Sunday, January 25, 2009

MITN XII, Verses 31 - 50

Hey bloggers! Wow...it was a challenge to get this finished, but I said that I would have the rest of Chapter 12 posted before I left for the Philippines, so here it is...now I can go to Asia in peace! All of the other blogs are also updated (a LifeSkills blog is in the making), but I'll probably put everything on hold until we get back to the U.S. on February 3.

I hope to hear from some of you before we leave in the morning, especially about this morning's service...


MITN XII, Verses 31 - 50


31. Speaking of Kingdom authority, let me tell you about the power of words . . . specifically, the power of your words to create by the ability and influence of the Holy Spirit. You see, every sin and blasphemy can be automatically forgiven people because of the mercy extended to the limited flesh, but when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, your words become so effective that they literally create your reality. So when you speak things out of your mouth which are contrary to the purpose and nature of the Holy Spirit, you actually speak blasphemy against Him; and He can’t forgive you in order to prevent those words from coming to pass, because He has empowered you to have what you say. You’ll just have to deal with the consequences of whatever you’ve said, whether for good or for evil.

32. You can speak against Me as the Son of Man, and I’ll automatically forgive you of your wrong words; but when you are empowered by the Holy Spirit, the words that you speak against His nature will have to stand just as you said them. They will not be erased through forgiveness in this dimension, or in the one to come.

33. If a tree is good and full of life, its fruit will be good and life-giving…if the tree is bad and full of death, its fruit will be bad and deadly, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.

34. You brood of vipers, how can you who are motivated by the evil side of religion say anything good? For out of the abundant overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.

35. People of good intention bring good things out of the treasure stored up in them, and people of evil intention bring negative things out of the dark thoughts stored up in them.

36. And on the day that you give an account for the quality of your life, you will realize that its outcome was determined mostly by your every word, and you will have to explain why you didn’t create a higher standard by speaking better ones.

37. In that respect, your words will either make or break you.

38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to Him, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from you."

39. He answered, "An immature and manipulative generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

40. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the earth’s heart.

41. The people of Nineveh will stand up when this generation is judged and accuse it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now One greater than Jonah is here.

42. The Queen of the South rises in judgment with this generation and sentences it; for she came from a faraway land to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here.

43. "When an evil spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places…places that have not been watered by the water of the Word…seeking rest, and does not find it.

44. Then it says, 'I think I will return to the house I left.' And when it arrives, it finds the house vacant and unoccupied, swept clean and put in order.

45. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits even more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And so the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked, unaware generation."

46. While Jesus was still addressing the crowd, His mother and brothers came and stood outside, wanting to speak privately with Him.

47. So someone interrupted Him and said, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you right this minute!"

48. But He calmly and rather matter-of-factly replied to him, "Who, exactly, is My mother, and who really are My brothers?"

49. Then, pointing to His disciples, He said, "Right here are My mother and My brothers.

50. For true family is not defined by name or blood or genetics. As far as I am concerned, whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

10 comments:

Linda Luke said...

God IS with you all as you travel!!! Blessings in the Phillipines!

~Powerful word in Matthew and reminder to be consistent and not wavering in speech! That we truly are empowered by the HOLY SPIRIT!

~as a Life Skill how do we be consistent ALL the time!

Smiles~

...everyone must be takin a nap =)

or still in the other dimension from the morn service....

Erik said...

Hi Bishop, and Everyone,

This morning’s service. –

Similarly to how people believed the Earth was flat, but it was always a globe. No matter if one went North, Southeast, West, Northeast, East or South, they would make an ellipse around the globe. No matter the starting longitude and latitude, going in one direction, one would experience a globe. The Universe is an expanding globe.

As it is without of the limitation box with God. All are ‘saved’ (in Christian vernacular) all are united with God, God is within, among, and around ALL. God speaks to and through ALL. ALL at this moment, know God, The Anointed One (The Word made flesh, as Christians say).

None come to God except through ‘ME’. Christians define ‘ME’ as Jesus of Nazareth. That is true. It is also true that ‘ME’ has many expressions and is real, here, now for ALL and EACH ONE. ALL , at this moment and have always (remember, the blood, the reconciliation is retroactive to the beginning) declare ‘ME’ as God. Just like the Earth is a globe no matter how many and for how long any believed differently. Columbus and others experienced what Copernicus and Galileo knew. Even then, some preferred their own existing box.

Spiritually, where ever one starts, whatever culture (Western Christian, Eastern Hindu or Buddhist, Muslim, Native American, any other point) and move in the same direction as they have been launched (inertia) know God with equal validity as any other, who maintains the trajectory they were launched in. There is beauty and righteousness in that. There is also beauty and righteousness in changing, or even expanding the breadth or width, length, or depth of their path. As broad or narrow as the ellipse is, it validly includes God, within ALL names, and The Name that only God knows.

The Abrahamic faiths have generally parallel ellipses on the globe of faith. Many similar views and trajectory. Consider the Pole trajectory through to the Trajectory of the Equator. They intersect at a point. Some more perpendicular, some more parallel. They all have some intersecting angle though, because there is always a degree of angle shift, as God is in the Universe. The point where many intersect is a Nexus.

That is what we have at CITN, a convergence of many Universal ellipses, beyond the Earth globe, The Universe intersects here, now- transcending limitations of culture, faith systems, and expression. This is true regardless of how much any one may wish to ignore the produce that ‘Columbus’ displays. Love is Universal, it is known by each one.

I appreciate holding up the name, Jesus, as is my own ellipse. Recall that it is in some cultures, and was a very common identifier, like Jim , Sue or Tom is in our locally current culture. That was the point, - ‘everywo/man’. Recall as well that most faith systems do not honor one man as they honor God, so there really is no contradiction. The few that do, ultimately , already , honor the same One that we call by ‘Jesus’. Of course, even in Christianity, He has many names, and one (or more) only known by Him.

Recall – as we sung today -

I/We am/are remembered,
I/We am/are remembered,
I/We am/are remembered,

God calls my/our name!

‘ME’ is in every face, every name, every system We know. All come through ‘ME’, and ALL call on ’ME’ every day.

Larry Usher said...

Today's service was AMAZING!!
You mentioned the many words in the room Bishop...OMGosh that was absolutely right! There was such a flow and a love and a brotherhood working, a recognition of the God that we all need so much within each other, pulling us together, synergizing.

To those that wonder sometimes if God is speaking through them...the answer is most assuredly YES! Even when you don't think God is using you, He is, but when you acknowledge God in all things in every minute of the day, you begin to hear Him and see Him and desire Him more and more and more. The more I see you the more I love you Lord!

The Nation of Worship set the tone with some songs that were causing the Holy Spirit to want to show off, words like undeniable, irresistable, merciful, FULL of love gets Him in a mood to bless!

Then Pastor Chad with his inimitable style and Spirit bringing forth the Heart of God in a way no one else can! What a gift you are Brother Chad to me and to the Body of Christ...keep shining man, keep shining!

Every day a new glory arises in each one of us. With each word spoken in love, with each attempt to bridge a gap to a "stranger"(there really are no strangers!), with each expression of the Lord through us to another, we and they are advanced, increased and edified.

Bishop- today you talked about the pic on the blog a couple of days ago which shows Jesus as light. What came to me was a prism, breaking the pure, bright white light of the Lord into all the shades of the human rainbow, into all cultures, societies- all "nations". In embracing and assimilating all others into our world we have joined together all the shades, joining them back within that "prism" to form the Christ, the Body, the pure bright light of the Son. We MUST reach out to ALL, barring none from our sphere, and thereby see the fullness of the Christ. This awareness causes us to find and be drawn to the "least of these" whoever and wherever they might be.
What a beautiful construct the Lord has created...our NEED for each other to see and experience Him. The man who thinks he can get full of God sitting in front of the computer screen, tv set, or even in the prayer closet is woeful misinformed. They have only seen the tail of the elephant and are living within a skewed paradigm of the Maker.

In the words of Babs: "People who need people are the luckiest people in the world."

Best week coming up in the history of man!

Blessings & joy to all and special prayers and words of power and destiny to those heading to the Phillipines!

Love,

Larry

Erik said...

Amen Larry !

Anonymous said...

I'd rather have Jesus.

Larry Usher said...

I was thinking the other day about the concept of a "bucket list". You know, where people have a list of things they would like to do before they die.
The thought occured to me how incredibly short-sighted this is. How "this-worldly" that is.
This life is a speck in the eye of Eternity, but it is part OF Eternity if you look at it right.

Eternal life has come to those who have gone beyond the physical to lay hold of the spiritual. Each day we live out Eternity- it may just not feel like it.
I find it so sad that people think in terms of "missed opportunities" or regrets over "roads not taken".
All roads taken are eternal.

Only when we shed the restraints of the flesh and the mind of the flesh do we see that this world is but a shadow of the AMAZING GLORY THAT IS TO COME! I believe we should come to our end of days on this Earth with an overwhelming sense of the "Stargate"(God) who takes us to another realm, only goes one step better and gives us a glorified body! Talk about "passing" as Bishop spoke of in service today!

What a way to go and go and go

Kingdom WITHOUT END...AMEN!!!

Bro Lar

word ver: AIRRY- 'nuff said!

ps- making up for lost time means nothing in Eternity. We ARE...forever, just as HE IS forever. Greater things are yet to come- again and again. Chew on it.

Son of Zadok said...

Wow, really....wow.

I'm really leveled reading this translation of a traditionally very curious and confusing section of Scripture. Blaspheme and decry Christ, and His love melts the offense the moment it appears. Shake your fists in violence and rage against your heavenly Father, and surely all will be forgiven. In fact, the verse commonly reads, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men, that's a stick of dynamite ready to go off in a sugary religious cake if I've ever seen one. But back to this one sin, this one special, dirty, rotten sin...that you yourself might have been fear to or in danger of.

Blaspheming against the Holy Ghost!

Few a man or woman dare that “mystical” offense at words of such rebuke. This cannot be forgiven in this life or the next!

What a punishing vyper of a verse this has been in the mind of the natural man, existing in the perceived realm of an angry god.

The Holy Spirit, the one who I like to think of as the spiritual Mother of us all, Who is the very breath of life, breathed into our being. So when you speak things out of your mouth which are contrary to the purpose and nature of the Holy Spirit, you actually speak blasphemy against Him/Her. The Spirit can’t forgive you in order to prevent those words from coming to pass, because He has empowered you to have what you say.

"By your words your justified or condemned"

It's time to say something else!

When will it be said? When will faith arise, which is the power unto salvation and of miracles, not works, When?!

When it delights God, Who severs me from my mother's womb and calls me through His grace, to unveil His Son in me.
GAL 1 15:16

That's when.

The Spirit is One.

That is soooo what that really is trying to convey. That really explains so much, so very much. Dude....Yes I had to put out the word dude their because, Dude, that's so awesome. Thanks. You are so richly filled with the Spirits glory in your travels this week. The anointed one fulfills his purpose.

And Larry,

Double Amen to both posts!~ Your alive!

Hi C.J., Hi Erik.

Anon @ 9:33. Was your post in response to Erik’s?

While I was reading Galatians this also stuck out to me. I understand that in between Christ-life and the nations there is a bridge being crossed. An entire reconciliation project underway. A journey home. But those who live under the law are already condemned by it in their heart, and for such good reason, look here what it does. GAL 3 starting at verse 21 in the CLNT:

Now before the coming of faith we were garrisoned under law, being locked up together for the faith about to be revealed.
So that the law has become our escort to Christ, that we may be justified by faith. Now, at the coming of faith, we are no longer under an escort, for you are all sons of God, through faith in Christ Jesus. For whoever are baptized into Christ, put on Christ, in Whom there is no Jew nor yet Greek, there is no slave nor yet free, there is no male and female, for you all are one in Christ Jesus. Now if you are Christ's, consequently you are of Abraham's seed, enjoyers of the allotment according to the promise.

Sin and the law has it's way of being God's best teacher sometimes.
Everyone still living under the law is being escorted by it into Christ consciousness through repentance and faith from God, in their own time. Enslaved under the carnal fleshly elements of this world, unless they be partakers of the fruits of the Spirit. They don't know they have the ability to live free, by faith, in the Spirit's inspiration. The free gift of Christ life.

But we are all of One Spirit, One Seed, and One promise!

I struggle with dividing lines myself, so I share because I care. Have Jesus and hold onto Him. He is Lord and every eye will behold Him. Love like Him.

Anonymous said...

Great Service,
The Guitar was awesome!

I also like the message version of that part of eph. I really needed your version of people not wanting to hear by illustration - with your fingers in your ears..lalalalala...haah! now I know how to explain their behavior, "seriously" I mean it, that is a perfect example.

The box illustration was cool but.....
You really don't look right in the box Bishop.

I really soaked up the thought on "forcing our brain to create new neropaths" by new behavior....cool! I was thinking of plowing up a field so you could plant seed in it and here you come out with the same thing just as I was thinking it....

I don't want to sound overly pious or detached from reality, but I really could not think of anyone to forgive for holding me back. I feel like that is in God's hands and mine - as much as He allows me to .... but if anyone has held me back I forgive them and if they did I am sure they did it for a good reason.

My Prayers are with you all as you go to the phillipines....

On MITN all I can say is Wow! to

You see, every sin and blasphemy can be automatically forgiven people because of the mercy extended to the limited flesh, but when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, your words become so effective that they literally create your reality. So when you speak things out of your mouth which are contrary to the purpose and nature of the Holy Spirit, you actually speak blasphemy against Him; and He can’t forgive you in order to prevent those words from coming to pass, because He has empowered you to have what you say. You’ll just have to deal with the consequences of whatever you’ve said, whether for good or for evil

Peace,
Dennis

Anonymous said...

SOZ,
I had not read your post when I posted....we are on the same wavelength...

Son of Zadok said...

We really are in some way aren't we. Love you brother.