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OpenHeaven.com Forum : OPENHEAVEN.COM DIGEST ARCHIVES
Subject Topic: OpenHeaven.com Digest June 20, 2010 Post Reply Post New Topic
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Ron McGatlin
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Joined: 08/23/2004
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Posts: 4129
Posted: 06/19/2010 at 1:27pm | IP Logged Quote Ron McGatlin

Worldwide Kingdom Awakening News and Views

 

 

 


Published by Ron & Barbara McGatlin - Basileia Publishing


In This Edition
1. Overcoming Fear
2. What On Earth Is God Doing?
3. TOP NEWS Headlines


Subscribe to OpenHeaven.com Digest 


1. Overcoming Fear

By Kriston Couchey

THE FEAR OF GETTING HURT
I have five children ages 2 to 13.  I play catch with the four oldest, teaching them how to catch a baseball and football. The greatest hindrance to catching a ball is the fear of being hit by the ball. I try to teach them that they must not react out of fear of the ball or they will not catch it. Yet many times they spend more time getting out of the way then positioning themselves to make a catch.  I tell them if they keep their eye on the ball and get their glove or hands on the ball and catch it they will not get hit. The first thing they must do is believe me and do what I tell them and stop functioning out of fear. When they are focused on protecting themselves and not on the ball they can get hit by the ball just trying to flee it. A couple of them are good at catching, and all of my children are improving and try very hard to follow my instructions. The ones able to stop thinking about protecting themselves and listen to me eventually begin to make great progress.

You cannot function in the kingdom if you are more focused on how dangerous the giants are then the faithfulness of the God who gives you the authority and mandate to pick up your sword and slay them. There will be times of setback and pain, but God is faithful and it is time for those who have been in the wilderness of brokenness and heart change to believe Him in spite of fear and move forward at His command, trusting in His grace.

THE FEAR OF FAILURE
In the epic series "The Lord of The Rings", Aragorn, one of the main characters, is heir to the throne of Gondor. Aragorn does not sit on the throne, but is a ranger (wilderness wanderer) whose family went into exile after the kingdom was diminished through the arrogance and pride of his forefathers. While he could claim his right as king, He fears the moral weakness and failure of his fathers whose blood runs through his veins. He resists the call to step into the place of authority to which he is born out of fear of failure. It is the end of an age and evil is growing and the darkness of evil is spreading.  In this hour of desperation Elrond, the father of his one love, comes to him with the sword of his ancestors which was broken but is now remade. As he presents to him the sword, Elrond says to him, "Put aside the ranger, become who you were born to be!" It is this very sword which has defeated the enemy in the past, and it is the sword that validates his authority as a king.

The hour is late, darkness is increasing, the church has been wandering in the wilderness and many of us have seen our weakness and failure.  We know that in our flesh there dwells no good thing. The question is this: Will we put aside the wilderness wanderings and become who we were born to be? There is a sword of authority for those who will in faith take it up and go forth in faith in God and His ability (grace) to bring us safely into the promised land in victory. There is a throne and the one seated on it is saying "Come up here!" What will our answer be?

FEAR OR FAITH
But who was he grieved with forty years? was it not those that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? To whom did He swear that they would not enter into His rest, to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. There is unbelief in the church taught as wisdom. A wisdom of men that says, “You will never be perfect and will always sin.” “God understands and doesn't expect more of us.” It is an unbelief that says “God cannot bring us to the holiness He expects and calls for in scripture.” It also says, "Stay small and obscure, never stepping out into greater things, lest your pride get the best of you and you fall." It also says, "Don't call yourself a prophet, an apostle, a teacher, or a leader. You are prideful to consider yourself anything more then what everyone else around you is comfortable being. Stay in the wilderness where it is safe and comfortable and no one can get hurt in battle."  It is a spirit of fear and unbelief! But, It is time to become what you were born to be!

Those in unbelief can be suspicious of those who would have faith to overcome and take a place of victory. They are like the Israelites in the wilderness who wanted to stone Joshua and Caleb. Many whine and are focused on how big and bad the evil giants are, They believe we are just too weak. They prefer to fight manageable battles. They are leaving this planet and God is going to have to just destroy everything in defeat! They do not realize they are whining and murmuring against God. He expects them to rise up with spiritual weapons, and in faith take the land. 

Let us fear therefore, lest haply, a promise being left of entering into his rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good tidings preached unto us, even as also they: but the word of hearing did not profit them, because it was not united by faith with them that heard

GOD WITH US
If we are sent by God we are not going alone. We go with His presence and the authority of heaven: the Sword of the Spirit. In spite of our weak nature and tendency to failure, it is God who is faithful to keep us and save us from the evil one and even ourselves and our weaknesses.

God comforted Joshua who entered into the Promised Land with these words:  Have not I commanded you? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be you dismayed: for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. God is releasing a generation of warriors who will go in strong and unwavering faith to a place of promise that has yet to be seen among the elect. They will obtain a level of holiness and perfection that will be a result of their choosing to believe the impossible. They will tear down strongholds of the enemy and laugh at giants that oppose and threaten them. They will fight the good fight in spite of the odds and whole world against them. This they will do by faith. They will hear and obey, keeping their focus on the Words of the king and thus put the enemy to flight as they establish the kingdom of God upon the earth. Through much trial and persecution they will see Him for whom they have longed coming in the clouds to establish His saints from the ages in their place. And they will possess the kingdom.

Do not fear the giant of "men's intimidation" and his threats. Pay him no mind; rather, keep your eyes on ME. A stone shall fell him, a stone uncut by human hands.

Do not fret and respond to the jeers of those on the Jericho walls of mens wisdom. For I will bring those walls down! Do not waste your strength refuting their lies, be silent before their taunts and prepare for a shout of victory.

Do not fear the reports of spies that say, “We are but grasshoppers and irrelevant in the enemies sight”. Follow my battle plans and overcome all in your path.

Do not say we are small and too few to take the land, look to the God who increases and enlarges you to fulfill your destiny.

Do not look to the right or to the left but look straight at me and have faith.

While the world's turmoil rages, you must remain confident and find rest in ME, that you might go forth in my presence and power. Rest in me and shun all distraction that robs this rest. For then you will enter fully into this promised land of rest that overcomes all the power of the enemy.

In His Love
Kriston Couchey
 
http://my.opera.com/Boanerges/blog/


__________________
One of the chosen foolish and weak
http://my.opera.com/Boanerges/blog/



2. What On Earth Is God Doing?


By David Orton 

"Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."
Luke 12:32

The global financial system totters. Whole nations declare bankruptcy. Panic strikes the world markets. Political leaders meet late into the night searching for answers that don't exist. Militant Islam invades through immigration and population growth. Secularism dominates the public square. And the church pursues cultural appeasement.

The nations are dismayed and men's hearts fail them for fear.

Where is God, and what on earth is he doing? Are there no answers for the nations? Does not God have a plan?

In the face of the economic and societal upheaval of the last one hundred years the Spirit of God cries out that he is the omnipotent One, the creator of the heavens and the earth, and the sustainer of all that is. The 20th century outpouring of the Holy Spirit is testimony to the fact that God is powerfully at work in the earth. On the one hand we have seen an increase of the kingdom in powerful outpourings and revivals, but on the other an increase of world wars, economic dislocation, societal turmoil, and natural disasters.

More going on than meets the eye

Even so, how do we understand these contradictions? Are we being flushed down the toilet as some defeatist end-time theories would have us believe? Or is something more going on than meets the eye? 

Paul, facing off with the wisdom of man, declares that,

      "No eye has seen,

      no ear has heard,

      no mind has conceived

      what God has prepared for those who love him"

1 Cor 2:9

Human wisdom, fed by the five senses and natural reasoning, cannot see the things that God has destined for the heirs of salvation. But fortunately they are revealed to us by the Spirit (see v10). And so, something more than meets the eye is occurring.

Without a revelation of God and his kingdom our hearts will fear when he shakes the nations. This is why Paul prayed that the Ephesians, surrounded by an occult and pagan world, would receive the spirit of wisdom and revelation. Through seeing the ascended Christ by the Spirit, and apprehending his fullness, as his body, they would rule over principalities and powers.i He had declared to them "the whole plan of God",ii causing the entire region of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) to hear the word in a two-year period.iii Whatever this whole plan was, clearly the modern church has lost it. Instead we have been fed a 'part', a truncated gospel, focusing either on personal salvation and holiness, or the baptism and ministry of the Holy Spirit.

The whole plan of God

Prophetically speaking, the church has celebrated the feasts of Passover and Pentecost. In some measure, justification by faith and holiness (Passover) were restored as truths during the 16th to 19th centuries and the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost) in the 20th century, but the spiritual realities of the Feast of Tabernacles are yet to be celebrated. With her decline and Constantinian fall the church lost her grasp on the whole plan of God. However, this is now being progressively restored, as the wisdom writer so aptly declared, "The path of the just is like a shining light, shining brighter and brighter until the full day" (Prov 4:18). Over the last five hundred years God has been increasingly restoring light and truth to his people, setting them free from their Babylonian captivity.

And so, what is the whole plan of God? The feasts of Passover and Pentecost, we understand and experience in some measure, but what is the significance of the feast of Tabernacles? Much can be unpacked from the typology of the feasts.iv Nevertheless, we will resist this temptation and focus on only several salient points. Passover was initially celebrated in Egypt on the eve of Israel's deliverance, Pentecost in the wilderness at Sinai, but Tabernacles was first celebrated in the Land as a celebration of realized destiny and a remembrance of the wilderness journey. As the feast of the Promised Land, celebrating Israel's final realization of the covenant promises, Tabernacles foreshadows the church finally entering the fullness of the kingdom on earth, despite her lengthy wilderness wanderings. Like Israel, the church has delayed its entrance into the fullness of the Land despite its celebration of Passover and Pentecost. Even though she has enjoyed the recovery of both feasts over the last several centuries, she still languishes in the wilderness through unbelief. She too has come to her Kadesh-Barnea.v With her nose up against the store window, looking into a land of milk and honey, of God's kingdom coming to earth in miraculous power, she has pulled back in unbelief. Rather than occupying the land as a holy nation of king-priests and filling the whole earth with his glory she has been seduced by "doctrines of devils", gullibly believing every defeatist and escapist end-time teaching, conveniently relieving her of the kingdom mandate to disciple nations.vi On seeing the giants of the land, the principalities and powers that rule cities and nations, she has found solace in escapist 'rapture' theories that wisp the church out of the world, rather than occupying until he comes.vii

The gospel of the kingdom of God

We have lost the gospel of the kingdom of God.viii The gospel of personal salvation we understand, the message of the Holy Spirit's ministry, we value; but the message of the kingdom, as proclaimed by Christ and his apostles is all but forgotten. This was the 'whole plan of God' that Paul proclaimed to the Ephesians:

8And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God.

9But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.

10And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

Acts 19:8-10

So, what is the gospel of the kingdom of God? It is the good news of a new creation - a new order of God's government - one of righteousness and justice, bringing peace to all peoples and nations.ix For many, it is a shock that this has already begun in the person of God's Son. Through becoming man, living his sinless life, learning obedience through suffering, and finally through his death, resurrection and ascension to the Father, the kingdom has come definitively to this planet. With God becoming man, a permanent shift of cosmic proportions has occurred.x Restored to the image of God, man has been reinstated to the rulership of the universexi, and the new creation has begun.xii

Consequently, we do not look to the second coming (nor to a future kingdom age), to achieve what God has already accomplished in the first coming. The kingdom of God came definitively in Christ when he rose from the grave as the firstfruits of all those who believe.xiii Ascending, as the son of man,xiv to the right hand of the Father he now rules the universe. From this position, he pours forth the promised Holy Spirit, imparting his perfected humanityxv and sonshipxvi to his body, and progressively extending his rule through itxvii until all his enemies are subdued under his feet.xviii Christ is, therefore, in heaven seated at the right hand of the Father until every enemy is defeated.xix He will not return until this occurs. Every pretender to the throne, every idol, and false ideology - every rebellious human system will fall before Jesus returns. God is shaking the heavens and the earth until only the unshakeable remains - the everlasting kingdom of God.xx And when he does return only one enemy will remain - the last enemy, death. And this will be conquered through the final resurrection.xxi The gospel of the kingdom of God is the good news that the universe is now being renovated - that the creator-redeemer God has invaded time and history, exorcising every demonic force, infusing the world with his glorious presence.

End-time scenarios

Therefore, any end-time scenario, which robs the body of Christ of its mandate to exemplify and extend Christ's victory in the world must, at least, be seriously questioned, if not viewed as a diabolical lie. Likewise, any view that relegates the gospel to personal faith only, castrating its power to transform creation must be rejected. Every sphere of human endeavour and creativity, including nature itself, is transfigured by Christ becoming man. Christ will be satisfied with the reward of his suffering,xxii returning not only for a bride without blemishxxiii but also a planet leavened and liberated by the kingdom.xxiv The kingdom has come definitively through God in Christ, is coming progressively through the obedience of faith, and will come consumatively at the second coming.

Our Christology,xxv therefore, must inform our eschatology.xxvi Our revelation of Christ, as the incarnate Son of God (i.e. God in a human body in this world), and as the Son of Man (i.e. Man perfected in this world) determines our understanding of end-things. As the God-Man, he is the full stop, the climax of history, and the fullness of the Father in a time-space world.xxvii This is the promised kingdom age. The old heavens and earth, the old covenant age has passed and the new has come - the new Jerusalem has arrived in the person of the Son.xxviii This will 'fuss' with many eschatological sacred cows - with escapist rapture theories, millennial schemes, and not to mention the role of Israel, the church, and the kingdom. Any deferment of the kingdom to another age, or abrogation of it to an old covenant ethnic identity is dismantled.xxix Christ and his body, the new Israel, in which there is neither Jew nor Greek,xxx is the climax of history - the fulfilment of the Edenic promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent's head,xxxi and thus also, of all the covenants and promises through the fathers.xxxii

Father's purpose

God's government in his Son was conceived in the heart of the Father before time began.xxxiii This has implications in how we approach God and our mission in the world.xxiv If God's purpose begins in the Fall of man, man and his dysfunction is the centre point. The purpose of the gospel is then man's rescue and recovery, resulting in an image of God as saviour and healer, in modern parlance, a therapist. This is surely the case in the contemporary western church. Our half-baked theology has hopped into bed with the west's cult of psychology and produced a monster - a church system geared to the therapy of self. With God portrayed as a 'Dr Feelgood' the shelves of Christian bookstores groan with titles promoting a life of maximised living - of emotional, relational, financial and sexual health. However, if God's purpose begins in himself, the centre and circumference is found in him, in relationship rather than recovery. Paradoxically, when he is in the centre recovery occurs, for God is revealed as the 'Father of compassion and God of all comfort' (2 Cor 1:3-4). As a Father his purpose is discovered in the desire for mature sons.xxxv While, in compassion, he provides for our every need during our infancy, he is focussed on bringing us to maturity, so as to share in the family business.xxxvi Recovery from the dysfunction of sin is necessary in this maturation process. He will not leave his sons in an eternal state of infancy.xxxvii And yet, this is where we want to remain, cooing and burbling in the playpen of personal salvation with our charismatic toys, but refusing the Father's call toward spiritual adulthood. This then is the gospel of the kingdom of God - a call to mature sonship, so as to share with the Father in the governance of the universe. This is why it is 'the Father's good pleasure to give us the kingdom' (Lk 12:32). God the Father has purposed to rule the universe through mature sons.

Father's DNA

Jesus is, therefore, the firstborn among many brothers.xxxviii The Father and God of us all has purposed to bring all his sons to glory, not just the firstborn. We all have the Father's DNA.xxxix As Peter declares, we 'have been made participators in the divine nature' (2 Pet 1:4). With the Father's supernatural genes planted within us, family likeness is inevitable.xl As some have said about my own kids, "The apple sure doesn't fall far from the tree!" In fact, the power of genetic continuity is downright scary. More often than I care to admit, I hear an eerie echo of my parents or even grandparents in my words or behaviour.

And so, in this climax of history, God the Father will have a corporate Son in whom he delights. Having reached the full stature of Christ, as a fellow-heir with him, it will inherit the Father''s business. Having received the keys of the kingdom, a redeemed humanity will exercise dominion over the earth.

Therefore, there is no room for fear - the Father will give us the kingdom.

REPRINT AGREEMENT: Duplication and re-transmission of this writing is permitted provided that complete source and website information for Lifemessenger is included.
Thank you.
Copyright © David Orton 2010
www.lifemessenger.org
Lifemessenger Inc.
PO Box 777
Mount Eliza VIC 3930
Australia

This is only a portion of this article. For the full article,
Go Here: http://archive.openheaven.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=32691&a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;PN=1


 

3. TOP NEWS Headlines


Church Offers Free Wedding as Outreach to Couples Living Together - 6/18/2010
The neighborhood around Celebration Church in Akron, Ohio has many unmarried couples with children. Pastor Jeff Wade says his congregation was worried they were unlikely to ever walk into a church. Then someone had a bright idea -- free weddings! The only requirement is each couple attends two mentoring sessions. The church allocates 30 minutes per ceremony. Read On:
http://archive.openheaven.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=32951&a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;PN=1&TPN=1


Christian Network President Dead at Age 72 - 6/18/2010
Ron Hembree was in Christian broadcasting for years before he became president of the Cornerstone TeleVision Network in 2003. His best-known program is "Quick Study." He's lived in the Pittsburgh area for much of his life. Hembree has also authored more than 70 books. The cause of death has not been announced. Read On:
http://archive.openheaven.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=32953&a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;PN=1&TPN=1


Is Idaho Banning the Bible? - 6/18/2010
The case has been going on for a while. The latest action is an appeal seeking to overturn a decision keeping the Bible out of Nampa Classical Academy. The school wants to include the Scriptures, along with other religious texts, as curriculum resources. The state's reasoning flies in the face of Supreme Court decisions allowing academic examination of religious writings. Read On:
http://archive.openheaven.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=32954&a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;PN=1&TPN=1


Lightning Strike Destroys Famous Jesus Statue in Ohio - 6/18/2010
The 60-foot likeness of Christ with arms upraised was known by the playful nickname, "Touchdown Jesus." Some are debating whether the lightning strike that burned the statue to the ground was an "act of God" or just an accident. Fire officials estimate $700 thousand dollars' damage. No one was hurt. The church hopes to replace the statue by the end of the year. Read On:
http://archive.openheaven.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=32956&a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;PN=1&TPN=1 


The Rise of the New Deism Among Teens - 6/19/2010
Mention the word 'Deist' and you think of 18th century men in white whigs and knee breaches practicing an alternative to Christianity. Deists today dress in jeans, T-shirts and flip flops. A new study shows many teenagers share beliefs with those among America's founding fathers who rejected orthodoxy. The researchers call the new version "Moral Therapeutic Deism." Read On:
http://archive.openheaven.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=32964&a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;PN=1&TPN=1


For More Top News Headlines, http://archive.openheaven.com/news/headlines/ 


Unlimited permission to copy and post or reprint without altering text or profiteering is hereby granted subject to proper credits and inclusion of this web address: http://archive.openheaven.com . However, if an item not written by Ron McGatlin is marked Copyright, you should contact the original publisher for permission to reproduce.
 
 
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Edited by Ron McGatlin on 06/19/2010 at 1:59pm
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