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Showing posts with the label The Power

Sharpening with the Enemy

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19 Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, “Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!” 20 So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plow points, mattocks, axes and sickles sharpened.  So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them. [1 Samuel 13] Photo by C D-X on Unsplash .  First, the enemy limited them to inferior weaponry. Second, the enemy eliminated all means of sharpening. Third, it was the enemy who decided what kind of weapons Israel could have. Fourth, only the enemy could sharpen Israel's weapons. Fifth, the enemy decided who could have a sword and who couldn't. They were practically at the mercy of the enemy. Click here for a book review of God's Flesh. It was a useless war where everything was dictated by the enemy. Can you imagine having your enemy sharpen your sword? Not only is that ridiculo

New Normal in the Spirit

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This is NOT a time for usual things. Much less for church traditions. If in CIY Fellowship we've been doing things so unusual, it's time to leave these "elementary teachings" and go on to the next level of maturity. As there's a new normal in the world, so there is in the heavenlies. Actually, the new normal in the spirit realms has started long before the one in the world came to be. [Picture by TedwardQuinn, Unsplash]. Just as the Jesus' spiritual church started long before man's church in this world started. Least is the Greatest In these last days, God is introducing some brand new things to the Philadelphia church [Revelation 3]. This church is weak (it has "little strength") and probably belittled and despised. The least church by all earthly measures and standards. But in God's eyes it is a 5-star general in his army, being in possession of an "open door" from the Lord that no one can shut. To this church Jesus ha

Wrong Prayers

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In the bible, especially in the Gospel, impossible prayers were answered. And I don't mean dying patients in ICU recovering through expensive surgery and medical procedures and medicines. Or the sick gradually getting well with prescription drugs. These are what we call "miracles" today, but they're worlds apart from what the bible calls miracles. https://unsplash.com/photos/Pe4gh8a8mBY Jesus resurrected dead people. That's what God means by "miracles." He made the lame walk, the mute talk and the deaf hear INSTANTLY. Never gradually but always instantly. The modern church has departed too FAR from this definition and changed everything to mean the workings of medical science plus prayer. Or gradual cures. It's been teaching us this for decades. Or, we're taught that prayer has limits. We shouldn't be overconfident with our prayer, they say. In fact, modern church teaches that God answers prayer in 3 ways: Yes No Later Looks fa

Power in the Word with God in the Beginning

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Image from WallpapersCraft. "He was with God in the beginning." Moses saw creation in the beginning, but God took John further back in time. John saw things before  the creation. And he saw that "in the beginning was the Word." It's powerful when I sit back and try to imagine all this. Moses said, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." But John saw that in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God. Creation came only afterward. They talked of the same thing but saw differently. So, I imagine  "the beginning" covered a lengthy stretch of time, especially when John saw things prior to creation---specifically, when "the Word was with God."  He saw the companionship, relationship and fellowship of the Word and God. He tried to stress this by repeating, "He was with God in the beginning." I see an effort of emphasis here, an accentuation of God and the Word together for a period. A pow

When the Spiritual Battle Becomes a Power Showdown Than Just a Matter of Talk

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Image from Pinterest. Lots of times we forget that we're engaged in a spiritual, cosmic war, not a battle against flesh and blood. Often we think ministry is about competing with other churches for being the most numerous church of all. Thus, our actions are confined to the earthly realm, though we try to garnish what we do with prayers and worship to make it look spiritual in nature. Stuck to the Earthly A lot of churches can't go beyond the physical because that's all the realm they know. They grope in the dark once they try to venture even at the threshold of the supernatural. They can't tell between spirits and often mistake the devil's schemes as the will of God. How would we react, for instance, if someone is all praises to us? Paul met a girl with a demon who praised him and company as "servants of the Most High God who are telling you the way to be saved." Sounds good to the ego. We'd probably take the compliment all ears, es

Faith that Releases GOD's Power at Will

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Image from iStock. GOD is powerful and he unleashes his power at will. Just one word or thought from him and things happen. But sometimes he relegates that power to some people, those with faith that impresses him. Jesus said, "Nothing will be impossible for you ," [Matthew 17.20]. Notice the words "for you." We often hear how nothing is impossible to God . But this is different---nothing will be impossible for you . God is impressed with faith that releases God's power at will, and I mean your will . When God's faith becomes your faith, his will becomes your will. He becomes comfortable with you and let's you function like him---like God. Oops! Your eyes may have widened when you read what I just wrote here. Like "God's faith." Does God have faith? Have the Faith of God Literally, Mark 11.22 reads "Have the faith of God." An interlinear rendition has it, "Have faith from God." It's faith from God

Insight from the Four-Drachma Coin from the Fish's Mouth

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www.jw.org UNSEEN GOSPEL. Most of us just read past it and miss the rich Kingdom insight it reveals. My first question is, why did Jesus do it---tell Peter to throw out the line to get a four-drachma coin from the mouth of the first fish he'd catch? Why not do a job and earn a living just like everyone else? Here's the passage: After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?” “Yes, he does,” he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?” “From others,” Peter answered. “Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him.  “But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. T

How to Get Genuinely Strong in Christ

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In 1933, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created a fictional hero perfect in strength except for a peculiar weakness when exposed to Kryptonite. If folks like them could imagine such perfect strength, so much so should Jesus believers do--they have the power of the Holy Spirit to keep them from spiritual powerlessness and sin. And that power is real, unlike Superman's. The principle behind getting genuinely strong in Christ is getting genuinely weak in this world. Paul disclosed the secret in these words--God's power is made perfect in weakness. What kind of weakness is this? Is this what you hear some church folks say about not being able to do this or that when assigned a church ministry? Is it the propensity to fall into sin because "we're only humans" and "nobody's perfect"? I've heard this excuse before--"Evangelism is not really for me because I don't have the gift for it. I'm just an ordinary, humble Christian." Is thi

Death that Destroys the Devil

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Hebrews chapter 2 is full of powerful Kingdom principles we should discover for ourselves--like the death that destroys the devil. They're hidden deep in the words and only the Holy Spirit's power can open our eyes to them. Like the power of Jesus' death. That death destroys the devil [2.14]. Hebrews declares that the devil holds the power of death , but Jesus' death destroys the devil. And that death can be ours. How can death be victorious over anything, especially the devil? We picture death as the end , and often, an end that is anything but glorious. It's defeat. We cry over people who die. Even Christian churches do it. They follow solemn funeral and interment programs with very formal eulogies because no one dares laugh during those moments. Well, some do laugh, but not out of victory but out of fond memories with the departed. Few deeply realize that death is gain.  Paul told the Thessalonians that they shouldn't be like those who were ignora

Power of a New Creation

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Awesome Power! Amazing--this power of a new creation! A new creation in Christ is powerful! Unfortunately, very few Christians realize this. They zero in on grace giving them a chance to sin without the punishment. But if you really look hard at it, a new creation is powerful. It's more powerful than 10 nuclear warheads going off together. And anyway, God's true grace makes you want to be like him in true holiness, Paul tells Titus [2.11-12]. So, if you think grace makes you safe to sin, it's probably the devil's grace , if there's such a thing. New Years are celebrated with powerful firecrackers and displays, especially in our part of the world. Last New Year's Eve, the smoke from the firecrackers accumulated into one of the deadliest smogs in Philippine history, causing countless respiratory ailments after. Why do they do that? Because they want to make New Year's look powerful. They believe there's power in a new year, so they also lin

No Genuine Righteousness NO Genuine God-Power

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I'm astonished at how most "believers" don't get it--that if there's no genuine righteousness, there's no genuine God-power. No matter how well you perform on church stage, how well you lead in worship, how well you lead the church, and how big your church building, membership, or church income is, if you don't have genuine righteousness--the kind that Jesus has and gives--you have no genuine God-power, you got nothing but trash. Paul said God's Kingdom is not a matter of talk. It's all about power, real power. Not the political leverage you see a lot of church people use to influence other people. It's not how you see church pastors and leaders allying with political figures to gain political influence. It's genuine Kingdom GOD-power. And you can't have any of it if you have no genuine righteousness.  Despite this obvious fact in the bible, you still see a lot of fake pastors, preachers, and church leaders living in sin and

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: 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