T.E.D. Messengers

Tags

Apostles, Deploy, Ephesians 4, Equip, Preachers, Prophets, Teachers, Train

One of the more well-known pubic speaking platforms in the world is the TED Talk. If you have never watched a TED Talk, you can find them quite easily, but the best part about a TED Talk is that they are concise, content rich, conversations that bring an idea, a truth or a proposal to a public setting from someone who has done extensive research on the subject in which they are presenting. I believe this is what we as communicators of the gospel are called to be, we are called to be a T.E.D. Messengers. Now, of course the original TED Talk is not what we see on the videos online, in the kingdom of God, a T.E.D. Messenger is one who has been Trained, Equipped and Deployed with a Message.

The question I have for you is who trained you? Who equipped you? And Who are you looking to deploy you? Many people who have a message are trained by a school, a prayer room, or a ministry that carries a specific message or mandate, but what if that is not what God intended for you and for I as believers in the kingdom of God. Was the apostle Paul, trained, equipped and deployed by a man or a ministry? Who was Peter trained, equipped and deployed by in order to bring the message he did on Pentecost, when 3000 got saved? The answer to both of these questions is, Jesus Christ Himself. Paul said the gospel he preached was given to him by revelation, directly from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Peter, we know was trained, equipped and deployed by Jesus Christ in the flesh. Now what about you, who has trained and equipped you, who is going to deploy you?

The reason this question is being presented is because if you are trained, equipped and deployed by a man or his ministry, then there is an expectation that you will carry the message of that man or his ministry. But if you are trained and equipped by Jesus Christ Himself, then when He is ready to deploy you, He will send you out with His message, the gospel of the kingdom, for John said in 1 John 2:27”As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about ALL things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.” The apostle John said there are people who are taught by the anointing and they are taught to abide in Christ and as they abide (John 15) they are taught even more.

These ones that are arising in this hour, during this decade of the mouth, Hebrew year 5780, will be ones who come with the gospel of the kingdom, not the doctrines of men. They have been in hiding, by invitation, and they have been taught by the Word of God, they are ones that abide in the secret place of the Most High, they are lovers of the Word of God, who is God. As they arise with the message of the kingdom, it will shake the religious system, just as the message of Peter on Pentecost shook the Temple system. Many doctrines of men will be countered by the Word of God. They will not seek to stir up controversy, but the Truth that is going to set people free is the Word of God and when the undiluted Word of God is preached, systems will shake, people will be delivered and Jesus Christ will be glorified.

T.E.D. Messengers are ones that have been trained by the Lord, equipped by the Lord and are about to be deployed by the Lord Himself, they carry the message of the Lord and the Truth will set people free. It is the new wine coming out of the new wineskins, it is going to taste different and some will reject it, but they will not be able to deny that it is Truth. The lukewarm church, which has sought to entertain the people will lose its influence, for people will know the Truth when they hear it. The Truth is a person, Jesus Christ, this is His gospel of the kingdom, the eternal gospel and it is going to be music to the ears of those who are tired of dead religion. Ready or not, here comes the T.E.D. Messengers.

Love is Kryptonite to the Enemy

Tags

Apostles, church, Discipleship, Follow Me, Harvest, Jesus, leadership, Movement, Parables

Love is Kryptonite to the Enemy

 

 

Have you ever had a frustration conversation with the Lord? You know one of those prayer times where somethings off, you feel stuck, heaven seems silent on an issue? I had one of those talks with the Lord just the other day. During this, let’s be honest, one sided conversation, I was doing all the talking, the Lord spoke to me and said, “Follow the yellow brick road”. Now for religious people that will be hard to believe God would say that, but to relationship people, they totally get it. God said, “Follow the yellow brick road.” I had just bought the movie the Wizard of Oz, as someone I met is doing a prophetic project in Kansas and asked me to watch it. I grabbed my pen and paper and sat down to watch the Wizard of Oz like I would a sermon. What I didn’t know was how prophetic that movie would be for me.

“Jesus called a little child to stand among them. “Truly I tell you, He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3-4). As I watched this movie the Lord began to speak to me from go. First of all, Dorothy was living with her aunt and uncle, so she was either orphaned or some other situation happened to her parents. Next, she had a dream, which is what put her into the land of Oz and she knew she had gone over the rainbow. Upon arrival in her house, which was the vehicle that took her to the land of Oz, she landed on the wicked witch of the East and killed her. With instructions from the leader of the munchkins, she took the ruby red slippers off of the wicked witch of the East and put them on her feet and was told these slippers would protect her, so just follow the yellow brick road. (There are so many prophetic things right here for you to consider).

The story goes on and she meets three men on her following of the yellow brick road, a scarecrow who needs intelligence, a tin man who needs a heart and a lion who needs courage. As each joins her on following the yellow brick road, to Emerald City to meet the Oz, she encounters along the way the wicked witch of the West. The truth that hit me like a tidal wave was, that because she was wearing the ruby red slippers, the wicked witch of the West could not lay a hand on her. When the Lord highlighted this to me, I remembered that in scripture rubies mean passionate love. The Lord spoke to me and said, “Lisa, passionate lovers are kryptonite to the enemy, because he has no love in him”.

Immediately, I began to weep, as I knew that love is the answer to victory in our lives as believers. When we are lovers, the enemy cannot touch us, love is kryptonite to the enemy. No wonder Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). Our love for God and for one another is what keeps the enemy at bay, for if we are lovers of God and lovers of people, he has nothing in us to work with. No wonder the enemy had nothing in Jesus (John 14:30), Jesus was a lover of His Father and of us as people. This is powerful to me, for I knew love was the answer, but I did not realize how powerful it actually was.

As the movie came to an end, they arrived at the door of the Emerald City and finally met the Oz, who did not grant their requests as presented for a brain, heart, courage and a home, but he gave them more than they asked for. Not only did love keep the enemy at bay, love kept them on the yellow brick road that led them to the place where they were given more than they could have asked or even imagined (Ephesians 3:20). When we are wearing the ruby red slippers of passionate love for God and for people, the enemy cannot touch us, for love is kryptonite to the enemy.

 

Two Roads, One Choice

Tags

Advance, Apostles, Forward, kingdom of God, March, Move of God, Prophets

The body of Christ is in a paramount shift like one we who are alive today have not ever experienced. The Spirit realm is electric with anticipation of what is coming. Because we are in a place of such great transition, it is paramount that we are patient, not pushy, and we flow, not force our way into what is about to take place on the earth. What God has planned for ages will be manifest on the earth, for this is His idea, not ours, His plan, not ours, His way, not ours. Remember Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.”

What God is about to do is so big, that many are sensing that something is coming, and with this sense comes a desire to be in control, not out of control. So, what I have noticed is two roads that the Lord is laying out before us. This is in line with scripture, for there were 2 trees in the garden; 2 choices in Deuteronomy 30:15; and two sons in Galatians 4; God always gives us a choice, He never forces us to do anything. So, we have two roads laid out before us in this unprecedented time in history, the road called familiar or the road called forward. In Luke 11:31-32 Jesus talks about how the people of God were so familiar with God they missed Jesus, but the outsiders traveled from far away to come and see this man who was greater than Solomon or Jonah. The outsiders took the road called forward, while the people of God preferred the road called familiar.

We are sitting at a crossroad, the choice is yours will you follow the road called familiar, which is low risk, low reward, or will you take the road called forward that is high risk, high reward. The road called forward is a walk of faith, it takes trust, you cannot always see what is ahead, but you have decided to put your hand to the plow and not look back. You may be afraid at times, but courage keeps you moving forward. You may not be able to identify what this move is going to look like, but you know it is like nothing we have ever seen before, so you press forward. Or are you going to choose the familiar. Looking back at past moves of God and trying to recycle what has already been done. Will you choose the familiar out of fear of missing the mark, believing a lie or out of sheer laziness. The familiar road is the easy road, the broad road, there will be many who take it. This is not a salvation issue, this is a traveling choice.

I see pioneers, apostles, prophets, leaders of the next move of God on the road called forward. They don’t have all the answers, but they do have a lot of questions that keep them moving forward. They are lovers of God and lovers of each other, not in competition, not trying to label what God is doing, not trying to be the first voice to speak the next move. They have their eyes fixed on Jesus and they follow His voice only. They know Who they are with, so what they do is inconsequential to them. Their marching orders are forward.

There are two roads laid out before us, one called familiar and the other called forward, the choice is yours as to which one you will take, but as for me and my house, we are going forward.

 

The Father’s Business

Tags

Apostles, Business, Joshua, Kingdom, Prophecy

What is the Father’s business? Many who are in full time ministry would say they are doing the Father’s business, others who desire to be in full time ministry would say they are wanting to work in the Father’s business, so what exactly is the Father’s business? I saw a statement someone made this week that said, serving the Lord is the highest priority in life, everything else comes second. The one and only comment under this statement was, “Are you married?” This is the context in which I asked the Lord, what exactly is the Father’s business that many claim to be doing, that many claim to value so highly, Lord, what is the Father’s business. His answer, Luke 2:46-52.

Luke 2:46-52 says, “After three days of separation, they finally found Him—sitting among a group of religious teachers in the temple—asking them questions, listening to their answers. ⁴⁷ Everyone was surprised and impressed that a 12-year-old boy could have such deep understanding and could answer questions with such wisdom. ⁴⁸ His parents, of course, had a different reaction. Son, why have You treated us this way? Listen, Your father and I have been sick with worry for the last three days, wondering where You were, looking everywhere for You. ⁴⁹ Why did you need to look for Me? Didn’t you know that I must be working for My Father? ⁵⁰ Neither Mary nor Joseph really understood what He meant by this. ⁵¹ Jesus went back to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. His mother continued to store these memories like treasures in her heart. ⁵² And Jesus kept on growing—in wisdom, in physical stature, in favor with God, and in favor with others.”

The Father’s business is sitting, listening, learning, asking questions, listening to answers, gaining wisdom and deep understanding. This is the Father’s business. Paul did it when He spent 14 years in the Arabian desert; Moses did it when he spent 40 years on the backside of a mountain, before he picked up the Israelites to lead them through the wilderness; Mary did it when she sat at Jesus’ feet and was told she had the better portion and it would not be taken from her. Scripture is riddled with people who were doing the Father’s business of listening and learning, so they had deep understanding and wisdom.

Today people will say they are doing the Father’s business as they build another church, preach another sermon, establish another program, go on another mission trip, but this is not the Father’s business. The reality that the majority of leaders in the church are not doing the Father’s business is evidenced in the multiple echo’s we hear, but next to no voices. Preaching something someone else has been saying for years, because building something external is more important, more glamourous, more visible than building yourself inside strong and building others the same way. Paul spent more time traveling than he did preaching and he was more effective than all the preachers on the earth today. Why? Because he like, Mary, Moses and Jesus all knew what the Father’s business was and they worked in it.

2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If My people ^[a]who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” The healing of our land starts with humility, humility is admitting you are not who you think you are and you are not doing what you think you are doing. Humility is a nice way of saying, repent. Repent, return to the Father’s business, stop being busy doing nothing, for you may feel important, but it is evidenced to the world and the church alike that we are not about our Father’s business.

I know it is not glamourous; I know no one will see what you are building; I know that it is not evidenced right away; but the apostles among us, that have been doing the Father’s business are not being trained to have sudden prosperity, they are being trained for a battle that is about to ensue. When Joshua was handed the role of leader when Moses died, it was not for prosperity, debt cancellation or some other suddenly blessing, it was for a battle. The first thing Joshua did was go to battle against Jericho, a thickly walled city. This is where we are headed, to a battled with a thickly walled people, who have been wounded by the echo’s, the empty promises, the pain of many experiences that have gone unhealed. We are headed to battle, this is why the Father’s business is building people inside strong!

Apostles Are Among Us

Tags

ambassadors, Apostles, Arising, church, city, country, Discipleship

The other day, I heard the phrase, apostles are among us, in my spirit. As I have meditated on it the past couple of days and prayed into it, the Lord began to reveal to me what it means and it brought such freedom to me, that I wanted to share it with you, hoping it will bring some understanding to those that may be wondering what is happening in us, through us and around us. Apostles are sent ones, it is a function, not a title, they are not special in the sense that they have more value than any other person in the body of Christ, they just have a different function. That is why Paul said in I Corinthians, not all are apostles. Remember the context of this statement was about being a body and each having a different function. So, when I say apostles are among us, it is not about hierarchy or pecking order, but rather a function.

Living in a world where the enemy is making it clear through the news that he has agents of destruction planted in the soil of our cities, countries, and churches, the Lord also has people planted among us and they are called apostles. Apostles activate the people of God to do the work of God in order to advance the kingdom of God. The apostolic gift is an activation gift for the body of Christ. Jesus is called the apostle of our faith, He is the one that activates our faith into action through His word. Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles, he activated the truth that Gentiles could experience the same salvation that Jews did. The apostolic function is for activation. There are apostles among us.

A group of people were called to be apostles, but they did not know when they accepted the call to the wilderness training, on the back side of the desert, in obscurity, this is what they were being called to be. They entered this training out of obedience to the voice of God, not sure where they were going, but knowing they heard the voice of Him who called them out of darkness into His light, so they followed. The training has been hard, it has been lonely, it has brought disappointment, discouragement and a desire to quit, but the call to obey was stronger than all of these other things, so they stayed the course. When everyone else was sleeping, they were awake; when others were playing, they were in training; they have been underground this whole time, and yet living among us. Many have never heard there name, most have no idea what they are being called to do, very few have seen them in their assignment, because they have been in training.

Their weapons are worship and prayer, their leaves are their words and they will bring healing to the nations, they bear the fruit of the spirit in every season, they are apostolic ambassadors who take their commands from the Lord of Heaven and Earth. These men and women are among us, they have been rewired and refired for such a time as this. They have been called, consecrated and commissioned for the hour that is coming upon us. They know the voice of God, they know the word of God, they know how to be led by the spirit of God, they are not trying to make their own way prosperous, they are not looking for man to lift them up, they are an army of apostolic ambassadors and they are among us. Their source is God alone, they are servants, they seek first the kingdom of God and they have a helmet of salvation, a breastplace of righteousness, a belt that is truth, shoes that are the gospel, a shield that is faith, and a sword that is the word of God. They are fearless.

The Lord has been teaching them in the apostolic training school on the back side of the desert, they are planted in the soil of every sector of society, they are diverse, yet one. They are dressed and ready for battle, ready to reap the harvest, ready to disciple nations, not for their glory, but for His glory. When the Lord calls for their arising you will know who they are, for they will activate the body of Christ as one unit to advance the kingdom of God. They are lovers of God and lovers of people, but they do not compromise the truth. You will know them when they arise, they are still in training, they are still waiting for the commander’s voice to activate them on assignment, for they are the apostles among us and they are an army that has been trained for the battle that is at hand. The Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes. The apostles are among us!

Spiritual Eunuchs Wanted

Tags

Apostles, Eunuchs, Evangelist, pastor, Prophet, Teacher, Wanted

Apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher, are all positions that people are applying for or self-proclaiming as though this is what God is in need of. The amount of people jockeying to be in the 5-fold ministry in the church is a highly crowded field. Many that are in these roles are not even called to them, but because they sound prestigious, people want them. With so many people in these roles, I have asked the Lord why the church is not more effective; why the kingdom has not advanced to the degree that we have people in these positions. The answer I got was surprising, but not surprising.

One of the challenges of Christians is that they said a prayer but they did not change kingdoms. Because of this, many people have brought the world’s system into the church and have tried to impose it on the kingdom of God, but God Himself will not allow another system to overrule His system in the kingdom. So, we have used the name kingdom of God to describe church and they are not the same thing. When you come into the kingdom of God, there is a whole new system in which you must submit to or you will not stay in the kingdom. First of all the kingdom has a king and His name is Jesus the Son, God the Father and the Holy Spirit. He does not run a democracy; His laws do not change with culture; and He does not lower the standard so you can meet it.

With this being said, in the kingdom of God there is no jockeying for positions, titles or any power struggles. People who have truly come into the kingdom, they are all servants. They serve the king and the others in the kingdom with their gifts, callings and experiences. People recognize authority in the kingdom and submit to it, it is not forced upon you by a title. Therefore, because this is life in the kingdom, and most people are used to the church which is riddled with the world’s system, they struggle to live in the kingdom. While the church is over inundated with people vying for a 5-fold ministry position, the kingdom is looking for spiritual eunuchs.

A spiritual eunuch is someone who has chosen to live a life of celibacy, a spiritual virgin if you will. Someone who is not interested in having any other gods, engaging in any other activity that would compromise the purity of their relationship with the king. Eunuchs are servants, who because of their function with the king and his bride have chosen a life of chastity in word and deed. Eunuchs are reliable servants of a royal court who have physical access to the king and they yield great influence. They are highly trusted servants, humble servants that have the king’s ear. Eunuchs are seen as more trustworthy and less interested in establishing a private dynasty. (Wikipedia.com) Eunuchs are the one’s the king trusts to help beautify his bride.

2 Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of the Lord search back and forth across the whole earth, looking for people whose hearts are perfect toward Him, so that He can show His great power in helping them”.

God is hiring spiritual eunuchs, people who have set their life apart for His use only, they are not tempted by the world’s system, they are in love with the king and His kingdom. People who He can trust to help beautify His bride for the day that they meet face to face. “Let us be glad and rejoice and honor Him; for the time has come for the wedding banquet of the Lamb, and His bride has prepared herself” (Revelation 19:7). Those who have been hidden and have wondered what is this is all about, is it possible God has set you and I apart to be spiritual eunuchs that He is going to use to prepare the bride of Christ to meet her bridegroom? Personally, I love the idea that I have been set apart to be a spiritual eunuch, it is an honor to not only help beautify the bride, but to be apart of the bride as well and to be one that has the kings ear. So, the call goes out, spiritual eunuchs wanted!

For the eunuchs job description, read the book of Esther.

Back to Original

Tags

Apostles, church, Jewish people, Order, Teaching

Acts 2:42 “And they steadfastly persevered, devoting themselves constantly to the instructions and fellowship of the apostles, to the breaking of bread and prayers.”

The question has been asked, analyzed, criticized and sought to be actualized on various occasions as it pertains to what the early church looked like. Theologians more studious than myself have sought to explain what happened then, but God has a way of describing things that everyone can understand. You do not need to have a Doctorate in Church History to understand God, for He speaks with a simplicity that a child can comprehend and a depth that baffles the most astute learner among us. So, what He shared with me about the church was simple yet profound, attainable and yet very difficult.

In the year AD70 the second and final temple of the Jewish people was destroyed, of which Jesus predicted/prophesied that this would happen. Since then, the Jews have never rebuilt another temple, and there are many reasons for this. Some being that Jesus is now the sacrifice for sins (Romans 3:25); Jesus is now the mediator between God and man(I Timothy 2:5); and the ark of the Covenant is inside of us as believers (Colossians 1:27). So, since there has never been another temple built since that one was destroyed and all the authors of the New Testament are Jews, what exactly was the Ekklesia (Greek for assembly from which we get the word church) in the New Testament? Was Peter a Sr. Pastor of a church in Galilee? Was John the Sr. Pastor of a church on the Island of Patmos? Did they build buildings and gather people every week to come and hear them preach? They were Jews, there was no temple, so what exactly did they do?

As I have pondered these questions, prayed about these questions, searched the scriptures about these questions, I finally heard how God viewed what they used to do and what I believe we are supposed to do. After the destruction of the Temple in AD70, the church left the building and went into homes. They did not build buildings, not because they didn’t have the money or the land, but because that is not what God wanted, henceforth, destroying the temple and it never being rebuilt by the Jews again. They went into houses, not because of persecution, but because of design. God did not want a central location like church as we understand it today, because movements are supposed to move, when they cease to move they become monuments and they cease to be a movement.

The Lord showed me that church today is like a restaurant, we drive to a building, we sit down, we are served worship, we are served the word, we pay our check (tithe) and we leave. But God wanted the church to be a potluck, where everyone makes something at home, then brings it to the house of God/gathering and we all get to partake of what others have prepared. That is why Paul said in I Corinthians 14:26 “When you meet together, each one has a hymn, a teaching, a disclosure of special knowledge or information, an utterance in a tongue, an interpretation of it. Let everything be constructive and edifying and for the good of all.” We are all to come together with something to add to the gathering. This is discipleship, this is why they needed order, this is how they matured, this is how they grew, this is how they changed the world, this why we need to get back to original. This is what God is doing right now!

Multiply Mandate

Tags

Apostles, Discipleship, Fruitful, Multiplication

Genesis 1:28 “God blessed them (men and women); and said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it…”

When we get off even a little bit from the truth of the word of God, it will eventually be that we are way off and noticeable to all. Unfortunately, in the church today, we have gotten off of the mandate to multiply and have engaged in the three “M’s” of ministry. We have moved from the mandate to multiply and we have manipulated, marketed and manufactured the gospel.

Manipulate means to manage or influence skillfully; to adapt or change to suit one’s purpose or advantage (Dictionary.com).

Market means a meeting of people for selling and buying; demand for a commodity (Dictionary.com)

Manufacture means to produce in a mechanical way without inspiration or originality (Dictionary.com)

The reason we like using the three “M’s” of ministry is because it is a great way to make money. The gospel was never meant to be manufactured, but because we have lost connection with the vine (John 15:4) we had to manufacture fruit in order to keep making money. So, we have bookstores filled with books of the same spirit, saying the same thing. We have manipulated the people into believing that the manufactured gospel which is produced in mass for the masses is what the Lord intended. We convince ourselves that if the Apostle Paul was here on the earth today, he would get on television, radio, podcast and platforms to preach his message. But is that really what our mandate is, to mass produce?

When we seek to be restored, God Himself resets us back to the original factory settings and when this happens, everything looks different, tastes different, smells different. God’s original plan was for us to multiply, not to mass produce. He even reiterated his multiplication mandate in Matthew 28:19-20 saying, “Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the Name…teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you…” How do you baptize a nation? How do you understand teaching them to observe?

For us to fulfill the great commission, us, all of us, not just a few certain people, we have to be in the lives of people. To baptize someone you have to be there and to let someone observe you and everything the Lord has taught you, you need to be in their life. Our mandate to multiply is discipleship. No it is not glamourous, no it is not going to make you famous on a national and international level, no it is not going to make you a millionaire, but it will make you rich. We were mandated by God Himself in Genesis and Matthew to multiply not manufacture, market and manipulate.

The storm is coming to soak the soil of people’s heart, so they can receive the word that will separate them from the world and make them into disciples. The only thing that is eternal is people. Jesus said, heaven and earth will pass away, but My Word will never pass away. He is the Word become flesh who dwelt among us (John 1:1). The mandate is to multiply!

Multiply means to make many, increase the number, to increase by procreation or natural generation (Dictionary.com)

Jesus multiplied Himself by 11 and those guys multiplied themselves and on and on it went, so now I am a disciple that is called to multiply. We have got to realize the disciples did not heal the sick to make money, they did not cast out demons to write books, they did not preach the gospel to become a Pastor, they did not prophesy so people called them Prophet or Prophetess, they did it because it is what they were discipled to do. They were not seeking to be rich or famous, they were seeking to make disciples. They were servants who were told to take up a towel, not sit on a certain row.

When we return to our mandate to multiply, we will see the signs, wonders, miracles and greater things Jesus spoke about, not to make us famous or so we can start a ministry, but so we can make disciples and see the crime rate in our city decrease, the fathers stay in the family, the abuse of women and children come to an end, poverty eradicated and safety return to our streets. When we obey the multiply mandate and make disciples, our community, our city, and our country will be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is how you baptize nations, by making disciples in your home, office or school. The day is coming when this dream is going to be a reality, for this is God’s multiply mandate.