"For God’s purpose through Jesus Christ is to deify the nature of men..."
I read this in a John G. Lake book that my wonderful Aunt and Uncle let me borrow. :) I thought the language was pretty striking -- not only here, but throughout much of the book. It got me thinking, is this true? Why is it true?
The Trinity spoke words of love and said, "Let Us make man in our own image" (Genesis 1:26). Adam and Eve were in the element of God, yet they forgot who they were and then blew it.
So also it has been written: "The first man Adam became into a living soul; the last Adam into a life-giving spirit." ~1 Corinthians 15:45
Jesus made up for what Adam lost. He overcompensated for it! He inhabits those who love Him and pull them up to an otherwise unapproachable God. God chose to make Himself available. He chose to open us up to His love.
Yes, one of God's purposes has been to "deify the nature of men" (in my opinion, at least). But the fruit of this truth does not lead us to self; it leads us to God! He's been so merciful. He's been so good. He's called us to this elevated life, not because of anything we've done, but because of His faithfulness (Romans 9:12).
Having ourselves been redeemed in nature means we can fellowship with God. It's all about Him, and He's all about us. Hopefully we're all about Him in response! Sometimes with great revelation comes the need for great thankfulness. We'll see. It's been an interesting and electrifiying book so far.
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Monday, February 29, 2016
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Dream: The Importance of Feast Days
"And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever." Genesis 12:17
"And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever." Exodus 12:14
I've been thinking about Old Testament regulations a lot recently. Vanessa and I feel that it's been the Lord who's brought such things to our attention.
See, when God is speaking to Moses about feast days, celebration days, etc...He tends to use the words, 'for ever'.... quite frequently. And I think there's significance to that. God didn't say to keep such rules until His Son came. He could have specified that, but He didn't. There are many such Old Testament commemorations that God instructed His children to keep, for ever.
"For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished."
Matthew 5:18
Even a few things Jesus said have made us think. Heaven and earth have not yet passed away! Though I don't have even close to a full revelation on all this, yet, I feel that some of aspects of the Word here just can't be discounted. To summarize, I'd say that the Law is good (1 Timothy 1:8).
And I had a dream last week that really convicted me. You know when you have a dream that you just know is from God? This was one of those. So, in the dream, I was being shown a pamphlet full of Heavenly revelation. And I was reading a page that was titled something along the lines of, "The Importance of Feast Days".
On this page, there were several bullet points, and under each bullet there was an awesome description of why God ordained dates and calendars to be the way they were. As I read more and more, the amount of wisdom and revelation coming through was astonishing. I realized what God intended when He made things the way He did. And I read all about the specific reasons for the feast days He established. Reading through that page was pretty amazing, and I had God's heart for the ancient Israelites conveyed to me in a way that's hard to describe. I realized in a new way just how meticulous, thoughtful, and wise God is in the things that He does--the things that He does for our own good.
I woke up the next morning remembering the dream, but having completely forgotten the specifics of what I'd read. And I think that's what God intended. Some of the stuff I read probably wasn't meant to be made known! But this dream convicted me of the tremendous physical and spiritual benefits that will come by following God's calendar of religious feasts and fasts.
Like I said, I don't have all this figured out yet. But I feel like there is something to it. For now, I'll liken keeping the Old Testament Law--whether by observing feast days, religious fasts, the Sabbath, or dietary rules--to icing on the cake, so to speak. The Law cannot save you! Nonetheless, I think it pleases God if His children show a conviction for the Law. I think it pleases Him if we show our interest and appreciate His workings of the past. I think that the ancient Hebrew calendar, which God first made for His chosen people and continues to work by, is worth researching.
"And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever." Exodus 12:14
I've been thinking about Old Testament regulations a lot recently. Vanessa and I feel that it's been the Lord who's brought such things to our attention.
See, when God is speaking to Moses about feast days, celebration days, etc...He tends to use the words, 'for ever'.... quite frequently. And I think there's significance to that. God didn't say to keep such rules until His Son came. He could have specified that, but He didn't. There are many such Old Testament commemorations that God instructed His children to keep, for ever.
"For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished."
Matthew 5:18
Even a few things Jesus said have made us think. Heaven and earth have not yet passed away! Though I don't have even close to a full revelation on all this, yet, I feel that some of aspects of the Word here just can't be discounted. To summarize, I'd say that the Law is good (1 Timothy 1:8).
And I had a dream last week that really convicted me. You know when you have a dream that you just know is from God? This was one of those. So, in the dream, I was being shown a pamphlet full of Heavenly revelation. And I was reading a page that was titled something along the lines of, "The Importance of Feast Days".
On this page, there were several bullet points, and under each bullet there was an awesome description of why God ordained dates and calendars to be the way they were. As I read more and more, the amount of wisdom and revelation coming through was astonishing. I realized what God intended when He made things the way He did. And I read all about the specific reasons for the feast days He established. Reading through that page was pretty amazing, and I had God's heart for the ancient Israelites conveyed to me in a way that's hard to describe. I realized in a new way just how meticulous, thoughtful, and wise God is in the things that He does--the things that He does for our own good.
I woke up the next morning remembering the dream, but having completely forgotten the specifics of what I'd read. And I think that's what God intended. Some of the stuff I read probably wasn't meant to be made known! But this dream convicted me of the tremendous physical and spiritual benefits that will come by following God's calendar of religious feasts and fasts.
Like I said, I don't have all this figured out yet. But I feel like there is something to it. For now, I'll liken keeping the Old Testament Law--whether by observing feast days, religious fasts, the Sabbath, or dietary rules--to icing on the cake, so to speak. The Law cannot save you! Nonetheless, I think it pleases God if His children show a conviction for the Law. I think it pleases Him if we show our interest and appreciate His workings of the past. I think that the ancient Hebrew calendar, which God first made for His chosen people and continues to work by, is worth researching.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Snapshot: Praying For The Holy Spirit
A few days ago, I was praying along with a prayer from "The Century of the Holy Spirit", a book documenting the history of the Pentecostal and charismatic renewal. And I felt the Lord wanting me to repeat this prayer...so I just prayed along. I asked the Holy Spirit to come and fill all churches that would want Him.
Just a few seconds later, the Lord gave a wonderful confirmation. The TV was on in the background, and I heard, 'We've found a place of you to stay'. Of course, this was quickened to me as having a special meaning--a spiritual meaning! Praise God! We invite Him in, then He finds a resting place.
Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Matthew 8:20
Then he called to me, "Look, those going toward the north country have given my Spirit rest in the land of the north." Zechariah 6:8
"Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." John 16:24
Isn't that wonderful? God can be welcomed in by us. He allows our longing for Him to change things. We are His children, and we are His place of habitation. If we ask Him, He will come to us. We need to pour ourselves out and allow God to come in and change things! We need to invite Him in, because He is more desperate to come in than we are. We need to pray that the Lord would send His Spirit into any place that would value Him.
Just a few seconds later, the Lord gave a wonderful confirmation. The TV was on in the background, and I heard, 'We've found a place of you to stay'. Of course, this was quickened to me as having a special meaning--a spiritual meaning! Praise God! We invite Him in, then He finds a resting place.
Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Matthew 8:20
Then he called to me, "Look, those going toward the north country have given my Spirit rest in the land of the north." Zechariah 6:8
"Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." John 16:24
Isn't that wonderful? God can be welcomed in by us. He allows our longing for Him to change things. We are His children, and we are His place of habitation. If we ask Him, He will come to us. We need to pour ourselves out and allow God to come in and change things! We need to invite Him in, because He is more desperate to come in than we are. We need to pray that the Lord would send His Spirit into any place that would value Him.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Uriel, God is My Light
"Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous." Psalm 112:4
"Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday." Psalm 37:5-6
As followers of Jesus, we share in His light and His life. We should have our lives modeled after Him. We should in our lives display the light of the world. People should look right through us and see Jesus in us, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27)--the light that saves the world.
"Of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation..." Psalm 27:1
God is our light and our salvation. And we are the light and the salvation of those who do not yet believe. Until one comes to know God, the best thing they could have is you and I. People should look at us and see love. They should look in us and see something otherworldly. They should recognize us by good fruit. And what is this fruit? That we love one another.
"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:35
Do we have Love? It's possible to not have it. If we don't have God, we won't have Love. If we know Him and belong to Him, then we will have His Love. If we have His Love, then others will know it. This is how we are supposed to be recognized!
God's Love is also His light. Heaven is full of God; it is also full of light (Revelation 22:5). And we can be full of His light too! We can be built up from the inside out and shine brighter and brighter and brighter. We need to realize that the light within us is greater than the darkness in the world (1 John 4:4). We need to go from Glory to Glory--to let Him be our light and clothe us with His glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). We need to let His light shine on our faces and even change our countenance. This is how we should minister. This is how we should shine out into the world.
Confirmed: Last Friday we were doing street ministry, and we stopped in at a Christian bookstore. There was a biblical name book on sale, and we 'happened' to open it up to the name Uriel: Hebrew- "God is my light". We all thought that was a fitting message for our street ministry. We felt God was looking down and approving us--approving that we were ministering His light.
Later the next day, I oversaw a story on the news about a boy named Uriel. I do not know the last time that I heard this name...God is so good with His confirmations.
Confirmed: I was reading an excerpt on the Elijah List about Bob Jones. It was all about God's light, His glory, and the importance of shining for Him in ministry. It expanded on being the light of the world. Bob also had a unique revelation on the presence of God's glory on this earth, which is worth a read if you have the time. Below is a segment of this article; I bolded parts for emphasis.
Back in the early 70's wherever you walked, people would see you shining. I'm talking about those that were unsaved. They would see you shining. Sometimes they would just want to draw up close to you because they would say, "I've been so depressed. Can I sort of stand by you because when I stand by you I'm not depressed anymore? I don't know what it is but whatever you got I need."
Evangelism was that easy. It's God's glory! I don't see how you could do really good power evangelism without God's glory. And every one of these things is first and foremost in the name of the Son as He came to glorify the Father. So in the name of Jesus as we begin to move in these latter times we will see some of the greatest signs and wonders you ever seen. It's to glorify the Father.
So be excited in these times and get aboard the glory train. For that's the invitation of this. Get aboard that glory train and let's ride with Him in His glory as we glorify the Father. So in Jesus name these things I spoke, let it enter into your conscience, your spirit man to where you shine; an inner shining and inner glory that will shine in the darkest night that will never let darkness come in.
For you see; when light shines, darkness hides and you're the shining light. And this is what He's saying, "Shine! That's your glory! Don't put a bushel over your glory, but let your glory so shine so that man may see the glory and come to the knowledge and to salvation." In Jesus name. Amen.
"Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday." Psalm 37:5-6
As followers of Jesus, we share in His light and His life. We should have our lives modeled after Him. We should in our lives display the light of the world. People should look right through us and see Jesus in us, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27)--the light that saves the world.
"Of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation..." Psalm 27:1
God is our light and our salvation. And we are the light and the salvation of those who do not yet believe. Until one comes to know God, the best thing they could have is you and I. People should look at us and see love. They should look in us and see something otherworldly. They should recognize us by good fruit. And what is this fruit? That we love one another.
"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:35
Do we have Love? It's possible to not have it. If we don't have God, we won't have Love. If we know Him and belong to Him, then we will have His Love. If we have His Love, then others will know it. This is how we are supposed to be recognized!
God's Love is also His light. Heaven is full of God; it is also full of light (Revelation 22:5). And we can be full of His light too! We can be built up from the inside out and shine brighter and brighter and brighter. We need to realize that the light within us is greater than the darkness in the world (1 John 4:4). We need to go from Glory to Glory--to let Him be our light and clothe us with His glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). We need to let His light shine on our faces and even change our countenance. This is how we should minister. This is how we should shine out into the world.
Confirmed: Last Friday we were doing street ministry, and we stopped in at a Christian bookstore. There was a biblical name book on sale, and we 'happened' to open it up to the name Uriel: Hebrew- "God is my light". We all thought that was a fitting message for our street ministry. We felt God was looking down and approving us--approving that we were ministering His light.
Later the next day, I oversaw a story on the news about a boy named Uriel. I do not know the last time that I heard this name...God is so good with His confirmations.
Confirmed: I was reading an excerpt on the Elijah List about Bob Jones. It was all about God's light, His glory, and the importance of shining for Him in ministry. It expanded on being the light of the world. Bob also had a unique revelation on the presence of God's glory on this earth, which is worth a read if you have the time. Below is a segment of this article; I bolded parts for emphasis.
Back in the early 70's wherever you walked, people would see you shining. I'm talking about those that were unsaved. They would see you shining. Sometimes they would just want to draw up close to you because they would say, "I've been so depressed. Can I sort of stand by you because when I stand by you I'm not depressed anymore? I don't know what it is but whatever you got I need."
Evangelism was that easy. It's God's glory! I don't see how you could do really good power evangelism without God's glory. And every one of these things is first and foremost in the name of the Son as He came to glorify the Father. So in the name of Jesus as we begin to move in these latter times we will see some of the greatest signs and wonders you ever seen. It's to glorify the Father.
So be excited in these times and get aboard the glory train. For that's the invitation of this. Get aboard that glory train and let's ride with Him in His glory as we glorify the Father. So in Jesus name these things I spoke, let it enter into your conscience, your spirit man to where you shine; an inner shining and inner glory that will shine in the darkest night that will never let darkness come in.
For you see; when light shines, darkness hides and you're the shining light. And this is what He's saying, "Shine! That's your glory! Don't put a bushel over your glory, but let your glory so shine so that man may see the glory and come to the knowledge and to salvation." In Jesus name. Amen.
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