Listen on:
Episodes
Saturday Aug 22, 2015
Saturday Aug 22, 2015
The Bible has a lot to say about
money. Rarely does the Church preach the uncomfortable truth about money. I have
heard many messages about saving, even what kind of car to buy, and about enjoying wealth on earth, but rarely
have I heard messages encouraging Biblical financial responsibility…which is
one of the most IRRESPONSIBLE things a person can do in the eyes of the world. The world generally does not believe in true financial responsibility,
in the church and out of it. The Bible is never going to
change. Man’s theology about money WILL change, dramatically, in one hour, according to the Bible:
Ezekiel
7:17-19 Every hand will be feeble, And every knee
will be as weak as water. 18 They will
also be girded with sackcloth; Horror will cover them; Shame will be on every face, Baldness on all their
heads. 19 'They will throw their silver into the
streets, And their gold will be like refuse; Their silver and their gold will
not be able to deliver them In the day of the wrath of the LORD; They will not
satisfy their souls, Nor fill their stomachs, Because it became their stumbling
block of iniquity.
Generosity is the way to prepare
for this day. Silver and gold cannot be
your stumbling block if you learn to be free from the desire for money now…but
you must take it seriously. Money will
be one of the GREATEST stumbling blocks…the trip that leads to falling away…over
the next several years:Revelation
3:16-19 So then, because you
are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, 'I
am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'—and do not know that
you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— 18 I counsel you to buy
from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments,
that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint
your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I
rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.
There IS a day where all the
truth of the word will be tested:
Revelation 3:10 Because you have kept
My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which
shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
Are you ready for the test?
Thursday Aug 20, 2015
Thursday Aug 20, 2015
The end time saints…the Bride….have an integral role in partnering with
God to release the end time judgments…the seven seals, seven trumpets, and
seven bowls:Revelation
8:4-6 And the smoke of the incense, with
the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand. 5 Then
the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to
the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an
earthquake. 6 So the seven angels who had the seven
trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
This is a very intense truth with great implications. To release the judgments, we must understand
them. To agree with Jesus, we must come
into an understanding that the judgments are the highest expression of Jesus’
mercy, patience, and love. Jesus’
judgments are to be desired, but in this hour, many don’t even want to think
about, even more are hoping to avoid them altogether…this runs counter to
statement in the Bible about God’s judgments:Psalms
19:9-11 The fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous
altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, Yea,
than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 11
Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is
great reward.
It takes time to agree with God about loving His judgments. David, Jesus, Paul, Peter, James, John….every
great one in the Bible describes the process of being set apart to love, and
then execute the judgments….to stand with Jesus. This honor have all the saints, and they will
do it in night and day prayer to music.
Are you ready?
Psalms 149:1-9 Praise the LORD!
Sing to the LORD a new song, And His praise in the assembly of saints. 2 Let
Israel rejoice in their Maker; Let the children of Zion be joyful in their
King. 3
Let them praise His name with the dance; Let them sing praises to Him
with the timbrel and harp. 4 For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He
will beautify the humble with salvation.
5 Let the saints be joyful in
glory; Let them sing aloud on their beds.
6 Let the high praises of God be
in their mouth, And a two-edged sword in their hand, 7 To
execute vengeance on the nations, And punishments on the peoples; 8 To
bind their kings with chains, And their nobles with fetters of iron; 9 To
execute on them the written judgment— This honor have all His saints. Praise
the LORD!
Wednesday Aug 19, 2015
Wednesday Aug 19, 2015
Luke 14:7-11 So He told a parable to those
who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them:
8 "When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not
sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him;
9 and he who invited you and him come and say to you, 'Give place
to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10
But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that
when he who invited you comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.' Then
you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you.
11 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles
himself will be exalted."
Revelation 3:7-10 "And to
the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, 'These things says He who is
holy, He who is true, "HE WHO HAS THE KEY OF DAVID, HE WHO OPENS AND NO
ONE SHUTS, AND SHUTS AND NO ONE OPENS": 8 "I know your
works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you
have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9
Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews
and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet,
and to know that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept My
command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall
come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
Wednesday Aug 12, 2015
Wednesday Aug 12, 2015
Many are talking about the events of this fall. It is easy to be deceived. I do believe this fall will be significant,
but I am also clear on what the Bible says:
many will totally miss what God is doing in it. Many won’t see what is clearly happening,
even if they “know” things they think will happen…even if those very things
happen.
I hear the Lord saying these two passages are essential right now:
Isaiah 30:8-14 Now go, write it before
them on a tablet, And note it on a scroll, That it may be for time to come,
Forever and ever: 9 That this is a rebellious people, Lying
children, Children who will not hear the law of the LORD; 10 Who
say to the seers, "Do not see," And to the prophets, "Do not
prophesy to us right things; Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits. 11 Get
out of the way, Turn aside from the path, Cause the Holy One of Israel To cease
from before us." 12 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel:
"Because you despise this word, And trust in oppression and perversity,
And rely on them, 13 Therefore this iniquity shall be to you Like
a breach ready to fall, A bulge in a high wall, Whose breaking comes suddenly,
in an instant. 14 And He shall break it like the breaking of
the potter's vessel, Which is broken in pieces; He shall not spare. So there
shall not be found among its fragments A shard to take fire from the hearth, Or
to take water from the cistern."
And
Isaiah 8:9-17 "Be
shattered, O you peoples, and be broken in pieces! Give ear, all you from far
countries. Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces; Gird yourselves, but be
broken in pieces. 10 Take counsel together, but it will come to
nothing; Speak the word, but it will not stand, For God is with us." 11 For
the LORD spoke thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should
not walk in the way of this people, saying:
12 "Do not say, 'A
conspiracy,' Concerning all that this people call a conspiracy, Nor be afraid
of their threats, nor be troubled. 13 The LORD of hosts, Him you shall hallow; Let
Him be your fear, And let Him be your dread.
14 He will be as a sanctuary, But
a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense To both the houses of Israel, As a
trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And
many among them shall stumble; They shall fall and be broken, Be snared and
taken." 16 Bind up the testimony, Seal the law among my
disciples. 17 And I will wait on the LORD, Who hides His
face from the house of Jacob; And I will hope in Him.
Don’t make decision on things you are imagining to happen this
fall. Make decision that were always the
right ones anyway…respond to the Lord NOW, while there is time.
Tuesday Aug 11, 2015
Tuesday Aug 11, 2015
This message isn't for
everyone. It is an encouragement to the friends of the bridegroom. John
the Baptist prepared for years in the wilderness for a very intense and
important ministry making the way straight for Jesus to come. I hear the
Lord say many forerunners are tempted to be weary from watching. The
promise of the Bible over and over is that the night is long. Right now,
the Lord is establishing the watchmen to endure what is coming. Patience
is a huge part of what it means to be ready. This message is about the
vibrancy found in patience!
Here are the passages I
refer to:
Revelation 1:9 I, John, both your brother and companion in the
tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is
called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Habakkuk 2:1-4 I
will stand my watch And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He
will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected. 2 Then
the LORD answered me and said: "Write the vision And make it plain on
tablets, That he may run who reads it. 3 For the vision is yet for
an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it
tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. 4
"Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just
shall live by his faith.
Habakkuk 2:13-14
Behold, is it not of the LORD of hosts That the peoples labor to feed the
fire, And nations weary themselves in vain? 14 For the earth will
be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the
sea.
Daniel 12:1-4
"At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands
watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such
as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your
people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book. 2
And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to
everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those
who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who
turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever. 4
"But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the
time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."
There is a promise of
grace for patience:
1 Peter 1:8-13 whom having not seen you
love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy
inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation
of your souls. 10 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired
and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to
you, 11
searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in
them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and
the glories that would follow. 12 To them it was revealed that, not to
themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been
reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy
Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into. 13
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope
fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus
Christ;
Tuesday Aug 04, 2015
Tuesday Aug 04, 2015
The tragic result of a lack of teaching of Revelation to the Church is a lack of understanding of where the safe place is in the unfolding tribulation. There IS a safe place...it is promised over and over:Revelation 3:10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.Luke 21:36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."There is a narrow road...a "one thing" quality to getting to the safe place, described in Psalm 27:Psalms 27:4-5 One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple. 5 For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.Because there is so little Bible confidence on this subject in the Church, there are two main ditches many are falling into on both sides of the narrow road of end time safety and joy. These are the two ditches:1. over-optimism...those who say nothing to really do, God loves me so I am good...nope...this eschatology doesn't hold up to ANY Biblical scrutiny:Amos 9:10 All the sinners of My people shall die by the sword, Who say, 'The calamity shall not overtake nor confront us.'You must choose your end time safety, just as Lot had to CHOOSE to flee to Zoar and not look back. Many are not choosing because they think there is no danger. They believe God will just magically make them agree with His plans...this isn't faith, it is presumption. This is a very deep ditch.BUT, there is an equally dangerous ditch, called 2. FEAR. Conspiracy thinking has left many who actually see the trouble thinking very wrong things about what to DO about the trouble:Isaiah 8:11-15 For the LORD spoke thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying: 12 "Do not say, 'A conspiracy,' Concerning all that this people call a conspiracy, Nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. 13 The LORD of hosts, Him you shall hallow; Let Him be your fear, And let Him be your dread. 14 He will be as a sanctuary, But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense To both the houses of Israel, As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many among them shall stumble; They shall fall and be broken, Be snared and taken."Conspiracy thinking, though it has elements of insight, lacks REVELATION...because it doesn't offer the NARROW PLAN of greatness, joy, and safety of the end times.Both of these ditches... presumption and the paralyses of fear...are meant to keep us off of the narrow road of REVELATION. This message is intended to shine some light on the road that will leave many more joyful in the time of shaking than they could really imagine right now...but the joy comes from seeing the trouble for what it really is!
Thursday Jul 30, 2015
Thursday Jul 30, 2015
The Sermon on the
Mount is describing the "threshing and winnowing" process Jesus came
to establish to sift the earth to separate out a people who want to live under
His leadership forever. The threshing floor in the Bible becomes the place
of night and day prayer to music, called David's Tabernacle. This night
and day calling on God ENTHRONED God in Israel during David's reign. Jesus is going to sit on David's
Throne....Jesus will operate His government the same way David did...by
ENTHRONING Himself on the praises of His people. This is dynamically
connected to the threshing floor of the Sermon on the Mount. This message
explores the connection of these concepts to the very purpose Jesus came to
accomplish:
Matthew 3:10-12
And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every
tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is
coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He
will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing
fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and
gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable
fire."
Wednesday Jul 29, 2015
Wednesday Jul 29, 2015
The Sermon on the Mount is about learning to practically pursue a "love of the truth." This will protect the end time Church...called the Bride...from the delusion that is, even now, infecting the Church and the world. This was promised to happen. We desperately need to learn to love the truth....2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Tuesday Jul 28, 2015
Tuesday Jul 28, 2015
Over and over the Bible promises that you don't have to endure the end time tribulation the way the rest of the world does. In fact, Jesus doesn't want you to! BUT, it isn't an escape from His plan to finish the Great Commission. It is the narrow road of the promise given to Philadelphia...the city that has practically agreed with God that loving God with all your mind, soul, and strength REALLY DOES overflow into loving your neighbor as yourself.Revelation 3:10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.Many teachers are beginning to stray from Biblical truth in this hour. It is important to know what YOU believe and why.
Thursday Jul 23, 2015
Thursday Jul 23, 2015
The
Sermon on the Mount teaches us how to climb God's Holy Mountain to safety
BEFORE the storm of the Great Tribulation makes landfall. One of the key
aspects of safety is generosity. God doesn't need your money. You
need to break the heart ties to it before the antichrist uses your fear of
money against you.
Generosity
is safety over and over in the Bible:
Isaiah
32:7-15 Also the schemes of the schemer are evil; He devises wicked plans
To destroy the poor with lying words, Even when the needy speaks justice.
8 But a generous man devises generous things, And by generosity he
shall stand. 9 Rise up, you women who are at ease, Hear my voice;
You complacent daughters, Give ear to my speech. 10 In a year and
some days You will be troubled, you complacent women; For the vintage will
fail, The gathering will not come. 11 Tremble, you women who are at
ease; Be troubled, you complacent ones; Strip yourselves, make yourselves bare,
And gird sackcloth on your waists. 12 People shall mourn upon their
breasts For the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine. 13 On the
land of my people will come up thorns and briers, Yes, on all the happy homes
in the joyous city; 14 Because the palaces will be forsaken, The
bustling city will be deserted. The forts and towers will become lairs forever,
A joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks— 15 Until the Spirit is poured
upon us from on high, And the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, And the
fruitful field is counted as a forest.
We
live in the generation that will see the fullness of this promise...