Thursday, March 22, 2007

Risky Behavior



Follow the Spirit. Do it now; when he tells you. Live for him. Comfort, predictability, stability, safety, self-righteousness, and pride all leave when we truly step out in faith. Maybe he tells us to get out of the trench and charge the machine gun nests. That's insane. Let's do it anyway... together. Trust him. Jesus said he himself is real food and real life; more than anything we've ever known. That's stronger than a heart beating.

Mary Magdelene

When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.

The end of Mark says she had seven demons cast out of her. She must have been walking in incredible freedom with Jesus after that. We know she loved Jesus desperately.

If you ever listen to the voice of Satan and agree with it, or let it affect you, or do what it says, you are oppressed and need deliverance.

Recognize the difference between Satanic thoughts, your own thoughts and God thoughts. Be connected in a community of believers that share thoughts, confess sins, pray together and all those other good things. Let's be open and ask each other for help. Let's listen to each other and bear each other's burdens. Also, let's cast out demons and encourage each other to look to Jesus.

Meeting Transformation

When everyone in a weekly church meeting starts or supports something separate from the meeting, it becomes a leadership meeting or a network connection.

Jesus

who he is - primary
what he has done for us - secondary

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Abiding, Gifts, Fruit

Jesus said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

Concerning new languages, I believe it is true because of when it says the signs that will follow will be casting out demons, speaking in new languages, protection, and healing. I didn't check but I thought I saw a prophecy in the prophets concerning new languages.
I think it can be counterfeited. Prophecy can be counterfeited. It happens all the time. False prophets are proven wrong. "Teachers" that can't teach. Wisdom or knowledge that is wrong. People can have fake faith and think it is real. That's fruitless.

I believe there is a common thread for all of this. When I am not abiding (aka: in the spirit or on fire for God) I cannot hear from God. I cannot serve others spiritually. I do not pray. I do not study. My heart is for the things of this world. I desire romance. I desire athletics. I desire adventure. I desire warfare. I am prideful. My attempts are vain. I am disconnected. I am fruitless.
When I abide, I hear from God, I pray and want to pray more, teaching overflows from me, evangelism happens naturally. When plugged into Jesus, prophetic thoughts flow like electricity. My heart is for Jesus, the church and the Kingdom of Heaven. At those times my life is only in Jesus the Savior. I am connected to God and thus a functioning member of the church, his body. True faith = much fruit.

Thursday, March 8, 2007

Desires


I am delighting in YHWH and he is giving me the desires of His heart and they are my new desires.

Sometimes I find myself getting so excited about his work that I love his work more than I love him; the one the work is all about and the one who is doing the work. I need to constantly look to him and dwell in Jesus. That is my only need; not air, food, friends, shelter, clothing, romance or anything else.

God has given me desires. They are:

1. Abide in Jesus.

2. Spiritual unity in The Church of fully functioning members that abide in Jesus

3. Proclaiming the word of God to the world, including confronting Satan, by a spiritually united church that abides in Jesus

The last two result only with a 24/7 Kingdom presence that is a result of abiding in Jesus the Savior.

Monday, March 5, 2007

One Church

God tells me to be one with my spiritual family. It is hard yet wonderful. A while back, on a Tuesday night (1-16-07), I went to the streets of Dallas to see if George would let me spend the night at his place, the street. I was walking with him to get cardboard when I asked him in an awkward way. He asked if it was to experience homelessness? I told him it was because God wants his church to be one with each other.
There is no peace on the street, or in some homes for that matter. That night I dealt with fear of getting my stuff taken or being hurt myself. I doubted God and if I could even hear his voice. What am I doing here? Hopelessness. People talking to eachother, smoking, cussing about the cold. People passing through, no respect for sleep. Early, like at 9pm a van drove up yelling, looking for people who wanted to do rehab; no takers. One time a guy drove up to give us a bag full of hamburgers. The guy that was yelling about the cold was placated by people giving out hot chocolate and bread at 11pm. George laughed at me for having a pillow; he sleeps sitting against a wall. He spent a while praying while standing up across the street. He was also looking out for another guy. I finally got to sleep after 2am. I woke up at 4:45am to the noise of freezing rain. I jumped up and started to collect my stuff. Immediately, the man sitting next to me started telling me about a white girl he had in a hotel room. I said, "I'm not interested." He continued by saying it was for him not me but then offering again and again. I kept saying the same three words. Then he asked, "Do you need anything?," which means drugs. I said "no". He said "You don't mess around with anything, do you? How long have you been out here?" I told him I wasn't homeless, I was just hanging out with George. He asked if I was just checking up on him or seeing if he was ok or something. I said, "No, I'm just hanging out with George." I jumped in my luxurious economy car and drove home, then to work after an hour nap. The snow was sticking.