Word for the Week
2007
Week 52, 2007
As we close out 2007, many will certainly be saying “good riddance!” to it. As someone once said, “Life is hard, and then you die.” As we recently heard in our Disaster Response training, the mortality rate still hovers somewhere around 100 percent, so basically we are all terminally ill. It is true that life is hard for everyone, but what are the alternatives? Read More
Week 51, 2007
The first principle in bearing fruit that remains, or building that which will remain, is in the Scripture we quoted last week from Ecclesiastes 3:14, “...everything God does will remain forever....” The Lord Jesus elaborated on this in John 15:1-5:
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Week 50, 2007
We have briefly studied three phases of development, maturity, and operations in the church. For the purpose of this study, “Taking the Land,” I would categorize them:
1) Taking the land
2) Occupying the land
3) Making the land fruitful Read More
Week 49, 2007
We can and will spend eternity getting to know the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and I don't think we will ever exhaust what can be learned. For all of the increase of knowledge that we have experienced on earth in the last century, one doctor told me that the most we know about the human body is maybe as much as 30 percent. When I asked him how much he thought psychiatrists knew about the mind, he estimated 5 percent. I think we know even less about the spirit of man. Read More
Week 48, 2007
Since the ascension of the Lord Jesus, He has been working through His body, the church, by the Holy Spirit. This is the new creation that greatly transcends the original creation. In the beginning, God walked with man, but now He comes to dwell in man. This is the greatest of all benefits of the New Covenant, and as Paul wrote in II Corinthians 3, it is better than what Moses had even though he had to put a veil over his face because of the glory. As Paul later wrote in Colossians 1:25-27:
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Week 47, 2007
The biblical day began with evening and then morning. Likewise, throughout Scripture it usually became darker before the light would be given. Therefore, when troubles come we should always look expectantly for the light. Read More
Week 46, 2007
The most mature Christians will be evidenced by their ability to appreciate and embrace those who are different, but are of the same faith in Christ. Only when we start to understand and appreciate the differences in the different parts of the body will we ever fit together properly, learn to function together, and thereby multiply our fruitfulness. Read More
Week 45, 2007
As we have previously discussed, it is likely that some of the greatest Christian leaders and missionaries to have ever lived are alive and serving now. Even so, as much as 90 to 95 percent of Christian missions are either ineffective or counterproductive—sometimes being negative witnesses for the gospel. There are various reasons for this, but most of these missionaries are good Christians, devoted to their work, and would be appalled at the thought that their work could actually be counterproductive to the cause of Christ. Read More
Week 44, 2007
The church is going through a transition right now. The form of the church that has evolved through the last few centuries will not be able to survive the coming times. Like John the Baptist was honored by the Lord, we should honor the church of the past for all that it has accomplished. But another type of leadership is being raised up that we must now follow. One will decrease and one will increase. Read More
Week 43, 2007
Last week, in discussing how the Lord refers to Himself as "the Lord of armies" more than ten times as much as all of His other titles, He obviously considers this aspect of His leadership as primary to His purpose. We will see this aspect becoming primary in the church in the times to come, but we must always keep in mind that the Lord's ways are higher than our ways, and His military demeanor, in many ways, will be different from the world's ways. Read More
Week 42, 2007
The Lord uses the title "Lord of hosts," or "Lord of armies," over ten times more than He uses any of His other titles. He is a martial God, a military leader. In the time to come, we will see the whole advancing church taking on a military demeanor—one of such discipline and resolve that the world's military leaders will envy it. Read More
Week 41, 2007
We have previously discussed a few things we learned from our experience in the Hurricane Katrina relief. This was not something we had done as a ministry before, and we specifically engaged in this because we were told we would learn a lot from it about leadership in the church in the coming times. As the Scriptures make clear, there will be increasing troubles at the end of this age, so we will need to know how to function in them, helping to bring order and peace in the middle of chaos. Even now many problems have grown beyond human remedy, and they are increasing. Read More
Week 40, 2007
Previously, we began to address the question of why it seems that every host of a great revival gets left in worse shape than before the revival. The answer to that question will give us many important answers that could bring a huge influx of life into the church, as well as enable the church to sustain a level of life and power that could make revivals obsolete and unnecessary. Why is this? Revival is only required when something has to be revived. Read More
Week 39, 2007
Having studied revivals and moves of God for nearly forty years, I am yet to find an example of a church or work that could sustain a true revival for more than a few years, and usually two is the limit. Most of the time, the church that hosted the revival, or the region that did, was left in worse condition than before the revival. Why? Read More
Week 38, 2007
After Phase I of a work or move of God, it is hard to transition into Phase II, which is the solidifying, establishing, and securing phase. This will be difficult but necessary work, if the gains are going to become fruit that remains. It can also be a very fulfilling and exciting part of the work, but cannot and should not try to sustain the excitement level of the work in Phase I. Read More
Week 37, 2007
This week we will continue our discussion of the three phases of ministry and how it applies to the three parts of the habitations of God in Scripture. As a reminder, I have broken them down into the following general definitions.
Phase I: Rescue and Salvation. The main goal of this phase is to lead people to Christ and add them to the church. Read More
Week 36, 2007
Two weeks ago we began discussing how the habitations of God in Scripture, the tabernacles and temples, were divided into three compartments, and how we had applied this to our Katrina relief efforts, breaking it down into three phases, which were:
Phase I: Rescue. The main goal in this phase is simply saving lives and getting people to safety. Read More
Week 35, 2007
Last week we discussed how the habitations of God in Scripture, the tabernacles, had three compartments, and how we applied this to our Katrina relief efforts, breaking it down into three phases, which were:
Phase I: Rescue. The main goal in this phase is simply saving lives and getting people to safety.
Phase II: Stabilization. The main goal of this phase is to establish PODs for sustaining the people with the basic needs of food, medicine, shelter, clothing, etc. Read More
Week 34, 2007
A few weeks ago, we began to discuss some basic issues that the church is now facing. These are generalizations and do not apply to every church, of course. However, what I would like to address this week seems to be a problem in just about every church, movement, or denomination, which I have also observed in almost every government, business, and other organizations. If it is not the main cause for most of the discord and division in organizations, it is a close second. Read More
Week 33, 2007
Last week we began to address how and why the governments of this world are starting to erode and what will ultimately cause their collapse, which to a large degree is the result of trying to build on socialism. Socialism almost always begins with good intentions, but the good side of the Tree of Knowledge will be just as deadly as the evil side, having the same basic root with the same basic poison. To simplify, the Tree of Knowledge represents man trying to attain on his own without God. Socialism, in its basic form, is man's attempt to be God to men, providing all of his needs. Read More
Week 32, 2007
Last week we discussed how the church is supposed to be a representation of the kingdom of God on the earth. For this reason it should be the best run, most efficient, righteous, just, and powerful organization there is, an expression of the character, nature, and authority of God. Even so, at times the church has done many things that are contrary to the nature of Christ. Read More
Week 31, 2007
The church is called to be a message to the earth of God's character and power, and His kingdom, which is His rule. As the church matures into its full purpose at the end of this age, it will become a part of heaven on the earth, being ruled more by the power and authority of heaven than by the earthly realm. The church is called to be the body of Christ, which is the very extension of His being on the earth that He seeks to do His works through. Read More
Week 30, 2007
As I travel, I continually hear about a basic conflict between "seeker-friendly" churches and those who feel they are leading Christians to a deeper or more substantial discipleship. I am personally thankful for both types. I believe both certainly have merit and are even necessary. However, I do not think that it is best for them to be separate, and certainly they should not be in conflict with each other. In fact, they need each other. Read More
Week 29, 2007
In continuing our study of the coming kingdom of God and how we are called to build a highway for the kingdom, we will look at how we can expect the church to rise up to its purpose in these times. The church is the Lord's body, and what He does He will do through His church. If we want to be a part of what God is doing, it is fundamental that we find our part in His body and begin functioning in it. Read More
Week 28, 2007
A few weeks ago, I had two of the most powerful visions I have had in years. I was basically shown the Lord's heart at the beginning of creation and what the main desire of His heart is now. It was His bride, the church. From these visions, I understood profoundly that the love He has for His bride is so impacting that the church does not exist for the kingdom, but the kingdom exists for the church. This was a reorientation of my thinking, and I am therefore sharing this with those who have been with me in this study of the kingdom for nearly two years. Read More
