by David Orton

“Truly you are a God who hides himself…”

Isa 45:15

The ‘hiddenness of God’ is one of the greatest paradoxes of the spiritual life. On the one hand, he is the self-revealing God who delights to communicate with man, but on the other, he hides himself.

God is a mystery. One great fourteenth century divine refers to this as, the “Cloud of Unknowing”. The psalmist cries out that he is surrounded by “clouds and thick darkness” (Ps 97:2; also 18:11 ). God hides himself in the contradiction of my circumstances. He is good, but it is hidden in the pain of where I find myself.

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.

The four pillars of Christian life

Unlike most of the modern church-growth books and seminars, we are not concerned with growing churches or producing replicable formulas, nor fancy programs. Our aim is to uncover biblical principles for every day victory in every believer’s life, thus producing victory and growth in God’s kingdom.

Again, the early church provides a clear heavenly ‘blueprint’, not just because they produced great eternal fruit, but because they were working from the kingdom of heaven modeled by Jesus.

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.

The beginning of the fullness of Christ

Once the church’s leadership is restructured according to the New Testament heavenly blueprint, and Jesus has the reins again, we can begin our journey in the fullness of Christ; this journey is a progressive growth rather than an arrived destination.

I am not referring to a season where everyone is perfectly sinless, but one in which Christ reigns, causing consistent growth and maturation in the body, which will produce a “spotless bride”. This season will need a biblical structure to carry the bigness of the fullness of Christ.

by Brett Jacobsen

The four legged plow horse

The life and ways of Jesus Christ are, and will always be, the primary illustration for Christians to model their lives from. If we are to learn from anyone else’s example, it is imperative that they themselves are, or were, mimicking Christ in their endeavors. Although it is not for us to simply copy the methods of the early church, we should definitely imbibe the principles emulated from the life of Christ.

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 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)

 
 by David Orton

Part 1 of 2

But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles."

Act 18:6

Hearing the voice of God

by David Orton

Part 4 of 6

This series sounds a warning to the contemporary church. It will show that spiritual Jerusalem, the church of Jesus Christ – the city of God, has been invaded by Babylon, the city of man. We will show how this conflict plays out in the contemporary scene and how Babylon will ultimately fall in this glorious climax of the ages.

by Mark Camino

Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people? (Jer 8:22)

From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is no soundness - only wounds and welts and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with oil. (Is 1:6)
  

Often when we share what God has revealed to us about the current reformation, transitions, simple church, old wineskin church etc., it can appear to some that we are bitter, critical or ministering out of a wounded spirit.

Many times I observe this is not the case but an opinion expressed by those who have traveled a journey and through revelation have heard the voice of the Spirit, eg:

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:

by David Orton

 
Part 2 of 3
 
“But he removed Saul and made David their king…”

Act 13:22
 
In this three part series we are showing that David typifies the new order of the kingdom, involving revolutionary transitions in six areas: paradigm, heart, purpose, structure, leadership, and principle.
 
In the final part I will discuss the strategy and timing of the Saul-David transition.
 
Purpose-shift
 
This shift is from gift to agape.
 
Samuel’s response to Saul’s disobedience, “To obey is better than sacrifice”, is instructive (see 1 Sam 15:22). Saul, like the contemporary church, had mistakenly focussed on gift and ministry. He saw ministry success as the main-game – as his purpose. It reminds me of some workers of miracles on the day of judgement,

by David Orton

Part 1 of 3

“But he removed Saul and made David their king…”

Acts 13:22

The transition from Saul to David typically foreshadows a revolution occurring in the church right now.

Many across the western church, including market researchers such as George Barna, are now recognising on empirical grounds (through measuring trends) that a revolution is occurring. Barna forecasts that over the next two decades the 70% of Christians who currently attend traditional church will reduce to 30% – and the 30% currently outside of it will increase to 70%!

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 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

-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. 

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 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 Brett Jacobsen

The following are a few key Biblical points on how to see the life of God continue to flow in our midst after He has revived us.I would like to start by saying that I, and probably God for that matter, don’t want a flash in the pan revival. In fact I’d rather have no revival at all than to have God so wonderfully move and then we gravitate back to our current state. I tend to agree with Smith Wigglesworth when he said “To live two days in succession on the same spiritual plane is a tragedy”. How much worse is it then to go backwards in the things of God? I am not saying that everything has to be going good all the time. That would be a result based Christian perspective, which I think is one of our greatest enemies in the modern day church. I am however, talking about continually flowing in the eternal purpose and the life of God on a daily basis for the rest of our lives. Remember, it’s more about flowing in harmony with the Spirit of God, therefore being eternally fruitful, than it is about having a nice life.

PRINCIPLES OF TRANSFORMATION

Invite God – Pray 

Isaiah 62:6-7
Deeply feel inside that God wants to, and will come.

Holiness & Humility

Are we ready to die and be changed.
Is 66:2 contrite heart.
Humility is the door to unity.
God uses broken people.
Simple, sincere people.

Individual Obedience 

Not what we do, but why we do it.
Man is impressed by activity, God is impressed by obedience. 
Will encounter resistance.
Has to start with a core group of obedient people.
Always starts with a few who won’t give up. Usually two or three.

Biblical Unity