Beelzebul, a name for Satan, gets its roots from ba’al, meaning lord, and zebel, meaning dung. Satan is the lord of crap (to be polite).
According to 1 Kings 14:10, one burns crap until it is all gone. And according to Rev. 20:10, Satan’s end is to be thrown into fire.
If we then, are the body of Christ (1Cor.12:27), then we should be taking in the good nutriment and disposing of the waste; that way we are all doing our part in pushing Satan, the crap, out of the body. He’s just a big pile of crap to be burned.
Science tells us that poop that stays in the body too long releases toxins. A healthy body knows what is good and what is waste, and doesn’t get clogged up. History also shows us that poop that isn’t disposed of properly can have huge reprecussions. The Black Death, or Bubonic Plague, killed an estimated 200 million people in a 7 year span, due to rodents running around in open sewage. More recently sewage caused the Ebola outbreak in Africa.
Let’s not be the dog that returns to its waste to eat it (Prov.26:11). Let’s keep on taking in the wholesome nutriment of Gods word, being made new and stronger, and cutting off that which does not produce. 1 Thess. 5:21-22, hold on to what is good and reject every kind of evil. I don’t want to be a fly, dog, or dung beetle feasting on crap. I want to be a king feasting on fine foods. I want to eat the fruit from the tree of life, which produces no waste. No more rotten fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. It’s time for that to pass from our body.
So yes, Jesus poops (at least while on earth). And today, Satan gets the royal flush. But Satan is hardly a holy shit, because poop is unholy and unclean, and Satan definitely is. And no, I don’t have a problem with using words in their proper context; but that should probably be a topic for another post.
If you believe Jesus is alive today, then you have to believe that He is still healing and raising the dead today. Otherwise, you believe that His character is inconsistent, and you’ve rejected the Word that says: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever (Heb.13:8).”
The Bible says we are the body of Christ, and the Spirit of Jesus lives in us. If you believe these scriptures, then you should understand that the gifts of the Spirit (1Cor.12) are still active today. Otherwise the Spirit, who is God, is inconsistent as well.
“God is Spirit (John4:24)” and He is our “Father, who does not change (James1:17).” “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you (1 Cor.3:16)?” “To each person has been given the ability to manifest the Spirit for the common good (1Cor.12:7).”
“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things (John 14:12).” Not because we are greater than Jesus, but because He is alive inside of each of us, instead of being constrained to just one physical body.
Look closer. He lives in you. – Rafiki
– 1 Cor. 13:12 – Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
The gifts are our puzzling reflection of Christ. The gifts exist until His return when we see him with perfect clarity.
Jesus gives us several metaphors to help us understand what the church should be like. The ‘church’ is not a religious building, or a specific denomination. The church is every person who accepts Jesus as their savior. Here are five metaphors to help us understand His plan for the church:
God is the master architect
1. The Church is like a Building
This means: We need support.
If you are in the ‘church’, you are a part of the building, and helping build the building. If you are a pillar, then you need someone who is concrete to support you; you need someone as a roof, for you to hold up. We need people to support us, and people who we can support. A building is not made of only one kind of material. We need each other; we cannot do it by ourselves.
– Eph. 2:19-22 – Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
– 1 Cor. 3:9-10,16 – You are God’s building. Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation (Jesus) like an expert builder. Now others are building on it… Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?
We are the body of Christ
2. The Church is like a Body
This means: We need to grow.
When a body is healthy, it grows and develops. It needs many parts to be able to function. If you plucked out the eye, it couldn’t do its job. It still holds the potential to do it’s job, but it is worthless unless it is attached to the body. Parts must be connected to use their potential, help, and grow. Your potential cannot be realized by you. You need others to bring out your full potential. When we are separated from the body, we die.
– Rom. 12:4-6 – For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.
– Eph. 4:16 – From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
– Eph. 4:11-12 – So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastorsand teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
– Phil. 1:6 – For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
Christ is the shepherd of the flock
3. The Church is like a Flock
This means: We need protection.
The church is meant to protect you and for you to protect those in it. You are not meant to be alone. You can be around a lot of people, but if you aren’t being truthful, and transparent, you will feel utterly alone. You are meant to be able to share your life with others and let them speak into you. You need others to teach you, help you spot enemies, and help you trample the enemies. The enemies plan is to find those who are separated from the flock, and those who are weak. You cannot stay safe on your own.
– Acts 20:28-29 – Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.
-Acts 17:26-27 – he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.
– 1 Peter 5:2 – Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care
– Jer. 3:15 – I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.
– Luke 12:31-33 – But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father haschosen gladly to give you the kingdom. “Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven
We are the family of God
4. The Church is like a Family
This means: We need to be loved unconditionally
God loves us unconditionally. We are saved by His grace, not by works. Have you had a family member you didn’t get along with? We might not get along, but we aren’t supposed to kick each other out of the family. We need to be able to see others through our Fathers heart. The more we understand God’s heart, the more we will be able to show His love to others. We are adopted by God, into His family, and joined together by the blood of Jesus. A lot of times, your church family sticks closer to you than your physical family. These people know the struggle and have wisdom from God to share with you. We need more spiritual sons, daughters, mothers, and fathers. Mentors rise up!
– Eph. 2:19 – you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household
– Prov. 18:24 – … there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
– Eph. 1:5 – he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will
– Rom. 8:14,29 – For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God… For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
– Gal. 3:26 – So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith
– 1 John 4:20-21 – If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
We are the bride of Christ
5. The Church is like a Bride
This means: We need to be One with Christ.
We need to leave everything to be joined to Christ, our husband. We need to get rid of every hinderance, and lay down every weight. We can be honest to our husband, because He loves us unconditionally. He takes His vow seriously, and He does not believe in divorce. In Jewish culture they would actually slaughter a bull and the couple getting married would walk between the parts and say, ‘may I be like this bull if I do not keep my vow.’ Christ walked through the parts for us (Gen.15:9-18). We are in a covenant relationship with Him and He will never leave us or forsake us (Deut.31:6).
– Gen. 2:24 – a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
– Eph. 5:31-32 – “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and beunited to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.
– 1 Cor. 6:17 – But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
– Rom. 8:9 – You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ
– Ruth 1:15-16 – Then she said, “Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.
– Matt. 19:29 – And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
Worship: Brother, by NeedToBreathe Brother let me be your shelter
I’ll never leave you all alone
I can be the one you call
When you’re feelin’ low
Brother let me be your fortress
When the night winds are driving on
Be the one to light the way
Bring you home
Prayer: Lord, join your body together, so we can be the holy temple of God. Make your bride spotless, and show your people how to live unified in love. Keep our eyes set on your return, for you left for Spirit as a wedding pledge to us. Let us keep showing off this great gift of your Spirit, as one would a wedding ring. Let us stay about your work awaiting your return to take us to the home you have prepared for us in your Father’s kingdom. May your people (family) be our people; teach us to love them. May we build up the your people (building) with words of encouragement. May we protect your people (flock) and share the truth about our sufferings, trials, and victories. Help us grow, develop, and reach our full potential. Bring a new level of unity and love to us in Jesus name, Amen.
I would like to repent on behalf of Christians, to every gay and lesbian:
Christians sinned when they pointed out and exalted one sin above another. God says sin is sin, and every Christian who hurt you has sinned. I’m sorry for the pain it caused you. May God forgive us for hurting you, and for disobeying Him. God called us to love (respect) you, and Christians failed to do that for way too long. I would like to repent on the behalf of believers for not showing love to you in the same way God showed love to us. Gossip, pointing fingers, judging others, and singling out is sin. God asked us not to give into sin; we stood against homosexuality as He asked, but not in the way that He asked. We failed to keep from judging, harassing, name calling, and disrespecting you. I’m sorry for the pain and shame this has caused you. I hope God shows you how much you mean to Him. I hope you see that no person is without sin, especially Christians. Christianity was never meant to be based on human efforts to get to God. We cannot save ourselves by obeying the law, because we all have sin. Christianity was meant to be falling in love with God, because God loved us while we were still sinners, and nothing we do can separate us from His love. Jesus saved us while we were still sinners; He didn’t come down here a condemn us all, like Christians have done to you. Christians did a terrible job of portraying God, who is Love, to you. They did not portray Love at all. It is by grace that God saved us, not by our own ability to follow a whole heap of laws. You do not have to earn God’s Love! He loves you as you are. I ask God to bless you, heal your heart, and bring true Love to you by revealing His true nature – not this sick portrait that Christians have painted for you. God wants you to have a choice. He outlined the choices for us – the blessings and repercussions for each choice – but He asks us to choose life because He wants us to have the best life possible. Regardless, He never takes away our right to choose for ourselves. He will never disrespect you by forcing you to do anything. May you live in freedom, make your own choices, and see which path leads to Life and Love; and may you be healed from every pain that Christians caused. I am truly sorry for not loving you in the correct manner.
Turning to Love for you, a christian
I would like to challenge every Christian reading this to follow the way of Love, and repentance. We are the BODY of Christ; we are one. We are responsible for the actions of each person who calls themselves a follower. Please share this, and let’s take on the responsibility of our actions in true repentance before God and man.
1John1:8-10-to say we have no sin is to deceive ourselves. Confess your sin and He is faithful to forgive; James5:16-confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed; James2:10-whoever breaks one law is guilty of breaking it all; Eph.2:8-saved by grace, not by works; Rom.12:5-we are the body of Christ and each member belongs to the others; Gen.2:9-God put 2 trees in Eden; Deut.30:19-I have given you a choice, now choose life and blessings; 1 Cor.6:9-11-homosexuality is sin; Rom.1:26-27-gay and lesbian is wrong and harms your own body; Lev.20:13-homosexuality is sin and harms your own body; Rom.3:23-all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; John8:7-11-let the one without sin be the first to throw the stone. They all left. Jesus said I don’t condemn you either, now go leave your life of sin; Rom.8:1-no condemnation for those in Christ; 1Cor.13:4,5,7-Love is kind. Love does not dishonor (disrespect) others. Love protects; 1John4:8-Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love
If a christian did not love you, they did not know God at all; but you can know God right now. He loves you and cares deeply for you. He does not want you to feel condemned. Every person has sinned, and ever person can come to God:
Rom. 8:5 – But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Some denominations think the body of Christ is composed of only their sect. What is the body of Christ? Why call us His body? What does it mean?
Let me paint a picture for you of the body of Christ:
– Jesus is the head of the body.
– We are the parts of the body.
– The Spirit is the power of the body: the Spirit is the communication system of the body; the neurons, or synapses.
The Spirit is an advanced communication system to the spiritual body of Christ, much like nerurons transmitting information in our physical body.
When you, a part of the body, are hurting, you pray! The Spirit inside of you sends the message to Jesus, who asks God; God then gives the answer to Jesus (the mind), who gives it to the Spirit (the neurons), who gives it to you (the body part).
So, imagine again that we are the body of Christ. We make up different parts, but we are all joined together by the Spirit of God. We pray and we listen. I can send a prayer request to the mind (Jesus), and Jesus can tell another part of the body, who is listening, to come help me. I didn’t have to know how, or who, could help. I just need to know that Jesus can help. Jesus can send whoever is needed, but He can only use the parts of the body who are listening to the Spirit (functioning in the Body). So, also, I can pray for what I know I need, but then I can pray in tongues, by the gift of the Spirit, so that God is praying for me. The Spirit knows everything, and He can activate the right part of the body to come to my aid, where I couldn’t know the who, what, when, and wheres.
Let’s look at the verses for this painting:
– 1 Cor. 12:13-14 –For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
– Col. 1:18 – Jesus is the head of the body, the church.
– Matt. 10:20 – For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
– 1 Cor. 14:2,14,39 – For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God… For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays.. I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding… Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.
The true baptism is the baptism of the Spirit; this baptism which Jesus said would be greater than water baptism, was first seen on the day of Pentecost. Now, go and baptism in the name of the Holy Spirit also.
– Rom. 8:26-27 – the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
– 1 Cor.2:10-11 – for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man who is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
To function as part of the body of Christ, we need to be able to function under the power of the Spirit. Any part of the body that does not respond to the signals, transmitted from the mind to that part, is broken.
Now let’s paint a picture of teamwork:
One horse can pull 700 pounds and another horse can pull 800 pounds, but together they can pull 3000 pounds! Here are just 3 ways we can use this concept:
1. Teamwork (exponential power) in Marriage: Taking this concept we can begin to understand why God said not to marry someone who is unequally yoked. You need to be healthy & whole when you marry, and choose someone just as strong as you are. You don’t put two damaged, injured oxen under a yoke and expect them to carry 3000 pounds with ease; the burden becomes heavy and hurts them even more. Likewise, you don’t take a donkey and yoke it to an ox. The ox overpowers the donkey, and it can hurt both animals. So don’t marry an unbeliever, or a believer who hasn’t been completely set free from the pains of sin yet. Someone who is not living in the fullness of the Spirit is dead weight. We cannot help those who are not trying to help them themselves or looking to God for help. Those who are trying, and looking, we can help like this:
2. Teamwork (exponential power) in Life: Jesus set this example for us…
– Matt. 27:32 – As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.
We don’t take the cross from people, we have our own, but we can help people carry their cross. Look how much it looks like a yoke.
We need people to help us through life. We were never meant to walk alone. In Jesus days people walked in groups to their destinations. We still walk in groups in life; we travel short and long periods beside each other, toward like destinations – one day with one person, and 20 years with another. God has a purpose for where He put you. He marked out the timing and location of your life. Get to know the people around you and help them carry the burden.
Acts 17:26 – From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. – Esther 4:14 – For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?
A decree had been made that all the Jews would die. No one knew Esther was a Jew. She could’ve kept living her cushy life as queen, but she saw God’s calling on her life; she put her life on the line to help someone else. She took on the burden. These are the good works God has destined for you since the beginning of time: Help those around you.
– Rom. 12:16 – Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
That guy didn’t want to help Jesus; he saw Jesus as a criminal with a death sentence. Helping others, helps us too though. We learn their struggles and pain; we learn of their good and bad decisions. We gain wisdom for our own lives, causing the power of exponential growth. Maybe what we learn from them helps us, or helps the next person we meet. Along with helping them, pray for God to help them:
3. Teamwork (exponential power) in Prayer:
– Matt. 18:19 – Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” – Jos. 23:10 – One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised. – Is. 30:17 – A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill. – Ex. 17:15 – Moses built an altar and called it Jehovah Nissi.
Jehovah Nissi means ‘the Lord is my Banner’. The Lord is my victory! God fights for us when we remind Him of His promises in prayer. He is with us when we pray, but when we agree with other people in prayer HOLD ON TO YOUR HAT! Jesus found a man who was demon possessed; the demon called himself Legion, saying he was many. Jesus, one person, put 1,000 demons to flight. Imagine what we can do when we come together, in unity, as the body of Christ, to pray for our nations problems. Demons flee, situations change, and Jesus gives us the victory! For those who are praying in the Spirit (in tongues), there is exponential power available. Everyone in the Spirit is united by the Spirit:
Example: – Earlier this week, I thought about a teaching I had borrowed. I felt like I had kept it too long, but I wanted to finish taking notes on it, so I ripped the cd’s and put the discs in my purse. While at work, yesterday, the lender called me; I couldn’t answer, but I put the disc in her mailbox. Just then she came through the doors, checked her mail, and said, ‘WOW! God is good! His timing always astounds me. In ten minutes I am going to a meeting, and the person I’m meeting needs this study!’ The Spirit of God knew her heart, mine, and the next persons – and provided for all of us. The lender never asked me to return the study, or asked when I would be done, but the Holy Spirit knew and gave us the tools we needed to keep seeking out His will and ways.
– One day, while living in habitual sin (wayward from God), I had a desire. Someone living in the same type of sin, or under the same demonic spirit, came to me and brought me the things I had desired. They didn’t know I wanted them, and they knew that I would not use those items with them, but the evil spirit dwelling in both of us knew both of our hearts. That demonic spirit saw that he sinfully wanted to give me the items, and that I wanted the items to help me keep sinning. These items where something strange, and I was not close to this person; even in my waywardness I knew that there was no way this could’ve happened without demonic influence. That demonic spirit provided for both of us the things that we needed to continue growing in our lives of sin. You have an enemy and he mimics God’s ways. Satan has a plan for your life too. God says, if you aren’t for me, you are against me. We might not even see it, but if we don’t have the Spirit of God, we have the spirit of something else.
– Phil. 2:2 – … by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
– 1 John 4 – Dear friends, test the spirits to see whether they are from God; This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is thespiritof the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood… He has given us of his Spirit. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
Simply acknowledging Jesus isn’t enough to be able to discern the Holy Spirit from a demonic spirit. We need the gift of discernment from God. We also need to realize that Satan knows who Jesus is, and he can quote scripture; he tempted Jesus in the desert with scriptures that he had perverted, twisted up, to use in the wrong context as lies. Demons, likewise, can acknowledge Jesus and know scripture, but they cannot produce God’s version of love. They can only give a perverse imitation of the things God creates. They are trying to deceive us.
The Lord said He would light our path, but He does this through the gift of the Spirit called discernment. If you refuse His way, good luck…
Example:
– God’s version of love is respect and patience; saving sex for marriage and protecting others. True love heals.
– A demon’s version of love can be providing a feeling of love when you have sex outside of marriage; a false/imitation love that never holds true for long. You take what you want and after you have become one in spirit (and body) with your lover, you are ripped from them leaving both people broken. False love breaks.
– 1 Cor. 12:7-10 – Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.To one there is given through the Spirit… distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues…
– Luke 4:33-34 – In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Let us alone! What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are– the Holy One of God!”
The gifts are for today! You need to be unified to the body of Christ, through the Spirit, to be able to pray, and to be able to discern. The gifts are necessary for this day and age, because there are many AntiChrist spirits running amuck. The only way to recognize Truth is through the Spirit of Truth (the Spirit of Jesus) and with the gifts/tools He gave us (1 Cor. 12).
– 1 Cor. 14:1 – Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit
If you enjoyed this post please +follow lovedisciple
– Matt. 5:14-21 – “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you,until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Thereforeanyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you thatunless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’
– Matt. 23:29-32 – “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. Andyou say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!
In the last days prophets will be ‘killed’ by religious leaders. Many religious leaders of today are against the gifts of the spirit which includes being against the gift of prophecy.
– Rev. 19:10 – the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Testimony: 1. evidence or proof provided by the existence or appearance of something
Prophecy is the proof of Jesus; the evidence of Christ’s existence. Prophecy allows us to see Jesus. We prophecy in part, and see Him in part, but when He returns He will fulfill all prophecy so that we can see Him in full.
– Matt. 46-48 – He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. 49I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
Even though the disciples had been trained under Jesus, and witnessed everything, they were still not fit to spread the good news! ‘Testimony’ was never supposed to mean words spoken from man. ‘Testimony’ is supposed to be the display of the proof and power of God through the Holy Spirit. ‘Testimony’ is supposed to be the Spirit working in power, because the Spirit is Jesus and Jesus rose from the dead; He’s alive today! Every gift and power that Jesus had, the Spirit has. Jesus is still healing, setting people free, casting out demons, confronting false religious leaders, and moving with power on the earth.
You might say, ‘Well, I’ve never seen the gifts at work.’ Well, I have! Have you seen Jesus? Do you still believe God’s word is true? You believe in Jesus, right? We are called to believe the entirety of the word of God. Faith is the evidence of things not yet seen, and without faith it is impossible to please God. We can believe they exist by faith in God’s word, then we can ask Him to show us. God loves us and respects our decisions, so He will never force something on us that we do not want; that is He why He says to eagerly desire the gifts of the Spirit. Eagerly desire the gifts and you will see the face of God.
– 1 Cor. 2:4-5 – my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
Eph. 6:10-11 – Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
Before Moses died, God gave him a song for the Israelites. God knew the Israelites would turn away from Him once Moses died. God said the song would be the witness against them (Deut.31:21)… Before Jesus left, He gave us a prayer, which would have been sung in those days and still is sung in some denominations today. In this prayer He set the example for us to pray, ‘Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth’. Is this going to be a witness against our generation? Kingdoms are taken with force, and a spiritual kingdom is taken with spiritual force:
– 1 Cor. 4:20 – For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power
Prophecy, and all the spiritual gifts, will be around until the work of Jesus is complete:
– 1 Cor. 13:8-12 – But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears… For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
Prophecy is still active today, because the work of Jesus, in us, is not complete yet. Jesus did not come to abolish the prophets or prophecy (Matt.5:17). We need prophesy to see and understand God until we can see Him face to face.
– Phil. 3:12 – I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.
– Acts 2:17 – In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
In the last days, there will be prophets. We are in the last days guys!
– Rev. 18:23-24 – The light of a lamp will never shine in you (Babylon) again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world’s important people. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray. In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people, of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”
Revelations talks about the last days, and it says prophets will be ‘killed’ by unbelievers. That means there are supposed to be prophets today. Take heart, because Christ has overcome the world (John16:33), and those who are persecuted for Christ inherit the kingdom of God (Matt.5:10)!
– Rev. 1:1-3 – The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.
A revelation is a revealing of truth. The revelation we received from Jesus is the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of truth as we’ll see in the next passage. Jesus himself said that He had more things to say, and that the Spirit was going to be the one to guide us into it. We saw earlier that the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy. We also understand that prophecy is the Word of God, because John calls this verse itself a prophecy and we know that all scripture is God-breathed. God was, is, and is to come. When God speaks His words are timeless too, that is why His words are called prophesies. Prophesy can thus be described as: proclaiming a timeless truth about God. And since His words are without time, they can play out many times in many ways, always holding truth. If this is the case, the life of Christ can be both physical and also play out again in the spiritual realm. I think we are in the middle of repeating Christ’s life. We need the Spirit to teach us how that works. Prophecy is not a new word from God, or adding to the bible, it’s simply a new revelation about who God is, and how the timeless truth pertains to our now.
Example: Christ was born of a virgin. He was wholly man, and wholly God. It was by the Spirit that Mary conceived.
Now, we are the body of Christ. We, the body, were born when the Spirit of God joined to those who had repented and become pure (like a virgin). When the Spirit fell on them, He made man His dwelling place, making us wholly man and wholly God. We are now born children of God as Christ was. We, the church, will grow for a time until we come into full knowledge of God, and like Christ, be launched into the final years of ministry leading us to the end times where we will be martrys, or in Jesus case, death on the cross. We repeat Christ’s life. There is no new word spoken, it’s only a new revelation of how the timeless word operates in our current time.
– John 16:12-13 – I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
– John 14:26 – But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I (Jesus) have said to you.
All scripture is God-breathed. That means, all scripture is the Spirit of God. How then can we understand it without the Spirit? Every person who wrote the Bible did so by the power of the Spirit. The Spirit is for every person, to give us the power to fulfill the destiny God has planned for us. The Spirit teaches us, reinforces and reminds us of God’s words. Every person who accepts Jesus receives the Spirit of Jesus, but if they deny the power of Him, they will never be able to walk in their divine purpose.
– 1 Cor. 12 – Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant… no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit… But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills… But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”… there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.
Prophecy builds up the body of Christ. Destroy one part of the body and other parts will not function properly. We must have prophesy within the body of Christ to become the spotless bride that he returns for.
– 1 Cor. 14:1,3,31,39 – Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy… But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort… For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged… Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues.
– Matt. 21:21-22 – Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
Matt. 7:7-11 – “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
It is God’s will for you to prophesy and work in the power of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is God’s will for you to walk on the earth in the same power, authority, and Spirit that Christ did. Ask Him to show you and give you the gifts of the Spirit today.
– Eze. 6:1-2 – The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set your face against the mountains; prophesy against them
Prayer: Spirit, where you are at work, increase and cause accelerated growth. Raise up the bones of the valley, and cause breath to enter into them. Raise up people, filled with the breath and Spirit of God. It is by your breath that all things came into being. Praise you for putting this power in earthen jars! Cause your people to speak the words they hear from you, for you surely do not release anything into the earth without first telling your people the prophets. Raise them up – exponential growth and reproduction of your children. Release your dunamis words to create, change, and destroy in the earth; to bring down every teaching in the church that sets itself against you and every authority in the earth that would destroy your people. Spirit, breath of God, enter into the people who you have created in your image. Those baptized in the name of the father, the son, AND the holy spirit; not by water but by your Spirit and with power! The baptism of God, not that of man. The cleansing with the washing of your word, not of water. Clean us up God! Help us see you in full with the spirit of prophesy – the proof of Christ! I prophecy to the mountain of religion, the leaven of the Pharisees, be removed in the name of Jesus Christ! Lord, bring people into relationship with you, and bring up the gift of prophecy to help us discern your voice and your will for our lives and the lives of those around us. Cause us to speak life into these broken ones that you love and care for so deeply.
– Eph. 5:9,14,18 – For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true… “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light”… be filled with the Holy Spirit
If you enjoyed this post please +follow lovedisciple
lovedisciple 