Monday, August 29, 2011

Heavenly Minded; Earthly Good 4


When we understand the realm of the spirit, we understand how people are influenced and how we can bring the Kingdom of God into this physical realm.

Now concerning spirituals brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.
You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astry to mute idols.
Therefore I tel that no one who is speaking byt the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
1 Cor 12: 1-3

Ignorance leaves the church, impotent and inable.
We need to be aware and knowledgeable and skilled in the realm of spirituals to be effective in and for God's kingdom.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Heavenly Minded; Earthly Good 3




1 Corinthians 12
1-3 What I want to talk about now is the various ways God's Spirit gets worked into our lives. This is complex and often mis-understood, but I want you to be informed and knowledgeable. Remember how you were when you didn't know God, led from one phony god to another, never knowing what you were doing, just doing it because everybody else did it? It's different in this life. God wants us to use our intelligence, to seek to understand as well as we can. For instance, by using your heads, you know perfectly well that the Spirit of God would never prompt anyone to say "Jesus be damned!" Nor would anyone be inclined to say "Jesus is Master!" without the insight of the Holy Spirit.(Message)

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Heavenly Minded; Earthly Good 2

Now about spirituals brothers I do not want you to be ignorant. 1 Cor 12.1
There is a physical world and then there is a spiritual world. many believers are not aware or conscious of the spiritual realm and so do not live to their full potential.

In this series we are looking at becoming aware of the spiritual dimension and why.
There is much more to us and our surroundings than meets the eye. Even though we live in this world we are not of this world.

What does it mean to be "spiritual"?
The word for spirituals is pneumatikos. Spirit assisted by the Spirit.
Over this series we will unfold some of the mystery and misconceptions and allow the Word to equip us for being the spiritual people we are called to be.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Heavenly Minded; Earthly Good 1

Heavenly Minded; Earthly Good
Is a  topic that has been bouncing about my spirit for some time now, and the Lord gave me liberty to share it now after some meditation and study in the Word.
The spiritual dimension is an area where many christians don't dare venture into but we are spiritual beings and have to deal with spiritual forces every day.
We are going to be looking at what it is, what it is about and how to function in this realm.
We will look at our weapons and tools for living victoriously and how knowledge of this spiritual dimension is necessary to be overcomers.
You will understand why people do what they do and how you can be a greater influence for the Kingdom in your life.

Lets begin the journey together.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Paradigms Of The Believer 5


What's of the law, is flesh, and always brings a curse and slavery, heavy burdens.
What's of the Spirit brings life, the blessing and freedom.

We need to discern what is life and what is death.
We need to discern what robs us of intiative and what inspires the promptings of the Spirit.
What unveils our heart to reveal the ever-increasing glory of the Lord and what makes our hearts, our spirit, dull, callous and insensitive.
 2 Cor 3:    6[It is He] Who has qualified us [making us to be fit and worthy and sufficient] as ministers and dispensers of a new covenant [of salvation through Christ], not [ministers] of the letter (of legally written code) but of the Spirit; for the code [of the Law] kills, but the [Holy] Spirit makes alive.AMPL

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Paradigms Of The Believer 4


If we are hearing, seeing, or reading from a platform of legalism, regulation, and conditional standards of acceptance by the Father, it will always produce death, heavy burdens and slavery.
But a New Covenant view will bring the hearer into a place of assurance and confidence and freedom in the Lord. It will be life and righteousness. because it will depend on Him for everything. It is faith.

It all depends on the spirit and paradigm that we receive from.
Two individuals can read or hear or share the same scripture, saying the same thing, but one leaves you feeling death and not-good-enough, killing the initiative of the believer to hear from the Lord, manifest His glory, and be transformed into His likeness. The other will bring you into the place of knowing the Lord in a deeper more intimate way and experiencing the freedom and liberty of the Spirit who is the Lord. You experience life.

Two platforms: One is a New Covenant with an emphasis on life; One an Old Covenant with an emphasis on death. One builds your faith and sets you free, the other leaves you in doubt and slavery to fear.
Romans10:        8But what does it say? The Word (God's message in Christ) is near you, on your lips and in your heart; that is, the Word (the message, the basis and object) of faith which we preach, AMP

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

The Steeple Song - Don Francisco


This song always reminded me over the years what it's really all about!

Paradigms Of The Believer 3


2 Corinthians 3 (NIV)
 1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. 3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
 4 Such confidence we have through Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
The Greater Glory of the New Covenant
 7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11 And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!
 12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate[a] the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 
 

 

Monday, August 15, 2011

For All The South Africans Missing Home ...


My son sent me this one.
Even if you don't understand the words - the pics are pretty great.

Paradigms Of The Believer 2


Another aspect we need to consider:
Jesus said: “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.”
Depending on what paradigm we come from, what we speak can either be spirit and life, or death, counting for nothing. Even though someone quotes the word, if it speaks death, flesh and is empty, well that’s what it will be empty! Individuals have used their private interpretations to manipulate and impose their paradigms on others and thereby leave the hearers in death and with no life. I have heard so-called spiritual ministers, preach the word in death.
John 6:63
2 Corinthians 3
There are distinctly two mindsets here, two paradigms: Old and New Covenant. Let me break down the various components of this passage.
·         You are the letter
·         Word is written on the heart
·         Written with the Spirit of the Living God.
·         New Covenant
·         Life giving
·         Ministry of the Spirit
·         A ministry that brings righteousness
·         More glorious – surpassing glory
·         A glory that lasts and ever-increasing
·         Turns to the Lord
·         Veil is removed
·         All with unveiled faces
·         Anyone turns to the Lord the veil is taken away
·         Where the Spirit of the Lord is - Freedom
·         Transformed into the Lord’s image by the Spirit
·         Law
·         Written on stone
·         Engraved on stone
 
·         Old Covenant
·         Kills
·         Ministry that brought death
·         A ministry that brought condemnation
·         Came with glory – which is passing away
·         Transitory
·         Looking at the veiled face of Moses
·         Minds were made dull
·         Veil covers the heart and still remains when Old Covenant is read
·         Prevented from seeing
·         Remains
 

Can you see the distinct difference?
On the left hand we have the New Covenant paradigm and on the right the Old.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Paradigms Of The Believer 1

In the last series we started to look at how our paradigm can affect the way we interpret what we read in the Bible. A paradigm is our view of things. Its not always the correct view, but it is correct to us. It is like wearing a pair of ‘filtered glasses, and everything we read (or hear) is interpreted through those filters.
We looked at some ways to shift this paradigm, so that it becomes more ‘corrected’, which of course, really is a shift in thinking patterns. 
Paul said in Romans 12.2 “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” 
Conformance is a thinking, a mindset, a paradigm that is fashioned and filtered to the world’s way of thinking. Whereas, transformation takes place as we shift to thinking in line with the essence and spirit of the Word of God. Renewing is the metamophoo, like in metamorphisis, change, of the mind. The pattern in which we think, and derive our thoughts and interpretations are to be changed. Then transformation takes place.
I hope this is not too complicated. It actually isn’t. Its simple, but not easy. You see it takes effort and a recognition that my thinking may not be in line, Heaven forbid , I may be wrong.
When it comes to our spiritual walk there are many paradigms we can own. These could include:
Old Covenant Legalistic thinking
Religious Traditional thinking
Carnal Soulish Fleshly thinking
Failure, low selfesteem, weakness, doubt and unbelief thinking.
You understand, each of these common approaches is a paradigm out of which we interpret everything we hear and read, and therefore, apply, act on, form as our habits and behaviour. But it does not necessarily mean we are right or correct in how we view what we are hearing. 
Jesus said: “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. Consider carefully what you hear.” Mark 4:23-24
Consider carefully : means – of the mind, direct ones attention to, consider, think about, give proper attention to, make sure of something.
If we do not know the Heavenly Father, and are not acquainted with Him, we do not know His nature, His integrity, His plan or purpose, and how He loves to work with us as His sons and children. If we have not been instructed in the Word of truth and how to interpret what we read and hear, rightly discerning the word of God, we will always be hearing the way we have always heard.
From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near’” Matt 4:17
Repent: metanoeo – meta =change ; noeo =to exercise the mind,think
To change one’s mind or disposition.
To really get the kingdom, there has to be a change in thinking, sentiment and disposition, away from the old and into a new.
At times I am horrified as I hear what people have interpreted from the word of God as truth, knowing it contradicts our Fathers will and plan for us. The worst is that at times, people will fight tooth and nail to maintain their view and be totally dogmatic about their stand, or rather, their thinking and view. Their paradigm.
There are a few points that need to be considered in this regard:
1.    That we understand the Bible is the Word of God speaking to you;
2.    That spending time in the Word is spending time in fellowship with the Lord;
3.    That as we meditate on and read the word we will get to know the nature of God more fully and therefore gain a better understanding of Who He is;
4.    That we interpret the word with the word, and not by our own experiences and personal convictions.
 
We cannot take one isolated scripture and make that our dogma. It has to be interpreted in the light of the nature and plan of God from beginning to end. Pet perspectives, regardless of how noble, will not and cannot hold water, if they do not ‘line up’ with who God is.