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Showing posts from 2010

Micah: God's Remnant--Fierce Lions

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Image from Kidcyber. God designed the remnant like a fierce young lion amid nations, "mauling and mangling" as it roams and spreads around [Micah 5.7-9]. That's power made perfect in weakness. From being "lame" and weak, God transforms the remnant into a fierce lion from which "no one can rescue." This lion will be in the midst of nations, "like dew or showers from God on the grass." They overwhelm and cover and give refreshment. But they also "maul and mangle." The Word of God in these remnants is like a weapon, like iron horns and bronze hoofs that "break into pieces the nations" [413]. The Word from their mouths will be fierce and offensive, radically demolishing strongholds and even what man invented for "ministry" derived from also the Word, but adulterated. This remnant God chooses in the end times will radically turn the world upside down. ABSOLUTELY NO HUMAN WAYS OR EFFORT "(Like dew and showe

Micah: Rescued in Babylon

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If you have been stubbornly doing man's ways in your life and ministry, and have been hopelessly clinging to it so that in God's eyes everything you do is corrupt (though in your eyes you look okay), God sends you off to Babylon, for a last chance at revival. God's people were doing "good" ministry in their eyes, but God saw something else: "Your leaders decide for money, your priests teach for money, and your prophets tell fortunes (not prophecies) for money. Doing things for money is the natural end result of man's ways. Many churches evangelize just to up membership and tithes and offering. Sometimes you'd see born again churches lined up in the same street, competing against each other selling their own brand of gospel. They build magnificent church buildings to lure people in. So the Lord sends them to spiritual exile to Babylon, letting their enemies win over them. Many churches today are in Babylon while "serving" God. In Babylon

Micah: He will Stand and Shepherd His Flock

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Until Jesus is really Lord of the church, God will abandon Israel (the true Israel is the church) and let it do whatever it pleases--even "answer" its prayers and provide its needs [Micah 5.3]. In Micah, while God "abandoned" Israel, he still provided for her needs and answered "prayers" according to God's general blessings. Everything went well in man's eyes. Their prayer and worship life seemed the best: "They lean (or rely) on the Lord, saying, 'Is not God among us? Not one disaster will come upon us." This is the same claim many churches today shout in their worship services. "God is here, Amen?" And church people answer: "Amen!" Yet, they do everything contrary to God's ways, like their denominations.  But God has a solution ready. It's the Jesus Discipleship. This Kingdom discipleship is designed to demolish everything of man in church, even man's church itself, to free God's church in J

Micah: Though You are the Smallest

Bethlehem was the smallest among the clans of Judah. But God chose it to raise up His Ruler--King of kings and Lord of lords [Micah 5.2]. It's curious why God chose the smallest. God, of course, wants all nations to be discipled for Him, but He chooses the smallest and sometimes the weakest. At a time when churches go crazy about mega churches and full-packed congregations, the "smallest" is disdained and disowned. We want our churches to be the biggest; the bigger the more "blessed by God," we believe.  Yet, at a very crucial time, when God was about to do His most important move for all times, He chose the smallest in Judah. He chose the most undesirable of places--Bethlehem. Today, we can hardly grasp the wisdom and power in this. We are deceived with a "mega" orientation.  God wants all nations discipled, but this does not mean we should have big churches. In fact, God wants well distributed numbers of congregations in churches, not a mad

Micah: Break Nations to Pieces like Pottery

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The church will be revived tremendously in the last days one more time before the end comes. The revived glorious church of Jesus, without spot or wrinkle, will be given such power and strength, "iron horns (and) bronze hoofs to break the nations to pieces with," [Micah 4.13-14]. This is fulfilled in Revelations: "To the overcomer obedient to my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations, to rule them with an iron scepter and dash the same like pieces of pottery...just as the Father gave me authority...I will give him the morning star," [Rev.2.26-29]. But the church, like Jerusalem, will first be dashed into pieces like pottery. There must first be a breaking of strongholds. A punishment to "go to Babylon" for purging and wailing in repentance. The hard ground must be broken and tilled before any planting and harvest can happen. God will destroy first the church and raise it up in Christ. Man's church must die first before the Jesus c

Micah: A Powerful Church in Weakness

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"I will make lame people a remnant," [Micah 4.7]. God's plan is to make His remnant lame. Wow! In an era when brute power is worshiped--power enshrined in wealth and possessions--that's the time when God gathers His remnant, and they are all a picture of weakness. "A nation driven away." Outcasts. No one in the world can understand this power. God's glorious church is a powerful church in weakness. No one today wants to look weak. That's why even Christian churches build impressive buildings and buy properties left and right. They all showoff their material capacity. Because they don't want to appear weak.  That's why in these last days, many will be left behind by God's present move. Jesus once asked: "Will I find faith on the earth when I come back?" Because when Jesus comes back, everyone will be busy amassing worldly properties and achievements, presenting them as proofs of their "strong faith." But

Micah: God’s Ways and Paths

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After pinpointing the mountain God is establishing as chief among mountains, you go up there. Use all your effort and resources climbing it up. Fact, spend your entire lifetime scaling it. Prioritize it. Hate your life even, in favor of it. Yes, hate even your family if it stands in the way of your climbing up God’s mountain. And what will happen there? There, “God will teach us his ways that we may walk in his paths,” [Micah 4.2]. God teaches his ways (through his Word) only on the chief mountain he’s establishing. Nowhere else. Not in your church building, not in your Sunday school, not in your bible school, and definitely not in your theological seminary. “The Law goes out only from God’s Zion, his Word from Jerusalem.” This is not geographic but spiritual. The true church is the true Israel, the spiritual Israel made up of Jews and gentiles with the Jesus DNA, God’s genuine Zion, spiritual Jerusalem the capital of his presence. His Unique Ways and Paths Our ways an

Micah: People Willingly Come

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God's Flesh:  People came to Jesus of their own volition. Jesus never invited them or promoted his meetings. They just crowded around him wherever he was, pursued him, and that with the Pharisees and Law teachers. When you’re genuinely God’s flesh on earth, you don’t need to promote yourself or your church. God makes things happen so that people notice. In Micah’s time, God told him that when God’s mountain becomes established, people would decide to “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob” (Micah 4.2). In Jesus’ day this was fulfilled initially. One day the Greeks traveled far and wide just to see Jesus (Jn.12). And He said this happened because the hour had come for the Son to be glorified—or for God’s mountain to be established as chief. This cannot happen, said my Jesus, “Unless a kernel of wheat falls and dies.” Nations deciding on their own to go to God’s house cannot happen by man’s efforts, even with his church programs

Micah: Chief Among Mountains

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In the last days, Micah says (Chap. 4) The Lord's mountain will be established . The Lord's mountain is the mountain of His presence. The same as with God's Zion and Jerusalem. In the natural, Jerusalem will be more favored than other nations. But more so in the spirit, Zion and Jerusalem--the Lord's mountain presence--will be established. In other words, God's flesh on earth will be in full blast.  "It will be raised above the hills..."  Chief among the mountains. There are other mountains being established. Man's mountains. Here in Manila, men's mountains suddenly pop up---garbage mountains. Denominational mountains, too. Mountains of mundane achievements and accomplishments. Earthly successes. Everyone's on a mountain climbing of some sort these days, trying to make a name for themselves. Even churches.  But the Lord's mountain will be established as the chief mountain. Make sure it's the Lord's mountain you'

Micah: How Lack of Justice Perverts Truth

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God was clear with Micah—when justice is despised truth is distorted. And this is so especially when spiritual leaders and rulers do it. “Listen, leaders and rulers of Israel who despise justice and distort truth,” (Micah 3.9). Justice is declaring right from wrong, good from evil (Micah 3.1-2). This works so powerfully to form God's flesh in us.  God wanted leaders to judge correctly. Instead, they “judge for a bribe,” (Micah 3.11). They picked people who paid them well and gave them favorable judgment. Those who didn’t got “war” from them (3.5b). God’s Justice is His Judgment God’s justice is declaring right from wrong and doing what is right. And this is always done through God‘s anointed servants, like prophets. When God pronounced a judgment, He did it through a prophet. God does not act unless he first tells about it to his servants the prophets (Amos 3.7). In our day it’s pastors, especially prophetic pastors. We have to judge, and judge correctly accor

Micah: Justice and Judgment

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Micah spoke with the leaders and rulers of Israel (Micah 3.1). Some versions render it both “leaders” but leaders and rulers is interesting. Even in churches today, there are leaders and rulers. Church leaders, like pastors, are supposed to lead the church. God-called and God-anointed leaders in the bible led God’s people. God talked to them, not to the people. The people were supposed to obey them to the letter. They were not supposed to question or dictate to them. Whenever people rebelled against God’s leaders God saw it as rebellion against Him. But church leaders today are often mere dummies because there are rulers in church who really call the shots. These are influential and moneyed people who donate and give big tithes and offerings. When they don’t get their way in church they threaten the church leadership with withdrawal of support. And pastors fear them more than they fear God and submit to their every whim. But one day, after they discover the pres

Micah: Wine and Beer Pastors

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They didn’t wanna sound negative. They wanted to cheer up people, cater to their entertainment proclivity. People just wanted happy messages that “blessed” them. Micah was preaching about the coming doom and criticizing religious leaders’ errors and sins and the nation’s disgrace. Among negative things he bombarded them with was how the rulers and leaders of the house of Israel despised and distorted the truth (Micah 3.9). But the wine and beer pastors or prophets cautioned him: “Don’t prophesy about these things. No disgrace will overtake us.” (Micah 2.6). If you wanna hear nothing but praises and positive things and encouragements, chances are, you have an entertainment proclivity or spirit. And you’re perhaps reflecting the kind of church you attend. Many churches today are nothing but entertainment centers. Poor showbiz copy cats. They are not prophetic temple courtyards of God where His Word, Will, Ways, and Warnings (judgments) are powerfully declared.   I alw

Micah: God’s People—God’s Enemy

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Micah warned God’s people about God’s plan. We often think pleasantly about God’s plan. We claim to desire it so badly. But if we do things contrary to His ways, God’s plan will work against us. In fact, God plans destruction, not LIFE, once we go against His ways. “My Word does good to those whose ways are upright, right?” (Micah 2.7). God’s ways alone in Scripture are upright. All others, like denominationalism, are against His ways. Jesus desires all true believers to be completely united. How complete? As the Father and Son are one (Jn.17). Denominationalism works contrary to this. Their Own Power When God’s people work contrary to His ways, they become God’s enemies. “Lately, my people have risen up like an enemy,” (Micah 2.8) Why? Because they plan evil and carry it out in their own power (Micah 2.1). It happens automatically—you use your own ways, you use your own power. Human effort is zero in the spiritual realms. Everything has to be done in the power of th

Micah: Baring Foundations

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Are you getting comfy about an up and down spiritual life? Think again. When God’s people are disobedient the whole earth is affected. “Hear, everyone who lives on the Earth,” (Micah 1). When bible believers rebel, what can you expect from non believers? The Lord was an angry witness against all earth dwellers. And this was all due to Jacob’s transgression, to Israel’s sin (Micah 1.5). The church being the true Israel of today (Gal.3.7-14), the same principle applies. When the world is in chaos and nature suffers from men’s abuse, the church had better checked its ranks. Sometimes church people denounce government corruption and blame it for God’s ire. Well, they better look at themselves first. Denominationalism, because it runs counter to Jesus’ prayer in John 17 for complete unity, is vile corruption. Sometimes, government reflects the condition the church is in. Baring Foundations In Micah’s time Judah’s spiritual life was fluctuating—going up in Jotham’s