A lot of us will confess that we are serving the Lord, after all, everything we are doing is in His name. But if we don't stop and take account of where we are, it might be too late to find out at eternity that all along, we have been walking before Man and not before God. It is a thin line that can easily be missed, and it is imperative for us to cry out unto the Lord asking the Holy Spirit to show us where we have muddled it up. If not, we will just carry on as usual and end up like the 'many' that the Lord referred to in Matthew 7:22-23 ~
"MANY will say to me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'
And then I will declare to them, 'I NEVER KNEW YOU, depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!' "
Abraham was called by God to walk before Him in Genesis 17:1:
"When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless."
Walking before God means it is His voice and His will that we bid, that regardless of what Man says or circumstances dictate, it is the Lord's will that stands. In the world we live today, being politically correct is more important than what the Holy Spirit is saying. And so in a subtle way, deception creeps in and takes a grip that cannot be shaken off unless we cry out to our Deliverer, Jehovah Elshaddai.
Abraham was living an exceptional life as a child of God. God trusted him enough to instruct him to leave where he was to a land that he did not know, (Gen. 12:1,4). His life must have been so pleasing to God for God to desire more from this Man of Faith. And so God called him to the next level of relationship with Him; God cut a covenant with him.
There is a covenant that we all have with the Father through Jesus Christ. (Heb. 9:15, 10:4-10, 15-18). But few have this Abrahamic type of covenant relationship with God. Many are called to this level of relationship but few are chosen. (I John 1:5-6)
There were conditions that God laid down for Abraham, (chapter 17):
1. Walk before God blameless. (vs 1)
2. He was given a new name by God. (vs 5)
3. Keep God's covenant; other conditions that came with the agreement of relationship (vs. 9 - 14)
Among the priests of Israel, there was a difference in level of ministrations. Some were called to minister just to the people, and some were called to minister to God and then the people. It was even the mercy of God that kept the 'people's ministers' in the sanctuary. (Ezekiel 44: 5 - 19)
The 'God's ministers' were not caught up with the idolatry and desecration that we can say happened then, but still happening in the Body of Christ today. The unfortunate thing is that the Church of today have blurred vision and have been deceived by the enemy that they are ministering or walking before God whilst still fulfilling the lust of the flesh. What Man says matters to us than what God is saying.
But God is calling out to people that will stand in the face of oppositions called compromise, religion or traditions of men; bid His will regardless of how hard or shameful it might be in the eyes of Man; speak boldly when politically seems wrong and most of all, live their lives and walk before Him blameless.
ARE YOU ONE?
Sunday, 5 February 2012
Saturday, 12 November 2011
New Wine
Acts 2:12-13 – “So they were all amazed and perplexed saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?” Others, mocking said, “They are full of new wine”. “
The mockers did not know it, but their statement, “they are full of new wine” is a fact because new wine signifies the effect of the Holy Spirit.
There were two set of groups here. One that believed and watched in amazement the awesomeness of God, (verse 11: “....the wonderful works of God”) whilst the other group mocked because they could not see the new wine as the manifestation of the Holy Spirit.
Paul explained it better in I Corinthians 14:23:
“Therefore if the whole church comes together in one place and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are UNINFORMED or UNBELIEVERS, will they not say that you are out of your mind?”I believe that the ‘uninformed’ that Paul was referring to are believers or Christians. But as the word implies, they were not informed, they could not see the work of the Lord or the new wine being manifested. And the only way they could compute it in their brain is to conclude that the so-called wonders of the Lord is madness, and that the believers that the Lord is working through must be out of their minds.
The Lord said He will pour out His Spirit on ALL, but not all will be able to withhold or carry His Spirit. The old wineskin will hinder them from receiving the new that the Lord is pouring out. We stay in the old because of religion, what we are used to, this cannot be God because we have not seen it before, amongst other humanly reasons. We want to use our mind to decipher the things of the Spirit, or use the old to explain the new.
“..Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” Matthew 9:17
But the ones that are malleable in the hands of the Lord, the ones that have shed off the old wineskin and keep shedding it off to receive the new wineskin, the ones that are continuously being molded by the Potter because they acknowledge that they are clay, these are the manifestations that would be evident in their lives as the Lord pours out His Spirit:
“…Your sons and daughters shall prophecy;
Young men shall see visions;
Your old men shall dream dreams;” Acts 2:17-18
The prophecies, visions and dreams that the Lord will be giving in these last days are not what eye has seen, nor ears heard, nor the heart of Man fathom it. Verse 19 stated, “He will show wonders in heaven and signs in the earth beneath”. It is the Man of the Spirit that will see the signs that the Lord is showing on earth as wonders of heaven or awesomeness of God. The signs will be disputed by the UNINFORMED or UNBELIEVERS as of the time of Paul or Peter. The signs will be mocked because they could not see God at work.
That is why a set of people will be taught of the new that the Lord wants to pour out, some will be able to catch it and some will not. The old wineskin is in the way.
Deut.29:29 states that "the secret things belong to the Lord". Matthew 13:11, reveals that "not all are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven". Amos 3: 7 also says, “…unless He reveals His secrets to His servants, the prophets”.
These secrets are not the letter that we read in the Bible, but the same scriptures of the Bible that the Holy Spirit breathes on which becomes life. (2 Cor. 4:6) The Lord said His thoughts are neither our thoughts, nor His ways our ways…for as the heavens are higher than our ways, so are His ways higher than our ways and His thoughts than our thoughts. (Jeremiah 55:8)
The Lord wants to reveal His heart to His people, but the ones that are clay in His hands, and are not set in their ways but have laid off the old wineskin will be able to hear the new that the Lord has prepared for these last days.
Let go of the old wineskin!
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
Positioning in God's Terms
A lot of prophecies have gone out at the beginning of the year (and we are still hearing about it) concerning the Church, Us, positioning ourselves as God wants us to. It is just recently that I believe, by the Holy Spirit, I am getting an understanding of what positioning means in God's terms.
When I first started hearing about positioning, I thought God was going to just tell me exactly what I need to do or where to be and that is it, I am made for life. So, I was waiting for that big instruction, which never came as I thought it would. But as the Holy Spirit started revealing to me what positioning means, I realized (thank God), that I have been doing exactly that, (though it could be better).
What is positioning in God's terms? I believe it is hearing and obeying God. but it is not just hearing and being obedient, it is obeying those instructions that seems senseless in our ears that will put us in the path of positioning. I see positioning as a ladder, whereby, the top of the ladder is where God wants you to be, but for you to get to that top, you have to take the first step of the ladder as He instructs you to. He might say, take the first step using your right leg. If you take those exact instructions for granted and take the first step with the left leg, then you miss it totally. But it is very essential to be able to hear God clearly. The Lord speaks, but because of all the worldly issues that surrounds us, they tend to drown God's voice and so, we miss those instructions. As the Bible says in Psalm 91:1 ~ "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty". It is in the secret place, in His Presence that we get instructions on the steps to take so that we are not outside His shadow.
I also came to understand that without the fear of God, there is no reason why we would want to obey instructions that 'seems senseless'. Genesis 22:2 shows us how God told Abraham to take his son, his only son, to offer him as a burnt offering to Him. What amazes me was Abraham did not argue with the Lord; his only son that he loves.. He rose up early in the morning...and did as he was told (verse 3). And just as he was about to slay his only son, God said, "...do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him, FOR NOW I KNOW THAT YOU FEAR GOD since you have not withheld your son, your only son from me". It wasn't the fear of what God was going to do if he had not obeyed, it was the fear of displeasing this God that he loves. Of course, there is consequences of disobedience, but we do not fear the Lord because of that. We also know that there was faith and trust in the Lord from Abraham's part, when his son asked him in verse 7 where the lamb was for offering. Abaraham said in verse 8, "God will provide for Himself the Lamb for a burnt offering". And so He did.
I believe that this is the time where our relationship and fellowship with the Lord needs to be sure and certain, hearing and running with the instructions God gives, regardless of how " senseless it might seem" is very crucial, so that we can be at that place where He wants us to be, to fulfil His purpose, bringing pleasure to Him by being fruitful in our calling and being blessed because we obeyed.
When I first started hearing about positioning, I thought God was going to just tell me exactly what I need to do or where to be and that is it, I am made for life. So, I was waiting for that big instruction, which never came as I thought it would. But as the Holy Spirit started revealing to me what positioning means, I realized (thank God), that I have been doing exactly that, (though it could be better).
What is positioning in God's terms? I believe it is hearing and obeying God. but it is not just hearing and being obedient, it is obeying those instructions that seems senseless in our ears that will put us in the path of positioning. I see positioning as a ladder, whereby, the top of the ladder is where God wants you to be, but for you to get to that top, you have to take the first step of the ladder as He instructs you to. He might say, take the first step using your right leg. If you take those exact instructions for granted and take the first step with the left leg, then you miss it totally. But it is very essential to be able to hear God clearly. The Lord speaks, but because of all the worldly issues that surrounds us, they tend to drown God's voice and so, we miss those instructions. As the Bible says in Psalm 91:1 ~ "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty". It is in the secret place, in His Presence that we get instructions on the steps to take so that we are not outside His shadow.
I also came to understand that without the fear of God, there is no reason why we would want to obey instructions that 'seems senseless'. Genesis 22:2 shows us how God told Abraham to take his son, his only son, to offer him as a burnt offering to Him. What amazes me was Abraham did not argue with the Lord; his only son that he loves.. He rose up early in the morning...and did as he was told (verse 3). And just as he was about to slay his only son, God said, "...do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him, FOR NOW I KNOW THAT YOU FEAR GOD since you have not withheld your son, your only son from me". It wasn't the fear of what God was going to do if he had not obeyed, it was the fear of displeasing this God that he loves. Of course, there is consequences of disobedience, but we do not fear the Lord because of that. We also know that there was faith and trust in the Lord from Abraham's part, when his son asked him in verse 7 where the lamb was for offering. Abaraham said in verse 8, "God will provide for Himself the Lamb for a burnt offering". And so He did.
I believe that this is the time where our relationship and fellowship with the Lord needs to be sure and certain, hearing and running with the instructions God gives, regardless of how " senseless it might seem" is very crucial, so that we can be at that place where He wants us to be, to fulfil His purpose, bringing pleasure to Him by being fruitful in our calling and being blessed because we obeyed.
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
When I Am Weak....
Being a matured single lady can be hard especially if you have been married before. You miss companionship and it can be very lonely, nights especially. I struggled (and still do) very hard at the very early stage of my singleness (as a widow). I yearned for intimacy and wished things were back to how it was before, but obviously, that can only stay as a wish.
But as each day comes, I keep growing in the Lord. I remember my Father in the Lord, telling me that if it happens that I fall, I should pick myself up, confess and repent to the Lord and move on. Obvioulsy, the consequences of it is a setback in my walk with the Lord. But I will and should keep walking with the Lord.
I also have come to realise why it was very hard in my struggle in the early stage. I was trying to obey the law: "Do not fornicate", "Do not commit adultery". I was trying to do it in my power and strength.
I am understanding that it is my love for the Lord that can help me to receive the grace that He has made available for me and situations like this. I am made to bring pleasure to Him. My life is supposed to be pleasing in His sight. And that is my desire because I love Him. So why would I want to hurt somebody that I love or who loves me so much?
And with this revelational knowledge, every single time I feel overwhelmed with the struggle, I cry out unto Him. And this will make you laugh: I sing myself to sleep with songs like these:
"Hold me close, let your love surround me
Bring me near, draw me to Your side
And as I wait, I rise up like an eagle
And I will soar with You
Your Spirit leads me on
By the power of Your love"
"Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms"
There was another one I sang the other day, but cannot remember. And everytime I talk about it or think about it, I laugh at myself, but thanking God for the abundance of grace at each moment that I cry out to Him.
And so, I am using this opportunity to encourage singles out there, matured, young or old; secure yourself in His love. Let God be real to you and in your singleness, you will find strength.
2 Corinthians 12:8-10
But as each day comes, I keep growing in the Lord. I remember my Father in the Lord, telling me that if it happens that I fall, I should pick myself up, confess and repent to the Lord and move on. Obvioulsy, the consequences of it is a setback in my walk with the Lord. But I will and should keep walking with the Lord.
I also have come to realise why it was very hard in my struggle in the early stage. I was trying to obey the law: "Do not fornicate", "Do not commit adultery". I was trying to do it in my power and strength.
Galatians 5:4
"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace!"
I am understanding that it is my love for the Lord that can help me to receive the grace that He has made available for me and situations like this. I am made to bring pleasure to Him. My life is supposed to be pleasing in His sight. And that is my desire because I love Him. So why would I want to hurt somebody that I love or who loves me so much?
And with this revelational knowledge, every single time I feel overwhelmed with the struggle, I cry out unto Him. And this will make you laugh: I sing myself to sleep with songs like these:
"Hold me close, let your love surround me
Bring me near, draw me to Your side
And as I wait, I rise up like an eagle
And I will soar with You
Your Spirit leads me on
By the power of Your love"
"Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms"
There was another one I sang the other day, but cannot remember. And everytime I talk about it or think about it, I laugh at myself, but thanking God for the abundance of grace at each moment that I cry out to Him.
And so, I am using this opportunity to encourage singles out there, matured, young or old; secure yourself in His love. Let God be real to you and in your singleness, you will find strength.
2 Corinthians 12:8-10
"Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Thursday, 20 January 2011
A Privileged Position
Every time I mention that I am a widow or my husband passed away not too long ago, the responses I get are "Oh!, Ah!, I am so sorry!, It is well with you!" On Facebook, I must not put anything related to being a widow or show any sign of downcasted, and I get prayers from nooks and corners of Facebook, in other words, the world.
I so appreciate the concerns of people and I am grateful, particularly for the ones that pray for me, some that I have not even met and maybe never meet face to face until we get to heaven.
A revelation came to me recently. This revelation was not what I did not know before. Immediately my husband passed away, it was sang into my hears from so many people. I remembered somebody saying that I should go and study about it, which I tried, but, I was too enveloped with, "Why is this happening to me/us?" I went on emotional roller coaster, from being angry to downhearted to extremely happy (to prove to people that I am not dispirited) and back to being angry.
I also joke about it to my friends and even when praying to God, I mention it to Him.
But something happened recently, and the revelation became real to me. I am part of a group in the bible school and we were supposed to contribute some money in the group. There are two couples in the group and I am the fifth person. The amount that was suppposed to be divided among us is just over £100. I got a text message from one of the members of the group that it has been divided into three families. I wanted to get angry because I thought it shouldn't be. We were not put into the groups as families but as individuals. So I will be paying 2 people's contribution. Then the Holy Spirit said I should leave it. I left it at that time, but it kept coming back. I believe the next morning, I checked the other groups to confirm that thought. I also wanted to call the Principal.
Then God started ministering to me. He said, "Am I not your husband? Is £38 pounds too much for me to split with you?" And I thought, "What is £38 to you Lord? Nothing! You that hold the world in Your hands and I am like a speck in this world, yet, You are still mindful of me! Of course, You are my husband and the Father of the Fatherless, so Yes we are a couple!" And my eyes opened to another aspect of God. I see myself as the Lord's Belle; the Lord's Lady.
It is a privileged position to be. This blog is for all the widows out there. You are the wife of the Lord. The Lord is your husband. Look at some of the promises listed below that He has for you as a widow:
I so appreciate the concerns of people and I am grateful, particularly for the ones that pray for me, some that I have not even met and maybe never meet face to face until we get to heaven.
A revelation came to me recently. This revelation was not what I did not know before. Immediately my husband passed away, it was sang into my hears from so many people. I remembered somebody saying that I should go and study about it, which I tried, but, I was too enveloped with, "Why is this happening to me/us?" I went on emotional roller coaster, from being angry to downhearted to extremely happy (to prove to people that I am not dispirited) and back to being angry.
I also joke about it to my friends and even when praying to God, I mention it to Him.
But something happened recently, and the revelation became real to me. I am part of a group in the bible school and we were supposed to contribute some money in the group. There are two couples in the group and I am the fifth person. The amount that was suppposed to be divided among us is just over £100. I got a text message from one of the members of the group that it has been divided into three families. I wanted to get angry because I thought it shouldn't be. We were not put into the groups as families but as individuals. So I will be paying 2 people's contribution. Then the Holy Spirit said I should leave it. I left it at that time, but it kept coming back. I believe the next morning, I checked the other groups to confirm that thought. I also wanted to call the Principal.
Then God started ministering to me. He said, "Am I not your husband? Is £38 pounds too much for me to split with you?" And I thought, "What is £38 to you Lord? Nothing! You that hold the world in Your hands and I am like a speck in this world, yet, You are still mindful of me! Of course, You are my husband and the Father of the Fatherless, so Yes we are a couple!" And my eyes opened to another aspect of God. I see myself as the Lord's Belle; the Lord's Lady.
It is a privileged position to be. This blog is for all the widows out there. You are the wife of the Lord. The Lord is your husband. Look at some of the promises listed below that He has for you as a widow:
- “You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry!" ~ Exodus 22:22-23
- ‘Cursed is the one who perverts the justice due the stranger, the fatherless, and widow.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ ~ Deuteronomy 27:19
- "A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation" ~ Psalm 68-5
- "The LORD will destroy the house of the proud, But He will establish the boundary of the widow." ~ Proverbs 15:25
- “ Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; For you will forget the shame of your youth, And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore." ~ Isaiah 54:4
- "Leave your fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; And let your widows trust in Me.” ~ Jeremiah 49:11
- "For your Creator will be your husband; the Lord of Almighty is his name! He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth." ~ Isaiah 54:5
Tuesday, 18 January 2011
Rebuild My Temple
"Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins?" ~ Haggai 1:4 (NLT)
If we all ponder on this scripture, in a way we can see ourselves in what the Lord is saying. Our focus is on how we can build our kingdoms and make ourselves and our families comfortable. We have been living a convenient life of Christianity, which shouldn't be. The Lord is saying it is enough!
Verses 5 and 6 shows exactly the state of where the body of Christ is. The Preachers have gone haywire with the prosperity message, but the more they preach it, the more lack is emphasised. Does that not show that there is something wrong somewhere? " You have planted much, but harvested little...."
The 'prosperity messages' have their place. Of course, the Lord wants His people to prosper as He said in 3 John 3:1-2:
"Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers."
But our heart, our motive is totally wrong. It is all about 'me' and 'my kingdom' instead of God and His Kingdom. Proverbs 17:20:
"A bad motive can't achieve a good end;
double-talk brings you double trouble." (Message Bible)
Verse 13 of Haggai 2, "Then Haggai responded, “That is how it is with this people and this nation, says the Lord. Everything they do and everything they offer is defiled by their sin."
He instructed us in verse 7 to "go up into the hills, bring down timber.....", that is the work of our hands, our callings (Pastors, Doctors, Lawyers, Businessmen etc), " and rebuild my house".
Eccl: 9:10-11
Verse 10 - "Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom."
The 'whatever' there is what God has called and purposed us to do. It is time to align ourselves to God's will and purpose for us. It is time to do God's work.That is what will save us from the economic depression that has been prophesied over and over again.
Chapter 2 of Haggai, verse 20:
“Tell Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, that I am about to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overthrow royal thrones and destroy the power of foreign kingdoms. I will overturn their chariots and riders. The horses will fall, and their riders will kill each other."
Chapter 2 of Haggai, verses 6-9:
“For this is what the Lord Almighty says: In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the dry land. I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will be brought to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory, says the Lord Almighty. "
But God assured His own people with these promises; the ones that stay in obedience by rebuilding His temple, the ones that says, "Your will O Lord is my will":
"I am giving you a promise now while the seed is still in the barn. You have not yet harvested your grain, and your grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, and olive trees have not yet produced their crops. But from this day onward I will bless you.” Verse 19
"The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord Almighty. The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord Almighty. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Almighty, have spoken!” Verses 8 and 9
“But when this happens, says the Lord Almighty, I will honor you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant. I will make you like a signet ring on my finger, says the Lord, for I have chosen you. I, the Lord Almighty, have spoken!” Verse 23
Seek God for your calling, purpose and your positioning, watch and guard your heart and motive, and do the work of the Lord dilligently and faithfully!
If we all ponder on this scripture, in a way we can see ourselves in what the Lord is saying. Our focus is on how we can build our kingdoms and make ourselves and our families comfortable. We have been living a convenient life of Christianity, which shouldn't be. The Lord is saying it is enough!
Verses 5 and 6 shows exactly the state of where the body of Christ is. The Preachers have gone haywire with the prosperity message, but the more they preach it, the more lack is emphasised. Does that not show that there is something wrong somewhere? " You have planted much, but harvested little...."
The 'prosperity messages' have their place. Of course, the Lord wants His people to prosper as He said in 3 John 3:1-2:
"Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers."
But our heart, our motive is totally wrong. It is all about 'me' and 'my kingdom' instead of God and His Kingdom. Proverbs 17:20:
"A bad motive can't achieve a good end;
double-talk brings you double trouble." (Message Bible)
Verse 13 of Haggai 2, "Then Haggai responded, “That is how it is with this people and this nation, says the Lord. Everything they do and everything they offer is defiled by their sin."
He instructed us in verse 7 to "go up into the hills, bring down timber.....", that is the work of our hands, our callings (Pastors, Doctors, Lawyers, Businessmen etc), " and rebuild my house".
Eccl: 9:10-11
Verse 10 - "Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom."
The 'whatever' there is what God has called and purposed us to do. It is time to align ourselves to God's will and purpose for us. It is time to do God's work.That is what will save us from the economic depression that has been prophesied over and over again.
Chapter 2 of Haggai, verse 20:
“Tell Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, that I am about to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overthrow royal thrones and destroy the power of foreign kingdoms. I will overturn their chariots and riders. The horses will fall, and their riders will kill each other."
Chapter 2 of Haggai, verses 6-9:
“For this is what the Lord Almighty says: In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the dry land. I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will be brought to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory, says the Lord Almighty. "
But God assured His own people with these promises; the ones that stay in obedience by rebuilding His temple, the ones that says, "Your will O Lord is my will":
"I am giving you a promise now while the seed is still in the barn. You have not yet harvested your grain, and your grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, and olive trees have not yet produced their crops. But from this day onward I will bless you.” Verse 19
"The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord Almighty. The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord Almighty. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Almighty, have spoken!” Verses 8 and 9
“But when this happens, says the Lord Almighty, I will honor you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant. I will make you like a signet ring on my finger, says the Lord, for I have chosen you. I, the Lord Almighty, have spoken!” Verse 23
Seek God for your calling, purpose and your positioning, watch and guard your heart and motive, and do the work of the Lord dilligently and faithfully!
Monday, 10 January 2011
Pulling the Crowd
This blog might not sit well with some people. But I'll obey the Lord as the Holy Spirit impresses it on me.
Most of us are familiar with Church events, from crusades, to conferences, worship nights/evenings, revival services, breakthrough services...etc.
We are also familiar with billboards, flyers, adverts on TV with the big names to create awareness for the program. And when you ask, “why are you bringing this 'big name' “, the answer is: TO PULL THE CROWD.
To be fair, some organisers of these events invite the big names because of the unction of the Holy Spirit on their lives. As the Bible says, in Ephesians 4:11-13:
"And He Himself 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, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;"
My question is why slap these big names and faces on the publication? Is the ‘crowd’ that we are trying to draw coming to meet the Lord or the 'big name'? Are these events Man-focused or God-focused? How come we don't trust the name of the Lord to pull the crowd? Is God’s name not enough to draw His people to a gathering? After all, He is the ALMIGHTY! Why can’t we TRUST THE NAME OF THE LORD? Why can't we obey the Master that sent us, (unless we are sending ourselves)?
We can see few times in the Bible how God will summon His people to come and meet Him in a particular place. Exodus 19 gives us an example of this event. Moses was told by God in verses 10 and 11 that He will be “coming down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.” Moses did not have to ‘design’ how He would pull the crowd. He just told the Israelites exactly what the Lord said. I believe the people that were supposed to be there were there, because they feared the Lord. They came to meet the Lord and not Moses.
In the eyes of the world or Man, the bigger the crowd shows how successful the event is. But in the eyes of God, it is our motive and how obedient to His Word that He looks at.
1 Samuel 16:7
“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” “
Obedience is the most important aspect of doing God’s work, not the work itself. We obey, and everything we fall exactly according to how He wants it, not how we want it!
Most of us are familiar with Church events, from crusades, to conferences, worship nights/evenings, revival services, breakthrough services...etc.
We are also familiar with billboards, flyers, adverts on TV with the big names to create awareness for the program. And when you ask, “why are you bringing this 'big name' “, the answer is: TO PULL THE CROWD.
To be fair, some organisers of these events invite the big names because of the unction of the Holy Spirit on their lives. As the Bible says, in Ephesians 4:11-13:
"And He Himself 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, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;"
My question is why slap these big names and faces on the publication? Is the ‘crowd’ that we are trying to draw coming to meet the Lord or the 'big name'? Are these events Man-focused or God-focused? How come we don't trust the name of the Lord to pull the crowd? Is God’s name not enough to draw His people to a gathering? After all, He is the ALMIGHTY! Why can’t we TRUST THE NAME OF THE LORD? Why can't we obey the Master that sent us, (unless we are sending ourselves)?
We can see few times in the Bible how God will summon His people to come and meet Him in a particular place. Exodus 19 gives us an example of this event. Moses was told by God in verses 10 and 11 that He will be “coming down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.” Moses did not have to ‘design’ how He would pull the crowd. He just told the Israelites exactly what the Lord said. I believe the people that were supposed to be there were there, because they feared the Lord. They came to meet the Lord and not Moses.
In the eyes of the world or Man, the bigger the crowd shows how successful the event is. But in the eyes of God, it is our motive and how obedient to His Word that He looks at.
1 Samuel 16:7
“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” “
Obedience is the most important aspect of doing God’s work, not the work itself. We obey, and everything we fall exactly according to how He wants it, not how we want it!
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