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Senin, 30 Januari 2017
Ought Not This Woman Be Loosed?
Life of Christ Disciple Making from Sonlife Ministries
[Forum Audio] "Life of Christ Disciple Making" from Sonlife Ministries
Dann
Spader and Sonlife Ministries hosted the track called, "Life of Christ
Disciple Making" at the 2016 National Disciple Making Forum.
Download all the breakout sessions for this track for free by clicking here.
Sonlife Ministries Breakout Sessions: Track 7
- 7.1: BE AN Effective Disciple Maker: 4 Challenges from Jesus That Every Christian Must Answer
- 7.3: BEGIN a Dynamic Disciple Making Movement: 5 Phases Every Ministry Must Move through to Multiply Like Jesus Did
- 7.4: FORUM: BECOMING Like the Real Jesus: Why Jesus Is Our Model
- 7.5: BELONG to a Vibrant Disciple Making Community: 2 Critical Practices Disciple Makers Do Together
Father Knows Best
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New Radio Show on Organic Church
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!
Brothers
and Sisters. Just a quick note to make an exciting announcement. Some
of my close co-workers have now started a radio show! The show is
based out of Austin Texas and reaches over three million people in
central Texas. Not only that but it is also being turned into a podcast
for the whole internet every week!
This
is in a "talk show" format and you will hear these folks share about
Christ and the Church like you have never heard before! This is not
preaching but a conversation about the most import matters in the
universe. I guarantee that if you have been blessed by this blog that
you will also be incredibly encouraged and excited to hear this show.
Give it a listen. And then tell all your friends!
Jumat, 27 Januari 2017
New Church 101 Classes starting soon!
New Church 101 Classes starting soon!
January 26, 2017
Hundreds of people this last year have experienced greater intimacy in their marriages, families, small groups and, most importantly, with God through the two "rhythms of attention" taught in our Church 101 Course. Here's what recent class members said...
January 26, 2017
Hundreds of people this last year have experienced greater intimacy in their marriages, families, small groups and, most importantly, with God through the two "rhythms of attention" taught in our Church 101 Course. Here's what recent class members said...
- I feel truly connected with you all in joy and peace,
- I feel encouraged and enlightened and I wasn't going to get on the call because I have so much to do but I am so glad I did for I feel strong in the joy of the Lord now,
- I love being with you all because you love listening to Jesus and being led by the Spirit,
- I don't feel alone, I am hopeful, uplifted, grateful, less overwhelmed and encouraged.
Beginning early in February, Mina Millen and the LK10 West Coast Team will be hosting classes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. They want you to know that "we are friendly to East Coasters time wise".
Contact Mina right away for more information and to sign up for one of these classes. minamillen@aol.com
Contact Mina right away for more information and to sign up for one of these classes. minamillen@aol.com
John Fenn, Relationship Between Heaven and Earth #3
Hi all,
I've
been sharing heaven's perspective these last 2 weeks, first about being
1 family no matter if that family is in heaven or still on earth, then
how the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, present both in heaven and
earth, and faithfully communicating what the Father and Lord have for
us, and us to them. Today:
If God is in charge then why does He allow such horrible things to happen?
What does the Bible actually say? This week and next are three areas He rarely becomes involved in, unless asked by individuals.
Nature
We
know that God is the Creator, and retains control over His creation. We
are told in Hebrews 11:3 that the Person of the Living Word - the
invisible Word - created the visible realm. Romans 1:20-21 says that He
is Creator and even the invisible things about Him can be discerned by
studying His creation. Jesus demonstrated His Lordship over creation in
at least 3 areas: He commanded wind & waves and they obeyed Him, He
walked on water, and multiplied loaves of bread (plants) and fish
(animals). These 3 acts demonstrate His continued Lordship over the
earthly elements and plants and animals. (We could add turning water
into wine)
Jesus'
demonstrations for the purpose of showing who He is in those moments
does not mean He intervenes nor interferes with nature as a rule. The
balance is Romans 8:19-23 which reveals creation has been subjected to
sin and groans and travails (birth contractions) as it waits for the
'manifestation of the sons of God'. That means the establishment of
Jesus' Kingdom on the earth and the lifting of the curse that
accompanies that Kingdom - the reign of the righteous over earth. We
might say Jesus' demonstrations of His Lordship over creation was given
as a preview of what earth will be like with the curse lifted, but
nothing more than a preview.
This
means there is a tug of war going on between God's creation which wants
to obey God and His people according to how it was originally designed,
and the sin under which it has been placed. The elements of nature
chafe against the burden of sin on the planet and as such groans and
travails awaiting deliverance. This is why there are tragic earthquakes,
volcanic events, tornadoes and hurricanes in which God does not
intervene as a rule.
Even
The Revelation (8:7-13) highlights 2 main natural events that come upon
the earth in the last 7 years of the age - a double asteroid hit, one
on land and one in an ocean. And yet still, man as a whole doesn't
repent. (I have a CD/MP3 series entitled 'The Natural Disasters of The
Revelation' if interested in learning more)
The question as to why God allows natural disasters is found in the short paragraphs above - the earth was not subjected to sin without hope, but like us,
has been promised a time of release from sin. God does not step in to
interfere with this process for what has been set, has been set from
long ago and must take its course.
Families
God
invented the family, making Adam and Eve, assigning stewardship over
the physical planet, meaning my point above flows directly into
families. Adam and Eve first and then to others and eventually to us,
were to share about the Creator and stewardship of creation - Families
are God's delegated authority in the earth by which a mom and dad share
responsibility for passing on stewardship over God's creation, and to
walk with Him and know Him as they walk through life.
When
the Lord and 2 angels had a meal with Abraham in Genesis 18, after they
ate the angels went to Sodom to rescue Lot and his family, but the Lord
lingered behind saying to Himself: "Shall I hide from Abraham that
which I'm about to do, for I know him, and that he will become a great
and mighty nation and raise up his children and his household in the
ways of the Lord..." The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was by a
natural event - the place blew up, most think now the gathered methane
and bitumen and other explosive elements around the Dead Sea were set
off (in natural terms) by an asteroid hit or some other 'spark'. But
again, we see the Lord wanting to reveal facts about a soon coming
natural event to a man. (He would have saved any righteous people if He
could have. Lot and family)
Notice
that the Lord based His reasoning on sharing with Abraham what His
plans were (and what natural event would happen) because of Abraham's
family walking with Him. The reverse would also therefore be true: He would not reveal His plan to (Abraham and family) if the family wasn't walking in the ways of the Lord.
Let
me ask this - how many families who are not walking with God do you
know have God speak to them about what He is doing in the earth, their
community, and their own lives? How much did you know of God's will
before you were born again? If that mom and dad don't want Him, then He
doesn't get involved. To whom does He reveal His ways and plans? Family
members who walk with Him. If you are in Him, you have revelation. If
you aren't in Him, you have no revelation.
Warning: The following 3 paragraphs will kill religious thinking and might cause you to rearrange your priorities
The
family and its members remain the primary way His will is done on earth
- not apostles, not prophets, not buildings called church, not pastors.
That is auditorium thinking brought about by man in the 300's AD that
you've been infected with. God invented mom and dad and children long
before He made apostles and prophets - in fact Adam and Eve, and
therefore moms and dads ARE apostles and prophets, pastors and teachers,
and evangelists to their children. The greatest use of 'the 5-fold'
started with Adam and Eve, and is today a mom and dad living for God and
teaching their children by example and word, how to walk through life
with Him. In our New Testament times that flow of mom and dad 5-fold
extend outward to the larger family of God 5-fold that meets in homes in
a network of relationships. As a result, any charismatic gifts, any
ministry gifts (like 5-fold), any energy/motivational gifts present in a
gathering of believers flows from healthy and balanced believing
families who first live in these things.
My
mom was an evangelist to me. She was my first teacher, pastor,
certainly prophet, and for sure apostle in that she started the work of
God in my heart - followed very quickly by a high school friend, Janny,
who remains a close friend to this day with Barb and me, who was all
those things to us as well. Reset your understanding of 'the 5-fold' and
the gifts of the Spirit. They are first found in families, for that is
what God established first, and all else flows from family.
Over
the years I've seen men and women, husbands and fathers, wives and
mothers, chasing this convention and that conference praying for God's
will to be done, praying for revival including revival in their families
- all while they have spent thousands of their family's dollars and
left their family's for several days to pray for their salvation,
instead of walking in God's highest and best and original call, to be
husband and wife, mom and dad, and being the 5-fold to their children.
And
each person I talked to in detail about their priorities in life
expressed frustration with God because He didn't seem to be moving in
their family. My advice remains consistent through the years - the
primary way God moves is through families, so go and be a family and
leave your religious face at the door - and just be there, living God's
ways and fellowship quietly. God only labels the manifestations of what
He does for our benefit, but being meek and lowly in heart, He doesn't
think in terms of labels and titles, He just does what He does - and
that can mean giving a mom or dad words of wisdom or knowledge, a
miracle for their child, special faith, and certainly they are pastors
and teachers and the rest - BE that person with meekness and humility
within your family.
I've
run out of space this week, but will start next week by asking and then
answering the question: Where is God when children become victims?
Until then, nest week! Blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com
New CD/MP3 Series
In
this series John shares some of what the Lord told him during
visitations that explain how the Lord did things like walk through
crowds that were trying to kill Him, and how He walked on water. Also
covered are the effects of God's light in us on the demonic realm, and
the properties of light, how heaven is larger on the inside than the
outside, different dimensions, and so on. The setting is higher laws and
lower laws, and how we can walk in higher ways and thoughts, cause
God's higher ways to dominate our lives, and how to let His peace flow
outward to those around us. You will be inspired and learn how to walk
in higher ways in life, and will look at scripture and yourself a bit
differently, as the Lord sees you and your life and destiny.
Just a word about our On-line Video Bible School
- these classes, so far; Old Testament I & II, Righteousness and
Our Authority in Christ - are a go-at-your-own-pace, no test, investment
in your own faith and understanding of the Word and Lord. Once
registered, your password is good for a whole year so you can take your
time, but as I'm hearing from students, once they start they have a hard
time stopping! Each class is about 45-55 minutes long, so they are in
easy to receive segments...consider investing in a deeper study of the
things of God!
The Reason for God by Timothy Keller
Free Discussion Guide: The Reason for God by Timothy Keller
Free Discussion Guide
Use this discussion guide to The Reason for God: Belief in the Age of Skepticism, by pastor and author Timothy Keller, to guide your small group through some of the toughest questions people have about faith.From The Reason for God site:
“Keller uses literature, philosophy, real-life conversations, and reasoning to explain how faith in a Christian God is a soundly rational belief, held by thoughtful people if intellectual integrity with a deep compassion for those who truly want to know the truth.”
Get Download Now
Discussion guide provided by TheReasonForGod.comYou Don’t Understand the First Thing About Discipleship
You Don’t Understand the First Thing About Discipleship
I was the same way. I had taught and written about discipleship for 30 years, and discipled many people both one-on-one and in small cadres. But recently I realized that my primary assumption about discipleship was wrong.
What am I talking about? I always thought that discipleship should immediately follow someone’s coming to Christ. In other words, I thought that discipleship followed evangelism. But I was wrong. Discipleship actually begins before someone comes to Christ! This is the biblical model. It is the one that works best. And, when we make this paradigm shift it changes everything.
While it’s true that someone who comes to Christ should be discipled—and I co-authored a great book for this, Beginning the Journey, that has sold over 100,000 copies in English and been translated into many languages—underneath this is a flawed assumption. Discipleship ideally does not follow evangelism. Discipleship actually begins before someone’s coming to Christ.
Let’s begin by looking at this biblically, and then we will look at it practically.
In the gospel of Mark, Jesus’ ministry begins in 1:15, as he declares, “The time has come. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
Immediately after this, in verse 17, he begins gathering disciples on the seashore, challenging Peter, Andrew, James and John: “Come, follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people.”
Think about it: Were these guys born again when they started to follow Jesus as his disciples? I think you’d have to agree that they were not. It was seven chapters later that they begin to realize that he was the Messiah, and even then they are pretty confused about what that meant (Mark 8:27-33). And, it was not until the day of Pentecost, three years later, that the Holy Spirit invaded and changed their lives. Notice, however, that long before they recognize Jesus as the Messiah and years before their lives are transformed by the Holy Spirit, they have already been following Jesus and doing their best to obey him. Their discipleship began long before their conversion.
The same thing is true today. Almost always people begin to enter into Christian community and start to follow Jesus in small ways before they fully give their lives to him. As they learn to obey him, they discover that he is good and real and trustworthy, and—having experienced him for themselves—they put their full trust in him as Savior and Lord.
People, so often, belong before they believe. They begin to obey before they fully surrender.
This is not a perfect analogy but it’s kind of like dating and getting married. If you are married consider this question: Did you begin to love and serve your partner before or after you committed your life to them in marriage? Undoubtably, you began serving them and caring about them before your no-turning-back commitment to them. In the same way, people begin to follow Jesus, going deeper in their love and obedience, before fully trusting in him.
The key difference that this makes in practical terms is that we are not just looking for new believers to disciple. We are looking for people that God is drawing, people that have a real hunger for him, even if right now their lives are a mess and they haven’t yet trusted in Christ as their Lord and Savior. These people can and should start to obey Jesus and even help draw others to him while they are still on their journey toward him.
When we have this approach, both our evangelism and our discipleship become more effective, more biblical and more fruitful. We can quit trying to get people that hardly know Jesus to make an all out commitment to him, and start inviting them to obey and serve him in their daily lives in small but real ways. As they do, they will discover Jesus is good, gracious and powerful, and then in time they can gladly and fully surrender their lives to him.
When I look back on my life, I should have realized this a lot sooner. I remember when the first edition of Beginning the Journey came out 20 years ago that my boss, Randall Neighbour, said, “Jim, this is a great book. I am not using it with new believers. I am working through it with a couple of unbelievers, two Chinese newlyweds who want to know more about what it means to follow Jesus.” And it worked. These seekers eventually gave their lives to Christ and were wonderfully transformed by him.
The first thing that you need to understand about discipleship is that it isn’t just for believers. In fact, it works best when it begins with unbelievers. God is at work in lives all around you. Some people that appear very far from him may be the very ones God is calling you to invest in and to love into his kingdom in the months or years ahead.
Are you making disciples who make disciples? Who is God calling you to invest your life in right now? Look around you. Who has a hunger for God? Who is asking questions? Who is God putting on your heart? Invite them to look at the Bible with you to learn more about what it means to follow Jesus day-by-day.
This article originally appeared here.
Spiritual Maturity
Spiritual Maturity: 5 Signs You DON’T Have It
The issue of spiritual maturity seems to provoke
one of the super strange conversations in the North American and Western
church today.
There is apparently a certain subset of Christians who have maturity figured out, and the rest of us, well, not so much.
And yet often what we call spiritual maturity…isn’t. In fact, at least five of the common claims we make about having spiritual maturity actually show you lack it.
This Is What The Conversation Sounds Like
So, to be clear, how exactly does this issue surface in conversation?In leadership circles, the dialogue often starts with a question such as, “What are you doing to disciple your people?” (emphasis on disciple, often said with a deeper voice than normal) or a dismissive statement like, “So you’re attracting people, but then what?”
And it’s almost always said condescendingly, as though some people own the maturity franchise and enjoy watching other fellow-Christ followers squirm while they try to come up with answers that will only show how immature they really are.
I’ve been on the receiving end of that conversation many many times, because, well, our church reaches a lot of people who ordinarily don’t show up at church.
5 Signs of Spiritual Maturity…That Actually Show You Lack It
Before I outline the list, please know I’m not claiming to be “mature.” I’m not even claiming I understand the issue entirely. I’m just saying there’s something broken in our dialogue and in our characterization of spiritual maturity.As for me personally, I would hope I’m maturing, but have I arrived? Not a chance.
Discipleship is an organic, life-long process. It has something to do with what the ancients called “sanctification.” The process of becoming more and more holy, a term, which stripped from its strangeness, simply means to be “set apart.” Basically, it means you’re different than you were. And that process continues until you die. I’ve outlined a few of the markers of more authentic spiritual maturity in this post, and again here.
In the meantime, if you want to keep growing, here are five signs that pass for spiritual maturity in our culture that probably show you lack it.
1. Pride in How Much Bible You Know
Since when was it a good thing to be proud of how much Bible you know, and to look down on people who don’t know?As Paul points out, knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Clearly he knew what he was talking about.
Some Christians strut their biblical knowledge like it is an accomplishment. That’s so wrong.
I won my share of sword drills (remember those?) when I was a kid, and I take time to read and study the Scriptures pretty much every day, but as far as I can tell, I’m supposed to use that knowledge to function as a bridge to people, not as a barricade showing everyone else how righteous I am. Because, incidentally, last time I checked I wasn’t that righteous.
Use the Bible as a bridge to the culture, not as a barricade against it. To do otherwise puts us on the same ground as another religious group Jesus had strong views against. (Here’s a list of the Top 10 Things Pharisees Say Today.)
And it was never about what you know or don’t know, but about what God knows and who God loves.
2. Truth Without Grace
In a similar vein, being all about truth is a problem, as well.I love how John phrases the arrival of Jesus: that Jesus came filled with truth and grace.
One of the things I love most about Jesus is that truth is never separated from grace, and grace is never separated from truth. He was always grace-filled as he spoke what is true…in that the truth is always designed to lead toward grace.
Yet some “mature” people feel it’s OK to land on one side of the equation. I’m a truth person, we tell people. No…maybe you’re just a jerk. (And I say this as a guy who leans on the truth side of the equation.)
Whenever I am tempted to speak truth, I always have to come before God to ensure it is equally motivated by grace.
Could you imagine if we all did?
3. Grace Without Truth
The opposite of course is also true. In the same way truth isn’t truth without grace, grace isn’t grace when separated from truth. Some “mature” people on the other side of the theological spectrum avoid the truth side of the equation as though love floats with no backbone.No, grace has a backbone. We nailed it to the cross.
You cannot separate grace from truth any more than you can separate truth from grace. It is an incredibly difficult line to find, but we must find it. Grace without truth isn’t maturity any more than truth without grace is truth. Clearly, we need a Savior on this issue. And it’s a good thing for us He embodies both.
4. Harshness Toward Outsiders While Cutting Insiders Slack
Many people who consider themselves spiritually mature love to talk about how awful the world is. And it is pretty terrible. Pick a headline almost any day. It’s awful. God identified that as early as Genesis 6 (and if you take our theology seriously, he always knew it would be this way, which is a little mind-bending if you think about it). The passage from Genesis is worth quoting:The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.
So what did God do? He started again. What followed was an ark and a rainbow.
And ultimately God’s decision on his heartbreak was addressed in Jesus who came—as our favorite but often totally-missed-the-point verse tells us, God so loves the world and gave himself up for it not to condemn it but to save it.
So why do so many Christians behave like God hated the world? Because the world is corrupt and sinful, is the answer we hear back. But the truth of the matter, Christian, is that you are corrupt and you sin. But instead, we rail against the world’s sins as though it shouldn’t be sinning while cutting ourselves tons of slack on our moral failures.
What would happen if we started talking about church sins like gossip, gluttony, division and faction with the same conviction we use to talk about sexual sin?
I wrote about that in more detail here. (Perry Noble also wrote an great blog about why we turn a blind eye to a church sin like obesity but rail on about homosexuality.)
So…what if the church started to take its own sin more seriously than we take the world’s sin? I think that’s what we’re supposed to do.
Finally, if you’re still not convinced, study Jesus. You will discover he extended invitations to notorious sinners and outsiders, and reserved his harshest words for the religious people of his day.
We simply have it backwards. If God so loved the world, who decided we shouldn’t?
And if you were trying to win people to open their lives to a loving God, why do you think leading with judgment is a great strategy? Very few people get judged into life change. Many get loved into it.
5. Telling People You’re Mature
This one mystifies me.I’ve had more than a few people pull me aside over the years and ask, “So what do you do for spiritually mature people like me?”
Stand back while people like you part the Red Sea, I guess.
Telling people you’re mature is like telling people you’re wise…it’s kind of proof you’re not. The most mature people, in my view, also tend to be the most humble. If you’re strutting your maturity, it’s pretty clear you’ve got some growing to do.
What Do You Think?
I hope you can hear that this is borne not just out of frustration, but also out of love for God, for the church and for the world.I’d love to see the conversation about spiritual maturity become healthier. As I’ve shared here, I think the church today is getting discipleship wrong. I’ve also argued we need a different kind of maturity in the church.
What have you seen?
What are some false markers of maturity?
Minggu, 22 Januari 2017
CWOWI E-Newsletter, 01/18/2017, Health Update, Prophetic, and more
Hi all,
Barb
and I have had some tests and doctors visits but all seems more or less
well thus far. Much to my surprise, the cardiologist is more concerned
about my blood pressure than the AFib. With no outward symptoms with the
AFib and no lack of energy, his advice was lose more weight to get the
blood pressure down, and he will see me in 3 months. If I don’t reach my
target weight by early April we will discuss medicine for blood
pressure. So I’m taking much of the rest of January and February to drop
a bit more weight and keep it off, not traveling until March to focus
on both Barb and my own health.
You
can watch my weekly 10-12 minute teachings on Facebook or YouTube. I do
them live on Wednesdays at 8am Central on FB, but they are also able to
be viewed any time after. Just do a search for ‘John C Fenn videos’ and
they should come up.
If
you are considering the Dutch conference Memorial Day weekend, May
25-28 let me know by email if you are from the US at cwowi@aol.com. If
from Europe, Africa, or Asia contact Wil and Ank at cwowi@solcon.nl
Most
flights from the US to Amsterdam are overnight ones, meaning you’d
leave the US on May 24, arrive morning of the 25th, and we’d get you to
the Retreat Center, where we’ll be through Sunday the 28th.
Monday-Tuesday we’ll site see some of the Netherlands – Amsterdam,
hopefully Corrie ten Boom’s house, maybe Anne Franks’s house, take a
boat tour on the canals of Amsterdam, and see the countryside – but
generally hang out and spend time together. Then you could leave
Wednesday the 31st, arriving the same day back in the US in 1week total
time.
There
is a conference fee and an offering will be received during the retreat
as well, and if you want to help Wil and Ank with the expenses over and
above incurred in hosting people. Other than that, just spending money
is needed for the site seeing.
New affiliates and prayer for me please
Please
pray for wisdom because the pace at which new house churches who want
to be part of CWOWI has increased dramatically, all over the world. It
is a time consuming process to get to know each group.
As
I write this it is the 13th anniversary of when we placed our oldest
son who is handicapped, Chris, into a group home. Besides all we do in
ministry, the oversight of his care is a continual presence in our
lives. Chris is about 4 years old mentally, though he takes things in at
a higher level. Yesterday the manager for his group home called to
explain some administrative changes taking place, but commented that
Chris was at the table reading to Ray, another resident, and Ray was
nodding his head up and down as Chris read several stories to him. Chris
doesn’t read! He was evidently telling a story to Ray who can’t talk
more than a couple words, while turning pages in a book, but evidently
they both enjoyed the story!
When
Chris was 22 the Lord spoke to him, and he excitedly told me “Jesus
told me He’s going to walk through the mountains with me! Yep, that’s
what He said! You hoo! He’s going to walk through the mountains with
me.” Ever since, Chris has made comments like “When I get to heaven, no
wheelchair!” and “When I get to heaven I’m going to run like that (kids
running by).” He helps us keep a larger perspective on life, that this
age is temporary, and there are ages to come.
Giving receipts for US donations will be mailed out separately in about a week. Thank you!
Something the Father said…
I
was thinking on Iran and what the new American administration may do
with the current treaty, and also how the nations are increasingly bold
in telling Israel what they can and cannot do. It was in the midst of
those thoughts the Father said something very brief: “Iran and others
will be made to feel backed into a corner, in a way similar to Japan at
the start of WWII.”
In case you don’t know your 1930’s world history, I do, so let me explain why what the Father
said
carries so much importance. In 1911 the US signed a treaty with Japan
allowing exports from the US to Japan of everything from oil and
lubricants to steel products. In response to growing Japanese industrial
and military complex, President Roosevelt terminated that agreement in
1939 and the following summer signed a law forbidding US exports to
Japan of aviation oil products, lubricants, and steel products. Over the
next year President Roosevelt placed severe restrictions or outlawed
the exporting of oil and steel products to Japan, the last coming in
August of 1941, with the British and Dutch doing the same, which
isolated Japan from
the rest of the world.
Those
actions strangled Japan’s ability to maintain and enlarge its military
and industrial complex, leading to the ‘unprovoked’ attack on Pearl
Harbor on 7, December, 1941.
When
in the midst of my thoughts about how Israel and Jerusalem in
particular is becoming the focus of at least 70 of the UN nations who
are arrayed against her, and wondering what the new President will do
about Iran, the Father said that – that Iran and others will be made to
feel backed into a corner – wow, that’s huge.
Zecharian
12:1- tells us the Lord is arranging the big picture which will cause
Jerusalem – not just Israel but the city of Jerusalem, to become the
focal point of the nations: “Behold, I will make
Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they
shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in
that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people..”
Look
this year for Jerusalem to be more in the news – read between the lines
when the nations tell Israel they should give up land won in the war of
1967 – which includes the city. Pray for wisdom for leaders concerning
Russia, Iran and Turkey, for the alliance outlined in Ezekiel 38 is
coming more into focus it seems, almost daily. Look for sanctions which
would isolate Iran and ‘others’ (not sure what He meant by ‘others’, but
could include Iranian supported terrorist groups, or nations allied
with Iran – time will tell) and know the times.
It
truly is all about relationships. This world will pass, but the Father
and Lord are already thinking about the ages to come, as per Ephesians
2:7. We are already in eternity, already citizens of another kingdom,
one family in heaven and earth, just passing through. Keep the larger
perspective and don’t let fear dominate your mind. We all wonder about
this or that, but undergirding our thoughts and hearts is a certain
confident expectation, a knowing, we are the Father’s and no one can
take us from Him.
Thank
you for being part of our lives. Though my Weekly Thoughts, cd’s and
MP3 teachings, e-newsletters, conferences and books reach thousands upon
thousands around the globe, we just learned upon doing year end
accounting that the actual number of those who donated at least 1 time
in 2016 to CWOWI is less than 300 people.
This
is why those few who give to CWOWI are so special to us. We are not
trying to get rich in ministry (and succeeding, lol) – I’ve been to
heaven and have seen the Lord – riches can’t compare so hold no luster
for us. But money is needed in this life to live, so we send a bit thank
you for those donations which enable us to continue in ministry, and
thank you for your prayers that keep us going – blessings!
John & Barb
New cd/MP3 series:
In
this series John shares some of what the Lord told him during
visitations that explain how the Lord did things like walk through
crowds that were trying to kill Him, and how He walked on water. Also
covered are the effects of God's light in us on the demonic realm, and
the properties of light, how heaven is larger on the inside than the
outside, different dimensions, and so on. The setting is higher laws and
lower laws, and how we can walk in higher ways and thoughts, cause
God's higher ways to dominate our lives, and how to let His peace flow
outward to those around us. You will be inspired and learn how to walk
in higher ways in life, and will look at scripture and yourself a bit
differently, as the Lord sees you and your life and destiny.
“Relational Discipleship”
[Forum Audio] “Relational Discipleship”
Jim
Putman and Relational Discipleship Network hosted the track called,
"Relational Discipleship" at the 2016 National Disciple Making Forum.
Download all the breakout sessions for this track for free by clicking here.
Relational Discipleship Network Breakout Sessions: Track 6
- 6.1: What Does God Say About the Importance of Relationship?
- 6.2: The DNA Of A Disciple Making Church
- 6.3: FORUM: Alignment Forum – Aligning in 4 Key Areas to Be a Disciple Making Church
- 6.4: Creating A Disciple Making Culture - Define IT
- 6.5: Reproducible Disciple Making Process – Know Where Your People Are Spiritually and What to Do Next
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John Fenn, Relationship Between Heaven and Earth #2
Hi all,
I'm sharing about the relationship between heaven and earth that you may be encouraged.
I
love hearing the Father's perspective and the Lord's, because the
reality of renewing our minds is actually the process in which we start
to think like Him and living by His perspective on things. That means
when we learn of heaven's point of view we adjust our thinking
accordingly, so that when something catches us by surprise here on earth
we can call to remembrance once again, heaven's point of view.
The Holy Spirit is an eye witness
On
the day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2:25-32, Peter said King David
saw the resurrection of Jesus some 1000 years future: "...David said
about Him...seeing this before, spoke of the resurrection of Christ..."
and in 5:32: "...and we are witnesses of these things, so is the Holy Spirit..."
This
is how heaven operates - the Holy Spirit is the link between heaven and
earth and He knows what is happening in both realms. The way He showed
David the resurrection of Jesus 1000 years future is the same way He
shows you something about your future. He is an eyewitness both to
events here on earth, and to events in the heart of the Father even if
those events are 1000 years in the future!
Jesus said in John 16:13
of the Holy Spirit: "When He comes, the Holy Spirit of truth, He will
guide you into all truth for He won't speak of Himself, but only what He
hears. And He will show you things to come."
This
is why there are no prayers to the Holy Spirit in the New Testament
(and to do otherwise is unscriptural no matter what any preacher says or
writes, Jesus was very clear here) for He only repeats what He hears
from the Father and Son. As Jesus had said just before this statement
about the way the Holy Spirit functions: "I have many other things to
say to you, but you cannot grasp them now. However when He the Spirit of
truth comes He will guide you into all truth, for He doesn't speak of
His own, but only speaks what He hears..." The Father is the granter of
prayers, the Holy Spirit is just the Messenger between Him and us on
earth.
Any
experience anyone has on this earth, from being born of the Spirit to
seeing Jesus or even carried away 'in the Spirit' as the apostle John
described it in The Revelation 1:10 and 4:2, is via the Holy Spirit. He is the enabler by which all things in heaven are made known here on earth.
An
analogy would be what I've used many times before: A father is going to
wash a car, so he tells the son to wash it. The son uses water to wash
the car. The father planned it, the son did it, the water was the agent
used to actually do the cleaning. The Father planned it, the Son did it,
the Holy Spirit is the agent used to actually do the 'cleaning'. All
things here on earth that are of God, are done by the Holy Spirit, from
revelation that Jesus is the Christ, to the new birth, to communication
from earth to heaven and heaven to earth.
Knowing
what I said last week of Paul's statement that there is one family in
heaven and earth, we must therefore understand it is the Holy Spirit who
is in both places uniting this one family in two realms.
Furthermore, Paul elaborated on Jesus' statement of John 16:13
that the Holy Spirit only repeats what He hears in I Corinthians
2:9-16. As He expanded that teaching he starts by saying a person's
eyes, ears, and mind cannot discern or know what the Father has prepared
for us (they are foolishness to natural man). But the Spirit knows what
has been prepared because "He searches all things, yea, the deep things
of (Father) God." and "We have not received the spirit of the world,
but the Spirit of God, so that we might know all things He has provided
for us."
The
Holy Spirit is right now searching the Father God to know what He has
prepared for you - this moment, this hour, this day, this week, this
year, and beyond.
The
Holy Spirit is a true and faithful witness to the heart of the Father,
and of the Lord Jesus, the Head of the body. David in about 1000 BC saw
the resurrection of Jesus, and Peter stated the Holy Spirit was also a
witness 'of these things'. When you have a peace about a decision you
make that peace comes to your spirit because the Holy Spirit is bearing
witness that what you decided is in fact what the Father has provided
for you. This is why Jesus called Him the 'Spirit of Truth' in John 16:13. He won't lie about what He heard in heaven. He won't change anything about what He heard in heaven.
He
changes nothing from what He hears to what He then puts in your spirit -
peace, comfort, joy, excitement that your mind doesn't know why you
have, because He has searched the Father for His provision, found it,
and tells you by that peace that your decision is exactly what the
Father has prepared for you. Amazing grace!
Heaven's perspective on this
Barb
and I had been worshipping for about an hour and then she went off to
bed, but I lingered. Suddenly, Jesus was there in the living room and He
said "I want to teach you about prayer." During that teaching I learned
that most prayer actually begins in the heart of the Father God, who
wants to bring His will into people's lives. That should not be a
surprise for we've all prayed the 'Lord's Prayer', that His will be done
on earth as it is in heaven, but in this visitation I suddenly realized
He does so person by person bringing HIs kingdom into their hearts and
outward to their lives. Up to that moment I had thought of the Lord's
prayer as a sort of 'come and set up your kingdom all over the earth'
rather than 'come and set up your kingdom in my heart and then outward
into my life.'
I
saw the Father looking for someone to be sensitive to a desire He had
for His will in someone's life, but He needed legal access into that
person's life. An example would be of those of us who pray for a patient
in an ambulance as it drives past us lights and siren blaring. The
person they are transporting or on their way too get may not have anyone
who is praying for them, and our prayer is actually granting legal
access for the Father to enter earth and in particular their situation.
He is such a gentleman and free will being what it is, He may have been
shut out of that person's life for decades - until that moment when
because of His great love for that person, He ordered your steps to be
at that place at that time so that you could ask Him to become involved
in their life.
I've
had two times in two separate visitations where the Lord has said, "The
Father and I will not be blamed on that last day. For the day will
reveal we were fair and just in all things, and no one will place blame
at our feet on that day."
The
first time He said that was following this statement: "When a person
vows a vow to Me or the Father, we take it seriously for most of the
times those vows come from the heart, not just the emotion (flesh)." I
asked what He meant and He said, "There are many times a person will say
'I will go anywhere for you Lord. I will do anything you ask of me
Lord', and things like that. Heaven takes that seriously because it is
from their spirit, but then so often sin and distractions enter in and
they go off in another direction for their life."
"When
they vowed that vow, according to the Spirit of Truth, heaven made
preparation for their lives according to their vow. Then, when they go
in another direction and face hardship and sometimes great loss, even
over decades of going their own way, they sometimes blame me or the
Father for allowing those things to happen. But the Father and I will
not be blamed on that last day. For the day will reveal we were fair and
just in all things, and no one will place blame at our feet on that
day. They will see then if not first in this life, the errors of their
ways." Interestingly to me, Jesus expressed no condemnation for the
person with this statement, it was just fact, just that His grace is so
much bigger than our failures that He died for us anyway, and in the end
He wants the goodness of the Father to be revealed to all.
You
see, the Spirit of Truth as a witness works both ways - not only of
searching the Father for His provision and even showing us things
provided in our future, but also the other direction, according to
promises we make here and now, which causes heavenly preparation to be
made, the Spirit searching the depths of our heart and how we have
prepared for God in our lives.
The
good news is we cannot out maneuver, out guess, or surprise the Father.
He knew from before the foundation of the world all our broken
promises, all our detours from His will - yet He will be shown to have
been faithful to plan according to our spirit man's vows, and thus when
He reveals our error and sin, we will along with all mankind, fall on
our faces and give glory to the Father for His great grace and mercy for
we will all see He does all things well, and He will (finally) be shown
to all beings to be the Only Good and Just Father above all.
Continuing next week...until then, blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com
New CD/MP3 Series
In
this series John shares some of what the Lord told him during
visitations that explain how the Lord did things like walk through
crowds that were trying to kill Him, and how He walked on water. Also
covered are the effects of God's light in us on the demonic realm, and
the properties of light, how heaven is larger on the inside than the
outside, different dimensions, and so on. The setting is higher laws and
lower laws, and how we can walk in higher ways and thoughts, cause
God's higher ways to dominate our lives, and how to let His peace flow
outward to those around us. You will be inspired and learn how to walk
in higher ways in life, and will look at scripture and yourself a bit
differently, as the Lord sees you and your life and destiny.
Just a word about our On-line Video Bible School
- these classes, so far; Old Testament I & II, Righteousness and
Our Authority in Christ - are a go-at-your-own-pace, no test, investment
in your own faith and understanding of the Word and Lord. Once
registered, your password is good for a whole year so you can take your
time, but as I'm hearing from students, once they start they have a hard
time stopping! Each class is about 45-55 minutes long, so they are in
easy to receive segments...consider investing in a deeper study of the
things of God!
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