Big House

There was this song I loved to belt out with my youth back in the day.  I remember being at the Jesus Northwest Festival with over 27000 youth as they called out and asked youth pastors to come to the stage and sing with the band...surreal!  The song was Big House by Audio Adrenaline.  I would have that same opportunity again years later at Canada's Wonderland as Matt Courtney and I were called to the stage to belt it out with Mark Stuart, the lead singer of the band

I don't know where you lay your head
Or where you call your home
I don't know where you eat your meals
Or where you talk on the phone
I don't know if you got a cook
A butler or a maid
I don't know if you got a yard
With a hammock in the shade

I don't know if you got some shelter
Say a place to hide
I don't know if you live with friends
In whom you can confide
I don't know if you got a family
Say a mom or dad
I don't know if you feel love at all
But I bet you wish you had

Come and go with me
To my Father's house
Come and go with me
To my Father's house

It's a big big house
With lots and lots a room
A big big table
With lots and lots of food
A big big yard
Where we can play football
A big big house
Its my Father's house

Why this song, well because it really fits my thoughts as we dive into John 14.

14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”

This Life Is Not The Story, It’s Only A Chapter

Here is the real assurance here especially for Peter and all fragile saints who follow Jesus imperfectly, don’t let your mind race over this, don’t be overcome with turmoil in your heart.  You child of God have a place and you have a space.  You are part of God’s household of faith when you placed your trust in Him.

 “To as many as received him, to them he gave power to become the children of God” (John 1:12).

5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Here is how the way has been prepared for us to be with Jesus

Sin has not been atoned for. Jesus is the Lamb of God about to be slain (John 1:29, 36). The wrath of God, the condemnation, the curse of God, is still unsatisfied, and Jesus is about to become a curse for us (Galatians 3:13) and bear our condemnation (Romans 8:3) and endure the bruising of the Father (Isaiah 53:10). Death is yet to be defeated and Jesus is about to give his life and take it back again from the jaws of death (John 10:18).  John Piper

This Present Life Is Most Fulfilled In Jesus

John 10:7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

It is pretty clear that life apart from Jesus is a journey towards unfufillment, and for the most part life will feel like you are getting ripped off.  In the words of the great philosopher Mick Jagger, “I can’t get no satisfaction;”  However, Jesus is proclaiming that there is a way to a most fulfilled life here and now and that He is at the very center of it.

Jesus came to deal with the things that keep us from enjoying life to the full.  He takes all our guilt and regret over misplaced pathways that we thought would lead us to fulfillment.

We need to realize that heaven is as much a person as it is a place.

How does Jesus give us life to the full?  He brings meaning, purpose and contentment in life, He is our peace in the storm.

The Scandel of Christianity

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

John 14:6 has been referred to as the “Scandel of Christianity”

One of the most politically incorrect statements to make in our culture is, ‘Jesus Christ is the only way to God.’   You will be called a bigot, insensitive, narrow-minded, arrogant and hateful to name a few if you hold to this truth in public. 

Jesus just doesn’t proclaim that He is a way.  There is a definite article there and it’s the word “the”  Jesus isn’t just telling He’s the way to the Father, God, He’s saying I’m the only way.  He basically is setting Himself up against any other way that you might have thought was the way to the God of Heaven. 

Jesus Christ Is The Way

And guess what, that’s not popular out there on the street.  It just isn’t tolerant of other views and that’s what we’ve been indoctrinated with in our culture…tolerance.  It’s so much easier to say, ‘well Jesus is my way, that’s what works for me.’

You might ask well, what about the rest of the testimony of Scripture.  Peter states  in Acts 4:12 that salvation is found in no one else.  1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. 

The expression “the way, and the truth, and the life” was a common expression that was used by the religious teachers in Jesus’ day to describe the Law.  They would refer to the Torah as the way, the truth and the life.  It contained everything one needed to know about life, about God and eternity.  So, Jesus intentionally used these words to put Himself in the place of the Law.  He is everything we need for life, for eternity and the way to the Father.

Jesus Christ is The Truth

Here are some really important FACTS to discover when it comes to Jesus’ stand and position in light of every other faith and religion.

Jesus claimed to be God. No religious figure in history has made such a claim. Not Mohammed, Buddha, or Confucius. Not even Abraham or Moses, who are accepted as prophets and great men by all three major world religions (Islam, Judaism, Christianity) ever claimed to be God. Many have claimed to know the way to God, or have tried to show the way to God, but none have claimed to be the one and only way to God.

Jesus never sinned. He never withdrew or modified any statement He ever made. He never apologized. He never needed to ask anyone to pray for Him. He never succumbed to any temptation. Jesus was and is God! As humanly impressive as many religious leaders have been, none of them are without sin.

Jesus came do die. The mission of Jesus was to die on the cross for humankind. This was His passion; his entire life was pointed toward the cross. No other religious leader ever sought to die a death of crucifixion for his or her followers. Jesus was the ultimate example of a selfless, sacrificial servant leader.

Jesus rose from the dead. After spending the better part of three days in a tomb, Jesus rose from the dead demonstrating that He was God (cf. Rom 1:4). Those who have attempted to disprove Christianity have done so by attempting to disprove the resurrection. But many of these people have instead become convinced that Jesus did indeed rise from the dead! There are countless testimonies of changed lives that have occurred by coming to grips with Christ’s resurrection. This is why the resurrection of Christ is one of the cardinal doctrines of Christianity. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, let’s eat, drink, and be merry (1 Cor 15).

Gary M. Burge, The Gospel of John. NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), 392.

Jesus Christ Is The Life

Jesus is the lens through which we see God.

He is the lens through which we see the world.

Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.  C.S. Lewis

He is my life.  I remember so well at 17 having made the decision to go to Bible College and then wondering what have I done??  I started reading the book of Matthew and arriving at 6:19-21

¹⁹ “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

I knew in that moment that I wanted to invest my life in what matters for eternity and I knew that was people.  I realized that the only real treasure we that take are the lives we influence for His glory, His kingdom!

The Takeaway

The only three responses that we can have to His statements are as Josh McDowell wrote on:

He is a LIAR

He is a LUNATIC

OR  He is LORD  and must be worshipped as such!

The Power Of Resurrection Life

I want to talk about our identification with the resurrection of Christ.    Let`s remember that  He is not happy with just part of us, He wants all of us!  As it has been said, 'too many Christians live between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, believing in the cross, but not the power and glory of the resurrection.'  We will focus on our new resurrection life in Christ and the process that takes us there. Living in the reality of His resurrection life means freedom from the slavery of sin, death to my ‘self’ and becoming so aware of my life fully in Christ.

Resurrection Life Starts With A Complete Tear Down.  Philippians 3:1-8

Paul begins this chapter by driving the point home that your place in Christ has absolutely nothing to do with your religious ‘self effort’.  There was a lot of “follow Jesus + do this, do that and look more like us” attitude surrounding the church at Philippi. 

If you have any inkling or any thought that your spiritual status is locked into your personal performance and ability to live the Christian life, you are missing the point altogether.

As a pastor I can easily get caught up in all of this too. We can talk about all our education and degrees, our ministry experiences.  For me, the tear-down began in my office as a pastor in a previous ministry when I decided to place my degrees and ordination certificate in a box.  It was an important step for me to recognise where my confidence lies.

What do you boast in?

Where does your confidence lie? 

Perhaps you have claimed one or more of the following. I was raised in a Christian family.  I was baptized or confirmed in a church, or educated in a Christian school. Maybe even now you claim… I read my Bible and pray, I’ve gone on missions trips or I am a good human being.  Some of these are all blessings and privileges; however they do not make you a follower of Christ or put you in good standing with God.

It isn’t about us, it isn’t about our name, it isn’t about our status.  As we will see it is about the presence of Jesus in you, it’s all about His name, it’s all about His status. 

Resurrection Life Is Being Found In Christ v9

Paul makes it absolutely clear that the only way that I can be found in Christ is when I let go completely of everything else that I put confidence in for my standing with God.

 He is saying, “I don’t want anything to do with a righteousness that I can somehow manufacture or whip up the ability to do so in and of myself.  I want to in faith completely clothe myself in the righteousness that comes from Christ.  It is a complete transfer of trust.  You are making the move out of the house that you built to the house that God has built.

We are simply taking God at His Word by receiving His promise that Jesus gives eternal life to those who trust in Him. This is what it means to be “found in Him.”  It is a righteousness that is outside of myself.

This past Sunday Sharon and I went to our former church in Milton, Southside, where they were having a worship celebration before the building was going to be torn down.  The church had sold their existing property and are now embarking on a new location.  In many ways, I see the incredible opportunity they have to completely design their new space around their values. 

Here, at Crossings, we are going through a tear down of sorts with the repurposing of our store front and what the Roxy will become.  For some, it will feel like a loss of identity; however it is a great opportunity for us once again to start from the ground up.  The foundation of where we want to go is resting in knowing, loving and obeying Jesus.  This is where we find ourselves.

Resurrection Life is the Power of Knowing Jesus v10,11

That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

That I may know Him: It was the cry of Paul`s heart, he was fixated on really knowing Jesus

To “know” (ginosko) Christ does not mean to have head knowledge about Him, but to “know Him” intimately and passionately.

I can say “oh yeah, I know that person, I’ve seen their pictures on Facebook and I could recognize them in a crowd…but do I really know them?  Well, no. Have I had a ‘one on one’ conversation with them?  Do I know what really makes them tick? 

So, there is a knowing that goes below the surface, a real relationship where I’ve actually shared a meal with them, I’ve laughed with them and maybe even cried as well alongside them.

Here is a quote from Charles Spurgeon, a famous preacher from the late 1800s

“They tell me he is a refiner, that he cleanses from spots; he has washed me in his precious blood, and to that extent I know him. They tell me that he clothes the naked; he hath covered me with a garment of righteousness, and to that extent I know him. They tell me that he is a breaker, and that he breaks chains, he has set my soul at liberty, and therefore I know him. They tell me that he is a king and that he reigns over sin; he hath subdued my enemies beneath his feet, and I know him in that character. They tell me he is a shepherd: I know him for I am his sheep. They say he is a door: I have entered in through him, and I know him as a door. They say he is food: my spirit feeds on him as on the bread of heaven, and, therefore, I know him as such.”

To know the power of His resurrection

His resurrection: Knowing Jesus means knowing this power, the new life that is given to us now, not when we die.

“He wants to know His power, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead flowing and surging through his body.  He wants to experience that power that overcomes sin and produces the fruit of the Spirit in His life.  It is a life that leads me to great and selfless acts of love

And the fellowship of His sufferings

He wasn’t afraid to suffer for proclaiming His faith.  He knew that by proclaiming Jesus alone….There are no other rites of passage would get him in to trouble.  He knew it was part of his bond with Jesus.

Being conformed to His death

Paul knew that this meant death to our own selfish desires.  It is a daily denial of self.  It is saying God I want to put your agenda first and foremost. It is Romans 6

It is recognizing I have been called to a new lifestyle. 

Paul also expresses a desire to “…attain to the resurrection from the dead”.

Paul is concerned with achieving a distinctive resurrection life—a new life that stands out from the rest. This calls to mind Hebrews 11:35, which speaks of a “better resurrection” for those who suffer.  There are certainly rewards for those who follow Christ to death and Paul wasn’t shrinking back from what he knew would eventually await Him in martyrdom.

The Takeaway

It all comes back to joy!

For Paul, it was all about Jesus and experiencing the fullness of His presence resting on Him, to rejoice in that as he begun the chapter with when He spoke of himself as those who serve God by His Spirit.  Joy is a major theme in the book of Philippians.

In West Africa there is a fruit called the “taste berry.”   It is a small red berry called miracle fruit temporarily rewires the way the palate perceives sour flavors, rendering lemons as sweet as candy.

Praise could be considered the “taste berry” of the Christian life. When you spend your day in praise and gratitude even in the most sour and difficult circumstances in your life can taste sweet. While this might seem odd, it is absolutely true. If you praise God for who He is and what He has done for you, gratitude will well up within you.

This is absolutely part of ‘knowing Him’

Questions

How have you struggled with “confidence in the flesh”?  In what ways could my religious background be an impediment to my faith?

What are some things that could be more important in my life than my relationship with Jesus Christ?

What does righteousness by faith look like, practically?

How can we make praise and gratitude a daily part of our routine?

The Functional Gifts!

It is my firm belief that we all have a primary gift that shapes us as a child of God.  It is my heart’s desire that we better understand the way that God has designed and redeemed us and not just us, but our fellow believers in the body of Christ to grow in unity and diversity

 “Don’t frustrate, appreciate!!” is what I tell my kids often in our home. Wisdom, understanding and discernment go a long way in the body of Christ.

Today we are looking at  ‘the functional gifts’ in Romans 12:6-8.

Time and time again the greatest downfall in churches is being centered around uniformity instead of being distinct and seeing how beautiful diversity can be in making us a ‘whole church’!

Let’s dive in!

The  Gift of Prophecy

The word prophet literally means to ‘tell forth’.  It is one who not only perceives, but proclaims as well.

A person with this gifting can assimilate new truth very quickly.  They can accurately identify the good and hate the evil. They are able to see everything as black or white with no gray. They are eager to see their own blind spots and are quick to pick up on others as well which can lead to heavy introspection.  They desire above all else to see God’s plan worked out in all situations.  Their downside is that they are usually very hard on themselves and forget to celebrate the progress that is being made along the way.

A prophet type personality will get tired very quickly with being in maintenance mode.  Their principle is design and they often bring to light what others fail to see.  They have a strong role in bringing a sense of God’s light and revelation to the lives of others.

John the Baptist, a clear example of this, was a man who preaching repentance of sins, and courageous to challenge even the King as necessary.  His main fervor was to prepare the way for the Messiah, helping people to understand its imminence.

A person today with this bent who visits someone in the hospital may looks like this.  They will come to the person’s bed and with compassion and yet with a sense of firmness, proceed to quote scriptures of truth regarding healing.  “You should not be here, this is not right!”   They might ask the person about their blind spots and really challenge them to faith.

A prophet does not struggle with faith.

The CONTEMPLATIVE instinct

This person love to meet God in the quiet of their inner life.  The key word for them is listening and they love to meditate and listen to the whispers of God who meets people in solitude..His still small voice.  They wish that worship would be more quiet than noise and they appreciate the importance of the spiritual disciplines like fasting, meditation and prayer.

‘Where is everybody?’ they ask and this is probably the greatest weakness of our Western culture,  we don’t like silence.  Prayer for them is a two way conversation and often it is more listening than speaking.

The warning to this person is the danger of withdrawing so much that they do not become useful in their community.

The Gift of Servant

The word servant in the Greek means diakonia where we get our word deacon from, addressing physical needs

This person easily recognizes practical needs and is quick to meet them, especially enjoying hands on projects, jobs and functions. They are usually more interested in meeting the needs of another rather than long range goals, and may become pushy or interfering in eagerness to help.  They also have a strong need to feel appreciated and yet they have an inability to accept praise.  They have a hard time saying no and can also display a victim spirit as seen in the life of Martha, sister of Mary and Lazarus.

When the servant gifted person enters the hospital room, they immediately start to fluff the pillows, tidy things up a bit, and ask, “Is there anything that I can do for you?”  Their intent is to assist in this critical time of need.  They will take a piece of paper out; ask for things that they can do at the ailing person’s home for them.  They thrive on the fact there is clear need.  They also can tend to be very competitive and unless they learn how to serve in a healthy way, they can become enablers or have a “rescue” mentality.  They must learn to empower others.

A servant has no struggle with obedience.

I am reminded of a Christian comedian who joked about people being told, “You have a servant’s heart” shortly after followed by the request, “Now, go and stack some chairs”  lol

 The servant has  a kingdom instinct.

This person cannot seem to catch their spiritual stride unless they are labouring in the fields of ministry.  These people are the doers of the Word.  They will regularly attend worship services, read their Bible and pray, yes, they do all these things. However, they will also tell you that they feel closest to God, most dialled in, joyful in Christ when they are ministering to others.  They truly feel God when they are being used as a channel to accomplish His purposes.  The danger here can be their own sense of self-sacrifice to the point of neglecting their family as well.  They also can be seen by others as pushy and frustrated with the lack of response of others.   The desire in them to minister to the physical needs of others may seem as a lack of interest in spiritual things.

A clear example to me of the servant gifting was revealed to me when I was a youth pastor in B.C.   I never forget what one of my former youth said to me, “I have never felt closer to Jesus’ as he was handing out hot chocolate to homeless people on Vancouver’s east end.

The Gift of Teaching

The word teacher comes from didasko and is the person who a strong ability to explain truth to others.

The person with this quality doesn’t just accept teaching at face value, but will painstakingly work through the process to bring greater understanding.  They want truth in a logical, systematic manner and enjoy word studies and reading.  They are concerned that truth be established in every situation.  They have strong convictions of facts, and can tend to neglect the practical application.  They are self-disciplined, and usually only has a close circle of friends. They can lean towards being dogmatic in their beliefs and come across as legalistic.  They aren’t too keen on intuitive impulses as much as seeking the evidence from Scriptures.

 Biblical examples of this trait are Aquilla and Priscilla who taught the great scholar Apollos (Acts 18:1-4; 24-26) a more full understanding of the gospel of Jesus.

Another great example is the Bereans in Acts 17:11 who searched the Scriptures daily.

  “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

When the teacher-natured person visits the ill person in the hospital, they walk up to the bed and begin to ask questions like: “What did the doctor say was wrong?  Did you get a second opinion on the diagnosis?”  What they desire is information, so that they can add their assessment.  They love good conversation, and find it all fascinating.

The STUDENT instinct

This person is the deep thinker and the key word for them is truth.  They are the ones who ask the question, but why and prove it from Scripture.  Their greatest quest is truth and they want to see it on paper!  To them beauty is a carefully crafted document that states beliefs, doctrines, you name it.  They see great theology coming from the study of creeds and doctrines.  They feel that those who have their theology most correct are the closest to God.  They would love to be in endless Bible studies and prayer to them is an expression of correct theology.  They are easily given to analyzing worship songs to make sure they are saying the ‘right things’ about God.  The worst insult to them would be to hear, ‘that’s heresy!’ The warning to them is the danger of becoming arrogant and unloving and being more concerned with being right than giving honor to others.

The Gift of Encouragement (Exhortation)

The word exhortation comes from the word parakaleo, one who comes alongside, who comes near,  the name is also used of the Holy Spirit

This person loves to encourage others to live victoriously.  They look for a visible response when they are speaking, teaching or preaching to others.  They far prefer to apply truth rather than research it.  For them, truth is God’s source of true encouragement, and we must get it into the hands of everyone.  They are very quick to accept other people as they are without judging them.  They want to clear up problems with others quickly.  They often interrupt others in an eagerness to give opinions or advice.  They tend to be “cut and dried” in prescribing steps of action.

Barnabas is a clear picture, since his name even means “encouragement”.  This he demonstrates by the show of his passion to stand by and under gird young John –Mark when he failed Paul and Barnabas in their first missionary journey.   He even allowed the Paul-Barnabas team to split up over his insistence upon encouraging Mark.  As a result, he took Mark down to Jerusalem and introduced him to Peter and some of the other leaders.  Over the years, his encouragement paid off.  Mark went on to write Peter’s account of the life of Jesus, and even Paul later specifically asked for Mark’s assistance.  Barnabas’ ministry of exhortation to Mark bore fruit.

When the exhorter visits the hospital patient, they begin by telling stories that might cheer the person up.  Everything that the patient says, reminds the exhorter of another story, and both laugh the time away.  The exhorter will come equipped with scripture and often messages from other people.  He has tendency to insist that the person feels better right away, not wants this problem to persist and let’s move on!

The EXERIENTIAL instinct.

This person wants to ‘feel’ the presence of God and to respond with the full range of emotion and physical expression.  The key word for this person is joy.  They love spontaneity, emotion and conversational prayer.  They would like to have very little leadership in worship and let God lead worship and everyone participate.  It is the most responsive instinct to the Holy Spirit and the energy that He gives.  This person is also best suited to cross cultural contexts.  They are big hearted and generous and very nice to be around.  Their prayer is praise and the worst insult they could hear is ‘This is boring.’  The warning for this person is possibly lacking in doctrinal grounding.

They can come across as being shallow and time alone with God in the major battlefield for the exhorter.

The Gift of Giving

A person with this temperament freely gives of money, possessions, time, energy and love.  They love to give without other people knowing about it.  They want to feel they are a part of the ministry to which they are contributing, and see that the finances are being handled with wisdom and with good sense.  They have a very strong work ethic and are often successful.  Hospitality is one of their strong areas as well.  On a downside, they may try to control how contributions are being used and focus more on the They may upset family and friends with unpredictable patterns of giving.

We find a number of good examples of giving in Acts and one in particular is Lydia.

Acts 16:14-15

14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. 15 And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." So she persuaded us.

When the give visits the infirmed in the hospital, they always come bearing a gift to encourage.  It is usually something thoughtful, showing time has gone into its planning, presentation and timing of delivery.  They desire for the patient to be reminded in a tangible way that they are loved.

The AESTHETIC instinct

This person comes most alive when worship is done in an environment of beauty, order, tradition and and artistic integrity.  The key word for them is majesty.  They think that the way things look and how they sound are very, very important.  They really can appreciate architecture that is designed specifically for worship.  They love symbolism, color, art, poetry and great music.  They are uncomfortable with a lot of repetition or songs that might seem fluffy.

The Gift of Leadership

This temperament, or gift, is highly motivated to organize that for which he is responsible.  They can express ideas and organization in ways that are easily understood.  They prefer to be under authority, in order to have authority.   They love to work on long-range goals and projects – they are visionary with a broad perspective.  In time, they can develop callousness due to being the target for criticism.  They tend to drive themselves that can easily lead to neglect of personal and family needs.

            Biblical examples of this gift in people are Joseph (Genesis 30-40); Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1-7); and King David (1 Samuel 16-31).  We see David early in his life caring for his father’s sheep, protecting them well.  When opportunity came for him to see another predator attacking God’s sheep, Israel, in the form of Goliath, he naturally moved to protect and deal with the giant.  He organized the outcasts together into an army, and eventually, he organized a nation, both militarily and in worship.

            When the leader trait visits the hospital, they take out a pad of paper and proceed to inquire of what may need done at the patient’s home and family life.  They will say, “I will get some people to take over your responsibilities while you are here in the hospital.”  They will check on the insurance of the patient, the doctor’s advice, and how all the pieces must fit together in the next weeks of the person’s life. By the time the leader leaves, there is a clear plan for the next season of the patient’s life.

 The RELATIONAL instinct

Finally, this person feels that God is most present when people experience bonding together for fellowship or worship or encouraged through mutual support.  They are heartbroken when there is conflict.  They love meeting in small groups where people honestly share their personal stories and don’t mind tears, hugs or late night prayer meetings.  They appreciate how Christ was so people conscious.  They feel that people are the business and introduce people to others and build them up as well.  They feel that when interaction is happening

The warning for them is losing their focus on Christ and valuing more their own relationship with God

The Gift of Mercy

This temperament had tremendous capacity to show love, always looking for the good in other people.  They are attracted to people who are hurting or in distress.  They take care with words and actions to avoid hurting others.  They try to avoid conflicts and confrontations. They tend to be indecisive, and are often prone to take up another person’s offence.

            Biblical examples of this are John the disciple of Jesus; Ruth (book of Ruth);  Rachel (Genesis 29-31); and  Joseph, the father of Jesus (Matthew 1:16-24; 2:13).  In the case of Joseph, you see great compassion toward Mary, when she was pregnant with the Son of God.  This is extravagant grace on the part of Joseph to continue to embrace her, and not shame her or hurt her in any way.

            When the person with this dominant trait walks into the hospital, they begin to softly weep with compassion, seeing their loved one in such a state. They will come close and comfort them, wiping their forehead and speaking soft words of sympathy.  They will stay endless hours to keep the patient company, supporting in any way possible.

The ACTIVIST instinct

This person sees all of Christ following as an activity of service.  Their key word is involved.  They love to take action with God and commune with Him about what is so needed in our world.  They have great compassion for the disadvantaged and poor.  They are angry about oppression and have a sense of urgency to introduce Christ to others.  They are committed to changing His world and love to connect with other activists, to plan, to think globally.  Prayer for this person is a tool or weapon to advance the kingdom of God.  The worst insult they could hear is ‘you are lazy or a hypocrite’.

The warning for this person is that they rarely relax and can experience burnout.  They are also susceptible to becoming shallow with others.

The Takeaway

We all possess a natural inclination for two or three spiritual instincts, we might have a curiosity about a few and what’s left over...well, we have a hard time believing that they have any value at all. However, maturity in faith comes as we become conversant in all the languages of worship as Christ was!  Jesus showed us the heart of the prophet, he wouldn’t mince words.  Mark wrote of him that very early in the morning he would arise and meet with the Father and commune with Him, He was the servant who washed His disciples’ feet.  He was the one who taught from His life and unpacked His teachings with His disciples.  He was the one who gave the words of encouragement…I will send a comforter in my place.  He showed us the greatest act of giving in showing no greater love than this that a man lay down his life for his friends, he led by his example and he had mercy to all who call on His name!

My thanks to Doug Heck for his work on the redemptive gifts  www.totalchange.org  and Arthur Birk.

Three Gifts That Speak...the mouth of God

Do you ever have a moment where you know that this wasn’t just coincidence?  On Sunday at Crossings, I spoke on three specific gifts that speak and then watched those gifts in action as we had a guest speaker come to share at the Manor.  Pastor Daniel who originally is from India came to speak and share his story how God led him from worshipping the many millions of gods of Hinduism to the point where he cried out to Jesus as a young teenager while dying in the hospital.   He was there feeling that none of his gods were answering his prayers for healing so in desperation He reached out and prayed,

“Jesus Christ, if you are the true God, I surrender from this day onward to you, alone.  Reveal your power to me, and then I will know that you, alone, are God…soon after praying, I felt as though a tube of light had gone to my heart.  I felt like I had been released from something”

He was healed in that moment, confirmed by a surgeon the next day, and now faithfully serves God through his ministry, New Life Project, in India.

So, on Sunday after sharing, he began to pray in tongues and prophecy over the people who were attending our service and had their hand raised asking for prayer.  It was such a powerful moment to listen to him pray not knowing anything about the people that he was praying for.  I could see how he was using the gift of prophecy to speak truth specifically in areas of their life that I knew they needed encouragement in.  It was a fantastic day.

Let’s study more in depth the gifts that were in action today.

Three Gifts That Speak – The mouth of God

The Gifts Defined

The gift of tongues is a supernatural utterance given by the Spirit-filled Christian proclaiming in a public meeting a message from God in a language unknown and not understood by the person giving it.   It is always used in conjunction with the interpretation of tongues.   It has nothing to do with the mind or with a person’s intellect.

The gift of the interpretation of tongues is the supernatural unfolding by the Holy Spirit through the believer the meaning of a message in tongues delivered in a public assembly so that the church can be encouraged and built up.

It is not the translation of tongues as it may be shorter or longer than the interpretation.  Tongues and interpretation of tongues are together equal to the gift of prophecy since the end result would be the same in that it is given under the anointing of God.  It’s goal is to edify, encourage and build up those who are listening.  It also must be in agreement with the Word of God.

The gift of prophecy is a supernatural message given under the anointing of God to edify, encourage, strengthen and comfort.  Prophecy must also be in agreement with the Word of God. 

It has been also defined as  “God making use of someone to tell someone what He thinks about their present situation or what his intention is for the future or what He know they need for that moment or situation.

The Word of God is the safeguard and the guardrails for what is spoken to be recognized and affirmed by those who are in leadership within the church.

The Importance and Use of the Gifts

Let’s first talk about tongues.

Tongues are a sign for unbelievers 1 Corinthians 14:22

When a non-believers hears someone speaking in tongues, it may be a sign that something supernatural is happening.  It may lead to curiosity, to questions and possibly someone coming to know the LORD.

Acts 2:7,11,12 best example when people recognized that followers of Jesus were speaking in languages they could not have learned. 

Paul is clear in 1 Corinthians 14 that tongues are pretty much useless in the church unless someone is there to interpret what is being said…bottom line, if there’s no interpretation or someone revealing that the language that is being spoken is being understood by them, then it needs to be shut down.

However, it is important to point out that Paul also states in the NLT , “I wish you could all speak in tongues, but even more I wish you could all prophesy.”

Now I also want to bring clarity and differentiate between the gift of tongues and the grace of tongues, often called praying in tongues or praying in the Spirit.  There is a difference between a public gift and the private grace. 

Praying in the Spirit is often accompanied by an initial filling of the Holy Spirit, but not always.

Practically speaking we have to open our mouth to allow God to work.  It is a prayer language, unique to all of us that we can use to pray to the Lord and Paul is distinguishing between both here in 1 Corinthians 14.  He is doing a balancing act.  He is attempting to bring correction and order to the way it was being used in the public meeting and at the same time he doesn’t want to discourage them from the private grace of tongues, prayer language that we can use in our own quiet time

1 Corinthians 14:4  He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself.

Romans 8:26,27 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

Praying in tongues or “prayer language”

Praying with the spirit is generally taken to mean praying with the understanding with an access to spiritual power.  Praying with the spirit is quite different from praying with the understanding (I Corinthians 14:16).  You cannot pray with the spirit unless you speak with other tongues. You can pray in the Spirit with the understanding (Ephesians 6:18) but such prayer does not reach the realm of mystery and miracle presided over and directed by the Holy Ghost. (1 Corinthians 14:2). 

Harold Horton in The Gifts of The Spirit page 137

1 Corinthians 14:14

My experience of this prayer language first and foremost came strongly upon me as I was praying at the wailing wall in Jerusalem.  I have also prayed in the Spirit especially  for breakthrough with my children when I felt words were not enough.  

Cheryl Bridges-Johns in a lecture at Regent College speaks of tongues as a sacrament that signifies the presence of God.  Tongues are a theophany; they make the presence of God visible and tangible as well. They express the freedom of the Spirit and the divine initiative of the Spirit of God as well.

1 Corinthians 14:39

The ministry of the prophetic

1 Corinthians 14:1

This verse challenges us to pursue love, but really go after prophecy.

The purpose of prophetic ministry is to really best likened to going after treasure.

The starting point for all prophetic ministry starts with the understanding that anyone who is saved, a child of God, can hear the voice of God.  You can’t get saved unless you did.  The way you became a Christian was by responding to the Holy Spirit as He spoke into your spirit and convicted you of your need for God.

The still small voice of God

·         There is a small and gentle voice of God that we hear in our spirit that comes to us as we wait on God in prayer and meditation

·         God speaks to us this way for our personal instruction and encouragement

·         It needs to be judged in light of our own desires.  We know that the heart is deceitful so if we are listening with our own selfish gain, we can get stuck in being absorbed with self and only hearing or listening for what we want to hear.  We can even misconstrue what He is telling us.  I remember one lady coming up to me after my message and saying I now know what to do…I need to divorce my husband.  I remember thinking my message had nothing to do with that subject and how she was obviously listening for what she wanted to hear.

Prophetic Impressions

Thoughts, Feelings, Emotions

·         He uses our thoughts and feelings

·         What many people consider a coincidence are actually valid prophetic impressions from God.  Acts 14:9

·         He uses our emotions in a specific situation to bring awareness to what might be happening in our lives or the lives of others.  Hebrews 4:12  We can discern what is coming to us, our senses, and discern what is from the LORD

Our physical body

·          We get also get impressions in our physical body.  Many people receive words of knowledge about pain or healing by the LORD making them aware in their own body.  I have listened to a number of stories of believers experiencing this and allowing them to speak, pray and even see healing in another person’s life.  The best example of this is found in Jesus’ ministry when he recognized that the woman suffering with an of issue of bleeding for 12 years.  Luke 8:45,46

Vision (pictures)

·         This is our spiritual sight. This is when God gives us very distinct pictures in prayer or in a dream that speak again into our life or the life of our church.  2 Kings 2:15

 I can remember clearly a janitor in one of my previous ministries coming up to me and saying that while she was praying God gave her a picture for me.  I was climbing up a fence and literally racing into a bullring where I was being pursued by a bull nonetheless pretty intently.   The sense that she got was that I was running ahead of the people that I was leading so much so that I was becoming the target for them in a bad way instead of leading people to the better target that was knowing Jesus more.

I also remember another lady standing up in one of our services at another church that I ministered.  It was that morning that I was speaking on the prophet Haggai and spoke of doing an extreme makeover on the church in a spiritual sense.  I came in with a tool belt that morning to church.  When she saw that, she knew she had to share.  In her spiritual picture she shared how she saw a concrete ceiling on the church that spoke of a time where there was a lack of revelation.  She then saw me with a hard hat on and that there was an opening being created in the roof and light shining through.  She spoke of a time coming of new revelation and awareness for the church.  Unfortunately for most people in the church, all that they could focus on was the concrete ceiling.

There are four components to prophecy or a prophetic word.

1.        Revelation – This is the information that we receive and it is not something that we could know in the natural or deduce from our observation.

2.       Interpretation- The understanding that God gives us about the revelation that we have received.  What is God saying and what does this mean.

3.       Application – the understanding that we have to know what we need to do with what we have received.  Are we to pray about it? Are we to bring it to the person that we have received it for?

4.       Delivery –this is huge because it is important that we don’t put our “spin” on it  The way that we say it is so, so important.  Remember it is for encouragement, it is comfort , edify and build up.  So we need to remember our tone, our wording and please don’t say “thus says the LORD”.  Instead, try starting with, “this is what I sense the LORD saying to me in my spirit.

Also remember to give room for growth in this area.  Mistakes will happen, we won’t always get it right.  Ministering prophetically is obeying God and learning to minister in love to His children so that they may see Him more clearly, love Him more too.

We need to also recognize that walking in this gifting takes a great amount of faith.  We will need to get past our feelings and fears.

If you are receiving a word of prophecy

Sometimes we may not understand in the moment, but receive it in grace.

Keys To Hearing God

Dwell in His presence  - as we spend more time in His presence, we will have a greater sense of how He is speaking to us through His Word, worship, prayer

Focus on God’s purposes – ask God what is your desire, what is your plan, your purpose

Grow in love towards others

Become a lover of God’s Word – He will store up great truth and revelation in you

Do A “Body Check” – ask God, “Is there someone you want me to minister to today?”

I remember Sharon telling me this story not too long after she began walking this out in her own life.  She prayed on her way into a Wendys, “God if there is someone you want me to minister to today, have them sit right by me.”  Well, as it turned out, a couple did just that.  She then said, “God, what do you want me to tell them?”   In her spirit she sensed God saying, “The LORD will provide” Proverbs 3:5,6  So, she went to the washroom and said, “God, if they are still there when I return, I will tell them.”  Well, they weren’t there, but she said, “Ok, if they cross my path again”… and they literally they were pulling out of the parking lot right beside her.  Sharon tapped on their window and said “I don’t even know if you are Christians”…they nodded yes.  She then told them and tears began to fall from their face.  They shared how they were going to the bank to find out if they got approval for a mortgage for a house they were looking to buy.  It meant so much to them and confirmed that this was a decision that God was leading them in.

Nay, every generation needs a living Christ, and every new community needs these ‘signs following,” to confirm the Word.  Until He comes again the world will never cease to need the touch of His Power and Presence.  “God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders…and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to his own will.

AB Simpson page 57 in The Gospel of Healing

Let’s remember that everywhere we go, we carry the living presence of Jesus and the power of His Holy Spirit in us to reveal to others this amazing God that we know and serve!

2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

**My thanks to Amy Ward from YWAM, Robert Morris in “The God I Never Knew’ for their  teaching in this area that I have compiled my blog from.