WORD 2 -JOHN FENN

JOHN FENN WORD 2

Hi all,
Last week I shared about self-oriented Christians, meaning believers who are inwardly focused. This week I'd like to share some thoughts on what leads a person to become an inwardly focused Christian.

The reasons aren't the usual suspects you'd think, like believers hurt in or by ministry, or even the world. And I'm not talking about the masses of exhausted church workers, students, volunteers and employees who are worn or burned out, or even those bored with church. I'm not even talking about believers who have been to hell and back in terms of life experience.

These things are merely outcomes; but they all have 1 core reason people who have gone through the above (and more) become self-oriented believers.

Here it is:
Somewhere along the line they made and continue to make emotional decision(s) instead of spiritual decisions. By using the word "emotional" I'm not talking about some sort of melt down, rather a decision made out of the soul rather than the spirit. And I'm not talking about always feeling "up" about life and the Lord. But rather a determination for destiny in the heart that is stronger than mere emotions of the moment.

Example from scripture to better define what I mean
Moses was called to make spiritual decisions and hoped the new nation of Israel would also make spiritual decisions. A spiritual decision is based on your future, your destiny, on God's unfolding plan for where he wants you to be 1, 3, 5 or more years from now. It is also based on having in your heart the #1 priority that will not be denied, the burning desire to know Christ and to be like him no matter what the devil, other Christians, or the world throws at you.

By contrast, emotional decisions look back at what used to be, what is now, and looks at the future as uncomfortable, scary, or maybe not high on the priority list right now. It values what "I" want more than what God wants. That's what Israel did, to the point they were longing to go back to the familiarity of slavery!

The generation that came out of Egypt died in the wilderness because of emotional decisions: We have no water, we have no food, we are trapped against the sea, we are going to die in this wilderness. 10 times their emotional decision making came against Moses' spiritually based decision making.

Moses made his emotions submit to the spiritual and made plans. Israel on the other hand, let their emotions make their decisions for them.

And remember that both Moses and the children of Israel saw the same crisis points. Moses too saw they were backed against the sea. He too saw the poison water of Mara. He too was hungry, and on it went.

A person who thinks of self instead of their destiny in Christ and being more Christ like looks at the lack of water and thinks they are going to die of thirst. A person right next to them who burns for God's plan in their life, who yearns to become more Christ like at every opportunity, looks at their thirst and says "Father, reveal your provision in my life, thank you for this opportunity to grow in you!" One witnesses miracles, the other just hears about them and wonders why they don't happen to them.

Do you want to be a disciple or merely a believer?
Jesus put people in a position where they had to make either emotional or spiritual decisions. In Luke 5 he asked Peter to leave his partners in the fishing business and be a disciple. Not only did Peter leave the business, but so did his partners, James and John! Those were spiritual decisions based on destiny. You cannot hold onto the past or present while trying to grasp your future.

Of course the greatest decision in which spiritual priorities triumphed over the emotional was Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

There were others who told Jesus they wanted to be disciples, but they wanted to be disciples that made emotional decisions: "I'll follow you anywhere...but you have no where to lay your head...I'll follow you anywhere, but first let me go and bury my father...I'll follow you anywhere, but let me tell everyone goodbye first." The rich young ruler is another example, who because of his love of things made an emotional decision rather than a spiritual one, hanging onto his possessions but losing the opportunity to become a disciple.

Jesus never changes, which means he is still asking people to make emotional or spiritual decisions. He didn't run after any of these people and He won't run after us either. He won't leave you, but he won't run after you trying to get you to make spiritual decisions. He will be as gracious as he can be with where you are.

In the here and now
Spiritual decisions are often void of "the presence" because they must be made alone, with God watching silently on the sidelines. He puts it out there like his invitation to the rich young ruler, then steps back and lets us decide which way we'll go. He will go with the flow of our decision though the invitation is to higher ground.

When you make spiritual decisions the natural realm will eventually fall in line behind that decision. It may take some time, and finances in particular seem to come up last in that line, but natural things will begin submitting to your spiritual decisions if you stay with it. It took Joshua and Caleb 40 years of waiting, 40 years of watching their neighbors and friends die in the wilderness before they entered into their piece of real estate in the Promised Land. At any time during those 40 years they could have gone with their friend's emotions, but they had their eyes on the Promise. Their emotions were lined up with their spiritual decision.

Paul said in Romans 12:3 that he was speaking according to the grace given to him. In other words, he couldn't speak from someone else's grace, just how the Lord had dealt with him. Same here today. Sometimes people ask me about our lives and where we are in the Lord, and when Barb and I reflect on things we can say that when we nailed God's will for our lives it was because we made spiritual decisions, and when we missed it, it was because of emotional decisions. But the spiritual far outweigh the emotional.

When we first moved to southeast Colorado we became pastors of a church in which the founding pastor had killed a member of the congregation in self defense. The church was in debt and falling further behind, but that's where the Lord said "Go", so we did.

Emotionally - GET US OUTA HERE! Spiritually - "I have many people in this city." (Sounds like another spiritual decision made in Acts 18 by Paul at Corinth)

We first lived in the parsonage, a square, 4 room house collapsing in the middle so that our son's bottle when dropped on the floor rolled to the middle of the house. A young mother came to Barb and strongly pressed her to get on the government welfare program for free milk and cheese products - we qualified by income and having a baby. But Barb perceived it correctly when she told me something to the effect of: "Poverty is a way of thinking not a lack of money, and it is a spirit in this town and with these people, and I'm not going to submit to it. God's brought us here so He must have provision for our children that is larger than welfare, so we'll just believe him for milk and cheese and things like that."

That was a spiritual decision. I don't think the lady that suggested the welfare program got it. Her attitude was 'use the system' while you could. For us, it would have tied God's hands and kept us trapped in a system.(I understand that may be God's provision for some, but I am speaking of the grace given to us.)

Soon a couple came to our church that owned a dairy. Weekly they brought fresh milk, cream, and often much more. Another couple had cattle and quarterly brought us 200 pounds of meat at a time. Barb could not have seen any of that when the simple and tempting question was posed that provoked such powerful emotional desires for her children, "Do you want to sign up for the free government milk and cheese program?" Emotional decisions are SO easy, but spiritual ones are based on a higher principle, and as I said, often have no emotion attached, just determination to see God's highest and best in your life.

So you can see, going back to last week, how this type of Christian will be hurt in the future. If the world is in turmoil, and Christians are used to making emotional decisions instead of spiritual ones, and they are not in relationship with others who could provide balance and guidance, they are going to be as confused as the world. If we won't live for him, how will we ever die for him?

Next week I'll share and what emotional instead of spiritual decisions mean to one's lifestyle, and how to move from emotional to spiritual decisions, .

Until next week,
Blessings,
John Fenn
www.iFaithhome.org

JOHN FENN –PROPHETIC WORD 1

JOHN FENN –PROPHETIC WORD 1

Hi all,
The last 3 weeks I've shared in very practical terms some of the events prophesied in scripture about the end times. While there are things the Father has told me about events in the natural realm in our future like hurricanes and earthquakes, today I have a prophetic word from a different perspective to share.

Please allow me to lay some ground work first - I may make some generalizations to make a point, but it's to put a visitation I had in context, so bear with me:

Relationships
Christianity is a relationship based faith, revolving around the family and extending outward to friends, neighbors, co-workers and the unsaved. After all, the first command is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and to love our neighbor as our self.

I'm born again because I raised my hand
A person can say they are born again, but righteousness is unproven all by itself. Unless you link 'loving your neighbor' in your life with loving God with your whole being, you're only applying 1/2 the command. God designed righteousness to be revealed in relationships with people of like faith, so the evidence of a person's walk with God is the relationships they have with other believers.

In the NT we see closely networked home based churches sending people, resources, and money back and forth to each other as there were needs. They got to know each other, depended on each other, and were in constant communication. This is most directly seen in Acts and within and at the ends of Paul's letters - look at all the people and travel and resources mentioned!

In the 300's AD, when Christianity was pulled out of homes and into the auditoriums of what has become the traditional church, the importance of keeping close relationships with other believers fell by the way side.

"The church" went from being a group of believers to a building of brick and mortar, and the relationships likewise shifted from people, to programs and buildings. Loyalty to people ceased, loyalty to 'church' began.

Being involved in each other's lives was replaced by spiritual busy-ness in church programs. Spiritual busy-ness has the appearance of spirituality, but it lacks the close relationships our faith was designed to be expressed in. Loving your neighbor as yourself came to mean 'let me give money to the church program', and let that take care of them, rather than me having to get personally involved in someone's messy life.

People become "spiritual islands" as a result, surrounded by a sea of no one. Volunteers stand side by side working together for a good program, but don't know each other nor are they involved in each other's lives past 'hello' and 'see you next week'. Surrounded by people, many are lonely and alone.

In the mean time, 1700 years have passed
When you combine 1700 years of that culture with the economic prosperity and independent thinking of today, you end up with a culture of the self-oriented believer in Jesus.

By self-oriented I'm not talking about outwardly selfish people that no one wants to be around, but rather Christians who are oriented to themselves first and foremost, content with not being in relationships with other believers, content to not have anyone speak into their lives nor do they desire to speak into other's lives. They are wrapped up in their lives and their little world and don't have the time nor inclination to be involved outside themselves. They don't want to be put upon or expected to do anything or have any responsibility (or accountability to others), so they remain detached.

Some examples of self-oriented faith
A married couple with no children, both professionals, decide to back away from church so they can concentrate on their work. While claiming they are so exhausted nights and weekends they can't possibly be involved in church, they often get out of town weekends in recreational pursuits. They give little if anything of their time, money, skills, or themselves to others. But they declare how they love God!

The young family that treats church as a 'We'll make it if we can' sort of thing - they can't get going for a morning service, but Sunday afternoon will find them out and about to stores and family. They can't even put $5 in the offering because things are so tight, but have the money to drive across town or for a meal out and the occasional movie or other recreation. But they love God and x church or minister!

The person that picks and chooses which church they will attend based on the guest speaker or maybe the worship. They appear to be a serious believer, even a disciple, but they enjoy floating too much to give up their 'freedom'. But they received so much when x minister was in town, and wasn't that worship team anointed at 'First Church' last week?

The young family that attends church to drop the kids off in the nursery and children's church so they can have some adult time in the service, never mind that strangers are doing mom and dad's job of telling their kids about Jesus, they just need a break and to 'sit under the anointing'. Church becomes their babysitter.

The person who says they just can't take the traditional structure of church anymore and so go to house church, but the reality is they carry the same expectations into house church they had in the traditional: How does this serve ME? How will this get ME excited? I'm so empty, how does this fill ME? Rather than wanting to be part of a solution to effect change, they are still thinking the church exists to serve them.

All these examples are people who have lost sight of, or perhaps never understood, that Christianity is relationship based faith rather than program or pastor based. It's not glamorous, though we see miracles, healings, and true growth, but it involves getting to know others closely over time, being committed to them, and having them speak into your life as you speak into theirs.

These 'spiritual islands' live in a pretend world, yet are so wrapped in their comfortable blanket of self centeredness they have no idea where God is really moving, which is in relationships. They are what James called self-deceived, being hearers only of the Word and not doers.

All these examples and so many more, are simply people who don't have close Christian relationships high in their list of priorities of life, if at all. Yet that is exactly opposite everything in the New Testament!

They value free weekends more than meeting with others of like faith, sleeping in more than meeting with others, freedom of choice rather than committing to others, content in their lazy motive of using a church as a free babysitter, or yearning for spiritual goose bumps instead of making the effort to get to know people. It is self-oriented faith, inwardly focused and directed.

Where is this prophetic word you mentioned?
The danger my friends for "island Christians" is when the economy goes really bad, or they have a personal crisis, or a tragedy strikes, or Christians are being persecuted, or that island believer doesn't have enough food to eat, they have no one to turn to for help.

If they aren't in close relationships with other believers they will find just how all alone they really are.

Already I'm hearing stories of people who have gone to their traditional church for help to pay bills, but have been turned away. Folks, when it comes to paying the mortgage on the church auditorium or paying your mortgage, which do you think gets paid?

During a recent visitation the Lord told me "You will begin to see an economy 'below the radar' of the larger economy, just as in the book of Acts and the New Testament when they took care of each other. It's already happening in other parts of the world, so see what I see, people giving of themselves and their possessions to help each other, networking together in love with pure motives, seeking only the betterment of their brother or sister in Me. You will hear of giving, sharing, bartering, trading, so that my people who are part of this economy will suffer no lack, and many will advance and prosper even in the economy of the world, even in uncertain times. You will also hear of supernatural provision including the multiplication of food, for as those who are in this flow, are flowing with what I have said about how true faith is expressed, for the Spirit and Word are one. They will be flowing with the Spirit and as such see many miraculous things..."

He went on about other things, but that's not to share now. This isn't doom and gloom friends, for he also said that the (US) economy would appear to level out a bit, but the overall trend will be downward.

This isn't a word about lack in the world's economy, but rather a word about how the body of Christ is (finally) rising up and actually BEING the body of Christ, doing what scripture says we are to do, caring for each other and looking for each other's best interest no matter whether the economy of the world is red hot or sliding backwards. Matthew 25, which depicts how Jesus at his return will separate the sheep from the goats, says of his sheep: I was hungry and you fed me, naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you visited me...enter into the kingdom prepared for you.

When you see this behavior happening on the personal level as it was practiced in scripture and intended, it means the body of Christ is rising to the level of the first church once again!

I have more to share next week, but I can tell you it is the spiritual islands, the self-oriented Christians who stand to be hurt the most because they are in relationships with no one. The cure of course is to grow up, but with sins of pride (which is what this is), not even God can move on them, the proud person must humble himself and choose to grow in Christ as He intended, expressing the righteousness of God through and within relationships.

I need to close this for now, but will pick it up next week. For those who have ears to hear, this is a prophetic word. Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.

Until next week,
Blessings,
John Fenn
www.iFaithhome.org

The Danger of Familiarity

The Danger of Familiarity
by Chip Brogden
“I entered into your house, and you gave Me no water for My feet…” (Luke 7:44ff).
How often do we take the presence of Jesus for granted? Our psuedo-Christian culture is profane. I speak not of the profanity of foul language, but the profanity of treating divine things with a casual, apathetic, flippant attitude. We profane holy things by making them common, ordinary, usual, mundane, and routine.
Interestingly enough, only those who know the Holy are in danger of becoming too familiar with it. Unbelievers, those who are not yet acquainted with the Holy, cannot profane what they do not understand.
The danger of familiarity is in knowing and taking for granted.
This is illustrated for us here in Luke 7. A Pharisee invites Jesus to dinner. This is not an irreligious man who invites the Lord, but member of the strictest religious order. Jesus accepts his invitation and they sit down to have a meal.
While they are sitting at the table, a woman enters the room with an alabaster box of ointment. We know she is a sinner, because Luke says, “A woman in the city, which was a sinner…” (Luke 7:37ff). This sinner does a strange and wonderful thing. She washes the feet of Jesus with her tears, wipes them with her hair, kisses His feet, and pours the fragrant ointment out on Him.
The Pharisee, of course, is highly offended that this sinner has come uninvited to his home. He is also a bit embarrassed about this display of affection. And he thinks to himself, “If Jesus were a real prophet, He would know that this woman is a sinner!”
But in the mind of Jesus, the real issue is, “Who really loves Me, and who takes Me for granted?”
No one traveled for pleasure in those days, the way we do now. Travel at that time was universally despised as a hot, dirty ordeal to be avoided if at all possible. Most people, Jesus included, traveled on foot. So the ritual of taking care of guests followed a predictable pattern and centered around the feet. Upon entering someone’s home, the host would greet his guests with a kiss on each cheek and offer water for their tired, dirty feet. If available, some perfumed ointment would also be offered to soothe and freshen them up a bit.
But the Pharisee failed to provide Jesus with even the most basic, usual, and customary courtesies given to guests:
“You gave me no water for My feet… No kiss of greeting… No oil for My head” (Luke 7:44-46ff).
The presence of Jesus was taken for granted! Was it just a case of forgetfulness on the part of His host, or was it something else? Something deeper?
Perhaps the Pharisee was becoming too familiar with Jesus - just a little bit too casual. From a distance Jesus was pretty amazing. Now that he had Jesus sitting there at his own table, in his own house, he saw that Jesus was a man. Maybe he came to believe that Jesus was someone not too unlike himself. It’s only Jesus, so there’s no need to get all excited. Let Him get His own water and wash His own feet.
That is the danger of familiarity.
It is said that familiarity breeds contempt. In the beginning we coveted the presence of the Lord, but today perhaps we take it for granted. In the beginning we were awed by Him, but today perhaps we are not so amazed. His visits become more routine, more ordinary, more commonplace. The songs we sing become a habit. The Bible we read becomes dry and old. The testimonies of our brothers and sisters do not move us because we have seen and heard it all before.
The woman, on the other hand, maintained a quiet reverence, a godly sense of awe, a majestic sense of wonder before the Holy. She gave honor to Whom honor was due. She made up for what was lacking. When she arrived she saw that no one was ministering to the Lord, and she made Him the focus of her being there in that moment.
Few people today truly minister to the Lord Himself. They expect that the Lord will minister to them. And indeed, He does. But the nature of the Lord Jesus is such that He will never call attention to Himself. He will never say, “Why do you not minister to Me? Why do you take me for granted? Why have you not washed My feet?” He will remain silent, and wait for someone to notice Him.
Perhaps that is the reason why He is so often overlooked and taken for granted: because He never seeks anything for Himself.
When the Lord first showed me the importance of ministering to the Him, He made no demands upon me to do anything. He simply let me experience how lonely He was in the midst of a lot of religious activity. There, in the middle of our wonderful church service, I understood that we were taking Jesus for granted. We were too familiar with His Presence. When I understood the pain of the Lord, I knew immediately what needed to be done. That is when I understood that to minister to the Lord was the preeminent thing, the most important thing, and our primary purpose and reason for being.
The best waiters and waitresses are the ones who anticipate your needs and move at once to meet them - without you having to ask. They do not say, “Would you like some more tea?” They watch to see what you need, and if they see that your glass is empty, they move to fill it.
A waiter, a servant, a minister: all three have the same meaning. To wait on the Lord; to be a servant of the Lord; to minister to the Lord; all three describe the same purpose and function. The foremost thing is not to preach, or teach, or travel, or build a big ministry. We are to watch for, anticipate, and meet the Lord’s Need so that He is never taken for granted.
The Lord gives all day long. He teaches the crowds. He heals their sick. He meets their needs. At the end of the day He is tired. His feet are dirty. He needs to be refreshed. But as is often the case, the needs of Jesus are completely overlooked at we eagerly stretch out our hands to get OUR blessing.
Certainly, this woman had many needs. Yet she comes to the Lord Jesus, not to receive a blessing, but to be a blessing:
“She has washed My feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair… She has not stopped kissing My feet… She has anointed My feet with ointment…” (Luke 7:44-46ff).
When Jesus enters “our house” - whether it is our place of worship, our home, our workplace, or our heart - do we take Him for granted? Is His Need being met? I pray the Lord will convict us of our profanity and deliver us from familiarity. Let us repent, and rediscover the One Who sits at the table with us.

The Danger of Familiarity

The Danger of Familiarity
by Chip Brogden
“I entered into your house, and you gave Me no water for My feet…” (Luke 7:44ff).
How often do we take the presence of Jesus for granted? Our psuedo-Christian culture is profane. I speak not of the profanity of foul language, but the profanity of treating divine things with a casual, apathetic, flippant attitude. We profane holy things by making them common, ordinary, usual, mundane, and routine.
Interestingly enough, only those who know the Holy are in danger of becoming too familiar with it. Unbelievers, those who are not yet acquainted with the Holy, cannot profane what they do not understand.
The danger of familiarity is in knowing and taking for granted.
This is illustrated for us here in Luke 7. A Pharisee invites Jesus to dinner. This is not an irreligious man who invites the Lord, but member of the strictest religious order. Jesus accepts his invitation and they sit down to have a meal.
While they are sitting at the table, a woman enters the room with an alabaster box of ointment. We know she is a sinner, because Luke says, “A woman in the city, which was a sinner…” (Luke 7:37ff). This sinner does a strange and wonderful thing. She washes the feet of Jesus with her tears, wipes them with her hair, kisses His feet, and pours the fragrant ointment out on Him.
The Pharisee, of course, is highly offended that this sinner has come uninvited to his home. He is also a bit embarrassed about this display of affection. And he thinks to himself, “If Jesus were a real prophet, He would know that this woman is a sinner!”
But in the mind of Jesus, the real issue is, “Who really loves Me, and who takes Me for granted?”
No one traveled for pleasure in those days, the way we do now. Travel at that time was universally despised as a hot, dirty ordeal to be avoided if at all possible. Most people, Jesus included, traveled on foot. So the ritual of taking care of guests followed a predictable pattern and centered around the feet. Upon entering someone’s home, the host would greet his guests with a kiss on each cheek and offer water for their tired, dirty feet. If available, some perfumed ointment would also be offered to soothe and freshen them up a bit.
But the Pharisee failed to provide Jesus with even the most basic, usual, and customary courtesies given to guests:
“You gave me no water for My feet… No kiss of greeting… No oil for My head” (Luke 7:44-46ff).
The presence of Jesus was taken for granted! Was it just a case of forgetfulness on the part of His host, or was it something else? Something deeper?
Perhaps the Pharisee was becoming too familiar with Jesus - just a little bit too casual. From a distance Jesus was pretty amazing. Now that he had Jesus sitting there at his own table, in his own house, he saw that Jesus was a man. Maybe he came to believe that Jesus was someone not too unlike himself. It’s only Jesus, so there’s no need to get all excited. Let Him get His own water and wash His own feet.
That is the danger of familiarity.
It is said that familiarity breeds contempt. In the beginning we coveted the presence of the Lord, but today perhaps we take it for granted. In the beginning we were awed by Him, but today perhaps we are not so amazed. His visits become more routine, more ordinary, more commonplace. The songs we sing become a habit. The Bible we read becomes dry and old. The testimonies of our brothers and sisters do not move us because we have seen and heard it all before.
The woman, on the other hand, maintained a quiet reverence, a godly sense of awe, a majestic sense of wonder before the Holy. She gave honor to Whom honor was due. She made up for what was lacking. When she arrived she saw that no one was ministering to the Lord, and she made Him the focus of her being there in that moment.
Few people today truly minister to the Lord Himself. They expect that the Lord will minister to them. And indeed, He does. But the nature of the Lord Jesus is such that He will never call attention to Himself. He will never say, “Why do you not minister to Me? Why do you take me for granted? Why have you not washed My feet?” He will remain silent, and wait for someone to notice Him.
Perhaps that is the reason why He is so often overlooked and taken for granted: because He never seeks anything for Himself.
When the Lord first showed me the importance of ministering to the Him, He made no demands upon me to do anything. He simply let me experience how lonely He was in the midst of a lot of religious activity. There, in the middle of our wonderful church service, I understood that we were taking Jesus for granted. We were too familiar with His Presence. When I understood the pain of the Lord, I knew immediately what needed to be done. That is when I understood that to minister to the Lord was the preeminent thing, the most important thing, and our primary purpose and reason for being.
The best waiters and waitresses are the ones who anticipate your needs and move at once to meet them - without you having to ask. They do not say, “Would you like some more tea?” They watch to see what you need, and if they see that your glass is empty, they move to fill it.
A waiter, a servant, a minister: all three have the same meaning. To wait on the Lord; to be a servant of the Lord; to minister to the Lord; all three describe the same purpose and function. The foremost thing is not to preach, or teach, or travel, or build a big ministry. We are to watch for, anticipate, and meet the Lord’s Need so that He is never taken for granted.
The Lord gives all day long. He teaches the crowds. He heals their sick. He meets their needs. At the end of the day He is tired. His feet are dirty. He needs to be refreshed. But as is often the case, the needs of Jesus are completely overlooked at we eagerly stretch out our hands to get OUR blessing.
Certainly, this woman had many needs. Yet she comes to the Lord Jesus, not to receive a blessing, but to be a blessing:
“She has washed My feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair… She has not stopped kissing My feet… She has anointed My feet with ointment…” (Luke 7:44-46ff).
When Jesus enters “our house” - whether it is our place of worship, our home, our workplace, or our heart - do we take Him for granted? Is His Need being met? I pray the Lord will convict us of our profanity and deliver us from familiarity. Let us repent, and rediscover the One Who sits at the table with us.

SIGN 3

SIGN 3

BY JOHN FENN

Hi all,
You'll recall I started this series at the end, The Revelation, dealing with the double asteroid hits, the 1/3 of the sun/moon/starlight blocked out, the ensuing economic, food, and health issues, rather than spiritual things. But so many wrote asking about the 'rapture' that I took a side trip last week to cover it.
 
I shared how we are in the 'time of the Gentiles' and this time ends when Jerusalem is no longer trodden down by Gentiles (1967/1973) and we start to see the blindness on Israel lift (Jews for Jesus ministry began in 1973, for example).
 
The book of Acts closes with Paul being rejected by Jewish leaders and his declaration: "Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it." (28:28)
  
I shared how the 'rapture' is one of the 7 Jewish festivals, called the Feast of Trumpets. The "last trump" spoken of by Paul is a specific trumpet blown at this feast to awaken the righteous dead, transform the living, and hide them with the Messiah - thus the festival occurring during the new moon phase, when the moon is hidden. No one knows when that blast will happen, but he did say it would be before the 'man of sin' is revealed.
 
Continuing...
We also know that all 7 festivals happen in chronological order as presented in Leviticus 23. The 4 spring festivals speak of his 1st coming, the 3 fall festivals speak to his 2nd coming.
 
Unleavened Bread (#1) and Passover (#2) were fulfilled at the appointed time by Jesus dying on the cross. Jesus was resurrected on the following Sunday morning, which was on the Feast of Firstfruits (#3). Fifty days later Pentecost (#4) celebrated the giving of God's Word from Mt. Sinai, and fulfilled by the giving of God's Spirit and Word to all nations.
 
So the 4 spring feasts were all fulfilled on their exact anniversary day and in chronological order. The 3 fall festivals are: The Feast of Trumpets; raising of the righteous dead/living) (#5), Day of Atonement; 2nd coming of Christ (#6), and Feast of Tabernacles; God living with man (#7).
 
We are told in Zechariah 14:16 when Messiah rules the earth, that all nations will annually come to Jerusalem to celebrate Tabernacles, the celebration of God dwelling with man. So that final (7th) festival will be fulfilled exactly on it's day just like the first four.
 
That leaves the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement. Isn't it logical to see God is giving us the pattern since he fulfilled the first 4 festivals in order and the last one will be fulfilled in order, to believe #5 & #6 will also be fulfilled on their day and maintain their chronological order?
  
There's more. In Judaism, once the trumpet is blown to start the Feast of Trumpets and the righteous dead are raised and the living are hidden in Messiah, they believe the earth goes into what's called The Days of Awe, which last until the Day of Atonement (return of Christ). 
 
The Days of Awe divide earth's people are into 3 groups (God's vantage point): The Wholly Wicked, the Wholly Righteous, and the largest group, The Undecided. Many will come to Christ during this time, many martyred, but eventually Israel will realize Jesus is their Messiah, and will be rescued at the last minute by the return of Christ (Day of Atonement).
 
So you see, the rapture really will occur before the tribulation. If it follows the pattern, it will happen on some future Feast of Trumpets, which is celebrated each fall. (September 19 this year)
 
There is also some question about just who will go. Hebrews 9:28 says "so Christ also, having been once offered (up) to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time apart from sin, to those who wait for him (look for him), unto salvation."
 
In other words, the first time was to pay for our sins, the next time he is coming to those who are looking for him (as distinct from the 2nd coming in Revelation 19 where he doesn't care whether they are looking for him or not, he's coming!).
 
The issue with some is that they can't see the person who lives like the world Monday through Saturday but shows up on Sunday saying they love God, make it in the rapture. (Let 'em go though the tribulation) Thus the teaching that the bride of Christ is those who are true disciples, purifying themselves as brides awaiting the groom, versus the body of Christ at large. I don't know about that, but I do know there is a blowing of the Awakening Blast and one way (having died) or the other (still alive) I'm going to be in that load going up!
 
But we don't know...
...if it will happen before, during, or after what can only be called World War 3.
 
This is the battle depicted in Ezekiel 38 & 39, sandwiched in between the prophecy of Israel becoming a nation once again in chapters 36 & 37 (happened in 1948), and the description of the Millennial Temple of chapter 40. Remember from last week that the time of the Gentiles was not revealed to mankind before Pentecost, so Ezekiel is shown things in order minus that information - and that's what keeps us guessing!
 
A rule of Bible interpretation is that if you update things like nations, you must also update across the board, like in weapons descriptions. In Ezekiel 38 he sees a military and economic alliance between several nations that will invade Israel, but be defeated by Israel and her allies. Those nations were in Ezekiel's time:
 
Magog - people who lived north of the Black Sea, north of the Caucasus Mountains - Russia, Ukraine.
Meshech and Tubal - people living on the east and south of the Black Sea - Russia, Georgia.
Persia - Iran
Ethiopia - in Ezekiel's time this was the modern nation of the Sudan, directly south of Egypt.
Libya - same as today.
Togarmah - Turkey.
Gomer - there is some debate about this, with some saying Eastern Europe, but historically, Turkey.
 
Russia will act as 'guard', to Libya, Iran, Sudan, Turkey, and together they will invade Israel.
 
Defenders?
Ezekiel also says some nations will ask "Have you come to take a spoil? Have you gathered your army to take a prey, to carry away silver and gold and goods and to enslave? (Ez 38:13) Those nations that object to this invasion are: Sheba, Dedan, and the "merchants (business interests) of Tarshish with all the young lions thereof".
 
Sheba and Dedan are mentioned in Genesis 10:7 as beings sons of Abraham's concubine, Keturah, and became nomadic Arab tribes. The historian Ptolemy put them in the area of Zabram, just west of modern Mecca, in Saudi Arabia.
 
The merchants of Tarshish is more interesting, as in Ezekiel's time Tarshish was a general term referring to the Gentile land around and beyond Spain into Gentile Europe - the west. So it appears moderate Arab countries (Saudi Arabia) and the merchants of the west will at least raise some diplomatic fuss over the impending invasion of Israel. Obviously in our time, the issue is oil, as the "merchants of Tarshish" are linked to 'Sheba and Dedan' strongly. In our terms, Russia is making a power grab to eliminate Israel for control of the middle east oil supply.
 
There is considerable debate about what "the young lions thereof" mean. Some have said the 'young lions' is a reference to Great Britain (it's symbol is a lion) and the US, being 'offspring' of Tarshish (Spain/Great Britain/Europe). We don't know, but clearly Russia believes the west won't raise a hand to stop the invasion, but they are wrong.
 
In 38:21 the Lord says "I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, every man's sword will be against his brother." In prophetic literature, "mountains" stands for nations, as in Daniel 2:23 where a stone representing God's kingdom becomes a huge mountain and fills the earth.
 
So there will be God's mountains, nations that fight with Israel against Russia and her allies. The good news is that Russia is defeated, and even nature is turned against her in Israel's northern territory, as there will be overflowing rain, hailstones, fire and brimstone (perhaps modern warfare explosions). Ezekiel makes it clear the destruction will extend to the home countries involved, not just the armies.
 
Ezekiel 39 says it will take 7 months to bury the dead, and Israel will have a 7 year supply of fuel and spoil as a result. He even sees people being hired to look for body fragments and setting flags when they spot a body part.
 
This is NOT the battle of Armageddon in Revelation 19, which is the return of Jesus. Remember that involves the massive army from the 5 kings of the east. The 'east' is a reference to China and the orient.
 
So Israel will have 1 battle that results in the defeat of Russia and ends for all intents and purposes the Arab/Israeli conflict.
 
Here is what I believe, so take it with a grain of salt
I believe after that battle, the leader of Europe will make a 7 year peace treaty with Israel that will include a provision to build a temple on the temple mount (who will stand in their way?). The peace treaty ensures their right to do so - they and their allies just defeated Russia, Iran and allies after all!
 
At 3 1/2 years into the treaty this European leader will come to Jerusalem (possibly at the dedication of the temple?) and demand the same allegiance and worship he has imposed on Europe the previous 3 1/2 years, which is called 'the tribulation'.
 
Jesus said in Matthew 24:15 that when you see that ruler in Jerusalem in the temple, it begins the 'great tribulation', the second 1/2 of that 7 year time frame.
 
It is in that time frame that most of what we covered 2 weeks ago take place, though certainly this ruler (anti-Christ) will have been killing all who oppose him, believers included, and causing huge economic problems to this point. (Can you imagine the economic issues in Europe with Russia destroyed?)
 
While people have wondered about the US, I had always wondered how China/'the 5 kings of east' can move that many people across what is the southern belly of the former USSR without Russia fighting them - the answer of course is that Israel destroys Russia's army at least 7 years earlier, so the 5 kings of the east march across southern Asia with no one to stand in their way, come across the dried up Euphrates, and meet their doom at the return of Christ at Armageddon.
 
OK...that's a quick overview...sorry the last 3 weeks have been so lengthy, but the topic is huge.
What exciting times we live in! Watch Russia and who it allies itself with, watch for Turkey to go pro-Russia and/or the EU to go anti-Turkey nearly pushing into the arms of Russia, and watch Israel and her allies. May the US, the UK, and the west stand with Israel as one of God's mountains!
 
Praying for the peace of Jerusalem,
John Fenn
www.iFaithhome.org
 

STREET REVIVAL

NOTE FROM ANDREW: Darren Smith runs a very effective ministry
to the Homeless in Galveston, Texas. I have ministered alongside
Darren in the USA, and believe he is a genuine man of God. Here
is his latest report:-

STREET REVIVAL UPDATE - Aug 15, 2009
-by Darren Smith.

The Fire from heaven is falling on Galveston Texas in the street.
This morning the outpouring increased with signs and wonders.
James, a man with severe blood clots in his legs, let us pray with
him last week, came strolling up to tell me that he has been
completely healed with the hospital backing him up. He went for
treatment Tuesday and the clots were gone!! Three men we prayed
for jobs with received jobs, a man named Joaquin asked last week
to be set free from addiction said he had been clean for a week and
was standing on Christ for the rest of his life, came back to testify
of being set free.

Another Spanish man who we prayed for his sick baby came back
to tell us the baby is healed, all to the glory of God. This morning
after I brought the word many came forward asking for the Lord to
release the anointing in their life and many went straight out into
the highways and byways seeking souls right after the outreach.
The Spirit was so strong, several men that were drunk when we
prayed for them were instantly sober and began crying out for God.

Many cops are coming by and seeing that God is working. We
have even had some cops bringing addicts and prostitutes down
to the outreach in their patrol cars. All heaven is breaking out!

It is our heart to spread this all over our nation. If we will take
action, God is pouring out revival and bringing in the harvest. If you
are willing to live with a reckless abandon of self, God will pour out
the anointing to get the job done. Remember, God is not looking
for your ability but your availability. There is nothing special about
us, we are just willing.

-Darren Smith can be contacted through these websites-
http://www.streetscapeministries.com
http://www.revivalstreet.com

Relationships in Heaven?

Relationships in Heaven?

By Randy Alcorn www.epm.org


Will we desire relationships in Heaven with anyone except God?

Genesis 2:18: The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him."

1 Thessalonians 2:17: Dear brothers and sisters, after we were separated from you for a little while (though our hearts never left you), we tried very hard to come back because of our intense longing to see you again.

God has designed us for relationship not only with himself but also with others of our kind. God planned for Adam, and all mankind, to need human companionship. In other words, God made people to need and desire others besides himself. Think of it—God was with Adam in the Garden, yet God said that wasn’t good enough. God designed us to need each other. What we gain from each other is more of God because we’re created in his image and are a conduit for his self-revelation.

Matthew 22:37-39: Jesus [said], “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Jesus affirmed that the greatest commandment was to love God, but that the second, inseparable from the first, was to love our neighbor. He never considered these commands incompatible. He saw the second flowing directly from the first. One of the highest ways we love God is by loving people.

1 Thessalonians 2:19-20: What gives us hope and joy, and what will be our proud reward and crown as we stand before our Lord Jesus when he returns? It is you! Yes, you are our pride and joy.

Paul anticipates his ongoing relationship with the Thessalonians as part of his heavenly reward. Isn’t this emphatic proof that it’s appropriate for us to deeply love people and look forward to being with them in Heaven?

Some falsely assume that when we give attention to people it automatically distracts us from God. But even now, in a fallen world, people can turn my attention to God. Was Jesus distracted from God by spending time with people on Earth? Certainly not. In Heaven, no person will distract us from God. We will never experience any conflict between worshiping God himself and enjoying God’s people. Our source of comfort isn’t only that we’ll be with the Lord in Heaven but also that we’ll be with each other. We’ll sit at feasts not only with God, but with his people. That is his design, and we should look forward to it.