John 6:26 - 27 (NKJV) 26Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set his seal on him."
I am sure we have all heard about what God is doing in Lakeland Florida as well as all over the world by now. It is obvious that something is happening on the earth. But, every time that God begins to move in this way, there is always potential for the flesh to make it into something that it is not. In this passage, Jesus is addressing a crowd of people who have been looking for him because they are excited because they were excited about all the miracles they had just seen him perform. They were all there when Jesus had fed the five thousand, and had just seen Jesus appear on the other side of the river knowing that he hadn't been in the boat. They wanted to see more. They wanted to be blessed and fed again like they were a few days before. The problem is that they didn't perceive what Jesus was actually doing through all these miracles. They just knew that it was really cool and that they were fed. He then begins to tell them that miracles serve a purpose, but without knowing who he really is, they don't amount to anything more than a nice meal.
John 6:47 - 51 (NKJV) 47Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes £in Me has everlasting life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
I love this! He says "your fathers ate the miraculous manna and guess what? They're dead!" Miracles always serve a purpose, but aside from Jesus there's no Life and no lasting fruit. I remember the renewal of 1995 when God met us in a mighty and powerful way. It was God and it had a specific purpose of healing and renewing for the body of Christ. But it was never suppose to be anything more than that. You see, what happened was people got so excited about the manifestations that they were all they became interested in. The Word, or "Jesus" got taken out of the mix, and, unfortunately, a lot of the fruit didn't last. Eventually there was no anointing at all and it became a flesh fest where people began seeing fairy dust and getting their teeth filled with Gold. I don't mean to be disrespectful, but God doesn't do miracles just to do miracles. There is always a purpose for them, and that purpose is always part of a grand plan. That plan is the Salvation of Gods creation. When the Word isn't the center and foundation of a revival it ceases to be God and there is no life.
I believe that there is no doubt that God is moving. It is an indication that people are hungry and God is answering those who cry out. We need to keep Jesus in the center and I believe we are about to see a great Harvest! Salvation should always follow a revival.Revival leads to Revolution! Let us keep ourselves open to what God is doing and be ready for him to do it in all of our towns and cities! Revival has begun and Revolution is hear!
Living in revival,
Pastor Josh
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Earnest Expectation
Romans 8:19 (NKJV) 19For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.
How many of you remember the atmosphere in the world last year in the weeks leading up to the release, or "revealing" of the miraculous wonderful Iphone? I do. There was an intense feeling of anticipation and expectation in the air. You could actually feel it. Even people who had no interest in new technology, people who didn't even know what things like PDA, or mp3 or WIFI even meant, new that something very important was about to happen. My mother who has never been the slightest bit interested in a phone that does anything but call another phone, saw the teaser add for the Iphone and was suddenly struck with strong desire to have one of these beautiful pieces of wonder, not even having any idea what it was suppose to do. You see, the reason for this world wide expectation was due to a brilliant and ingenious add campaign. Apple began about a year earlier leaking little bits of information about something new that was going to be unleashed on the earth that was going to change the world as we knew it. Little by little they would release more information, but never enough to do more than make you wonder. They never even released a picture of it until a few days before it was released. This created such an atmosphere of anticipation like nothing before. People lost sleep just waiting for that great and wonderful day to arrive when all there hopes and dreams would finally be revealed, that once they had one of these Iphones they would finally be complete. Well we all know now that it is just a phone. Sure it's cool, but it is just a phone! But this phone caused such a stir in the world.
I believe that the same thing has been happening in the realm of the spirit. You can feel a change in the atmosphere all around you. The world is waiting for something, and they don't even know what it is. You see we also have a great campaigner working on our behalf and his name is the Holy Spirit. God is not a fool! He never reveals his whole plan to the world. He just gives enough information to create an atmosphere of anticipation, and to get the enemy nervous. When Apple was leaking little bits about the Iphone, it was doing more than just getting us exited. It was also making every other phone provider and manufacturer very very nervous. So nervous that they all began to scramble to make something, anything that would compare to the iphone. But the problem was they didn't have any idea what it was going to be! We often put Satan in the same league as God. We think he knows what’s going on. He isn't and he doesn't! Our God is a master tactician and never reveals his plan until it is too late for Satan to do anything but give up. I believe in the time leading up to Moses, and then Jesus that God had been leaking little bits of information into the earth about something that was about to happen. Something is coming. Something is coming. Satan got nervous and tried to take out a whole generation both times. I think the same thing is going on now. Satan has known for some time that something is coming out of this generation that is going to mess him up and he has been trying, I believe, to take them out. How? Through abortion, through destroying the family structure, by stealing their hope and their expectation for any possible good for their lives that has any eternal value at all. He has stolen their Identities, their sense of purpose, their peace, and in doing so is trying to steal their destinies. But we all no that God never loses control of history! His plan for this generation will be fulfilled! There is a remnant of young believers who are rising up with a passion in their hearts and the cry coming forth from their lips declaring, "Here we are, we will be seen, and we will not remain silent! Father it is time for us to be revealed!" That is their heart. Not, "let my dreams and ambitions be revealed" but "let your sons and daughters be revealed"! God is moving as we cry out to him. Get ready for things to change!
Romans 8:20 - 22 (NKJV) 20For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
Living in the now,
Pastor Josh
How many of you remember the atmosphere in the world last year in the weeks leading up to the release, or "revealing" of the miraculous wonderful Iphone? I do. There was an intense feeling of anticipation and expectation in the air. You could actually feel it. Even people who had no interest in new technology, people who didn't even know what things like PDA, or mp3 or WIFI even meant, new that something very important was about to happen. My mother who has never been the slightest bit interested in a phone that does anything but call another phone, saw the teaser add for the Iphone and was suddenly struck with strong desire to have one of these beautiful pieces of wonder, not even having any idea what it was suppose to do. You see, the reason for this world wide expectation was due to a brilliant and ingenious add campaign. Apple began about a year earlier leaking little bits of information about something new that was going to be unleashed on the earth that was going to change the world as we knew it. Little by little they would release more information, but never enough to do more than make you wonder. They never even released a picture of it until a few days before it was released. This created such an atmosphere of anticipation like nothing before. People lost sleep just waiting for that great and wonderful day to arrive when all there hopes and dreams would finally be revealed, that once they had one of these Iphones they would finally be complete. Well we all know now that it is just a phone. Sure it's cool, but it is just a phone! But this phone caused such a stir in the world.
I believe that the same thing has been happening in the realm of the spirit. You can feel a change in the atmosphere all around you. The world is waiting for something, and they don't even know what it is. You see we also have a great campaigner working on our behalf and his name is the Holy Spirit. God is not a fool! He never reveals his whole plan to the world. He just gives enough information to create an atmosphere of anticipation, and to get the enemy nervous. When Apple was leaking little bits about the Iphone, it was doing more than just getting us exited. It was also making every other phone provider and manufacturer very very nervous. So nervous that they all began to scramble to make something, anything that would compare to the iphone. But the problem was they didn't have any idea what it was going to be! We often put Satan in the same league as God. We think he knows what’s going on. He isn't and he doesn't! Our God is a master tactician and never reveals his plan until it is too late for Satan to do anything but give up. I believe in the time leading up to Moses, and then Jesus that God had been leaking little bits of information into the earth about something that was about to happen. Something is coming. Something is coming. Satan got nervous and tried to take out a whole generation both times. I think the same thing is going on now. Satan has known for some time that something is coming out of this generation that is going to mess him up and he has been trying, I believe, to take them out. How? Through abortion, through destroying the family structure, by stealing their hope and their expectation for any possible good for their lives that has any eternal value at all. He has stolen their Identities, their sense of purpose, their peace, and in doing so is trying to steal their destinies. But we all no that God never loses control of history! His plan for this generation will be fulfilled! There is a remnant of young believers who are rising up with a passion in their hearts and the cry coming forth from their lips declaring, "Here we are, we will be seen, and we will not remain silent! Father it is time for us to be revealed!" That is their heart. Not, "let my dreams and ambitions be revealed" but "let your sons and daughters be revealed"! God is moving as we cry out to him. Get ready for things to change!
Romans 8:20 - 22 (NKJV) 20For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
Living in the now,
Pastor Josh
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