Money- Luring with luxury and Mammonistic manipulation

by Brett Jacobsen
 

This says the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm [zerowa- strength], and whose heart departs from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good comes; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusts in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreads out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat comes, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. (Jer 17:5-8)

I resonate with many of Roger’s points in this article. Many who have come out of “traditional churches” have a hard time not becoming a mini-me of the very thing they thought they'd left behind. (It seems that no-one is exempt from this paradigm struggle). It is not enough to switch venues for church, we must move forward by the Spirit as He teaches us how to be the church rather than going there (even if it is in a house). If we learn, by the Spirit, to live the Kingdom of God all day every day, we don’t need event evangelism, nor do we need exciting meetings (even in homes). We will be living by the Spirit in everyday life, as well as when we gather together to break bread.

by Brett Jacobsen

…The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour. Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say? Father, save me from this hour? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name… (John 12:23-28)

by Brett Jacobsen

This brief article is an excerpt from the author's book Heaven's Underground Blueprint which is available here - http://www.christisall.org/hub-book.

We have now reduced the price of Heaven's Underground Blueprint to what it costs to print (plus freight and tax) because we feel the Lord would have us do so. Although I wouldn’t condemn people who do make a profit from their book sales, I am not comfortable with doing it myself. So, you can now purchase the book for cost price no mater which country you’re from, but the freight is on you. You can also get the e-book version for free if you like. Of course we are open to donations towards the ministry from people who purchase the book (or get it free), but there is no compulsion. If you would like to read the introduction and back cover of Heaven's Underground Blueprint, and/or obtain a copy, click here- http://www.christisall.org/hub-book

 
by T. Austin-Sparks

A Message to Younger Christians

"I bear branded on my body the marks of Jesus". (Galatians 6:17.)

The marks of Jesus; whether these were actually marks on his body, scars of his sufferings, or whether he was using a figure, a well-known figure of speech, we may not be quite sure. It is possible that Paul meant both; that is that there were marks on his body, marks of the rod with which he had been beaten, marks of stones with which he had been stoned, marks of the hardships through which he had passed, and then, looking at them, he thought of them in the light of the brand. You know what the brand is. Animals are branded, branded with hot irons. And he looked at those scars and thought of them as brands. But it does not matter very much which it was. It was quite true that Paul bore branded in his very being the marks of Jesus. It is that that matters - that there shall be the marks of Jesus.

by Brett Jacobsen

This small article is an excerpt from the author's book Heaven's Underground Blueprint which is available here - http://www.christisall.org/hub-book.

The Kingdom of God is a kingdom of progressive increase, beginning with Christ the seed and consummating in the matured victorious body. Isaiah spoke of Christ’s Kingdom in this manner:

For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government [misrah – empire] and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever [owlam – eternity, perpetual]. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. (Is 9:6-7)

Brett Jacobsen's book Heaven's Underground Blueprint is now available. The book has a twofold thrust: it is a prophetic work that paralells church history with Old Testament Israel, presenting insight into current happenings and great hope for the future. It also is instructive in the current reformation of the church into underground community. Some of the main topics covered are: How the church spiralled down into the Dark Ages (and largely remains there), How God is changing the guard of church leadership, How to do New Testament community, What is New Testament leadership instead of hierarchical humanism, Biblical unity rather than ecumenical compromise, God's proccess of reformation, de-construction or destruction, Promised Land Christianity, Reformation of eschatology, and more.

-The Pervasive Power of God’s Kingdom

by Brett Jacobsen

He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened." (Matt 13:33)

It may seem to some a little odd that Jesus used leaven to describe His Kingdom, as leaven usually speaks of corruption: “Being bred of corruption and spreading through the mass of that in which it is mixed, and therefore symbolising the pervasive character of evil…” [1]. It most often speaks of one of two aspects of corruption:

by Brett Jacobsen

This five part teaching series on reformed New Testament community is taken from Brett Jacobsen’s book Heaven's Underground Blueprint which is available here - http://www.christisall.org/hub-book.

Stages of structure in the church

We will now take a brief account of past structures, from Jesus’ own methods, through church history to now, a time when Jesus is imparting to His church ‘His methods’ again.

Jesus’ seed example

Jesus modeled the perfect way to live in the Kingdom of God while existing on this planet. He was the example and reference point for the early church and He will be likewise for the end-time church. As multitudes pour out of the man-made wineskins, Jesus is restoring His heavenly-wineskin in order to receive the new wine of the Spirit for this hour. We will look at some key elements in the life and ministry of Christ as He walked the earth, seeking to save “that which was lost”. (Luke 19:10)

by Michael Clark

Have you ever thought that the Church is training Christians to be silent?I remember when I was a teen.My dad was a heavy smoker and eventually it killed him.He would be taking a hit off a cigarette and as he exhaled the smoke would say, "Son, I don't want you to smoke!"Well, as many of us have figured from raising our own children, the example speaks louder than words.I was smoking and on my way to a full blown habit before I graduated from high school. I thank God I was able to quit with the help of my loving wife before I got out of the Navy four years later.

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 George H. Warnock

by Brett Jacobsen

This is an 'audio teaching' from Brett Jacobsen on true New Testament leadership and its imminent return.

Some topics briefly covered are:

Prophetic proof that the church is going underground.

How Jesus is taking back the reins of His church.

The function of true leaders, in contrast to hierarchical error.

True apostles and their function amongst the saints.

No more retarding the saints for the work of the monastry.

(This audio file is mp3 and is around 13mb, just click on the link below to download) 

Underground Leadershift

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A Commentary on 1 Corinthians 9:1-14

by John White

A critical element in the development of the house church movement in the United States will be a change in our financial paradigm. In traditional church, money is given by church members to pay for such things as the building, salaries for the church staff, various programs, missions, etc. The house church movement offers an opportunity to reexamine Biblical values regarding the use of money for ministry.

Probably the most important single passage dealing with this topic is 1 Cor. 9:1-18. The following is a commentary on these verses with a view to discerning principles for financing ministry. This article would be best read with your Bible open to the passage under examination. (Note: Gordon Fee's commentary, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, has been particularly helpful in this study.)

In the battlefields of the spiritual world the true heroes are often
unseen by the world. These are the ones often touched by heaven,
who breathe the rarified air of the secret place of the Most High. Such
a one was Father Nash a partner to the much better known evangelist
Charles Finney during the Second Great Awakening.

Daniel Nash started as a preacher in upstate New York. His record there
is singularly unremarkable. At age 48 he decided to give himself
totally to prayer for Finney's meetings. Nash would come quietly into
towns three or four weeks in advance of a meeting, gather three or four
other like minded Christians with him and in a rented room start
praying and bringing heaven near. It is reported that in one town all
he could find was a dank, dark cellar, but that place was soon
illumined with holy light as he made in the place of intercession. In
another place as Finney relates:

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 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 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 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.