how often have we read that verse? faith comes by hearing, and hearing the word of God. and then try desperately to get faith. or feel guilty that we don’t have enough faith. because without faith, it is impossible to please him. isn’t that the other verse on faith we use all the time?

but let’s back up a minute and really stop and hear what God is saying. faith comes…did you see that. faith comes..IT COMES !! if you don’t have it, you can get it

how does faith come? it comes by hearing. it comes by hearing the Word of God. it comes by hearing God!

we are in a two way relationship with God, in prayer, in life and what He has to say is way more important that what I have to say. faith COMES by hearing.

what does the word tell us in proverbs?
look at 4:20-22

My son, pay attention to all the words I am telling you.
   Lean in closer so you may hear all I say.
 Keep them before you; meditate on them;
   set them safely in your heart.
For those who discover them, they are life.
    They bring wholeness and healing to their bodies.

read that again. circle it. highlight it. read it again.

Faith comes by paying attention to ALL THE WORD….lean in closer so you may hear, because faith comes by hearing. keep them before you and meditate on them, study them, hear the word of God.

what if we did this. what if we heard the word of God from God and then faith comes.

God speaks primarily through his word and anything that does not agree with the bible is not from God. faith comes.

it isn’t that we don’t have faith. we don’t have patience to wait. to pay attention, lean in closer.
can you imagine, leaning in closer to God to listen and hear the word from the word…
faith comes…

Jesus (with another parable): ^3-4 Wouldn’t every single one of you, if you have 100 sheep and lose one, leave the 99 in their grazing lands and go out searching for the lost sheep until you find it? ⁵ When you find the lost sheep, wouldn’t you hoist it up on your shoulders, feeling wonderful? ⁶ And when you go home, wouldn’t you call together your friends and neighbors? Wouldn’t you say, “Come over and celebrate with me, because I’ve found my lost sheep”? ⁷ This is how it is in heaven. They’re happier over one sinner who changes his way of life than they are over 99 good and just people who don’t need to change their ways of life.

who wouldn’t go after the one sheep? They (the ones in the parable) wouldn’t have gone after the one sheep. in that culture, in that time..it wouldn’t have been effective to go after 1 little sheep.
 the stray.
the lost one.
I have 99…who cares about 1 little sheep.
But Jesus tells them. I would.
not only do I go after the one little sheep, but I rejoice when I find him.

“don’t just listen to my words. get the deeper meaning”

Jesus says ” this is how it is in Heaven”

that one lost sheep.

Luke 15 begins with: Jesus became increasingly popular among notorious sinners, tax collectors and other social outcasts.  The religious noticed this.
what did they notice?
that the notorious sinner, the lost sheep was now healed, whole and set free.
and they weren’t.

Heaven is rejoicing over the lost sheep that is now found, not the religious that are sitting safe and sound.

the lost sheep that is now healed, and then set free.

‘get the deeper meaning’
is it possible that God is trying to tell us something more..
something deeper
healing is found by the lost sheep

it makes me think of how we, as the body of Christ are having healing inside the church for the 99, when the 1 is out front staring at the closed doors.
Jesus left the 99 in search of the 1
He left the 99 to go heal the one.
not just physical healing, but whole healing, body, soul and spirit.
bringing that lost sheep into his pasture
“this is how it is in Heaven”

is it possible that we are to go out to find the one and take healing to them
is it possible that healing isn’t for the religious but for the lost?
not that we as His children don’t receive healing, we most certainly do.
but He came for the sick..didn’t he say that
if we are found, and there are those outside of our circle that are sick, aren’t we to be going after the 1

I think a change is coming
a change in how we think of healing, wholeness
how we handle and give healing to the one
remember earlier in Luke Jesus says: ‘…and the crowds swelled wherever He went. He wasn’t impressed”

it’s about the lost sheep
its about the 1


(this post was written by Brian and Kim )

if you want to be My disciple, it will cost you everything.

Don’t underestimate that cost!

³⁴ Don’t be like salt that has lost its taste. How can its saltiness be restored? Flavorless salt is absolutely worthless. ³⁵ You can’t even use it as fertilizer, so it’s worth less than manure! Don’t just listen to My words here.

Get the deeper meaning.

I wonder if this is what eden is like?
sitting on the deck with coffee and bible…listening to the waves crash..the sunlight breaking over the clouds…
maybe?
did they have coffee in eden?
they probably didn’t need coffee…

is this the sound of peace?
water rushing, birds singing,

as I sit here and listen, really listen..its like a symphony of praise,
quiet yet loud

the ocean is so powerful, beautiful, endless, forgiving yet unforgiving
but I must admit
i’m scared of it
the waves crashing on me
the depths
the sharks?
are there sharks in this ocean?
why would anyone want to go into water where there are sharks!

but this is where God calls us isn’t it
deep calls out to deep
he calls us into this shark water
where we just don’t know

Luke 5 Jesus tells us: move out into deeper water

move out
into
deeper…
deeper…
he calls me
he calls you
deeper

is it possible we are all still splashing in the shallow end?

just playing in the sand where the waves meet the shore line?
just sitting there wanting…
but not going?

did you notice he is there with you in the deep
he is with them in the boat, as he says, almost demands
move out into the deep

he is there
his presence is there
he even has you in a boat
it’s not about being there alone

it’s about His deep calling out to depths of me
move out..
move out
there is more for you in the deep
is he calling you also
do you hear the sound of the deep calling you

my friends, it is time
to move out
into
the deep

I am going to write about a series I am teaching on cause and effect, the mountain code ,the sermon on the mount, the beatitudes…the most known teaching, but the least understood. I am hoping to shed some light on it for you. If this is the first thing Jesus taught, and the beatitudes are the first thing, from the first thing, than we should really pay attention to this teaching on lifestyle. Blessed are the poor in spirit, is the first mentioned, so we should really take a closer look at what and why.

We know that the beatitudes form the text of Jesus sermon, meaning they are his outline of everything else he is about to share in the code.  The rest of the sermon is His application of the beatitudes

Jesus taught these things and expects us to live them.

It is a teaching on living in the Holy Spirit. Why? because none of it is possible without the Holy Spirit. If you think you can be ‘poor in spirit’ without the Holy Spirit, then its just reverse pride, or the ‘I am a worm’ syndrome.

The Kingdom is: invisible – everyone thought it would be visible
                inhabitable – you can actually live in it
                internal – residing in the heart and inherited
                (rom 14:17)because the kingdom of God is not about eating and    
                                                                 drinking. When God reigns, the order of the day is
                                                                 redeeming justice, true peace, and joy made possible
                                                                   by the Holy Spirit.
                                       inherited – no one could inherit until Jesus died
                             and rose again.
                   (heb 9:15)This is why Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant:
                                                                    through His death, He delivered us from the sins that we
                                                                  had built up under the first covenant, and His death has
                                                                     made it possible for all who are called to receive God’s
                                                                  promised inheritance.

  The Kingdom is inseparable  from the Spirit

okay, enough for back ground

Matt 5:3 Blessed are the spiritually poor—the kingdom of heaven is theirs


this is the first. this is the key to all that follows
we cannot be filled until we are first empty

look up psalm 51:17
read Matt 23:12

who is this first talking to ? about ?
them, me, you..

what is poor in spirit?

did you read psalm 51? What sacrifice I can offer You is my broken spirit
    because a broken spirit, O God,  a heart that honestly regrets the past, You won’t detest.

it’s not financial, having no money or job.
it isn’t even about spiritual awareness
it’s about lowly
humble
humility
upside down Kingdom


it’s the acknowledgement of spiritual bankruptcy
it’s our confession or unworthy before God
it is NOT self hatred.

its that place that I know I need or want Him, more than the things of him.
recognizing spiritual helplessness, want, needy, destitute, humble, low, spiritually incompleteness.
Blessed are those who are know they are wanting, needy, helplessness without me…
do we know that?
do we know how helpless we are without him? or do we go about our day always doing our own thing?

it shatters your pride.
the divine surgery cuts away false illusions you had about yourself.

if you are poor in spirit then God got to you
if you feel totally lost without hope, God will find you

He is looking for the weak, those who know their true need.
do we know how much we need him? do we? do you need Jesus?
do you, do I know how spiritually incomplete we are without Him? without the Holy Spirit?

So why is this one listed first?
it demonstrates the upside down kingdom.
 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (matt 23:12)

we must never outgrow our brokenness. it is our foundation.
I think most of us refuse to be broken.

being poor in spirit is the absence of defensiveness. ouch.
being poor in spirit is the absence of being judgmental. double ouch.
there is no pointing the finger when you are broken.
the one who points the finger needs to be broken.

being broken, poor in spirit is our foundation and superstructure. it is the first mentioned to build upon,
if you don’t recognize our own brokenness, poorness, we will never see meekness or self control..

then comes the blessing
the effect of the cause
the immediate consequence of brokenness is the Kingdom of Heaven.

the blessing comes after the obedience.
we want the blessing without the cause. we even make conferences and seminars around the blessing, without the brokenness.

Is this why we don’t see the Kingdom of God at hand here?
we aren’t truly broken.

we want the icing without the cake. icing without cake is just a pile of lard.

take time today and search it out. don’t move on until you feel ready.
embrace the brokenness
then the blessing will come
cause and effect

Joshua 10 – ..he commanded the sun and the moon. sun stand still…., and moon, remain ….

the sun stalled in the sky for almost an entire day before it set.

before Joshua got to the sun stand still commanding prayer, he went though some pruning.

he had to deal with members of his tribe lying and keeping things causing deaths

then he let the ‘gib’ leaders lie, and he didn’t check with God first.

my point is; learning a commanding prayer come from an obedient life

if pride comes before the fall, it also produces humility to stand in the presence of God to ask for the sun to stand still.


proverbs 8 – I love those who love me; those who search hard for me will find me

so is the opposite true? if I am not searching to find God, do I truly love him? or am I in love with the things he does? big difference.


John 16 – I am telling you this so that you may avoid the offences that are coming.

so there is a way to not be offended.

how?
how can I not be offended?

back up
back up to john 15
follow my example in obeying the father’s command and receive his love
abide in me, let my words abide in you
the holy spirit is here to help you
I am sending him to you

we can live unoffended
so if we are living with being offended by every look, word or gesture…we might need to see where we are abiding…

just some randomness