Jesus Christ
Fellowship
KIM CLEMENT: "GOD IS SEARCHING FOR MAN--More than the other way around"
When we understand that God is in search of man (us), more so than man in search of God, our spiritual experience is greatly enhanced. What does this mean in terms of communication? Over and over we try to hear God's voice to find direction in our lives, and we spend countless hours in search of Him, only to find out that He was always close-by, but because we didn't recognize Him, we ran. We consider God mysterious and almost unattainable, but the great mystery is that God is actually in search of you.
Faith Draws God
So how do I draw His attention? How will He know where I am, and what are the ingredients needed to assist Him in "finding" me? People would be offended at the thought of God "trying" to find them. Is He blind, deaf or unable to know His own created being? We'll find out today what we need to do to make ourselves clearly visible to God.
Throughout Biblical history, we find that God "reveals" Himself to man. God continuously visited Abraham, and the obvious ingredient that drew God to him, was FAITH. Think about friendship for a minute. Would you go uninvited to someone's home? Wouldn't you feel more comfortable knowing that they in fact wanted you there at a specific time, and took the time to ask you over? How do we invite God? It's faith in praise, prayer, sacrifice, obedience and other unselfish acts that invite God.
The key, however, is knowing how to respond to revelation, because God reveals Himself more than He shows Himself; there is a difference. To reveal means "to unveil something that was at first intended to be private, to divulge the meaning of making known something previously concealed or secret."
In other words, when prophetic revelation takes place, your mind has never experienced it before, therefore, you have entered into something strange and new. With this in mind, you have choices to make--to reject or accept it. Most people operate by fear and reject the unknown. It takes perception and faith to embrace something that you sense is right, but intellectually you are unsure of.
When God created Adam and Eve, He left them in the Garden to begin the journey for mankind. During that period, their understanding of God went from what they had experienced, to what they had heard from a complete stranger--the serpent satan. Misrepresenting God, the serpent said to them, "God knows that in the day you eat of the fruit, your eyes will be opened, and you will BE LIKE GOD, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5). So his proposition was that they could "be like God," having more power due to their new perception.
Unfortunately, their new sight blinded them to God and opened their eyes to themselves. God came to visit them one day and was rudely interrupted by a retreating Adam. No longer was God welcome, because Adam could only see one thing--that he was naked and afraid of God. His perception of himself was lowered to, "I heard your voice...and I was afraid because I was naked" (Genesis 3:10). He saw himself naked. Good God, I don't blame him! God searched for Adam; Adam did not search for God.
God, in the form of man here on earth, Jesus Christ, searched for man. He found His disciples and called them to Himself and yet Philip tells Nathaniel, "We have found the Messiah" (John 1:41). No. REVELATION IS NOT AN ACT OF MAN SEEKING GOD, BUT OF HIS BEING SOUGHT AFTER--AN ACT IN GOD'S SEARCH FOR MAN. Israel's history originated with the initiative of God, not the efforts of man. Yet Jacob wrestled with God, sending Him an invitation to come to his house and experience him. God responded by giving Jacob the honorable and noble name, Israel, for you have struggled with God and with men and have PREVAILED! Jacob did not search for God; he struggled with God.
We all struggle with God, because we are so determined to know more about Him so that we can have more power; when we should rather just experience God and enjoy Him. God only wants to know more about us so that we can be enriched and blessed as He experiences us.
God reveals to Jacob his true name, Israel, because that is what God experienced when He found the true person in Jacob. However, when Jacob pleads to God, "Tell me Your name, I pray," God replies, "Why is it that you ask about My name?" (Genesis 32:29). I find this interesting because it's almost like God is challenging Jacob about his motive in finding out God's name.
Trials Produce Revelation
Revelation should not be rejected because of it being incomprehensible. That which is incomprehensible must not be considered UNREAL. Prophetic revelation is not merely an act of experience, but an act of being experienced, overwhelmed and taken over by Him. It is impossible to believe that trials and troubles are a waste of time and worth nothing. Now that I have been through three decades of walking with God, I am convinced that trials and troubles are only revelations in disguise, because I have discovered glorious truths about myself that eventually became part of my makeup and my expression. Character has been built with strength and virtue, which only paints my soul with delightful colors.
Trials are part of our lot; they were predestinated for us in Christ's last legacy. He has ordained their season and their place, their intensity and the effect they shall have upon us. Good men must never expect to escape troubles, for if they do, they will be disappointed; none of our predecessors have been without them. Note the patience of Job and remember Abraham, for he had his trials, and by his faith under them, he was rewarded as the "Father of the Faithful." Note the biographies of all the patriarchs, prophets, apostles and martyrs, and you will discover that none of those whom God made vessels of mercy escaped the fire of affliction.
I have been through a season of trial and I'm excited to find out what God found and experienced in me during this period. As human beings, we value pleasure far above friction and stress. I hate anxiety. It is the cause of so much unnecessary stress and ungodliness. The Bible teaches us to be anxious for nothing. Anxiety is a thief. It robs you of your dignity and positions you so that you are constantly on the lookout for an alternative to God.
Napoleon Hill once wrote, "Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit."
Be encouraged, for although we have been through much as a people, a royal priesthood and a chosen generation. The BEST IS YET TO COME!
This is my prayer of blessing for you:
"God, I pray, let their ships bring home continually rich freights. Let the winds and waves appear to be their servants to bear their vessels across the bosom of the mighty deep. Let their hands yield abundantly. Let the weather be propitious to their crops. Let uninterrupted success attend them. Let them stand among men as successful merchants.
Allow them with braced nerve and brilliant eye to march through the world and live happily. Give them buoyant spirits. Let them have a song on their lips. Let their eyes ever be sparkling with joy, and last but not least, let Christ emerge out of every interruption, storm, lack or attack; and if they stand, and stand they should, let it be as if on a pinnacle or like a man asleep on a mast, realizing that each moment, we should be in jeopardy."
Jesus slept on a boat that according to the disciples was "going under." How could the boat "go under" when He, Christ, was in fact asleep under the boat?
Man is an Experience of God
God is searching for you to enjoy and experience. It is not God who is an experience of man; it is man who is an experience of God. Now let your faith, your ACT of faith, invite Him, draw Him, and attract Him to your house, and you will find the experience quite gratifying.
Articles
Dear Friends,
Let me begin by stating the obvious that you know already: the LORD's ways are much higher than our ways as humans. While the LORD Himself defeated evil once and for all at the Cross of Jesus Christ, He still calls us as believers to join in on the mopping up process, helping Him stomp out wickedness in dark recesses of the world's mindset. All believers are called to carry this out as His witnesses! Matthew 28: 16-20; Mark 16: 14-20; Luke 24: 44-49; John 20: 21-31 and 21: 15-17; and Acts 1:6-8.
Our weapons are not "carnal" but are mighty for pulling down of strongholds. (2 Corinthians 10: 3-5). Following Scripture we are to use the total authority Jesus received in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28: 18) and then gave to each believer (Mark 16: 15-18) , to proceed to combat evil with Truth, Love, His name, His power, and Holy Spirit wisdom. Individuals are to bring every evil thought "into captivity" to be replaced with Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5).
But that process is not limited just to each of our thoughts. So, too, can whole societies change their thinking, replacing evil thoughts by new Holy Spirit revelation.
With faith in Christ, in love, with prayer, with fasting, with intercession----- we can do all things through Christ Who strengthens us. (Philippians 4: 13). Today our LORD Jesus wants you and me, His sheep who hear His voice (John 10: 27-28), His believers, to act as His Ambassadors, acting as humble, gentle humans to bring down wicked evil mindsets in ourselves and in our regions, using His wonderful "weapons."
Jesus Himself said: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. " John 14: 12-13.
We are to love the person but hate the evil he or she may be adopting. Our weapons from Christ are mighty for the pulling down of strongholds in us and in our regions collectively.
Later this year, the area that spawned Adolf Hitler, Munich, Germany, will be "targeted" for a wonderful spiritual "attack." A spiritual strategy has been developed that can be a model for pulling down evil strongholds elsewhere.
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Arni and Yonit Klein are Jewish Christians, Messianic Jews, students of the Old and New Testaments, worship leaders in Israel with a ministry called Emmaus Way. Arni is an avid student of the Bible and the spiritual warfare potential of worship and prayer. In addition to ministering in Israel, for over five years, in obedience to the Holy Spirit, the Kleins have traveled often to Germany and have spoken especially to the German youth. In return, many young German Christians have come to the Klein's worship center in Israel and have repented for Germany's horrific treatment of the Jews historically.
For centuries in Germany and elsewhere there has been an evil mindset to hate the Jews. Hitler and Auchwitz were the result. Through Biblical study and through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Arni and his team have developed a new strategy to defeat this evil mindset.
In his recent newsletter Arni says:
"In this moment we have a special focus on the Munich area and the region of Saxony.
We want to share with you about three events being planned to take place at the end of the year...in October, November and December. Though they are all independent of one another, we believe they are very much linked together and part of a Divine strategy.
In Leipzig, from the 2nd - 5th of October, Andreas Church will host the Body throughout Saxony for 50 hours of continuous worship. There are a number of things that can be said about the significance of Leipzig, but for the sake of brevity we'll mention just one. In October 1989, there was a silent candlelight demonstration around the old city involving some 100,000 people. Many believe that this act -- this cry before the heavens -- played an important role in bringing the Berlin Wall down one month later on November 9th.
November 9th this year also marks the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht ("Night of Broken Glass"), which took the persecution of the Jews to the streets on an organized national level. In 1938 Munich functioned as the microphone of a sound system with speakers all over Germany. The command to destroy Jewish property emanated from Munich City Hall. Historically, the Munich region (including Augsburg in particular), has been a place of birthing and releasing things into the nation and beyond. Notably, the Nazi party was born in Munich. Many churches have planned commemorative events in their regular services, as the day falls on a Sunday. In addition to what is already planned, we sense the Lord calling for a group of worshipers to come from Israel to bring a blessing to Munich on that day. Our vision and hope is that this will have a cleansing effect on a spiritual channel of communication and enable the voice of the Lord to be heard with much greater clarity.
As it was in 1989, we believe there is presently also a connection between the October worship event in Leipzig, and what the Lord wants to do in Munich on November 9th.
The fact that the upcoming worship gathering in Leipzig is a regional event brings into the equation the spiritual heritage of Saxony and what we sense the Lord wanting to release from there. While Martin Luther brought forth an essential revelation from there concerning our personal salvation and relationship with God, his lack of understanding concerning the place of the children of Israel in God's plan left a legacy as dark as the former part was bright. To fully reform the church, this revelation of Israel desperately needs to be restored and sent forth. As I have traveled the country, I have found no other region where collectively the spiritual fathers and mothers have more revelation and unity about this point than in Saxony.
The third event, to be held in Dresden, Saxony's capital, on December 4-7, will be a conference about Israel and Germany. When I was in Dresden this last time, in addition to the public meetings, I had opportunity to meet with leaders from the city. We sensed together that the Lord desired to follow the Israel conference with one on worship to be held the following week, on December 11-14. The two gatherings are as two sides of one coin. Like the gathering in Leipzig, these meetings also have a regional sense about them. On each Friday, the 5th and the 12th, the plan is to have special youth meetings relating to the respective topics of Israel and worship.
The former will be about the special call on the 4th generation to break the curse from the past, and the latter a call to follow in the footsteps of Abraham and walk with God as a true child of Zion.
This is how we see the unfolding of these events: It begins with the Body of Messiah in Saxony coming together to worship and minister to the Lord in October. In November Israeli worshipers would come to Munich and proclaim blessing over the city. It is our hope that this would clear the spiritual atmosphere over the city. The meetings in December are for the impartation passion and vision to the body in Saxony on the subjects of Israel and worship. The protocol seems right: First before the Lord; next before the principalities and powers of the air; and third to the Body of Messiah...for the opening up of the heavens for evangelism and the advance of the Kingdom of God on the earth.
Please pray with us that the events in Leipzig and Dresden would involve the body from all over the region. Please pray for the body in Munich to get a vision for the event in November. We expect this to be the most contested (by the enemy) of the three. Please pray for the right channels to disseminate this vision and for the logistics connected to each individual event. May the Holy Spirit lift our vision to together see things from a national and global perspective."
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You will see that the strategy has three parts:
a) WORSHIP: the body of Christ, the body of Messiah, throughout the Saxony region of Germany will come together first in a huge nonstop worship celebration over several days in October, worshiping the LORD;
b) PRAY/INTERCEDE: then Israeli worshipers will come to Munich weeks later in the month of November to proclaim a blessing over the city of Munich, praying to clear the spiritual atmosphere over the city; praying to take down the principalities and powers of the air, the evil mindset against Jews;
c) PRAY/ TEACH/ IMPART: then in December a final gathering again for the whole body of believers in Saxony, to give thanks, to teach, to impart passion and vision on the subject of Israel and the power of worship, praying to open up the heavens for evangelism and the advance of the Kingdom of God on the earth as it is in heaven.
I have a prediction: in Munich, by the end of this year, that area will be so spiritually blessed to such an extent by the above worship/prayer/ impartation process, that hatred of Jews will be replaced by a love for Israel that will wonderfully shock not only Munich, Saxony, Germany and even Israel, but also the far reaches of the body of Christ, and maybe even key media members in the secular world. The antichrist spirit will suffer a great loss!
Let's begin NOW to place Germany and Arni and Yonit Klein on our prayer lists. Jesus Christ Fellowship is a prayer and financial partner with Emmaus Way in Israel. And we will participate by prayer with the events in Germany beginning in October. In the meantime we can begin to develop worship/prayer/teaching strategies for pulling down similar strongholds in our own region. As you pray, please be open to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit as to the way in which you and I can begin to strategize about combating evil in our own region. Please let me know what the Holy Spirit puts on your heart. If it can be down in Munich it can be done in Lake County!
God bless you,
Pastor Jeff
Anne Elmer: A VISION of the MASTER POTTER: GOD SAYS, "YOU WERE MADE FOR ME"
By Anne Elmer
Jun 15, 2008
Recently, I was singing a worship song, and the last line in French is, "Je suis née pour toi," meaning: "I was born for you," but I think in the English version of the song, the words are: "I was made for you."
I then heard the Lord say to me, "You see, you were not made to be a wife or mother or teacher or church elder, you were made for Me."
Suddenly I knew that if I received this fact in my heart, that I was made primarily by Him and for Him, then all the other reasons for which I thought I was made - would fall into place.
Colossians 1:16, "For by Him all things were created: things in Heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him."
Do we really understand that we are not the product of our parents, but we are desired and birthed of the perfect Father in order to fulfill His dreams and plans?
A Vision of the Master Potter
Then I saw a vision of the Master Potter making vases. He took a great deal of time and care over each one, fashioning them to exactly the shape He wanted. He moved the vases from the wheel and placed them carefully on one side. I watched as He made several vases, and once there were a few standing near each other, He touched them one by one.
This time His hand was clean and beautiful - no longer the Potter's hand covered with clay. As He touched each one, they were filled with what looked like liquid gold, but somehow I knew He was filling us - His vases with His Glory.
The Glory we were containing seeped slowly through the unbaked clay of each vase until they all began to shine. It was a beautiful picture. I noticed that little by little the vases were moving nearer to each other. And as they did, their shapes changed slightly so that they could fit exactly together.
When they drew closer together, the Glory shining from them intensified. Once they were all touching as though they were molded of the same clay at the same time. The Glory shining from the whole group was so bright, I could hardly look at them; it was like looking at the sun.
I knew I was watching a 3-D jigsaw of the Lord building His Church. I was aware the vases had not been fired, and I realized that was why they could shine their contents - that was why the Glory could traverse the clay.
In the potter's house in Jeremiah 18, the potter doesn't fire the pot, but molds it over again. We need to be as clay in His hands. I think it is our denominations that have tried to put us in the furnace and shape us into their shape so that we cannot be flexible and malleable in the hands of our God. But in our day, He is building the Church that He wants; He is preparing His Bride.
Vases of Glory
I then saw a vase which had some of the Glory but was not overflowing like the others; it had rings of barbed wire around it. It stood apart from the others and couldn't get close because of the barbs on the wire, which hurt the vase itself as well as the others if they came too close.
I asked the Lord for some tool to cut the wire, but He said, "Only the vase itself can shed the wires, but you can destroy them with love." I then saw the Glory in one of the other vases overflowing and forming a cushion around the vase so that it would not be damaged when it drew close to the hurting vase. But I also saw that if a vase was damaged or even pierced by the barbs, the Glory flowed out through the damaged part and melted the barbs on the "sick vase."
As I reflected on this picture during the week, I knew that this is exactly what Jesus has done for me. He has been pierced by my barbs and the Glory has flowed from Him to melt my barbs so that I can be a part of His Church, His Body, and His Bride.
He is building His Church in our day, and we as His vases need to stay malleable in His hands. We as His vases need to be overflowing with His love in order to love others as He has loved us.
Anne Elmer
Best-selling Author, Transported by the Lion of Judah
Email: anne.elmer@editionsdelasource.fr