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| 3/17/2008 - Purity Pt. 1 |
It has been a while since I have put up a new blog. Hopefully, they will be more frequent in the future. This blog entry is by Youth Pastor, Josh Hanson. Enjoy!
Purifying Pt. 1
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Mt. 5:8
Pure heart = greater intimacy with God
"Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-3
When we are tested do we really react with joy? Or does anger, sadness, and resentment consume us? Are we focused on the trial or the end result?
"...and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit." John 15:2
Pruning is cutting off dead branches or pieces that are in the way so that the branch can be as fruitful as possible. Probably doesn't feel like a tickle to the plant, but in the end it is more beautiful and it more fully experiences its purpose! As the Lord prunes us we more fully experience a tender heart, which is more conducive to His presence...which is our purpose.
"...Christ Jesus, who gave himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good works." Titus 2:14
It is only by Jesus that we can become pure in heart. And that verse shows us he'll not only wash away our sin, but also purify us so that we become a beautiful people all His own! So, we're saved, we "love the Lord" like every other Christian, but are we allowing him to fulfill this verse? Is He allowed to purify our hearts so that we have a passionate zealous love for Him that is not watered down by other love for corruption?
When something is pure, it is the same through and through. Pure gold is gold and nothing else. Pure hearts love God and the things He loves and nothing else. Now that's a lifelong process, but we must allow it. Sometimes it means that the impurities deep in our hearts must surface. The Lord will allow the seeds of corruption to grow up and blossom in our lives so that we are able to see them. But remember who the gardener is? It is our Father in heaven. So when we find ourselves more sinful and fleshly than ever, it's time to run to His arms and ask Him to pull out those weeds that have grown up....and He will do it.
Are you feeling some fiery trials? Stop resisting and fighting and striving. Let the testing push you to Him so that He can reveal Himself to you and pull out the weeds of corruption in your life!
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| 9/26/2007 - Never Defeated |
I am sure you are probably thinking that the last entry's title applies better to this entry since I have not posted in about three months. Hopefully, it will be worth the wait.
A lot has been going on some good and some not so good, so I wanted to share some thoughts I have been hearing form the Lord a lot lately. (Have you ever noticed God has a way of getting your attention every time you turn around?)
It seems sometimes people have this idea that being a follower of Christ means you should never have any problems. I was in a discussion the other day with someone about the often quoted phrase, "The safest place to be is in the center of God's will."
How true one determines this statement to be probably is going to depend upon one's perspective. If you interpret that to mean that we should pursue God's will regardless of the circumstances and costs trusting Him at all times, I would give you a hearty amen. However, it seems sometimes we interpret that statement to mean that whatever place is the easiest and most comfortable place for us to be must be God's will.
One does not have to read much of the Bible to see the fallacy of this second interpretation. Look at what Paul said in (2 Cor. 11) - " From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— .." And you thought you had it tough. Also we are told in (Psalms 34:19) that the righteous will have many afflictions. And again in (John 16:33) Jesus tells us that in this world we will have tribulations; that is problems, challenges and attacks. In Luke 6 Jesus even said if everyone is talking nice about you you're in trouble.
It sure sounds to me that if we are not having any challengs, trials or attacks we are probably not in God's will.
We have to remember we are in the midst of a war. This is not just figurative language. This war is very real. There is no spiritual Switzerland. You are in the war whether you want to be or not. The good news is whether you win or lose, succeed in life or fail, is entirely up to you. It is not up to the devil and it is not up to God. God has already defeated the devil and we have been given everything needed to walk in victory. Not just in some things but in ALL things. Look at these scriptures and notice the word ALL.
(Ephesians 1:3) - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
(Psalm 34:19) - Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the LORD delivers him out of them all.
And one of my favorites (The key to choosing this victory is found right here)
(Psalm 34:1 -4) - I will praise the Lord at all times.
I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together.I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.
The way we walk in victory all the time is to refuse to succumb to the problem. Right in the middle of it stand up and give praise to the Lord. Shout and declare your victory. Establish in your heart that God's word is more real to you than the problem you perceive with your outward senses. The Bible tells us these things that are seen are temporary and subject to change. Declare the word of the Lord found in (Micah 7:8) - "Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me." Declare (2 Cor. 2:14) - "Now thanks be to God which always causes us to triumph." Remember God's word is true for you. Don't wait until you feel like it. Don't wait until your circumstances change before you start rejoicing and declaring God's word over your life. Do it now! and then do it again, and again. Don't stop until this becomes more real inside of you than what you are experiencing or feeling around you.
If you don't quit you can't lose. Jesus promised that we would have tribulations; however we need to read the rest of what He said. (John 16:33) - "These things I have spoken to you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you will have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
And He has given that victory to you and me. Are you going to walk in it? The choice is up to you.
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| 6/6/2007 - What's Taking So Long? |
This week I want to share with you a prophecy from Conrad Lampan. Conrad, is a minister from Argentina. Argentina has been in the modst of a great awakening for a number of years now, and Conrad has been part of that. He now travels all over the world ministering on the outpouring of God's spirit. I believe there are some clips of him you can find on YouTube. Read with an open heart and an open mind, and as wit any prophecy, judge it against God's Word and the God's Spirit within you.
Conrad Lampan:
"MANY WONDER WHY REVIVAL HAS NOT YET HAPPENED AS PROPHESIED"
Written on May 11, 2007
As I was praying today, I heard the Lord softly speaking into my mind: "Have you noticed how things seem to be cooling down? Many of My people are wondering why revival has not yet happened as prophesied, and why the so many times promised, explosive move of My Holy Spirit seems to be delayed for too long. I have allowed it. Do you want to know the reason? Because I want to know what is in the heart of My people."
I said, "Don't you already know it, Lord?"
He answered, "Sometimes, by allowing circumstances on the surface to appear to go the other way and not as expected, the real desires of the heart are exposed. My Spirit has truly moved here and there, but those are 'exploratory' moves to bring to light what the hearts cherish. Before I come and stay, I need to see what is within. The revival that will soon sweep the world is far greater than anything you have ever seen or heard of.
"Many of My called ones did not want Me, they only wanted revival. When revival did not happen as they figured it would--and within their time-frame--they walked away like the fox that could not reach the grapes and concluded, 'well, they were not ripe anyway.'"
Unusual.
I keep hearing this word: unusual. Many times God has spoken to us about His unusual ways. Once again I hear Him saying: "unusual." He says:
"In allowing this short delay, I AM simply bringing to surface the hidden expectations in the heart of My people. Many sins have been exposed; many expectations too worldly to align with a real move of God are being brought to the surface; and world practices and customs--even some disguised forms of the occult that have permeated My Church--are being exposed. I am allowing this exposure because those things that have hindered My Church from moving in full power, those hidden portions of the world within, lose their grip and power when they are exposed."
"Don't you see it? I need to cleanse before manifesting in full power. Before My power manifests to the world outside, my Holy Spirit needs to clean the inside. The move of My Spirit that I am starting is far too powerful to be taken lightly or mingled with a worldly mindset."
"That is the why! That is the because!"
"Those of My people who have become discouraged and are right now thinking that it was just a dream that passed away and have embraced 'reality' have missed the point. There is not a more real reality than My Holy Spirit. Do not expect me to adapt to norms, for I am a unique, unusual God. Do not expect me to move in more predictable, natural ways, for I am a supernatural God. I am the God of miracles, I Am the God of resurrection, I Am the God of breakthroughs!"
"This is not a word of judgment, rather, it is a word of encouragement. Those of you who have found out that your desires were not aligned with Mine, don't go away; come back to Me, that I may give you My Heart."
"There are those among you who feel you have come so low, some of you even isolated, you feel abandoned, things seem upside down, the more you pray the lower you seem to go, you are tired, you do not know what to expect anymore, and you only feel like crying 'How long, oh God!' You cannot go any lower than the bottom, and in the process you have lost so many ideas, and nice plans, and admit it: How many broken dreams do you see behind you? How many 'unexplainables' do you have? Yet you have not gone away to other businesses, for in this so-hard-to-bear process, you have come to realize that I, the Lord, AM your business!"
"Some of you, My pastors, My ministers whom I have appointed have seen their congregations decimated when you started to pray for a move of My Spirit. Some of you, My dear servants, have seen your churches close down, and your ministries that I called you into are referred to as a 'thing of the past.' Your expected victory looks more like a defeat. Do not despair, you are right on track, for you have lost only what would have hindered you more in your path toward revival. You feel like you have nothing left? Look at Me; I Am here, you have Me. What else do you need?"
"The people I will use to bring forth revival, bursting into the surface like a mighty underground river that cannot be contained anymore, are those who have been underground, those who have experienced the three days that precede resurrection. Only those who have gone through the experience of having lost their own will, in submission to the Father's will, can be used of the Holy Spirit."
"Forgotten? Isolated? Frowned upon? Laughed at? Lost strength? As long as you cling to Me, you are still the vessel I AM using to carry revival!"
Submitted to the Body,
J. Conrad Lampan
Intecessors House
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| 4/18/2007 - Please Pardon the Interuption |
"The problem is that you are selfish."
Have you ever had the Lord say something to you and you were pretty sure He had you mixed up with someone else? When the Lord said this to me I have to admit I was a little taken back. I had been reading in Romans 1:16 and I felt the Lord say, "Go back and read it again." So I did, and He said to read it a second time. In case you are not familiar with it it reads, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. After the third time I finally said, "Lord, I know. I agree with that. I am not ashamed." And that was when He started spelling it out for me.
There are people around us every day that do not have this "power of God to salvation" in their lives. Everyday we pass people in the mall, work next to people at the office, and pump gas next to someone at the gas station that is going to hell. (And if that was not enough, the word translated salvation in the passage also includes healing, wholeness, freedom, peace, etc. Basically all of the things Jesus came to bring to man.) So God asked me, "Son does this fact bother you?" So I answered what any good Christian would, "Lord of course it bothers me." His next question really stung; "What did you do about it today? What about yesterday? Or the day before that?" By now I was beginning to squirm and beginning to try to think up some good excuses. That was when He told me, "Son, the problem is you are selfish."
Most of us would say we agree with Romans 1:16 because we are not ashamed of what God has done in our lives. I am not the least bit ashamed of God in my life. I love being a Christian and I don't care who knows it. But if I truly believe it is the power of God which leads to salvation shouldn't I be openly, actively sharing that with every person I come in contact with? If I am not doing that one of two things is true: 1) I don't really believe the gospel is God's power for salvation to anyone who believes, or 2) I am so calloused and self centered that it is not worth it to me to go out of my way and get outside of my comfort zone to share this tremendous gift with others. Are you squirming yet?
Remember where Jesus was teaching in Matthew 5 about us being the light of the world? As kids many of us even sang songs about this ("Hide it under a bushel? No! I'm gonna let it shine") but what does that look like in our lives today? I had always kind of assumed hiding it under a bushel meant one went sneaking around trying to keep their Christianity a secret. In actuality Jesus is simply talking about those of us who keep it to ourselves. Not that we are ashamed of it per say, but rather we just don't go out of our way to talk about it. That doesn't exactly sound like a city on a hill.
So it all comes back to this. Do we believe the gospel is the power of God to salvation or don't we? Are we cold and calloused or are we moved with compassion? Remember the thing Jesus cares about more than anything is souls. It is His spirit living inside of each and every believer. Are we going to continue to frustrate Him and relegate His grace and power to our own personal life preserver or are we going to lay down our life, take up our cross and follow Him everywhere day everywhere we go? I don't know about you, but I don't like it when the Lord calls me selfish.
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| 3/26/2007 - Here We Go |
Well, we finally did it. It has been a long time coming, but we finally have our website up and running. It is still an evolving work, so be sure to keep checking back for changes. If you notice any errors please let us know. Also, if you have any ideas or suggestions to make it more helpful or user friendly we would like to hear those. Please e-mail those to jj@faithchurchok.com
It is my goal to update this blog at least once a week, and if there is an interest maybe even to add a weekly or bi-weekly devotional. I will be doing the majority of these blogs, but we may occasionally have a guest blogger. This is the first one and I just wanted to welcome everyone. In the future, it is my hope to inspire, challenge and maybe sometimes just entertain you. So I hope you will continue to check back.
For this inagural blog, I want to leave you with a thought. I can't remember where I heard this, but I am sure it was from someone brilliant. We must always remember that as Christians we are Christ's body and we are living epistles. Doing the works of Jesus should be what we are all about. It is very popular today ( I might also add easy) to euqate doing the works of Jesus with doing good works and good humanitarian efforts. Now I am not trying to discount these things. I believe Jesus does want us to help the hungry, share with others and even be good stewards of our natural resources. However, if we simply do these things we are missing the boat. Remember, if we don't help the poor the Salvation Army will. If we don't get coats and eye glasses to those in need the Lion's Club and Shriners will. If we don't feed the hungry the Food Bank will. If we don't protect the environment Al Gore will. However, if we don't preach the eternal, saving, life changing gospel of Jesus Christ NOBODY will! Chew on that for a while and ask your self "what am I doing?"
Consumed By the Call,
Pastor J.J.
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