by Brett Jacobsen

Blowing ‘our’ trumpet in Zion

A large part of the western church has become a scene of men that desire and perform to be seen of men. Like the flaunting Corinthians and wayward Jews of New Testament times, many ‘Christians’ these days have fallen prey to a public spectacle paradigm that is rooted in “the pride of life”. (1 John 2:16) Jesus sternly warned many to steer clear from a “seen of men” motivation. In the “Sermon on the Mount” He said:

by David Servant

Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches others, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:19, emphasis added).

Jesus obviously believed that there were lesser commandments, as revealed in the quote above. He therefore must have also believed that there were greater commandments.

To their credit, the scribes and Pharisees kept the lesser commandments, yet Jesus condemned them for ignoring the greater ones:

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! (Matt. 23:23-24).

by Frank Viola

The Kingdom of God is the rule of God. And it rests upon the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The Kingdom of God produces the church . . . the community of the King.  The church, in turn, submits to the sway or rule of the Kingdom. As it does, the church expresses, represents, and advances God’s Kingdom on the earth.

Properly conceived, the church is the community of believers who possess Divine life. This community joyfully enthrones Jesus Christ, expresses His sovereign rule in the world, and as a result, enjoys the blessings of the future age here-and-now (Rom. 14:17; Heb. 6:5).

by David Orton

Part 6 of 6

In Part 5 we showed how the Father's House of Prayer will be cleansed of self-seeking.

The snake in my backyard

by David Orton

Part 5 of 6

In Parts 3 and 4 we have discovered coming out of Babylon involves renewal of heart. We will now consider two other elements: restoration of relationships, and the rebuilding of the house of prayer.

Restoration of Relationship

“See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great dreadful day of the Lord comes.  He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse” (Mal 4: 5,6 NIV).

“…’To be sure Elijah comes and will restore all things’.  …he was talking to them about John the Baptist” (Mtt 17: 11,13 NIV).

by George H. Warnock

by Tim Pynes

For you are a chosen people. You are a kingdom of priests, God’s holy nation, his very own possession. This is so you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9 (NLT)

But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted. 1 Peter 2:9 (The Message)