Peace

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit." ~Romans 14:17

Peace is a key in which will lead us through doors of opportunity and destiny.  “For you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace.” (Isaiah 55:12).  Peace is the umpire of our heart that guides us through rough waters and difficult circumstances (Colossians 3:15).  Peace is a weapon of warfare in which we put Satan under our feet (Romans 16:20; Ephesians 6:15).

The absence of peace = the presence of confusion and the lack of clear direction (1 Corinthians 14:33).  As we keep our minds focused on Him, we will remain in state of peace (Is.26:3).  Our time with the Prince of Peace is primary.  The fruit in which we desire in our personal lives will not manifest without time at His Feet (Galatians 5:22).  Our laboring will be in vain if we aren’t led by The Spirit of peace (Psalm 127:1).  The fruit of our Spirit-led labors will be evident to all as we remain led forth with peace. 

The timing of the Lord is made evident to us through peace.  When Holy Spirit says, “WAIT”, we better wait.  When Holy Spirit says, “RUN”, we better run.  Don’t allow other voices to push you in a direction you aren’t being led.  The Sons of God are led by the Spirit of God, not by someone’s ambition (Romans 8:14; Philippians 1:17).  Human ambition is not our motivation to move in a direction, Father’s Heart is our motivation – let us be one with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (John 17:21).  One Mind, One Heart, One Voice, One Direction!  When we are one with Him, peace will manifest.

It's my desire to experience God's Kingdom Culture wherever I go.  A large part of that culture is peace.  Here are a few suggestions for creating a culture of peace in your home, church, work-place, etc.:

1.  True Peace only comes through Faith in Jesus Christ (Is. 48:22; Ephesians 2:14; Colossians 1:19-20).

2. Invest time in your relationship with the Prince of Peace - Jesus (Isaiah 9:6; Matt. 6:33).

3.  Submitting to God will release peace in your life (Job 22:21; Isaiah 57:2; James 4:7-8).

4.  Pursue peace (2 Timothy 2:22).
5.  Make an effort to live at peace with others (Romans 12:18; Romans 14:19; Ephesians 4:30; Heb. 12:14).
6.  Keep your mind focused and in check (Isaiah 26:3; Romans 8:6)
7.  Remember...Peace is a gift from God (Numbers 6:26; Psalm 29:11; John 14:27).

Hosting His Presence

I'm stirred today!  I have been pondering something for the past two days in which I have wrestled with for at least the past four years, ever since I have Pastored Freedom Worship Center.  It's something that maybe a number of Pastor's wrestle with but don't know how to clearly communicate the struggle.  I'm not sure I will be able to clearly communicate my thoughts and feelings but in the following few paragraphs I'm going to give it my best shot.

Prior to becoming a Lead Pastor, I was a traveling itnierant minister.  Some called me an Evangelist, others a revivalist, my main anointing and mandate was to go from town to town to stir up the Body of Christ to pray, fast, and expect great and mighty things.  I enjoyed my role and it was very clear to me - go from church to church, town to town, and stir the people up to seek God's Face and expect His Presence to manifest and fill the hungry/thirsty souls. 

Not much has changed for me since pastoring.  Yet, in my role as a Pastor I have felt the pressure to be more concerned about people's needs or desires than God's. I believe we are to be loving and concerned about the needs of people, don't get me wrong, yet the question that lies within me is, "Can we be so concerned about what people want and think that we miss what God may want or think?". 

Yes, we are to be a loving, kind hosts to our guests that come to our churches -but what about our desire and passion to be a great host to the Presence of God?  Let me qualify this last statement a bit more.  18 years ago I was depressed and bombarded with suicidal thoughts on a daily basis.  I went to church faithfuly, paid my tithes/offerings, shared my faith, etc... and still I was "down in the dumps".  I went to counseling, it was good, but I remained shackled and tormented with depression and the suicidal thoughts.

The church I was attending at the time hosted meetings with an Evangelist from South Africa.  The meetings were non-conventional in the sense that the programatic way of "doing church" went out the door in a heart beat.  People got saved, delivered, healed and others got offended and left the church.  I was amongst the ones that got totally delivered and healed of a bunch of emotional baggage - Praise God! 

What happened?  The church became a host to the Presence of God.  Most people loved it and others cringed because it wasn't what most of us were familiar with.  I have discovered this about God, His character never changes, but the way He decides to move amongst His people may never be exactly the same.  That's the part I love! 

The question that remains with me this day is: "What if the church I attended 18 years ago decided that being a host to people was more important to being a Host of His Presence, would I be where I'm at today?".  They could have shut the meetings down because they were radical, off the charts, and people were questioning whether or not this was God.  Thank God for that Pastor who stood strong and allowed the Holy Spirit to move in our midst vs. allowing the opinion of man to dictate what was of God and what wasn't.

So what am I wrestling with?  Since I have become a Lead Pastor I have been coached over and over how to do meetings that attract people and how to grow your church a certain way.  Trust me, I have needed some of these tools and have applied them - great stuff!  The struggle with me is this:  When we desire to be the host of His Presence first, can some of theses other methods deter us from being led by His Spirit on a Sunday morning?  Good question.  I will attempt to answer that in my next blog.

Agreeing with Heaven,

Pastor Drew

Creating A Culture of Faith - Part 2

Can you create something from nothing?  Don't be too quick to answer that.  We often say, "God created the earth and all that's in it from nothing".  Did He?  As I read Scripture I don't believe God created something from nothing.  John 1:1-3declares, "In the begining was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made."  Father God created all things through The Word - Jesus!  He didn't create something from nothing.


God continued creating through "The Word" and "His Word"along with The Holy Spirit who was hovering over the waters.  All of Heaven was active during creation!  God spoke the words, "Let there be light," and there was light (Gen. 1:3).  Once again, God didn't create something from nothing, He created everything through His Son Jesus and upon His own words with the participation of Holy Spirit Who was moving over the waters of the Earth.


Psalm 127:1 says, "Unless the Lord builds the house, it's builders labor in vain."  We build in vain when we don't cooperate with Heaven.  We don't cooperate with heaven when we don't see what heaven is saying and doing.  Jesus did nothing on this Earth without seeing what His Father was doing (John 5:19).  Jesus was and is our model for ministry and functioning here on Earth.  If Jesus relied on His Father, we too should rely on our Father Who is in Heaven.


Prior to planting Freedom Worship Center here in Aberdeen, close friends of mine suggested I start a church in Aberdeen.  At first I thought their ideas were a bit crazy; but when I heard from heaven - everything changed.  I couldn't take steps of faith until I heard and saw what Father was desiring to do through me.  Sometimes we "step out in faith" and it's simply presumption.  We assume this is what Father God wants for us, but we don't have the assurance in our hearts.  Even though these gentlemen were right, I would have been wrong moving forward based upon their words alone.  I needed the assurance of God's word directly spoken in to my spirit.


Faith is not presumptuous.  "Faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [face perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses] (Hebrews 11:1)."  There has to be an inner knowing or as some translations put it, "substance".  The substance in your inner man is the assurance of what God is saying to you. When God spoke to Joshua about Jericho He said, "See, I have given you the city (Josh. 6:1)."  The city wasn't physically conquered yet, but Joshua saw in the eyes of his heart that it was, and eventually the walls came down.  Joshua displayed faith because he heard from Heaven and took action based upon what he saw Heaven doing.  He created a reality from the word he heard from Heaven.


Simply said, Faith comes through our intimate relationship with God.  I encourage you today to take some time talking with your Creator.  Get your Bible, pen, paper, and start writing!  Enjoy the journey.


Agreeing with Heaven,
Drew

A Culture of Faith

Much of our Western World mindset has been affected by Philosophers such as Aristotle who's bent was towards logic and reasoning vs. the childlike faith that Jesus talks about.  This philosophy has saturated our modern day earthly culture that directly opposes the culture of God's Kingdom - which is a culture of faith.


Logic and reasoning says, "You have to see it before you can believe it".  This view-point is diametrically opposed to God's Kingdom way's in which Jesus established when He said, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (Mark 11:24) .  In other words, Jesus is saying, "You have to believe it before you see it."  Wow!  This is contrary to our Western World culture, but once again - as Believer's in Christ we are citizens of another Kingdom, an unshakable Kingdom! (Look to Ephesians 2:19 and Hebrews 12:28).


Many years ago I asked the Lord to reveal to me truths about faith.  I was led to read Joshua 6:1-2, "Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites.  No one went out and no one came in.  Then the Lord said to Joshua, 'See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.'"  Once I read the "See" in verse two, my spirit man grabbed hold of a truth about faith that enabled me to go beyond my own intellect and reasoning.  Once we "SEE" with our spirit what God is saying, true faith arises in our hearts.


Joshua saw the fortified walls of Jericho with his physical eyes but he began to see with his spiritual eyes what God was giving him.  We often forfeit victories in our lives by abandoning our faith to lean upon our logic and reasoning.  Joshua could have said in response to the Lord, "Wait a second, the walls are fortified, the people are protected from all harm, and our army is pitiful compared to these mighty warriors!"  Had his logic kicked in, victory would have been aborted.


1 John 5:4 says, "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world:  and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."  As a born-again Believer in King Jesus - you overcome the world and it's culture through your faith.  The word "victory" in 1 John 5:4 is derived from the original Greek word, "NIKE".  This is the "nike" that overcomes the world - our faith!


Be of good courage my friend!  You are an Over-comer today in Christ Jesus!

Know The King of The Kingdom!

"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." ~King JESUS

The word "repent" means much more than abhorring your sins and turning away from them.   To repent also means to change your mind.  Let me take it a step further - Strongs concordance says repent means:  to change one's mind for better.  I like that.

When Jesus came to Earth, everything shifted.  He is not just King of the Jews - He is the King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15).  So when the King came to Earth, He commanded people to repent because the King of the Kingdom was now in their midst and everything was about to change for the better.  Jesus was preparing Earth to think differently about who God really is.

Jesus was the perfect will and reflection of God here on Earth.  The King came to seek and save that which was lost (Luke 19:10) - He came to give us life and life above and beyond our wildest imagination (John 10:10).  Many of the religious scholars of that day were looking for a King who would come with an iron fist to rule, reign, and destroy anyone who got in His way.  Jesus came to serve and demonstrate the Kingdom through signs, wonders, and miracles!  He healed the sick, raised the dead, and cast out devils.  He revealed the essence of His Kingdom through His heart to love, forgive, and release mega grace to those who humbled themselves before Him. 

When we know Jesus we will begin to understand the culture of the Kingdom of Heaven, for the culture reflects the King of the Kingdom.   Jesus said, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you" (Matt.6:33).  In order to seek first His kingdom we must come to an understanding and knowing of the King...Jesus! 

My challenge to you this day is to know the King...Jesus.  Read the Gospels!! Find out how Jesus functioned here on Earth.  He comforted the humble and broken and discomforted the proud and religious.  The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

Are you teachable?

A major part of God's Kingdom is being teachable.  According to the Random House Dictionary, a teachable person is - capable of being taught and is easily led or managed.  The Psalmist David wrote," He guides the humble in what is right and teaches him his way." (Psalm 25:9).  In other words, a humble person will know the ways of God's Kingdom and to be teachable is to be humble.

I want to know what the culture of God's Kingdom is and how His Kingdom functions.  The disciples had the same quest when they asked Jesus, "Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?" (Matthew 18:1).  This question set the disciples up for a teachable moment; one in which Jesus was able to get their attention with this Kingdom truth, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."  (Matthew 18:3-4).  How will change come?  Through humility.

Humility is key in experiencing the Kingdom of God here on Earth.  A foe to God's Kingdom is pride.  A characteristic of pride is a stubborn heart.  Psalms 32:9 says, "Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding."  To be as stubborn as a mule is not a reflection of the Kingdom of God.  I hear people talking about being stubborn like it's some godly trait to be sought after, cherished, and then bragged about.  Stubbornness is not recorded in scripture as one of the fruits of the Spirit - "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23).  I wonder why Paul left out stubbornness?

Ask yourself today - am I teachable?  Am I easily led by God or am I set in my stubborn ways?


Hey, have a great day and be COURAGEOUS FOR YOUR KING!!



 

 

A New Day

I'm not a person who likes to repeat old sayings, cliches, or one-liners; but lately I am finding myself saying something so many of us in the church have heard over and over, "It's a new day".  Friends, I believe we are entering an era in the church in which we can truly say "It's the end of the world as we know it." By the way, this is a good thing.

Have you ever wondered if we have been living this supernatural Christian life subnormal that when the normal comes it appears to most of us as abnormal?  This is where we need a teachable spirit.  I have been pondering lately about posessing a teachable spirit.  I think we are teachable when the abnormal comes and we aren't so quick to reject it.  Jesus was rejected by many people during his short stay on Earth because He represented the Kingdom of God in it's purest form.  Oh yeah, He is the King of the Kingdom of God and therefore wherever He was the culture of Heaven was expressed through signs, wonders, and miracles.

Have you experienced normal Christianity lately through God's language - signs, wonders, and miracles?  I challenge you today to read more of the Red in the Bible and get hungry for His Kingdom to come on Earth as it is in heaven.  It's time to experience normal Christianity!  It's a New Day!