BIBLICAL DEFINITIONS
Apostolic
Interpretations
Updated on 19.10.13
Preaching is not from the pulpit to the already converted but where Christ
has not been named among people who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
Evangelism is not one way presentational preaching (lecture) on the street
corner but engagement with the people. Jesus did that all the time. Most
Christians have very poor relationship with the people of other faiths and lack
training and therefore confidence on how to start even a simple conversation with
them. 97% of youth grown up in good Christian homes, who went through regular
Sunday school, cannot share their faith even with their best friends, when they
enter college and quickly turn lukewarm or even anti-church. Matt. 4:16
Fully preaching is, not using church language with enticing words full of man’s
wisdom but with demonstration of power. In the NT preaching nearly always
resulted in healing, deliverance followed by immediate repentance and baptisms
and discipling. When Philip the evangelist went from Jerusalem church and preached
in Gentile Samaria, demons came out screaming and thousands were baptized. Paul
said that “I have fully preached the gospel from Jerusalem to Illyricum through
mighty signs and miracles.” “Power encounter” should immediately be
followed up by “Truth Encounter” (Jesus the truth) which is “cleansing by washing with water by the Word.”
This includes training in sound doctrine and cutting edge discipling skills for
fully preaching the gospel. If power and truth encounters are not spilling over
on to the streets of the city then you are sitting in a fake church. 1Cor. 2:4;
Acts 2:37-41; 8:5-12; Romans 15:19,20; Eph. 5:26
Teaching: Bible is not just a book of knowledge but of
transformation. It is not passing on information by monologue.
It is training for ministry among Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Atheists,
scoffers and the lost of this world. The Word (Jesus) imparts ability to convince, convict,
convert and commission the recalcitrant. Jesus, Peter and Paul interacted
with the people; reasoned and even disputed on the street, synagogue and in
homes of the people, persuading them concerning the kingdom. Paul taught in the
school of Tyrannous for just two years and the entire province of Asia heard
the gospel. Obviously his teaching technique and content were quite different
from what we are practicing now. Acts 18:4; 19:8; Titus 1:9; Acts 19:8-10
Apostolic Teaching is to make Christ known to others who sit in darkness and in the
shadow of death i.e. fulfilling the Great Commission. The function of
the pulpit is not to give sermons but identify the gifts and talents of the
members and equip them to become saints for the works of the ministry to be
effectively engaged in the community they live in. Apostle Peter’s teaching
methodology and content resulted in myriads (tens of thousands) of zealous Jews
turning into Messianic Jews in Jerusalem, Judea and those scattered throughout in
diaspora in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. Matt. 4:16; 28:18-20; Eph. 4:11,12; Acts
21:20; 1Peter 1:1
Maturity in Christ is not only knowing Christ but also making him known. Knowing
about God makes you only a theologian, but knowing God and using His power
makes you fishers of men. It is also the ability to defend your faith against those
(non-believers) who ask a reason for your hope (apologetics). It is graduating from
Sunday milk drinking Christian to a Monday ministering Christian that now sees
the world with a missionary lens. It is the ability to open the eyes of those
who are spiritually blind, taking them out of the clutches of Satan, making
them partakers and inheritors of their share of the kingdom. A user friendly
church is one where members are excited about inviting non-believers to its
gatherings for interaction and dialogue. The plumb-line of a mature church is
the level of effective and productive engagement of her members in the secular and
hostile world. 1Peter 3:15; Acts 26:18; Hebrews 5:12; 1Cor. 14:24-26
A Believer: “And
these signs shall follow a believer;
he will expel demons, speak in tongues, drink poison and not die, handle snakes
and scorpions (evil spirits) and lay hands on the sick and they will be healed.”
A believer is one who believes in the authority given to him and practices it
to seek and save the lost. He knows that he cannot go to heaven stamping on the
bodies of the lost. Mark 16:17-18; Matt. 4:16
A Disciple: “And
this is how God is glorified that you bring forth abundant fruit (disciples) and
then you shall be my disciples.” A disciple is one who is learning to make
disciples. Once he becomes competent he becomes a saint. “Disciple/s” comes 273
times in the Gospels and in the Book of Acts but none in the Epistles because by
then they have all matured into saints who are offering Gentiles as sacrifice. All
the Epistles are written by Peter, Paul and John to the saints and not to any
bishop, pastor or a disciple. John 15:8; Rom. 15:16
A Prophet: Not necessarily one who foretells
the future but who speaks edification (building up faith), exhortation (sound
teaching) and comfort (solace to the hurting). Along with apostles, prophets
are foundation layers of the church. Church is a fellowship of prophets who
speak out in the church. Eph. 2:20; 1Cor. 14:3; 29-32
Bishop (overseer), Elder (spiritual father), Deacon (learner): These are all different stages of maturity that a believer went though.
They were all volunteers and did not wear any special clothing. They all
required the same qualifications: 1.Character; 2. Good manager of his family that
walked in faith; 3. Faithful steward of God’s resources; 4. Hospitable; 5.
Ability to teach; 6. Sound in doctrine to defend his faith against those of
other faiths who contradict. Titus 1:5-9; 1Tim. 3:1-13
Ordination: Anointing supersedes academics for
fruit bearing. “You have not but I have
chosen you and “ordained” (anointed,
appointed, consecrated) you that you
may bring forth lasting fruit…” Every believer is ordained by the Holy
Spirit on the day of his acceptance of the Lordship of Jesus to bring forth
lasting fruit i.e. to make disciples, baptize and serve the Lord’s Supper etc.
Elders may lay their hands on him only to send him on apostolic journey as the
brethren did to Paul and Barnabas. John 15:16; Acts 13:1-3
Anointing: OT depended on pedigree (Levites),
the traditional church depends on degrees (academics) but the NT church
functions on anointing. Anointing is not for shouting halleluiahs on Sunday
morning service but for your transformation, your family’s transformation and
for others who God wants to bring into his kingdom. Being active in the church
is not the same as being productive. The Christ in you must find the lost and
make them perfect by equipping them for engagement in the secular world. Acts 1:8;
2:38,39; Luke 19:10; Col. 1:26-28
Renewal and Revival: “Revival is not just numbers,
crowded churches and more collection in the kitty. It is dismantling our
mindset in order to look at the dysfunctional and degraded community with fresh
insights, in order to rebuild. Revival must result in release of the Gospel
force of love, joy and peace. Our quality of witness in sharing Christ in
cultures and religions which are violently opposed to his Gospel, must significantly
improve. After revival and renewal the lost paradise should become a restored
paradise. For this to happen we must evangelize not in the traditional ways but
in new and innovative ways because the world has changed where spirituality has
taken the back seat while religiosity in subtle ways practices different forms
of fraud, dishonesty, deception, treachery, callousness, cruelty, gender and
caste inequality and unconcern for the misery of others. It is here that the
real revival and renewal must be practiced and have a manifest impact in the quality
of life at personal and collective levels.
.
Will of God: Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). What God wills
instantly becomes the Word of God and the Word of God becomes a Command. So
when God’s will is “that none should
perish” then it is a command that must be obeyed. If God’s will is that “all should be saved and come to the
knowledge of truth” then it is command that must be obeyed. Even a single lost
person is one person too many. God calls people to himself out of a fallen world. For he has a plan for
each person's life and is committed to see it come to pass. He never gives up
on a person and neither should we, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love
him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he
also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, the he might be
the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called;
those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified (Rom 8:28-30).
God has been in the business of searching for people since the time Adam
and Eve were hiding from him in the Garden of Eden. Today He continues his
search for all people. He does that through us because He wants to straighten
out the lives of those who have gone astray and are hiding from him, so that we
can conform more and more to the likeness of his Son Jesus. There are many
'skin deep' only Christians but refuse to be his hands and feet to minister His
love to those in need. There is a great need to transform your neighbourhood,
worksite, the city and the nation to become the paradise that God intended. 1Pter 3:9; 1Tim.
2:4
Kingdom of God: The word KINGDOM is synonymous with
the words authority, government rulership, King and his constitution. Jesus came preaching THE KINGDOM, which
resulted in disciples as fruit, who became Kingdom people, with Kingdom values, following a King ... the King of kings. To disciple anyone into the rule and reign of Jesus’ Kingdom, is this
is where the clash between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness
begins. It is the beginning of war! Mt 11:12 talks of violence, it talks of the
Kingdom “Forcefully Advancing” through spiritual warfare.
Jesus tells us that The Kingdom is “within
you” in Luke 17:21. There has to be
regeneration of a person, a new creation, not just conversion. Satan is least
bothered when you convert someone to sit in the church but he gets all hoity-toity
when you make disciples who make disciples because that diminishes his evil
kingdom. We are not saved to sit in the church, we are saved to go out and serve
and save others and thus advance the kingdom, “As the Father has sent me so I send you” should be the slogan of
every church leader worth his salt.
The coming Kingdom (rule) of the King
of kings is the end game of the scriptures.
The hour is coming when Jesus will return and all nations will mourn
because they did not repent but Christians will mourn the most because they did
nothing to advance the kingdom. “Jesus
came preaching the kingdom.” He commanded us to go out in to the kingdom of
darkness and preach “the gospel of the
kingdom” but we sit in the church and preach “the gospel of the church.”
The Messianic signs of the kingdom
are, “The blind receive their sight, the
lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the
poor have the gospel preached to them.” It is the church’s mandate to
announce and advance the kingdom by demolishing the gates of hell until, “The kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdom
of our Lord and his Messiah.” The church must restore and demonstrate to
the lost world, love, joy, peace, justice and kingdom values that the Devil has
stolen. Sadly most churches offer
‘gospel of the church’ to those inside and have nothing to offer to the lost
outside. Matt. 4:17; 11:4,5; 12:28,29;
Rev. 11;15; Gal. 5:2,23
Righteousness: It means right relationship with
God. Abraham believed it was counted unto him as righteousness and because he
obeyed, God blessed him with blessings and multiplied him with multiplying and
promised that his descendants shall possesses their cities (Genesis 15:6;
22:17,18). The Hebrew words for righteous (tzadik) is closely related to
charity (tzedakah) and justice (tzedek). Those who oppress, mistreat, or take advantage of others—especially
orphans, widows and strangers—are the
enemies of God and man. “The
fruit of righteousness (tzedakah) will
be peace; the effect of righteousness (tzedakah) will be quietness and confidence forever.”
(Isaiah 32:17). We can see
why it’s so important that everyone in a position of authority needs to be
righteous and just, including our government leaders and officials,
bosses, teachers and even fathers and mothers. David was a prototype. When
Jesus comes he will reign with righteousness, justice and mercy. Exodus 22:22–24; Deut. 14:29,
24:19–21, 26:12–13, 27:19; Isaiah 1:17; James 1:22, 27; 1 John3:16–18
Rulers/Leader/Shepherd: Yeshua was a model of Servant-Leadership.
The ideal Jewish king or leader is
unique among the nations. He’s a servant-leader that is scholarly, pious, righteous and
God-fearing. He’s someone who encourages the Jewish People to fulfil
their mission to be a light to the nations. Yeshua (Jesus) perfectly modelled
servant-leadership. He also trained His disciples in this style of
leadership: "You know that the
rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials
exercise authority over them. Not
so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must
be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be
served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." Matt. 20:25–28.
Yeshua is the eternal King of Israel who
rules and reigns on the throne of David in righteous judgment and justice. David, the shepherd boy who became
a king aptly portrayed the servant/leader role.
Divinity
of Jesus: God told Moses that His name is “I
AM” (Exo. 3:13-15). Taking that Holy Name would amount to apostasy and death
by stoning (Leviticus 24:16). Jesus used that Name at least ten times: 1. When
asked to reveal his Messiahship to the Jews, Jesus said, “Before Abraham was,
I AM (John 8:56,58).” They
picked up stones to kill him for the apostasy of making himself God (John
10:33). 2. I AM the light of the
world (John 8:12); 3. I AM the bread
of life (John 6:35 ,48,51); 4. I AM the
door, (John 10:7,9); 5. I AM the
good shepherd, (John 10:11,14); 6. I AM
the resurrection and life, (John 11:25) 7. I
AM the way the truth and life (John 14:6); 8. I AM the true wine (John 15:1,5); 9. I AM come that they might have abundant life. (John 10:10). 10. I AM Alpha and Omega, the beginning and
the end (Rev. 21:6). Jesus never got up on a stage and said that he was God,
but he said and did plenty of supernatural things that affirm his divinity.
Government: God
does not approve of secular (Godless) government run by pagans (Daniel 2:44). In
the theocratic Kingdom, only the constitution of the King of kings will apply. Isaiah
prophesied about Messiah, “A child would be born, a Son given, and the government would be upon His shoulders… of the increase of His government and peace
[shalom] there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His
kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment (mishpat) and justice (tzedakah)” (Isaiah 9:6–7). In all
our leadership roles, we are to follow His example of ruling or governing. God intends those in positions of authority
to be examples for others to emulate. Memshalah, the Hebrew for government is related to the
word mashal (to
rule or to govern) which carries the connotation of an example
or modeling. When Yeshua washed His disciples’ feet, He showed us a beautiful example of how we should both serve
and lead others, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your
feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example
that you should do as I have done for you.” John13:14–15. A leader
must possess a combination of strength and humility. He must be able to
get the job done without bullying and to exercise compassion without
belittling.
Persecution: One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid;
keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to
attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” (Acts
18:9, 10.) Starting a church where there is outright hostility to the gospel
can be a daunting experience. Notwithstanding God’s assurance, Paul was hated, slandered, beaten and left for dead. Often Church planting results
only after serious “front lines” of spiritual warfare. This is because the
devil hates Christ, His gospel and His church. However we are assured of Gods protection,
“I will protect you from your people as
well as from others.” The saddest part is when it comes from the household
of God and especially painful when it comes from one’s own family. People of
other faiths have to face this all the time and often have to pay a heavy price
for their new found faith. Self-inflicted persecution is when noisy worship
precipitates backlash in sensitive areas. Worst kind of persecution is “no
persecution” as you are not doing anything about the many lost people in the city and the Devil does not think you are
worth the bother. Silence and not speaking to them can have eternal
consequences, both for you and them. Acts 26:17,18; Matt. 10:36
Heaven: There are three heavens (Hebrew:
Shamayim) in the Bible. The first heaven is where the clouds reside and the
birds of heaven fly. The second heaven is where the sun, moon and the heavenly
host of stars reside. And the third heaven is where God and his angels reside.
No one has gone to the third heaven except the one who came down from heaven
that is Jesus even as Apostles John and Paul did have a glimpse of it in a vision.
All the 144,000 martyrs “under the altar”
are asking to avenge their blood (Rev. 6:9-11). Actually they are not asking
but their blood is, like Abel’s blood was crying out from the earth (Genesis
4:9-16). This is symbolic as this altar is not in heaven but in the heart of
the earth. The blood of the sacrificial animal was poured into the base (earth)
of the brazen Altar that stood in the outer court of the temple (Leviticus
4:18). The number is only symbolic as 50 million Christians have already been
martyred and millions more will be martyred during the tribulation. That would
require a gigantic altar to accommodate them all. Fortunately the heart of the earth,
where Jesus spent three days and nights, has plenty of room. Rev. 6:9; Matt.
12:40
Martyr does not mean only those who
have been physically killed, as Apostle John who wrote the Revelation was not
martyred but obviously he will be one of the multitudes of saints from all
nations, tongues and tribes who have gone through the tribulation experience and
offered their bodies as reasonable service (worship). Presumably they are all
in Paradise where Jesus took the thief from the cross and the poor man Lazarus
is in Abraham’s bosom. The bodies of saints are still in their graves but their
soul and spirit are in Paradise waiting for Jesus to return and reunite with
their new bodies (the dead shall rise first), thus winning victory over death.
No one is going to heaven, as heaven
is coming down to earth and God shall tabernacle with men. That is why we daily
pray, “Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.” Even
the Disciples had this idea of an earthly kingdom when they asked Jesus at his
departure, “When will you restore the
kingdom to Israel?” And what will be the point of, “And the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea,” if
all the saints have gone up to heaven and the rest are stewing in hell down
under. You are here to be his witnesses (martyrs) to transform your place
(neighbourhood, worksite, city and nation) into the kingdom of God as your eternal
inheritance, “And I bestow unto you a
kingdom” for which he has given you the keys (authority) of the kingdom. (Luke 22:29; Matt. 16:19). So stake
your claim and do all you can and invest all you can, to possess all you can, your
inheritance for an eternity, like the man who sold all he had to own a patch of
land that had hidden treasure in it. Matt. 13:32,44; Rev. 6:9; 7:9,14; 12:11;21:3;
Luke 16:23; John 3:13; Rom. 12:1; 1Thess. 4:16,17; Hab. 2:14; Dan. 7:18,27
Hell: Sheol, Gehenna (Hebrew), Hades, Tartarus
(Greek), Inferno (Latin); Sepulchre (Spanish), Purgatory (Catholic), Pit,
Grave, Outer darkness (English). Jesus spoke 27 times about Hell altogether of
which 11 times about Gehenna, literally valley of the Son of Hinnom and 123
times about Heaven. Gehenna does not mean eternal fire but refining fire. There
is an uncrossable chasm between them. It is a place of torment and punishment.
It is so horrible that Jesus suggested that it is better to pluck off your eyes
and chop off your hands if they make you sin. Eventually all the wicked angels,
evil sinners, even Sheol and death will be thrown into the Lake of Fire. You
will not burn there for an eternity as the physical body would turn into ash
within the hour. You will have a different body. It is a place of remorse and
anguish because of separation from God. The church has the power to demolish
the Gates of Hell and every believer has power over all the power of the enemy
to save those who are knowingly or unknowingly heading to become fuel fodder in
Hell. Isaiah 66:24; Daniel 12:2; Matt. 5:29,30; 10:8; 16:18; 25:41, 46; Luke 10:19;
16:16-31; 2Peter 2:4; Rev. 14:11; 20:10; 21:8
Hearing the Voice
of God: is a
foundational principle of Christianity. In paradise we will not have non-stop
praise and worship service but the idea of intimacy (a close dynamic, personal
relationship with God), is the reason Father created us, just like what He had
with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The reason for Salvation is to restore
this relationship. Relationship includes communication and communion? Jesus was
constantly in touch with the Father, “As
I hear so I speak; As I see him do, “I do nothing unless the Father tells me."
Intimacy with God has two sides of the same coin, Hearing him and doing it. One
without the other is hallucination. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice and follow me.” He further said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of
men.” Hearing and even following him like a dumb sheep is of no use, you
must let him make you prolific fishers of men, otherwise you are suffering from
self-destruct convenient deafness. John 5:19,20,30; 10:27; Matt. 4:19
Vision Statement: A brief statement that defines core
values of the organization and with clarity
answers the question, “Where do we aim to be at the completion
of the project? It must resonate with the will of the Father, “That none should perish” (2Peter 3:9).
God asked Habakkuk to write down the vision and this is what he wrote and ran
with it, “The earth will be filled with
the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” "Vision
without action is daydream. Action without vision is nightmare."Hab.
2:1-3;14
Mission Statement: A Mission statement spells out How you will get to where you want to
be. It answers the
question, “What do we do? It spells out the
broad goals for which the organization exists. The goals must be realistic,
achievable and in alignment with the biblical mandate. Jesus gave us a mission
statement, “Go make disciples of all nations, baptise, equip and send them on
to do the same” Matt. 28:19
God and Jesus: Jesus’ original name is Yahushua or
Y’eshua in short which means Salvation of Yahweh. Yes they are high and mighty
and all powerful but both the Father and the Son are Lords of the harvest and
therefore senders. God asked, “Who will go for us? And Isaiah said, “Here I am,
send me.” Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me so I send you.” Isaiah 6:8;
John 20:21
Priests: The NT church appointed apostles,
prophets, evangelists, shepherds, teachers, elders, bishops and deacons but
never appointed a priest. This is because every believer was already a royal
priest, made so by the blood of the lamb. The church is a fellowship of royal
priests who offer repentant souls sanctified by the Holy Spirit as an offering
well pleasing to God and then equipping and sending them for advancing the
kingdom. All other functions of the priest are secondary and optional. A mature
church provides level playing ground for all; therefore, there are no reverends
or laymen in the church of Jesus Christ. Rev. 5:9,10; 1Peter 2:5,9; Rom. 15:16;
Eph. 4:12
Saints: Are those who have made a covenant
(beryth=cut) with God with a sacrifice (broken and contrite heart). In NT
situation saints are those who have made a covenant with Jesus to fulfil his
Great Commission “to make disciples of
all nations.” All the disciples in the Gospels graduated into saints in the
Epistles. Only the prayers of the saints reach the Throne. It is the saints who
will reign on earth. Political leaders govern by the laws of the land, while
saints will reign on earth for an eternity by godly laws which shall go forth
from Zion, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He will judge between
the nations, and will render decisions for many peoples; and they will turn their
swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not
lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war." Psalm
50:5; 51:17; Matt. 28:19; Rev. 5:8; 8:3; Daniel 7:18,27; Isaiah 2:1-5; Micah
4:2
A Minister: In the OT, the primary function of a
minster was to offer sacrifice and gather the sacrifice saturated fire from the
altar and offer it with incense (Prayer) in the Holy Place. In the NT the job
of the minister is not only to minister on Sundays but more importantly to
equip saints for the works of the ministry. In the NT, Paul says as a minister
of Jesus Christ I offer sanctified Gentiles as sacrifice so that they may
become fellow heirs of the Body and partakers of the kingdom. Ephesians 3:5-7; 4:11,12;
Romans 15:16
A Christian: There are no Christians in the
Gospels. In Antioch the disciples (not all believers) were called Christian for
the first time. Disciples are those who make disciples and bring forth lasting
fruit (reproducing disciples). They are Christ bearers 24X7. So a true
Christian is not just a Sunday sitter but a daily sharer of the gospel and a
disciple maker. Acts 11:26; John 15:8,16; 2Timothy 2:2
Born Again: Holy Spirit is not just for speaking
in tongues on Sunday morning service but the Christ in you is the hope of glory
of the Gentiles that through warning and teaching you may present everyman
perfect in Jesus. The anointing empowers you to be His witnesses to preach through
mighty deeds and miracles where Christ has not been named. Col. 1:27, 28; Acts
1:8; Romans 15:19, 20.
Missionary: Our God is a missionary God and the
Bible is a missionary book; so if you are not missional in seeking and saving
the lost in your context, either local or global, then you are out of sync with
the will of the Father. Every believer is called to be an ambassador to declare
his glory among the heathen and his wondrous works among the lost peoples,
wherever God has placed you. Luke 19:10;
2Cor. 5:17-20; Psalm 96:3
Dialogue: Jesus dialogued with all sorts of people
all day and every day out on the street. Peter argued with the Sanhedrin, the
rulers of the Temple. Paul reasoned, persuaded and even disputed with the Jews
in the Synagogues and with the Gentiles in the market place. People want to
talk, not just listen. Quietly sitting in the pews and listening to erudite sermons
is definitely not the answer for church growth and multiplication. Not
surprisingly a church without conversation is a church without converts. The
church must open up all options for dialogue whether it is one on one or small
group dynamics or online Socratic discussion, any avenue for free and frank
conversation. This helps people find their unique calling and ministry for
engagement in the hostile world. Acts 4:13; 17:2; 18:4; 19:8
Traditions: Jesus fought a running battle
against the Traditions of the Elders but did not change even a jot or a tittle
from the Law (Torah) and the Prophets but came to fulfil them. Traditions and
rituals constitute man-made religion but Christianity is all about
relationships. Sadly, even in missions, some get stuck in traditions or the
"I've always done it that way" kind of thinking and find it hard to
change. While we in missions expect a convert to repent and make a 180 degrees
turn around, the missions themselves are grouted in traditions that
are represent fossilized thinking. Change itself of any kind is hard for some
people. This kind of thinking can cause some to be defensive or even opposed to
new strategies or innovative models. Jesus completely dismantled the traditions
of the elders and told the diehard religious traditionalists, "The traditions and doctrines of man
make the word of God of none effect." Love for completing the task of
the Great Commission should be our motivator, not tradition. Matt. 5:18;
15:2,3,6
The Church of the Flesh: Vast majority of
the modern day churches are churches of the flesh with main focus on sexual
orientation rather than on spirituality. They are having been dreamed and
designed by man. If you celebrate Sunday as Sabbath with all the paraphernalia,
then the chances are that you belong to this category. Tall, handsome very
impressive, King Saul represents the religious church of the flesh. His
daughter Michal which means “who is like God” was barren to the end, like most
of our big churches are of the flesh, zealous for pompous and ostentatious
celebration. The represent the end time Babylonian church, like Nimrod, trying
to build structures that reach up to heaven like the sky piercing towers with a
cross on top. Cross was never the sign of the early church but the Menorah
(Rev. 1:20). Emperor Constantine changed that and laid the foundation of the
manmade Catholic Church. They boast like Emperor Nebuchadnezzar of "Is
not this great Babylon that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty
power and for the honor of my majesty? While the word was still in the
king's mouth, a voice fell from heaven: "Nebuchadnezzar, the kingdom has
departed from you." They compare numbers, seating capacity and collections but its
foundations are laid in cement concrete and the growth is by transfer and not
by conversion. 1Samuel 9:1,2; 16:6,7; Daniel 4:28-31
Spirit filled Church: Jesus never came
to start a religion of rituals. The foundation layers are Apostles and prophets
with Christ himself the corner stone. David an insignificant shepherd boy,
despised even by his own family but man after God’s own heart, consists of
small things like the mustard seed, widow’s mite or a couple fish and a few
loaves of bread but represents exuberantly growing and multiplying spirit
filled church. The church of the Spirit is never a building or a program that
meets regularly on a particular day. Jesus went wherever the people were, be
they religious leaders, tax collectors or harlots.
As the Bride of Christ, her primary
function is to multiply by birthing new baby churches daily. “And the churches grew in faith and in
numbers daily” both in quality and quantity. They focus on the number of
disciples made, baptized, equipped and sent out. Their focus is not on growth
but multiplication where people sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
Eph. 2:20; Acts 2:46, 47; 16:5; Math. 4:16; 18:18-20
Your primary nuclear church is your
worksite, be it home or the office or the market place. Irrespective of the
situations and circumstances, you are to produce lasting fruit in your context,
just like the palm trees bring forth abundant sweet fruit in desert situation.
John 15:16; Hebrews 10: 25; Rev. 7:9, 10.
Any Three: The authentic church is the Body and the Bride of Christ that operates
on Any-3: anytime, anywhere, anyone; wherever two or three
gather together in his name (The Triplet church). Witnessing becomes easy as it
is simple, customised and personalized and non-combative. Conversation is not
pre-packaged or preachy but spontaneous. You can quit if the guy is hostile or not
interested. You can also ask for time if you do not have a clear answer for any
sticky points. It starts with social talk to build relationship and then
quickly and seamlessly transits into gospel talk and finally into decision
making. Avoid confrontational approach nor get stuck in small talk because issues
of eternity are at stake. Gently keep steering the conversation towards their
need for salvation. Remember our part is to obey the command to be his
witnesses (Acts 1:8) while convicting and conversion are the work of the Holy
Spirit. John 16:8
Watch Jesus asking for water from the Samaritan woman for relationship
building and then moved quickly into sin, lostness and then salvation message
resulting in her decision for repentance and salvation and a missionary lens
for her village. Jesus spoke seven times and the Samaritan woman spoke six
times (John 4:7-26) but Jesus led and guided the conversation to where he
wanted the woman - to make an intelligent and considered decision for salvation.
Leaving it open ended would have made it non-productive and fruitless as the
Devil would have taken away the gospel seed Jesus had planted.
If no decision is made for repentance, baptism and discipleship in the
first visit, then re-arrange revisits as soon as feasible to avoid possible loss
of harvest and a feeling of guilt or remorse. When you go fishing, go with the
mindset of coming back with a bagful of fishes, the bigger the better. If you
go harvesting, you must do so with the mindset of bringing in the sheaves rejoicing
and not come back empty handed. (Ps 126:5,6)
Any-3 protects you from compartmentalizing the sacred from the secular and
also from persecution. It is the only option in restricted countries. It is not
a passive “lifestyle evangelism” but passionate “evangelistic lifestyle”. When
faced with severe persecution, Peter asked for more boldness (Acts 4:29,31).
This approach resonates with the will of the Father that, “None should perish
but all should come to the knowledge of truth and be saved.” Keep practicing it
until Any-3 becomes fun. For details
read Mike Shipman’s book: ANY 3.
Over the past few years millions are on
a journey out of church a la Constantine to church a la New Testament – that
is, away from the Sunday morning event to a more relational way of ‘being’
rather than ‘doing’. They have a passion to see the church restored to her true
apostolic foundations and a simpler, more authentic way of being Christ's
community on earth.
It is the best place for practicing
New Testament values such as the priesthood of all believers, Jesus Christ as
the head of the Body and sharing resources and life with fellow believers as
well as with the lost of this world. You are liberated as you are no longer
just hearers of the Word by doers, living with kingdom principals. It is
the best place for connecting with God, with each other and with the community. It
is new wine-skin that contains new wine. The old one is imploding from within. It
is the most convenient place for authentic Christians and not-yet-Christians to
eat, meet and multiply. Not surprisingly this movement is experiencing phenomenal
growth at historic levels. 1Cor. 16:19; Phil. 1:1,2; Col. 4:15; Luke 5:37,38
Salvation: is synonymous with Jesus. You may
not find the word Jesus in the Old Testament but you can find him over a
hundred times from Genesis to Malachi mentioned as “Salvation of God,”
(Yahshua); just as angel Gabriel told Joseph, “And thou shalt call his name Yeshua (SALVATION); for he
shall save [salvage] his people from their sins! (Matt. 1:21). Our God
is not just a Creator but also a Redeemer. “He
who confesses with his mouth that Jesus is Lord and believes in his heart that
He arose from the dead, is already saved.” The next step is that “he who believes and is baptized will be
saved.” When Peter was asked, “what
shall we do?” He took salvation to the next level, “Repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus and receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit.” Thousands are entering the kingdom today by dreams, visions
and direct revelation.
Gospel of Salvation Vs Gospel of the Kingdom: The Gospel of Salvation is focused on evangelism and addresses only the saving
of souls with emphasis on rapture mentality of escaping the evil world thus
practicing dualism of sacred vs. secular. The Gospel of the Kingdom is focused
on kingdom values and addresses both the body and the soul with emphasis on
possessing the evil world and transforming everyone and everything in it, “Reconciling the whole world”. It is said
that the church in Africa is a mile long but only an inch deep with rampant
crime and corruption while in some countries the jails are shutting down after
the kingdom values begin to operate; “For
the kingdom of God is in your midst.” Jesus never told us to go and preach
the gospel of salvation in isolation but to go to the next level and preach the
Kingdom, which translates into making disciple-makers that birth new
disciple-makers and not just converts. Luke 9:1,2; 17:21; 22:29; Matt. 10:7; 24:14;
Mark 16:15,16; 2Cor. 5:19
Born Again: You can be saved without the church,
without scriptures and without water baptism because the Lord Jesus can supernaturally
short-circuit the whole process, just as he did with the thief on the cross. But
you cannot be saved, “Unless you are born
again, because you can neither see the kingdom nor can you enter the kingdom.”
Moses saw the kingdom from afar but
did not enter the kingdom. The word
KINGDOM is synonymous with the words AUTHORITY, GOVERNMENT, RULE, and
KING. Unfortunately today, we are used
to seeing ‘authority’ abused.
Born again means, that living Christ
now indwells within you and then you become the hope of salvation for the lost.
Without the Holy Spirit within you, you will not have the courage to witness to
anyone, especially those who oppose. We are created for good works but
salvation cannot be earned by boasting about our good works for we are saved by
grace through faith which is a free gift of God. Salvation is God’s deliverance
of his people from sin and spiritual death through repentance and faith in
Jesus. However, it is heresy to think that we can accept Christ only as a Saviour
and delay our obedience to Him as our Lord as long as we want to...salvation
apart from obedience is unknown in the Scriptures. Rom. 10:9; Mark 16:16; John
3:3,5; Acts 2:37-39; Eph. 2:8,9; Col. 1:26-28S
Word of God: John used the Greek term “Logos” to
define Jesus as the “Word of God” or “the thought of God”. The Aramaic word Miltha, referred to in
John 1:1, as the Word of God can also be referred to as the “Mind” of Elohim
(God). This can even be translated “Thought,” “Manifestation or fire, even as
“Substance.” The term typically used in Hebrew translations of the Aramaic text
is “Dabar” or “Davar” meaning “Word.” Yeshua Messiah does not represent just
the spoken word of God but also his mind.
We need to differentiate between the written
Scripture, the Bible and the WORD of God that is Jesus. The entire Bible (Scripture)
is not the Word of God as they also contain words of people like Herod, Judas
and even Satan. Jesus is the eternal Word of God, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word
was God.” This in no way diminishes the validity of the Scriptures because “All Scripture is God-breathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,
for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”
“God,
who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past unto the fathers
by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, by whom also
He made the worlds, Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding
all things by the word of his power,
when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty
on high…”
Can there be errors? Not in the Word of God because that is the person of Jesus the Messiah; but
may be in the written Scriptures,
because even though they were given to God-breathed men in different cultures,
context, language and syntax which have now changed. They were copied,
interpreted and translated multiple times by multiples of men who were scholars
but not necessarily God-breathed. Jesus is the message (Word) and the messenger
and His name is the Word and he cannot change, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
Jesus, the Lord of the Universe is not limited to a book (Logos), “I have many things to tell you but you will
not be able to bear them but when the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you
into all truth” Revelation of the Word of God (Jesus) (Rhema) is an on-going
process and will continue until he comes riding on a white horse with “His name The Word of God and KING OF kings and THE LORD of lords” written on
his vesture and on his thigh. “And there
are also many other things which Jesus did, which, if they should be written
every one, that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be
written. Amen.” John 1:1-3; 16:12,13;21:25; Matt. 10:35; 24:35; 2Tim.
3:14-16; Hebrew1:1-3; Rev. 19:12,16
Faith and Works: Faith is not being religious but “Faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen.” “For we walk by faith and not by sight.”
We cannot see electricity but believe in it and do not mess around with it but
make use to it for our benefit on daily basis. Faith is not about being
practical, logical, intellectual or rational but having childlike faith, “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not
receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” “We are saved by grace of God though our
faith which is a free gift of God.” Believing in God and Jesus as His Son
does not amount to faith as the demons also believe and tremble. “We are to commit all our works to the Lord”
because all our works will be tested by fire that will reveal whether it is
gold quality or wood and stubble. Faith without works is dead as we are created
unto good works. Faith is not religion. “Faith
comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” “Trust in the Lord with all
your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways
acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” “For without faith it is
impossible to please God.” Like Abel we now offer sacrifice (broken and
contrite hearts) by faith which is accepted by God as our righteous act. Heb.
11:1,4,6; Luke 18:17; 1Cor. 3:12-15; 2Cor. 5:7; James 2:19; Ephesians 2:8-10; Rom.
10:17; Prov. 3:5,6; 16:3
Harvest: The next step is that Jesus will
call you 2x2 and send you with power and authority to reap the harvest. You
have to find persons of peace, eat with him/her, do signs and miracles, make
disciples and plant a church. He said, “You
say four months to the harvest but I say the harvest is ready now.” In fact
he is so harvest oriented that he is coming back with a sharp sickle in his
hand. He is not just your Lord but he is also the Lord of the harvest and he is
looking for laborers. By the way the size of the harvest depends entirely on
how many harvesters you train, equip and send. Luke 10:1-9; John 4:35; Rev.
14:14
Leaders: The Christian world is on overdrive
with Leadership training programs even though the word Leader is not mentioned
in the Scriptures except in derogatory terms, “Do not be called masters for one is your Master”. There is
significant difference between managers and leaders even as we need both of
them. Often managers are mistakenly
called leaders but they are only “serving
the tables” i.e. they are micro-managing organizations and
events. Peter refused to serve the tables. Leaders are visionaries who have the
ability to turn that vision into reality through strategic planning. Leaders do
not just teach or tell others what to do, like Paul they set an example, “Imitate me just as I imitate Christ.” “What you have learned and received and
heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with
you.” Matt. 23:10; Acts 6:1-7; 1Cor. 11:1; Phil. 4:9
Fivefold Ministry Gifted Elders of the Church: The Lord himself gifted his church with Apostles, prophets, evangelists,
shepherds and teachers. Their primary function is to equip the saints for works
of the ministry (engagement in the world), quantifiable by exuberant growth and
multiplication of the Body. Eph. 4:11-12
The Great Commission: This is the core of
the core that every believer, if he wants to be fruitful, has to obediently
follow, “Go make disciples, baptize,
equip and send them to do the same.” It is not just going and making
disciples, baptizing them and teaching them to obey. Once they learn to obey
all that Jesus has commanded that is encapsulated in the Great Commission, they
need to make goers, disciplers, baptizers, equippers and senders; “As the father has sent me so I send you.”
A church’s success does not depend on its seating capacity but its sending
capacity. How else can you be the light and the salt of the earth if you are
not fruitfully engaged in the world? Matt. 5:13; 16; 28:19; John 20:21
CPM and DMM: Church is the Body and Bride of
Christ and her role is to be prolific in birthing new baby churches, “And the churches were strengthened in faith
and grew in number daily.” Church Planting Movement and Disciple Multiplying
Movements are the best forms of evangelism. They do not just plant a church or
make a disciple but plant a movement that moves among new peoples and new places.
It transforms a stagnant church into a dynamic kingdom planting church by
turning ordinary believers into fishers of men and to be His witnesses to the
ends of the earth. The church then shifts from being clergy driven to people
driven, that makes her an authentic church. Church planting is the best way to
save the most people around the world for Christ. Mark 1:17, 18; Acts 1:8;
16:5
Temple tax of half a Shekel was given by
everyone, rich or poor for maintenance of the temple. Jesus paid this tax
through a gold coin in a fish’s mouth. This is what you now pay to the
traditional church to have your daughter married in the church and you be
buried in your church’s graveyard. Matt. 17:24-27; Exodus 30:13
Tithe in the OT was always food (animal,
grain, wine, oil, fruits) and never cash. It was given by land owners to be
eaten by the devotee and his family, Levites, Widows, Orphans and the strangers
(Gentiles working in the farm). This has now changed into breaking bread from
house to house, where the sharing of the whole wisdom of God can lead to daily
addition of new souls to the church. Acts 2:46,47; 20:7,20,27; Malachi 3:10;
Deut. 14:22:29
Freewill Offering (Gold, silver, cash) was given in
the collection boxes kept outside in the outer court in the temple. This where
the poor widow put her two mites while rich put in with much vulgar display. Jews
gave dutifully but we give joyfully. It is not for church maintenance but for
harvest. The less you sow the less you reap, the more you sow that greater the
harvest. This is now to be put at the apostle’s feet. Deut. 16:10; Acts 4:34,35;
1 Cor. 9:6,7;
Honour your mother and father: This does not mean being respectful but the
Hebrew word Kabad and the Greek word Time’ for “honour” mean “money paid”.
Not any amount but enough for them to live in abundance.
Worship: Singing endless happy clappy songs is not
worship. David not only sang and danced but offered oxen and fatlings every six
steps, not in the temple, but out on the street. In the OT worship
required three things: 1. Fire (Altar), 2. A sacrificial animal, 3. A sword for
slaughtering. In the NT worship requires three things; 1. Fire (The Holy
Spirit); 2. A broken and contrite heart as a sacrifice, 3. Sword of the Spirit
which is the Word of God. 2Samuel 6:13,14; Genesis 22:5-8; Acts 2:1-4; Psalm
51:17; Eph. 6:17; Hebrews 4:12
Baptism: There are seven kinds of baptisms in the
Scriptures: 1. Baptism of Moses. God baptized two million people in the
Red sea. 2. Jewish Baptism (Mikve=pool) called Bath of Purification. The
pool represented a womb and the convert coming out was now new born or a new
creation (2Cor. 5:17; John 3:3,5). Men and women being naked went to separate
pools. No baptizer was required, “He
shall wash his own flesh in water” (Leviticus 15:16). 3. John’s Baptism of
repentance. It was not just cleansing of the body with water but also cleansing
of the soul through repentance. 4. Believer’s Baptism: “He who believes and baptized will be saved
and he who does not believe is condemned.” Water baptism is identification
with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection. 5. Baptism of Holy Spirit
of incorporation in the Body of Christ. “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body” and for empowerment
to be his witnesses. Water baptism is not enough; Jesus said, “Unless you are born of the water and of the
Spirit you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.” When Jesus was baptized,
the Holy Spirit came down; when Peter baptized 3000, all of them received the
gift of the Holy Spirit and so did the twelve when Paul baptized them in
Ephesus. In fact in at the military barracks, the Holy Spirit came down first
before Cornelius and his soldiers were baptized with water. 6. Baptism of
Fire (Judgment): On the Day of the Pentecost, Jesus baptized his disciples
with the Holy Spirit which came down like the tongues of fire and they went and
changed the world. All our works including ministry will be judged by fire to
see if it was made of gold, silver or wood and stubble. 7. Baptism of the Cross:
Jesus told his disciples, “You will drink
the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with." All
of his disciples, except John, were martyred. We are commanded to take our
cross and daily die for Christ to qualify as his disciples. Infant baptism is
not mentioned in the Scriptures. No point in arguing about sprinkling or
immersion because God does not look at the amount of water but at the change of
heart. Jesus the Saviour can save sinners without water baptism as he did with
the thief on the cross. 1Cor. 10:1,2; Matt. 3:11; Mark 10:38; Luke 9:23; John
3:3,5; Acts 1:8; 2:1-3; Rom.6:4; 1 Cor. 3:12-15; 12:13; 1Peter 4:12
Fellowship: God has
designed every human being for fellowship because the very essence of our
triune God is a fellowship. The Greek word for “fellowship” is koinonia, often used to describe non-activity or
non-purpose, e.g., “just fellowshipping.” In reality, koinonia means “business partnership”, that is, purpose-driven friendship. If
you have a common goal, e.g. complete the task of the Great Commission, then
your fellowship will become meaningful and fruitful but fellowshipping without
a common goal will invariably lead to a collision course, just like a pack of
dogs will fight with each other, that is, until they are shown a rabbit.
Wine: Jesus transformed ordinary
foot washing water into sparkling wine at the wedding at Cana. There were six
jars, each with capacity to hold 25-35 gallons of water. He did not wave a
magic wand over them, or say a mantra or command the water to become wine. No
one shouted hallelujah, nor was any one slayed in the spirit. He simply told
the servants to fill the jars and then serve it. There are several Messianic
signs but this is the first one signifying abundance of joy in the Kingdom, “The days are coming, declares the LORD…when
new wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills” (Amos
9:13; Joel 3:18). By attending a wedding, he was affirming the sanctity of
marriage. His ministry began with wine and ended with it as wine also
represents his blood, which was shed for our redemption. The cup became the
symbol of the new covenant. We do not know if the servants, the eye witnesses
were converted. But the real tragedy is that Christians sitting in the pews, Sunday
after Sunday, hearing about the great works of Jesus, remain foot washing water
and never change into sparkling wine, that transform simple people into new
creation.
The
Tabernacle/Temple: All the elements of the Temple represented Jesus. The Gate: “I am the door”; Menorah: “I am the light of the world”; The Bread:
“I am the bread of life”; The Wine: the
blood of Jesus; The sacrificial Altar: Jesus was the sacrifice; The Laver:
Jesus is the Living Water; The Altar of Incense (prayer): Jesus is the
intercessor; The Veil: The Body of Christ that was torn; The Mercy seat: where
souls received redemption. God told Moses, after you have made the sacrifice, “I will meet with you and talk to you at the
door.” Now we are the temple of the Living God and therefore represent all
those elements and after we have offered “broken
and contrite hearts as sacrifice acceptable to God,” he will meet with us
and talk to us. No one was allowed to come empty handed to the temple during
the Feasts. As Christians we are called to be the leaven wherever God in His
economy has put us in the world. Exodus 29:42,45; Psalm 51:17; Deut. 16:16;
Matt. 13:33
The Fallen
Tabernacle of David: Jesus did not come to restore the Mosaic tabernacle nor the ornate
temple of Solomon but to raise up the fallen tabernacle of David. In the year
1050 B.C., David brought the Ark to Jerusalem and placed it in a tent, the Tabernacle
of David (2 Samuel 6, 1 Chronicles 13-16). The Ark stayed in
David's Tabernacle for 40 years until it was moved into the Temple built and
dedicated by David's son Solomon in 1010 B.C. (2 Chronicles 5-7). While
only the Jews offered animals for worship in the other two, the tabernacle of
David had no altar but only the Ark of the Covenant where Jews and Gentiles
came together and worshipped by offering themselves as sacrifice. “Simeon hath declared how God at the first
did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name…After this I
will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen
down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the
residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my
name is called..." While the other two represented only the
priestly function of offering animal sacrifice, David’s tabernacle represented
the priestly, prophetic and kingly functions. The Apostles knew that the Church was the restored Tabernacle of David,
the place where Christ is worshiped by speaking prophetically and exercising
His authority. This round the clock worship in truth and in spirit catapults
every believer into a royal priest, designed to bring in a great harvest of souls.
Acts 15:13-18; 2:17,18; Amos 9:11; Romans 12:1,2; 1Cor. 14:3, 29-32;
Revelation 1:8; 5:9,10; 19: John 4:23; 1Peter 2:9
Lord’s Supper: The bread
represents the Body of Christ that was broken. The Cup that Jesus drank was full
of sins of the world, past, present and future. Jesus had told his disciples
that they will also drink of that cup. Now the church is the Body of Christ
that must be broken and planted where there is none; and the cup that we drink
must carry the sins of those broken and contrite hearts, that we have been
instrumental in redeeming. Not doing so would result in taking the elements
unworthily, resulting in judgement. When we take it as a community we make a
blood covenant to identify with Christ and his agenda, “to seek and save the lost”. Taking the Holy Communion is baptism of
the cross which we must carry daily. 1Cor. 11:24-29; Mark 10:38; Luke 19:10
Love: The Scripture enjoins
on us to love God, love our neighbors, love each other and love our enemies.
When Jesus was asked which is the most important commandment in the Bible, he
recited the Shema, the most famous prayer in Judaism, which Observant
Jews recite daily: "Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad (Deut. 6:3-9)," which means "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the
Lord is One." The Hebrew word Shema does not only
imply hearing, but also listening and acting upon what
is heard. “Love the Lord with all your
heart and soul and strength.” Shema is declaration and affirmation of
Judeo-Christian faith among the ocean of pagans worshipping a variety of false
gods. But the word Shema implies much more, “listen, hear and do” What
is it to love God? Apostle John succinctly answers: “For this is the love of God,
that we keep His commandments.” Jesus said, “If you love me you will obey my commandments.” All the
commands of Jesus are succinctly encapsulated in the Great Commission. John 13:34,35;
14:15; 1 John 5:3; Matt. 28:18-20; …."
(Mark12:28–31).
Prayer: In the OT, we do
not find our patriarchs praying very much. Every time they had an encounter
with God, they made an altar and offered a sacrifice. Later in the
tabernacle/temple, after they had seen their offering go up in holy smoke, they
stretched forth their hands in submission to God and prayed at least three
prayers: 1. Thank you Lord for accepting my offering and redeeming me; 2. Bless
me now so that I may be a blessing to others; 3. Messiah come and establish
your kingdom (Disciples asked Yeshua when will you restore the kingdom on
earth? Acts 1:6). God strictly told Moses not to change the pattern. God met
with his people at the gate of the Tabernacle/Temple and spoke to them after
they had offered sacrifices. In the NT it is the prayer of the saints that
reaches the Throne, who have made a covenant to offer broken and contrite
hearts (fulfil the Great Commission). Prayer is not one way, yell and tell God
what to do. It is a two way communication where He does most of the talking,
after we have offered lost people as living sacrifice. “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. Those who wept as they went
out carrying the seed will come back singing for joy, as they bring in the
harvest.” Your intercession should result in harvest. Genesis 12:3,7,8;
Exo. 29:42,43; Rom. 12:1,2; 15:16; Heb. 8:5; Rev. 5:8; 8:3; Ps. 50:5; 51:17; 126:5,6
Sacrifice: Theologically as well as biologically, "the life of the flesh is in the blood" (Leviticus 17:11,
Genesis 9:4). The basic rationale of sacrifice -- the death of an innocent substitute to provide life for the guilty
-- has been central from the beginning, when God provided coats of skin for the
nakedness of Adam and Eve, on the spilled blood of sacrificial animals to atone
for (to cover) the sins of the one bringing the offering, until finally
"the Lamb of God" could be offered by God as "one sacrifice for sins for ever” past, present and future (Hebrews
10:12). When the blood gushed from His pierced side, His spotless life was
poured out at the foot of the cross, and the price of our redemption was fully
paid. Sacrifice continues to be central to Christian faith when we offer our
bodies as living sacrifice as reasonable service (latreia=worship) and then
offer lost sheep as our priestly duty. Romans 12:1,2; 15:16
Spiritual Warfare: “Jesus came to destroy the works of the
Devil.” “Unless you first bind the
strongman, how else can you plunder his possessions?” The steps of
spiritual warfare are, “to open their
eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan
unto God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among them
that are sanctified by faith in me. (Acts 26:18). You have defensive armour
and your offensive weapons of warfare are 1. “In His name which is above all
names”; 2. By “His Word which is two edged sword of the Spirit”; 3. With the
help of the Holy Spirit; 4. By “His blood” and; 5. Through your own testimony.”
Through these weapons you demolish ideologies, thoughts and other mental and
spiritual strongholds to open their eyes, to bring them out from the kingdom of
Satan and make them inheritors of the kingdom of God. “Power encounter”
resulting in healing and deliverance must immediately be followed with “Truth
Encounter” introducing Jesus as the Saviour, otherwise the harvest will be lost.
Over 80% of new believers enter the kingdom in 10/40 Window countries though
power encounter combined with truth encounters. Whether you know it or not or
whether you like or not, every believer is in the midst of spiritual warfare
and has the power and the authority to destroy the works of the Devil. Matt.
12:28,29; Mark 16:17; Phil. 2:9-11; Eph. 6:17; Heb. 4:12; Rev. 12:11; Acts
26:18; 1John 3:8; Luke 10:19
Possessing Your Inheritance: Saints will inherit and reign on
earth. “Ask me and I will give you
nations for an inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for your
possession.” Peoples and cities are your inheritance that you need to
possess now. God gave Abraham, ten tribes and land extending from the Euphrates
to the Nile. "The Lord your
God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will
not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply
around you." (Deuteronomy 7:22).
God has given each one of us territory that
He wants us to possess for His Kingdom. However, we must first dispossess
the enemy, “How can you plunder his possessions unless you first bind the
strongman?” Even so our victory may not take place suddenly.
Our victory has nothing to do with our righteousness or because of
Israel's righteousness, for they were a stubborn, stiff-necked and rebellious
people, but because of God’s promise to
Abraham, and because the nations that lived there were wicked. This
process will go on until the kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdom of
our Lord and then the saints will take over and reign on earth for an eternity.
Deuteronomy 9:5,6; Rev.
5:10; Psalm 2:8; Genesis 15:18-21; Daniel 7:18,27; Matt. 12:29; Acts 26:18;
Rev. 5:10; 11:15; Daniel 7:18,27
Your Eternal
Destination: God took Israel out from slavery in Egypt, baptized them in the Red Sea,
and provided them with food, water, cloud by day and light by night and daily fellowship
in the tabernacle in the wilderness but that was not the destination. Canaan
was, but they refused because they saw giants and considered themselves to be
grasshoppers. For their lack of faith, God in His wrath scattered their
carcasses in the wilderness. God took us out from the slavery to sin and gave
temporary shelter in the church, but that is not the destination. He now
challenges to us to “Come out of her my people and find and possess your
Canaan, lest you share the same fate as Israel. 1 Cor. 10:1,2; Num. 13: 33; Heb.
3:11; Rev. 18:4
Paradise: The Garden of Eden
(Delight-Paradise) was only a model. God gave Adam the mandate to replicate the
model and turn the whole earth into Paradise (Garden of blessedness). Adam
failed but the mandate is still there awaiting completion. Paradise (Garden) is
now in the nether (under) parts (heart) of the earth (Matt. 12:40) where the
souls of the righteous depart when they die while their bodies stay in the
graves awaiting resurrection on the return of Jesus (Ezekiel 31:14,16). Poor
Lazarus went there into the bosom of Abraham (rest and comfort) (Luke 16:22-25).
Jesus took the thief from the cross to Paradise, stayed three days and three
nights, preached the gospel and released the captive saints who were imprisoned
(Ephesians 4:8-10; 1Peter 3:19). There is a great gulf on the other side where
the wicked including the rich man went. They are not in “soul sleep” but could see,
hear and talk as the rich man did with Abraham. They must have heard Jesus
preach. Apparently you can occasionally even go out and come back again just as
the saints who came out of their graves at the resurrection of Jesus and so did
Prophet Samuel when summoned by the witch of Endor at the behest of King Saul. Now
the martyred saints are resting under the altar (heart of the earth) for a
season until the last martyr is in. Luke 23:43; 2Cor. 12:4; Rev. 6:9-11; 1Samul
28:7-20; Matt. 27:52
No one is going to heaven because the
heaven is coming down to earth and God will tabernacle with men and we will be
His people and He will be our God, “To
Jehovah the heavens belong, but the earth he has given to the sons of men”
(Psalm 115:16). He will walk and talk with us in the cool of the day just as he
did with Adam (Lev. 26:12; 2Cor. 6:14-18). You have been praying every day “Thy kingdom come and thy will be done on
earth.” We know that “The earth will
be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the
sea.” This would be silly if everyone has already gone up to heaven. We
know that when Jesus returns to earth, the resurrected bodies of the saints
will go and meet him in the air, but they will crash land and reign on earth
and turn it into Paradise, the original plan of God. Rev. 21:3,4; Hab. 2:14;
Isa. 2:3; 1Thess 4:17
Homosexuality: God is a homophobe and rightly so
because he created man and woman so that they may be one flesh to be fruitful,
multiply and fill the earth by reproducing in their own kind (Genesis 1:26-28;
2:21:24). “Do you not know that…
homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom” (1Cor. 6:9; 1Tim. 1:10) Homosexuality is a choice, and not an orientation. Gay is a wrong term as there is no
"love" but lust among the sodomist and sodomizers and gomorreans who
chose to have sex with their own sex wilfully. It is a perversion and an
abomination that defies God created biology and chemistry. Hundreds of thousands
of ex-homosexuals who have quit and become straight and have proven that no one
is born a homosexual. The god of homosexuality has declared an open war with
the God of the Universe and to criminalize his church and his people. It is
gnawing the Body of Christ like cancer from within. Instead of focusing on the
Great Commission, the church is now focused on the condom, “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3
unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers
of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than
lovers of God, 5.having a form of godliness but denying its power. And
from such people turn away! However it must be remembered that God does not
hate sinners but hates sin. It does not matter how scarlet the sin, the blood
of Jesus can wash it clean. Scriptures do not allow us either to condone sin or
condemn sinners but like the way Jesus told the woman caught in the act, we also
must tell the sinners, “Sin no more.” 2Tim. 3:1-5; John 8:11
Yoga: Means ‘union’ and pronounced the
same way and means the same thing as ‘yoke’. In the cultic Transcendental
Meditation, you are to empty your mind and get yoked with the spirit world to
find rest for your soul from tensions of life. Since they cannot connect you
with the Holy Spirit so you should know that they are connecting you with
spirit of death, the Shavasan (Corpse
posture in Yoga). God breathed into us the breath of life but Yoga wants us to
stop breathing. Yoga actually has nothing to do with physical exercise because
all the contortions of the body are due to Kundalini serpent coiled up at the
base of the spine.
Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for
I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
(Matt. 11:29,30). He further said, “I in
them, and You in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world
may know that You have sent Me and have loved them as You have loved Me.” (John
17:21,23). Jesus said, “If you abide in
me, you shall bear fruit” (John 15:1-8). It is like two oxen purposefully yoked
together to break the fallow soil to produce plentiful harvest. So the metrics
of being yoked or yoga or Union with Christ is not just rest for your soul but
also abundant fruitfulness (saved souls). Paul gives a good illustration of
this union, that we being worthless wild olive branches are grafted on to Christ,
the good olive tree and draw on His sap and fat and become abundant fruit
bearers. Romans 11:17; Hosea 10:12
Objectives may be secular professional but always temporal; to become a
doctor, engineer lawyer, builder, carpenter, a pastor or
whatever. Matt. 6:19-21
Purpose of life is always God ordained, spiritual and eternal. Phil.
3:13,14; 1Cor. 9:25
The ultimate purpose of life is to know Christ and to make him known. Col. 1:26-28
The purpose of the present life is
to prepare ourselves for an eternity with Christ. Matt.
6:33
V.
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