Sunday, April 28, 2019

"What Say You? - Now Think On This message by Steve Martin - Love For His People, Inc.

April 28, 2019

Greetings friends of Love For His People.

We are counting down the hours before Laurie and I fly to Israel to spend time with those we have supported for many years, through the ministry of Love For His People. For some, travel can be exhausting, but when I go to Israel I am energized. That happens when you walk in the plans and purposes that the Lord has for you and me. His Holy Spirit renews and refreshes us, as we remain yoked with Him and what He is doing in our midst, and the nations He has placed us in and called us to.

Each of you has a place in His Body to walk in understanding and then to walk it out. Be faithful in your calling, and you will experience adventure while being a blessing to others.

Before I head out, on this my 20th trip to the Land given to the Jews, chosen by our Lord, I wanted to share this word with you, What Say You? (This message also has the same title as my 21st book published this week.) This word, and book offer inspiration on how we can then live and move in this life, to cause godly effect and actually cause something positive to happen or bring about in our lives, our families, our cities, our workplaces, and our country.

In addition to that message, when a good friend of ours in Israel let us know the new name of their work there, in support of those making aliyah (immigrating to Israel), it reminded me of a message I did three years ago. So I reposted it on our website and was amazed at the response. Check it out for yourself: A Lighthouse and Watchman.

My prayer is that each of you is being a lighthouse in the midst of those the Lord has put you among. And for those of you who are prayer warriors (each of us in some way needs to be), interceding for the peace of Jerusalem, and also our nations, be encouraged as you pray and watch, both in the natural and the spiritual.

Until I get back from Israel, hold down the fort!

Ahava and shalom,

Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People ministry

P.S. My latest book, published this week, is only $9.95 paperback, and also available in Kindle version. Buy it now: What Say You? book.

P.S.S. Plans continue to move forward for the April 3-4, 2020 event we are calling the "Gathering Together" event. Church and ministries in the Charlotte, NC/Fort Mill, SC areas coming together, with 12 speakers, 3 worship bands, and worship dance teams. I am excited. It has been over 16 years since the Lord first spoke this to me about our local believers coming together as we can. That is His heart - unity among His people - Jews and Gentiles, male and female, old and young. I hope you want to be a part of what the Lord is calling out to His people to do. Let me know...

Now Think On This
Steve Martin

“And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31, NASU)


There sure are a lot of words being spoken today. It amazes me at times how much people can talk, and after listening for a while, do they really say anything that you will still remember, or adhere to, a few years, weeks, or even days later? A lot of what is said gets recorded and then archived for decades, but is what has been said really worth saying in the first place and keeping for time?

In all this talking, is wisdom and godly knowledge being shared? Are lives being changed for the better? Is what one says as truth really the truth, or do they have to come back later and acknowledge that their improper lack of memory or speculation about a person or matter just wasn’t the case? (If they even admit their error, or purposely said lie.)

So much of what is being spoken is not worth hearing. It clogs up our minds with garbage, and as it is truly noted, “Garbage in, garbage out.” As a matter of speaking, of course.

So, what say you? That may not be proper English, but again, anything goes these days, right? I am being facetious. Rather flippant too.

(Read the rest: What Say You?)
by Steve Martin
“I am God. I have called you to live right and well. I have taken responsibility for you, kept you safe. I have set you among my people to bind them to me, and provided you as a lighthouse to the nations, to make a start at bringing people into the open, into light: opening blind eyes, releasing prisoners from dungeons, emptying the dark prisons.” (Isaiah 42:6-7, THE MESSAGE)

We have been hearing much in our Sunday gatherings on our roles as being watchmen. I take that word seriously, and act on it - to pray, to proclaim, to write accordingly, and then to post on our blog Love For His People. Even as the watchman of old sought the Lord, listened to His voice, and spoke out what they were told, I too want to be one who does that.

While being faithful as a watchman to bring the warnings that come with the territory, there is also always hope in the midst of it all, as that comes straight from the Father’s heart. His light brought forth, like a lighthouse, guides us through the sea of life.

Jesus’ love for the nations causes Him to bring awareness to His people of what is coming. His prophetic words, recorded in the historical Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, have proven over and over again of His loving actions. The Lord God of Israel, the Messiah, has continually sought to draw us to Himself through those writings, and current warnings.

by Steve Martin

What say you about where you stand in God's plan?

Are you fitting in? Do you care? Are you where you think you are, or where you think you should be?

These messages have been written to bring you encouragement, some further insight, and to help you get to where you, and He, wants you to be in the Body of Christ.

The Lord is putting His people together - both in Israel with the Jews making aliyah and with believers around the world finding out their place and purpose in congregations.

What Say You? offers inspiration on how we can then live and move in this life, to cause godly effect and actually, cause something positive to happen or bring about in our lives, our families, our cities, our workplaces, and our country.

May you be about His business, as He directs you in your going.

Paperback or Kindle. Amazon Paperback $9.95 Kindle $2.99
Love For His People, Inc.
P.O. Box 414
Pineville, NC 28134 USA

Love For His People
Love For His People, Inc | P.O. Box 414Pineville, NC 28134

To Catch Coming Wave of Revival, We Must Adopt This New Apostolic Paradigm - MICHAEL BRODEUR CHARISMA NEWS

(Pixabay/Pexels)

To Catch Coming Wave of Revival, We Must Adopt This New Apostolic Paradigm

MICHAEL BRODEUR  CHARISMA NEWS
As I mentioned in this article, God is moving on the earth in unprecedented ways in preparation for the next wave of revival that could produce the greatest harvest of souls in human history. In order for us to prepare, we need to build thriving churches that maximize the mobilization of every member according to their God-given design and destiny. The key to this result is what we call the apostolic family church model.
Now before we go too much further, let me take a moment to define our terms. There are many well-intentioned leaders in the body of Christ who are convinced that the apostolic gift no longer exists. They believe it ended with the original 12 apostles of the Lamb. However, according to Paul, the apostolic gift is one of five aspects of the ministry of Christ that was given to the church at the time of His ascension and is clearly intended to function throughout time (Eph.4:7-16). These gifts were given:
  • At the same time: The ascension of Jesus: verses 7-11.
  • For the same purpose: The equipping of the saints for the work of ministry: vs. 12.
  • Until the same time: "Until we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, into a complete man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (vs. 13-16).
It's impossible to read these verses with an open mind and not see the importance of these gifts to empower God's people to fulfill His purposes on the earth. The church has not yet come into the fullness of Christ so we must conclude that each of these gifts is still in operation today. I imagine that scholars will continue to debate this issue, but the simplest rendering of Scripture clearly supports importance of these gifts working today.
Unfortunately, there have been some who have used the title and position to control others or promote false ideas. This is why I assert that the gifts listing in Ephesians 4:11 are not about position and titles but about function and fruit. We have been commissioned to make disciples who make disciples (Matt. 28:18-20). A key dimension of disciple making is equipping the saints for the work of the ministry. This is the qualifying function and fruit of the five ascension gifts of Jesus.
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One of the biggest obstacles to every-member ministry is the overemphasis of the pastoral gift and the underemphasis on the apostolic gift. A quick word study in the Greek will reveal the impulse of both gifts.
  • The impulse of a pastoral leader is to "gather, care and keep."
  • The impulse of an apostolic leader is to "gather, train and send."
We live in a day when most local churches are centered around the pastor and teacher. Yet, according to Scripture, the church was never intended to be built on the foundation of the pastors and teachers but rather on the foundation of the "apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone" (Eph. 2:20b). Some would argue that this is a reference to the Old Testament prophets, but a few verses later, Paul says that God is now revealing things to his holy apostles and prophets (see Eph. 3:5).
Pastors and teachers are both essential to a healthy, thriving church. However, when the pastoral gift is in the driver's seat, the church will always become increasingly consumeristic and spectator-oriented. We must reset the foundation of apostolic leadership to see the vision of every-member ministry fulfilled.
My goal in this article is to help us look in the mirror—not to focus on the spots and blemishes of the bride, but rather to see the possibility of fulfilling God's desires by becoming everything He created us to be. I'm approaching the church as a doctor trying to diagnose a disease. I am speaking to the church as a concerned coach trying to help an Olympic athlete to win the gold. What are the real issues holding us back from maximum health and impact? As a catalytic consultant to churches and movements around the world, I believe we must experience a massive paradigm shift from the pastor-teacher model to an apostolic family model of church.
As I see it, there are three kinds of churches: fantasy, factory or family. Or some combination of all three.
Fantasy church is what John Wimber called, "playing basketball without a ball and without a hoop." In other words, we go through all the motions of buildings, budgets, programs and services, but we rarely score. The sincere efforts of well-intentioned people produce only minimal impact in the areas of winning souls, making disciples, training leaders and multiplying ministries.
Factory church is often a response to the frustration of fantasy church. Factory church focuses on the right outcomes but with the wrong foundational values. These kinds of churches tend to be hierarchical and program-driven and often lead to burnout and a high turnover.
Family church is our solution to both of these extremes. Apostolic family church does not merely focus on helping people belong but helping people become everything that God created them to be. In our next article, "The Tale of Three Churches", we will go into greater detail about each of these kinds of churches and help you begin to build the spiritual family that God desires. 
Michael and Diane Brodeur served as a pastors in San Francisco for over 33 years, and by God's grace, established one of the largest churches the city had seen during that era. Michael and his family moved to Redding, California, in 2010 and have served in a number of ministries, including Jesus Culture, Global Legacy and the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM). Michael launched PastorsCoach.com in 2014 and is currently equipping and coaching hundreds of churches around the world. He is the author of several books, including Revival Culture: Prepare for the Next Great Awakening. He also travels globally as a conference speaker and catalytic consultant for churches and organizations. Michael and Diane have seven children and eight grandchildren.
Listen to the podcast below to find out how the movement of Unite My City is making a powerful impact and what you can do to change your city.
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Great Resources to help you excel in 2019! #1 John Eckhardt's "Prayers That..." 6-Book Bundle. Prayer helps you overcome anything life throws at you. Get a FREE Bonus with this bundle. #2 Learn to walk in the fullness of your purpose and destiny by living each day with Holy Spirit. Buy a set of Life in the Spirit, get a second set FREE.

Synagogue Shooting Suspect in Custody, Congregants Prevented Shooting ‘From Being a Much Worse Tragedy’ - CBN News Gary Lane

Synagogue Shooting Suspect in Custody, Congregants Prevented Shooting ‘From Being a Much Worse Tragedy’
04-27-2019
CBN News Gary Lane
A 19-year old man is in police custody following a shooting this morning at a synagogue in Poway, California just north of San Diego.
One person was killed and three others injured at the Congregation Chabad Synagogue in San Diego County.
San Diego police say the suspect called 911 and later surrendered to police. The unidentified man said he was responsible for the synagogue shooting.
Witnesses said they were attending services marking the end of Passover when a gunman shouting obscenities entered the synagogue and started shooting a semi-automatic weapon.
Poway Mayor Steve Vaus told CNN that the “shooter was engaged by people in the congregation and those brave people certainly prevented this from being a much worse tragedy."
Four shooting victims were taken to Palomar Medical Center Poway and one of them, an older woman reportedly died there. Hospital officials said three victims were in stable condition.  
Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein was among the injured. Shot in the hand but undeterred, Goldstein proceeded to deliver his sermon, telling the Jewish Orthodox congregants to “remain strong. “
Mayor Vaus told CNN he considered the attack a hate crime "because of statements that were made when the shooter entered."
Police are examining a letter and the suspect’s social media posts to determine a motive for the attack.
President Trump expressed sympathy for the victims and tweeted,  “Thoughts and prayers to all of those affected by the shooting at the Synagogue in Poway, California. God bless you all. Suspect apprehended. Law enforcement did outstanding job. Thank you. “
Vice President Mike Pence also sent out his own tweet saying, “We condemn in the strongest terms the evil & cowardly shooting at Chabad of Poway today as Jewish families celebrated Passover. No one should be in fear in a house of worship. Antisemitism isn’t just wrong - it’s evil. “
It was the second mass shooting at a U.S. synagogue in the past six months. Eleven people were killed and seven injured October 27, 2018 at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. Robert Bowers was charged with using a firearm–an AR-15 to commit a hate crime. He received a total of 29 charges, including 11 counts of criminal homicide.