VISION by Wolfgang Simson  (-Nov 2003)

THE THREE BOOTHS

I saw a long line of newly-saved people entering the Kingdom of
God. Everything was new for them, so there were three booths set
up for them to pass through. At the first booth, they would sign up
for God's army and pledge total loyalty to God. From then on, they
were under orders, no longer their own, and were given a uniform
and boots. At the second booth, they were given a sword, and at
the third, a scythe - a harvesting tool. Astonishingly, only around
one in a thousand of the new arrivals even went to the first booth;
almost everyone went to the second stand, and almost everyone
also ignored the third stand. Almost nobody went to all three
stands, as God explicitly intended.

by Brett Jacobsen

The following are two excerpts from chapter two (The Wander Years/The Church’s Extended Dark Age) of the authors book Heaven's Underground Blueprint. The book which brings a prophetic context to the end time underground church is available here - http://www.christisall.org/hub-book.

Man reclaims the reins

For much of the church age men have been leaning on their own understanding and embracing false leadership structure due to this tendency to act out of self when the pressure is on. Although there were early signs of the spirit of man trying to rule in the church there are some key landmarks which sealed the deal and allowed mankind to snatch back the reins from the Lord.

by David Newby

Matthew 9:16 Jesus said "No-one puts a patch of new cloth onto an old garment…."

Luke 5:36 "No-one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn (ruined) the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old."

What Jesus was saying is this - "This new covenant Church that I am building is not just an add-on to the old covenant and ways…… and if you just try to keep the old going by tacking bits of the new onto it, both will be ruined."

In Matthew 9:17, Jesus said that the old wineskin had to be thrown out, otherwise the new wine would be wasted.

by David Orton

(Scriptures: 1 Sam 10:8; 13:5-15; 15:1-29)

by Unknown

A group existed who called themselves fisherman. There were
many fish in the waters around. In truth, the whole area was
surrounded by streams and lakes filled with fish. And the fish were hungry.

It came to pass that week after week, month after month, and year
after year those who called themselves fishermen met in meetings;
they talked about their call to fish, the abundance of fish, and how
they might go about fishing. They carefully analyzed what fishing
meant, urged fishing as an occupation, and declared that fishing
is always to be a primary task of fisherman.

These same fishermen built large, beautiful buildings for local
fishing headquarters. Their plea was that everyone should be a
fisherman and that every fisherman should fish.

by David Servant

Anyone who holds to any standard of righteousness in our "culture
of tolerance" is in trouble. If you say, for example, that
homosexuality is a perversion, abortion is murder, sex outside of
marriage is a sin, or that Jesus is the only way to heaven, get
ready to be labeled. You will be categorized as "intolerant,"
because intolerance is not tolerated in our culture. You may also
be branded as close-minded, because our culture is not
open-minded to anyone who is "close-minded." You may be
criticized for being critical. And you will probably be branded as
unloving, because our culture just hates people who aren't "loving."
They really should start putting bumper stickers on their cars that
say, "I Do Not Tolerate People Who Are Intolerant."

by David Newby

For the purpose of illustration, we will use the pyramid to represent organisational hierarchy. In this instance, it refers to the ecclesiastical hierarchy that quickly developed in the first one hundred years of the post-apostolic period, paving the way for what became the catholic church in the fourth and fifth centuries AD.

In spite of the beliefs of the Reformers, changing from the old power-based leadership and organisational structures was too big an idol for them to topple, so these are still part of our “normal” church life and experience.

God had wanted ALL of Israel to be a nation of priests - to serve in His presence. Israel was to be the vehicle of salvation to the nations around them as well.

by Brett Jacobsen

Defining spirituality

Many people think that in order to be spiritual you need to be somewhat fruity, having a strange eerie manner about you. Others believe in a more relaxed down to earth lifestyle which sometimes leans towards carnal worldly living.

Jesus was the most highly spiritual being the planet has ever seen. He regularly defied natural laws by the supernatural power He had flowing from His life. Although He was a very spiritual individual, often spending whole nights in prayer and working many miracles, in a lot of respects He was a fairly normal guy. He wasn’t born into royalty or a revered religious family, He didn’t have political persuasion, and to those close to His life He didn’t seem to look too different.

by Jesse Morrell

Their Motive:

"Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not
the shepherds feed the flocks?" (Ezekiel 34:2)

A false teacher has an eye on people's bank accounts while a
true preacher has his eyes on eternity. False teachers may have
the appearance of loving people, yet they are truly only concerned
about themselves to further and enhance their own processions
and careers. They feed themselves when they need to be feeding
the flocks. They skin the sheep alive to clothe themselves, leaving
the sheep beaten, battered, and bloody to die. Paul was "poor, yet
making many rich" (2 Co 6:10) while these men are rich by making
many poor! With their manipulating words and twisting of
scriptures they ransack and plunder the pockets of unsuspecting
people to line their own.

by Jesse Morrell

-Recognizing a false teacher by specific characteristics.

I am not one to see a legion in every pig or a snake in every garden.
But through studying the Word of God and observing many modern
preachers I can boldly declare in the full confidence and blessing of
God that there are wolves disguised as sheep amongst our flocks!
Though there are many wolves in the woods and fields of
secularism and false religions, I am afraid that there are some who
have wandered out of those territories looking for food and have
entered into our own pastures.

by David Orton

 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field…”

 Mat 13:44

The laws of the Kingdom of God are contrary to the ways of men.

Hidden from the casual seeker, the Kingdom is not superficial to be stumbled upon. It does not lie on the surface and is not obvious – it is “like a treasure hidden in the field”. It is in fact, concealed, obscured from our natural perceptions.

Christ the King – the Rock of Offence

by David Newby

Sure, I'll do anything, but don't ask me to change!

I remember something Bill Wilson (New York Children's Ministry) said that really stuck with me - "People change, but not much!"

It would be true for most of us that we put a lot more energy into resisting change than assessing and adopting it. This adds credence to the old saying that "Some people's minds are like concrete, all mixed up and permanently set!"

To gain some insight into where this book is leading, we need to look back in time to the era before the Reformation, when the need for change was patently obvious but resistance to change was strong

-Posessed by the Spirit of Man

by Brett Jacobsen

Although Satan and his fallen angels pose a definite threat to the church and world alike, they are by no means the greater enemy of God and man. They do have a heavy arsenal of weapons of mass deception and according to New Testament scripture, the ability to possess certain human beings which have opened a way for them to enter in. However, no fallen angel (devil, demon etc) whether it be, Lucy himself or any one of his sheepish friends, has been made in the image and likeness of God, therefore their power is very limited on its own. 

by John White

(Note: this was written to introduce two men who are leading house churches in different parts of the country.)

It has been on my mind for a while now to introduce the two of you to each other. The reason is that each of you are in similar situations (one in NJ and the other in Florida). Both of you have thriving house churches that need to multiply. Both of you have families and are working in the world full time and so are probably stretched to (beyond?) the limit. As God is raising up house churches in this country, I suspect that your situation will be played out in hundreds of places in the months/years to come. What is needed is a multitude of prototypes that each reflect Biblical values.

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:18 The eyes of our understanding being enlightened; that we may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power Eph 1:17-19

-by William Booth

[Founder of the Salvation Army]

On one of my recent journeys, as I gazed from the coach window,
I was led into a train of thought concerning the condition of the
multitudes around me. They were living carelessly in the most
open and shameless rebellion against God, without a thought for
their eternal welfare. As I looked out of the window, I seemed to
see them all… millions of people all around me given up to their
drink and their pleasure, their dancing and their music, their
business and their anxieties, their politics and their troubles.
Ignorant- willfully ignorant in many cases- and in other instances
knowing all about the truth and not caring at all. But all of them, the
whole mass of them, sweeping on and up in their blasphemies and
devilries to the Throne of God. While my mind was thus engaged,
I had a vision.

-Worldly Money Principles in God's House

by Brett Jacobsen

Money has and probably always will be a hot topic in and out of the Church. It is no wonder that this is the case when the world is so caught up in the money game and the world seems to leek, and sometimes pour into God’s House. Jesus said “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” Matt 6:21, which takes the money topic to a high level of priority.

As money is a part of every day life we do need to spend time regularly examining our financial dealings and mindsets in the light of God’s Word and His holy presence. Although there has been considerable dishonour and distractions with money in the church we should not avoid the subject but rather come back to a place of honour and biblical obedience.

-Its Spirit & Structure

by David Orton

Part 2 of 2

“…until a time of reformation”

Heb 9:10

In Part 1, we saw that the new reformation demands a heart-rectification.

Before we can attempt any reformation of structures our spirit must be clean. Only by turning from dead works – from every humanly derived activity – from our innate rebellion and independence – will we be released by God into the reformation of structures.

Without this deep work of the Spirit we will only replicate the past. The rivers of reformation only ever flow from the deep wells of regeneration. For this reason Jesus refers to the final rectification and revolution of His kingdom as “the regeneration” (see Mtt 19:28 ).

by Jeff Gilbertson

When Paul went to Corinth in 50 A.D., he said: “I am determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” Please notice: into a Greek culture, which worshipped “knowledge”, Paul sought only to know Jesus! By divine direction, he preached a message void of “persuasive words of wisdom” but instead clearly demonstrated the Holy Spirit and the power of God. (I Cor. 2)
Paul prevailed in Corinth by coming in the opposite spirit: instead of preaching wisdom with clever words, he preached the “foolishness of the cross”- convinced that the foolishness of God is wiser than men!

From Jerusalem to Athens

by John White

Dear Church,

A good friend who is in the construction industry mentioned to me the other day about a church construction project that he is working on. This particular one was going to cost $10,000,000. This made me think more about the "paradigm shift" that we will need to undergo as God restores New Testament church values.

From the beginning, churches met in homes. Graydon Snyder in his book ANTE PACEM: Archaeological Evidence of Church Life Before Constantine says, "The New Testament Church began as a small group house church (Col. 4:15) and it remained so until the middle or end of the third century." (p. 166) The idea of "the church building" really didn't get going until the early 300's with Constantine. (This is when government began to get involved with church.)