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Here I preach at Newlife Church, Kelowna, BC about how we convert fear to faith.
Fear to Faith
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Becoming a Shining, Buring Light
Here is a message I recently preached at Newlife Church, Kelowna, BC.
Localization
is imperative that we become students of the culture, spiritual climate and sensitivities of the people we are ministering too…
Introduction
It is extremly important that we operate in an honoring way toward any nation we are attempting to start an Ignition Center in. Learning about the country, the town, the culture, the spiritual climate and the local community will give us an advantage in transforming that community.
Language
Even though English is a fairly common internationally recognized language, all attempts to transition the program into the local language is one of the first easy ways we can show honor to the people we want to influence.
When we choose teams of leaders for the Ignition Centers from BSSM grads, preference will be given to the grads that speak the local language of the culture we are going to.
Traditions
There is a lot to be said about the appropriate value of traditions within the church especially because holding on to traditions can be the symptom of a religious spirit. However, it is not our job to wage war on every tradition in the community in hopes of driving out every religious spirit. We partner with Holy Spirit to discern the spirit of the tradition and then wage war on the spirit not the tradition. This will transform the traditions of men and avoid attacking what makes them feel safe.
Culture
We must become aware of the cultural norms, practices, traditions and sensitivities and, unless biblically contradictory, we must make every effort to assimilate into their culture. This the easiest way we can show honor to the society we want to influence.
“I have become all things to all men so that I may, by all means, save some.”
Paul
We must also remember, a Christian culture is not a western culture. The goal is to make the message relevant to the culture we are influencing not to try make the culture adapt to the message we are delivering.
Demographics
We adjust our scheduling and teaching to fit the demographics of the people we are trying to reach. A young women is not expecting the same message as an older man. If we have a room full of young 20-somethings, we make it our business to preach a message that is relevant to them.
Burning without Scolding
While burning with passion and conviction is paramount in reaching the community, being aware of cultural sensitivities will help us show love and honor in our interactions. For example in the Japanese culture it is really impolite to say “no”, so often our passion can come across abusive or abrasive.
Spiritual displacement
Principalities and powers that govern a region are displaced by manifesting the hidden, manifold wisdom of God to the unseen kings. We do this by infiltrating every level of the society with love.
Maturing in His presence.
Here is a message about maturing in His presence. The basic principle: The Spirit reveals the hidden things, that which is revealed becomes transformed by the Spirit and this transformation is a testimony or a revelation to others. Eph 5:1-21 and Is 60
[audio:http://www.ignitioncenter.com/audio/2010 07 25 Graeme Morris Maturing in His presence short.mp3|titles=Maturing in His presence]
Intmacy, the David Model
If you read the Psalms that David wrote it won’t take long for you to recognize a pattern. A pattern of intimacy and power. What do we know about David’s approach to God? Well we know that he was credited as a man after God’s heart. This is the ultimate compliment you can give a modern believer. Many believers like to associate their pursuit of God after David’s because it epitomizes the heart-to-heart connection with God we all desire. In fact, in Israel’s history most Kings refer to David as their ancestral father for this very reason.
What was so unique about his connection that makes him such a patriarch in biblical history and icon in modern Christianity? Well I think one of the clues is his unique communication with God. There is something deep in the core of David that bubbles forth when he writes or sings. I kind of hope that springs up from the depth of his soul to defy the process and engage in an encounter with God. He is known for rejecting the strict rules the priests were given, trading the process for undignified worship. Something the priests feared they would suffer for. However there is no fear in love. Remember their approach to the holy of hollies was marked with purification processes and even then they were not sure they wouldn’t drop dead in the presence of God. Where God is, sin and affliction can not hide. And in those days sin was bound up in the heart of a man so exposing himself to God without the cleansing rituals, meant certain death. Just for extra measure, a rope was tied around their ankle, just in case they dropped dead, this way they could pull a dead priest out without having to go in and be exposed to God’s presence. David proceeds to enter the holy of hollies and talk directly to God, usually only done by a priest of Levi.
So how did David thrive in this culture and environment? It seems obvious now after the death and resurrection of Jesus, that all God wanted was an intimate, heart-to-heart connection with His people. That deep in the heart of God is this unquenchable desire to be connected with us. It seems to supersede rules, process and formula. Isn’t this the reason He sent His son? So that we may be reconciled to Him? It proves that He will go to great lengths, moving heaven and earth, to be connected with us. And when we just look at him with one look of desire in our eye, it says in Song of Solomon, He lavishes the kingdom upon us. David understood this. God’s perfect love casts out the fear. David was practiced in his ability to draw the favor of God into his life.
One of the clues we have is the way he wrote the psalms. They are an inside look at David’s heart. It is easy for us to strip it down and turn it into a process, but it flows from the heart of a man in intimate embrace with his God. The overflow of David’s heart shows several clues about the posture of a heart after God’s heart.
First off David was a master of intimacy or “into-me-you-see because I showed you”. He bypasses traditional prayers moving away from the first levels of communication [i.e. spiritual cliche's, facts and opinions] and moves right to opening his heart. Intimacy is only for the brave. He shares his feelings and needs openly and honestly. The reason he is so good at this is because he has developed a great trust cycle with God.
A trust cycle looks like this: Need Awareness –> Need Expressed –> Respond to Need –> Need Satisfied –> Comforted –> repeat…..
As God satisfied his needs, David’s trust grew, and a safe place for intimacy increased. What we see in the Psalms is a result of practiced intimacy in the presence of God.
Next David builds his own faith or strengthens himself in God. Notice how often he repeats a testimony and how often he makes prophetic declarations about who God is and what He will do. David is a master of pulling to the surface the testimonies, promises and prophesies of God. This is a clue to where his faith came from. This is more than just great self talk or a and inspirational pep-rally. This is the renewal of our minds; the alignment of our minds with the mind of God. It is the very essence of the spiritual warfare of an advancing kingdom of God that the gates of hell can not stand against.
Psalm 61
1 Hear my cry, O God;
Attend to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
3 For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy.
4 I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;
I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah
5 For You, O God, have heard my vows;
You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name.
6 You will prolong the king’s life,
His years as many generations.
7 He shall abide before God forever.
Oh, prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him!
8 So I will sing praise to Your name forever, That I may daily perform my vows.
The heart after God’s heart is evident in David as we observe his communication style and the hope that he carries in the midst of trials. He is intimate with the Father, easily sharing his feelings and needs, and he is adept at strengthening himself in God, by repeating the testimonies and declaring the character and promises of God over his life. This is the pattern of intimacy and power that leaves an imprint in history like no other. It is the the blueprint of a life poured out in the pursuit of God’s heart. It is the clue to attracting the attention of heaven and the favor of God for your life.
So what is the problem? The problem is this doesn’t come naturally to all of us. In fact we are so conditioned in our relationships that what we feel and need has no value and the enemies plan is for us to easily forget the testimonies and promises of God, that we find this exercise really difficult. It was never supposed to be this way. You were created to carry the testimonies and promises of God and to intimately commune with Him.
Often relationships have gotten us into this mess and they will get us out. If we can practice this kind of communication style and and hope building with friends we can trust, as well as the God, we will become masters just like David.
The Christophany Culture
There is an uprising of people all over the world who are obsessed with His presence. Bill Johnson calls them the ‘burning ones’ and at IHOP they call this movement the ‘One Thing’ movement. People who are burning with passion for the presence of their saviour and the result is reciprocal, because He is burning in passion for us. The fruit of which manifests as revival and renewal in communities all over the world. It all starts with us desperately seeking his face or intimate face time with God, before we ever see the fruit overflow into our communities.
Only when we truly encounter His presence are we truly changed. Anyone who changes is a testimony of Jesus to the world around them. [1]The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy, it creates the opportunity for God to do in others what He has so mercifully did in you. When you testify of what God has done in you it creates hope in others. Real hope has the power of influence with others. The very spirit of the testimony rests on the testimony to create a love encounter for the receiver. The testimony is not merely words spoken to reflect a great encounter, it is a lifestyle whiteness that reflects the nature of God played out in our lives. This is it, that we live out what God has done in us. That we are outwardly who God has changed us to be on the inside. That others can see His nature begin to permeate our lives on all levels. That we ‘overflow’ or ‘leak’ His goodness and character out the abundance with in us. This is how others see the face of God in and on us. That we become a God encounter for them. That all the theology that we learn and experience becomes a theophany or christophany to others around us.
Christophany – the appearance of Christ
‘We have enounters with His love so that we become an encounter of His love. Theology has to create in us a theophany.’ – Kevin Dedmon
We become champions of His grace, and testimonies of His love when we seek His face and truly find Him in all we do. Everyone loves a champion or a hero. Those that overcame unbeatable odds, slayed a dragon or killed a giant. Stories or testaments of champion exploits travel far as little boys fantasize about becoming champions in their own rights, playing ‘slay the giant’ or ‘rescue the girl’. Champions reproduce champions in the hearts of others. That what God accomplished in us becomes accessible, tangible and possible to those around us. That God himself, become more accessible, tangible and possible to even the hardest heart. Sales people call this ‘word-of-mouth’ or ‘viral’ marketing. Nothing spreads hope and possibility better than the testimony of Jesus, especially when played out in someone’s life. You will often hear future-believers say, “Did you hear about so-and-so, they found Jesus!”. Which I think is kind of funny considering the fact that He is looking so hard for us and all we do is say yes.
Have you noticed how new believers are so full of hope, because they had a life changing experience with God. They can’t wait to tell everyone about the change in their lives, but it isn’t till people around them see the fruit of what has happened, before they believe and are often converted.
The faith and passion of a new believer was never meant to be exclusively a salvation experience. We are called to go from glory to glory. Jesus isn’t a drug, that once you experience Him in the first encounter, you spend the rest of your encounters trying to reproduce the same high. No! Experiencing His touch, His love, His face is supposed to be an ever increasing high, that you can’t get enough of. The experience and revelation of His love is supposed to increase and manifest change in us, as a testimony of His life exchange with us. Love encounters lead to and increase of knowing him, which increases our hope which we know overflows in acts of faith. The very faith with live by then produces opportunities for others to experience the love of God as we live, as we be Christians, not do Christianity.
We pray for the sick, because we can’t help it. It is an overflow of the revelation of His love and who He is in us. That we are full of the abundance of our father. [2]Out of the abundance of the heart the life will speak. I miss quoted this on purpose, however I think if we read the reference in Luke 6:45, we can see that Jesus is saying that a heart full of good things produces good things. Our lives full of His goodness produces Him and all His goodness around us. We tend to reproduce who we are, so we better get full of His presence. I like the scripture in [3]Ephesians 5:18 that says, be filled with the Spirit. It is a great word study because it basically says, “…do not be filled with things that are wasteful but be made full or complete with the Spirit…”. That the Spirit completes us, or He fills us to satisfaction, not wanting anything else. I have heard others say that the Scripture uses a double verb of ‘be-being’ filled with the Holy Spirit. That is to stay full at all times, always filling up what is lacking in us. We fill ourselves up with private, intimate love encounters with God. It isn’t what we do to get that encounter that matters, but that we have the encounter. It could be soaking, worshiping, slaying a dragon, getting healed, watching others get healed, reading your bible, etc. We will do whatever it takes to experience a revelation of how wide, how deep and high His love is for us. For example David slays the giant from a place of knowing who His God is. He slays the giant in public from a place of private intimacy with God. He slayed the bear and the lion before he slayed the giant. The overflow of what God has done in the secret place with David causes him to step up into his public destiny.
How can we effectively reach others without a living testimony of what Jesus has done or who He is in our lives. These victories create a hope that gathers the nations and defines history. Giant and dragon slayers forever reflect a new standard of living because of personal breakthrough. Their private victories lead to public victories. Those that created a ‘possible’ out of and ‘impossible’. We are those that reflect God’s purpose or His will to turn impossible into possible. This is the whole mandate in Is 60. and better explained by Paul in Eph 5.
Paul is making the comparison of walking in the light versus walking in your former ways as children of darkness. I like to look at the ’light’ versus ‘dark’ issue as an issue of revelation and the lack their of. That the whole battle over our minds is a battle of revelation. That we can’t see what isn’t revealed and we can only see what is revealed by the Spirit. Paul makes this point in Eph 5 vs 13: “But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.”
That you were unable in your former ways to walk in ‘revelation’ because you could not see. That you can’t see what isn’t reveled by the Spirit, but that which is reveled becomes seen or a revelation. And that which becomes a revelation, becomes a light for others to see. Or becomes a light that illuminates by the Spirit, a revelation for others to see what could not be seen before your encounter.
That was a mouthful! I will try again.
1. Before our encounter with Christ/Holy Spirit/God, we couldn’t see or perceive what was good or bad for us. A sort of ‘ignorance is bliss’ moment.
2. But when we encountered His presence, the Spirit revealed to us what was profitable and it became a revelation to us.
3. What became a revelation to us became a testimony that is used as a light by the Spirit to reveal in others the love and will of God in their lives.
Simply said, when God comes upon an individual they become aware of how much He loves them, then this internal revelation externally manifests as a lifestyle of faith. Which, in turn creates the same internal revelations in others around them, which multiplies to those around them exponentially. Ultimately reflecting God’s love and will throughout the world.
Then Paul directly quotes Is 60 to further illustrate his point.
1“Arise, shine; for your light has come,
And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
2“For behold, darkness will cover the earth
And deep darkness the peoples;
But the LORD will rise upon you
And His glory will appear upon you.
3“Nations will come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.
4“Lift up your eyes round about and see;
They all gather together, they come to you.
Your sons will come from afar,
And your daughters will be carried in the arms.
5“Then you will see and be radiant,
And your heart will thrill and rejoice;
Because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you,
The wealth of the nations will come to you.[4]
That the world is covered in darkness because of a lack of revelation of who God is or how much love He has for them. The fact that He already has so much love for them means all we have to do is reflect that love. To do this we stand up into Him and have our own personal encounter with Him. To be-being filled with His presence so that the internal transformation and external manifestation, reflects His love and ultimately reflects Him into the darkness around us. By just arising or coming up into our relationship with Him or creating an opportunity for Him to rest on us which creates an overflow of His love and revelation that pushes back the darkness and opens the hearts of those around us.
Bill Johnson says: “He is in us at salvation, for our sakes, but on us for other people’s sake”
Kings and nations will come to the brightness of the hope it creates in you. Reconciliation and restoration will be yours and abundance and increase will be your testimony. Um, to quote a friend of mine, Ben George, “Yes please!!”
So Paul is saying do not be filled with things that are of no value, now that you are aware of His love, be-being constantly filled and satisfied with His presence overflowing in behaviour that reflects that. As you do you will reflect Him to those around you and they too will be changed. You will go to the grocery store and see a person with a hearing aid and automatically ask to pray for them out of the overflow of His goodness in you. When they get healed they too will have experienced His love and be able to give it away. This is the hope that overflows as acts of faith that will draw nations and kings to you. You will slay your giants and further reveal God to the hearts of those around you as you seek His face.
[1]Rev 19:10b Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
[2]“The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.” Jesus – Luke 6:45
[3]“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,…” Paul – Ephesians 5:18
[4]Read further for greater understanding of the promises that follow those who seek His face
Come together…
A prophetic message to the body about the process of carrying the anointing from the city of ‘idolatry, religion and confusion’ through city of ‘hype-the-father’, through the house of ‘works and sold-inheritance’ to finally rest in the city of the ‘foundation of peace’ where ‘God passionately seeks you with all His heart’. I am not sure where this fits in theologically and whether or not there is application anywhere else, but I thought that the message was interesting as a concept of how we move the presence of God back into the house. It seems like a global word for revival, learning how to return the presence to the house of Israel or a safe place for Holy Spirit to show up. Perhaps as a global church we are all at one stage or another of returning to a priority for His presence. Burning to be in His presence, to see His face. And perhaps it is time we moved from personal experiences to corporate experiences. Interesting word study Pastor Rick mentioned. In-Corporate - in the corpse or body mmm that’s a tasty encounter waiting to happen. Ray Hughs said unity is a corporate humility or a knowing of why God is visiting us. I like that. There is something about what God wants to do when He gets into a corporate setting or onto a body of unified people. Unity with Passion is essential to carrying the presence as a corporate anointing. Passion can suffice as a personal thirst for His presence, but the word we need to host His presence as a corporation is, “Come together, right now, over Him”. Both the gathering and the togetherness of our spirits is important. He can be seen by the love we have one for another. That, “Where 2 or 3 gather + together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.” Jesus
Anyway enjoy! There are a few mistakes and some insecurities that drive me nuts… but I think it is still a relevant message.
[audio:http://www.ignitioncenter.com/audio/01 Come together right now over me.mp3]
I was wrong!
I was wrong. The best way to release and increase the kingdom wasn’t through a better system or open source curriculum or even people doing the ‘stuff’. This statement seems rather ridiculous when it is written out, but it was an all to real realization the other night when I had one of the craziest encounters with His consuming, furious love.I had talked myself out of going to the prophetic conference in town, for all the ‘right’ reasons, “…we just got back from ministering in Nicaragua, I’m tired and need to rest…” etc.. So I decided, because of the subtle hints of my friend Holy Spirit, that I should go. Sometimes we need to act in the opposite spirit than that of which we are.
We arrived at the dry lake bed with parched people doing the ‘normal’ horizontal watering of their proverbial soil… it was rough. I needed more, and pushed in again, by dancing then lying on the floor to receive all He was making available… it was good, but nothing near what was about to happen.
Heidi Baker, in her tender way, declared she was going to do something different, which really isn’t that different for her. She said that the alters are open and we were going to press in to God and give Jesus a drink. This was all my friend an I needed. So along with all the chapped-lipped Christians desperate for something else, we ran up and dove face down at the apostle’s feet. For most of the duration of her message, she laid hands on my friend and I, as she soaked, prayed, preached and poured out her heart to heaven. I felt the throngs of His love physically flowing through me as I lay there face down, it was incredible, but still nothing compared to what happened next.
I think the Spirit was telling me, “Servants beg face down, but lovers lie on their back!” So I turned over and lay on my back, the whole time Heidi was laying hands on my head and chest intermittently. It ‘physically’ felt like I went from the experience of God touching me, to having Him enter me. Like another level of His love.
There is more! There is more of His love than we can imagine or dream about.
With this new encounter came the an overwhelming thought,
“I don’t ever want to leave!”
… and I mean ever… I decided I was going to hold onto this moment forever, no matter what. Well that was the beginning of the longest incoherent, trance-like state I had ever been in up until that moment. For 24hrs I couldn’t walk without staggering around and falling down. I could barely open my eyes or speak without laughing spontaneously. I was reminded of the biblical references where Peter said, “These men are not drunk as you suppose!” and when Paul said to the Ephesians, “Do not be drunk on wine but be filled with the Holy Spirit.” My friend and I were filled, and we were drunk, drunk, drunk in His intoxicating love. It was completely marvelous and yet this was only a hint of what is available.
It wasn’t till the next day in a very controlled church service that I began to sober up. It was a pity. We spent the better part of 24hrs on our backs or crawling around under the weight of His presence. This isn’t a new thing. The biblical and revivalist fathers of old experienced this all the time. It was said of Smith Wigglesworth that he could bring the anointing so strong that most people couldn’t stay in the same building under the weight of God’s presence. A physical weight, they could feel baring down on their bodies.
It wasn’t till the next day in a very controlled church service that I began to sober up. It was a pity. We spent the better part of 24hrs on our backs or crawling around under the weight of His presence. This isn’t a new thing. The biblical and revivalist fathers of old experienced this all the time. It was said of Smith Wigglesworth that he could bring the anointing so strong that most people couldn’t stay in the same building under the weight of God’s presence. A physical weight, they could feel baring down on their bodies.
The point is there is more love for us hidden in God, than we can imagine or dream of. There is always more and there is always higher. The metaphor for this increase seems incredulous to me considering the salvation theology that says His presence comes to live in us. So what is this ‘more’ and why have psalmists and worship writers for generations penned the echo of our hearts over and over again? How can we have more of the ‘all’ that lives in us? Could it be that we don’t really see ‘all’ of what we have; that we don’t comprehend the height, depth and breadth of He who is in us? That somehow, we need to see more, comprehend more and experience more of Him who lives in us. And then what?
When we experience intimate, heart-to-heart, deep love we can’t help but love. It reduces the fist commandment to an overflow of the love that we already experience in our hearts. We become agents of His love, reflecting Him in the communities we live in. All over the world the agents of love are being released and are changing the world as more and more people experience the mystery of the kingdom. Love is contagious and cancerous (yes I am using this work on purpose), especially cancerous to the works of the enemy and the gates of hell which can not prevail against it.
“We love, because He first loved us.” [NASB] 1 John 4:11
The bible says you can’t love without being loved by God. I didn’t write that, it is in the word… so that means that any love we are experiencing today is a run off or an overflow of love experienced by someone who at one point was connected to God.
The word ‘Theophany’ from the Ancient Greek Θεοφάνεια – Τheophaneia(meaning “appearance of God”), refers to the appearance of a deity to a human, or to a divine disclosure.
“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.” [MSG] John 13:34-35