GIFT OF PROPHECY

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This article is by Asher Intrater of the ministry Revive Israel. Asher is a Messianic Jew originally from the USA but now based in Israel.

For my prophetically gifted friends, may I mention three warnings:

  1. Gospel First – if we are focusing on a socio-political issue MORE than the gospel of salvation in Yeshua, then we have missed the priority.
  2. Universal Repentance – if we are calling for one side of an issue to repent, claiming that we are right and they are wrong, we have already missed the point. We are all wrong and need to repent ourselves; and call both sides to repent.
  3. Rebellion/Stubbornness – heavenly wisdom is pure, peaceable, and easy to be reconciled (James 3:17). We are called at times to disobey governments when involving religious freedom and moral absolutes. But we are also called to submit to governing authorities.

There is a delicate balance here. Peter refused to obey the governing authorities in (Acts 4), yet told us to submit to all governing authorities in (I Peter 2). Paul spent much of his ministry in jail but told us that to resist the government is to resist God (Romans 13).

It is interesting to compare Revelation 13 and Romans 13. The first speaks of a worldwide government run by a demonic figure; the second speaks of government workers as ministers of God doing a divine service.

There are a variety of ministries and gifts in the body of Christ. They are called to work together in cooperation, thus complementing and balancing one another from extremist views.

“He … gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God…” Ephesians 4:11-13

There is safety in this teamwork. Prophetic ministries were designed to be overseen by someone with apostolic insight. A prophetically gifted person should be in a local community with pastoral oversight for their personal and family needs and also be submitted to a team with apostolic oversight for their ministry direction.

When prophets seek to operate outside this team model, they are more likely to be deceived. Some ‘prophets’ today believe they have received a word and run to social media to announce it. Many of them have no accountability at all. The New Covenant focuses on Ephesians 4 teams that work together.

Such cooperation helps prevent imbalance and rebellion. There are different structures and styles in which this teamwork can take place. I am not promoting one form or another. However, we need mutual submission to guard against extremism and deception during these times of intense conflict.

Throughout biblical history, the prophets spoke to the nation, sometimes in encouragement and sometimes in criticism. Today as well, we greatly need the gift of clear and balanced prophetic discernment in our midst.

IS OUR SUFFERING POINTLESS?

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Perhaps the greatest test of whether we believe the following Scripture is to identify the very worst things that have happened to us and reflect on whether we believe that God has or will use them for our good.

“In all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose”. Romans 8:28

Invariably, if you have lived long enough so that enough time has passed since some of those “worst things” happened to you, then you’ll almost certainly find that God has used those circumstances to stop you from relying on your own efforts, grieving the Holy Spirit in the process and quenching His work in your life.

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30

“Do not quench the Spirit.” 1 Thessalonians 5:19

Jesus made it possible for God. our Father to send the third person of the Trinity to indwell our Spirit. As Jesus Himself said to His disciples, it is far better I go so the Father can send the Holy Spirit to be your counsellor, comforter, and teacher. If you let Him, He will direct your every step. Until you truly die to self and say to the Holy Spirit, not my will but your will be done this day and every day you truly cannot live the Christian life. The fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, gentleness, goodness, kindness, and self-control will not be evident in your life nor the gifts of the Spirit available for ministry, words of wisdom, words of knowledge, gift of prophecy, gift of faith, healings, miracles, discerning of spirits, gift of tongues, interpretation of tongues. I would venture to say that until you realise the Holy Spirit’s presence and submit to Him, God will continue to bring painful experiences into your life. When you finally realise the immensity of the gift God has provided you will rejoice that God has brought those painful experiences into your life so that you eventually came to experience His wonderful truth. Experiences labeled as the worst things that ever happened to you become some of the best from an eternal perspective. That’s because God uses the painful, difficult experiences of life for our ultimate eternal good.

How is this possible? Because God is both loving and sovereign. Our experiences provide persuasive proof that while evil and suffering are not good, God can use them to accomplish immeasurable good. This knowledge should give us great confidence that even when we don’t immediately see any redemptive meaning in our suffering, God can see it—and one day we will too. Therefore, we need not run from suffering or lose hope if God doesn’t remove it. We can trust that God has a purpose for whatever He permits.

HOPE FOR AN ETERNAL FUTURE

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Saints, by receiving the Holy Spirit, we grow in the knowledge of God through the Word and we experience the power of God producing the fruit of the spirit in our lives, of love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, goodness, gentleness, kindness and self control . The Holy Spirit provides the gifts of the spirit for ministry; gift of faith, tongues, interpretation of tongues, words of knowledge, prophecy, wisdom, discernment, healing and miracles. As a result, we have full hope for an eternal future and full hope for today as well! When we have needs, we are invited to the throne of grace where we can expect the Lord to speak to us, imparting faith.  By faith Jesus is our healer, by faith Jesus is our provider, by faith Jesus sets us at liberty from all that would come against us in this life.

Let’s learn and enjoy the way of faith.  Trust the Lord completely, for He cares for us. Listen and receive the faith that comes by the word He speaks to us by the Holy Spirit. The word that is the sword of the Spirit to defeat our circumstances.

Let us also look at what Paul had to say about living the Christian life.

“For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God“ Romans 15:18-19

OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS CHRISTIANS FOR OUR CITIES AND NATIONS

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Christians are under attack as never before. Now, those who believe in the biblical definition of marriage and just two genders created by God are being labelled as bigots and treated as such by governments, employers, and, schools.

Intercessors can change the atmosphere in their cities through prayer, worship, and a corporate spiritual authority far greater than any demonic threat or attack.  The posture of our hearts and the words from our mouths determine the atmosphere in a place.  The power of our praises and our prayers can shift atmospheres in a room, a building, a neighbourhood, and even an entire city.

We are still to see what God’s response will be to the prayers of the thousands of saints that gathered to pray in Washington just prior to the election.

Thousands pray in Washington September 25th and 26th 2020

 In the early Church, unity was so strong that Scriptures speak of a “great grace” that was released in the city.  This grace opened the door to miracles, signs, and wonders, and salvations on a daily basis (see Acts 4:32-34).  Earlier in this same chapter, it speaks of their daily fellowship and breaking of bread.  Because of these things, God’s grace empowered them to do far beyond what they could have done in the natural.

This should be our desire as we come together as watchmen in prayer over our cities and nation.  We can pray in such agreement with heaven that the atmosphere over the city begins to be permeated with the grace and favour of the Lord.  Our spiritual adversary will continually find ways to spread fear, chaos, turmoil, and hopelessness over the land.  It is our responsibility to displace those demonic spirits by keeping our corporate prayer altars ablaze. 

We must use our authority in Christ to displace rulers in high places and declare the work of the cross and the power of Christ’s resurrection.  Let’s agree together to speak life instead of death, order instead of chaos, and faith instead of fear.

ARE WE MADE IN GOD’S IMAGE OR EVOLVED FROM A MONKEY?

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It is unfortunate that despite the revealed truth of the Word of God, some still foolishly believe in the lie called evolution; that man came into being as a result of random acts of nature  and evolved from a monkey into a human being. If that were the case, why is it that monkeys no longer turn into humans? Also, how do evolved monkeys act in today’s world? Why should you love your neighbour as yourself and why not steal? If there is no God, and this is all there is, then make the most of it? Why care about anyone else? Perhaps, it is fair to say, that Man become as a monkey, when he rejects the truth of scripture, and does not reflect the image of God, His creator.

“The fool has said in his heart, there is no God…” Psalm 14:1

Image result for picture of evolution of man from monkeys

When Satan causes us to reject who we are in Christ, we face the threat of being destroyed in spiritual warfare. We are at war and the only way Satan can defeat us is to get us to forget who we are in Christ and identify with how we feel, what we do, and how others perceive us. Rather than who God created us to be and how He views us.
Walking in the image of God, which was our original nature before sin, is only made possible by Jesus. He made it possible for or Heavenly Father to send the Holy Spirit to indwell believers in Him as Saviour and Lord. The Holy Spirit is our Counsellor, Comforter and Teacher. He produces the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives: love, joy, peace, faithfulness, gentleness, goodness, kindness, patience and self control and provides the nine Gifts of the Spirit for ministry. He is sanctifying us, making us more like Jesus everyday, preparing us to receive our new bodies when Jesus returns.

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

The Holy Spirit is essential to living a successful life, knowing God’s best for us, and overcoming the spiritual warfare we face each day. There are seven characteristics to God’s image:

  • Spirit – God is not a physical being but an existing Spirit. The mistake we tend to make is to limit our existence to our physics, when that isn’t who we really are. Like God, the ‘real us’ is spirit and as mentioned, Jesus made it possible for our Heavenly Father to send the Holy Spirit to indwell believers forever.  We must allow our spirit to be activated by the Holy Spirit and let Him take full control over our physical being. The physical is limited, while the spirit is unlimited.
  • Eternal – God has no beginning or end. He is, was, and is to come. Like God, our spirit is eternal; not that we are immortal, but death is the doorway to eternity. What is important is where we spend eternity.
  • Holy – God is pure. There is no imperfection in Him. He calls us to be holy as He is holy. Holiness for us is not the absence of sin, but rather, it is the presence of the Holy Spirit, evidence of a dynamic relationship with a loving Saviour whose blood has cleansed us of all transgressions.
  • Creator – God is an innovator and is industrious. He has the ability to create. Of all His characteristics, entrepreneurs can best relate to this one because they understand the process of creating. Like God, whatever we imagine, we can produce. There are no limitations to our creative abilities.
  • Loving – “For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son…” (John 3:16.) God’s love is what led Him to send His only Son to die on the Cross. Like God, we must be love, and demonstrate our compassion for others. We must be willing to lay down our lives for others.
  • Just – God’s justice causes Him to judge wickedness and chastise those whom He loves. We must not cooperate with wickedness but take every opportunity to challenge it. We must resist the temptation to adopt “fairness” as a value. This is a dangerous attempt to play God, perhaps thinking that we’re going to make good decisions apart from submitting to God’s perfect righteousness and wisdom. God uses his perfect justice to ultimately yield redemption.

Ultimately, God is an eternal Holy Being who created everything that exists. Although sin brought destruction to His creation, His love for us compelled Him to come as a Saviour to redeem His creation and ultimately bring judgement upon the wicked.
Walking in the image of God is essential to our success in life. We need to be good stewards since that is God’s original and divine order. For us to conform to our original nature, we must make sure we have accepted His Son as our Lord and Saviour. We must have an active prayer and devotional life and submit to the Holy Spirit’s leading each day. This is essential in overcoming spiritual warfare.

My prayer for you today, is that God will give you the grace to recognise His presence and submit to His will, His guidance, so that you will be an overcomer and realise His plan and purpose for your life.

For more information on creation versus evolution go to http://www.creation.com

LIVING ETERNAL NOW

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Have you contemplated why I called this blog Living Eternal Now?

How do we live in the light of eternity and see beyond the moment in a world of increasing darkness?

God has enabled us to look beyond today to see what lies ahead.

Jesus made it possible for our Heavenly Father to send the Holy Spirit to indwell all believers. Our bodies are now the temple of the Holy Spirit. All believers have received the Holy Spirit to be their counsellor, comforter and teacher. We are Holy Spirit enabled.

We have a spiritual lens through which to view the world from God’s perspective.

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.” 1 Corinthians 2:12

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 2:9-10

Considering we are living in the “last days” when persecution of Christians will increase. It is essential we live Holy Spirit enabled lives. He may not reveal what immediately lies ahead but we live our lives knowing He is in control of coming events. Moreover, we will not be taken by surprise, His Word tells us exactly how the “last days” play out before Jesus returns.

“Living eternal now” is a way of travelling in the here and now, with our spiritual vision fixed on God and eternity so we are submitted to His will.

Remember, our days are numbered. The psalmist says, “So teach us to number our days, so that we may gain a heart of wisdom” Psalm 90:12 Hopefully, this admonition, will affect how we use our time, how we decide our priorities, so we don’t waste time..

Paul also tells us, we are now alive to the spiritual realm, we see what is important from an eternal perspective, we don’t dwell on earthly matters which are temporary: ” while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18

The preceding verses tell us how being Holt Spirit enabled, we know that whatever God allows into our lives, we will be able to see it as “light affliction” because we know it is for His glory.

“Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,” 2 Corinthians 4:16-17

If we are living Holy Spirit enabled lives then the fruit of the Spirit (9) will be evident in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, kindness and self control. The fruit of the Spirit demonstrates how far along we are in the sanctification process, submitted to God’s will.

As well, we will be operating in the gifts of the Spirit (9). The gifts of the spirit are the ammunition that the Holy Spirit provides for our use as we walk Holy Spirit enabled lives. The miraculous will truly be evident.

“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11

Note the counsel Paul gives concerning neglecting and quenching the Holy Spirits work in our lives.

“Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21

Do not neglect the gift that is in you… Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. 1 Timothy 4:14

Are you living eternal now? If not why not?

One aspect of living eternally now is based on what our expectation is of the hereafter. Where will you be, and what will you be doing? Sadly, most peoples view of eternal life is not that appealing. They view it as an eternity in heaven but have no idea of what they will be doing there e.g. plucking harps and praising God. As a result, not to many are anxious to leave this life and go there. In future posts, we will explore what the Bible really says about where we will be (new heaven and new earth) and what we will be doing there.

HOLINESS IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE MIRACULOUS

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Before the Israelites crossed the Jordan they consecrated themselves. Before the Israelites took Jericho they circumcised the men. Before they defeated Ai they cleansed the sin from their camp. Holiness was needed for God to work the miraculous.

Ezekiel has a vision where the holiness of God pours out from the temple like a river, revitalising and purifying all the land it comes into contact with. Isaiah has a vision, where he enters the temple impure but is purified while he is there by a burning coal – a physical embodiment of God’s holiness.

The holiness of God is a term used in the Bible to describe both His goodness and His power. It is completely unique, and utterly all-powerful. In fact, the Bible gives us examples showing God’s holiness is so overwhelming it was perilous to approach Him.

These examples of God’s holiness purifying impure things all lead up to Christ. Christ, who is God’s holiness in human flesh, goes out into the land, healing the sick, raising the dead, and casting out demons – all of which are examples of God’s holiness now purifying the things it comes into contact with. God’s holiness is a powerful force that must be treated with the utmost respect.

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Jesus casting out demons from Jesus Film Project

In Hebrews 9 and 10 it tells me that the sacrifice of Jesus, the blood of Christ, is what sanctifies and makes me holy – once and for all.

 Not only do I need Jesus, His blood sacrifice and the Holy Spirit, I also need the Word of God. Jesus, in His prayer to His heavenly Father in John 17:17 said, “Sanctify them, make them holy through Thy truth. Thy word is truth” (paraphrased).

Ephesians 5 says that God wants to cleanse and sanctify the church by the washing of water of the Word. It is the Word of God that the Holy Spirit uses.

At the same time, God’s holiness is a gift, able to heal a broken and impure world. Best of all, as followers of Christ, the Father has now sent the Holy Spirit to indwell our spirit, to be our counsellor, teacher and comforter. We can’t be holy without the Holy Spirit. He enables us to minister in the power of the Holy Spirit. Sadly, we are told, we often grieve Him, and quench the work He wants to accomplish in us and through us.

Do you want to serve God? Understand, we need holiness to serve Him.

“As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, [Whatever you do.] because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:14-16)

Is there some filthiness in disposition or attitude in your heart? Is there some bitterness or resentment or complaint? God says, “You clean it up.” Is there something that we are doing in our lifestyle that is demonstrating the lust of the flesh? Clean it up! We are to walk in holiness, fearing God, recognising our accountability to Him.

Among believers there is to be a practical holiness where we cleanse ourselves, where we get right with God. There is nobody who is going to cause you to stop sinning but you. There is nobody who is responsible for sinning but you. You will be tempted and baited and enticed by the enemy, but if we sin, we need to repent of our sins and seek forgiveness, on an on going basis, to keep our relationship with God intact. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9.

We ask God to forgive us not to be re-justified but to walk before Him in confidence that Christ has paid it all.

2020 – YEAR FOR DISCIPLE MAKING MOVEMENTS

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Joseph Mattera joins the list of Christian leaders in the USA that recognise that God is bringing about radical change in His church. It is imperative that believers have truly died to self and live life directed by the Holy Spirit.

He says in an article in Charisma News entitled Five Ways God is Reforming His Church in 2020. “I believe 2020 is the year when more and more leaders will attempt to build “disciple making movements”. The corporate business model of doing church—which took off in the 1980s—has proven that, irrespective of the crowds they garner, they usually fail at disciple making. Jesus proved that focusing on disciple making was the key to building the largest and most effective movement the world has ever seen.

This will be the year when disciple making will gain the traction needed to eventually challenge the assumptions of the “CEO convert driven” model of church.

Image result for pictures of home group church

Luke called his historical narrative “the book of Acts” (or the book of Action), not “the book of theology or philosophy.” The Scriptures were written to tell the story of our missionary Father/God, who loved the world and gave up His only Son to save every tribe, nation and people. Those who are truly hearing the heart of God will read the Bible with a missional lens and desire to demonstrate the power of God to a lost and dying world!

In the context of the church, they will live to empower disciples for the work of the ministry (Eph. 4:12) and in the context of the world, they will desire to manifest His power in a way that proves Jesus rose from the dead. Consequently, many new evangelists will begin to arise (as we saw in the “voice of healing” movement in the 1950’s) and some will eventually fill stadiums, proclaiming the gospel and praying for the sick. (In the past decade, we have only seen a trickle of what is to come!)”

May the reformation of the church that started in the 16th century continue until the Lord Himself comes back for His bride. May all who read this post have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to His Body!

THE COMING END TIMES AWAKENING

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I am sure Ron Cantor is correct in his latest book that in the “end times” the church will operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit much as they did in the early church as described in the Book of Acts.

In the Book of Acts we see:
• The dead raised (Acts 20)
• The lame walk (Acts 3)
• Powerful, convicting preaching of the Gospel (Acts 2)
• Speaking in tongues (Acts 2, 10, 19)
• Holy Spirit Outpouring (Acts 2, 4, 10)
• Judgements against sin (Acts 5, 8, 12)
• Casting out demons (Acts 16)
• Miraculous escapes from jail (Acts 12, 16)
• Martyrdom (Acts 7, 12)
• Congregations planted southern Europe, Asia, Middle East (Acts 13-19)
• A sizeable remnant of Jewish believers who lived as Jews (Acts 21:20)
• Philip was transported from one place to the other (Acts 8)

Because of reports like those in my recent post, Church in the Last Days – Iran’s Fast Growing Church posted October 26th, 2019, we are already seeing a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus in the last days before His return.

Even in the midst of great darkness and tribulation this revival will overshadow the book of Acts. It has started in many places like China, Africa, Middle East , even India. While we are waiting for a move of God in many parts of the world, a great outpouring is already taking place in these countries where they are already experiencing intense persecution.

Sadly, Scripture tells us that in the last days we will also see a great falling away from the faith. In the west, we are already seeing entire church denominations compromising with the world, accepting gay marriage and homosexual pastors/leaders. In a recent post, I reported on Pope Francis declaring that Christians are not to try and convert Muslims or people of other faiths as “we are all children of the same God”.

Pope Francis and Sheik Ahmad el-Tayeb, grand imam of al-Azhar, a leading authority for many Sunni Muslims signed a document on “human fraternity” and improving Christian-Muslim relations in February, 2019. The document insists on the basic human right to freedom of religion, appealing to both Christians and Muslims not only to tolerate the religious faith of the other, but to recognise the other’s faith as something “willed by God in his wisdom.”

This Pope is consigning millions to the Lake of Fire. There is NO way back into a right relationship with God other than by repentance, acknowledging the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the Cross and accepting His Lordship over us and all creation.

BY THE POWER OF GOD, JEWS COMING TO JESUS

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 Rabbi Eric Tokajer says the Good News of Jesus is beginning to spread throughout Israel, and it’s important for Christians to continue to support that effort.

The founder of Brit Ahm Messianic Synagogue in Pensacola, Florida, and the publisher of The Messianic Times, Tokajer, who conducts tours in the Holy Land, says the growth of Messianic ministries in Israel proves God’s hand indeed is upon that land

“Years ago, when I became a Jewish believer, there were only a handful of Jewish believers in Israel,” Tokajer told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network. “Now there are thousands, probably somewhere around 10,000 that are Jewish believers born in Israel. There are others that came from outside that live there, but when I became a believer, there were almost none.

“Now, there are hundreds of groups that meet together around the land that are sharing the Good News, which is part of end-times prophecy being fulfilled as God is re-grafting the natural branches into the olive tree.

“A lot of the Christian world never hears those stories. But if they go to Israel, they will actually see what’s happening where the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear and people are preached to in prison.

The Jewish people are discovering the power of the Holy Spirit and the power of Yeshua. And by the power of God the Good News will continue to spread in Israel.”