Rick Joyner - Koinonia & Eklesia - Church Fellowship & Organization (2 of 2)

Rick Joyner - MorningStar

Rick Joyner - Koinonia & Eklesia - Church Fellowship & Organization 04.27.14 (2 of 2)

MorningStar

Videos filmed and shared by Steve Martin - to give appreciation to and love for those we support, through Love For His People, Inc.

Rick Joyner - Koinonia & Eklesia - Church Fellowship & Organization (1 of 2)

Rick Joyner - MorningStar

Rick Joyner - Koinonia & Eklesia - Church Fellowship & Organization 04.27.14 (1 of 2)

MorningStar April 27, 2014

Videos filmed and shared by Steve Martin - to give appreciation to and love for those we support, through Love For His People, Inc.

Coffee Time with Jesus - Now Think On This Steve Martin

Coffee Time with Jesus

Now Think On This

Steve Martin

"Now come and have some breakfast!" Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord. Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.” John 21:12-14 New Living Translation

I had just finished making the 6-cup pot of coffee, went and got the Charlotte Observer Sunday paper for Laurie on the front yard, and sat down in my black prayer chair in the front room. I had already been up for a few hours to work on some social media for our ministry Love For His People. Now I was ready to spend some quiet time with the Lord.

But before I did, I picked up my iPhone 4 to send a photo to my long time, best friend Kevin in Illinois. He was working again that morning, the 5 am to 5 pm weekend shift. I like encouraging him with artwork I get off Facebook, with sayings, Scriptures, photos, etc. It gets lonely for him at times, being single for the last 26 years and longing for a wife.

The picture I sent Kevin had a cup of coffee on it, with words declaring the goodness of the Lord. With all the coffee drinkers out there, I also put it on my Facebook page after I had text Kevin with it. Then the Lord spoke to me, something like this. “I enjoy it too when you have coffee with Me.”

Wow. I never thought of it that way. Our Lord Jesus enjoys it when we just sit quietly, drinking a cup of coffee with Him. That surely brings a pleasant thought to my mind and warms my heart. And from what I know of our Father, it surely does to His heart of love too.

Our God, ever present with us, enjoys us so much that He even wants to just spend those times we have, sitting with a cup of java, reading the paper, and starting the day off before it gets too busy. He enjoys the time we give Him. Even the simple, short moments out of our day.

I think of Jesus’ time when He walked the earth with His disciples. Being the Son of Man, I believe the Scriptures that say He had emotions, physical needs, and a manner of life around Him that we face daily. That is why He came, to pay the price required by a Holy God, so we could enjoy eternity in fellowship with Him in heaven. His death and resurrection made the way for this to happen. His love for us was, is, and ever shall be that much. Awesome Lord.

As our personal Lord and Savior, Messiah, Yeshua Ha Mashiach, we have the opportunity now to spend time with Him, as we walk this planet. The eternity in our hearts began anew when we have repented of our sins, accepted His costly shed blood for the forgiveness of our sins, and now can walk the chosen path He has planned for us – to share His love with those around us.

I used to not be a coffee drinker. But I have come to like the taste, with plenty of cream in it, and enjoy the mug full almost every day. Now I know that even in those times, I can invite the Lord to sit with me, talk of the day to come, and just share a bit of our hearts together. He tells me things to be aware of, who to pray for, and how to encourage another that needs His touch today.

It is not a religious thing at all. It is my Friend sharing time with me. And I with Him.

Have a cup of coffee, and enjoy your time with your Friend. You both will enjoy it.

Steve Martin

Founder

Love For His People. Inc.

  

  

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Now Think On This #139 “Coffee Time With Jesus” by Steve Martin 

Date: In the year of our Lord 2014 (04.06.14) Sunday at 7:00 am in Charlotte, NC.

All previous editions of Now Think On This can be found on this Blog, and on our newest website: Now Think On This

Why Who You Fellowship With Is Important - SpiritLed Woman

(© Colicaranica / StockFreeImages.com)

Why Who You Fellowship With Is Important

DAWN SCOTT JONES  CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Fellowship. What a great word! It comes from the idea of two people sitting together in a ship. These two men or women would be companions, working or relaxing together, sharing community and conversation. Together they could enjoy the strength of relationship and experience the smooth sailing that camaraderie brings.

But what would happen if one of the men in those close quarters was not a nice guy, but instead rude and arrogant? What if one of the women in that boat was a constant downer, endlessly complaining about her troubled marriage or deviant children? The ride would be rough, to say the least. Fellowship like that could cause you to look for the nearest port of call or even tempt you to jump overboard!

It’s important who you fellowship with; that’s an obvious truth. The Bible says, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals’” (1 Cor. 15:33, NASB). But this Scripture can apply to more than the people you hang around with.

What if we considered it in light of the attitudes we fellowship with? If we were to check the passengers that are on board in the cabins of our hearts, whom would we find there? Would it be the stowaways of discouragement and depression? Perhaps we would find pride, bitterness or faultfinding.

Maybe you have never thought about fellowship in this way before, but the attitudes we stow are as important as the company we keep. We fellowship daily with our own thoughts, and the attitudes that develop as a result of them, like friends, affect our behavior. If we are bound to a negative thought life, are we not fellowshipping with darkness?

The Bible says, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?” (2 Cor. 6:14). This Scripture is clearly speaking of our human associations, but it’s interesting to apply the truth to our fellowship with our own attitudes.

If we are listening to the voices of anxiety, we may be fellowshipping with the darkness of fear. How can we launch out into the deep places with God if fear is rowing against us? That fellowship would keep us anchored to the shores of safety and comfort.

Or how could we set sail with negativity as our navigator? We would find ourselves seeing everything through a dense fog and then be surprised when we arrived at the wrong destination. Clearly, not the kind of fellowship we need!

Because we are with ourselves 24/7, we are feeding our spirits all the time. Therefore it is important to know with whom—or what—we are fellowshipping. If faith comes by hearing (see Rom. 10:17), what do our hearts hear us say? Does the inner fellowship of our attitudes increase our faith, or do we discourage ourselves and provoke our own unrest?

Faith does indeed come by hearing, but so do doubt and fear. If I hear a negative report, these two shipmates are all too ready to climb on board and set sail with me. There on the open sea of my soul, I wrestle with the fellowship of darkness.

How much better it would be to voyage with the peace of Christ—to descend into the bottom of the vessel and find Jesus at rest there in spite of the storm around me. How inviting it sounds to raise the sail of hope and embark on a journey, knowing that joy and wisdom will travel with me. This is the fellowship I long for.

Of course there may be times when pirates invade our fellowship. The hostile takeover of our serenity is often a real threat. We must be diligent to carefully watch the compasses of our thought lives so we do not wander into enemy territory. Random thoughts, like pirates of the seas, will try to enter your boat and ride with you, tormenting your mind and heart.

If you had to take inventory of the passengers on your ship, what would you find there? Are you on a five-day cruise with criticism, perhaps? This little cabin boy seems to hitch a ride on many of our vessels. How easy it is to point a finger and judge what we see in others while at the same time excusing ourselves from similar flaws!

Or would your inventory reveal that you have braved the open sea with anger as your co-captain? This is one navigator that will steal your peace and take you in the wrong direction.

Whatever you find in the hold of your ship that causes you to fellowship with darkness, throw it overboard now! We are called to fellowship with the light. We do that by inviting Jesus’ thoughts into our minds and asking the Holy Spirit to pilot us into the safe waters of the Word of God.

Paul prayed that “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit” would be with us all (2 Cor. 13:14). Those are companions we can safely take anywhere!

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"Let the Shaking That You're Going Through Become the Shaking of the Breakthrough" - by Eileen Fisher

Eileen Fisher:

"Let the Shaking That You're Going Through 

Become the Shaking of the Breakthrough"

What Is YOUR Purpose?

The following corporate prophetic word was given by Eileen Fisher on January 21, 2014 during her weekly Prophetic School of the Holy Spirit meeting in Colorado Springs, Colorado:

"Understand that you truly were created for My pleasure. And those days when you say, 'Lord, nothing's going right.' Smile inside and know this truth: You were created for My pleasure. In spite of anything, find comfort in knowing your purpose."

The Spirit within me is saying, because sometimes, when things are going a different direction, we have to know that is our identity;that is our purpose. Our purpose isn't what we're called to do; our purpose is relationship – to fellowship with the Living God.

We were created to fellowship with Him; and that is to be so intimate, that wherever we are, we feel His breath, His hand, His pleasure. We feel the brush of angels' wings. We're so aware of Him that that's why we go some places, and that's why we don't go other places, because we're aware that He would not be comfortable there, and it would not bring Him pleasure.

And I hear the Lord say, "Many, many times, you face choices. In fact, every day you face hundreds of choices – choice, after choice, after choice. And with each choice, just as with each step, it could draw you closer to Me, or away from Me.

For the enemy would come and sow seeds of doubt, unbelief. He would put work, after work, after work – of failure, of discouragement, of disappointment – to where you begin to say, 'Where are You?'"

He said, "I would say back to you, 'Where are you?' Is that not what I said to Adam and Eve? Where are you?

"Where are you with Me this night? Are you in the fold of My arms? Are you where My hand can rest upon your head, and give you right thinking and right understanding? Are you so close that I need only to whisper, and you feel My breath, and know exactly what I am sending you to do, and the message I will send you to carry?

"Let the distance cause you to come closer and closer and closer. Learn to run into My arms. Learn to acknowledge My presence in every hour of the day, until you become so aware that you too cannot escape My presence, just like David. Because if you too were locked in the pits of Hell, I would come and get you, for you are My property.

Did You Know You Were Created By a Creator Who Wanted You?

"You were created by a Creator who wanted you. Perhaps the circumstances of your birth were not the highest on this earth, but I promise you, on My side there was dancing. There was rejoicing for another one – another one of us – We could love.

Part of our family had come to the earth, made in the image of God, for fellowship, for identity.

"Know that you were created for a purpose. And after you know that purpose, then begin to pray.

Seek My face for strategy, for what you were placed on the earth for.

And know that you too must come to the point in your life that man cannot persuade you to take a left, or a right, to stop, or to run.

"But you too will have a song in your heart, and that song will be the same song that I sang: 'I must be about My Father's business. I only do what the Father shows Me.' But you must be very close, to see when I direct you, when I whisper, when I nudge, when I restrain you, and I say, 'Wait. Rest.'

"Be not concerned about pride, of always being right. But be more concerned about becoming righteous in My sight, because you serve and you dwell in the presence of an everlasting, righteous Lord your God. Seek righteousness.

Seek first the Kingdom of God and My righteousness, and everything will be added unto you," says the Lord your God.

Let My Presence and Strength Roll Out of You In Times of Trouble

The following corporate prophetic word was given by Eileen Fisher on January 28, 2014 during her weekly Prophetic School of the Holy Spirit meeting in Colorado Springs, Colorado:

The Lord said, "Be aware, for the enemy would come with distraction, after distraction, after distraction, and only to deposit subtraction – subtraction from who I am. From who you are. Subtraction of strength, faith, and to rob you, and deposit within you despondency and numbness. Put you in a sense of shock, and an aftershock, and for longing, not knowing which way to go – to the left or to the right.

"But I am not a God who died for His people and then abandoned them. I am with you forever. I've said, 'Forever!'

"In times of trouble, call in My presence, for where you are My presence is.

Do you not understand 'The Hope of Glory' that is within you? Do not look exterior. Do not look outward. Don't look around. Look in. Let My presence, let My strength, roll out of you.

"Be carriers of praise and thanksgiving. Be carriers of 'Amen,' 'So be it,' 'It is written.' Be carriers of 'Command,' that command My Word to be alive and active.

Take Up Your Position; Wake Up!

"Take up your position, for the King of Glory longs to come in and walk among you.

But will you recognize Him? How will you recognize Him? What if you're asleep in your spirit? Wake up! Wake up!

"Let the shaking that you're going through become the shaking of the breakthrough.

Be not shook for any reason, but be shook awake: to make a stand. And then the enemy will tremble and flee. But first, you must shake.

"Shake off the negative words. Let them drop off of you. Do not let the enemy live in the darkness of your words. Do not cover him with words of unbelief, for he hides and brings torment with fear, and aggravation, and regret, and remorse.

"Expose him by the light of My Word and My presence. You are My mouthpieces. But how can you speak what I tell you to speak unless you have come with praise and thanksgiving, and receive that which I would give to you?

"Ponder this well, for this is the key and the secret to the Kingdom. Let My Holy Spirit quicken this to you. Let this be a foundation, a cornerstone, for you are the temple. My presence dwells in your temples.

"Claim My ever-filling. Claim My ever-presence. Claim and remember the days of old, of My faithfulness.

"Allow time for Me to come and rebuild what the enemy has come to destroy. Know that I am a gatherer, and it takes time to gather. Know that I am a multiplier, but it takes time to multiply. But will you be willing?

Arise and Shine; You Are the Light

"Uncover the enemy with praise and thanksgiving, for he comes under the umbrella of murmuring against Me. For is he not called the 'accuser of the brethren?' He accuses, and accuses, and accuses until you stand with your heads down, as one who's been accused and condemned. That is not for My people.

"My people are resurrected. My people are strong. My people are called to arise, and to shine. My people are not called to hide in the darkness, but My people are called 'the light.'

"You are living epistles. If only My people would become living epistles. Will you be My people – alive in My Word and My Word alive in you? Do not take this lightly. For I have called a few here this night. I have given them the keys to a Kingdom. Apply this. I await your reply.

"I've called a people to be joyful, so that they will be strong and do great exploits in My name. Shake off the darkness. Shake off the negative agreement. Tell the enemy, 'No, get behind me.' Do not hide behind him with murmuring and accusing, one to another, for My Spirit grieves in murmuring, for My Spirit is truly connected with the Father and with Me.

"We have connected you with Us. We have sealed you. You are sealed by My Spirit. Do not take that lightly. Own it. Live in it. And let My Word do what it was sent to do – set captives free," says the Lord your God.

Eileen Fisher
Eileen Fisher Ministries

Email: eileen@eileenfisher.org
Website: eileenfisher.org

Eileen Fisher speaks and ministers before many groups and has a desire to fulfill the commission that Jesus gave us all. Eileen is available for retreats, workshops, meetings, banquets, or other special events. Eileen is also the author of two books titled Embraced by the Holy Spirit and Embracing the Prophetic.

She travels, is a frequent TV guest, and teaches Schools of Prophecy and Healing. Her husband Fred oversees the ministry and is the ministry administrator. Fred and Eileen are active overseers and members of the board of directors for Freedom Christian Fellowship Church. They have one married daughter, Theresa, their son Michael went home to be with our Lord in 1993, and they have four grandchildren.

To subscribe to The Elijah List go to: http://elijahlist.com/subscribe

From the desk of Steve Shultz:

I know many of you feel like you are going through a shaking right now...with tests and trials in circumstances. You'll really appreciate this latest word of the Lord from Eileen Fisher. Good can most definitely come out of shaking as Eileen shares:

"Let the shaking that you're going through become the shaking of the breakthrough. Be not shook for any reason, but be shook awake: to make a stand. And then the enemy will tremble and flee. But first, you must shake...Shake off the negative words. Let them drop off of you..."

Be encouraged that God IS moving on your behalf in whatever you may be facing.

Blessings,
Steve Shultz

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Mega-church downsizes, cuts non-essential members - Lark News

Mega-church downsizes, c uts non-essential members

WINSTON-SALEM — Julie and Bob Clark were stunned to receive a letter from their church in July asking them to “participate in the life of the church” — or worship elsewhere.

“They basically called us freeloaders,” says Julie.

“We were freeloaders,” says Bob.

In a trend that may signal rough times for wallflower Christians, bellwether mega-church Faith Community of Winston-Salem has asked “non-participating members” to stop attending.

“No more Mr. Nice Church,” says the executive pastor, newly hired from Cingular Wireless. “Bigger is not always better. Providing free services indefinitely to complacent Christians is not our mission.”

“Freeloading” Christians were straining the church’s nursery and facility resources and harming the church’s ability to reach the lost, says the pastor.

“When your bottom line is saving souls, you get impatient with people who interfere with that goal,” he says.

Faith Community sent polite but firm letters to families who attend church services and “freebie events” but never volunteer, never tithe and do not belong to a small group or other ministry. The church estimates that of its 8,000 regular attendees, only half have volunteered in the past 3 years, and a third have never given to the church.

“Before now, we made people feel comfortable and welcome, and tried to coax them to give a little something in return,” says a staff member. “That’s changed. We’re done being the community nanny.”

Surprisingly, the move to dis-invite people has drawn positive response from men in the community who like the idea of an in-your-face church.

“I thought, ‘A church that doesn’t allow wussies — that rocks,’” says Bob Clark, who admires the church more since they told him to get lost.

He and Julie are now tithing and volunteering. “We’ve taken our place in church life,” he says. •

Source: LarkNews.com

Love For His People Editor's Note: In January I wrote in my Ahava Love Letter - Now Think On This the topic, "Less IS More". (You can find it by using the SEARCH button in the top right hand corner of this blog.) Briefly, I shared that I believe the Lord is going to do away with the large ministries/one man band concept so prevalent these last 40 years, and focus on small teams. After all, that is how Jesus did it. And after all, He is God, Who knows how to do it right. 

Steve Martin

Founder/Writer

Love For His People, Inc.

Beyond Race: When Two Churches Became One - CBN News

Beyond Race: When Two Churches Became One

By Jennifer Wishon  - CBN News White House Correspondent

Monday, February 10, 2014

NEW ORLEANS -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., called Sunday morning the most segregated time of the week, and in many places that's still the case.

But in New Orleans, one congregation is going against that norm and is showing how diversity makes it stronger.

Sitting in the heart of New Orleans, First Grace Church is known as a beacon of Christ's love. In fact, the pastor said he's surprised if people don't come forward to join the church on Sundays, but getting here has been a journey.

After Hurricane Katrina ravaged the city, Pastor Shawn Anglim was put in charge of two United Methodist churches located one mile apart: the black congregation of Grace Church and the white congregation of First Church.

Birth of First Grace Church

It wasn't long before God revealed his plan and Anglim approached two of Grace's longtime members.

"So I asked them, 'Do you believe we can do more for our city as one body of Christ than we can ever do as two bodies of Christ a mile apart?' And they started crying and I knew that I had asked the right people," Anglim recalled.

So in the fall of 2007, two congregations that had worshipped so close to one another, yet so far apart, united to become First Grace.

Margaret Washington, a longtime member of Grace Church, remembered the first day at First Grace well.

"Like children on the first day of school, half of us sat on one side and the other half sat on the other side," she said.

"The first worship service was glorious," Anglim said. "Then it was discombobulating."

"They were looking for their old usual seat and that wasn't here," Washington recalled. "Other people were sitting in those seats."

Journey Out of Egypt

Anglim likened the experience to the Israelites' journey out of Egypt.

"It's all right there in the scripture," he said. "People are in Egypt, they all leave Egypt - they're all elated that they've left Egypt and they get out in the wilderness and they turn to Moses and they say, 'Why did you bring us out here? To die?' It's like, don't you remember?"

Washington said, "I really told our members, if we're going be a part of First, we have to mingle, we have to mix."

It took about four months, but then things clicked. Some members credit the music for uniting the church.

"It ties both cultures together kind of," First Grace member Bob Mangham said.

"In north Louisiana we tried to do southern gospel, but we just didn't have the soul that this church has," Mangham added, chuckling.

Crossing the Racial Divide

It's not always easy though. When things draw the curtain on America's racial divides, First Grace members choose to lead with love and let Christ work out the differences.

"Those hard conversations -- they're like family meetings where you sit down and you say things that you felt like you needed to say and they hurt," Anglim said.

"But guess what? Now your mom's in the kitchen making dinner," he continued. "People didn't go away -- this is who you're going to live with and that changes everything."

Washington agreed.

"I think that people have learned to appreciate difference and that has been a point of growth for all of us," she said. "That you don't have to look like me or live where I live for me to appreciate what you do and what you say, and that is a part of the Christian way."

Jon and Mary Cosper joined First Grace two years ago.

"If you're in a box your whole life, it can be difficult to understand what other people think and how other people process things," Jon said.

No More Excuses

That's why Anglim believes First Grace is on the front end of what's coming, a time when there won't be room for excuses.

"They're about you feeling comfortable. Well, is that what Jesus was about? You being comfortable about the way you live?" he challenged. "Or about Jesus inviting you into a greater glory if you would open yourself up to that struggle and to take that walk out of Egypt."

"If you truly want to be Christlike, you have to live like Him," Cosper said. "And if you segregate yourself from other people -- people who don't believe the same things as you, people who may be different -- you're not living as He lived."

For video, click here: CBN News video

The Other Side of the Lake Part 1 - Doug Fortune

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"Now it came to pass on a certain day, that He went into a ship with His disciples: and He said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth." 

(Luke 8:22)

 

I love the way this verse begins, "Now it came to pass..." It is important to note that the first word is NOW. 

When I read that I know that this is a NOW word for us! It is a proceeding Word, however it comes to PASS, it does not come to stay, it denotes movement. Religion seems bent on taking a now/ proceeding Word and embalming it, memorializing it and propping it up way past its' usefulness. 

Remember, Father is in the NOW. One of His redemptive Names is Jehovah Shamah, meaning "The Lord, The Ever Present." That does not just mean that He is always present (which He is) it also means that He lives in the present.   He lives in an eternal "now" outside of time. 

"On a certain day..." This was not just ANY day, this was a certain day. I believe that this CERTAIN Day we are reading of is a spiritual picture of where the Church is now, and that there is a spiritual principle we can glean from. You see, our ultimate destiny is not determined by our natural circumstances! In fact, many times our natural circumstances are at odds with our ultimate destiny. That is because Father calls us to something much higher than our natural capabilities requiring us to overcome our natural circumstances. 

A Certain Day 

Contrary to everything we hear from so many sources, I prophesy to you that we are NOT in a day of uncertainty! We are in a CERTAIN Day that Father has had planned from the beginning of time. Are these troubled times?  Most certainly they are troubled times, but they are filled with certainty and Father's purpose. 

Our verse goes on to say, "He went into a SHIP with His disciples..." I believe that this is a CERTAIN Day because He is IN the ship with His disciples. 

What kind of a ship is it, you may ask?  This ship is a WorSHIP! "But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel." (Psalms 22:3) Many churches have a similar paradigm of worship, and it is based upon the belief that praise and worship in a congregational setting serves as a plow to break up the ground of the peoples' hearts in preparation for the Seed of the Word that will be delivered in a message. 

However, in our local fellowship, I believe that we are not there to "plow" hearts, although that can happen in a corporate gathering. If that is what people want, there are other churches that are better suited for that, and I don't say that to belittle other churches...it is just that is not our calling. 

The Frequency of Heaven 

I believe that we are there to tap into, to access the frequency of the worship that is already happening in the heavenlies, resonate that worship and bring it into the earthly realm. We are there to bring the Heart and Word of the Lord and declare it into this realm to bring a collision of heaven invading earth. We are to be a conduit of Heaven! 

Our objective, as it were, is to facilitate the establishment of the Kingdom of God by resonating the frequency of heaven in the realm of the earth... to BE the Throne of God (the seat of authority) in the Tabernacle of David; "And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness." (Isaiah 16:5) 

As we do this, the "message," the Word of the Lord, the Seed is going forth. We believe that Father has already been speaking all through worship, communion, prayer, etc. Our gatherings are basically a prophetic expression of His Voice.  In other words, we are there to apprehend and declare the Word, the Voice of Father, to express Him, and that Voice/ Message comes out in many different forms, not just in the preaching. If you wait until the "preaching" for the Word of the Lord, you have already missed half the message! 

As we WorSHIP, we also become a WARship!  However, spiritual warfare is not a matter of us standing on the earth, our praise ascending to the heavens and piercing the spiritual darkness. Rather, it is much more a matter of US descending, bringing the GLORY of the Third Heaven (epouranos in Greek) where we are seated in Him, to invade the earth and therefore displacing principalities and powers by His resonant Word of power. 

Hidden in God 

What kind of a ship is it, you may ask?  This ship is also a FellowSHIP.  "And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 3:9) 

The fellowship of the mystery is simply the manifold Wisdom of God (which is Christ Himself) being revealed and displayed BY the Church because the Church becomes totally hidden IN God! "Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints... which is Christ IN you (the plural corporate fellowship of the Mystery), the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:26-27 my input in parenthesis) 

What kind of a ship is it, you may ask?  This ship is also a StewardSHIP; "Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God." (1 Corinthians 4:1) 

The word translated as "steward" is oikonomos in Greek and it means a manager, superintendent to whom the head of the house or proprietor has entrusted the management of his affairs, the care of receipts and expenditures, and the duty of dealing out the proper portion to every servant and even to the children not yet of age. We are entrusted with the affairs of the Kingdom, the expenditures and dispensing of the mysteries of God as Christ through us reveals Himself! 

What kind of a ship is it, you may ask?  This ship is ALL His WorkmanSHIP; "For we are His workmanship, created IN Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10) 

Father is the author and builder of this "ship" that we are being made into, therefore this "ship" is built to sail into the deep and withstand any storm of life. 

When Jesus Speaks 

"And He said unto them..." You know, when Jesus speaks, people should listen! I don't know that He was one to just ramble on with inane frivolities. In fact, here is what is recorded concerning what He spoke; "... the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63) His words are spirit and life... that means His words originate in the Spirit and they produce Life and action that impacts this natural realm. 

Here is what He said, "Let us go over unto the other side of the lake..." Keep in mind that if Jesus said they were going to the other side, that meant they were absolutely going to the other side. Nothing could stop His words from coming to pass because they originate in the Spirit and they produce Life and action that impacts this natural realm!...  

To be continued... 

Doug Fortune

www.dougfortune.org

 

 

 

 

In Earth as in Heaven

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J. Lee Grady - 9 Ways to Raise Your Spiritual Temperature CHARISMA MAGAZINE

9 Ways to Raise 

Your Spiritual Temperature

1/22/2014 J. LEE GRADY, CHARISMA MAGAZINE

I’m not a cold-weather guy. I live in central Florida, a land of flip-flops, shorts and water parks that stay open 365 days a year. Our average temperature in Orlando in January is 71 degrees. In the summer, a humid 95 is fine with me.

But I have friends in Minneapolis, Rochester, Philadelphia and Baltimore who endured the “polar vortex” of 2014. We haven’t seen temperatures like that in more than two decades. It was minus 40 in Minnesota in early January. The mercury hit minus 13 in Milwaukee. It was so cold in Chicago (minus 16) that the polar bear at the Lincoln Park Zoo was moved indoors!

When this record-breaking deep freeze hit, I was reading the book of Romans—and Romans 12:11 jumped off the page. The apostle Paul told his followers that in order to please God they needed to be “fervent in spirit” (NASB). The Greek word for "fervent," zeo, means “to boil with heat.” We have a responsibility to stay hot for God no matter how cold our spiritual environment is.

But how do you stay “on fire” for the Lord? How can you raise your spiritual temperature at a time when many people’s faith has gone from lukewarm to freezing? Here are some steps you can take to reach the boiling point:

1. Get back in the Word. Spiritual zeal is kindled in your heart when you hear God speak through the pages of the Bible. I’m not talking about remotely reading daily devotionals with your eyes halfway open. When you desperately dig in the Scriptures to find truth, you will say, like the disciples who walked with Jesus on the road to Emmaus, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was ... explaining the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32). The Word will set your heart ablaze.

2. Stoke the furnace of private prayer. Fires don’t last long if you don’t regularly pile wood on the flames. You should guard your quiet time with God as if your life depended on it. You cannot survive spiritually without regular communion with the Lord. Oswald Chambers put it bluntly: “Prayer is the vital breath of the Christian; not the thing that makes him alive, but the evidence that he is alive.”

3. Praise God with abandon. Sometimes discouragement, fear and anxiety can form icicles in our souls. The only way to melt them is to rejoice in the Lord. Are you going through an extended period of heaviness or disappointment? You need to sing and shout! When you praise God with exuberance, new strength will arise. Make a decision that you will praise God in a more vocal, uninhibited way this year than ever before. If you need help praising God, play a recording by one of your favorite Christian artists and sing along.

4. Break free from bad habits. Paul told the Thessalonians, “Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thess. 5:19). Are you doing anything that is extinguishing the Spirit’s flames in your life? Many Christians remain perpetually immature, unable to grow spiritually, because they won’t let go of lustful habits or addictions. If you choose to live in bondage, you will never be hot for God.

5. Get rid of your resentments. Jesus said in the last days “most people’s love will grow cold” (Matt. 24:12). Don’t be a part of that cooling trend. Nothing puts out the flame of God’s love faster than bitterness. Don’t allow unforgiveness to freeze your soul. Guard your heart and deal with offenses quickly.

6. Get in close fellowship. Fires go out when the embers are far apart. But when you pull the coals close together, the flames return. This is why we should never live the Christian life in seclusion. God called us to be in community. But make sure you are in a church that is on fire for God—because a dead church could put out what is left of your fire. If your church compromises God’s Word or ignores the Great Commission, you should find a new church home.

7. Start using your spiritual gifts. Real spiritual passion is ignited when you serve others. Every Christian has a spiritual gift—and you are no exception. You must face your fears and stretch your faith as you begin to step out, but soon you will find there is no greater joy than being an instrument of the Holy Spirit to bless people. And when the oil of His anointing flows through you, your spiritual temperature will go up.

8. Find a mentor. I love to hang around zealous, passionate Christians because their heat directly affects mine. I sometimes ask these firebrands to lay hands on me and pray. Sometimes I make appointments with them so I can glean from their wisdom and experience. You can be sure that when Elisha saw Elijah go to heaven in a fiery chariot, he was affected by the heat. Get as close as possible to those who are burning for God, and you will be ignited.

9. Share your faith. There is nothing more exciting, in my opinion, than leading a person to faith in Christ. Yet statistics show that 95 percent of Christians have never led one soul to salvation. I guarantee if you step out of your timidity and share the gospel with a neighbor, a co-worker, a server at a restaurant or a stranger on the subway, your spiritual temperature will instantly rise 30 degrees—and you will want to share with someone else.

In this new year, I encourage you to take your flame out from under a basket and let it blaze before men. This cold, dark world needs fervent Christians who have reached the boiling point of spiritual passion.

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma and the director of the Mordecai Project (themordecaiproject.org). You can follow him on Twitter at @leegrady. He is the author of The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale and other books.

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