God's Truth In Love

Archive for June, 2018|Monthly archive page

, , , , , , , , ,

Revival – Church Growth – Move of God – Step 2

In Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Church Growth, Holy Spirit, Prophecy, Remnant, Renewal, Repentance, Revival, Rhema Words, Truth, Uncategorized on June 27, 2018 at 8:50 am

As part of our series on Church Growth God has placed it on my heart that we deviate, temporarily for two more week and stick with the topic of “REVIVAL” within the Body of Christ, after which we will return to alternating between the Church Growth and Proverbs postings.

In the introduction to these revival postings I posed the following question. Do you long for revival? If you do not, search your heart and find out why.

An individual who truly loves God, loves God’s people, desires to grow in the knowledge of God, and desires that the Body of Christ continue to grow in the knowledge of God’s Will, God’s Desires, and God’s Purposes will long for the revival of God’s people. There is a hunger to know, ‘What is next God?’

We need to begin to pray for revival in us as individuals, in our congregation, in our spiritual square (community), and in the Body of Christ. We need to pray together, we need to pray openly, and we need anyone and everyone who feels the burden to pray, to pray. Prayer is a mighty force, prayer brings the Will of God into the reality of man.

7 Perfect Verses for American Reform and Revival

The Reforms of Asa  – 2 Chronicles 15:1-7 NKJV

1Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. 2And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. 3For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; 4but when in their trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them. 5And in those times there was no peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who came in, but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands. 6So nation was destroyed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every adversity. 7But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!”

Reform means according to Webster’s Dictionary:

transitive verb

1 a : to put or change into an improved form or condition b : to amend or improve by change of form or removal of faults or abuses

2 : to put an end to (an evil) by enforcing or introducing a better method or course of action

3 : to induce or cause to abandon evil ways

noun

1 : amendment of what is defective, vicious, corrupt, or depraved

2 : a removal or correction of an abuse, a wrong, or errors

American society needs reform, the American church needs some forms of reform. We need to turn back to what God, and what following God, is all about – piety, dedication, commitment – purity of faith.

The following three statements will end each posting, I hunger for your feedback on all three.

Father…

"Complete the reformation."

I want to hear your thoughts on the above statement. What comes to your spirit, your heart, your mind, when you hear the words, “Complete the Reformation” – what does it mean to you?

Son…

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines “revival” in one way as, “restoration of force, validity, or effect (as to a contract).”

That is exactly what God wants to do, restore the force that Christianity once was in America, making it a viable leading force in America again thus restoring its validity, and use that force and validity to effect His change on this Great Nation. God has a contract with every Believer upon which He will not falter. God had, and has, a contract with this Nation, “One Nation Under God” a nation formed under the guidance of God, a contract that He intends to see to it is upheld.

Holy Ghost…

This what I hear God saying to His Body, “Revival will come through a purity of faith.”

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Advertisement

, , , , , , , ,

Revival – Church Growth – Move of God – Step 1

In Chrisitan Lifestyle, Church Growth, Persecution, Reformation, Religious Freedom, Remnant, Renewal, Repentance, Revival, Uncategorized on June 21, 2018 at 3:55 pm

As part of our series on Church Growth God has placed it on my heart that we deviate temporarily for three more week and stick with the topic of “REVIVAL” within the Body of Christ, after which we will return to alternating between the Church Growth and Proverbs postings.

Revival is coming, and the cost of revival is substantial. What does that mean? Revival among God’s people or even in one of God’s people means that the heart is renewed in such a manner that they are willing to do anything, endure anything, give up anything, say anything, go anywhere…to fulfill God’s Purpose and God’s Will.

A couple of the questions posed in the introduction to these Revival postings were as follows. 1 – What do you see God doing within the Body of Christ and within society at this time, in the now? 2 – What do you believe revival is, to whom does it happen, and whom does it affect?

Question 1 – God is doing a variety of works among His people at this time. I will only comment on one in this posting, and I welcome each of you to send me your own comments regarding your insights into what God is doing within the Body of Christ. In America God is allowing His people to be pushed and pushed by their society into ever increasing silence regarding their faith. To silence the Church is to vastly effect the effectiveness of the Church, as the Word, the spoken word or written word holds great power.

Slowly and insidiously the American based Body of Christ is being suppressed by their society into a passivity born out of fear, fears of many kinds. That suppression has led to a form, note I stated a form, of denying Christ. To remain silent while God’s Truths are maligned and marginalized is a type of denial. God is watching to see how far His people will go!

Question 2 – Revival is when something is made new again. Spiritual godly revival is when God moves among and within His people to bring their faith to greater life again, renewing their passion for Christ, in His Word, and for each other.

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines “revival” in one way as, “restoration of force, validity, or effect (as to a contract).”

That is exactly what God wants to do, restore the force that Christianity once was in America, making it a viable leading force in America again thus restoring its validity, and use that force and validity to effect His change on this Great Nation. God has a contract with every Believer upon which He will not falter. God had, and has, a contract with this Nation, “One Nation Under God” a nation formed under the guidance of God, a contract that He intends to see is upheld.

Revival is something that can only happen to a Believer in Christ. You cannot reawaken something that never existed. Christians have a tendency to put the focus on non-Christians when talking about revival, but the real targets of revival are the individuals who are already member of The Body of Christ, through personal acceptance of Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. If you know Christ revival is about and for you.

Revival having taken place among God’s people gets the attention of the lost people of the world and thus affects, and effects, them in significant ways. Many people come to know Christ through watching the renewed passion and spiritual strength found among Christians during revival. It is about the non-Christian by extension, but the non-Christian is not God’s primary target when His Holy Spirit moves in revival.

The Body of Christ must be willing to open up and acknowledge that we need godly spiritual change within ourselves first, congregation second, our square meaning our community third, and lastly throughout the entire Body of Christ. We need to be able to talk openly about our need for godly spiritual change without associating it with criticism but instead understanding that we, God people, where always meant to continue to grow as individuals and a group. WE NEED REVIVAL, we need reviving.

The following three statements will end each posting, I hunger for your feedback on all three.

Father…

"Complete the reformation."

I want to hear your thoughts on the above statement. What comes to your spirit, your heart, your mind, when you hear the words, “Complete the Reformation” – what does it mean to you?

Son…

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines “revival” in one way as, “restoration of force, validity, or effect (as to a contract).”

That is exactly what God wants to do, restore the force that Christianity once was in America, making it a viable leading force in America again thus restoring its validity, and use that force and validity to effect His change on this Great Nation. God has a contract with every Believer upon which He will not falter. God had, and has, a contract with this Nation, “One Nation Under God” a nation formed under the guidance of God, a contract that He intends to see to it is upheld.

Holy Ghost…

This what I hear God saying to His Body, “Revival will come through a purity of faith.”

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

, , , , , ,

Revival – Church Growth – Move of God

In Church Growth, Prophecy, Reformation, Renewal, Repentance, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Remnant on June 6, 2018 at 4:28 pm

This blog will alternate with each post between two subjects. One week will address why churches are not growing, and the coming move of God. The alternate week the blog will continue with the in-depth study through the Book of Proverbs.

Blessed by your input, thank you!  Therefore, I am going to leave this posting for another week to gather further input from the readers before I proceed.

Special posting….seeking your thoughts and input.

The posting this week will attempt to provide you food for thought, which you can contemplate over the next few days regarding what it means to live well and wisely for God (the primary topic of Proverbs) and what revival or a move of God embodies (the primary defining factor in church growth and change within the Body of Christ.)

What do you see God doing within the Body of Christ and within society at this time, in the now?

What do you believe revival is, to whom does it happen, and whom does it affect?

Do you long for revival? If you do not, search your heart and find out why.

Has God given up on the American Church? If so, why? If not, would He ever give up on a portion of the Body of Christ, the American Church?

This what I hear God saying to His Body, “Revival will come through a purity of faith.”

I heard God say that statement some time ago, a statement that I was not to write about at the time, simply ponder. I have pondered it to a degree yet remain unable to even describe and have yet to fully understand how exactly He intends to see that unfold within the Body of Christ.

I know I have personally experienced, I have also personally heard from other individuals, I have seen on television, heard on the radio, and of course the internet that God is urging His servants and His people toward a deep, deep, purity that has been lacking in the last couple of decades. Everywhere I turn I hear this. This urging is being countered with attacks that are fierce. I listen, I read, I hear your hearts through your comments, those who have loved God deeply are under attack like never before, personal attacks, public attacks, and spiritual attacks from our Enemy. I too experience it, I have experienced it for a great portion of my life, but I do acknowledge what seems to be a rise in intensity.

"Opus Dei" means "God’s Work" in Latin.

“For His church in every generation God has a special truth and a special work.  The truth that is hid from the worldly wise and prudent is revealed to the child-like and humble. It calls for self-sacrifice.  It has battles to fight and victories to win.  At the outset its advocates are few. By the great men of the world and by a world-conforming church, they are opposed and despised.”

E.G. White – Christ’s Object Lessons

Do you stand in line with your culture or in opposition to your culture? Are you comfortable in a lukewarm, loveless, compromising, corrupt, dead, or faithless church (Revelation Chapter 2-3)? Do you have the, ‘If they do not bother me I will not bother them mentality.’?

Amos 3:7–8 (NKJV)

7 Surely the Lord GOD does nothing,

Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.

8 A lion has roared!

Who will not fear?

The Lord GOD has spoken!

Who can but prophesy?

"Complete the reformation."

I want to hear your thoughts on the above statement. What comes to your spirit, your heart, your mind, when you hear the words, “Complete the Reformation” – what does it mean to you?

Romans 11:25–29 (KJV-AV)

25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. 28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. 29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

God’s promises to the Jewish people were not transferred to the church but instead were shared with the church. We did not replace Israel, we were grafted into God’s promises for Israel.

"Some have said the church is sleeping while God is weeping. This may well explain why we face so little persecution of the church in the west, because a sleeping tiger is far less dangerous than a wounded tiger." "We should be roaring like a lion, but the truth is we’re only whimpering."

Why does much of the church, the Body of Christ in America act like everything is okay in our society, like everything is okay in our churches? Why do we have entire generational groups of people exiting the church searching for answers in a morally bankrupt and spiritually dead society? What do you believe is wrong, and what do you believe God will have to do to fix what is wrong?

God – Revival will come through a purity of faith.

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.