don't think so! The Bible teaches us that satan has been thrown down, cast from the presence of God. In fact satan cannot even accuse us before God because he has no weapon of accusation. (Col.2:13-15)
He is the 'accuser' only when we listen to his accusations in our thoughts. His only weapon is deception. We can only believe his accusations when we believe the lie that God has not taken the "bond that stood against us" away "nailing it to the cross."
There are many stories in the Old Testament that we must interpret through the 'light' of the cross. Job is certainly high on that list.
It is not your 'Job.'
(I intentionally do not capitalize 'satan'...his is not a proper name.)
I often include in my sermons some statement that God is not causing or allowing suffering in our lives to build character. After a recent message a woman came forward for prayer. She had a list of trials that she was going through that were very difficult. I assured her that God did not send these trials into her life to test her. Especially the sickness she and her son were experiencing. She asked, "What about Job?"
In the weeks that followed I had several conversations in which the same question came up, "What about Job?" It was not difficult to figure out that people have questions about how the story of Job relates to our present standing in Christ. This is no small issue.
Let me begin by stating the obvious, Job is an Old Testament story. This alone should make us think differently when we draw application to our position as New Testament saints, but many Christians seem to miss something here. They think the only transition between the Old Testament and the New is a blank page in their Bible.
Everything changed at the cross!
I cannot take the proper time in a 'blog' to explain the theological implications of that one statement. I only wish to assure you here that God is not allowing satan access in our lives as he did in the book of Job. (Job 1:6-12) Instead He has positioned us in Christ with a real protection from the enemy that includes 'healing all our diseases' not putting them on us.
Job wanted a mediator, someone to come to his defence. (Job 9:33.) We have Jesus as our mediator. (1 Timothy 2:5) Romans 8:33-34 asks, "Who shall bring a charge against God's elect?" No one. We are justified before God through the blood of Jesus Christ!
In Job 1:6 satan appeared before the throne of God. This cannot happen any longer. Jesus is there! (Hebrews 9:24) He is there "on our behalf!" Can you imagine satan standing there next to Jesus? I don't think so! The Bible teaches us that satan has been thrown down, cast from the presence of God. In fact satan cannot even accuse us before God because he has no weapon of accusation. (Col.2:13-15)
He is the 'accuser' only when we listen to his accusations in our thoughts. His only weapon is deception. We can only believe his accusations when we believe the lie that God has not taken the "bond that stood against us" away "nailing it to the cross."
There are many stories in the Old Testament that we must interpret through the 'light' of the cross. Job is certainly high on that list.
It is not your 'Job.'
(I intentionally do not capitalize 'satan'...his is not a proper name.)
Monday, July 13, 2009
Law vs. Faith
"We hold that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law".
I didn't write that, Paul did in Romans 3:28.
Many Christians think that they are living in freedom because they do not live according to the Law of Moses. Some judge the Orthodox Christian faiths as leaning towards the law because of traditions and practices they observe. We miss the point entirely when we think this way.
Paul is writing about 'faith righteousness' and he uses Abraham as his example. He is making the point that we are righteous by faith in the finished work of Jesus not by any effort of our own. Not by performance. Not by good works. Not by man's measure or standard.
Romans 4:13 tells us that all the promises of God came to Abraham by faith. Verse 16 tells us that all these promises are ours by faith.
In the fourth chapter of Romans Paul goes to great length to make sure we understand this. Again, Abraham is his example. Paul is clearly saying that Abraham, before the law, even before he was circumcised, was reckoned righteous before God by faith. Rom.4:10.
What is the point? We hold that any human soul is righteous before God by trust in what Jesus did rather than what he/she does. It is not about the idea that since we are not required to live by the law of Moses any longer that we are now walking in the 'freedom' that the New Testament speaks of. No, we walk in true freedom when we are convinced in our hearts that we are secure in our relationship with God because of the great love He demonstrated toward us by the sacrifice of Jesus.
The point is best expressed in Romans 4:3 " What does the scripture say? 'Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness'"
What reckoned Abraham righteous? "It" What was the it? Belief. Faith. Trust.
God want us to trust Him.
I didn't write that, Paul did in Romans 3:28.
Many Christians think that they are living in freedom because they do not live according to the Law of Moses. Some judge the Orthodox Christian faiths as leaning towards the law because of traditions and practices they observe. We miss the point entirely when we think this way.
Paul is writing about 'faith righteousness' and he uses Abraham as his example. He is making the point that we are righteous by faith in the finished work of Jesus not by any effort of our own. Not by performance. Not by good works. Not by man's measure or standard.
Romans 4:13 tells us that all the promises of God came to Abraham by faith. Verse 16 tells us that all these promises are ours by faith.
In the fourth chapter of Romans Paul goes to great length to make sure we understand this. Again, Abraham is his example. Paul is clearly saying that Abraham, before the law, even before he was circumcised, was reckoned righteous before God by faith. Rom.4:10.
What is the point? We hold that any human soul is righteous before God by trust in what Jesus did rather than what he/she does. It is not about the idea that since we are not required to live by the law of Moses any longer that we are now walking in the 'freedom' that the New Testament speaks of. No, we walk in true freedom when we are convinced in our hearts that we are secure in our relationship with God because of the great love He demonstrated toward us by the sacrifice of Jesus.
The point is best expressed in Romans 4:3 " What does the scripture say? 'Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness'"
What reckoned Abraham righteous? "It" What was the it? Belief. Faith. Trust.
God want us to trust Him.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Righteousness
If you are new to this wesite you will note that we are still working on some of the pages. You will also note, I trust, that this website is devoted to the message of the gospel. I believe that it is the power of God unto salvation as Paul states in Romans. (chapter 1:16&17)
That is very significant in that Paul is saying that the truth of the gospel has a power of its own. He tells us that it leads to salvation. We all have had experience with the power of the gospel bringing us, and the ones we share the gospel with, into reconciliation with God. But the word salvation means much more. It comes from the Greek word 'Sozo' which means wholeness of body, mind and heart along with the promise of blessing.
Paul tells us that this comes by a revelation of a truth revealed in the gospel. Here is where I believe the real power of the gospel is made known to us; when we 'get it', when we have the truth of the gospel revealed to our very soul, we will be transformed.
The incredible truth of the gospel is that we become (by faith) the very righteousness of God. This reality, once understood in its awesome totality, will do something to our spirit that can only be understood in the context of the mystery of God's Kingdom reality.
This is the very substance of faith. God does spiritual work in hearts and lives that goes beyond human understanding. When we receive truth by faith we are walking in Kingdom realms that position us for every blessing and promise that is in the Bible. (Rom.4:13-16) God loves our faith. He wants us to trust Him.
The revelation of 'faith righteousness' will be emphazised on this website because it is the source of transformation. It reveals what God is after. He wants us to be fully alive, restored and blessed so that we can utilize the gifts He has given us to reach the world with His marvelous gospel in all its power. Not to mention that He wants us whole because He loves us!
That is very significant in that Paul is saying that the truth of the gospel has a power of its own. He tells us that it leads to salvation. We all have had experience with the power of the gospel bringing us, and the ones we share the gospel with, into reconciliation with God. But the word salvation means much more. It comes from the Greek word 'Sozo' which means wholeness of body, mind and heart along with the promise of blessing.
Paul tells us that this comes by a revelation of a truth revealed in the gospel. Here is where I believe the real power of the gospel is made known to us; when we 'get it', when we have the truth of the gospel revealed to our very soul, we will be transformed.
The incredible truth of the gospel is that we become (by faith) the very righteousness of God. This reality, once understood in its awesome totality, will do something to our spirit that can only be understood in the context of the mystery of God's Kingdom reality.
This is the very substance of faith. God does spiritual work in hearts and lives that goes beyond human understanding. When we receive truth by faith we are walking in Kingdom realms that position us for every blessing and promise that is in the Bible. (Rom.4:13-16) God loves our faith. He wants us to trust Him.
The revelation of 'faith righteousness' will be emphazised on this website because it is the source of transformation. It reveals what God is after. He wants us to be fully alive, restored and blessed so that we can utilize the gifts He has given us to reach the world with His marvelous gospel in all its power. Not to mention that He wants us whole because He loves us!
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