Do You Want To Go To Heaven?

The Gospel

Dear Friend,

 

God loves you, and there are five things God wants you to know about Him, and I feel impressed by Him to tell you what they are.

1. Jesus was born. Babies are born every day, but Jesus is different because although Mary is His earthly mother, God is His heavenly Father. That makes Him different than any other person that has ever walked the earth. Think of it this way, the egg inside of Mary was human, the sperm divine. Theologians call this Immaculate Conception, but to most of us, it is the Christmas story. God became a man in the form of Jesus Christ, Emanuel, God with us. God came to earth and joined humanity, like each of us, as a meek helpless baby. Jesus is not merely the son of God, but God the Son, the second person of the Trinity.

2. Jesus grew up, he became a man yet without sin. Although the Bible says little about his first thirty years, the baby we celebrate at Christmas did not remain a child, at thirty years of age, He withdrew from humanity and fasted forty days to come back in the power of the Holy Spirit to show the world what a person, walking with the Creator can be. He healed the sick, raised the dead, fed the multitudes, walked on water, stopped storms, and cast evil spirits out of people.
   
   He did all of this, without sin. Not one time did He ever break the laws of God or man, that qualified Him as the sinless, spotless, holy, Lamb of God, accepted by God, as the only fit sacrifice, for the sins of humanity. He is still the same and doing the same things today. Yet the day came on earth when He was betrayed, and sentenced by a kangaroo court to death. Religious people had Him murdered.

3. He died on the cross. Not a pretty death. Deserted by his closest friends. Beaten beyond human recognition. His face pulverized. Weakened so much by blood boss that this formerly strong man could not carry His own cross. The sky turned black as night, the earth split open and dead people came out of the graves to testify. He spoke three words that still echo throughout eternity, “It is finished” The veil in the temple, was torn from top to bottom, signifying that the separation between God and humanity was now ended. God could again visit with the people He created even as He walked with Adam in the garden of Eden. Jesus bore the sin of the whole world upon Himself on the cross, an infinite sacrifice, for an infinite debt. Atonement!

4. He rose from the dead. You know, the Easter story. HIS story. Not the tooth fairy, Lord of the Rings, or the Easter bunny. Though they laid the body of Jesus in a tomb for three days, His spirit was not there. He went through paradise, He went to hell, yet on the third day, His spirit rejoined His body, and He rose. The stone was rolled away, and He ascended into heaven. For the next fifty days He appeared to over five hundred eyewitnesses, and then while five hundred watched, two angels appeared, and He ascended bodily back into heaven. Many educated moral instructors have lived: Buddha, Mohammed, Gandhi, Plato, and others, yet each of these died, and their body remains in their tomb today. Jesus rose from the dead.

5. He reigns. He is Lord of heaven and earth. God is the spirit, seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and truth. There is only one true God, maker of heaven and earth, yet He has revealed Himself throughout His Word in three separate and distinct persons. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Son of God, birthed of His Spirit. When He ascended back into heaven, God sat Him at His right hand where He reigns the universe.

In short:

 

He came, He lived, He died, He rose and He reigns.

Now the problem of Creation must be addressed. You and I. Each and every one of us have been created in the image of God. We are also spirits, we have a soul, and we live in a body. Jesus did not come to make bad people good, or good people better, He came to make dead people ALIVE! Except a man be born-again, he cannot even see the kingdom of God. God loves you personally and wants you to know Him on His terms. Religion has always been man’s set of rules and regulations attempting to reach God, Jesus is God’s attempt to reach man. He died for you, not because He had to, but because He loves you. Yet, He did not create robots, each of us has a free will. The question He would have me ask you is this: Do you want Him to be your king? Do you want to go to heaven when you die, to be with Him? If you do, the Bible makes this promise to each of us,

 

‘If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Rom 10:9,10’

Here’s what each of us need to do to come to God on His terms.

• We must acknowledge Jesus as our personal Lord. That is, in light of this great love He has demonstrated towards us, we must make a decision as to whether of not we will choose to allow Him to rule over us.
• We must believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead.
• We must confess, out loud to Him that we want Him.

 

Here’s a simple prayer.

 

‘God, I want to know you. I want you to be in charge of my life. I accept you Lord Jesus as my Lord. Forgive me Lord for all the things I have done against you. I believe, Father that you raised Jesus from the dead, and I ask you to come into my life and make me the best person I can possibly be. Amen.’

 

Now, that prayer will get you right with God, today. But what about tomorrow? Each day we need to grow spiritually, in our relationship with Him. That will involve talking to Him about your day, and involving Him in your day-to-day decisions. How do you do that? Well, begin to read your Bible, every day, first thing. Seek Him first thing, and He will add everything else you need to your life. When you see something in the Bible that is new to you, do what it says.

That’s where we come in. Eventually, you are going to need a good church. A place of love, friendship, and fellowship, where we can worship God and work together to make this world a better place. Any Bible-believing church would love to meet you and to hear about your new decision to serve God. There are many fine churches all over the world. Shop for one that believes the Bible to be the Word of God, and where you have peace.

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/12/04/why-go-to-church/

For many years, we attended Victory Christian Center here in Tulsa at victory.com. Great church that will help you grow in your walk with God!

Presently, we attend Rivergate Church here on 71st st in Tulsa, just East of Riverside, under the wonderful leadership of pastors Joel and Linda Budd. The kingdom is alive and active, and we need to serve God someplace, and here, there are wonderful miracles every time we meet. God is passionatly at work among us, and it is exciting to see what He will do next.

Each day, I post a blog on here, on one of the many topics relevant to the kingdom of God. The purpose of this is to encourage you to read your Bible every day, and to pray and seek first our heavenly Father and His kingdom. I would encourage you to subscribe and read along.- https://chrisaomministries.com/2016/08/06/the-purpose-of-this-blog/

REAP! It’s your responsibility!

Reap!

The Parable of the Growing Seed

^{Mark 4:26} And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, ²⁷ and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. ²⁸ For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. ²⁹ But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

Notice here, that the person who plants the seed, is responsible to REAP their harvest.

The Workers Are Few

³⁵ Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. ³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. ³⁸ Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Luke 10:² He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.

John 4:35

Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.

36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.

Reap (reep)

verb (used with object)

1. to cut (wheat, rye, etc.) with a sickle or other implement or a machine, as in harvest.
2. to gather or take (a crop, harvest, etc.).
3. to get as a return, recompense, or result:

Notice here that Reap is used as a verb. Verbs are action words. We need to be working, doing, moving, putting action to our crops and fields of endeavor.

We sow our finances, our effort, our time, our talent, our prayer, the word, and our faith, all for one thing: The Harvest.

The earth will produce, but we must reap it’s rewards.

We do this through:

1. Work, never heard of a harvest that did not require work to get into the barn.
2. Faith, we need God to supply the weather, health, wisdom to get it done.
3. Diligence, we must stay faithful to finish what we start.

Let’s Pray:

‘Father God, please give us strength, wisdom, diligence and courage, to continue to work faithfully in Your Kingdom, in only the fields of endeavour You have called us to. We aks, knowing we are heard, for we ask in Your name Lord Jesus, Amen.’

For prayer, comments, or to donate online:

https://chrisaomministries.com/2016/08/06/the-purpose-of-this-blog/

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Give in faith!

1 Corinthians 9:11 If we have sown [the seed of] spiritual good among you, [is it too] much if we reap from your material benefits?

1 Corinthians 9:14 [On the same principle] the Lord directed that those who publish the good news (the Gospel) should live (get their maintenance) by the Gospel.

Paul goes on to say, that he did not use his position as a minister of the gospel to take up offerings, rather he worked, making tents, to support himself. You might notice here, that Paul was not married, nor did he have children. Family responsibilities take time, and just as you bust a move on your job to provide for your family, I work every bit as hard, doing this, faithful to the Lord in prayer and the ministry of His Word, to you.

I will never charge for this: it my responsibility to God, my calling. Freely I have been given, now, I freely give…

As you give, hear Holy Spirit what to give, and honestly expect God to reward you for your giving.

Matt 10: 41 He who receives and welcomes and accepts a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives and welcomes and accepts a righteous man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever gives to one of these little ones [in rank or influence] even a cup of cold water because he is My disciple, surely I declare to you, he shall not lose his reward.

I am a five-fold ministry gift and office – this is my life – I pray, I hear, I write, and wonderful things happen. You have your job description, I have mine – this is mine….

I have ‘see through’ faith for you, in this: Gal 3: 9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

I believe I have a responsibility before God to be like Jesus, in every offering I receive. I receive it with thanksgiving, just like Jesus did the little boys lunch.

Then, because I walk and live by faith according to the blessing of Abraham, I believe that God will take your seed sown, and multiply it, according to what the blessing of Abraham promises:

Genesis 22:17 In blessing I will bless you and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants like the stars of the heavens and like the sand on the seashore. And your Seed (Heir) will possess the gate of His enemies

It has been a joy to me, to see the hand of the living God act in the lives of those of you who have supported us this year!

Many have seen tremendous blessing come into your households, and for this we give thanks, and give Jesus all the glory!

Party! Our Father is throwing a party!

Party! Our Father is throwing a party!

Ah, the age old story of ‘the prodical son’, told by Jesus Himself recorded for us in Lukes gospel, chapter 15. As I read this story again, these words leap off the page at me:

Luke 15:17 And when he came to himself…

We see there are moments in life, when a person ‘comes to themselves’, and see’s themselves from God’s perspective. At that moment, they get right with God, and the people they have been hurting…

2Ti 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Ps 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.

As we read through the Bible, we again read the story of the prodigal. The wayward son, who believed a lie, and in his passion, pride and deception, thought that he knew more than his father. He demanded his inheritance, and off he went, out into the world, to let off steam, and party. Been there done that…UGH!

While I was in the bar scene, out from my parents authority, I had a man (who later brought me to an AA meeting) who said: ‘Son, the elevator in your life, is going down, but you can get off at whatever floor you want!’

One morning, after a 40 hour week on the end of a shovel working underground in a nickle mine, I awoke with a wicked hangover, and thought about those words. Where were my friends now? Where was my paycheck from the day before? Spent mostly in the bar the night before, and I was hurting…

Seems the best we can do sometimes is speak a word of love and truth into a person’s life that is going away from God, honor, and who they were created to be.

I repeat my version of repentance. RE means: ‘to return to’. PENT actually means five, but for the sake of the illustration (its my sermon!), it makes me think of a penthouse. In elite condominiums, the penthouse is normally the most expensive lavish unit in the complex, in a motel it is often the executive or honeymoon suite, the best room in the place.

We are children of the most high God, King of the Universe. Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: We are not worms groveling before a Holy God, but adopted sons and daughters called to come boldly before the throne of His grace, in joy!

Repent! Come back to the High place of privilege, promise, purpose and passion!

Notice in this story of the prodigal, the father came running out to meet the son, ordered the best robe, ring, and shoes for him, and threw a party for him.

We, who come to our heavenly Father, find Him running towards us in love, covering our shame with the robe of righteousness, placing upon our finger again, the family ring of covenant and love, and covering the filthiness of our dirty feet with new shoes, the gospel of peace! As if this was not enough, He then throws a party for us!

Well, one day, when I was driving home from a dry legalistic church service, as a ministry student, I saw a carload of college students in front of me, drunk, with the windows down, hanging out of the windows, singing! Suddenly, Holy Spirit spoke to me: ‘Do you miss it?’

I was suddenly reminded of the incredible pressure of engineering school, where on a Friday night we would work as hard as we could on our computer assignment, determined to get it complete by midnight, so we could literally run across campus, run into the pub, grab a pitcher of beer, chug as much beer as possible in 5 mins to get enough courage, to run over to the table with the prettiest girls at it, and grab one, and drag her laughing unto the dance floor, where we would dance like idiots, getting the whole bar in hysterics!

I used to say, ‘You can’t make a man go through several hours of brutal swim practices, then schedule every minute of every week with classes, homework assignments, and lab reports, without it coming out somewhere. Yep, when we entered the college pub, the crowded pub would yell: “Hurray, the engineers are here!”

Well, back to my conversation with God in the car, watching the party animals in front of me. There I was, having just come out of a Bible study, in my suit and tie, and truth be told, I did miss the scene. Church was strict, dry and boring. College dances, were alive, fun, but probably very excessive.

So, I knew God knew my heart anyway, so I said: ‘Yes, Father, I do miss it, but not enough to go to hell over.”

I felt Him smile.

I thought He would change my heart, purify me, and make me no longer desire the passion of the party, but I did not yet know my Father.

Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition, when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

C.S. Lewis.

Instead of making me a dry, dead, leader, He threw me into the river of His love, being poured out in what became known as ‘The Toronto Blessing’. There I learned that when someone comes home to Him, there is a party thrown in heaven, with the best of everything supplied.

Learned to dance, shout, get insanely drunk in the Holy Spirit (He slammed me so hard one night, that me and a friend not only couldn’t walk, but the ushers had to carry us to the door. When we discovered that we still couldn’t walk, we laughed too hard, that we literally crawled a ¼ mile up the street to where our car was parked, and had to have a friend drive us back to the hotel.

Quite frankly, I miss that!

This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one: the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap, and being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.

George Bernard Shaw quoted in: Jon Johnston, Courage – You Can Stand Strong in the Face of Fear, SP Publications, 1990, p. 171.

Lu 15:7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

I want to be around the joyful, drunk in the Holy Ghost, partying, harvesting, saints of God.

To join God’s party, we need to be around where prodigals are coming home. Hey, even the guests get to drink the best wine, enjoy the best steak (they killed the fatted calf), and there is such good will flowing, you might find yourself with a couple of new sets of clothes, shoes, jewelry. Can’t count the times we would go to check out of the motel, to discover that some other holy drunk, had picked up our tab, and paid our rooms. Fathers will, is Father’s bill!

Our Father is throwing extravagant parties all over the world, serving the best wine during these last days. Places of crazy, stupid drunken Holy Ghost joy, and extravagant grace, where free favors from heaven abound.

Last year I attended #AzuzaNow, hosted by Lou Engles in Los Angeles. 3 days drive each way, for a couple days of poured out weeping, dancing, shouting, drunken laughter in the Holy Spirit, crying out that God have mercy and spare the United States again…Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Watching my daughter dancing before the Lord I see her joy: the kingdom of God is a party, if you are getting your job done, seeing the prodigals coming home!

May you get drunk today! Crazy, stupid, falling down, insanely laughing drunk in the Holy Ghost, today!

Tomorrow night, I get to attend ‘Night to Honor Israel’ here at Victory Christian Center here in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Got to thinking about the Old Testament passage:

Deuteronomy 14:²⁶ Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice

Get a harvest mindset, and it will happen. Share the gospel with someone, pray with a stranger, hand out a tract, and watch how quickly joy begins to well up again in your heart. Giving is the nature of Jesus, for God so loved the world that He gave…

Jesus will sing and dance with us in it!

Heb 2:12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.

“Father, throw me into the river of your love, your harvest, your joy, the river of life, abundance, refreshing, and extravagant grace! Teach me how to dance, sing, shout, and rejoice before you, as the prodigals come home, and the lost get saved. Come on Jesus, let’s dance!”

 

Separated unto the law of God

Separated unto the Law of God!

Neh 10:28 And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinims, and all they that had separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one having knowledge, and having understanding;

Sure looks like the heart of God to me, people, from every tongue, tribe and nation. Every language, every culture, every skin color, come together around one thing: obedience to the Word of God.

This has been the heart of God for all time, a people separated unto Himself, a holy people, that He can love and fellowship with, for all eternity.

And so we are that people, committed to daily hearing, preaching, teaching, and living in the Word of God, experiencing His love, grace, and pleasure, seeing His power transform this earth into literal recreations of the garden of Eden, (https://chrisaomministries.com/2015/02/26/recreating-eden-replenish-the-earth/) as His blessing manifests, destroying the result of the curse like the wonderful line from the Christmas carol we sing:

From Joy to the World:
No more let sins and sorrows grow
nor thorns infest the ground:
he comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found.

He rules the earth with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love
The Word of God, believed and acted upon, breaks every curse, whether from the fall of man, or through the work of witches, warlocks, or devil worshipers. No demon spirit can stop the blessing of Almighty God, for Jesus is risen from the dead, and He is Lord!

Preach the gospel! Go into all the world! Bring His love and Word to all people! His kingdom is the answer to every human condition, for Jesus is Lord!

Let’s pray:
‘Father, we come before you today asking you to speak to us your Word! Help us to live it, speak it, and take it to the nations today, in your name I pray Lord Jesus, Amen!’

Receive the Kingdom!

Receive the Kingdom!

Listen to the words of Jesus:
Luke 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.,

John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

The challenge of kingdom living, is simply receiving, daily, from heaven, that which we need. Everything we need, has already been provided for us through the promises of God, yet daily we must seek Him. Daily, we must enforce in His kingdom, here in the earth, in our lives, submitting to, and declaring and decreeing His promises, His rule, His reign, and goodness, love, mercy, honor, holiness, and blessing shall manifest in our lives, each day, one day at a time.

Let’s Pray:
‘Father, thank you for your love, your kingdom, your power, your rule and reign in my life, family, workplace, and church today. I believe I receive it, now, in your name I pray, Lord Jesus, Amen!’

Seeing Heaven – I preach Prosperity

Seeing Heaven, I preach Prosperity!

Rev 21: 23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. 18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.

Let’s look back a couple verses to Revelation chapter 21:

v19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

See the majesty of heaven described here? Gold, precious jewels, glory, majesty, honor, holiness!

Jesus told us to pray:

Mt 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Then Jesus said:

Mt 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The kingdom, rule, reign and presence of heaven is among us!

My version of repent is a little different than some: I think of a penthouse as a high place, an executive suite, the best condo in the building, the best room in a hotel, the Presidential suite, the highest place in the building.

Re: means to return to.

Repent then, means, come back to your high place. Your place of dignity, honor, respect, holiness. Leave the filthy, unclean, darkness of sin, and your own way, and come to the high place, where we walk with the King of Glory!

Ephesians 2:6 (KJV) ⁶ And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Ps 84:10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

When you do, heaven comes to earth!

First to your soul, but this word picture in Revelation is the atmosphere of heaven, and it is glorious!

It includes, but is not limited to riches and wealth!

Lu 9:2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

Lu 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

There is no sickness, poverty, sin, or heartbreak in the kingdom, and this is the kingdom of God, the rule and reign of our King, that was given to you, when you accepted Jesus as your Lord and King.

Heb 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

Ro 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Mt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Righteousness releases resources, heaven’s resources, provision for your life, resources to fulfill your God given destiny!

De 11:21 That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.
Let’s Pray:
Father, I ask you today for the fullness of your kingdom to manifest in my life. May strength, health, glory, and prosperity manifest in my life today, for I am your child, and you are the great King of all the Universe! Show forth your glory, as I seek you today, and determine to walk with you in honor, power, and obedience today, in your name I pray Lord Jesus!’

Party! Our Father is throwing a party!

Party! Our Father is throwing a party!

Luke 15:17 And when he came to himself…

We see there are moments in life, when a person ‘comes to themselves’, and see’s themselves from God’s perspective. At that moment, they get right with God, and the people they have been hurting…

2Ti 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Ps 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.

As we read through the Bible, we again read the story of the prodigal. The wayward son, who believed a lie, and in his passion, pride and deception, thought that he knew more than his father. He demanded his inheritance, and off he went, out into the world, to let off steam, and party. Been there done that…UGH!

While I was in the bar scene, out from my parents authority, I had a man (who later brought me to an AA meeting) who said: ‘Son, the elevator in your life, is going down, but you can get off at whatever floor you want!’

One morning, after a 40 hour week on the end of a shovel in the mine, I awoke with a wicked hangover, and thought about those words. Where were my friends now? Where was my paycheck from the day before? Spent mostly in the bar the night before, and I was hurting…

Seems the best we can do sometimes is speak a word of love and truth into a person’s life that is going away from God, honor, and who they were created to be.

I repeat my version of repentance. RE means: ‘to return to’. PENT actually means five, but for the sake of the illustration (its my sermon!), it makes me thing of a penthouse. In elite condominiums, the penthouse is normally the most expensive lavish unit in the complex, in a motel it is often the executive or honeymoon suite, the best room in the place.

We are children of the most high God, King of the Universe. Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: We are not worms groveling before a Holy God, but adopted sons and daughters called to come boldly before the throne of His grace, in joy!

Repent! Come back to the High place of privilege, promise, purpose and passion!

Notice in this story of the prodigal, the father came running out to meet the son, ordered the best robe, ring, and shoes for him, and threw a party for him.

We, who come to our heavenly Father, find Him running towards us in love, covering our shame with the robe of righteousness, placing upon our finger again, the family ring of covenant and love, and covering the filthiness of our dirty feet with new shoes, the gospel of peace! As if this was not enough, He then throws a party for us!
Well, one day, when I was driving home from a dry legalistic church service, as a ministry student, I saw a carload of college students in front of me, drunk, with the windows down, hanging out of the windows, singing! Suddenly, Holy Spirit spoke to me: ‘Do you miss it?’

I was suddenly reminded of the incredible pressure of engineering school, where on a Friday night we would work as hard as we could on our computer assignment, determined to get it complete by midnight, so we could literally run across campus, run into the pub, grab a pitcher of beer, chug as much beer as possible in 5 mins to get enough courage, to run over to the table with the prettiest girls at it, and grab one, and drag her laughing unto the dance floor, where we would dance like idiots, getting the whole bar in hysterics!

I used to say, ‘You can’t make a man go through several hours of brutal swim practices, then schedule every minute of every week with classes, homework assignments, and lab reports, without it coming out somewhere. Yep, when we entered the college pub, the crowded pub would yell: “Hurray, the engineers are here!”

Well, back to my conversation with God in the car, watching the party animals in front of me. There I was, having just come out of a Bible study, in my suit and tie, and truth be told, I did miss the scene. Church was strict, dry and boring. College dances, were alive, fun, but probably very excessive.

So, I knew God knew my heart anyway, so I said: ‘Yes, Father, I do miss it, but not enough to go to hell over.”

I felt Him smile.

I thought He would change my heart, purify me, and make me no longer desire the passion of the party, but I did not yet know my Father.

Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition, when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.
C.S. Lewis.

Instead of making me a dry, dead, leader, He threw me into the river of His love, being poured out in Toronto. There I learned that when someone comes home to Him, there is a party thrown in heaven, with the best of everything supplied.

Learned to dance, shout, get insanely drunk in the Holy Spirit (He slammed me so hard one night, that me and a friend not only couldn’t walk, but the ushers had to carry us to the door. When we discovered that we still couldn’t walk, we laughed to hard, that we literally crawled a ¼ mile up the street to where our car was parked, and had to have a friend drive us back to the hotel.

Quite frankly, I miss that!

This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one: the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap, and being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
George Bernard Shaw quoted in: Jon Johnston, Courage – You Can Stand Strong in the Face of Fear, SP Publications, 1990, p. 171.

Lu 15:7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

I want to be around the joyful, drunk in the Holy Ghost, partying, harvesting, saints of God.

To join God’s party, we need to be around where prodigals are coming home. Hey, even the guests get to drink the best wine, enjoy the best steak (they killed the fatted calf), and there is such good will flowing, you might find yourself with a couple of new sets of clothes, shoes, jewelry. Can’t count the times we would go to check out of the motel, to discover that some other holy drunk, had picked up our tab, and paid our rooms. Fathers will, is Father’s bill!

Our Father is throwing extravagant parties all over the world, serving the best wine during these last days. Places of crazy, stupid drunken Holy Ghost joy, and extravagant grace, where free favors from heaven abound.

Just came from #AzuzaNow, hosted by Lou Engles in Los Angeles. 3 days drive each way, for a couple days of poured out weeping, dancing, shouting, drunken laughter in the Holy Spirit, crying out that God have mercy and spare the United States again…
Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Watching my daughter dancing before the Lord I see her joy: the kingdom of God is a party, if you are getting your job done, seeing the prodigals coming home!

May you get drunk today! Crazy, stupid, falling down, insanely laughing drunk in the Holy Ghost, today!

Get a harvest mindset, and it will happen. Share the gospel with someone, pray with a stranger, hand out a tract, and watch how quickly joy begins to well up again in your heart. Giving is the nature of Jesus, for God so loved the world that He gave…

Jesus will sing and dance with us in it!

Heb 2:12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.

“Father, throw me into the river of your love, your harvest, your joy, the river of life, abundance, refreshing, and extravagant grace! Teach me how to dance, sing, shout, and rejoice before you, as the prodigals come home, and the lost get saved. Come on Jesus, let’s dance!”

His Pleasure is to Give us the Kingdom!

He gave us the Kingdom, now take your place in authority in it!

Luke 12:31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Luke 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Since the kingdom of God is defined as ‘God sovereign rule and reign”, God giving us the kingdom is exciting news.

Why you might ask?

Well, when we make Jesus our Lord, He becomes our Shepherd through life, and when we fully submit to His authority, we discover that we get to exercise His authority over demons, and creation, through His Word and Spirit.

Lu 9:1 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.

Luke 10:17 ¶ And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

As we walk with Holy Spirit, we discover that we have authority over ALL THE POWER OF THE ENEMY!

I have heard teaching that there are certain demonic strongholds in the earth, that only Jesus Himself can touch, but here He says, He gives His disciples power (authority), over ALL the power or authority of the enemy!

That is you and me, determined to walk with Him.

Let’s pray:
‘Father, I thank you for your authority in my life. I submit to you Lord Jesus, and I rise in you, seated with you in heavenly places. I take my place, and I command every evil force arrayed against me, my family, and my church, to leave, now! In the mighty name of Jesus! Amen’

The Invisible Kingdom

The Invisible Kingdom

Act 12:21 And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.
22 And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.
23 And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.
24 But the word of God grew and multiplied.

If we believe that the kingdom of God is simply the rule and authority of God, in heaven and in the earth, then we must understand that the most important thing for us, as Christians, is how to fully walk in the kingdom of God, even when the political system of the day, may be directly opposed to the righteous and holy reign of Jesus, in a particular time and space in the earth.

God only has two authority structures in the earth: The political system (Rom 13:1-5, 1 Tim 2:1-4), and His Church, that rules and reigns with him. (Eph 2:6).

In the above passage, we see how an earthly kingdom, collided with the kingdom of God.

Here is an example of the thoughts and kingdoms of men, colliding with the kingdom of God. Herod, emperor of the Rome, overstepped his earthly authority, in proclaiming himself to be a god. Just like the old adage: See the writing on the wall…

Somewhere in that generation, was a church, on fire for God, praying for God’s power and authority to be released, and it was! God sent an angel, and struck Herod dead, that it might be known there is only one true God, in heaven and earth, and that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of the Father.

Like the old worship song we sing: ‘Kings, and kingdoms, will all pass away, but there’s something about that name’.

Greece, Rome, the Ottoman empire, have all passed away, but the kingdom of God, still stands. America will too, as long as she stands with the Word of God, and Jesus, but if she would depart, she too would end up in the boneyard of history, another testimony to the unchanging, all powerful invisible reign of Jesus amongst men.

So we pray: that each of us, from the least to the greatest, might meet Jesus personally, and serve him fully in holiness, and in the unique and high calling each of us were created to fulfill.

This is where I find myself in the kingdom, using every available resource, influence, and moment of my life to promote, build, establish, and enforce the kingdom of God in the earth, for it is the answer for every situation, every problem, for its nature is love.

“Yes, Jesus loves me, for the Bible tells me so.”

He loves you too, and really does have an incredible plan for your life.

If we only had eyes to see and ears to hear and wits to understand, we would know that the Kingdom of God in the sense of holiness, goodness, beauty is as close as breathing and is crying out to born both within ourselves and within the world; we would know that the Kingdom of God is what we all of us hunger for above all other things even when we don’t know its name or realize that it’s what we’re starving to death for. The Kingdom of God is where our best dreams come from and our truest prayers. We glimpse it at those moments when we find ourselves being better than we are and wiser than we know. We catch sight of it when at some moment of crisis a strength seems to come to us that is greater than our own strength. The Kingdom of God is where we belong. It is home, and whether we realize it or not, I think we are all of us homesick for it.”
― Frederick Buechner

Let’s pray:
‘Father, you have said that I am to be in this world, but not of it. Bring me to my place in your kingdom, and teach me your way of walking through this life. May I not waste time on other things, but may I settle for nothing less, than the high calling you have placed upon my life, though you Lord Jesus. Reveal Your Kingdom to our lives, our nation, our families…Amen’

Understanding Times and Seasons!

1 Chronicles 12:32

from Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do

There is a word from God, in season that will correctly trouble the waters, and bring about His kingdom.…

May those that have ‘Sons of Issachar’ anointing arise!

Speak!

I believe I already have: http://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Grand-illusion-Prophetic-Strategy/dp/1497594839/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429722053&sr=8-1&keywords=Welcome+to+the+Grand+Illusion