Feb 9
2012, moving forward:
In my view the coming year will not be about another "new thing" or "great move of God" but an essential NEXT...a greater revelation and more faithful expression of Jesus Christ and His Church, ESPECIALLY the foundation. The body of Christ is at a crossroads, facing more marginalization. The alternatives include moving either to the left or to the right; to the left for new, innovative "initiatives" or to the right for new, powerful "coalitions"; new "movements"....but another direction exists, moving forward towards a more genuine expression of God's intention in the earth...through His Church.
I think it's impossible to say you love Jesus without loving His Church: His Church is His body...He obtained it with His own blood. And I believe as we approach the new year, God wants to touch us with His heart for the Church. To re-energize the builders with a passion to see that it’s built right, because there’s a way that God does it. And to awaken believers; to strengthen commitment towards a new ethic of authenticity, a more credible representation of and commitment to God's intent...through His Church.
The unsearchable riches of Christ, revealed to and through His Church:
It may be that there are simply two essential elements, Christ the Head and then His body, the Church...everything else is tributaries. The mystery of this is that first everything comes out of Christ; that is, the "riches of His glory" are all IN Christ and, second, those riches are administrated in and through His Church: In Eph.3:8-10 Paul wrote, "To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the UNSEARCHABLE RICHES OF CHRIST, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the MYSTERY hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that THROUGH THE CHURCH the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places". His body is the means of His increase in the earth so in essence...everything comes out of His Church. And Paul went on to say that this is what he was laying his life down for...the Church, and if he was not declaring that the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ are revealed to and made known through His Church, he was not completing the purpose God gave him. See, it is upon this "rock of revelation" of Jesus Christ that HIS Church is to be built; upon the revealing of the unsearchable riches of Christ which will prevail against the opposition of the enemy, blessing the world (Mt.16:13-18).
He gave gifts to His Church for a more genuine expression of His intention:
God said to get this done, to bring forth this word and this reality, He gave gifts to His Church, gifts unto men. They are in HIS Church. In an Old Testament shadow, Samuel told Saul to go meet a company of prophets coming down from the "high place", the mountain, and that when he encountered these "ascended men", he'd be changed into another man (I Sa.10:5-7) Now where are those men today, those "ascension" gifts? He placed them in His Church. For what? To see His vision revealed, to see His vision fufilled; to see His Church EQUIPPED, bringing forth a more faithful expression of His intention in the earth; to prepare God's people for the work of ministry and mission....His way.
You won't find it at Wal-Mart:
And believe me, you are not gonna get this outside His Church (or in "A" church), nor will you find it at Wal-Mart. I have seen too many people sidelined and shipwrecked because they felt they didn't need that supply or were looking for the perfect place. Instead, we are to locate His Church which, in part, is where the called men are (Eph.4:11-16), those who are seasoned and humbled, those who are gifted and living it...so as to be strengthened by that "which every joint supplies" in the inner man. Christ revealing Himself to us, in us and through us in His Church.
So many are falling far short of God's purpose for their lives:
My heart’s passion is that as 2012 approaches we seriously take heed to what God is saying and awaken to His purpose. After 34 years you want to see more of Christ formed in His Church and outworked through His Church. So I’m just sending out this word, this call whether on Facebook, blogsite posts, Twitter or in church gatherings...to any person that will listen. Because there are folks that are dying with no concept of Christ the Head and the mystery and intention of His Church. They don't have a clue. So many are just wasting time or biding time. They may "go to heaven", but fall far short of God's purpose for their lives. See, it's way bigger then we've made it and allowed it; bigger than what we get stuck in. The treasure is now in the earthen vessel and He wants us to manifest that in His Church and through His Church, "For WE are the temple of the living God; even as God said, 'I will dwell in, with and among them and I will walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people' ".
Not the "new", but the next...
In my view the coming year will not be about another "new thing" or "great move of God" but an essential NEXT...a greater revelation and more faithful expression of Jesus Christ and His Church, ESPECIALLY the foundation. The body of Christ is at a crossroads, facing more marginalization. The alternatives include moving either to the left or to the right; to the left for new, innovative "initiatives" or to the right for new, powerful "coalitions"; new "movements"....but another direction exists, moving forward towards a more genuine expression of God's intention in the earth...through His Church.
I think it's impossible to say you love Jesus without loving His Church: His Church is His body...He obtained it with His own blood. And I believe as we approach the new year, God wants to touch us with His heart for the Church. To re-energize the builders with a passion to see that it’s built right, because there’s a way that God does it. And to awaken believers; to strengthen commitment towards a new ethic of authenticity, a more credible representation of and commitment to God's intent...through His Church.
The unsearchable riches of Christ, revealed to and through His Church:
It may be that there are simply two essential elements, Christ the Head and then His body, the Church...everything else is tributaries. The mystery of this is that first everything comes out of Christ; that is, the "riches of His glory" are all IN Christ and, second, those riches are administrated in and through His Church: In Eph.3:8-10 Paul wrote, "To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the UNSEARCHABLE RICHES OF CHRIST, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the MYSTERY hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that THROUGH THE CHURCH the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places". His body is the means of His increase in the earth so in essence...everything comes out of His Church. And Paul went on to say that this is what he was laying his life down for...the Church, and if he was not declaring that the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ are revealed to and made known through His Church, he was not completing the purpose God gave him. See, it is upon this "rock of revelation" of Jesus Christ that HIS Church is to be built; upon the revealing of the unsearchable riches of Christ which will prevail against the opposition of the enemy, blessing the world (Mt.16:13-18).
He gave gifts to His Church for a more genuine expression of His intention:
God said to get this done, to bring forth this word and this reality, He gave gifts to His Church, gifts unto men. They are in HIS Church. In an Old Testament shadow, Samuel told Saul to go meet a company of prophets coming down from the "high place", the mountain, and that when he encountered these "ascended men", he'd be changed into another man (I Sa.10:5-7) Now where are those men today, those "ascension" gifts? He placed them in His Church. For what? To see His vision revealed, to see His vision fufilled; to see His Church EQUIPPED, bringing forth a more faithful expression of His intention in the earth; to prepare God's people for the work of ministry and mission....His way.
You won't find it at Wal-Mart:
And believe me, you are not gonna get this outside His Church (or in "A" church), nor will you find it at Wal-Mart. I have seen too many people sidelined and shipwrecked because they felt they didn't need that supply or were looking for the perfect place. Instead, we are to locate His Church which, in part, is where the called men are (Eph.4:11-16), those who are seasoned and humbled, those who are gifted and living it...so as to be strengthened by that "which every joint supplies" in the inner man. Christ revealing Himself to us, in us and through us in His Church.
My heart’s passion is that as 2012 approaches we seriously take heed to what God is saying and awaken to His purpose. After 34 years you want to see more of Christ formed in His Church and outworked through His Church. So I’m just sending out this word, this call whether on Facebook, blogsite posts, Twitter or in church gatherings...to any person that will listen. Because there are folks that are dying with no concept of Christ the Head and the mystery and intention of His Church. They don't have a clue. So many are just wasting time or biding time. They may "go to heaven", but fall far short of God's purpose for their lives. See, it's way bigger then we've made it and allowed it; bigger than what we get stuck in. The treasure is now in the earthen vessel and He wants us to manifest that in His Church and through His Church, "For WE are the temple of the living God; even as God said, 'I will dwell in, with and among them and I will walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people' ".
