Legalism- Written rules and Carnal codes

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)

Traditions of men- Set schedules and Patterned practices

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)

Church constructs- Cathedrals and Owned organisations

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)  

Leadership- Hierarchical and Humanly official

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)  

Programmes- Sterile services and Flamboyant events

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)  

Cursed be the man that trusts in man

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.

A friend of mine sent me this little story. Although I think that our nights could be spent more wisely than sipping wine (perhaps Holy Spirit new wine), I think the story has an interesting truth to it. How much of our striving to succeed is a waste of precious time? Of course we should "with quietness [...] work, and eat [our] own bread" but are we reverting back to being under the curse when we strive to "get ahead" (2 Thes 3:12)?

"In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, till you return to the ground" (Gen 3:19)

This small article is an excerpt from my book Heaven's Underground Blueprint. It is a prophetic/teaching book about the current, ongoing reformation of His church. You can obtain a hard copy for cost price + freight, or a free e-version from http://www.christisall.org/hub-book. Peace.

by Brett Jacobsen
 

Crossing into the Promised Land is not a prophetic picture of salvation; that would be the exodus from Egypt. It is however, a representation of us walking into “the fullness of Christ”. Whilst coming to Jesus is wonderful, it is only the beginning of the heavenly journey which should gravitate towards the fullness of Christ, in and around our lives. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians lifts the standard from just scraping into heaven to a more complete faith:

Ron McGatlin seems to me to have a big heart for Christ's Kingdom. This article is from Ron's Open Heaven mail out which you can subscribe to at www.openheaven.com. It is of great importance that we find balance in this hour regarding leadership and authority so that we see Christ lifted up as the only head of His body.

Grace and peace,

Bretto 

Receiving God's Government

by Ron McGatlin

The current movement toward the governance of God continues at a rapid pace. Adjustments are not always easy. However, there is no alternative for God's people. Turning back is not an option. Life is before us and not behind us. Where we once found life there is now dry brush awaiting a spark and a wind to become a fire storm.

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 Tom Sparks
                                                                                                                 

Today I’d like to share some things with you, on the subject of Intentional Gatherings.

I love that word - “Intentional.”  It has a ring to it that bears witness with something very deep within my spirit.  It is a term that is moving among the body of those who have come out of the traditional Church, so it’s not unique with me, but it says something very important.  For me there is a “knowing” that it is a God thing, a “deep that calls to deep” formation within me.

by T. Austin-Sparks

"But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Galatians 6:14).

It is interesting to notice the particular way in which the Apostle speaks of the world here. That term is a very comprehensive term and includes a very great deal. Here Paul gets right down to the spirit of the thing. You notice the context; it is well for us to take account of it:

"For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh" (Galatians 6:13).

by Tom Sparks

For as far back as I can remember the Lord has been unveiling the competition He experiences with those things that oppose Him, and the story of my life is a journey from one exposure to another exposure of the religious systems that compete for centrality of life focus.

Let me make this as simple as I know how to.  Either Jesus is going to be the focus of our lives or religious systems are, but you are never going to find a religious system that maintains the focus on Jesus He is due.

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

Which Kingdom Do You Inhabit?

by Brett Jacobsen

There are many prophetic shadows in the Bible which display what God has done and will do in the New Covenant season of His Kingdom. One such biblical illustration of the current transition from old wineskins to new, from flesh to faith, from Christendom to Christ, is the relocation from Sinai to Sion. This shift from mountain to mountain: from kingdom to kingdom, is very instructive for all those who wish to live “in Christ”.

Which Mountain?

The writer of Hebrews has done a great service to the Kingdom of Christ in drawing a bold line between the carnal kingdom and Christ’s:

 
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 Thomas Hohstadt

A terrible virus has spread through today’s church—the cold sickness of a faith that simply "thinks"—a "thinking-man’s" religion. Mere words, hard facts, and the trivial surface of language hardly suffice in a world of deeper realities. So it’s no surprise that today’s "spiritual leaders" seldom claim "spiritual awareness." They fly blind in the Spirit, yet still expect changes in the "flesh." Indeed,

The spiritual and social implications of Pentecost, which define the relationship of the human spirit to the Holy Spirit, have yet to be explored for the age in which we live.1

So today’s faith is more passive than empowered, more anemic than energized. It’s more an inert mass of doctrines—a group of dormant ideas—a collection of lethargic labels than anything else. As a result, its Milquetoast believers pretend beliefs they don’t even have.

by T. Austin-Sparks

“It pleased God… to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him” (Gal.1:15,16)

1. Everything Tested by Inwardness