Living Word Christian Fellowship
“That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving...” Psalm 26:7
Vol. 16, No. 6 June 2007
There is a time for everything. We have experienced a very difficult time and I am sure there will be more. But for right now I am sensing a time of replenishing or refreshing that will strengthen those who have struggled with the changes that have caused so much pain and disheartenment.
The Bible clearly tells us to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord. I hope you have been and continue to take this to heart. One of the main aspects of this cleansing is a spirit of repentance that comes from God to bring us to His holiness. As you do this, you recognize just how awesome His cleansing and healing is and that now we are going to reap the times we have been in from repentance. God wants to shower us with His blessing and favor to let us know He has accepted our offering of reasonable service that we might be changed into the image of Christ.
Yes, the promises of God are yea and amen for those who keep the commands of God. Hallelujah for the good times and the times of cleansing. I love the plans and purposes of God more and more each day because the fulfillment of time is upon us, and we are reaping the precious fruit of the land in and about our lives.
In Christ,
Pr. Steve
Sons of Glory
(Col 3:4) “When Christ, [who is] our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”
We shall appear with Christ in the Glory of God. However, this is true for those whose life Christ is. Christ does not become our life except we are being crucified with Him. As our adamic nature is brought down to the death of the cross and we turn to the Lord, the eternal life of Christ lifts us up and enables us to be more than a conqueror in every situation of life. Day by day we die so we may live. We are transformed as we give our lives as living sacrifices daily. The Kingdom of God has come to our inner man that we might take an outward stand for righteousness in Christ Jesus.
The mystery of the gospel is that Messiah be formed within you (Col.1:27). But to most the mystery is the second coming of Christ. In other words, after 2000 yrs of church history the mystery is still misunderstood. We must understand the importance or purpose of Christ being in us. For the inner formation of Christ is the Kingdom of God. Otherwise, the Lord would have already set up His kingdom the first time He came.
Why does He delay His coming? Because the inner kingdom has not been formed in His people. This inner kingdom will clothe the church with external power and glory so justice can be brought to the earth. This is called maturity.
(Rev 10:7) “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.”
The day in which we now live is vitally important. Many who are alive now will be first in the Kingdom. Christ will come to maturity suddenly in His Body. The living stones will be formed at once. Those who are in travail will deliver. The mystery of God, which is Christ in us, will suddenly be completed. Christ the capstone will be placed on the living Temple of God. The fullness of the Spirit and grace of God will be revealed.
We are now in a time when we must press into the Spirit by seeking the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. The Lord Jesus Christ is to be glorified in His Saints. And when He is, the world will believe that God sent Jesus Christ into the world:
John 17:21 (KJV) “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”
The sons of God become the sons of Glory! God has created the church to become the source of His glory for mankind.
After drinking from the Lord we are to become the source of life for many people. The scripture Jesus was referring to is Isaiah 12:3 (KJV) “Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.” Jesus is the well of salvation. Whoever drinks of Him not only will never thirst again, but also will himself become a well of eternal life for the spiritually dead. In order to become a well of living water we must pass from Pentecost to Tabernacles. We must not just look for an anointing to live by; we must become the throne of God and of the Lamb so the eternal Life of God will flow from within us. Then we shall experience true joy in life.
The church must come to the place that she desires and experiences true revival within first. Then the glory of the Lord will cover the earth. All of this will come forth through the Son and the sons of God.
With more and more judgment in the church, greater and greater degrees of glory will be revealed. But the slothful and lukewarm will grow cold and indifferent. If you are taking seriously the judgment of God today then the glory of God is increasing in you and a transformation is taking place that is producing fruitfulness instead of barrenness. There must always be the goal that He must increase while we decrease.
One of the greatest surprises when the Lord returns will be “No surprises.” Life goes on. God’s Word will remain the same. People will still be people. The coming of Jesus will only change the way the world operates. WHAT’S NEW!
It is important to understand this because today’s teachings make us careless and lazy, indifferent and unfaithful. The coming of the Lord will be “out of the frying pan into the fire.” And if you have not learned to live in the fire, you will be burned.
We are not approaching a new age of fantasy, but a world similar to our own in which some people are very close to the Lord and some are not. Those who absolutely refuse the Lord Jesus as Christ will be cast into the lake of Fire at the end of 1000 years. But hopefully it will be few in number.
In the present hour believers must be careful to whom they listen. Too many teachers are drawing sheep after themselves for support and money. Their God is not the Lord Jesus, but their belly. The believers who are fed lies will continue as children in understanding and not be prepared for the day of the Lord. Ephesians 4:15 (KJV) “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.”
There is little justice today. Leaders flaunt themselves, amassing wealth and power. Don’t become discouraged in this hour. The servant of the Lord never stays discouraged because God upholds him. Discouragement comes because we serve ourselves instead of the Lord.
Wickedness is on every side, even in the churches. But God allows this short time while He prepares the sons of glory:
From now on our salvation is directed toward receiving righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost; but it will be changed from receiving to giving righteousness, peace and joy to the people of the earth. So as we see the gross darkness covering the earth, we are to rejoice. The travail of the earth is coming to birth. Sons of Glory are getting ready to come forth.
-Pr. Steve
I am going to be sharing with you thoughts from my journal over the past few years. This is to show you how the Lord has brought about His Word in my life to minister to you and to show you how real this walk can be. Please read and understand by the Spirit about ...
. . . My calling as a pastor
Pastor’s Journal 2006
June 8: My life is in You. You nurture it, and I will grow exceedingly until there is life abundant and full of glory.
June 10: Your design for making us in the image of Christ is truly remarkable. Every conceivable way to distract is left to battle us. If I did not know Your awesome love and instruction I would not believe this is of God. But You reveal Yourself continually in every direction that we take. Please don’t let us miss You, ever.
June 13: “I am faithful to My Word. I have done what I said, that which is not yet manifested will be manifested. Your mind is marked; your hands are marked with My spirit and truth. Your heart beats with the river of life flowing out. Do not despair. Do not doubt. I am Lord of My Word.”
June 16: Dream & God spoke – “I will take care of everything.”
June 17: Intense intercession, heartache, waiting, hoping, expecting God to be glorified above all else. Too many delays make the heart sick. God, You are not limited by time.
June 23: A week of battle. Much confrontation with darkness of the world, but God rules my heart and soul. The trouble and difficulty is in the hands of the Lord. In His strength and power I will live and not be moved or controlled by any except Christ in me. Nothing compares to the promise I have in You.
June 25: It is quite obvious God is doing something new and richer in our midst. There has never been a time in my life where I have felt such a restraint and flow from God among the people. With all God has spoken and as I watch the people faithfully holding on, I sense God will not fail to spring forth upon us that which He desires. God give me wisdom to understand and be ready.
June 27: “The road less traveled is the one with the most resistance. Yet it is filled with eternal blessings. I have said buy gold tried in the fire. Do not lose sight of the lukewarmness that prevails. If you travel the road of resistance I will bring you to a place of rest and sufficiency. You have given all to have Me then you must come to this place in Me. No turning back will bring all that you long for.”
Restoration part 2 of 2
The excellence of heavenly wisdom, in opposition to that which is worldly
James 3:13-18 (NRSV) "Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. {14} But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. {15} Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. {16} For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. {17} But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. {18} And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace."
A remnant returned to rebuild their beloved city. And the city began to rise from its ashes.
Neh 2:17-18 (KJV) "Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. {18} Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work."
Enemies “mocked and ridiculed” them, demanding, “What is this you are doing ...Are you rebelling against the king?...What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall?...Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are” (2:19; 4:2).
We must know the Lord. Salvation, break out in this city. We must take the limitations off. We must go tell others about Jesus. We must go tell others about the church.
Neh 4:6 (KJV) "So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work."
Each family had its own segment of the wall to rebuild. As enemies threatened, some would “serve as guards by night and workmen by day” (4:22).
And finally, “the wall was completed in 52 days. When all the enemies heard about this...(they) lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God” (6:15).
A word to the parents:
Your children need you. Listen to them. This is where the anointing is. Your children are hearing God - hear God through them.
Restoration come to the families. Humble the hearts of the father - give wisdom to the mother - bring truth to the families.
When our people today, together “work with all their heart,” amazing achievements will likewise be celebrated—to the glory of our God.
-S. Chad Ross
Double Trouble
Jam 1:2-8 (KJV) “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; (3) Knowing [this], that the trying of your faith worketh patience. (4) But let patience have [her] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. (5) If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (6) But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. (7) For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. (8) A double minded man [is] unstable in all his ways.”
Even Abraham, the father of faith, struggled to find total surrender to its ways. During the course of their very long lives, Abraham and Sarah received a promise from God that they would conceive a child, even though Sarah was barren and had long since past her child bearing years. As doubts mixed with passing time would have it, Abraham and Sarah came to the rationalization that they would have to use extreme means to fulfill the promise of having a child that they had received from God. So they used a servant woman as a surrogate, and thus had a son they named Ishmael. But in the not-so-far future, when Sarah found herself to be with child, the couple realized that they had made a grave mistake by taking matters into their own hands.
Have you ever, or even lately, found yourself trying to make something in your life happen because it seemed sure to be lost if you didn’t? Have those temptations ever caused you to take situations in your own hands? If so, perhaps you have not yet seen the final outcome; but rest assured, it will probably mean trouble. How can you tell when your efforts are working against God’s best for you? The sure signs are usually obvious, but they are dismissed because of religious opinions along with vain philosophies. Be assured that when it is all said and done, and then looking back, we can see that the primary temptation was getting something that we wanted our way. The issue is that we could have done it God’s way. Then we would have received what He wanted for us and at the same time been growing in perfection with patience. We can ask God: “Why am I so wishy-washy?” “Why do I always get myself into a mess when I really do want to do Your will Lord?” But when it all comes down to it, we just wanted what we wanted! There are ways to tell when you start compromising God’s word and His will for your life. The first obvious signs are: Failing to attend church and withholding tithes and offerings, along with not prioritizing quiet time alone with the Lord. Other tell-tale signs would be: Negative attitudes, and a lack of integrity on other levels.
Double minded troubles bring people to a miserable existence. Those who have experienced this, and thus turned from their own ways, will concur that when you have what you really need, you do not want anything else. Please re-read the scriptures: James 1:2-8.
-Kurt Thurston
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