What Do You See?

Tags

Christianity, Fake News, False Prophets, Gospel, Jeremiah, Kingdom, News, Prophecy, Truth, Vision

Jeremiah 1:11-12 says, “The word of the LORD came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?” “I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied. The LORD said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.” (NIV)

We are living in a time in history where God is asking the question of His people, what do you see? If God were to come to you today and ask you, what do you see, what would you say? What answer would you give God? Some would say they see politics; others would say they see a world leader or leaders; still others would say they see a mighty move of God that is going to change history. What do you see? When you peer into the spirit realm, when you lean into the heart of God, when you take your seat in heavenly places and look upon the earth, what do you see? Do you see anything? Do you see darkness or light? Do you see destruction or construction? Do you see life or death? What do you see? This is the question of the hour and the answer is telling.

It is undeniable that we are living in the revived hour of the prophetic. Five minutes on Facebook and you know that many people are prophesying what they see, what they hear, what they believe. For some it is confusing, for others it is confirming, it just depends on what you see. The gift of prophecy, according to 1 Corinthians 14:3 says, “the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.” If this is what the gift of prophecy is biblically designed to do, does what you see strengthen the body of believers, encourage the believers or comfort the believers? If it does not, it may not be the gift of prophesy but rather a personal opinion based on what you are seeing.

In this season of seeing, it is imperative that we see clearly. When God asked Jeremiah what do you see, Jeremiah responded by saying, I see the branch of an almond tree and the Lord replied to him, you have seen correctly. My question to us is, are we seeing correctly? Pulpit or periscope, microphone or iPhone, face to face or Facebook, wherever you are speaking, what you believe God is saying, the questions must asked what are you seeing and are you seeing correctly? In an age where Facebook does not hold you accountable for what you say, where your opinions on Periscope can be deleted after 24 hours, and where people can share whatever they want whenever they want, we must seek out others to hold us accountable to see if what we are seeing is correct.

Now, with that said, I believe God is speaking through people who do not have a church they preach in weekly, who do not have a platform in which they are well known, who genuinely hear from God and post those words on open platforms, but there is a lot of people who are not seeing clearly so we must see clearly so we can eat the meat and spit out the bones. Freedom without responsibility and accountability is bondage and even though you love your freedom of speech, just like Gamaliel said to the religious leaders, if this move is not of God it will not succeed (Acts 5:39), but if it is of God, which many arising leaders are not recognized yet, it will be unstoppable.

The reason we are seeing so much fake prophecy, false teachings and self-promotion is because we are in the middle of a transition of historical proportions. We are going to see a move of God that is unprecedented in our generation and it is going to have one name that is lifted high: the name of Jesus, one man that is going to get all the glory: the man Jesus and one message that is going to be preached: the gospel of Jesus Christ. So, don’t be moved by all the negative, destructive, political, things you see. Desperate people go to desperate measures to be seen and heard, but honorable people wait their turn, knowing full well that it is God who lifts us up, and then no man can bring us down. The uprising has begun, can you see it?

No Delay

Tags

grace, Kingdom, maturity, Prophecy, Truth, wisdom

“There is no such thing as delay, there is a lack of understanding the day.” This is what the Lord spoke to me this morning while in prayer. It has become popular to tell people they need to bind the spirit of delay; they need to prophesy, no more delay; and a variety of other variations of this vein. But, the Lord said to me, “there is no such thing as delay, there is a lack of understanding the day.” As I pondered these words, I realized we feel like there is a delay, because we put a time frame on the promise God has spoken. That is not delay, that is us not understanding the day.

In Joshua 6 the Lord speaks a word of promise to Joshua and the children of Israel about the city of Jericho, saying, “I have given Jericho, its king, and all its soldiers into your hands.” When God says something, it is going to happen, but when it happens is in the following verses, for the chapter goes on to release the strategy that needs to be employed for the promise to be actualized. Joshua 6:3-5 gives the strategy, “Every day for the next six days, you will march once around the city walls with all your fighting force. Seven priests will go in front of the covenant chest, each carrying a trumpet made from a ram’s horn. On the seventh day, you will march around the city walls seven times, and the priests will blow their trumpets.  When they play a long final blast, then all the people will give a mighty shout. The city walls will collapse in front of you, and all the Israelites will charge in and take the city.” Anyone of those soldiers could have decreed no more delay after day 1, 2, 3 or more, but it was not a delay, rather they were unaware of the day. If it is day 3, 4 or 5 there was not going to be any sign of victory for it was not the right day.

When we are unaware of what day we are in, based on the strategy God has spoken to us, we will cry, delay! But it is not a delay, we just don’t understand what day it is. People do this with so many things. We do it with prophesy, we do it with scripture, we do it with our end time ideas. If we don’t know the day, we won’t know where we are, but one thing is for sure, there is no delay. Joel 2 says, “In the last days…” (plural); Matthew 24:36 says, “On that day…” (singular); Galatians 6:9 speaks to a “due season”; whereas Romans 13:11 says, “now is the time and the hour…”. There is no such thing as delay, but there is a lack of understanding the days, day, season, time, or hour.

Many of us have a promise from God, we know that we know, God said…but the timing is where we are off. If we were honest, God did not give us a when it would happen, He only told us what would happen. For maturity to take place, it is important that we stop imposing our thoughts, our time frame, our faith in ourselves, rather we must listen not just to the promise, but the strategy about how to employ the promise and then we will better understand the day we are on, so we can be patient in the process, for the promise will not delay. Remember Habakkuk 2:3 “For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.”

“Don’t yell or shout. Don’t let your voice be heard until the day I tell you. And then I want you to shout with all your might” (Joshua 6:10).  If you are still in the silent stage, don’t worry it is not a delay, it is just not the day. Once the day arrives, trust me, you will shout, the walls will fall, the victory will be sure and the battle will be won quickly, for the Lord will say, NOW! Shout unto God with a voice of triumph! (Psalm 47:1). It is not a delay, it is design, because with God there is no delay.

The War We’re In

Tags

antichrist, Battle, deception, Kingdom, Truth, War

One moment on the news and you know we are in a war. One hour in church and you know we are in a war. One post on Facebook, Instagram, Google+ or Twitter and you know we are in a war. One statement that is not politically correct, no matter how truthful it is and you know we in a war. Very few people cannot recognize that we are in a war, but very few people are identifying what that war is accurately. Politicians believe we are in a political war between Democrats and Republicans. Hate groups believe we are in a war over freedom of speech. Terrorist groups believe we are in a war over religion. Other groups believe we are in a war over the color of our skin, the definition of marriage, or the status of your visa. 
Depending on the way you think, you may believe that one of the listed wars are the war we are in. Honestly, I can understand why you would think that, because on the surface that is what it looks like to the naked eye. However, as believers in Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of God who was manifested in flesh on earth and is seated in heaven at the right hand of the Father, who have a Bible, we must remember 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 “Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes”; 1 John 2:18 “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour”; and 2 Thessalonians 2:7 “For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work”. 
The war we are in is an age-old war that began when Lucifer was kicked out heaven (Isaiah 14) for seeking to exalt himself against the knowledge of God. The war has not changed, in the words of Bill Johnson, we were born into this war. Therefore, as believers we should not be alarmed when the anti-Christ spirit manifests in violence of its varying kinds, not just in America, but around the world. We should not be shocked that when law and order are restored, the spirit of lawlessness that has been at work silently in the hearts of men and women worldwide, would begin to put up a fight. The apostle Paul told us in Ephesians 6:10-18, that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against powers, principalities and rulers in the heavenly realms. He then went on in those verses to tell us how to dress so we are ready for the battle. None of this should surprise us. 
The war we’re in is a spiritual one that is manifesting physically. It is not the first time it has manifested on earth and unless Jesus comes back in this war, then it will not be the last time this spirit manifests on earth. The war we’re in right now is the same war, we see all throughout the Word of God. From Genesis to Revelation, we see this war and we see the strategies from heaven on how to win this war. The spirit of anti-Christ, the spirit of lawlessness and the spirit of deception are all three, one in the same spirits. They have the same father of lies as their commander and they seek to counter any activity the kingdom of God makes. When you see anti-Christ manifestations, take heart, for it is evidence of kingdom activity. 
The war we’re in is not one to be afraid of, for fear is a tool the enemy uses to paralyze the believer into inactivity. The way to win this war is to love deeply, forgive consistently, read the word daily, connect with others faithfully and worship unashamedly. The way to conquer the anti-Christ spirit is not to engage in tit for tat arguments, but to “praise until the spirit of worship comes, worship until the glory falls, then stand in the glory” – Ruth Heflin. Your greatest weapons are the word of God and the presence of God, for they protect you from deception. Once you are vaccinated by the presence of God and the word of God, then you can go out into the world and rescue those who are being held captive by the spirit of the world. In the words of the old hymn, they will know you are Christians by your love, by your love, they will know you are Christians by your love. 
The next thing we need to address in a future blog is, what is love? One hint, it is not unconditional.

Double Doors

Tags

Christianity, church, demonstration, Doors, glory, Kingdom, maturity, Revelation

Psalm 24:7-10 “Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, you gates;

lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty—he is the King of glory.”

In Luke 1 we read about two women, one is older, married, barren and of the priestly line of Aaron; the other woman is young, a virgin, and engaged to someone of the kingly line of David. Two women, both childless, one older, the other younger, as I am reading about these two women, Elizabeth and Mary, the Lord speaks to me and says, “DOUBLE DOORS”. I had recently listened to a sermon where the Rabbi said, women are doors that open us to new dimensions, so the idea of women as doors was not uncommon to me. The story of Elizabeth as the future mother of John the Baptist and Mary the future mother of Jesus was not foreign to me either, but when the Lord put it all together in one phrase, double doors, I knew He was speaking something significant for this hour.

Throughout scripture we see pictures of people who could be considered double doors, such as: Deborah and Jael (Judges 4); Naomi and Ruth (Ruth 1); the 12-year-old girl and the woman with the 12-year issue of blood (Luke 8); so the idea of double doors is not rare, but rather common in scripture. Paul talks about a spirit of wisdom and revelation; Jesus spoke about the two greatest commandments and Moses came down the mountain with two tablets of stone. But, what I wanted to know is, what these double doors signify to us prophetically in this hour.

As I was in prayer about this phrase double doors, I began to think about what double doors represent. The first thought I had was they represent a wider entry way. If you have double doors on a house, the entry way to that house is double the size of a single door dwelling. The next thought I had was the types of houses that have double doors. In my mind, they are for wealthier neighborhoods, houses that are larger. I then began to think about William and Kate in England and the double doors that were opened as they stepped out on the balcony as husband and wife. This thought of the royal couple was the key to unlocking what I see as the prophetic significance for where we are with the idea of double doors.

I asked the Lord, what the double doors represent and who was going to come through those doors. Asking the right question, will unlock the right answer. The Lord began to share with me, that the double doors are revelation and demonstration. The Lord said, He is about to raise up leaders who carry the revelation of the Word of God and can demonstrate the power of God. The double doors are revelation and demonstration. This was incredible to hear, then the Lord went on to show me that when the doors of revelation and demonstration open, they will reveal the administration of the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven, because the King of Glory will come through the double doors of revelation and demonstration. I dropped my pen!

What we are about to see is the King of Glory, the Lord Almighty, come through the double doors of revelation and demonstration to reveal the administration of the kingdom of God. Get ready for the revealing and opening of the double doors.

Speak Less, Say More

Tags

bible, Kingdom, love, power, Truth, Voice, Word of God

One of the greatest challenges people on earth face is the reality that there are a lot of people talking, but very few people actually saying anything. Pop singers have #1 hit songs with lyrics like, Watch Me, Shake It Off or Baby Baby, just to name a few and we spend millions of dollars on their albums, to tell us what, nothing. I was a teenager once before and we had some songs like this as well, where they were just to dance to, not to have some deep meaning in them, but it is not just in pop music. Worship songs are no better, we have gone from deeply theological hymns like Lift High the Cross, How Great Thou Art and To God Be The Glory to one chorus songs repeated over and over again, of which I love by the way. The challenge is we are not saying anything of substance or significance and we wonder why the wind blows or the snow falls and people are screaming it’s the judgment of God, the world is ending, or Jesus is coming back, tomorrow.

One of the greatest gifts the Bible gives us, is that it is filled with substance. It is riddled with the history of how a personal God walked and worked with people. How He took a no name group of people and made them into the most powerful nation on the earth. It is about how to live in community, how to be a family, how to work, play, teach and train. It is full of wisdom, romance, grace, consequences, choices and colorful characters. The Bible is rich in history, deep in understanding, full of mystery and glorious in expression. It tells of men, women and children, it includes the young and old, it is a book for the slave and the free, the lost and the found. People like Henry Ford found wisdom in it to invent the automobile and George Washington quoted it when he was establishing a brand new nation.

People have tried to burn the bible, kill the ones who printed the bible, destroy the followers of the bible, and to this day mock the ones who believe the bible, but it is not moved. It is an ancient text that is unshakable, unbreakable and unstoppable in its ability to inflict change. It is full of substance, secrets, mysteries, over and covert ways of doing life and it is a love letter, a manual, a blueprint for success. No wonder people wanted to take prayer out of school, change the definition of marriage, and ban Christian t-shirts, because the word of God is powerful, no matter what format it is presented in.

Matthew 24:35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” – Jesus

In a system that is seeking to dumb you down, so they can feel like they have control over you. There is one book that will lift you up, correct you up and build you up from the inside out and that is the word of God. If you want to be inside strong, you must know the word of God, not memorize it, so you can quote it or slap somebody with the truth you know, but so you can learn to be a lover of God and a lover of people. The word of God transforms you from the inside out. The world is going to shake, challenges will arise, but if you are established in the word of God, you will be immovable, unshakable and undeniably able to speak less, but say more. And we need some people who have something to say, not just people who talk about a whole lot of nothing. So think deep, pray wide, sing loud, worship hard and watch God dig a well in your life that produces the oil of joy, the rivers of the life and the power of an indestructible life.

Dynamite Needs a Detonator

Tags

church, Dunamis, Dynamite, Gold, Gold Mines, Idaho, Kingdom, power, Thoughts

Ephesians 3:20 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”

Colossians 1:27 “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

While in church last night my Pastor, Bill Virgin, who is a self-proclaimed mountain boy, from the backwoods of Idaho, said, “There is dynamite lying dormant in gold mines all over this nation, and all they need is a detonator.” Now to the naked ear, this may just be a country boy sharing another backwoods story, but for those with ears to hear, this is a piece to the prophetic picture of what God is doing right now on the earth.

There are people all over this nation and the world, living in caves, crevices, condo’s, cities and countries who are packed with dynamite inside of them. They gave their life to Jesus at some point, but never went beyond the salvation experience, or they have yet to crossover to becoming a Christian. Either way, they have dynamite lying dormant inside of them. Everyone one of us was born with dynamite, in the Greek, the word for power is dunamis, which in English is translated dynamite. You are the most powerful person in your life. God made you that way, He is not afraid of your power, actually He wants you to be powerful, that is why He created, inside your inmost being, dynamite.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” Being created with eternity in our hearts is dunamis, it is power, it is dynamite, you are, I am, an eternal being, made of indestructible material. But for many the reality of this power lies dormant, we are like a gold mine, that once blown open are going to add value to the world. So, why have we not exploded with all this potential yet? Because we need a detonator.

A detonator is a device or small quantity of explosive used for detonating a high explosive (Merriam Webster online). A detonator is like a mustard seed, it is small, but it packs a punch. The word of God is a detonator, words are detonators, people are detonators. People have said things that have blown us up alright, but not to expose the gold, but rather to expose our shame, sin, or some other issue. But it’s a new day, the detonators God is releasing into your life are there to ignite the dynamite in your life so the gold inside of you is exposed. People are a gold mine and we are called to be gold diggers.

When we use our words as detonators to blow up belief systems that have kept people bound; when we use the word of God to blow up doctrines that have kept people from being powerful; when we use words to expose the gold in people; they then become detonators in someone else’s life to do the same thing. There is dynamite lying dormant in everyone’s life and when a detonator comes into your life, they will blow up your life in a way that exposes the gold in you. Christ in you is the hope of glory and His power is at work within you, He is the dynamite inside of you, He is about to blow our minds, so the gold in us can be seen.

It’s a new day, there is a new way, for glory is on the way. Let God arise and His enemies be scattered.

Snipers in the Kingdom

Tags

Battle, Intercession, Intercessors, Kingdom, Sniper, Warfare

Ephesians 6:12 “For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age.”

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

One of the main differences I am noticing between the kingdom of God and religion or even the church age is the simplicity in which God does things. In the church age everything is laborious, time consuming, and honestly can feel very heavy. It is as though in the church age there is a lot of being busy doing nothing. But, in the kingdom on the other hand, which is actually a place, not just a nice phrase to quote, things are highly effective, cost effective and empowering. There is a sense of moving forward, of taking ground, of actually, genuinely advancing with the Lord Himself. Jesus spoke the people in His day and invited them to a kingdom lifestyle which included a yoke (work)but it was easy and a burden but it was light.

An area that is found both in the kingdom and the church age is that of intercession. Intercessors and intercession are an integral part of the kingdom life, but the way in which intercession is viewed in the kingdom is more like a sniper, rather than a laborious, time consuming activity that gets no recognition, but does what many feel like is most of the work. When the Lord spoke to me that intercessors are snipers in the kingdom, I was eager to discover who a sniper is and what they actually do. This is what I learned.

A sniper is a qualified specialist who operates alone, in a pair or with a sniper team for the sake of maintaining close visual contact with the enemy; engaging in targets from concealed positions; and engaging in distances exceeding the detection and capabilities of enemy personnel. This alone made me shout, INTERCESSORS ARE SNIPERS IN THE KINGDOM, for this is what they do and I am so honored to know some of them. But as I kept studying, I learned even more than just solidified what the Lord spoke to me.

A sniper’s job description is to deliver discriminatory, highly accurate rifle fire against enemy targets, they are marksmen (a person who is skilled in shooting at a mark). Snipers are force multipliers (an attribute which makes a given force more effective than that same force would be without it). This factor dramatically increases the effectiveness of a group. When I read this I shouted, snipers in the kingdom, multiply the body of Christ’s effectiveness because of their precision in with which they hit the enemy target with their prayers. Snipers ensure battlefield survival for the rest of the Lord’s army.

Qualities that a sniper must have include being patient, disciplined and are able to work alone. Snipers are sharp shooters. If this was not enough, the final discovery I made about snipers is the economic effectiveness they bring to the team. Snipers use 1.3 rounds of bullets (prayer time) while other military officers (members of the body of Christ) use 50,000 bullets (prayer time). Do you see how the sniper is able to do more with less? Moving from church or religion to kingdom, increases your effectiveness in prayer from being a soldier to a sniper.

Finally, soldiers hit man-sized targets 10% of the time at a 300 meter distance, while a sniper hits the same target 90% of the time at a 600 meter difference. Snipers in the kingdom are intercessors and they are extremely accurate, they know who their enemy is, they are patient enough to wait in hiding until they can get a good shot at him and take him out immediately. They save the kingdom time and money because of their skills and they force multiply the advancing of the kingdom, so the bride is accelerated in her gathering of others to meet their King. Snipers in the kingdom don’t spend long hours in prayer, for they are trained in hearing the voice of God, recognize the enemy and position themselves to take him out with minimal prayers. We will not win this battle without the snipers in the kingdom.

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!

An Unshakable Kingdom

Tags

Christianity, Christians, Conform, culture, Kingdom, kingdom of God

Hebrews 12:28 “Let us therefore, receiving a kingdom that is firm and stable and cannot be shaken, offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship, with modesty and pious care and godly fear and awe.”

One of the most challenging things to change in ourselves is the culture in which we were raised. Our culture is so much a part of our DNA, that we do not even recognize the strength of it until we live in another country, marry someone or try to understand those of another culture. Churches all over the world are predominantly of the same color, race or creed, because we struggle so much to change the culture in which we were raised.

I lived in Malaysia for 9 consecutive years. When I first got there, I did not realize how American I was; I did not recognize how law-abiding I was; how Christian I was; how much I wanted them to become like me, even though I was in their country, their culture. I chose to move to Malaysia, no one made me live there, yet I was so ingrained with my culture, that I wanted them to become like me and to do things my way. This lasted about 2 years, but it finally dawned on me, they were not going to change, this was their culture, their country and they had no intention of changing. So, for me, this was my first official culture clash.

American culture is not as well liked as we may think around the world. They see us as loud, opinionated, big, and immoral. They want our money, they want our power, they want our influence, but honestly, they do not want their people to adopt what they perceive as our bondage that we call freedom. To them to have a voice is dangerous, to speak out against your President is unacceptable, to elevate women is destructive, and to be democratic is undesirable. They want to keep their value systems, while they take over our land, our money, our influence.

This is true for other cultures and countries, but it is also true for Christians. Many Christians, who have voluntarily accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior did not realize how American they are, how Asian they are, how African they are, how Australian they are, how European they are. Until they came into the kingdom, they did not realize how anti-Christ they really are, for in this kingdom, there is only one King and there’s only one culture. No matter how much we try to change the kingdom of God to be American, African, Australian, European or Asian, we find that the kingdom demands us to conform to its image. But many are not willing to conform, so they seek to take the land, the money, the power, the influence of this kingdom, but they are not ready to adapt the values of this kingdom.

Many are in a battle, for no other reason than they refuse to conform to the kingdom culture.

The kingdom of God is not like America, it does not conform to other cultures, allow for sub cultures and change laws based on people’s personal values, whims or desires. The kingdom of God is an unshakable kingdom, if you do not want to conform to it, you will never succeed in it, and the truth is, no matter how hard you try you can’t have the blessing of it, unless you submit to it. Unless I was willing to learn to take on the Malaysian culture, I was not going to succeed in that culture, for it was not changing for me, I had to change for it. The same is true in the kingdom, you will never succeed as a Christian, until you conform to the kingdom culture, which is an unshakable kingdom.

The Bride Price

Tags

bride, church, Kingdom

One of the greatest things about other cultures is it gives us insight into things that we could not know because of the limitations of our own culture. As American Christians, we are limited to our culture in our understanding of the word of God, so we miss many of the jewels that are locked within, because Jesus was Jewish and the Bible was written in another culture. As we make the time to seek understanding, we gain wisdom into the wonder of the word of God.

While taking communion the Lord began to share with me about the price He paid for our lives. I Corinthians 6:20 and 7:23 says, “For you were bought with a price…”. Many of us acknowledge that Jesus death on the cross bought our lives, but do we realize the significance of this statement? Living in a culture that does not pay a dowry or bride price, it can be easy to miss the security that is given in the bride price being paid.
In the Jewish tradition, the rabbis in ancient times insisted on the marriage couple’s entering into a marriage contract, called a ketubah. The ketubah provided for an amount to be paid by the husband in the event of a divorce or by his estate in the event of his death. This amount was a replacement of the biblical dower or bride price, which was payable at the time of the marriage by the groom. It may also be noted that both the dower and the ketubah amounts served the same purpose: the protection for the wife should her support (either by death or divorce) cease (www.wikipedia.com).

Jesus’ death on the cross was the bride price He paid to be in a covenant with me, with you, with the church. We are the bride of Christ and He, our bridegroom, paid the bride price which was His life. His death on the cross not only brought us into relationship with Him as our husband/bridegroom, it is a protection of our ever ceasing to be supported. Do you realize what this is saying? Jesus’ death, which was the bride price for our life, takes away all reason to fear!

When He says, in Matthew 6:25, “I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life…” or in Matthew 6:34 where He says, “So, do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow…” The bride price paid for our continual protection and provision. He bought us with a price, we are protected by the bride price. This is so liberating, communion is a reminder, that He paid a high price for us, He is not going to forget us, leave us, or neglect us. How do we know with such certainty, the bride price!