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    October 26

    คริสจักรในประเทศไทยต้องการการปฏิรูป

    คริสตจักรไทยจำเป็นต้องรับการปฏิรูปให้เป็นถุงน้ำองุ่นใหม่   หากเราย้อนหรือศึกษากลับไปในอดีต เราพบว่าคริสจักรเริ่มในสมัยกิจการแต่ต่อมาเมื่อคริสจักรได้ขยายออกไปมากพวกนั้นก็พยายามควบคุมคริสเตียนด้วยการตั้งให้มีนักบวชคนเดียวในสมัย constantine ที่จะดูแล  ซึ่งอาจเป็นจุดเริ่มของการมีศบ.แต่ในพระคำภีร์ศบ.เป็นผู้นำคนหนึ่งในคริสจักรไม่ใช่ผู้นำสูงสุด แต่ปัญหานี้อาจไม่ใช่ประเด็นหลัก แต่สิ่งที่ผมกำลังจะอธิบายก็คือการปฏิรูปจากคาทอลิคมาเป็นโปรแตสแตนของมาติน ลูเทอร์ ในเรื่องของเสรีภาพในการนัมสการพระเจ้าและการเข้าถึงพระเจ้าในสมัยก่อนคนจะทำพิธีล้างบาปต้องผ่านบาดหลวงเท่านั้นคือต้องไปสารภาพต่อบาดหลวง ต่อมาร์ตินเริ่มเห็นว่าพระคำไม่ได้สอนแบบนั้นจึงเริ่มเขียนแนวคิดลงในเอกสาร สิ่งที่ผมกำลังบอกว่าทุกวันนี้คริสจักรในประเทศไทยตกอยู่ในสภาพที่เหมือนกับย้อนกลับไปก่อนการปฏิรูป คนไม่มีเสรีภาพในการนัมกการพระเจ้าจริงแต่มีกฏของมนุษย์เข้ามาควบคุมพวกเขาในการนมัสการ และคริสจักรถูกสร้างขึ้นบนรากฐานของกฏที่มนุษย์ได้กำหนดขึ้น ไม่ใช่รากฐานของอัครทูตหรือพระวัจนะของพระเจ้า เราถูกสร้างให้มีชุมชนของเราเอง อย่าไปคริสจักรอื่นมีแต่ความกลัวลองถามสมาชิกในคริสจักรดูว่ามีวิญญาณความกลัวไหม  คริสจักรหนึ่งที่ผมมีโอกาศไปร่วมสมาชิกมีแต่วิญญาณแห่งความกลัวโดยฌพาะคริสจักรที่เน้การเชื่อฟังผู้นำมากๆ ที่จริงการเชื่อฟังผู้นำเป็นเรื่องที่ดี แต่ที่มันไม่ดีคือมันกลายเป็ฯเครืองมือของคนที่ไม่รักลูกแกะจริงๆใช้เพื่อควบคุมพวกเขา เพราะแนวคิดนี้   และคิดว่าสิ่งที่พวกเขาดำเนินนั้นเป็นชุมชนของพวกเขาและทำทุกอย่างด้วยการทำงานหนักเพื่อจะเป็นที่พอใจพระเจ้าและพอใจมนุษย์ แต่รากข้างยังมีการอิจฉากัน เกลียดกัน ความหยิ่งหรือบาปข้างใน  เราไม่ได้ให้ความสำคัญกับเรื่องภายในแต่เราสนใจว่าใครรับใช้มากกว่ากันคนนั้นรักพระเจ้ามากกว่า   การเป็นเจ้าของคน สร้างอณาจักรของตัวเองให้ใหญ่ขึ้น ยกตัอย่าง คุณจะไปประชุมฟื้นฟูที่ไหนมีสตาฟของคริสจักรคนหนึ่งบอกผมต้องแจ้งผู้นำทราบก่อน  เป็นกฏไปแล้วและมันกลายเป็นศาสนา เราไม่มีเสรีภาพเหมือนคุกดีๆนี่เอง ผมเชื่อว่าท่านอาจได้เคยฟังผูรับใช้มาเทศนาเรื่องคุกที่มีศบ.เป็นผู้คุมคุกให้ผมฟัง  และหลายครั้งบางคริสจักรก็แปลกเวลาคนย้ายไปที่อื่นซึ่งอาจเป็นเหตุผลเพราะว่าการเดินทางเราจะคิดว่า คนแย่งลูกแกะของเราตามแวตามอีกเพื่อให้เขามาที่คริสจักร ส่วนพวกลูกแกะพิการไม่มีเงินอยากจนหรือพวกที่ไม่ได้เรื่องและไม่มีคริสจักรไปเราไม่ค่อยตามเช่นคนที่สติบางทีมีปัญหา
    เราเลือกลูกแกะที่สมบูรณ์เพื่อเข้าคอก  แต่ถ้ามีคนใหม่จากที่อื่นมาที่เรา เราจะเงียบไม่พูดอะไรเลยเราไม่เคยถามว่าคุณมาจากคริสจักรไหนบางทีก็ชวนให้อยู๋ทั้งที่ในอีกด้านหนึ่งเราก็ไม่ชอบให้ใครมาชักชวนคนของเราเป็นตั้น  และเราทำอย่างไรให้คนมาคริสจักรมากเพื่อจะมีเงินถวายพอหรือเพื่อชื่อเสียง กลายเป็นธุรกิจไป  ถ้าเราต้องการคนได้รับความรอดเราจะไม่สนใจว่าเขาจะมาเฉพสะคริสจักรเราหรือจะไปที่ไหน แต่เขาก็ควรมีที่เดียวที่ไปก็ตามเราต้องหว่านแผ่นดินของพระเจ้าก่อนและสิ่งนั้นจะตามมา ที่ผมบอกแบบนี้เพราะผมเคยได้ยินคนบอกว่าเราต้องประกาศนำคนเพื่อจะมีเงินถวายพอ คำถามคือเรามีท่าทีข้างในอย่างไรในการประกาศพระกิติตคุณ  เราต้องการเห็นคนได้รับความรอดจริงหรือเราต้องการชื่อเสียง หรือเงินถวาย ผมคิดว่าไม่มีใครทราบนอกจากตัวเราเอง ผมเองได้มีส่วนช่วยในการสร้างคริสจักรหรือก่อตั้งคริสจักรมาคือออกแบบให้ 3 ที่และช่วยพวกเขาตอนเริ่มตั้งคริสจักร 1 ที่ และมีสิ่งที่ผมพบว่าเมื่อพวกเขาประสบความสำเร็จแล้วผมพบว่าผู้นำหลายคนได้เริ่มขาดความถ่อมใจและอยากที่จะได้และภาคภูมิใจกับสิ่งที่มีแทนที่จะจดจ่อกับพระเจ้า และไม่นานคนเหล่านั้นก็มีปัญหากันเองแตกข้างในเพราะแย่งกันเป็นใหญ่และมีปัญหาเรื่องเงินของผู้นำนั้นเป็นจุดเริ่มที่ผมมักจะเตือนคริสจักรให้ระวังก่อนผมจะออกมาจากคริสจักร เพื่อให้เขาระมัดระวังเรื่องนี้
     
    ในวันหลังผมจะมาพูดถึงเรื่องท่าทีการถวายทรัพย์ที่ผิด และสิ่งที่คริสจักรสอนเรื่องการให้หรือการถวายที่อาจมีการปนเปลื้อน  เราถูกสอนผิดว่าถ้าเราถวายเงินให้คริสจักรมากเพื่อจะได้รับพระพรมาก มันมีความจริงอยู่ แต่มีบางอย่างที่มันปนเปลื้อนโดยที่พวกเราไม่เคยรูมาก่อนว่ามีหลายคนถวายมาก แต่ล้มละลายเพราะอะไร เบนนาฮิมเคยตั้งคำถามนี้กับพระเจ้าในดการเทศนาครั้งหนึ่ง ผมจะมาแบ่งปันไม่เช่นนั้นสิ่งที่คุณถวายไปพระเจ้าไม่ได้รับเครื่องถวายนั้นเลย
     
    ผมได้เอาประวัติของมารตินมาให้ย่อยมาประกอบ
     
     
     
     Martin Luther (1483-1546) stands in history as one of those unique forces, an individual who by force of will and by his ideas changed the world fundamentally. There are several ironies incumbent on Luther's pivotal role in history: 1) he doesn't really represent a break with the past, but rather a flash point where ideas and trends which had been smoldering in Europe for several centuries suddenly blazed aflame; 2) Luther initially saw himself as a great reformer of the Catholic church, a simple monk who thought the force of his ideas would single-handedly redirect the Leviathan of the church; in the end, however, he divided Christianity into two separate churches and that second division, Protestantism, would divide over the next four centuries into a near infinity of separate churches; 3) finally, Luther (and all the other reformers) saw themselves as returning Christianity to its roots, they believed that they were setting the clock back; in reality, their ideas irreparably changed the world and pushed it kicking and screaming, not into some ideal past, but into the modern era.

       Luther was not a person you would want to have dinner with; he was temperamental, peevish, egomaniacal, and argumentative. But this single-mindedness, this enormous self-confidence and strident belief in the rightness of his arguments, allowed him to stand against opposition, indeed, to harden his position in the face of death by fire, the usual punishment for heretics. Luther became an Augustinian monk in 1505, disappointing his equally strong-willed father, who wished him to become a lawyer. He earned a doctorate in theology from the University of Wittenberg, but instead of settling down to a placid and scholarly monkish life or an uneventful university career teaching theology, he began to develop his own personal theology, which erupted into outright blasphemy when he protested the use of indulgences in his 95 Theses.

    Indulgences, which were granted by the pope, forgave individual sinners not their sins, but the temporal punishment applied to those sins. These indulgences had become big business in much the same way pledge drives have become big business for public television in modern America. Luther's Theses, which outlined his theological argument against the use of indulgences, were based on the notion that Christianity is fundamentally a phenomenon of the inner world of human beings and had little or nothing to do with the outer world, such as temporal punishments. It is this fundamental argument, not the controversy of the indulgences themselves, that most people in the church disapproved of and that led to Luther's being hauled into court in 1518 to defend his arguments against the cardinal Cajetan. When the interview focused on the spiritual value of "good works," that is, the actions that people do in this world to benefit others and to pay off the debts they've incurred against God by sinning, Cajetan lost his temper and demanded that Luther recant. Luther ran, and his steady scission from the church was set in motion. The Northern Humanists, however, embraced Luther and his ideas.

       Luther's first writing was The Sermon on Good Works, in which he argued that good works do not benefit the soul; only faith could do that. Things took a turn for the worse: Pope Leo declared 41 articles of Luther's teachings as heretical teachings, and Luther's books were publicly burned in Rome. Luther became more passionate in his effort to reform the church. His treatise, "Address to the Christian Nobility of Germany," pressed for the German nation to use military means to force the church to discuss grievances and reform; "A Prelude concerning the Babylonish Captivity of the Church" literally called for clergy in the church to openly revolt against Rome.



       In 1521, the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, demanded that Luther appear before the diet of the Holy Roman Empire at Worms. Luther was asked to explain his views and Charles ordered him to recant. Luther refused and he was placed under an imperial ban as an outlaw. He managed to escape, however, and he was hidden away in a castle in Wartburg where he continued to develop his new church.

    Reformation Reader

    Martin Luther, The Freedom of a Christian

       In a more conciliatory effort, Luther wrote a letter to Pope Leo explaining the substance of his ideas, Von der Freiheit des Christenmenschen , "On the Freedom of the Christian," from which your readings have been selected. This conciliation didn't work (the treatise is not, in fact, very conciliatory, but somewhat arrogant), and Luther was excommunicated from the church in 1521. What had started as a furious attempt to reform the church overnight turned into a project of building a new church independent of the Catholic church. Nevertheless, this small work, "The Freedom of the Christian," is the theological and ideological core of Luther's thinking; the fundamental term of value, that center around which every other aspect of his thought rotates, is the concept of Freiheit, "freedom," or "liberty." This is not our concept of freedom, but in the eventual turn of time it will give rise to the notion of "individual freedom," and later "political freedom," and later "economic freedom." Most of the European Enlightenment revolves around freedom and the project of "liberating" people: liberating them from false beliefs, from false religion, from arbitrary authority, etc.--that is, what we will be calling "liberation discourse." Westerners still participate in this Enlightenment project today. This idea of "liberating" people, so common to the international politics of our own period, comes out of Luther's idea of "freedom."

       When you read this treatise, ask yourself the following questions: What precisely does this freedom consist of? What is the nature of the individual? What are the two divisions of a human being? What value is attached to the "internal" part of the human being? How is this "internal" part free? Finally, how do you see this concept working in the world around you?

    7:05 AM | Add a comment | Read comments (1) | Permalink | Blog it | Blessing
    October 17

    IN THE HAND OF GOD

    There are many times in life that we become selfish with God.  We need to remember that God wishes to bless us with a great life and give us the things that will make us happy, but too often we refuse to give God what He asks of us fearing that we will lose and not gain.  God will never take anything away from us without first having planned to give us something much more valuable in return.  We know that God has all wealth and doesn't need anything from us, but all He is looking for is the act of obedience and once seen, God can freely give to us the things that He wishes for us to have. (Luke 6:38) (Isaiah 1:19) (1 Corinthians 2:9)


    Hope you'll be challenged by this great and simple story that shows in illustration form how we should open our hands to the Lord in order for us to receive from Him.  Hope it also changes your thinking for the better so that you can take hold of the blessings of the Lord. 


    IN THE HAND OF GOD


    There is a beautiful story about a child playing with a vase his mother had left on the table for a few moments. When the mother turned at the sound of her son crying she saw that his hand was in the vase and was apparently stuck. She tried to help him and pulled and pulled until the child cried out in pain. But the hand was stuck fast. How would they get it out? The father suggested breaking the vase but it was quite valuable and the child's hand might be cut in the process. Yet he knew that if all else failed there would be no other alternative.


    So he said to the boy, "Now, let's make one more try. Open your hand and stretch your fingers out straight, like I'm doing, and then pull!" "But Dad," said the boy, "if I do that I'll lose my penny!"
    The boy had had a coin in his hand all the time and was holding it securely in his tight little fist. And he wasn't prepared to open his hand and lose the penny. But once he opened his hand it came out of the vase easily.


    What are you holding onto so tightly as to hinder your walk with Jesus?


    That vase can be likened to the entrance to the Kingdom of God. It is narrow yet quite easy to pass in, but first you must “open” your hand to God and allow earthly things to fall. If we keep our fists closed and hold fast to what we have and keep it for ourselves, we will be unable to take hold of the “Hand of God”!


    We arrived with nothing and will depart the same way.


    Jesus told the parable of the rich man found in Luke 12:16-21 who wanted to build bigger barns to store his grain and goods. But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' We need to be on guard, or the things we own will begin to own us. It is our own clenched fist that makes us a prisoner.
    Open your hand to the hand of God and you will see great things take place.


    Read and meditate on these scriptures:


    Proverbs 3:9-12 “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of His correction: For whom the LORD loveth He correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.”


    Psalm 103:1-5 “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”


    Jeremiah 29:11-14 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.  Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD…”


    1 Corinthians 2:9-11 “…Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.”


    All scriptures can be found in the King James Version.

    9:00 AM | Add a comment | Permalink | Blog it
    October 09

    A NEED SUPPLIED

    A young preacher had been away from home and was returning. He did not have much money, just what he had been given in a love offering for his ministry.  He knew if he took out the tithe there would not be enough to cover the expenses to get home.  Still he took out the tithe and happily gave it over to the Lord. Then he started to drive down the road.

    He drove until he needed gas, praying that the Lord would provide. On what he was sure was the last bit of gasoline in the tank, he pulled into a gas station. Getting out of the car, he counted the little change he had in his pocket and told the attendant that he wanted whatever gas that amount would buy.

    The attendant stuck the hose in the tank and went about cleaning the windshield noticing a Bible on the front seat of the car. The gas pump continued to pour gasoline into the tank and the preacher began to get excited. “You'd better stop the pump. This really is all the money I have.” He said. "Mhmm--O.K." The attendant replied, and let the pump go on as he finished cleaning the windows. Inspired from the preacher's pleas the attendant filled the tank to the brim. Then, he led the preacher into the station. Reaching up to a high shelf, he grabbed an old battered lunch bucket. "Would you by chance be a preacher?" he questioned.

    The preacher nodded and said he was on his way home from a meeting and was about out of money. "Well, I thought you might be. I saw that Bible in the car. I am a Christian, but we don't have a good church around here. So I have been setting aside the Lord's money and asking Him to show me what to do with it." With that, he opened the lunch bucket, reached in and pulled out a fistful of bills and thrust them into the preacher's hand. "That and the tank full of gas should get you home and help take care of you."

    Fish
    Read and meditate on these scriptures:

    2 Corinthians 9:6-8 “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.  Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.”

    Luke 6:38 Jesus says, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”

    Malachi 3:8-10 “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

    Psalm 126:5-6 “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.  He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”

    All scriptures can be found in the King James Version.

    7:24 AM | Add a comment | Read comments (1) | Permalink | Blog it | Blessing

    JUDGMENT DAY

    ish
    I was standing at the seat of judgment, waiting for my turn
    Thinking of the houses and the treasures I would earn
    Thinking of how I'd lived my life just as a Christian should
    Thinking of how I'd always done what was right and what was good.

    I knew that when my turn would come with the Father and the Son
    They would look at me and my life and say to me “Well Done”
    I knew that I was sinless, and my life beyond reproach
    I got more excited as my time began to approach.

    But just then I looked around and who should I see,
    But the lady that I worked with, just down the hall from me
    We always passed each other with a wave and a smile
    And when the time would allow we would chat for a little while
    We would talk about our jobs, our kids, and various little things.

    Our conversations always pleasant and laughter it would bring
    Just then she looked up, and her teary eyes locked with mine
    And my smile faded when I realized she was in the other line
    She began to speak the words that broke my heart in two
    It pains me now to remember as I share these words with you.

    She said “Why didn't you tell me about the God that you do know,
    You went to church each week but never invited me to go?
    You never told me of his saving mercy, that he died on the cross
    And now it is too late for me and my soul's eternally lost
    I see you saved yourself and that you are among the chosen few,
    But tell me, couldn't you have made an effort, to try and save me too?”

    Just then I sat straight up in bed, my heart pounding in my chest
    Thank God it was just a dream, but my spirit still couldn't rest
    I realized that I couldn't keep my God a secret among friends
    But that I must learn to always share the hope that the gospel lends.

    So I encourage you not to wait until it is too late
    Go and tell everyone you meet that your God is so, so great!

    Read and meditate on these scriptures:

    2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

    2 Corinthians 6:2 “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation...”

    Isaiah 55:6-7 “Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.”

    2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

    All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible.
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    October 04

    God’s Love and Ours (1 John 4:7-21)

    love-quotes1 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

    We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

    cute12bk God is love Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

    We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God”, yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever  loves God must also love his brother.

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    Church and Kingdom

    The relationship between the Church and the Kingdom of God is often misunderstood. Christians often speak as if the Kingdom of God was just another name for the church. In fact they are quite different from each other; and the Kingdom of God is much more important. The main thing that Jesus came to do was to establish the Kingdom of God. This is clear from the basic message that he proclaimed:

    The time has come. The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news. Mark 1:15

    The gospels tell us that Jesus was constantly teaching about the Kingdom of God. The good news that he proclaimed was the gospel of the Kingdom or the Government of God. The twelve disciples were also sent out to proclaim the same gospel of the Kingdom (Luke 9:1,2). In contrast, the gospels only mention the word church twice.

    The Kingdom of God is a much wider concept than the Church. The Kingdom includes every area of life that is under rule and authority of God. If God rules a home it is part of the Kingdom. Where a business is run on biblical principles, it is also part of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God includes every human activity that is done according to his will.

    God intends his Kingdom to expand into every area of life. This expansion takes place in two different ways. Individual people must be born into the Kingdom. Jesus said,

    Unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. John 3:5

    As people are born again through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, they become citizens of the Kingdom.   God will deliver them from sickness and the power of the devil.  Being born again is the only way that a person can enter the Kingdom of God.

    The Kingdom also expands as Christians bring the different aspects of their lives under the will of God. As a Christian applies the principles of God’s word to those activities where he has authority, they become part of the Kingdom of God.  The Government of God expands as Christians extend the rule of God into the areas of life where they have authority. 

    Authority is an essential aspect of any Kingdom. Within the kingdom of God there are five main spheres of authority (more on these later). 

    • Family
    • Business
    • Church
    • Judges
    • Christian person

    The Government of God becomes a reality when every sphere of authority, is ruled according to the Word of God. This happens when those with authority are Christians, and are submitted to the authority of God. He has delegated authority to various individuals and groups in society. When a sphere of delegated authority is ruled according to his will, it becomes part of the kingdom of God. Where authority is exercised contrary to his will, that sphere of authority is outside the kingdom.

    At the same time the interaction between the various spheres of authority must also be governed by the Word of God. It is wrong for one group to take over the authority that belongs to another. For example when the civil government becomes the provider, it is taking authority and responsibility that God has assigned to the family. Each delegated authority must only carry out the functions that God has assigned to it.

    Everything outside the kingdom of God is part of the kingdom of darkness. It is ruled and controlled by Satan. His kingdom is characterised by disunity and conflict. These are the consequences of human sin. Satan is a liar and destroyer, so it will be full of hatred, bitterness, and destruction of human life. The only way to escape is through faith in Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:13).

    Naturally there will be warfare between the two kingdoms. God’s purpose is to extend his Kingdom throughout the entire world. Satan is trying to expand his kingdom. His task has been made easier as Christians have withdrawn from many spheres of authority. The idea has developed that politics and business are improper activities for Christians. These two very important areas of authority have been handed over to the devil. Even where Christians are involved in politics or business, there has been no serious attempt to apply biblical principles to these activities. This has severely weakened the government of God.

    Instead of seeking to establish the Kingdom of God, Christians have concentrated on building the church. The church has become a place of retreat from the world. It may have supported Christians in their daily lives, but to the world it appears weak and irrelevant. Rather than being a place of retreat, the church should be a recruiting station and training ground for the kingdom of God.

    It must recruit members for the kingdom by proclaiming the gospel. At the same time it must send Christians out into the world to establish the Kingdom of God. Christians should move into every area of authority, and take up responsibility. The Church should teach these Christians to exercise that authority in accordance with the Word of God.

    Jesus talked about the Kingdom of God incessantly (Mark 1:14,15, Luke 4:23, John 3:3).  He only mentioned the church twice.  Jesus preached the Good News of the Kingdom.  The modern church tends to preach the gospel of the personal salvation or the gospel of the church.  The Gospel of the Kingdom is rarely heard. The gospel of the Government of God is never heard.

    The reason is that most Christians think the Kingdom of God and the church are identical. The Kingdom of God is just used as another name for the church. This is not correct. The Kingdom is a much broader concept than the church.  Therefore the Gospel of the Kingdom is much broader than the gospel of personal salvation.  If we are to obey Jesus and proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, we must recover a vision of the Kingdom of God.

    The Church is just one sphere of authority within the kingdom of God. For too long it has been seen as the only one.  The Church must never be an end in itself. It must always be working to establish the kingdom of God. When Jesus comes back he does not just want to find a holy Church. He is coming back for a victorious Church, a Church that has established the kingdom of God as a reality in the world

    P’Chong

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    The Art And Craft Of Waiting

     

    Blue WYSIWYG Logo

    September 26, 2008

    The Art and Craft of Waiting
    by Richard Gazowsky


    I recently asked a minister friend of mine who travels throughout the world if he has ever met a minister who made a covenant to do absolutely nothing unless he saw the Father do it. This is obviously the covenant that Jesus made in His life (John 5:19). Since the beginning of this year, I have done my best to adhere to this covenant myself and have found it difficult, to say the least. My friend, Patrick O'Marra, a pastor from Rochester, NY said that he did know a friend, another pastor, who made this covenant. His frequently repeated motto is, "Your greatest strength is to perfect the skill of waiting on God."


    Those words connected to my spirit with an electric shock because I realized the very issue that I am struggling with in my prayer life is to perfect the art of waiting on God. Of course, there are two concerns that you wrestle with in waiting on God. One is that you can take the position, "I'll just forget the promised miracle and let it surprise me when it comes." Or the second, which is, "I can continue in the pressure of expectation and think every day about the promised miracle and learn to have a quiet mind in the midst of the tension of expectation.


    The first scenario is the scenario chosen by, I would guess, 99% of Christians today. They get a promise from God and when they see that the promise is not immediately delivered, they either provide the promise or an inferior substitute on their own, Abraham's Ishmael. Or they decide to drop the confession of their faith that God is going to give them the promised blessing and then they drop the issue altogether, expecting it to surprise them sometime in the future. Abraham was called the Father of the Faith. 25 years prior to the fulfillment of his promised son, God promised him a boy. Then 8 years into the promise, God changed Abram's name to Abraham, which means "Father of many nations". That meant that every place Abraham went, by speaking his name, he would announce to everyone, "I am a father of children." But if they looked for or ever asked about his children, they would run into the tension of Abraham admitting that he had no son. This obviously created daily pressure on Abraham's family. To be truthful, everything in his family was fine-even the Egyptian king said he was wealthy, his camels were healthy, his flocks were abundant, his wife was beautiful and his servants were content. Everything in Abraham's life was perfect: The only problem was his name. Every time he spoke his own name, he declared to every person he met that something was missing in his life and that was the promised son. Wow, think about it-Abraham could have lived a completely peaceable, successful life. Why did he bother putting this pressure on himself? Why not just be silent, go by his old name and wait for God to surprise him with a son and then go by his new name, Abraham? This is what separates the 99 from the 1% of those who reach the mark and the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus.


    Thirteen years ago, God told me to launch a Christian movie company and that we were to become the "head and not the tail" in the movie industry. Though we have made over 200 made-for- television projects, including 2 feature films, the Lord has not allowed us to show them or sell them but He has said, "I will give you the movie for the big screen that will lead the industry." To do a project of this magnitude takes a good amount of money and God has provided us with large sums and has blessed our church greatly. Our church is in San Francisco, a classic 2,000 seat auditorium restored back to its original 70-year-old splendor, including the recarving of 40 huge alabaster chandeliers and plush theatrical rocking theater chairs for everyone. So when it comes to my ministry and outward appearances, it would appear to be successful and fulfilled, except for one problem. I still have not made "the movie". To make sure that I have not forgotten this command of the Lord, we have taken our newly purchased $500,000 carbon-fiber movie crane and parked it near the front stage of the church.


    When people visit the church I pastor and look around at the healthy congregation and the beautiful facility...they then come to me with one question. "What's with the huge movie crane sitting at the front of your church?" It's at that point that I have to tell them that that has not yet been fulfilled- we have not yet made the movie. From there on, the conversation is filled with prophetic tension.


    Inevitably, I will get questions like, "Maybe you're supposed to make a cheap movie and not the big blockbuster" or "Maybe you sinned" or "God's changed His mind" or how about my personal favorite, "God *never* made somebody wait this long!" It would be much easier if I would drop the subject of movies, remove the crane from our church and any other thing that would link us to this divine call over our congregation. But obviously, that would throw me into the pot of the 99% of the people who never reach the high calling in God. Let me tell you, for the remaining 1% who are willing to stand in the humbling spotlight of waiting for God's promise to be fulfilled, there is the great reward that He ALWAYS keeps His promises.


    Thirty years ago, Ernest Angley, the pastor I mentioned at the beginning of this blog, was told by God that he would own a 747 Boeing aircraft, the largest passenger aircraft in the world. He patiently confessed it, let friends laugh at him, associates tried to readjust his vision, but he kept faithful to the word God gave him. Today, as far as I know, he is the only pastor in the world who has a private jet equal to that of the President of the United States. My friend Patrick has been privileged to be on this 747 luxury liner and has said that it has 100 first-class luxury seats and his church flies with him to his crusades. All they have to pay for is the pilots and the gas. What an incredible ministry vehicle! There's enough room for him to carry vehicles, crusade tents, portable baptismal pools and sophisticated sound systems. It is a truly luxurious but practical ministry vehicle and a incredible sign of how God has a greater vision for you than you could ever come up with yourself. Below is a link to his ministry website and a picture of the 747:
    Ernest Angley 747 Plane
    So what's the deal? How do you align yourself with that one percent? I want to tell you, right there is where the dog race begins. You first need to lock in on a true, honest, witness-confirmed word from God. It could be anything from "God's going to get you a new set of clothes" to a house or a factory. No matter how big or small, you must then learn to keep that vision alive, not only in your own mind, but to those around you, and then learn to deal with the humbling questions and inquiries concerning your abilities and inabilities in fulfilling the will of God in your own might and finally, patiently waiting for God Himself to fulfill it. If you do, you will surely come to a revelation of the full meaning of this verse of Scripture which says, "The Lord maketh rich and He addeth no sorrow with it."


    Richard Gazowsky pastors a church in San Francisco called The Voice of Pentecost, and is also president of Christian WYSIWYG Filmworks. He has directed the films, "Guardians" and "The Roman Trilogy."

    To comment on what you have just read, please visit our website

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    Richard Gazowsky
    Christian WYSIWYG Filmworks
    1970 Ocean Avenue
    San Francisco, CA 94127
    office: 415/333-1970
    fax: 415/333-7425


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