The Presence of the Lord

Mark 7 describes the time when Jesus went to the Gentile city of Tyre located in Phoenicia (modern day Lebanon). Verse 24 says, "He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it". It is interesting that the Messiah who came to seek and save the lost people of Israel would be hiding out in a pagan area. What's more amazing is the fact that he could not keep his whereabouts secret even there. The Son of God could not conceal his presence. Some things are out of the control of Jesus. Due to human freedom and will, people testified about Jesus even when they were commanded not to and word quickly spread. They knew that in His presence people got healed from sickness and disease, delivered from demonic oppression, and given the hope of salvation. It's hard to keep silent when God shows up and demonstrates His goodness.

The Syrophoenician woman begging Jesus to heal her daughter

We carry the presence of God within our hearts and are commanded to do the same things Jesus did. As we properly steward the presence of the Lord, the supernatural becomes a natural occurrence. When this happens, we will not have to worry about going out to evangelize- the world will come to us.

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn." Isaiah 60:1-3

Heavenly Encounters

Most people have heard of someone having a "bright light" or heavenly encounter after a near-death experience. No matter how credible those testimonies are, there is certainly a major interest in the afterlife within our society. One current story that has caught the attention of many is about a young boy named Colton Burpo from Nebraska. The son of a Wesleyan pastor, four year old Colton almost passed away from a burst appendix. After his recovery, he began telling his parents of heavenly encounters he had while in the hospital including meeting a sister who his mother had miscarried before Colton was even born. His experiences are recounted in a book called "Heaven is for Real", which has been number 1 on the NY Times Best Sellers List for 20 weeks now.


I believe more people are going to be having these types of encounters in the years ahead. God is releasing a revelation not only about the reality of heaven but its nature. The Church is responsible for praying and releasing God's will on earth as it is in heaven. The more we learn about heaven, the better equipped we will be to advance His kingdom on earth until one day the knowledge of the glory of the Lord will cover the earth. If you are interested in finding out more about Colton, check out this video.

"But there's far more to life for us. We're citizens of high heaven! We're waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He'll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him." Philippians 3:20-21 (The Message)

Godliness Without Power

Paul gives a warning about what will transpire in the "last days". He writes in II Timothy 3:1-4, "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God". It is a sober prophecy but my sense is that these types of people have always existed throughout human history, even in Paul's day. Typically, they are the unsaved, those who are still guided by the sinful nature, and the ones the Church is called to love. The greater admonition is Paul's final description of people in verse 5- those who have a form of godliness but deny its power. The reason these last individuals pose such a great danger is because they sound like most believers. There are many Christians who display a form of godliness through their church attendance, prayers, giving, service, and moral lifestyle but do not believe in the supernatural power of healing, miracles, deliverance, prophecy, and even tongues.


What happens when believers look godly but deny the power of God? Churches become religious centers of doctrine, morality, and social justice unable to provide more than human effort and ingenuity to problems requiring supernatural solutions. Jesus gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who enables us to walk a life of power. May we not deny this power but learn how to partner with it to bring global transformation.

"In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people." Acts 2:17

Faith

Faith is the foundation of our Christian lives. We must believe in order to be saved. We trust in God's goodness and promises. We know that without faith it is impossible to please God (cf. Hebrews 11:6). Understanding all of this, it is amazing to observe the wide range of different faith levels among believers. Jesus highlighted this during his ministry when he repeatedly pointed out others' lack of faith or great faith. What does it look like to walk in high level faith? I believe it is when we begin to do the works Jesus did and commanded his followers to do and also to take risk in attempting the greater things.

An example of a "greater thing" would be a fulfillment of Jesus' words that we would have the ability to move mountains. Matthew 21:18-22 says:

Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked. Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.

Jesus curses the fig tree

I do not believe Jesus was speaking metaphorically. The withered leaves of the fig tree demonstrate how real and powerful Jesus' words were. It takes a high level of faith to do what Jesus did to the tree but seemingly greater faith to tell a mountain to throw itself into the sea. There is a day coming when the Church will possess this type of mountain-moving faith. Can you imagine after the 9.0 earthquake hit Japan and tsunami sirens were blaring, a group of believers walking to the water's edge? They see the monstrous wave rising up before them but say, "No! Mountain, go throw yourself into the sea!" and an entire city is saved. God is waiting for a generation to believe His divine promises, embrace their authority, and walk in faith-filled power as children of the King. I pray it is our generation.

"Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

Finding the Lord

The story of Elijah illustrates an amazing idea in light of what has happened in Japan. After his supernatural experience against the prophets of Baal, Elijah is hiding away in a cave wanting to die. The Lord says to him, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by” (I Kings 19:11). The passage continues in verses 11-13:

"Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. (emphasis added)"

Elijah finding God in the whisper

I always thought the destructive wind, earthquake, and fire were the result of God's majestic and omnipotent presence. But Scripture plainly teaches that He was not in any of those natural disasters. What if the enemy was behind these frightening displays in order to prevent Elijah from meeting with God? Whenever tragedy strikes, many people are quick to blame or question God. It is believed that tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis display either God's judgment, apathy, or even ineptitude. Part of the enemy's strategy is to implant seeds of doubt about the goodness of God through these lies. One of the great deceptions of the enemy is to convince people that his works are actually the act of God. When this happens, believers seem to spend more time arguing over theology than addressing the problem. May the Church grow in wisdom and discernment to understand the signs of the time. May we also embrace a proper theology regarding God's nature and purposes. And finally, let us rise up in our divinely given authority and power to undo and thwart the works of the enemy.

"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." John 3:17

God Loves Family

Families are the building blocks not just of society but of life itself. We are born into a family, raised in a family, married into a family, and eventually parent a family. Families are not human constructs because Jesus revealed family is God's design. He is our Father and we are his children. There is amazing revelation to be found in the study of family. At its core is an intimate bond between a man and woman in covenant marriage. Their love literally produces children who in turn change the nature or identity of husband and wife into fathers and mothers. Couples understand that once they have children, their lives are forever changed. They are still lovers of each other, but they must now learn to how to be good parents as well. Parents long for their children to flourish and succeed so that one day they will get married and have kids.

Praying my kids don't grow up too fast

The enemy has long understood the significance of family and has worked strategically to destroy it. From sickness, death, abuse, and divorce to even a redefining of the institution of marriage, families are in a battle to maintain its health and integrity. God said in Malachi 4:5-6, “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents." John the Baptist was a fulfillment of this prophecy (cf. Luke 1:17) as he strengthened families in order to prepare the way for Jesus. It is interesting that one of the main preparations for the advent of Christ was the restoration of family. The same call is being sounded today as we await his second coming. We need prophetic voices to rise up and protect, nurture, heal, and commission families for the return of the King. The cycle of divorce will be broken, abortions will end, orphans will be adopted and cared for, children will be loved, and marriage will be protected and cherished. Father, strengthen your family and all the families of the earth!

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name." Ephesians 3:14-15

Building the Church v. Making Disciples

There is a subtle yet pervasive pressure among church leaders to grow their congregations or ministries. Sometimes the expectation is obvious as when pastors seem to emphasize numbers more than maturity. Believers tend to revere mega-churches and try to emulate their programs or strategies hoping for similar results. However, it is not our job to "build the church". Jesus said he would do it (cf. Matthew 16:18). Our responsibility is to make disciples.

Joel Osteen preaching at Lakewood Church

Jesus is our model for what true discipleship looks like. He submitted himself to the Father and walked in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus taught, healed, and delivered people. He commissioned his followers to do the same. True disciples look like their teacher. When the Church does what Jesus did, growth is inevitable. Jesus never had a marketing strategy or even invited people to come to his meetings, yet he always attracted crowds. As we learn to walk in the authority and power of Jesus, obeying his command to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the leper, and cast out demons (cf. Matthew 10:8), there will not be enough room in our churches to handle the masses who come. My prayer is that the Church will focus less on attendance and more on how to be and make good disciples.

"These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also..." Acts 17:6 (KJV)