Christian Fellowship
“That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving...” Psalm 26:7
Vol. 23 No. 1 January 2014
A new year is before us. What will be said of this New Year? We all have our desires and hopes, but let us not forget that God is the one who gives us new perspectives that will guide us into victory after victory. The world is going to pot. Many unusual occurrences will take place this year; but if we are living according to His purposes and will, our God is going to work everything out for our good.
The Church is in a new day. Yes, we have heard this before, but this new day is upon us. The atmosphere is electrified with spiritual activity that brings us to new and exciting experiences that are eternal in the realm of the Spirit. Get in it and watch what God will do. He will not disappoint you. He is in love with you and wants you to receive the blessing from above. Don’t limit God and don’t expect the same old thing. There is a freedom and deliverance that will fill your innermost being, producing new life and liberty.
Gal 5:1 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
Yes, hear it again. IT IS A NEW DAY! PTL!
In Christ,
Pr. Steve
Taking the Kingdom
Rev 20:4-6 (KJV) “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (5) But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (6) Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”
In the beginning the creation was both spiritual and material. But when Adam and Eve rebelled against the will of God the spiritual life was withdrawn. Only the lifeless material creation remained. The material creation is still under the curse of God and still lacks the holy life of God. The spiritual activity, for the most part, proceeds from wicked and rebellious spirits.
At the present time the Kingdom of heaven is “not of this world.” The material forms we see about us, the people, trees, grass, mountains, valleys, and so-forth are the forms of the eternal Kingdom of God. These forms are going to be greatly improved and glorified when the Kingdom of heaven comes. Yet they are forms of the Kingdom.
But it is the spiritual environment that must change. If God were to fill the earth now with His Holy Spirit, driving out all wicked spirits and Satan, then Paradise would come to the earth.
This is precisely what the scriptures state will take place at the coming of the Kingdom of God:
Num 14:21 (KJV) “But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.”
Isa 11:9 (KJV) “ …for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
Hab 2:14 (KJV) “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.”
In order for this to take place there must be a change in the spiritual environment. That is what the first resurrection is about -- a change in the spiritual rulers over the earth. This is the rule of God’s royal priesthood. So how is this going to take place?
The Lord Jesus has exhorted us and warned us to keep our material concerns to a minimum and to concentrate on seeking the Kingdom of God first: Mat 6:33 (KJV) “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
When the Lord teaches us to seek first the Kingdom of God He means to seek first the realm of God’s spiritual Presence and power. The greatest mistake any believer in Christ can make is to walk in the flesh (occupying himself primarily with the things of this life).
When we walk in the flesh we miss the whole point of the Kingdom. We will miss the appeal of the spiritual realm. We will lose His known Presence and begin to experience a lack of virtue and vitality for the things of the Spirit.
Our flesh is supposed to be dead to sin. But when we allow our flesh to dominate our existence, we reap only corruption. Flesh and blood cannot enter the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is made up of creatures who are both human and Divine. They begin as living souls; but through the nature of Christ being imparted to them, they become life-giving spirits -- a new creation.
That means you are no longer classified as an intelligent animal. You are like angels in some ways and like humans in other ways. The new creation is of God and His Spirit. To continue to live in the flesh is to continue to live as an animal. Such can neither see nor enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
As I have said on other occasions, the Kingdom of God does not consist of people who are only forgiven, but rather those who are also transformed in personality. It is a new creation, not a forgiven old creation. And until you walk in the knowledge of that truth over and over in your thinking, you are going to continue to falter when things get tough in your life.
Being forgiven by grace means that God will allow your prayers to enter His Presence on the basis of the atonement of the blood of Jesus Christ the Lamb of God. But we have been given this grace in order to devote our time and energy to seeking the Kingdom, not to filling the appetites and dictates of our dead flesh. [Have you ever noticed the more you pamper yourself, the more you have to be pampered? We spend more money and time on our fleshly needs than we do on the Kingdom of God. As new creatures, this ought not to be!]
If we continue to allow our flesh to rule us, then we will come under judgment even though we have professed belief in Christ. In this case we have received the grace of God in vain and are like a dog who returns to its vomit.
The Bible tells us to “walk in the Spirit.” This means we are to seek the Lord Jesus, pray at all times, read and study the Bible, and obey the Spirit of God until we begin to experience righteousness, peace, joy and the love of God’s Presence.
Gal 5:19-21 (KJV) “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, (20) Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, (21) Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
The Bible contains many negative statements because God is exhorting us and warning us concerning the danger of continuing in the deadly ways of Satan, the world, and of our own flesh and self-will.
But the Bible also contains many positive statements because God is holding out to us the joy of fellowship with Him. Christ rebukes and chastens us because He understands the peace and love that will be ours if we succeed in pressing past the lusts and covetousness of our flesh and soul and enter the life lived in the Spirit of God.
Gal 5:22-26 (KJV) “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, (23) Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (24) And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. (25) If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (26) Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.”
WE ARE NOW AT THE TIME AT WHICH WE MUST “TAKE THE KINGDOM.” That means we seek the Lord with the utmost diligence. There are thrones to be gained. The treasures of the Kingdom are being handed out to those who care enough to ask, seek and knock. Today is God’s training for the Priesthood.
The spiritual environment is incorruptible, eternal resurrection life. It is the same life that raised the Lord Jesus from the dead! We are to sow to that life now. We are to “lay hold on eternal life.” The river of God’s Spirit is too wide for any of us to completely pass over. How far into the river we get depends on the diligence with which we seek the Kingdom.
If we are thoroughly diligent we can attain the first resurrection from the dead, even now experiencing life lived in the power of Christ’s resurrection.
You see it is not enough to wait for resurrection life. You need that life now. Without it, you feel lost spiritually. While you battle with experiencing His Presence in your life right now, He wants to give you His resurrection life right now. To have the power of Christ’s resurrection today is to live and move and have your being in the authority and power of the Holy Spirit. In that resurrection power, our physical bodies will be marvelously strengthened and glorified. Don’t let health issues keep you down and defeated.
Yes, there is coming a time when at the return of the Lord our bodies will be transformed:
Php 3:21 (KJV) “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”
But unless we have gained the spiritual life of the Kingdom of God while on this earth, we will not be given back our material form when the Lord returns. Instead, we will have to wait for the general resurrection of the dead at the end of the thousand year reign of Christ.
But we are not going to gain this resurrection life until we get our relationships right down here. Why is it so hard to make lasting relationships? Because we have not obeyed the first and greatest command: Mat 22:37 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”
Then we must move to the second command: Mat 22:39 (KJV) “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
Too often we love the Lord with half a heart, half our soul and half our mind. And when we feel like it, when we are not mad at the world, and when we have time, we might love others. Sadly, most relationships are strained today because the first command is not kept.
The highest concept of the Kingdom of God is for God’s love to flow freely among His people. We must always continue in that endeavor, for love is the mark of the Lord’s disciples.
We are not taking the Kingdom today because we are not pressing into the relationships He has given us. Do we hurt so much that we can’t even show love one to the other? Some people are in so much pain they can’t reach out. But you must to allow His love to flow freely once again. We have hidden ourselves in our jobs or our homes and are neglecting the church relationships that build us up in the faith.
We are in the age of communications: tweet, text, email, fax, face book, my space, cell phone -- but the church is disconnected. The Kingdom of God is one of continual communications. Jesus is the Logos, the Expression, the Word of God. All the elements of the Kingdom have been and are being created by and for the Logos. The revelation of God is both material and spiritual. The entire Kingdom of God is a communication to all God’s creatures of the true Character of God through His people.
God has established His church so people can get to know Him.
(Isaiah 55:6-12) “Go out with joy”
Let’s face it, some just don’t like people. But we need one another. [Last Sunday at prayer we prayed for one another. And God has heard.] Let’s reach out to one another right now.
-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 2013
Jan. 1: “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.” (1 Jn 5:14-15)
Jan. 2: If we cry unto him day and night, He will answer us in due time.
Jan. 3: “Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth.” (Psm 124:8)
Jan. 5: “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us, we would have been swallowed up in grief, then the proud would have gone over our soul. Blessed be the Lord who did not give us as a prey to their bitterness. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken and we are escaped.” (Psm 124)
Jan. 14: The Almighty God must work in us every moment of the day in order to His strength. “I will love thee, O Lord my strength.” (Psm 18:1)
Jan. 18: The wonder of it all, just to know that God loves me.
Jan. 19: Godly love keeps no record of wrongs done to you!
Jan. 25: “Reckon yourself dead unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” No demonic foulness can enter in. (Rom 6:11)
Jan. 28: Come boldly to the throne of grace where you can find mercy for your failures and find grace to help you and train you when you need it and you will receive the rest and peace and comfort for your soul and be strengthened in the inner man to know what the will of God is. I am there holding you up so you can advance and progress in the Kingdom. Nothing will keep you from going forth in the power of My Spirit. Be not ashamed of what you experience because I told you there would be tribulation in your life, but you don’t have to go through this alone. No weapon formed against you shall prosper. I give you strength for this fight. Maintain your faith and then victory is assured.
Jan. 31: The joyful sound is the gospel message. “In thy name shall they rejoice all day.” (Psm 89:16)
To Know Christ and To Love Him
If you are reading this newsletter you know that Christmas has passed and the New Year is upon us. Though it has only been a matter of days, the consensus shows that people quickly return to the thoughts and the ways that they were living before the Christmas season began. Unfortunately, the increase of Joy, Friendliness, Love, Blessing, Hope, Kindness and Charity once again begins to dwindle, and in some cases quickly disappears. But it does not have to be that way, and it should not have to be that way. Somehow and someway, for a brief time we were able to put our priorities in places that were different than usual. And if we think about that fact, we could discover that it is not that hard to do more of the same all year long. No, we don’t need to have Christmas all year round, but rather we should concentrate upon walking in the fruit of the Spirit all year round.
Gal 5:22-25 (KJV) “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, (23) Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (24) And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. (25) If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
If we were willing to walk in the Spirit all the yearlong, then we would be able to lead people to Jesus Christ so they could get to know Him and grow to love Him. Many people just concentrate on getting people to pray a sinner’s prayer, and then unwisely guarantee the seekers that they will not go to hell. The truth is that a sinner must not only be born again but must also come to know and follow the only Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Joh 17:3 (KJV) “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
Once someone is born again, that person can walk in the fruit of the Spirit while growing in knowing and loving the God.
Eph 3:16-19 (KJV) “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; (17) That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, (18) May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; (19) And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.”
We should be grateful that God the Father sent His only begotten Son to the earth, and we should continue to celebrate His doing so; but we don’t have to limit our gratefulness for that wonderful gift that God gave to a few days a year; nor should we lessen the love we have for Him by thinking about Him only at Christmas time.
Php 3:7-14 (KJV) “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. (8) Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, (9) And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: (10) That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; (11) If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. (12) Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. (13) Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, (14) I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
-Kurt Thurston
Quotes:
“Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die.”
-G.K. Chesterton
"Many people in the world have not rejected Christ.
They have rejected the Christ they´ve seen, projected by Christendom."
-Zac Poonen
"What will it cost me for God to break my heart?"
"It will cost you absolutely everything."
"How do we worship our God wholeheartedly?
To answer the question we must respond to the command...‘If you love me, you will obey what I command.’" John 14:15.
"True Love is complete obedience ... half obedience is no obedience.
If you love Jesus, you will obey what He commands.
This is true love and true worship."
-Author Unknown
Next course from Christian Life Educators Network - Richmond Center:
The Forgiving Church by: Dr. Sue Curran
This course is a biblical study of the impact of forgiveness as Jesus taught it.
It focuses on the vertical aspect of forgiveness between man and God and the
horizontal aspect between man and man. It also analyzes the negative aspect of
the impact of collective un-forgiveness that hinders the church from fulfilling the purposes of God.
February 6-8, 2014
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