Blessed Bun Sandwich

May 10, 2013 in Bible Study, Future, Present, Revelation with 0 Comments

Previously on: “MY WALK THROUGH REVELATION SERIES”
big-mac

As we jump from verse one to verse three, I would like to continue to feed you food for thought on why you should read this book for yourself.  This verse should be enough encouragement for you to sink your teeth into this prophecy.

I like to call this the Happy-Happy-Happy Meal verse.

REV 1:3 “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.”

 

This should entice your appetite a little bit, maybe even wet your palate.  Happy is he who reads this prophecy.  Happy are those who hear this prophecy. Happy are those who obey this prophecy…for the time is near.  There is no other book in the Bible that starts with such a declaration for the reader!  Jesus’ message from the Mount to the masses was ALL about being blessed by living on God’s terms and not by mans.  This passage promises the same rewards given in the Beatitudes.  If Jesus says that the end result of obeying Him and His word is pure happiness then we better believe it!  This blessing is a direct overflow from pursuing the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1. Reading: This is a personal studying and meditating on the written Word of God (prophecy) and can also be in the group setting of studying and reading aloud.  It is given in a singular context (he who reads) but is given to the whole Body of Christ to receive.  Reading this book offers us a great feast, but it is not enough to just read the menu and memorize it over and over, we must eat the food!

  •  “I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” Job 23:12
  • “Thy words were found and I ate them, And Thy words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Thy name, O LORD God of hosts.“ Jer. 15:16 

Corey Russell says, “The delighting in the Word is the secret to the restoration of hearing.”

2. Hearing: There must be a listening and attentive ear in the Church if this message is going to take root.  It says that Jesus stands at the door and knocks. Are we listening, do we know His voice and do we know what is on His heart?

    • “The shift of number from the singular, “he that readeth,” to the plural, “they that hear,” suggest that the work was originally designed for public use in the church assembly rather than for private perusal.  One of the earliest test of canonicity was public reading, for only those works which the church considered authoritative were read openly to all the assembly and made the basis of exposition or of exhortation.” Merrill C. Tenney- Interpreting Revelation pg. 45

 

  • “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Matt. 11:15 

3. Heeding:  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ (Rom 10:7) and this faith through hearing should be yoked with obedience.  Even if we may not fully understand His Word we must be obedient to it and believe Him regardless of our lack of understanding, immaturity, or personal feelings and opinions.  Abraham had faith and obeyed God’s word even before he fully understood God’s plan for himself.

  • “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.” John 14:21
  • “To hear God’s word is a privilege to obey it is a duty” William Barclay- The Revelation of John pg.26

 

“FOR THE TIME IS NEAR”

This should provoke an urgency in us.  We are nearly 2,000 years closer to this prophecy fully coming to pass than when it was written and distributed to the Body of Christ.  The 1st Century church truly believed that Christ was coming back on their watch and this mind-set shaped and molded everything that they did.  We are called to live in these times not as passive bystanders but as victorious ones who overcome.  Will we see this prophecy come to pass in our days?  The time is near and that alone should cause us to draw near to Him.

This blessing and reminder of His return is given at the beginning and again at the end to sandwich together everything in the middle as a reminder that God wants us to be strengthened and encouraged by this prophecy so that we may be found steady and ready for His second coming.

“And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.” Rev. 22:7

 

Revelation 1

April 20, 2013 in Bible Study, Future, Present, Revelation with 0 Comments

Previously on: “MY WALK THROUGH REVELATION SERIES”

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bondservants…”

GodsHands

Looking into the first half of this introductory sentence reveals four key points that we need to carry with us throughout the rest of the book.

  1. This is the heart of the Father
  2. This is the heart of Jesus
  3. And this is for His Bride
  4. Of course I will add, this is the heart of Holy Spirit, even though it goes without saying

We see the grand theme and title, with the unveiling of Jesus Christ, but we also see the conception of this in the heart of the Father as He delights in this great unveiling. The Father God is giving His Beloved Son the “save the date and wedding invitation” cards in advance to deliver to His Bride!  The main thing is who is getting married but there are great details and direction as well.  Reading the rest of this book with an understanding that this message brings great pleasure to the heart of the Father is essential.

“And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God will rejoice over you.” Is. 62:5

This is a message of love, comfort and mercies!  As Paul declares, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.” What we know about the Father and the Son must be rightly applied to this letter to be able to see this book for the epic love story that it is!

I like to imagine the wonderful interaction between the Father and Son here with an overflow of great joy and glory after ages of longing anticipation! This has been on Father God’s heart and mind for thousands of years and we get to see a glimpse into the future and I picture the Father saying to His Son, “Ok boy, let’s go tell your Bride to get herself ready for the greatest day ever witnessed by mankind!” Can you just envision the excitement and exhilaration in this scene between the Father and Son? All of Jesus’ heartache, zeal, and joy are brought forth as Poppa releases this great unveiling that can now be shared with the Bride being made ready for the wedding day.

The arrangement in this introductory title shows the divine order from Heaven operating!  When pondering over the order of operation here, the verse John 5:19-20 comes to my mind.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing;”

Will we accept this letter to be of the heart of the Father bestowed to the Son to give to His Bride, as clearly stated in this first passage, or will we write it off as an unknowable letter better left to the radicals and unrealistic religious types?  Don’t get lost in some of the difficult passages that are found in some of the chapters, stay rooted in the love of Jesus and remember that the Father jealously desires for His Son to be with His Bride and will remove anything that hinders this perfect love from its fullness.

Jesus tells us in the gospel of John that He and the Father are one and that the Father has told him what to say, and what to speak.  So shouldn’t we apply that insight to this book that has such a grand title as, The Revelation of Jesus Christ?

“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Luke 9:26

And not too far after these passages in Luke we hear the Father with His thundering voice from His heavenly throne give His only recorded command in the New Testament as He tells the disciples, “This is my Son, LISTEN TO HIM!”  I do not want to be in error I want to be prepared!  I do not want to feel ashamed when the Son and Father come in great glory with the host of heavenly angels!  I want to be found happy and free knowing that I was not offended at His Words and that I took this message to heart even with some of its seemingly difficulties within.

We are called His bondservants, or His love servants and even better yet, His Bride.  Paul, Peter, James, Jude all introduce themselves as being bond servants of Jesus Christ in their epistles.  This message is for His bondservants, PLURAL; we must place ourselves in this story.  Jesus is coming back for a bride made ready.  There is no better way to get ready than to take hold of what has divinely been released to us.

What if the Apostles had the book of Acts before it happened?  What if Moses had the book of Exodus before it happened?  Can you imagine the impact that something given in advance like that would have had on them?

River

Take hold, take ground, and overcome!

 

 

 

The Apocalypse

March 27, 2013 in Future, Revelation with 0 Comments

FROM “MY WALK THROUGH REVELATION” SERIES

 

What do you think of when you hear the word “apocalypse”?

zombie-apocalypse

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ZOMBIES!? For whatever reason there is a huge obsession with today’s youth (and beyond) with some sort of ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE. If it doesn’t have to do with zombies then others might correlate the word to some cataclysmic disaster that destroys all of planet earth. Hollywood movies have fueled this type of destruction for years and this “end time” belief seems to have crept into Church.

 

earth apocalypseapocalypse1

 

Let’s take a simple approach to this and break it down. Apo- means, “away from” and Kalupto means, “to cover or veiled.” Doing this takes away some of the “negative” beliefs that come with the word. Apocalypse simply means unveiling or revelation. What could be better than the unveiling of Jesus?  Yes, there are some negative strokes unleashed during this unveiling but the end result brings the greatest result imaginable.  The apocalyptic writings were most commonly found between the Old and New Testaments but we see similar apocalyptic language in the books of Daniel, Ezekiel and others.  The point of these style of writings were mainly given to remind the chosen people of their coming Hope.

If you think this book is mainly negative events relating to the destruction of the planet earth then I strongly urge you to repent or simply change how you think (I realize the word repent has some funny annotations as well). If you think that the book is mainly about doom and gloom and an angry god, then throw that out too! If you think that the events and descriptions found in the book are too far-fetched and only filled with religious jargon for the spiritual elite, then…. read it again and again and again and ask the Holy Spirit for understanding!

The book of Revelation’s most significant theme is the greater unveiling or revealing of the God Man, Jesus Christ. This book unlocks an even deeper depth of His Beauty, Love, Power, Heart, Leadership, Wisdom, Passion, History, Majesty, Kingship, Righteousness, Judgment, and Splendor (and on and on). All of these glorious descriptions of Jesus found in Revelation take what the rest of Scripture gives us and multiplies it!

“Who do you say that I am?” Matthew 16:13-27

This is THE greatest question that one will ever have to answer in their lifetime! The CORRECT answer to this question is what Jesus is building His beloved Bride on! It is my belief that Jesus was not talking about building His Church on Peter “the rock” but on Peter’s heavenly download from the Father.

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

WOAH! Happy are you, says Jesus. It’s almost like this response from Peter shocked Jesus a little bit. Peter is known for sticking his foot in his mouth, but out comes this holy declaration! This is a revelation straight from Heaven; Holy Spirit breathed.

We see Peter later on in his life telling the saints to fix their hope in this very same revelation,

“Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:13

 

The Apostle Paul prays that the saints would grow in this revelation,


“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.”  Eph. 1:17

The Apocalypse of Jesus is not a bad thing, but it will destroy you!  It will annihilate your pride, greed, lust, and hardness of heart.  Look through the lens of seeing Jesus as the great Shepard leading His people into eternity.  There will be trials and tribulations, suffering and martyrdom, but He tells us the end result. His heavenly home descending down to earth so that He may dwell among men and that we may dwell in the light of His face forever.

Remember that God started with a blank canvas and painted the picture exactly the way He wanted it to look.  Let’s ask for His perspective on things and if it seems hard to grasp then wrestle with it; don’t walk away from it!

Top 7 Revelation Songs

March 10, 2013 in Music, Present, Revelation with 0 Comments

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The Book of Revelation is filled with brilliant insight to the Glory of God that surrounds His Heavenly Throne.  One thing that helps me get the Words from the pages into my spirit is through song.  There are a lot of amazing worship songs out there but  I wanted to give you some that are filled with the theme of Revelation, especially from chapters 1 and 4.  There is something about praying and singing His Word that stirs the spirit up.

Here are my top 7 worship songs that capture parts of the heavenly reality that has been released to us through the book of Revelation.

1. A Storm All Around You, Jon Thurlow: Onething Live: Magnificent Obsession

2. There is Only One, Brandon Hampton Feat Misty Edwards: Onething Live: Magnificent Obsession

3. Worthy of it All, David Brymer: Onething Live: Magnificent Obsession

4. Jesus, You’re Beautiful, Jon Thurlow: Strong Love

5. 24 Elders (Holy), Catherine Mullins: Come Down

6. Revelation Song, Kari Jobe (Jennie Riddle): Kari Jobe

7. The Gift, Misty Edwards and David Brymer (Kevin Prosch): The Gift

 

Do you have any songs that you would add?  I know I have left some out but there is just something about the number 7. :)

The Revelation of Jesus Christ

March 7, 2013 in Bible Study, Future, Present, Revelation with 0 Comments

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Check out my las post: My Walk Through Revelation

The Revelation of Jesus Christ; what a marvelous title to give this wholly divine prophecy. There is no rush to go through this profound book so I recommend loitering in this text to ponder the extravagant title in hopes to draw from its depths. To understand the rest of the prophecy, one must lay hold of this magnificent title. Do not be afraid of this book if you are hungry for more of Jesus, the title alone should be enough for you to consume it!

“Plunge into the very depths of the words you read until revelation, like a sweet aroma, breaks out upon you” Madame Jeanne Guyon

••••••••••••••••••••••••••

The amount of times that one may have read or heard this title, Jesus Christ, is probably innumerable for most people. If we are honest, it is most commonly heard as an expletive. Of course another obvious place is in the church, but even then I believe there is a great lack of understanding of its meaning! I include myself when I say Christians as a whole need a greater revelation of Jesus Christ. This is the very unfortunate truth and I hope that, as we look deeper into this book we might find that the Man behind this Title deserves MUCH more of our attention, allegiance and adoration.

One of the ultimate reasons that this book title is so great is because it is fixed to the same Jesus that we have come to love and know through the 26 New Testament books leading up to this point (and the 39 books of the Old Testament prior to these books). One cannot separate the Jesus of Revelation from the rest of the Bible. This book must be read with that basic understanding, keeping in mind that the title and theme of the book directs us to the glory of this Man.

Yes, this book and title is about a Jewish man! The name Jesus carries a huge amount of weight and I do not want to play that down at all; but one must not stop there! The name Jesus (Yeshua or Joshua) means, “God is Salvation” and it carries great power. But we must realize that the name Jesus is found in the Bible before Jesus of Nazareth came on the scene. It was a common Hebrew name during Jesus’ lifetime and it is still very popular in some cultures today. So with that being said we can’t stop at the name of Jesus alone.

One example of a person with the name of Jesus during Jesus of Nazareth’s earthly time period, is Barabbas, the murderer, which the people chose to release over Jesus (Matthew 27:16-26). Historians have said that his first name was also Jesus. The point of this example is, Jesus Barabbas was a murder and Jesus of Nazareth is perfectly holy and blameless.  On a fun note, the name Jesus Barabbas means Jesus, son of the father but our Jesus is the Son of the Father

What sets Jesus’ name apart from every other name is that “God has made Him both Lord (Yahweh) and Christ (Anointed/Messiah)” Acts 2:36.

“Who, being in the form of God, did not consider equality with God to be used for His own advantage, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Phil 2:6-11

Reading the rest of this prophecy through the lens of Jesus being both LORD and CHRIST is critical. We must see that He is fully man, the same Jesus that walked the earth 2,000 years ago and that He is fully God (Yahweh) as so many Old and New Testament Scriptures attest to.

With this truth we must have a clearer definition of the word Christ.  I am still studying this out and have come across a great wealth of insight from one of my favorite bible teachers, Stephen Venable.  Please check out his website Beholding Jesus or at least just listen to this message of his, Christ the Lord.

The name “Christ” is an English word based on the Greek word Χριστός (Christós), which simply meant anointed, and served as the direct equivalent to the Hebrew word מָשִׁיחַ (mashiyach) or messiah.

The name Christ historically is a throne name of the Kings of Israel; in a similar manner to how Rome had a Caesar or how the United States has the position of President.  Saul, even in his wickedness, was the first anointed of the Lord, which is the same as saying the first king of Israel.  Then we see David become the Lords anointed.  And after David we know that the much awaited Messiah or Anointed One would come through the line of David and would be a son to God establishing an everlasting kingdom.

“When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant (seed) after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. “He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.” ’  (2 Samuel 7:12–16, NASB95, see parallel in 1 Chronicles 17) 

king of the Jews

(From Passion of the Christ)

 Jesus is this Christ; He is the King of Israel as Nathanael so quickly stated so early on in His ministry (John 1:49) and we see it again at the very end of His ministry, though in mocking, as it is was written above the cross that He hung from for the sins of the world!  He is the Son of David as the blind men cried out (Matt. 20:30) and the crowds professed (Matt 21:9).  He is the Son of God, which we see even the wretched demons declare (Matt 8:29)!

The Wycliffe Commentary says the book of Revelation, is the climax of the prophecy of Old and New Testaments.  Much of this books language is entrenched in Old Testament scripture and prophecy, knowing it will really help bring clarity to this book.  Seeing Jesus being rightly displayed in the whole Word of God and allowing this book to be apart of what God is saying to us today will substantially mature our thinking on Jesus Christ and our role as Saints in His end times plan.

“The person of Christ is the most important key to the Revelation. As His place in it is recognized, its main structure becomes understandable and its meaning can be found in terms of the disclosure of His person and work.” M.C. Tenney

 

 

 

My Walk Through Revelation

February 25, 2013 in Bible Study, Future, Present, Revelation with 0 Comments

 CIMG5956I have come to a point in my walk with Christ to seek out what the book of Revelation has to say in a deeper and more committed fashion.  Since I was young, this book intrigued me, maybe it was like that for you too when you first stumbled upon its seemingly mysterious contents.

I remember when I was close to ten years old my grandma asked me what book I liked to read from the Bible and I told her the book of Revelation, she was surprised but ended up sending me a bunch of her study notes!  At that age I am sure the book grabbed my attention because at face value it seemed unique and a little bizarre compared to the other books and stories that I knew from the Bible (still has that feeling at times); which my understanding of the Bible was limited to what I had learned in Sunday school.

In recent years I have been encouraged to pick this book back up and devour the contents with a humbled and hungry mind, heart, and soul.  I am not sure what you have been told about this book or what you think you already know about it but I would like to encourage you to read it again with intent to allow it to reveal Jesus Christ to you in a greater measure.

I do not believe that this book is mainly historical text mixed in with vague spiritual metaphors and ethereal symbolism nor do I believe it to be an allegorical poem.  I truly believe that this book is the Living Word of God that is to be read and understood by those that call themselves followers of Christ. I see this book as a launching pad into a deeper relationship with the man Jesus Christ Himself.  This book will also prepare and equip every believer as the unveiling of His action plan unfolds and He shows Himself as the Righteous and Holy Bridegroom, King and Judge that we are longing to know.

This book was written for educated and uneducated alike to understand; note that the majority of people throughout history were uneducated.  Just as we apply the rest of the New and Old Testament to our lives we should apply the book of Revelation, understanding that the wisdom that Jesus spoke then holds true today!  We must understand the historical context but realize that His Word is always speaking and we must listen to Him.

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Through out history the book has been cherished greatly or opposed vehemently.  Martin Luther originally thought it to be unbiblical and not authored by John the Beloved (He also opposed James, Jude, 2 Peter and Hebrews).  However many through out the early church approved and confirmed that this was a divine prophesy given to and penned by John the disciple of Jesus (Justin Martyr 135 AD, Irenaeus 180 AD, Clement of Alexandria 200 AD).

“We shall no doubt find this book difficult and bewildering; but doubtless, too, we shall find it infinitely worthwhile to wrestle with it until it gives us its blessing and opens its riches to us.” William Barclay

“This object of God’s in delivering the Revelation to his church should be a sufficient refutation of the popular theory that his book is unintelligible, and its varied symbols wrapped in such deep mystery that their meaning can not be evolved; for it is not consonant with the supreme power and wisdom of the God-head to suppose that, in making a revelation to man, he would make the fatal mistake of clothing his language with a mystery that defies the intellect of mortals to unveil.” Frederick George Smith

It is too easy to allow this book or other “end time” prophecies to offend us but I see it best to seek out His heavenly plan with the Helper and come under His leadership. Understanding comes from standing under the One who stands alone with ALL understanding.

“The gospels and the end-time Scriptures reveal the same Jesus operating in the same power of the Holy Spirit.  The book of Revelations is called the revelation of Jesus because it reveals His heart, power and leadership.” Mike Bickle

 

I hope that you guys will enjoy the journey with me.  Feel free to jump in at any time and share your perspective, wisdom, correction and love….

FOLLOWING POSTS:

  1. THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
  2. TOP 7 REVELATION SONGS
  3. THE APOCALYPSE
  4. REVELATION 1
  5. BLESSED BUN SANDWICH

The Future and the Present: By Stephen Venable

October 14, 2012 in Future, Present with 0 Comments

Posted by Stephen Venable: Beholding Jesus, The Future and the Present

                                                                                                                        (Photo Credit)

 Our perspective on the future defines, in large part, our perspective on the present.

This principle plays out on hundreds of different levels every single day as we relate to the world around us. We believe a report that the weather will soon turn chilly so we pull out warmer clothes from the closet. The trash is scheduled to be picked up tomorrow so we put it out tonight. We are aware we will need to drive a certain distance tomorrow so we fill the car with gas today. Thus, even the minutia of our lives reveals that the future has everything to do with now. This is so concretely established in our thinking that when the relationship is not honored by the student, the employee, the child, the parent, etc. we find it inexcusable.

Upon discovering the final exam had been failed miserably, what respectable father could have his disappointment absolved simply by hearing that his son had not bothered to look in the syllabus to find out the date of the test? If a laborer was two hours late for the first day of work, what responsible supervisor would have their frustration put to flight when they were told that the employee hadn’t thought about a means of transportation until the moment it was time to leave for their shift?

These examples, minor as they may be, are sufficient to shatter the notion that our beliefs about the end only matter at the end. All of us know this to be ludicrous when applied to real life. When the realities of tomorrow do not shape the course of one’s actions today, it is only because of ignorance or negligence. In the case of the former, a false (or empty) view of the future has led to a foolish relationship to the present. In the case of the latter a myopic view of the present has eclipsed the consequences of the future.

With this in mind, how is it that we can so easily entertain the common idea that eschatology has little relevance for the identity and functioning of the Church in the present? Regardless of when “the end” is, however one views it is radically shaping “the now”. On the corporate level, the way that the age to come is understood defines the conception of this age and how the Church relates to it. On the individual level, the way an individual understands the fate that awaits them at the end of their life defines how they behave in all the days leading up to it.

Everyone has a view of eschatology and no one is immune from the potency of its impact on them.

A person with the vague hope of a perpetual existence in an inert, wispy place they call “heaven” that doesn’t actually exist and is no more real to them than a fairy tale displays this every day as they spill themselves out on every pleasure of the world within their reach. Their eschatology demands that their reward be in this life, and that is precisely what they seek so ravenously.

What we believe about the future defines what we believe about the present and shapes how we live.

All of this has merely been conceptual. In a follow-up post I will offer a brief look at how prevalent this truth is in the New Testament and why it can be a great source of strength to our hearts.

 

(Check out beholdingjesus.com for more of Stephen Venable’s articles and messages!)

Knowing History Will Help Shape Our Future: by Rick Joyner

August 29, 2012 in Messages with 0 Comments

Knowing History Will Help Shape Our Future – The Path of Life, Part 28 by Rick Joyner | MorningStar Word for the Week 2012.

It is considered that water is a fixed asset on the earth. It can change forms, but there will always be the same amount here. It is also believed that energy cannot be destroyed but simply changes forms. It is a theory that the same is true of wealth. If this is true, then no real wealth has been lost during this economic downturn. It has only changed hands.

     God knows where all the water is, where all of the energy is, and where all of the wealth is. Solomon said: “Will you set your eyes on that which is not? Riches certainly make for itself wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven” (Proverbs 23:5 NKJV). He also said: “Sloth makes you poor; diligence brings wealth (Proverbs 10:4 The Message).

     Riches and wealth are not the same thing. Riches tend to come fast and leave fast. Wealth is built with hard work, endurance, patience, learning to overcome setbacks and turning them into opportunities. As someone once said, “If we did not have the experience of making wealth, neither will we have the wisdom to keep it.” This too seems to be one of the social laws of physics. This is why, to date, there does not seem to be a single happy ending for anyone who has won a major lottery. If they did not make the money, but rather won it, they are almost certain to lose it. Entertainers and athletes can earn tens of millions and just as quickly end up bankrupt.

     Wealth is more than money or physical assets. There is a wealth of knowledge that can be far more valuable than money. There is wealth in a good name, in a heritage we build through our works. Then there is our spiritual wealth that we have invested for eternity. Which of these accounts has the most of our attention and devotion? Which would we say is the biggest account we have?

     Negiel Bigpond is a great Native American leader, and I consider him an elder in the body of Christ. He told us that when his mother was dying she did not just tell him that she loved him, but she told him what translated, “If you do not do what we taught you and prepared you to do, we did not exist.” Negiel finally understood what she meant. She saw life as a river, flowing, going somewhere. If her children did not carry on the family mission, then the river stopped flowing and would soon be entirely forgotten.

     Today we are carrying on what all who walked with God before us contributed, and if the church were cut off from the world, eventually it would be as if it never existed—we would all be forgotten. The same is true of America. If we lose the Republic on our watch, we will be losing what so many gave to build and defend over the last three hundred years.

     The quickest way to kill a plant is to cut it off from its roots. The quickest way to kill a nation is to cut it off from its history. A few months ago there was an outrage when a new history textbook used in U.S. public schools said that Muslims had discovered America before Columbus. The outcry caused an immediate retraction of these books, but there have been intentional revisions of our American history for over half a century. One history textbook was said to have had more than 100 examples of how Islam shaped America, and only four to our Judeo/Christian roots, and those four were not positive. This too caused an outcry, and now Americans are becoming intentional about knowing our history so that it will not be so perverted when taught to our children.

     The Bible is essentially a history of God’s dealings with mankind. If we do not know this, you can be sure that the devil will distort it and then us. One of the most important things we can do as a citizen of the kingdom is know our history. One of the most essential things we can do as a citizen of our nation is to know our history. Then we must be sure that we do our part so that the river does not stop with us.

Samuel Adams

June 17, 2012 in Past with 4 Comments

PART OF MY PATRIOTIC POSTS SERIES

“The Father of American Independence” 

 

Samuel Adams made his impact through a small yet powerful window in American history!

Prior to America finding its independence, Samuel Adams was being tossed around by the wind, looking for his calling.  Born in Boston and a graduate from Harvard in 1722, Samuel had a difficult time finding his career as a young adult.

He briefly worked at a counting house, received an inheritance to start a business (which he gave away and lost), was a tax collector and was given a job in his family brewery only to completely disregard it.  During his drifting years, Samuel always carried a heart of passion and a mind of politics; it just took the right current to carry him into position.

The storm had been brewing as tensions grew between the American Colonies and the Motherland.   It was around 1765 when Samuel found his flow and was carried to the forefront in the cry against British injustice.  He was powerful and provoking in speech and text for independence.  He was not one for public glory and gain but was a great instigator when it came to the American Revolution, playing the majority of his moves behind the scenes.  Samuel knew how to fan the flames of the revolution by stirring up the hearts of the people.

Samuel started his “professional” patriotism career through writing hundreds of letters (with false names) against the British rule and distributed them to local newspapers and leaders.  He also founded the original Son’s of Liberty; pretty much a gang of patriot rebels who rallied to incite the British soldiers and officials.  This very effective model was eventually carried out in all 13 colonies.

Then there was the infamous Boston Tea Party of 1773.   The 50 or so dressed up Indians that raided the ships and tossed the tea crates are pretty much unknown however historians give all the credit to the great Samuel Adams when it comes to being the mastermind behind the radical act against British tyranny.  How could he not be behind something this genius; it being in his hometown and all!

Samuel organized the first Committee of Correspondence, which allowed the 13 colonies to stay in touch with each other when it came to their plans and dealing with the British (kind of like a Facebook group page :D ).  He signed the Articles of Confederation shortly after 1776 when it was time to sign the Declaration of Independence.  Samuel had his fingerprints all over the cause of freedom for America.  He was quoted saying this on the day of the signing of the Declaration of Independence,

“We have this day restored the Sovereign to Whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let His kingdom come.” (source)

Samuel was a known Christian and had a lot of Puritan influence growing up.  His political career dominated the majority of his life while his family and business careers were left in poor condition.  Samuel continued to stay in the political arena, however his window of major influence was small.

Samuel Adams passed away  October 2 1803 with his parting words,

 ”I… recommend my Soul to that Almighty Being who gave it, and my body I commit to the dust, relying upon the merits of Jesus Christ for a pardon of all my sins.” (source)

p.s. The beer, Samuel Adams was named after this man…because of his brief brewing career and because he was a great American.

PART OF MY PATRIOTIC POSTS SERIES

The Shop Pt. 3

March 31, 2012 in Movements, Past with 0 Comments

The SHOP Series:

Part I

Part II

PART III

By June 2009 the SHOP was at its peak and the summer continued to be full of fun, growth, and challenges.  This was the beginning of a pivotal season for us as we were given a very sobering and challenging word that revealed a fork in the road and called us to the less traveled and higher path of the Cross.  This message also came with a time frame of about 3 months.

The first Tuesday of July 2009 Steven and Andrew set up the SHOP outside on the back patio of the Gerber house property.  It was not the smoothest transition, as we had a new worship leader along with new distractions; but it was a lot cooler and could hold more people.   We were back inside the SHOP the following Tuesday and it was another full house filled with worship, prayer, unity, and an awesome testimony by a gentleman named Paris.

We had a new friend, Tyler Johnson, come from Washington the next week through a connection of a couple that wanted to fly him out to share at the SHOP as well as at our local church.  The 8 of us met with Tyler, his wife Christine, and friend Adam Short, at our house the Saturday before the SHOP.  There was an instant connection as we prayed and worshiped and received encouragement from our new friends.  I had a unique encounter at the end of our fellowshipping that I will never forget. There was a great connection and we were all excited to hear Tyler share at the SHOP.

That Monday our pastor had graciously said yes to host the shop for worship as Tyler spoke.  This was a big success in our eyes as a lot of church members came together in one place to worship Jesus.  The worship that night was very powerful and released a great measure of freedom and joy.  On a side note we found out that night that a meteorite the size of earth struck the planet Jupiter (There is more to it, but we felt that there was some significance behind it).  Tyler shared again at the SHOP (outside on the back patio) with encouraging stories and testimonies.   There were over 150 people gathered and we had a fun fire tunnel followed with 13 baptisms in the pool at the end of the night!  It was a great night full of Jesus.

August was busy as far as leadership went as we all felt like it was important to figure out a clear vision and mission statement for the SHOP.  Because of the rapid growth that we were experiencing we started to get bombarded with questions!  This was a good thing and caused us to step back and look at what we believed the SHOP was called to.  By now we had each shaped our own ideas, influences and agendas about what it was to us personally so it took some time to hammer out.  I must admit that we easily complicated this process and mixed in a lot of flesh instead of simply seeking the Lord in prayer.  Aimee and I noticed during this time that the core leadership circle was being tested causing our friendships to be strained.

During the month of September Steven took a break from worship and we ended up having a lot of guest speakers.  We started the month by watching The Finger of God, which is a great documentary on some of God’s moves and miracles around the Globe.  We were then blessed to have Ryan Helbling lead worship and share a message as he was back from Africa for the remainder of the year.  On the 22nd Isa Agape came and shared an awesome message that the Lord had been placing in her heart over the last couple of months.  Young, old, and new faces continued to show up as we enjoyed the summer outside.

The last Tuesday of the month was a very difficult night; looking back this also marked the end of the period for the word that we had received.  We had found out that a local teenager, Emmitt Broaddus, was killed in a car accident right before we gathered; he was a friend of many.  There was also a very large group of black birds circling around the property for about 20 minutes, which we found to be very bizarre.  Steven, Andrew, Sonja, and Bethany all went to the hospital to pray for him and his family.  Carlie, Aimee, and I felt led to get everyone in a circle to pray until we felt breakthrough. It was rough but we did feel some breakthrough at the end.

Our season out on the patio ended and so did our season on the property.  We had our last shop meeting in the actual shop building October 6, 2009.  It felt great to be back in the shop and have our old friends Ryan and Nina Landis leading worship to bring things back to the heart of worshipping Jesus!  Being outside was good but I believe it brought a lot of distractions naturally and spiritually.

We had corporately made the decision to move our place of meeting down the hill, into an old warehouse in Tuolumne City.  We were outgrowing the old shop and had some issues that needed attention; like parking, bathrooms, and the leaking roof.  I went up to the owner of the building after church one day to inquire about using his place and before I finished explaining everything he had graciously put the key to the building in my hand.   We had also gotten some cool words about the fire flowing down the hill.  I have always had a heart for Tuolumne and saw this as a dream come true!  I believe that there was a grace to move and that the Lord wanted to start moving in Tuolumne City in a greater way!  With that being said, a huge part of the shop was dearly missed.

This warehouse was MUCH BIGGER, had plenty of parking, and two bathrooms…but the best part was it fit us perfectly.  It had dirt floors, old church chairs, and was centrally located in a town that needs much reviving!  So we had our first gathering in Tuolumne, October 13, 2009.  I was super excited as a couple of my Tuolumne friends showed up after not seeing them for a while.  It felt like a smooth transition.  It was also raining that night and it sounded beautiful as the raindrops poured down on the old metal roofing.

Tyler Johnson came back for our second meeting in the new place and helped us break it in a little more.  The leadership also started meeting around this time with an amazing couple whose heart is to refresh those in ministry.  The timing was great as there were feelings and stirrings going on between the leadership as well as in the community.  It was good to have an outside source come and help us in some practical ways.  These meetings were very healthy and brought some things to the surface that Aimee and I were unaware of.

As November and December rolled around the shop was good but the building was getting beyond cold.  We had little space heaters set up, but everyone was being challenged by the frigidness.  This put even more strain on the leadership as it seemed like the grace was lifting.  I felt like we were to weather the storm so to speak but it may have just been my stubbornness.  I also felt like during the last few months of the year that I was fighting something that I couldn’t see at the time.  The leadership team also lost two big pieces as Bethany went on a mission’s trip to Africa and Carlie went to a prayer internship on the East Coast.

Aimee and I started taking a good look at what the shop had become to us and how it had started to become our identity.  We had realized that our friendships between the leaders had turned into something completely other than, as everything revolved around the shop!  There was no doubt that His presence was still there, but we both started asking the question as to why we needed to be on the leadership team.  With the growth, changes of season and our weaknesses, I believe that the leadership team had gotten distracted.

At the end of December Aimee and I attended the OneThing Conference in Kansas City as well as the leadership summit.  This was an impactful time for us as we felt a release from the SHOP leadership.  We both strongly felt that we were to start a family after hearing a powerful message from Lou Engle.   It was also confirmed with us that we were to pursue prayer and worship on a deeper level while growing in His Word.  January 17, 2010 we let the team know that we were stepping down in hopes to continue to be friends.  About a month after this decision we found out that Aimee was pregnant with Liberty Reign.  This was very exciting news for us as our steps were confirmed and our family started to blossom.

The shop continued to weather through the winter and with spring time Kaenan and LauraLee got married March 19, 2010.  I will end this session here and see if there is room for another one down the road.  It was a wonderful to see the Lord work through the shop and I am very thankful that I got to be apart of it.  Thank you for taking the time to read this.  Feel free to share any of your own stories in the comments!

 

 


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