A Letter From Chip Brogden

Hi Dave, The turning point in my life came in 1995. At that time I was a 24 year-old burned out pastor of a church that had just closed. I was a little angry, a little frustrated, and a little depressed. As I was half-reading and half-praying, I came across a passage that I had seen hundreds of times before: "[God] has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:6). That word "together" exploded upon my consciousness - together, together, TOGETHER! I finally grasped the fact that I am in Christ, and Christ is in me. From there, everything else fell into place. If I am seated together with Him, then I ascended together with Him. If I ascended together with Him, then I was resurrected together with Him. If I was resurrected together with Him, then I died with Him. If I died with Him, then "I was crucified with Christ" (Gal. 2:20). I knew all those Scriptures... I had read them hundreds of times... I had taught these things for years... But on that day, the written Word became the Living Word. I saw Him. I saw myself in Him - just one of the crucified, dead, buried, resurrected, ascended, and seated Branches of a crucified, dead, buried, resurrected, ascended, and seated Vine. I saw it backwards and forwards, upside down and rightside up, from every possible angle and from every possible color. I did not realize it at the time, but that day, and the revelation that came to me that day, would mark the beginning of the end of my career as a preacher for Organized Religion. Because once I saw Christ as He truly is, I began to see the Body of Christ as it really is - and as it should be. I began to see what a poor, miserable substitute Churchianity has created. I realized I no longer "fit the suit." But I still tried. My mission from that day forward was to be the Grand Reformer, another Martin Luther who was going to take this revelation into Churchianity and turn the world upside down. It wasn't long before my opportunity came. The next church that extended a ministry position to me probably thought they were getting the typical Assemblies of God pastor. What they got instead was a disaster (at least in their mind). From my perspective, I was just speaking the truth and keeping it real. I couldn't figure out why loving people and pointing them to Christ caused so much hate and anger. Today, of course, I get it. I understand the difference between being Christ-centered and Church-centered. You see, I had always assumed that being Church-centered was pretty much the same thing as being Christ-centered. How naïve and foolish I was in those days. I also assumed that everyone went to church because they wanted to grow spiritually. Another foolish assumption. Christ-centered spiritual maturity is NOT the goal of Churchianity; the goal of Churchianity is to keep people in a perpetual state of spiritual immaturity, forever dependent upon the pastor to feed them and the worship team to entertain them. Scriptural integrity? Only insofar as the Scriptures agree with their way of doing things. As Jesus said, "You nullify the Word of God with your tradition." And as God told Ezekiel, "They come and sit before you as My people, and they listen to what you say, but they won't do anything you tell them. To them you're a lovely song playing on an instrument; they enjoy listening to you, but they won't put anything you say into practice." (That's my paraphrase of Ezekiel 33:31,32.) Being kicked out of church was the best thing that could have happened to us. If I had not been kicked out of church, I would still be there trying to reform it. Trying to fix something that God never intended to be built to begin with. Occasionally someone says, "Hey Brother Chip, not all churches are bad! What about all the good pastors? What about all the precious people who still go to church? Aren't you afraid you're going to offend someone by painting all of them with such a broad brush?" If the price of saving a few is to offend the many, then no, I'm not afraid of offending the many. I am more afraid of not doing all I can to help people get delivered from a religion ABOUT Jesus so they can discover a relationship WITH Him. One time, the disciples of Jesus came to him and said, "Master, don't You know the Pharisees were offended by what You just said?" Jesus replied: "Leave them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind, and if the blind lead the blind, they will both fall into a ditch." But Lord, what about Nicodemus? Nicodemus was a good Pharisee who supported Jesus! See, not all Pharisees are bad! Oh no, Jesus might have offended Nicodemus by lumping them all together into one broad, general statement about the blind leading the blind! Oh, the shock! Here's what Jesus knows: Nicodemus is going to have to decide if he wants to follow Jesus or follow the Pharisees, but there is no way for him to do both at the same time. "To him who has an ear, let him hear." In other words, if the shoe fits, wear it. That goes for Nicodemus and for everyone else trying to have the best of both worlds. The School of Christ follows in the same spirit of Jesus: choose whom you will serve, because you cannot follow Christ and defend Churchianity at the same time. If you are sold out for the Lord's purposes, you are on a head-on collision course with Churchianity. I'm living proof of that. Of course, you can try - as I did. I wish you well, but that's not my battle. My fight is for God's Purposes to be fulfilled in God's People. I want to see God's People delivered from a Church-centered tradition so they can have a Christ-centered Faith. I want to see God's People set free from the shackles of spiritual immaturity so they can grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus - spiritually mature, able to serve God and serve others. I want to see God's People rightly handle the Word of God, able to handle strong meat, able to exercise discernment, able to test all things, and able to speak the truth in love without hitting people over the head with Bible verses taken out of context. And that CANNOT happen within the narrow confines of Churchianity. "Come out of her, My People!" (Rev. 18:4). The opportunity is Outside the Camp, not inside it. The Harvest is "out there" not "in here." Let the dead bury their dead. It's time for us to be about our Father's business. I am your brother, Chip Brogden http://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org P.S. Did you notice that in this letter I alluded to our Three Core Values? Watch these three short videos to learn more: http://theschoolofchrist.org/about/values.html

EDIFYING THE BODY

"He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers... for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come... to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." EPHESIANS 4:11-13 Does the Body of Christ still need to be edified and encouraged? Have we all attained to the unity of the faith? Have we all obtained the full-knowledge of the Son of God? Have we all come to spiritual maturity? If the answer to all these questions is no, then these foundational ministries - ALL of them - are still needed today. And if they are still needed, then God has not withdrawn them. Source: "The Church in the Wilderness" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/the-church-in-the-wilderness.html

WHAT DOES GOD WANT?

"I am the Way." - JOHN 14:6

What is God after? What does He seek from us? What does He want?
First and foremost, He desires a people who will be conformed to
the image of His Son, that they may demonstrate the preeminence of
Christ in all things. But how does He gain such a people for
Himself? The first step is to reveal His Son to us. This is the
narrow gate. We cannot begin to walk the narrow path until we have
entered the narrow gate.

Upon entering the narrow gate He begins to change us from the
inside out so that it is Christ expressing Himself through us. "Not
I, but Christ." This is the narrow path. This narrow path we call
discipleship. It leads us somewhere. A path is not for standing
still. It has a destination. Where does the path lead? What is the
End? Christ as All in All. That is the End. All things work
together according to this supreme purpose, His Purpose.

Source: "Embrace the Cross" by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html

Our Loss, HIS Gain

"Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ."
PHILIPPIANS 3:7 ESV

The Lord will allow Self to run its due course, just like the tree
whose branches fill the earth and whose height reaches to the
heavens (Daniel 4:10-12). But a day of judgment is coming.

Now, those who love Self will hate judgment; but those who hate
Self will love judgment. If our heart is "not I, but Christ," then
we will rejoice whenever we are decreased and Christ is increased.
We will submit to the Lord's dealings with us. Our focus will not
be on what Self loses, but on what Christ gains, for our loss is
His gain.

Source: "Embrace the Cross" by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html

Iranian Imam Warns against Spread of House Churches

By Jeremy Reynalds Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service IRAN (ANS) -- The increasing spread of Christianity in Iran and the resulting growth of house churches among Iranians has is greatly concerning Iranian religious experts and clerics. They make frequent statements about the situation. Hojatol-Eslam Seyed Mohammad Saeedi According to the Iranian Christian news agency, "Mohabat News," in his latest remarks in a meeting with the leader and managers of the Organization of Islamic Propaganda in the religious city of Qom, Hojatol-Eslam Seyed Mohammad Saeedi, who is also the Friday prayer Imam, warned against "the enemy's efforts" to establish "house-churches." Mohabat News said he called on cultural authorities, especially those at the Organization of Islamic Propaganda, to be pioneers in promoting religious teachings. Qom is considered the religious capital of Iran and because the most prominent Shi'ite seminary is based in the city, it is also known as the center of the Shi'ite world. Mohabat News reported that the Islamic cleric, saying "some families are vulnerable," called for the implementation of propagating programs for Iranian families. He said, "The presence of clerics among families is the best and most effective way to promote religious matters and sharia laws." Mohabat News said that taking such positions against Christianity in Iran is not something new. Some Ayatollahs including top religious experts Mesbah-Yazdi, Vahid Khorasani, Makarem-Shiraz, have "already insulted Christianity and Christians." Mohabat News said the same statements by Ayatollahs have prompted security and intelligence forces to impose more pressure on Iranian Christians. Ayatollah Khorasani Mohabat News said along the same line, Ayatollah Khorasani, a well known religious authority, claimed, in a gathering with Islamic seminary students in Qom held to address Christian evangelism in Iran, that they even know the number of young people in Qom who have converted to Christianity! Mohabat News reported that the Shi'ite Ayatollah criticized the growth of Christianity in Iran and said, "Christianity rooted in Iran is deceiving young Shi'ites and they (the authorities) are fighting for who will be the boss." After saying that he requested that Christian evangelism be eradicated from the country. Mohabat News said he added, "Isn't there someone to say what it means to have this much corrupt Christian propaganda even in the religious city of Qom?" After that, Mohabat News said, he severely criticized the senior administrators and authorities for giving their attention to unimportant matters and being negligent in such issues. He also warned them not to be negligent any longer. Mohabat News said Heydar Moslehi, the Iranian Intelligence Minister, also spoke in a meeting held in Feizieh Seminary in Qom. He outlined ways to deal with the growth of Christianity and house churches in Iran, and announced a series of new plans against Christianity. Mohabat News commented, "The increased threats, arrests and torture of a number of Christians and Christian converts by security and judicial authorities, especially in religious cities, is convincing evidence that the Ayatollahs (Islamic clerics) direct the intelligence and security services of the regime in dealing with the growth of Christianity in Iran."

YOUR JAR OF OIL

"Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil." 2 KINGS 4:2

 Every disciple of the Lord Jesus is at a different level of growth and spiritual maturity. But may I say that no matter how long you have walked with the Lord - be it several years or only a day - you have at least one "jar of oil" in your house. Now what you do with that one jar of oil makes the difference between a victorious life and a defeated life. The single jar of oil is not much in and of itself. It is not sufficient to meet the demands of your creditors, nor is it sufficient to sustain your spiritual life. It is only sufficient when it is poured forth. The one who "saves" his life will lose his life, but the one who "pours out" his life will really have it in abundance.

 Source: "Embrace the Cross" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/lord-of-all.html

Right Investment of Time

"Now as [Paul] reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, 'Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.'" ACTS 24:25 When the time is short we must make the most of every opportunity and waste nothing. Ordinarily if we speak the Word to someone and they send us away, the best advice is to leave. Unfortunately, Paul was in prison and could not get away. Felix sent for him often but nothing ever changed. In this manner Paul witnessed to Felix for two years without any result whatsoever. Clearly this was a ruse of the enemy designed to frustrate the gifted apostle and sap his strength. Paul the prisoner had no choice but to come when Felix called for him; we who are free ought to be careful lest we find ourselves spending all our time talking to a Felix when there is a Cornelius praying to hear us speak the very words that Felix takes for granted. Source: "The Church in the Wilderness" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/the-church-in-the-wilderness.html

DOING FLOWS FROM BEING

"Put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." EPHESIANS 4:24 What is the Christian Life? It is leaving our ground altogether and coming onto the ground of Christ. It is deeper than a changed life - it is an exchanged life. Over time we can accomplish a change, but we can do nothing to exchange our life for His Life. This, from start to finish, is God's work, and it is a work of grace. What, after all, is Righteousness? What is true Holiness? Christ is not righteous because He does righteous things; He does righteous things because He is Righteousness. Christ is not holy because He does holy things; He does holy things because He is Holiness. His "doing" flows out of His "being" - and OUR "doing" flows out of His "being" as well. Source: "Lord of All" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/lord-of-all.html

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES

"Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." MATTHEW 5:44 The nature of the Kingdom of God is quite different, and its character reflects that difference. There is not a kingdom on the face of the earth that could ever adopt a philosophy that says "love your enemies." If you accept the premise that Jesus really is a King then you are compelled to acknowledge that this King and His Kingdom are truly not of this world. A national defense policy based on "Love Your Enemies" would be political and national suicide for any earthly government. This Heavenly Order is such a radical departure from the ways of the world that it requires some rather deep experiences with God before a person can really enter into the service of the King, because that service is so unlike anything anyone has ever seen or experienced. Source: "The Irresistible Kingdom" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/the-irresistible-kingdom.html

WHOM SHALL I FEAR

Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time." 1 PETER 5:6 When we are submitted to the Lord, we find Grace. We find Peace. We find Rest. All things are in His hands, and He does all things well. We need not fear what any devil or any man can do to us. To be submitted to the Lord is to be under His care, under His guidance, under His power, under His protection. Whom shall I fear? What can man do to me? What can the devil do to me? If I have humbled myself beneath the mighty hand of God then He will exalt me in due season; He will justify me; He will defend me; He will fight for me. If our submission to God is complete, if our surrender to the Lord is total, then victory is assured. Source: "Embrace the Cross" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html

HEAVENLY SOLUTIONS

"You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem." HEBREWS 12:22 All the prophets pointed to Jerusalem as the place where the Messiah would rule and reign. On the surface this seems self-evident. The trouble with this is that the nature of the Kingdom is spiritual, and so the location of the Kingdom is likewise spiritual. A spiritual kingdom is not going to have an earthly capital. Neither will it have an earthly temple, an earthly priesthood, or an earthly King. It will be in the earth, but it will not rise up from the earth. Earthly problems cannot be solved with earthly solutions. Earthly problems require Heavenly solutions. The fact that John saw the New Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven and settling upon the earth shows that this is something established by God Himself, quite beyond the command and control of man. Source: "The Irresistible Kingdom" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/the-irresistible-kingdom.html

SO WALK IN HIM

"As you received Christ Jesus the Lord [the Narrow Gate], so walk in Him [the Narrow Path]." COLOSSIANS 2:6 ESV We come to the Lord admitting that we cannot save ourselves, and He does the saving. That is the Gate. Now we come to the Lord every day, admitting that we cannot enter the Kingdom, and He does what it takes to conform us into His image. That is the Path. Hence, I have no secret for the Christian Life, but Christ. I have no key, but Christ. I have no method, but Christ. I have no formula, but Christ. I have no technique, but Christ. I have no life, but Christ - for it is no longer I who lives, it is Christ Who lives in me (Galatians 2:20). In Him, through Him, because of Him, and by Him we may enter the Kingdom. Source: "Embrace the Cross" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html

ALL THINGS SUBDUED TO HIMSELF

"He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." PHILIPPIANS 3:21 What a mighty God we serve! Exactly how the Lord goes about bringing all things into submission unto Himself is... how can we describe it? It is an art. It is a science. There is a process at work in this universe. Do you see it? It is a process through which the Lord is continually refining, purging, molding, chastening, disciplining, judging, and conforming all things. This process is working itself out on every level, from galaxies, to nations, to the innermost recesses of the souls of men, right down to the very last disciple and sinner. Throw yourself onto the Rock and be broken; or wait for it to fall on you and be ground into powder (Luke 20:18, Daniel 2:34,35). Either way, sooner or later, the Rock wins, for "He MUST increase, but I MUST decrease" (John 3:30). Source: "The Irresistible Kingdom" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/the-irresistible-kingdom.html

free indeed

"The Truth shall make you free." JOHN 8:32 The Cross must be embraced and taken up daily as a principle of living. This is the practical application of taking up the Cross. If we ever lay down the Cross and attempt anything in our own power then we will be defeated. But as we continually reckon ourselves "dead indeed to sin but alive to God in Christ" (Romans 6:11) then what is true in principle eventually becomes true in our experience: sin begins to lose its power to control us, and we begin to see that we do have a choice. We will begin to see that we are no longer slaves to sin, but "if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed" (John 8:36). Source: "Embrace the Cross" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html

HE WILL BE IN YOU

"You know Him; for He dwells with you, and will be in you." JOHN 14:17 Just as Testimony follows Revelation, so Life follows Light. We simply know what to do because He Himself is doing it through us. If we have put on the Lord Jesus then we need not look to the past, or to the future. We need not look up to the heavens, or down upon the earth. We need not look outward at all, for the Kingdom of God is within us. The One Who said, "I am with you, and will be in you" has now taken up residence within all who believe. Source: "Lord of All" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/lord-of-all.html

hunger for righteousness

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." MATTHEW 5:6 To hunger and thirst for righteousness is to look forward to the promise of new heavens and a new earth (2 Peter 3:13): to long for it, to desire it, to pine for it, to seek it, to prepare for it and to keep praying for it until it arrives. It implies that we are not content with things just the way they are, and we are not satisfied to just let things go along as they always have. We hate sin, we hate the effects of sin upon this earth, and we mourn the consequences of man's inhumanity to man and rebellion towards God; but we have hope for a better day, a better life, a better world where Righteousness Himself is living among us. Until such time, we are hungry and thirsty for more of what we have only just begun to taste.

WHY SO LITTLE FRUIT?

"We who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake." 2 CORINTHIANS 4:11 The answer to why there is so little power and genuine spiritual fruit in the lives of those who follow Jesus is a simple one: they desire the Life of the Lord, but not His Death. They want a daily pouring out of the Lord's Life, but they shun the prospect of daily sharing in His Death. The saints of the Lord are well instructed in living victoriously, being blessed, walking in power, overcoming the enemy, and living up to their potential. By comparison, the majority of them know next to nothing about self-denial, bearing their Cross, boasting in their weaknesses, being joyful in trials, winning by losing, gaining by giving up, working by resting, accepting both the bitter and the sweet as gifts from God, enduring hardness and accepting suffering. God desires to increase us and enlarge us; He therefore calls us to go back to the Cross and start over again. Source: "Embrace the Cross" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html

NOT VOLUNTEERS BUT DISCIPLES

"Most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 CORINTHIANS 12:9 All those who want power with God must see that His power is released through our weakness. Do realize that you are weak whether you admit it or not, but the power of humility is in recognizing and agreeing before God that we really can do nothing of our own selves. God's power is not for those with natural charisma, talent, leadership skills, education, training, or "connections." God is not looking for volunteers to serve at their own convenience as their schedule permits, but calls for disciples who will lay down their lives. The flesh counts for nothing in spiritual matters. Source: "Embrace the Cross" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html

FROM THE FRONT LINES

Hello Friends The link below if for the Asian Harvest April Newsletter from Paul & Joy Hattaway and the article "From the Front Lines" is very worthwhile in understanding cross cultural mission. We would encourage you to take the few moments required and give it a read! The piece covers a large area and includes a quote from Rolland Allan, "Foreigners can never successfully direct the propagations of any faith throughout a whole country. If the faith does not become naturalized and expand among the people by its own vital power, it exercises an alarming and hateful influence and men fear and shun it a something alien." http://asiaharvest.org/pages/newsletters/114-April2012-TheAsianWorkersFund.pdf We also want to let you know that "The Luke 10 Manual" is now available as a free PDF download from out website, www.harvest-now.org , in English, German, Dutch, French, Russian, Spanish, Kyrgyz and Bulgarian. The English version is available in hard copy from lulu by clicking on the picture of the book and the Dutch version is available in hard copy from amazon.de . Please help us get the word out that these various versions are available. Would you consider helping us print the Burmese and the Urdu versions which are now being translated? Every blessing Steve www.harvest-now.org

Christ in Context

Posted by miltrodriguez in Christ, Christian Life, Church Life But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak of His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.” John 16: 13 – 15 One of the results of the fall is that our minds now have a strong tendency to taking ideas, concepts, and even persons, and then chopping them up and pulling them out of their proper context. For example, we have done this with Jesus Christ Himself. The Segmented Christ We have taken Christ and chopped Him up into little pieces. I have written about this previously in an article called The Holistic Church. We take a slice out of Christ and then make it everything. We have done this with just about every aspect of the person and work of Christ. For example, we have taken evangelism, gifts, healing, miracles, social action, deliverance, love, peace, joy and many other aspects of Him and taken them out of their proper context (Christ Himself) and then blown them up to be everything. Yet our glorious Christ is all of these things and so much more! But that is what the fallen, un-renewed mind does. So our revelation and life experience must shift to the whole Christ so that we can express the fullness of Christ. But what is the context of Christ Himself? Seeing Christ in His Environment This is moving to another mountain altogether. It all begins with “seeing,” that is, revelation of this Christ within His context. Seeing all of the aspects of Christ as all parts of the whole Christ is one thing (and it is wonderful), but what about seeing the context of this Christ Himself? Did you know that Christ has His own context, His own environment that He lives in all the time? Do you realize that we have done the same “splicing” of Christ out of His context as we have done with the many aspects of Christ? So exactly what is the context for the Son of God? It’s simple; the context for Christ is God Himself! What is His environment? Where does He live? He lives inside of the Father through the Holy Spirit (See Jn. 17). In other words, the context for Christ is the Triune God or Godhead. That’s His native habitat. He came from and went back to God (Father, Son, Spirit). He never has nor will He ever live “one solitary life”! He is not a lone individual. Even while on the earth, He was living in, by, through, and to His Community – the Triune God. He lives in the glorious context of Community life. His life doesn’t even make sense outside of the fellowship of the Father and the Spirit. Just read the gospel of John and you will see this very clearly, that is, if you are really looking. The One Dimensional Christ You could say that seeing Christ the way that we normally see Him is like seeing Him one-dimensionally. People are really into 3D movies nowadays. Why? Because now, instead of just watching the film with height and width, you can actually see depth! What a difference depth makes. I personally dislike those funky glasses. We have been viewing Christ one-dimensionally. Yet He is really a three-dimensional Lord. He is one with the Father and Spirit. Three dimensions? Well, actually much more . . . three Persons! Yet each one of these Persons is unlimited in Their vastness. And the three unique and unlimited Ones are even greater than that because of Their oneness. The oneness of God is not just a doctrine or theology, but it is an actual life that has been lived out for eternity. Jesus called this life – eternal life (Jn. 17:3). This is the life of oneness, the life of eternal fellowship, the life of community. If you will sit down one day and read through the gospel of John chapters fourteen through seventeen, you will see it more clearly. The Son is part of the fellowship or community. We could call this community the divine fellowship. When he became a man and lived on this earth he was still living in and by this divine community. He told us that He lived by the life of His Father (Jn. 6:57). At His baptism the Father spoke from heaven and the Spirit descended as a dove. He cast out demons by the Spirit. The words He spoke came from the Father. The three divine Persons of the Trinity were working in tandem the whole time. Three Dimensional Church Life Now this divine fellowship and community that is shared within the Godhead has everything to do with us as believers. The Lord didn’t just share these things with the disciples to give them some new radical theology. Even though as Jews they didn’t even believe in a Triune God! What He was sharing in these chapters of John’s gospel was the actual foundation of the eternal life that He was giving them. This life would soon be in them and they would learn to live by this life. This eternal life is nothing less than the very same life that energizes the community of the Godhead. “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Him whom You have sent, Jesus Christ” (Jn. 17:3). “That which we have seen and heard we report also to you that you also may have fellowship with us, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 Jn. 1:3). This life, this community life, is not only the model for the church. It is also the very life by which the church lives. This fellowship within the Triune God is the life by which He wants to live in and through the believers. Jesus Christ is the embodiment of the fullness of the Godhead (Col. 2:9). And we are in Him. We are not in Him just as some kind of ethereal vague theory. We are in Him so that we can fellowship (actually participate) in that life. We are in Him so we can fellowship but also so we can express. He wants us, as the corporate body of Christ, to express the actual community life within God Himself! He wants that life to be our lifestyle. Our Context Just as Christ has a context in the life of the Triune God, so do we. Our context as believers is Christ Himself. And that context is corporate to the core. We all are in Christ by the Spirit and Christ is in the Father. And the Father is in the Son. Isn’t that a wonderful place to be?

For Dreams to Come True

Just because we walk and talk does not mean we are truly awake. Zechariah was not sleeping when an angel roused him "as a man who is awakened from his sleep" (Zech. 4:1). Perhaps we too need to be shaken from our slumber to possess the promises of God! Amazingly, in spite of all the signs, wonders, and warnings announcing that we are truly in the last days, Jesus said there will also be a mysterious drowsiness that we must discern and overcome. Indeed, immediately after highlighting the various evidences of the end (Matt. 24), He compares the church to virgins who "all got drowsy and began to sleep" (Matt. 25:5). Virgins sleeping at the end of the age? It seems incomprehensible with the coming "wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth below" (Acts 2:19), not to mention the powerful, worldwide herald of the gospel of God's kingdom. Yet this phenomenon of spiritual slumber, of losing our God-seeking hunger, is something we must guard against. When this slumbering spirit approaches, it first dulls our perception. Soon, our zeal for the things of God diminishes. We still love the Lord, of course, but our vision sits in the back seat as other less important aspects of life set the direction for our lives. Indeed, from the beginning, the voice of Satan has had this seductive, lulling effect on mankind. Eve's excuse for disobedience? "The serpent hath caused me to forget" (Gen. 3:13 Young's Literal Translation). This sense of spiritual forgetfulness, of drowsiness, is the cloud of blindness that we each must discern and overcome. It was in regard to this that the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart through the following dream: There was a temple standing in an open field. My view of the temple was from its side, about 200 yards away. I could not see its front, yet it must have been completely open because great light flashed out from the inside; it pulsed like lightning yet was solid like sunlight. The block of light coursed straight out, and I knew this light was the glory of God. The temple was so close, just across the field, that I knew with just a little effort I could enter the glory of God. His holy presence was clearly within my reach. There were others also in the dream who were directly in front of me, people I recognized from church. Each one seemed busy. And while the temple and its light were visible and readily accessible to all, every head was bent downward and turned away from the light; each was occupied with other things. I heard one person say, "I have to do laundry." Another said, "I have to go to work." I could see people reading newspapers, watching televisions, and eating. I was sure everyone could see the light if they wanted to – even more sure that we all knew His glory was near. There were even a few people reading the Bible and praying, but everyone maintained the downward thrust of their gaze; they all had a mental barrier of some kind between them and the place of God's presence. No one, in fact, seemed capable of standing up, turning, and steadfastly walking into the very near glory of God. As I watched, suddenly my wife lifted her head and beheld the temple in the field. She stood and walked without pausing toward the open front. As she drew closer to the light, a garment of glory formed and thickened around her; the closer she went, the more dense the light surrounding her became. Finally, she stepped in front of the temple, turned, and stood in full view of the blazing glory of God. Then she entered the temple. Oh! How jealous I felt. My wife had entered the glory of God before me! At the same time I realized that there was nothing stopping me from approaching God's presence – nothing except the multitude of things to do and responsibilities that, in truth, ruled my life more than the voice of God. Pushing the weight of these pressures from me, I determined to rise and enter the temple myself. But, to my great regret, in my dream as I rose up, I suddenly woke up! The longing and disappointment within me seemed unbearable. I had been so close to entering God's presence. How I wanted to enter the temple and be swallowed up in His glory! I cried, "Lord, why did You let me wake up?" Immediately, the word of the Lord responded. He said, "I will not have My servant's life fulfilled by a dream. If you want your dream to come true, you have to wake up." Breaking Passivity; Setting Priorities Beloved, today God is awakening us to the reality of His presence. The promises the Lord gives us in the Scriptures must become more to us than dream-like realities reserved only for the hereafter. Moses frequented the glory of God. Israel's seventy elders ate and drank in God's resplendent glory (Exod. 24:9-11). Jesus unveiled God's glory to His key disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration! Paul says that beholding the glory of the Lord is the very means of our transformation (2 Cor. 3:18). For this reason the Scripture says, "Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you" (Eph. 5:14). If we truly want Christ to "shine" upon us, we must arise from the distractions that entomb us in lethargy and spiritual drowsiness. Right at this moment, the presence of the living God is near enough to hear the whisper of our hearts. But if we want our dream of standing in the presence of God to come true, we must wake up. Awaken my heart, Lord. Open my eyes to all that You are and everything we can be together. Lead me to Your presence and show me how to truly keep You first in my life. Show me what will have lasting significance. I want all of You, and I want to experience Your glory!

Consistency With the Inner Man

"We regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer." 2 CORINTHIANS 5:16 In our relationships it is easy to touch one another in the flesh. But to put on the Lord Jesus is to make no provision for the flesh, even in our relationships. To "know no man after the flesh" is truly a challenge. We "project" a certain something, and either it is ourselves, or it is Christ. We note the personality differences between Paul, and Peter, and John, and James, and Barnabas; even so, they each have the same clothing, having put on the Lord Jesus. So we can touch them on a deeper level than who they are in themselves. We can still see the man, but we mostly see the Lord of the man. When we put on the Lord Jesus then the outward man becomes consistent with the inward man. This is fruitfulness, and this should be the normal experience of all disciples of the Lord. Source: "Lord of All" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/lord-of-all.html

The LAST-DAY CHURCH

NOTE from ANDREW: The Bible declares in both Joel and Acts that in the Last Days, God's Spirit will be poured out upon "all flesh". And yet many today say there is "no hope" for the church in the Last Days - and that it is "only apostasy" that can be expected. Below is what David Wilkerson wrote on this topic before he died. We would appreciate your comments, my friends. The LAST-DAY CHURCH -David Wilkerson. I believe God´s vision for His last-day church is based on His revealed Word-because the Bible clearly outlines what the church of Jesus Christ will be like just prior to His coming. The church in America is far from what God envisioned it to be. For the most part, entire denominations today operate without the Holy Spirit. They are devoid of the presence of Jesus and bankrupt of all spiritual gifts. They practice a form of religion without any power, conviction or saving message. They are cozy with the world and are more political than spiritual. They appease sin, wink at divorce and ridicule the supernatural, while tossing aside all teaching about heaven, hell, repentance and judgment. The New Testament church made devils tremble! It drove legions of demons into the abyss, prayed prison doors open, made rulers cringe in fear. Those early believers had such faith and power that cripples rose up leaping and beggars became evangelists. They believed in the supernatural and they opened blind eyes, unstopped deaf ears and healed all manner of diseases. They even raised the dead! I am not saying God´s last-day church will be a repeat or copy of the first-century church. No-I am saying it will be even greater than that! It will be mightier, stronger, with an ever greater revelation of Jesus. It will have greater unction from the Spirit than ever- greater even than at Pentecost! God always saves His best wine for last! The prophet Daniel confirms this. He said that certain prophetic truths were locked up, only to be revealed in the last days: "For the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. . . . And none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand" (Daniel 12:9-10). Today the Holy Spirit is revealing these things to spiritual, discerning saints! "It is written: `Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love Him.´ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God" (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). The Lord is preparing a powerful yet humble army of shepherds after His own heart and also a remnant congregation of hungry sheep who have turned away from the deadness and sin of the modern church. The scene is being set for that church which will be hot, not lukewarm-and it will rock the very foundations of hell. No power on earth will be able to ignore or despise it! -Please comment on this topic at the following website- http://www.johnthebaptisttv.com/

Progressive Recovery

"Rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." PHILIPPIANS 3:3 Self - meaning the innate tendency in man to put himself and his desires above God and others - is the real source of all wickedness. That explains why merely dealing with the devil is not enough to rid the world of evil. If the devil were to disappear tomorrow the problem of Self would remain. It is a condition that exists deep within every man, woman, boy, and girl. Although the Self-life is a formidable obstacle to the Christ-life, it is by no means too difficult for God to overcome. Christ must increase, and Self must decrease. God is working to reestablish and recover that Heavenly Order in all things, beginning with individuals, then with a company of men and women, and ultimately extending to the entire creation, so that "God may be all in all" (1 Corinthians 15:28). The Bible is the story of the progressive recovery and increase of Christ in the midst of a world gone astray. Source: "The Irresistible Kingdom" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/the-irresistible-kingdom.html

Vision and Dreams Testify of Jesus

Hello Friends, the following is the testimony of a Muslim. For the whole testimony you can go to the link below. http://www.testimonyshare.com/the-life-and-testimony-of-a-converted-muslim/comment-page-2/#comment-10636 "Let me explain how my interest was aroused and how it urged me to know more about Christ. I was praying and asking Allah for help, for wisdom and knowledge so that I could convert Christians to Islam. The leaflets that I had picked up were the Gospel of John and when I read it, my inner eyes were opened. When I began reading, John 1:1-2 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God 2 He was with God in the beginning I laughed about the Christian mind and said to myself that they are foolish, they don’t know that in the beginning was Allah, yet they believed in some word, surely this was stupid and it should be easy for me to convert them to Islam. Jesus in the Quran I continued praying to Allah to accomplish my vision to convert Christians to the only and holy religion of Islam. One night, a man dressed in white appeared in my dream. He asked me, “Do you want to convert Christians to Islam?” “Yes,” I answered. “Then read the Quran in your own language”, I heard the man say. For the information of the distinguished reader: usually, the Quran is always read in Arabic. So it was an encouragement for me to know that there is some power helping me to know more about the truth. I was to convert people and this way I would go to heaven. So I began studying the Quran in Urdu, my own language and found several suras (as the different chapters of the Quran are called) regarding Jesus. I was reading that God called Him “word of His mouth”, or “word of God” or “Word from God”. It shocked me to read the same wordings here that I was reading before in the Gospel of John, that in the beginning was the Word… I began to read more carefully and then, the same person appeared in my dream again asking, “Do you want to know more about the truth so that you can convert Christians to Islam?” “Yes,” I replied. “Then read the Quran in your own language,” I heard once again. So I continued to study the Quran in Urdu and found out that Jesus is called there the “Spirit of God” or “Spirit from God”, or “Spirit from Him”. I was very upset and confused about what I was reading. What was I supposed to do? Again,for a third time, this same person appeared and asked me yet again, “Do you want to know more about the truth?” “Yes,” I answered again. ”Then read the Quran in your own language.” I continued studying and read that Jesus was the only One to perform miracles, that he was the only One to have the power to heal the leprous and give sight to the blind by birth. Jesus was the only One in the Quran who spoke out when He was an infant, saying. “I am a servant of God and God made me a prophet.” I went on studying and found most of my questions that I wanted to ask Christians, answered. I was surprised to read Jesus saying, “Blessed is the day when I was born, when I will die and when I will rise again.” I found so many things in the Quran, since for me it was unholy to read the Bible, because according to my knowledge it was a fraud copy of the original Bible." God is moving! Please continue to pray for our friends in Central Asia Steve & Marilyn www.harvest-now.org

The Fruit is The Evidence

"By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit." JOHN 15:8 An orange tree is an orange tree as soon as it is planted, even before it produces fruit. It is not an orange tree because it produces oranges; it produces oranges because it is an orange tree. The fruit is the evidence of what it already is. If it were to suddenly produce rotten apples then we know for certain that it is not what we thought it was. The one who has really been saved will produce "much fruit" and will "walk worthy" of their calling (Ephesians 4:1). That is to say, the evidence of a "born again" person is not in what they say they believe, but in how they actually live. Even the phrase "born again" indicates more than just a change of heart; it represents a spiritual death, burial, and resurrection; a new life. Thus, no one can be truly "born again" until and unless they embrace the Cross, die with Christ, and are raised to Life in Him. Source: "Embrace the Cross" by Chip Brogden

MISSION UPDATE 2012

MISSION UPDATE

2012



After earnest prayer in seeking the mind of Christ, Laurel and I want to update you about a “new season”

into which the Lord is leading us. We have discovered that even as the Lord led the Old and New

Testament believers in “seasons of life”, He continues to do the same today in our lives as well.



For over sixty years, I have served the Lord in the “season” as a pastor (28 years) and in “seasons” as a

missionary (32 years) “sent forth” to the nations. My wife Laurel has served faithfully at my side for all of

the 46 years of our marriage. The Lord has and continues to minister through her in unique gifts as she

has blessed not only me as her husband but everyone else whose life she has touched. She is truly a

Proverbs 31 woman to me!



During our “season” of overseas missionary work we had the joy of serving primarily in Communist,

Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist nations. We learned the importance of God’s “timing” and His “windows”

of opportunity in “opening and closing” doors. As we reflect on His timeliness, we now realize that we

only had one opportunity to enter some of these nations before their doors were closed to us. Recently

toward the end of overseas missionary travels, we began to have our visas denied because the governments

“suspected that we were engaged in Christian missionary activity”.



Now, at the age of 75, the Lord is leading us into yet another “season” of life. And that is to minister

primarily from “our hired house” by receiving and hosting servants from all over the world as Paul the

apostle did in Rome according to Acts 28:16, 23, 30-31: “And when we came to Rome, the centurion

delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a

soldier that kept him. And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him in his lodging; to

whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the

law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. And Paul dwelt two whole years in his

own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching

those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.”



The Lord is directing us now to concentrate on ministering to young servant leaders around the world via

the Internet through the means of our Website, Online “School of Tyrannus”, SKYPE, Blogs, Emails, etc.,

mutually encouraging one another as we are admonished in Hebrews 10:35 “and so much the more, as

ye see the day approaching”.



Also, because of the increasing high cost of overseas travel, it is not the best stewardship of the Lord’s

resources for us to continue to travel abroad. Rather we will encourage those we have already equipped,

to continue to train others within their own boarders and beyond as Paul the apostle wrote in

II Timothy 2:2: “And the things that thou has heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou

to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also”.



One of our greatest joys is to hear from young servants we have previously trained, that they are now

equipping their second and third generation of leaders for the work to which God has called them. Only

eternity will fully reveal the fruit of this continuing ministry of equipping and mentoring for Kingdom

service.



So, while the Internet is still accessible, we need to take greater advantage of this media, especially

SKYPE and our Online “School of Tyrannus”, which are free Internet services, that will enable us to continue

to make ourselves available to young leaders in various nations for dialogue and Q&A in real time where

we can see one another via the live camera. Also, leaders can use this media to equip and train others

within and beyond their own borders.



We purpose in our hearts to continue ministering to our beloved servants until the Lord calls us home or

comes again in His triumphant return!



Thank you for allowing us to share our hearts about our “new season”. We are so grateful for your

prayers and encouragement in helping continue to “to make disciples of all nations.”



In His love and grace,

Dan and Laurel Hubbell

His servants

From “a hired house” (Acts 28:30-31)

Winnsboro, Texas USA

http://www.churchrestoration.org



P.S.

1) If you are led of the Lord to take part in this continuing ministry of Internet equipping and

mentoring, please indicate it by your email response to danh@suddenlink.net

2) Also, please let us know if you have a computer and/or have access to a computer in order

to participate in this online training.



My Life Passage: “For Thou art my hope, O Lord God: Thou art my trust from my youth. By Thee

have I been holden up from the womb: Thou art He that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my

praise shall be continually of Thee. Let my mouth be filled with Thy praise and with Thy honor all

the day. Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth. But I

will hope continually, and will yet praise Thee more and more. My mouth shall shew forth Thy

righteousness and Thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof. I will go in the

strength of the Lord God: I will make mention of Thy righteousness, even of Thine only. O God,

Thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared Thy wondrous works. Now

also when I am old and gray headed, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed Thy strength

unto this generation, and Thy power to everyone that is to come. Thy righteousness also, O God,

is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto Thee.” Psalms 71:5-6, 8-9, 14-18

Your Agenda in Prayer

"Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
MATTHEW 6:10

The chief objective of prayer is to bring us into cooperation with
the Father so that we are harmonious with Him - with respect to our
love relationship as well as our working relationship. Much time
and effort in prayer is spent trying to get God involved with OUR
agenda, with OUR plans, with OUR goals, with OUR cause, with OUR
needs, real or imagined. But after all, who is the Master? Who is
the servant? Whose will are we seeking anyway: ours, or His?

If our agenda is not harmonious with His then our agenda has to go.
Most of our prayers are simply too small, too narrow-minded, and
too constricted. We do not see anything beyond our present
surroundings. We have not seen the big picture. We do not have a
heavenly perspective. So to begin with we must empty ourselves of
all preconceived ideas and seek the Lord's Will and the Lord's
Kingdom when we pray, for this truly honors the Father.

Source: "The Irresistible Kingdom" by Chip Brogden

The Great Movement of God

"That in all things He may have the preeminence."
COLOSSIANS 1:18

The unavoidable, inevitable conclusion is that Christ will have the
preeminence - not just in some things, but in all things. To
achieve this, He works one-on-one with His disciples. He then
gathers all His disciples together into a spiritual family where
they grow and learn together. This spiritual family then invites
the rest of the world to join them in giving Christ the preeminence
in all things, so that "God may be all in all" (1 Corinthians
15:28).

At the risk of over-simplifying the process, that is the essence of
this great movement of God. The point must be reiterated that Jesus
is the atoning sacrifice for all sins: "not for ours only but also
for the whole world" (1 John 2:2) and He has sent His
representatives into "all the world" to "preach the Gospel to every
creature" (Mark 16:15).


Source: "The Irresistible Kingdom" by Chip Brogden

Two Immutable Spiritual Laws

"The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has made me free
from the Law of Sin and Death."
ROMANS 8:2


Two laws are mentioned in this passage of Scripture: the Law of
Life, and the Law of Sin and Death. We who are in Christ Jesus have
been delivered from the Law of Sin and Death and are under a new
law, which is the Law of Life. The difference between a theoretical
walk with Christ and a practical walk with Christ hinges upon being
able to differentiate between the Law of Life and the Law of Death.
In the Garden the choice was between the Knowledge of Good and Evil
(Law of Death) or the Tree of Life (Law of Life).

We must make the same choice today. Christians are much exercised
in trying to discern between good and evil, right and wrong, Spirit
and flesh. It seems the more we try to figure this out the more
frustrated we become. Instead, God would have us come to the Tree
of Life. This Life will instruct us in all things, including what
is right and what is wrong, yet it is deeper than mere knowledge.


Source: "Lord of All" by Chip Brogden

Clothed with Christ

"He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and
His clothes became as white as the light."
MATTHEW 17:2

To be clothed with the Lord Jesus is to be transfigured. For too
long we who claim a heavenly calling, a heavenly citizenship, and a
heavenly birth have lived as earthly men. What light we have is
hidden beneath a bushel; there is no glory that surrounds us. We
are not talking about an outward display, or something fleshly, but
a Light and a Life which demonstrates the presence of Christ. "In
Him was Life - and the Life was the Light of men" (John 1:4).

Source: "Lord of All" by Chip Brogden

A Simple Discernment

"It is the truth concerning Jesus
that inspires all prophecy."
REVELATION 19:10 (Knox)

The prophetic word is given to point us to Jesus. Everything the
Holy Spirit would speak, reveal, teach, and show us is towards this
same end, which is CHRIST.

We do not need to mull over every dream, vision, word, prophecy,
trying to exegete its hidden meaning, struggling to extract some
spiritual significance where none exists. If what we see and hear
does not point us to Jesus then it is not prophetic and should be
discarded. This simple test will keep us from distraction.

Source: "The Irresistible Kingdom" by Chip Brogden

Overcoming Tribulation

"[Paul and Barnabas] returned... strengthening the souls of the
disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, 'We
must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.'"
ACTS 14:22


Our idea of overcoming is to avoid tribulation, not pass through
it. We certainly do not connect entering the Kingdom with going
through tribulation. We think having the victory means eliminating
all tribulation. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In order to enter the Kingdom there must be an increase of Christ
and a decrease of Self. This is an ongoing process, and by it we
judge how far along the Path we have progressed.

But how is Self decreased? The answer is in our circumstances and
trials. They are sufficient to decrease us. We need not do anything
but wait for them to come, and see them as our opportunity to have
Self decreased and Christ increased.

Source: "The Irresistible Kingdom" by Chip Brogden

United In His Resurrection

"If we have been united together in the likeness of His death,
certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection."
ROMANS 6:5

It is impossible for us to take up the Cross and not be
resurrected. I am almost afraid to make it so plain lest we fail to
appreciate its mystery, but it is all there in the Scriptures. We
cannot ascend until we have first descended.

Can we embrace the Cross, and love the hands that nail us to it,
and hold nothing against the One Who put us there? Can we commit
our spirit into His hands and give up Self, looking beyond the
present suffering to see the joy that is set before us? This is the
way of the Overcomers.

Source: "Embrace the Cross" by Chip Brogden

Only in the Beloved

"No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven,
that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven."
JOHN 3:13

No one has ascended because no one can ascend. Rest assured that if
it were possible, someone would have done it! But just as we cannot
make ourselves acceptable to God on the basis of anything we have
done, so too we cannot ascend and seat ourselves at the right hand
of God. We are accepted only in the Beloved; we are saved only in
the Beloved; and only in the Beloved can we be raised from the
dead, ascend and be seated in the heavenlies.

Source: "Embrace the Cross" by Chip Brogden

ALL THINGS PUT UNDER HIM

"We do not yet see all things put under Him.
But we see Jesus... for Whom are all things and
by Whom are all things."
HEBREWS 2:8-10

Do we see it yet? Not in its fullness, no. We have a little here,
and a little there. Where this has already happened, where we
actually see and experience Christ having the preeminence, it is
called the Kingdom of God. It is not a visible thing, but an
invisible thing, for Jesus said the Kingdom is not seen, but is
within you.

Eventually the Kingdom of God will swallow up the entire Creation
and Christ will have the preeminence in all things. Why? Because
all things are for Him, and all things were by Him.

Source: "The Irresistible Kingdom" by Chip Brogden

Submit, Then Resist

"God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore
submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
JAMES 4:6,7


So many times we try to resist, but we are defeated. Why? Simply
because we attempt to resist the devil before we have first
submitted ourselves to God. There is a proper order that must be
observed without fail.

First, we must understand the principle of God resisting the proud
but giving grace to the humble. This is the foundation of
everything we do. Second, the word "therefore" signifies that those
who learn this principle will act upon it accordingly. If they
understand the truth just stated, they will submit "therefore" to
God. Third, as a result of their submitting to God, they will find
the devil flees whenever and wherever they offer him resistance.

The word "flee" means "to run away in terror." How wonderful! How
delicious to see the devil running from us in terror, instead of
the other way around!

Source: "Embrace the Cross" by Chip Brogden

INHERITING THE EARTH

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."
MATTHEW 5:5

The idea of the meek inheriting the earth is found throughout the
Book of Psalms. When someone is poor in spirit and mourns over his
own sins and the sins of others, pride and arrogance are
eliminated. A person who knows he is no better than the rest will
not be easily lifted up above his brothers and sisters. But this
meekness does not imply lack of power, or spineless passivity. It
is power, but it is power under the control of love and without the
poison of self-interest and self-seeking.

To have power, and to use that power only for the good and
well-being of others, is meekness. Jesus perfectly demonstrates how
power that operates through meekness cannot be quenched, whereas
temporal power and people who play politics always come to a bad
end.

A Spiritual Symphony

"I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one."
JOHN 17:23

When a symphony performs, each musician has something different to
contribute. The title of each piece of music is the same, but there
are many different parts that make up that one piece. A musician
may be an extremely talented soloist, but playing in harmony with
others requires a great deal of practice, preparation and group
rehearsal. It also requires each musician to submit to the
direction of the conductor. If that means playing "second fiddle"
then so be it. Working together takes time and patience - two
things that most people do not have an abundance of.

I trust you can see that even in this simple illustration, pride,
egotism, and an unwillingness to work with others disqualifies even
the greatest musicians from becoming viable members of a symphony.
Christ, the Master Conductor, seeks a spiritual harmony among all
His disciples: "that they all may be one... that they also may be one
in Us" (John 17:21).

beginning and Ending in HIM

"'I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the Beginning and the End,' says the Lord, 'Who is and
Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty.'"
REVELATION 1:8

Jesus is the Alpha from Whom all things in God are initiated, and
Jesus is the Omega unto Whom all things of God find their purpose,
their meaning, and their reason for being. Everything begins in
Christ, and everything ends in Christ. He is the Beginning as well
as the End.

Real spiritual growth occurs when we realize that God has only one
goal for us, and that is the full, mature, complete, and
experiential knowledge of Jesus Christ. To the extent that we
discard "things" and become focused wholly on Christ, to that
extent we will make progress.

Disciple making Movements

Hello Friends, We have been rereading the parables of the Kingdom and revisiting Church Planting Movements (the book & a free PDF booklet are available at www.churchplantingmovements.com). David Garrison lists 10 characteristics of most church planting movements and you might be interested to note that David's background and context is Southern Baptist.
1/ Climate of Uncertainty in the Culture
2/ Insulation from Outsiders
3/ High Cost of Following Christ
4/ Bold, Fearless Faith
5/ Family Based Conversion Patterns
6/ Rapid Incorporation of New Believers
7/ Worship in the Heart Language
8/ Divine Signs & Wonders
9/ On the Job Leadership Training
10/ Missionaries Suffered

It would seem that where believers have the least ability to exercise political power such as in China or in Iran, the Kingdom is multiplying the most rapidly. Where believers are forced to invest in prayer and people, the Kingdom advances. Where believers have the most freedom, the Kingdom is not advancing or at least not advancing as rapidly. Do we abuse freedom when we invest in programs, buildings & expressions of political power rather than prayer and people?

Does the Kingdom grow best when the illusion of power is taken from us? When it must grow from the heart and cannot be imposed from above? When the seed in the heart becomes the man in the field and then fills the earth? Do we understand the Kingdom as growing from the inside out rather than top down?

Testimonies from Iran speak of the believers there not only pursuing the family based conversion patterns but going out in public and praying the prayer of Luke 10 to be led to a person of peace. There if you talk to the wrong person about Jesus and that could mean prison. Speak to the one prepared by the Holy Spirit and tears come to their eyes. They are ready to hear and respond to Jesus.
Your brother
Steve








www.harvest-now.org

An Unavoidable Spiritual Law

He must see that everything God has done, everything God is doing,
and everything God will do is for the purpose of INCREASING Jesus
and DECREASING everything that is not of Him.

This principle is so powerful that it makes no difference if you
agree with it, understand it, believe it, or like it. He MUST
increase; therefore, He WILL increase and HE IS increasing. At the
same time, I MUST decrease, therefore I WILL decrease, and I AM
decreasing. This is a spiritual law, and it is working as we speak.
For the Christian who is seeking first the Kingdom of God and His
Righteousness this is wonderful news. For selfish, carnal
Christians it is a frightening thing, this talk of losing your life
and taking up your Cross and denying yourself. That is why you hear
so much about spiritual power and so little about spiritual
brokenness.

How To Always Be Blessed

"Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed
them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and
likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. They... filled twelve
baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which
were left over by those who had eaten."
JOHN 6:11,13

The issue is never what we have or what we are doing, but rather,
do we have the Lord's blessing?

With the Lord's Blessing we have Infinite Supply. Practically
speaking, it means instead of trying to convince the Lord to bless
what I want to do or what I think needs to be done, I should find
out first what the Lord wants to BLESS and do THAT instead.
Remember, "He Himself knew what He would do." (John 6:6). Thus, we
pray, "Not my will, but Your Will be done; not my kingdom, but Your
Kingdom come." And then we enjoy the Lord's Blessing on our work.

United in Resurrection

"If we have been united with Him in
a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him
in a resurrection like His."
ROMANS 6:5 ESV

If we share in His death then we will share in His life. How could
it be otherwise? What is true of the Vine is true of the Branches
that are part of the Vine. It would be impossible for the Vine to
be raised while the Branches that are part of the Vine remain
buried. So long as the Vine and the Branches are one, they share in
both the suffering and in the glory that is revealed afterwards.

In the same way, when God made us one spirit together with Christ
on the Cross, His intention was for us to experience both the
Crucifixion and the Resurrection. So Paul says that if we suffer
with Him, then we will reign with Him (2 Timothy 2:12). Again, we
see the purpose of the Cross. If we refuse to join Him in suffering
then we cannot hope to join Him in ruling. If we refuse the
Crucified Death then we cannot have the Resurrected Life.

No Other Way To Be Saved

"Narrow is the gate and difficult
is the way which leads to Life."
MATTHEW 7:14

The Narrow Gate refers to salvation. We know that a gate is an
opening, or a door that one passes through. It is an entrance into
something. Jesus said, "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he
will be saved" (John 10:9). Here, Jesus connects the Door, or the
Gate, to entering in through Him to be saved. This is the Narrow
Gate. Why is it narrow?

The Bible says of Jesus, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for
there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we
must be saved" (Acts 4:12). To insist that there is no salvation
apart from One Man is, in the eyes of the world, rather
narrow-minded. But we insist upon it because it is true. Jesus says
the Gate is narrow. We must go in through Him. God requires all men
to enter in through Christ in order to be saved. There is no way to
appropriate the Victory of the Cross without entering in by the One
Who was crucified for us.