Worship: Introduction

Adoration to God is powerful and intimate. We are made in the image of God, who is a Creator. When we tap into the source of all creativity, we can release heaven over cities and nations. Worship is more than acknowledging who God is. Worship is more interactive. It isn't based on our preferences of songs, biases on style, or taste in music. A genre isn't going to be the determining factor on whether the Holy Spirit is present. The volume, instruments, vocalists or the band's chemistry will never be the meter that reads how much anointing is in the room. No lights, colors, or laser shows can create an atmosphere like Holy Spirit can create. Great performances never move Holy Spirit. Faith moves Him to confirm the Word with signs and wonders. If the Lord gives direction, flowing with Him will produce more fruit than following the staged or rehearsed cues. Doing what’s expected will decrease the interaction between Jesus and His people. Being made in the image of a Creator makes us creators. When we create in Jesus’ name, listen and flow with His direction, and respond in obedience, miracles are sure to follow!

Transformation > Revival

Revival has a starting point and a stopping point. Transformation doesn't fall into the old form. I don't want to say we are looking for transformation. The kingdom of heaven does not come with close observation. Many expect a "move" of God, inferring that the responsibility is no longer ours, as believers. However, God has reconciled us back to the place where dominion is ours on the earth, to multiply what is godly and subdue what is evil. We are not looking for transformation... Rather, we are bringing transformation with Holy Spirit.

Let's go to square one for a moment. What does the transformation we are bringing supposed to look like? The answer: Heaven on earth. Heaven isn't gained by good sermons, programs, events, or cover dishes. Heaven is Jesus and Jesus is love. His love is transformation... totally supernatural, yet somehow tangible; tangible, yet supernatural. Transformation is a cycle of Christ’s love.

The Lord operates in cycles. The greatest commandment is a cycle. Love God. This is the source of all love because God is love. Then love your neighbors as yourself. It’s impossible to accomplish one without the other. You can’t give away what you don’t have. Edify yourself (by praying in tongues) and edify others (by prophesying). Cycles don’t end.

Transformation is heaven on earth, where the sick are healed, the dead are raised, people are liberated from the trauma of a past they don’t wish to remember, and where they are loved unconditionally with the everlasting, powerful love of Jesus.

It Doesn't Make Sense!

"It doesn't make sense!"

These famous last words haunt skeptics and excite believers! The human mind cannot contain God, nor can we understand why He does what He does. We were given the option to know Him, not understand Him. He cannot be confined to a book, restricted by our theology, or held at arm’s length from people. No matter how advanced we believe our understanding is of God, He seems to take pleasure in leaving us speechless by appearing outside of the box we thought we had Him trapped in.

There would be nights that I would wait on the Lord. His response would often come in gold dust. As I would retract my hands, I would see gold sparkling across them. I, then, would begin to cry and wonder, “Why is God mindful of me?” Then I begin to ask, “Why gold dust? It doesn’t make sense!” As if God was worried about being too materialistic by giving gold. Mark it as a sign and a wonder to show His tangible love.

There have been three times my wife and I have seen the Lord supernaturally put arches in flat feet. In one meeting where this happened, one lady had cancer. She wasn’t healed of the cancer but she wasn’t resentful that her friend received a healthy set of supernatural arches in her feet. She rejoiced with her friend! Our response to God, why He does what He does, and His timing should never be in anger. He isn’t second guessing what He does or who He is, even if we react bitterly towards Him.

Why does He shower people with gold dust? Why did He put arches in our friend’s feet in a meeting where someone else had cancer? Nobody can say why. It doesn’t make sense… to us! There’s no formula to God. He is moved by faith, hope, and love because He is faith, hope, and love.

The Best Of: Faith Kills Cancer

When you see "The Best Of," on this blog, you should expect a testimony of God moving in the supernatural through ordinary people. This encounter happened to my father-in-law. Never have I met someone so bold, so called, and so aware of the constant presence of God. He is the man who taught me what I know about Holy Spirit.

Cancer is a feared devil these days. And that fear feeds it. Fear is faith in the devil. It's best to know what God is capable of, through testimonies, rather than play catch up when your body "needs" it most. Testimonies bring the reality close to home, God becomes tangible. Many reject Him in lieu of the fact that we confine testimonies to our thoughts, rather than to the megaphones.

The Best Of: Round One - Cancer vs. Christ

My father-in-law, Kermit, was attending a wedding. The bride’s mother, riddled with terminal cancer, wasn’t expected to live to the original wedding date, so the wedding party expedited the wedding by a few months. Kermit, in the corner of the room, was praying in the Spirit and heard the Lord speak.

“Ask her this question,” the Lord said, referring to the mother. A sea of people had engulfed the mother as Kermit obeyed and moved forward. Suddenly, the crowd left to have their picture made, leaving only Kermit and the mother of the bride.

“I know we’ve only met once,” Kermit began, “but I believe the Lord wants me to ask you this question: Did you honor your father and mother?”

The woman attempted to gain a better understanding of what it was to honor her parents.

“You may not have always done exactly what they said, but did you honor and recognize them as the parents God put in your life?” Kermit asked.

“Of course I did,” she responded.

“Well that is the first commandment with a promise. Honor your father and mother and your days shall be long on the earth.” Kermit prayed over her and released God's kingdom. Thirty seconds later, the prayer was over, and they parted ways. Before they said goodbye to one another, Kermit told her he believed the doctors would find no cancer at her next checkup.

After the married couple came back from their honeymoon, Kermit received a call from the groom. After conversing about the honeymoon, Kermit proceeded to ask about the mother of the bride.

“She wants to tell you!” he exclaimed, handing the phone to his wife. Kermit, unsure of the news he was about to hear, continued to listen.

“My mother went to the doctor for her checkup,” she started. “They did one scan. After observing the results, the doctors insisted they take another scan…” Kermit knew exactly where this was going! “My mother was completely healed of any and all cancer in her body! It's a miracle!” she rejoiced.

The Word of God is a promise. Faith stands on the promises of God. Faith with action is compassion and allows the tangible love of God to manifest in miracles.

Unity in the Spirit

Unity seems to be a going theme these days. A goal, an aspiration, and an accomplishment to be attained by the church. But what does it look like?

Jesus never commanded us to be tolerant. He told us to love. But love is not tolerant. Whoever rebukes, in the end, gains favor rather than one who has a flattering tongue (Proverbs 28:23). The Lord disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:6). Jesus wasn't tolerant of the money changers in the temple, yet, He didn't call fire down from heaven to consume a city that rejected Him. John the Baptist wasn't tolerant when He called the religious busy-bodies of the day a brood of vipers. These were the same men that schemed to crucify Jesus. However, Jesus loved the money changers, the Sadducee and Pharisees, the city that rejected Him. However, He would not tolerate blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12) for it is the sin that cannot be forgiven.

Jesus couldn't do anything without seeing the Father do it first. In John 17, Jesus speaks about the unity between the Father and Himself. This wasn't unity achieved by good works, prayer and fasting, preaching good messages to the people, or telling outstanding parables. It was achieved by Holy Spirit. Before Jesus was crucified, He prayed, "Let them be one as we are one." It was when Jesus was baptized in the Holy Spirit that He began demonstrating the will and kingdom of His Father in heaven. It was then they were One.

Demonstration of the kingdom comes in power. This power is only accessed when we are in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit seals our salvation when we are born again (Ephesians 1:13-14) and lives inside of us. When we are immersed, or baptized, in the Holy Spirit, we are living inside of Him.

God the Father, Son, and Holy Bible. This is a life of theology, religion, and manpower. Holy Spirit is neglected in a large portion of the body that He is sent to equip. He equips with power! If the traditions of men make the power of God null and void, why do believers submit to them?

Theology will eventually lead to disagreement. Religion and traditions will leave the generations to follow uninterested and disengaged. Manpower will burn out those who choose to strive for a great applause. Holy Spirit does not run on manpower, but empowers man to run with feet that are prepared with the gospel of peace to all nations. Holy Spirit unites the body.

Could it be that, in the church, when we receive the Holy Spirit we can then receive each other without a second thought of where we've come from?

Healing Prayer Template

We have access to multitudes through social media, email and video chatting. While there are benefits and backfires to these technological interactions, we can communicate the same powerful love of God to a virtual world in which these multitudes have settled. As communication methods are on the rise, mediums of ministering, encouraging, edifying, and releasing the kingdom are now at our fingertips.

I have seen emails come in the system asking for prayer for those who are in critical condition. I typed a prayer for healing in response. The next day, the first email I read was uncharacteristically joyful and began with: GOD IS A MIRACLE GOD! Both men were healed and doctors were stunned, baffled, and in awe of the sudden recovery!

Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word. God's Word is Spirit and can bend reality to conform to His perfect will, so that all men can know salvation (Greek: sozo; saved, healed, and delivered). These New Covenant rights reflect the completed work of the cross. Sins, like our sicknesses, have been forgiven, as our bodies have been healed. All bought, once and once for all, by the Blood of Jesus: the God-man!

Below is a template for a prayer of healing you can email or message those who are sick. There is no formula... Just faith! Feel free to adjust for personal prayer, like the name of the victim of infirmity and the condition of which they suffer. Whenever Jesus commissioned someone to preach the gospel, He commanded them to heal the sick. You are called to do the same out of love!

Healing Prayer Template

Dear Lord Jesus,

We thank you that You are the Word (John 1:1-5, 14) and You are the same yesterday, today, and forevermore (Hebrews 13:8). You didn’t do anything without seeing the Father do it first (John 5:19-20), and, by that, you knew the kingdom and will of God. You demonstrated that kingdom by healing all those that were sick (Matthew4:23-25, 15:30-31, Acts 10:38). You commissioned Your disciples to do as You did (Matthew 10:7-8, Mark 16:15-20, John 14:12). As You endured the cross, You not only took our sins, but by Your stripes we were healed (Isaiah 53:4-5, I Peter 2:24).

Your unchanging Word says that the prayer of faith shall save the sick (James 5:15) and that when two agree on earth concerning anything we ask, the Father in heaven will do it (Matthew 18:19).

We agree for complete healing in Jesus’ name! We command the body to come into perfect alignment just as you created it to be and we bind all sickness and pain in the name of Jesus Christ (Matthew 18:18).

You established these promises in the Word. We thank you for complete healing and the testimony to follow! We thank you for the New Covenant that you have given Your people through the finished work of the cross and Your resurrection! We thank you that your kingdom is empty of sickness, infirmities, diseases, and illness. We thank you Your kingdom is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). You came to give life and life in abundance (John 10:10).

Just as you said, “It is finished,” we receive the complete work by faith in Jesus’ name-

Amen

Where Train Meets Tracks

Unlike the fruit of the Spirit, being baptized in the Holy Spirit does not measure spiritual maturity. Just as we are saved by believing, confessing, and receiving, we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit by asking and believing we have what we say. Receiving from the Lord is grounded in faith and not in our "righteous works" or "holy high horse" status, wealth, knowledge, intellect, hermeneutics, or Biblical theology. Being baptized in the Holy Spirit equips us to do the works that Jesus did and greater.

The world around us cries out for tangible evidence that God is real, alive, and cares for His creation. This cry is rarely satisfied with debate, intellect, talk, sermons, religion, traditions, or theology. Jesus prayed that the kingdom and will of God would come on earth as it is in heaven. The kingdom came with demonstration in power. After being baptized in the Holy Spirit, Jesus demonstrated the kingdom of God by healing all who were sick and oppressed by the devil. Jesus held a controversial countenance of love as He stared down the barrel of religion. The traditions of men make the power of God null and void. The spirit of religion killed Jesus and attempts, to this day, to create an atmosphere of unbelief. Anti-Christ isn't just anti-Jesus. Christ was not Jesus' last name. Christ means "the anointed one." The anointing only comes by the Holy Spirit. Anti-Christ is anti-Holy Spirit and anti-Holy Spirit power.

The kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. The only way to fully preach the gospel is to operate in the power of the Holy Spirit with signs and wonders confirming the Word that is preached. The only gospel that Jesus preached was the kingdom of God. It wasn't the gospel of prosperity, healing, grace or even salvation. All of those are great and important for living an effective Christian life. They are under the umbrella of the the gospel of the kingdom. This is the only gospel that will usher in the coming of our Lord and it is only fully preached with signs, wonders, and miracles from our Lord working in and through His people that are fulfilling the responsibility given by receiving the fullness of power in the Holy Spirit!

Our salvation is not determined by being baptized in the Holy Spirit, but it could hold the key to someone else receiving Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit, besides sealing our salvation when we are saved, empowers us to be a witness when we are baptized (or filled) with the Holy Spirit. A witness is someone who can afford evidence. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the evidence at our disposal testifies of Jesus and His radical love.

The Holy Spirit shows Himself by enabling certain gifts. These gifts are useless without love. Imagine a train, the power of God in us, running smoothly on tracks, the love of God in us. If we're running with no tracks, we're going nowhere. Desiring spiritual gifts is not a selfish desire. We are told to earnestly desire (or zealously lust after) spiritual gifts because they are for the sole purpose of serving others and showing them the fierce love of our Lord.

The name of Jesus will bend reality to break every wall of defense a person has built so He can show His unconditional love for them. Spiritual gifts will never harm a person, will never contradict the Word of God, and will always reflect the heart, will, and kingdom of God. Jesus could do nothing without first seeing His Father commission the act. Jesus' life commissions us to do what he did and greater. This includes healing the sick, casting out demons, raising the dead, walking on water, prophesying to strangers, and making disciples.

As Jesus was united with His Father by being filled with the Holy Spirit, we too, as the Body of Christ, can only be united together by the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.