ROUTINE

 

Hi all,

Wherever I travel to house churches I always receive questions that inevitably lead me back to the church at Corinth for answers.

The mix

Acts 18 tells us people from 3 cultures were thrown together in the house of Justus: Roman, Jewish, Greek - each of whom did not normally mix. That means they were violating every social custom they were raised with, yet they gathered initially in the Roman house of Justus to worship and learn of the Lord.

The same type of thing is true of house churches today: People coming to house church from various backgrounds, nationalities, and religious practices, not to mention socioeconomic differences all thrown together for home based meetings.

We know Corinth had major issues as a result, as seen in Paul's first letter to them - strife in chapter 3, two brothers suing one another in chapter 6, some were eating meat sacrificed to idols because they thought it ok to do, while others disagreed in chapters 8 & 10, wives taking their veils off which in that culture dishonored their husbands and the rich refusing to eat with the poor in chapter 11, and so on.

A revelation to one is not...

The kingdom works by revelation, but a revelation to a Jewish person that they could eat lobster at house church if they wanted, would mean nothing to their Roman or Greek brethren, and maybe their revelation would even offend fellow Jewish believers who weren't ready to eat shellfish!

But sometimes a personal revelation hits with such force that the person thinks EVERYONE should hear about it and then do it.

Moses had this issue as stated in Acts 7:25 when he killed the Egyptian for 'he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them from the Egyptians, but they understood not.'

Most Christians probably think Moses received the revelation he was God's deliverer at the burning bush, but in fact he had that revelation 40 years earlier while still in Egypt. His mistake was assuming the revelation God had shown him, He had also shown to 'his brethren', and that they would be just as thrilled as he was!

That mistake cost him 40 years, or 1/3 of his life, for he was trying to do God's will in his flesh. Some 40 years later he learned by revelation God would deliver them by His hand, not Moses' citing a civil war in Egypt by his hand. God gets the glory after all, not man.

Back to Corinth

What I have seen from nation to nation, culture to culture in my travels these last 11 years, is that Moses' misstep is relatively common in house churches. Like the hypothetical situation of a Jewish person receiving the revelation that he can eat lobster, but it would mean nothing to the Roman or Greek believers present who had eaten shellfish all their lives, so too do house church people assume similar things.

In the early years of CWOWI I'd hear of people who received revelation about celebrating the Lord's Supper and how it was to be. Based on their revelation they wanted to put that revelation on everyone else, becoming a point of contention with the rest of the house church.

How do you celebrate it?

Soon I heard people saying you had to use real wine, others said it had to be part of a regular meal as Jesus did, and some said it had to be celebrated every week, some said it had to be home made unleavened bread.

When I'd ask people about the how and why, they would most often say, 'The Lord showed me...' or 'I did it this way by myself for a time and it blessed me so much, I just know if we all did it this way everyone would be blessed like I was...' or other words that revealed they thought their revelation should be practiced by everyone else. And to do otherwise was wrong.

But they were assuming their brethren would have understood how God by their hand would teach them the 'right way' to celebrate the Lord's Supper, but they understood not. lol.

That's one example - I could share many examples of things that started out as a true revelation, but somehow became fixed in stone that it had to be 'this way'. Like any revelation or move of the Spirit we can examine down through history, someone's freeing move of the Spirit based on revelation gradually becomes rigid and a tradition and expectation on others to follow. Many denominations started this way.

Reality

The truth is, the New Testament is purposely (I believe) vague about how to 'do' house church. The basics are there - rotate homes and rotate who leads weekly, discussion oriented, all may participate, love and courtesy guide all things - but beyond that nothing is set in stone because revelation to one is meant to bless others, but not necessarily intended to be revelation for all.

So those with revelation feeling God is leading them to do say, the Lord's Supper as part of a larger meal - great, do it! Don't expect others to have that same revelation, and don't be disappointed by their juice and crackers that close the meeting next month - that is their revelation, and it isn't wrong, it's just not your revelation.

These types of things can include the order of a meeting, the kinds of food (if served), how and when prayer requests are received if at all, what kind of music there is (band, keyboard, cd, MP3, no music), if song sheets or overhead projection or nothing at all is used to provide words for people. How the Lord's Supper is celebrated, whether to follow a guided study or keep in line with I Corinthians 14:26, and so on.

The key is - look at your house church meeting. Has it become as rigid, inflexible and set on an agenda as x church you once attended?

Whoever is leading that week needs to take ownership of their meeting - and do what is on their heart - and the rest get over themselves, they can lead it how God leads them when they next lead.

Be ready to experience someone else's revelation.

The disclaimer

The disclaimer in this is of course any revelation someone claims they have will be in line with the Word and Spirit, and lead to peace - a revelation they say God showed them to have an affair, isn't a revelation from God. What I share isn't a license to do the weird, sinful, or unscriptural, for house church is about what we agree on, what we have in common, not a place to drum up support for the controversial topics out there.

My point is that one person's revelation may not be another's, so don't let your house church become as predictable at the sun's rising. Each person leading should have revelation from the Lord, felt in their spirit and what seems good to them as well, for that meeting, and the freedom to move in that revelation.

Serve some lobster if that's your revelation! And don't roll your eyes if it isn't, just say, "Pass the butter please." LOL.

    Some thoughts...blessings!

        John

www.cwowi.org and email at cwowi@aol.com

Hello My family! A new blog post has just been added to the site... The Law of Decrease by Chip Brogden Just like the Law of Increase, the Law of Decrease does not depend upon your understanding, agreement, or acceptance. It must be so, therefore it is so. Just as surely as Christ must increase, so you must decrease. We will see how this is accomplished later; but for now, simply accept it as a spiritual law because that is how the Bible presents it. Even if you do not agree with it or like it, if you are honest, you can look back over your life and see that any advancement made in spiritual things was the result of some kind of decreasing of you and an increasing of Christ. In fact, most people will not come to the Lord without an extraordinary, life-changing negative event... Click to read more: http://theschoolofchrist.org/blog/the-law-of-decrease.html

Created for Him

"All things were created through Him and for Him."
COLOSSIANS 1:16

In the beginning, when man walked with God, there was an obvious Heavenly Order in the earth. This simply meant that Christ was in His rightful place. When Christ has the preeminence, when He has the centrality and the supremacy, then all is well.
God created all things “by Him and for Him” and installed Him as Lord of All. With Christ in His rightful place the rest of creation could proceed. Six times in the Book of Genesis God declared that what He had just made was “good.” When the work was finally completed, God judged the final state of things to be “very good” (Genesis 1:31) and by far the greatest benefit of living under this Heavenly Order was the spiritual condition of man before the fall. Spiritually he was at peace with himself and at peace with his God. In a word, the state of things as they existed in the Heavenly Order was perfect. It was, quite literally, heaven on earth.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

From Pigs to the Pulpit

 

From Pigs to the Pulpit

By Buddy Johnson . . . And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. ~ II Timothy 2:2
READING:  II Timothy 2:1-3
He was a long-haired, seventeen year old runner who ran past my house with his dog. I stopped him one morning and introduced myself. His family had recently moved into our small Aztec town and he was a student of veterinary medicine in Mexico City. I invited him to visit some Aztec villages with me, and he readily accepted. At that time we were planting churches in about a dozen villages.
Our “Paul and Timothy” relationship lasted for two years. We traveled in my old yellow jeep to many Aztec villages to evangelize and disciple. My new friend was enamored with all the pigs which ran at will in the streets. As time passed, the young “Vet” operated on many of the pigs and thus earned the respect of the villagers.
Near the end of the second year of our journey together, he sensed God’s call to ministry. Upon graduation from the University, he proudly donated his “Pig-skin Diploma” to his mother and stated, “This is what you have helped me through school to earn, but now I am going to serve the Lord.”
He continues to operate on pigs when necessary but has been the pastor of the First Baptist Church in our city for twenty years. He has also trained 17 men to lead the new churches they have begun. II Timothy 2:2 is a work in progress in the life of my Pig-to-Pulpit friend. Hundreds of pigs have been helped, and thousands of men now know Christ because of him.
Dear Heavenly Father, Please open our eyes and hearts to see those around us who are longing for You. Teach us to teach others for the multiplication of Your Kingdom. Amen. 
Dynamic Church Planting International (DCPI) “Equips Leaders to Plant 5 Million Churches Worldwide.” Learn more

Many church planters find it difficult to teach about giving.

The Grace of Giving, Part 2

By Jim Carpenter I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. ~ Philippians 4:18-20 (ESV)
READING: Philippians 4:14-20
Many church planters find it difficult to teach about giving. They’re afraid people will misunderstand, and falsely conclude their church is interested only in money. But the Apostle Paul had no such fear. He rejoiced in the grace of giving, gave thanks for his financial supporters, and in the process, taught us all a lot about this spiritual discipline.
Yesterday we looked at two great truths about giving. Here are three more: Third, financial giving is an act of worship. Paul calls their gift “a fragrant offering”and “an acceptable sacrifice” and says it is “pleasing” to God. He is comparing it to the Old Testament sacrifices. Giving is really a way of worshiping God. Done out of a heart of love, it is a statement of the worthiness, greatness and glory of our God.
Fourth, financial giving brings a promise of God’s provision. Verse 19 is one of the most wonderful promises in the New Testament. Like many Bible promises, it is conditional: because the Philippians are giving sacrificially (v. 16) and are “filling Paul full” (v. 18), as a consequence, God will fill them full!
Finally, financial giving is a commitment to God’s glory. Paul ends with a benediction: To our God be glory forever and ever! In the end, the discipline of giving means a life committed to God’s glory above everything.
To God be the glory, great things He has done! Amen. 
Dynamic Church Planting International (DCPI) “Equips Leaders to Plant 5 Million Churches Worldwide

The Real Meaning of Baptism

“As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
GALATIANS 3:27

What does it mean to be baptized? It is to go down into death and to come back up into Life. We were baptized into Christ. The water of baptism does not merely signify the washing away of sins, but the death of the sinner. We go down into the water, and we are brought up out of the water. If we were to stay under the water for long we would surely die. But we are quickly lifted back up out of the “grave.” This represents death and resurrection.
The outward sign of water baptism is meant to represent an inward spiritual truth – that I am baptized indeed, not into water only, but into Christ. I died with Him, and I was raised with Him. If I am one with Him then His death is my death; when He is raised, I too am raised. God has placed us in Christ, and since we are joined to the Lord, we are one spirit with Him. The Branches will go the way of the Vine. The Body will go the way of the Head.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden

Confused on Purpose

A Letter from Chip Brogden

Hey Dave,


I'm still answering emails from my last "why are you
here" message.

Responses ranged from the clear and simple to the confused and
foggy!

But I'm having a good time reading and replying to them.

I used to think that fulfilling my Purpose was something I had to
achieve.

Then I realized that Purpose isn't tied to accomplishment or
success.

Let me explain.

A young person will train many years to reach the Olympics.

If you ask them their Purpose, they'll say, "To win a gold
medal."

Let's suppose they train hard, compete in the Olympics, and win
that coveted gold medal.

With the achievement of their Purpose complete, you would think
they would be the happiest people in the world.

In fact, just the opposite happens.

They tied their purpose to achieving a goal, and they worked hard
every day to achieve that goal.

But now that they accomplished the goal, they no longer have a
Purpose.

And that leaves them asking, "Is this all there is?"

Goals are great, but Goals are not the same thing as Purpose.

Goals are about "what I want to do, and how."

Purpose is about "who I want to be, and why."

You and I can fall into a trap of False Purpose - thinking of our
Purpose in terms of what we can do, accomplish, achieve, or build.

So when we can't "do" what we think we're
supposed to "do" then we think missed our Purpose.

Sound familiar?

But what if your Purpose has nothing to do with accomplishment or
achievement?

What if your Purpose isn't reaching some Big Goal, but is
simply a state of mind and heart?

What if your Purpose is to "be"?

To be a lover and worshipper of God.

To be a lover of mankind.

To be a helper to others.

To be a voice of encouragement.

To be a disciple and student of Jesus.

What we are called to DO may change, but what we are called to BE
is pretty consistent.

At different times in its life, a tree may grow quickly, or slowly;
it will stand still, or bend with the wind; it will clothe itself
with leaves, or shed its leaves; it will change the color of its
leaves, or produce fruit.

But no matter what the tree DOES, its Purpose is "to be a
tree."

Be like the tree.

Different seasons require different actions.

So be flexible in your doing, but persistent in your being.

Don't tie your Purpose (and fulfillment) down to winning your
version of the "Gold Medal."

Have a "Heart of Gold" instead.

Instead of achieving to be happy, learn to happily achieve.

Because even when you have done all you can do, you will still be
who you are.



I am your brother,


Chip Brogden
http://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

Why the Meek Are Blessed

"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.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

What is Faith?

By Dionne Carpenter Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished! ~ Luke 1:45
READING: Genesis 15:1-6
Volumes have been written to parse the meaning of the word “faith.” Here, let’s look at one small aspect that particularly applies to us as church planters. Although divided by centuries, Abraham the Patriarch and Mary, the mother of Jesus, graphically illustrate the essence of faith, as understood by the Hebrew mind.
Webster’s dictionary defines faith as “a confident belief in the truth or trustworthiness of a person, idea or thing.” The Hebrew word for faith is aman, which means “to regard as true, to realize, to believe.” Notice that both definitions talk about truth and belief.
The Hebrew word aman implies the idea of receiving a message from someone – a statement, a warning, a promise or a command. We “aman” by believing the message to be true. Abraham believed God’s promise to give him a son. Mary believed the angel’s message that she would conceive a child by the Holy Ghost.
Abraham and Mary each stood in that moment holding nothing but the message. Both of them could readily think of many logical and valid reasons to reject the truth of it out of hand. But in that fateful moment, they chose to believe, they chose faith.
If you are a church planter reading this, you once stood in a similar place when the Holy Spirit spoke to your heart and called you to serve Him. In your mind’s eye, you envisioned a new church where there was no church. You exercised faith. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Heb. 11:1).
What you did, when you chose to believe, was a holy thing.
Father, Bless me abundantly because I choose to believe Your promise. Amen. 
Dynamic Church Planting International (DCPI) “Equips Leaders to Plant 5 Million Churches Worldwide.” Learn more

UNITED IN RESURRECTION

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. Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden

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.

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!

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/

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