Silver Wings - Thrice

This is the last song from the sub-album entitled Air. It follows the pattern set out in the other three sub-albums (Fire, Water, Earth) in speaking prophetically from the viewpoint of the element.

From tender years you took me for granted
But still I deign to wander through your lungs
While you were sleeping soundly in your bed,
(Your drapes were silver wings, your shutters flung)

I drew the poison from the summer's sting,
And eased the fire out of your fevered skin.
I moved in you and stirred your soul to sing;
And if you'd let me I would move again.

I've danced 'tween sunlit strands of lover's hair;
Helped form the final words before your death.
I've pitied you and plied your sails with air;
Gave blessing when you rose upon my breath.

And after all of this I am amazed,
That I am cursed far more than I am praised.

Fling Wide - Misty Edwards

Holy Shit Jesus!

Watch the whole thing. At 8:00 minutes or so God heals a girl's wrist and her back. She had scholiosis. Now she doesn't. Then she prays:

"Holy shit Jesus! Come into my heart. Right now; I give You my life now. Holy Spirit fill me up."

It's so beautiful. God is always good.

Glory Will Cover the Earth - Justin Rizzo

There's A Gap - Laura Hackett

Here's a promo for the single from Laura Hackett's self titled album which I just downloaded. So far so good! :)

Bridegroom of Blood

Rabbinic commentary on this passage holds that Jethro (Moses' father-in-law, and the "Priest of Midian") was not a worshiper of YHWH. The Rabbis are not fully in agreement about when or whether Jethro converted to Judaism, but he did bless God after the Exodus (Exodus 18:10).

This may explain why Moses' son hadn't been circumcised, and why Moses' wife was reluctant to do it. She eventually did, apparently to keep God from killing Moses in His anger.

10 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” 13 But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” 14 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. 16 He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. 17 And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.”

Moses Returns to Egypt

18 Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” 19 And the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” 20 So Moses took his wife and his sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand (Exodus 4:10-20).

21 And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son, 23 and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’”

Bridegroom of Blood

24 At a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death. 25 Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin and touched Moses' feet with it and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!” 26 So he let him alone. It was then that she said, “A bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision (Exodus 4:21-26).

There remains one glaring difficulty with this passage: God sent Moses to Egypt on a mission. God told Moses that the Egyptians who wanted to kill him were dead now. Then God sought to kill him before he got to Egypt.

Explanation number one:
Moses could go to Egypt, talk to Aaron, help Aaron liberate Israel "as God to him" -- all after having been killed by God.

Explanation number two:
Because Moses' son wasn't circumcised (wasn't a Jew, wasn't in covenant with God) he would have been killed by God with the Egyptian sons. Moses couldn't win the argument with Zipporah to circumcise his son, so he decided not to go to Egypt after all. Zipporah only relented when it was clear that Moses was going to die for his disobedience.

Like a Tree - Justin Rizzo

The Revelation of Jesus Christ - Chapter 1 with Notes

Prologue

1:1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

Greeting to the Seven Churches

4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God [a], “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Vision of the Son of Man

9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last [a], and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels [b] of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Notes

[a] This is affirmation of Jesus' divinity. He claims the title, “the first and the last” just verses after the Lord God uses it. (“Alpha and Omega” are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.)

[b] Gk. angelos, Lit. 'messenger' Here it's reasonable to interpret this as referring to pastors or prophetic leaders of the churches. Seven angels release Jesus' judgment using trumpets (Rev 8) and pouring out bowls full of the wrath of God (Rev 15:6). These judgments are reminiscent of the plagues of Egypt, released by Moses.

The 'linen' symbolism in Rev 15:5 is given in Rev 3:4 and Rev 3:18, speaking of humans. Both Jesus (Rev 1:13) and the seven angels in Rev 15:6 are depicted with golden sashes. The prophecies to the seven churches seem to correlate to the respective plague angels in Rev 8 and Rev 16. More on this later, it's interesting, albeit speculative.

How 'Bout Them Apples! Psh!

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,

that he may deliver their soul from death
and keep them alive in famine.

Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.

For our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.

Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,even as we hope in you (Psalm 33:18-22).

The fear of God is one of many things you absolutely cannot understand without believing in Him.  But if you believe, it's pretty simple. God is a real person, complete with unprecedented prerogative to do whatever He wants; with or to whomever He wants, because it's his Word that keeps it all from collapsing (Col 1:16-17).

He's not disinterested. If He stopped paying attention, we would all vanish like a bad dream. Since you're still here, it means He loves you. :) God loves us and we have to fear and love Him in return.

Instead of trying to explain the fear of God, let me just pray for Him to impart it to you, and you should pray to. Here's a prayer you might try:

Father, release the spirit of the fear of God into my heart. Release the lightning and thunder from Your Throne to strike my heart (Rev 4:5) with Your majesty, that I might live in awe before You. Release Your presence and holy dread that makes me tremble before You. Unite my heart to your heart and Word and cause me to delight in the fear of God.

I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me (Jer 32:40).

The Lord…you shall hallow; let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread (Isa 8:13).

Unite my heart (to Your heart and Word) to fear Your name (Ps 86:11).

His delight is in the fear of the LORD ... (Isa 11:3).

From the Fellowship Prayer Guide by Mike Bickle.

If you try to serve God without fearing Him, you start down one path with two names; Legalism and Lawlessness. Legalism is the heresy that says what we do matters. Lawlessness is the heresy that says what we do doesn't matter.

God says, "Eh ... do you realize I'm in the room? It matters if I say so. How 'bout THEM apples! Psh!"

The truth is we are bound to obey the voice of God. Since He's a real person, it's discourteous and silly to try to act like we know exactly what He will always want everyone to do or not to do. It's also discourteous and silly to demand He address us personally when there's a book full of things He said and did we never bother to read (Luke 24:25-27). Maybe the fear of God is the opposite of presumption. I have to say, presumption toward the God I know terrifies me, and I see it everwhere.

Maybe we should be slower to explain God, and quicker to introduce people to Him (Prov 23:1-2).

I NEED A PAPER FOR A PENTHOWL! xD

Hate Your Slavery, Kiss the Son

Reading the psalms can sometimes be difficult. You know, like when David flips out. David will straight up curse a dude (Psalm 109:9-10). Let me encourage you to read them anyway and wrestle with God, remembering that God determined the content of the Bible (2 Tim 3:16). One thing you'll learn if you read the Psalms is that David says absolutely whatever he wants to God. I do to. God can handle it. I'm sure he appreciates it. (I don't know if He appreciates when I drop the f-bomb in sincere prayer, but He hasn't struck me down yet!)

If you're going to complain, complain to God! Believe that He's in control and call Him on the things you don't understand. Be careful not to write Him off because of bitterness in your heart. (Beware that sometimes it's impossible to see bitterness because of presumptions about what you deserve. We don't deserve anything at all.) Be faithful in thanking Him for his mercy and for the life you have. Don't you know that His mercies woke you up today (Lam 3:22-23)? It's good to praise God for the air in your lungs.

I will praise the name of God with a song;
I will magnify him with thanksgiving.

This will please the Lord more than an ox
or a bull with horns and hoofs.

When the humble see it they will be glad;
you who seek God, let your hearts revive.

For the Lord hears the needy
and does not despise his own people who are prisoners (Psalm 69:30-33).

This passage says that "the Lord hears the needy and does not despise his own people who are prisoners". Tell me, are you free? Are you free when the fear of man falls on you?

He who sins is not free (John 8:34-36) but the Lord hears the needy. Hate your slavery. Kiss the Son (Psalm 2:12).

The Final Quest

This book is good, short, and cheap.  It's at major bookstores.  It's compiled from a series of prophetic dreams and visions that God gave to Rick Joyner.  The introduction explains how he received the dreams and visions.  It's in the first person; he just wrote it all down like it happened.  If you ever get a chance to hear the man speak, you'll believe that this came from God and not him.  It's just too good (no offense Rick, I love you).

I think you'll come away with the same understanding if you just read this book.  It contains some of the lessons God taught Rick, by which he is now a man of great integrity that stands with Christians who others stand against.  His reputation among men truly means nothing to him.  Todd Bentley is a great example.

Todd apparently had some sin issues (come on, that guy had a target on his head the size of Texas) and Rick Joyner is one who is helping him get back up while almost everyone is chucking him under the bus.  Take heed when you think you stand lest you fall and everyone says "I told you so" (1 Cor 10:12).

Jim Bakker too.  Jim published a book called "I Was Wrong".  I think he wrote it in prison.  Anyway, he was ACQUITTED (which nobody knows, turns out he was innocent by law) and is now ministering again thanks to Rick and some others who love men who fall.  I'll get "I Was Wrong" to make sure, but I'd wager Jim is now untainted by the prosperity gospel.

In fact, Rick's ministry bought Heritage U.S.A. (Jim's Bakker's unfinished hotel thing, I think that's what it was called) and it's now the site of Heritage International.  It's a hotel/
conference center in Fort Mill, SC.  It's still unfinished as far as I know.  That's just the sort of thing the Lord loves to do, redeeming fallen people and their stuff for His own glory.

Anyway, this is really fun to read whether or not you are a Christian.  I bet you'll finish it in a couple days.  It's like a good fantasy novel stuffed to the brim with truth.  You'll never look at the Church the same way, I promise.  

More and More Lord

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God (Phil 1:9-11).

50th Anniversary

[This is a repost from Pastor Terry's Blog originally posted Thursday, 3/11/10.]

This April 3, marks the 50th anniversary of the Charismatic Renewal in the mainline Protestant Church. On that date in 1960, Dennis Bennett, the Rector of the fashionable St. Marks Episcopal Church, in Van Nuys, California, received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Although many of his congregants followed him into the experience, many others rejected it. The incident created such a furor that the national news media picked up the story and carried it nation-wide.

Being a humble man, Bennett resigned his parish to quell the conflict. The embarrassed officials in the Episcopal Church re-assigned Bennett to a small, inner-city parish in Seattle, Washington, with the hopes that this controversial issue would go away. St. Luke's in Seattle was about to close anyway, so they gave Bennett liberty to continue practicing and teaching his new-found Pentecostal experience.

But St. Luke's didn't close. Within a matter of weeks it was the largest parish in the region, with some 2,000 people attending services every week. Episcopaleans and other Christians were coming from everywhere to receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit -- complete with tongues. (Dennis Bennett later told my professor, Dr. Synan, that for twenty years at least twenty people each week received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit in that church.) This spiritual fire quickly spread throughout the Episcopal Church and then into every Protestant denomination, becoming a major movement known as neo-Pentecostalism, or more commonly, the Charismatic Renewal. (Charismata is the Greek word for the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit.)

Many Charismatics left their mainline churches and joined Pentecostal churches, bringing refreshing to "tired" Pentecostal churches. Many left to form new, non-denominational churches. Many others remained in their mainline churches, hoping to bring renewal. Some entire congregations, like St. Luke's, remained with their denominations, but were fully Charismatic. But there was not a corner of the Church that was not affected by this move of the Holy Spirit. The Roman Catholic Church would also experience this renewal (as I shared in yesterday's post) and even the Orthodox Church. Jesus said, "The wind blows where it will." (John 3) The Holy Spirit will not be confined to or prohibited by denominational structures, but goes where people hunger and thirst for God.

Today in America, more than half of Evangelicals (Bible-believing Christians) are Charismatic/Pentecostal. Worldwide, 60% of Protestant/Evangelical/Orthodox Christians are Spirit-filled and that percentage is increasing daily. Centuries ago the prophet Joel predicted that in the last days God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh (Joel 2:28). Peter applied that to the Day of Pentecost. That was the "former rain." But there was to be a "latter rain," just before the harvest. How fortunate we are to live in these days of prophetic fulfillment!

Repost from Pastor Terry's Blog.

Pentecostal Catholics

[This is a repost from Pastor Terry's Blog originally posted Wednesday, 3/10/10.]

Today's post will mean more if you read yesterday's post first. I shared how two events were occurring simultaneously on the same day – January 1, 1901: In Rome, the Pope was leading a prayer for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and in Topeka, Kansas, the Holy Spirit was being poured out on a group of protestant Bible College students. The Catholic church didn't experience its own Pentecost until 1967, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on students at Duquesne University. Shortly afterwards, a similar event occurred at Notre Dame. From these initial sparks the Charismatic Renewal spread throughout the Catholic Church.

NOW, FOR THE REST OF THE STORY: Today, in Topeka, Kansas, on the very spot where once stood that Bible College, now stands a Roman Catholic Church – a charismatic Catholic church! Since 1967 more than 5,000 Catholics have received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues at this church! My professor, Dr. Vinson Synan, spoke there for a week of meetings in the late 1980's and led 120 Catholics into Spirit Baptism that week. While there he took the priest to the foundation stones of the Bible College, where the rectory now stands, and told him the story of the 1901 outpouring on that spot. The Charismatic Renewal is continuing and increasing, especially in developing nations, and among all kinds of people. Truly, God is pouring out His Spirit "on all flesh" (Joel 2:28).

TOMORROW – I'll talk about the Charismatic Renewal in the Mainline Protestant Churches.

Repost from Pastor Terry's Blog.

Pentecostals and Catholics

[This is a repost from Pastor Terry's Blog originally posted Tuesday, 3/9/10.]

I want to tell you a true story every student of the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement knows well:

On January 1, 1901, at a small Bible College in Topeka Kansas, a student named Agnes Ozman received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. This event sparked a revival that has since spread all over the world and has come to be known as the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement. Today, over 600 million Christians worldwide speak in tongues or identify with those who do.

But blessings always carry hidden dangers. In this case, Pentecostals face the subtle temptation to think that God is only moving among us and people like us. Such exclusivism not only indicates spiritual pride, it manifests plain old ignorance. Let me tell you another story few Pentecostals/Charismatics know.

In 1897, in Lucca, Italy, a Roman Catholic nun by the name of Elena Guerra, wrote to Pope Leo XIII, asking him to proclaim nine days of prayer to the Holy Spirit, beseeching Him to come again, just as He came at Pentecost. The Pope complied and went a step further. He called Catholics to a new appreciation for the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. All over the world millions of Catholics began focusing on the Holy Spirit as never before. The Pope also proclaimed the coming twentieth century the "Century of the Holy Spirit." On January 1, 1901, He led prayer for this at the Vatican, and even led the faithful in singing "Come Holy Spirit."

Think about that. On the same day the Pope was singing, "Come Holy Spirit" at the Vatican in Rome, Agnes Ozman was receiving the Baptism in the Spirit at Topeka, Kansas! God was working simultaneously in two very different groups of people – and neither group was aware of the other. That's just like God! He's bigger than the little boxes we tend to put Him in.

But there's another part of this story that makes it even more exciting. God answered the prayers of those Catholics in another way that went far beyond Topeka, Kansas. DON'T MISS TOMORROW'S POST. I'm going to share "THE REST OF THE STORY."

Repost from Pastor Terry's Blog.

A Big "So That"

I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;

and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that words within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
(Eph. 3:14-20)

Authentic Community

Authentic Community - The Local Church as a Family - Jayson Sherrod

The Lord has set up the Kingdom of God in a way that Believers with various callings live life with one another. Foremost, individual Believers pursuing the Lord’s calling on their life and operating in their spiritual gifting is crucial to the health of the Church. Their role is to edify the Church (1 Cor. 12, Eph. 4:11-16)

The Church is God’s primary instrument for establishing His Kingdom on the earth. But the Church is more than an instrument. Jesus, the chosen King of the Kingdom calls the corporate Body of Christ His Bride (Isa. 62:5; Matt 9:15; Rev. 19:7; Rev. 21:2, 9, 22:17). Immediately, He establishes the Church in her Kingdom identity, and forever declares relationship and intimacy with God to be the context of His Kingdom’s government (Rev. 21:3, 7).

He also secures us in our identity as individuals, who make up the collective Church. We are Sons and Daughters , bearing this seal by His Spirit, who testifies it so (Rom. 8:14-17; Heb. 12:5-6; Lk. 15:11-32) and we are also, individually, the Bride of Christ , those in whom He delights (Isa. 62:4) and has strong affection for (Isa. 62:3), even strong jealousy (Ex. 34:14; Jas. 4:5; Rev. 18:20).

The Lord’s moral standards for individuals and community have been established by Jesus’ explanation of the value system of the Kingdom of God, the Sermon on the Mount (Mat. 5-7). These are not special ideals reserved for radical Christians. This is Christianity 101. There are no exceptions for a busy 21st century age. The Sermon on the Mount is forever the standard of Kingdom living in this age and in the age to come (Isa. 9:7). It was Jesus’ value system, as we see by his life and teachings (Gospels), and since Jesus is the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15), we see it as also the standard of God’s righteousness and justice (Isa. 9:6-7), which are the foundation of His Throne (Ps. 89:14) and His standard for judgment (Rev. 19:11).

How does this relate to the local Church community? A community of Believers is made up of intermingling relationships. We are called to pursue the Lord as a family. We are not complete in ourselves, only together as the Body of Christ (Col. 2:10; 1 Cor. 12:12-25). This can’t happen in isolation.

The way I understand Authentic Community is essentially twofold:

Authentic : We strive to be authentic in the way that we’re transparent, honest, and vulnerable with one another. It is integrity that keeps us honest with ourselves that we wouldn’t pretend to be someone we’re not, or pretend to be godlier or more righteous than we are. Yet, having only these traits does not yet make us Christian.

Community : We strive to be a community in the Biblical sense, which is drastically different from a community as defined by the world. Even evil men know how to give good gifts (Mat. 7:11), and the unjust judges, worldly justice (Luke 18:1-6). Even unbelievers trust one another with their weakness and their broken lives. A Christian community isn’t just a gathering of people with similar and different interests who enjoy each other’s company, even bearing one another’s burdens; true humanists do this well. True Biblical community is defined by a communion or fellowship, understood by the Greek word “koinonia”. Koinonia in the context of authentic community is essentially intimacy and fellowship with one another, because we have intimacy and fellowship with God.

“If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another…” 1 Jn.1:7

“If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” 1 Jn. 1:6

“…and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” 1 Jn. 1:7

True fellowship in Scripture required sharing God’s life and revelation with one another (1 Jn. 1:1-5). To fellowship in the way the Bible describes, people must pursue pure lives with holy speech and have vibrant spirits in the Word.

Confession, forgiveness, and repentance are required for weak and broken people to live together in authentic community. While we are striving by the Lord’s grace to walk in fellowship with Him and living by the value system of His Kingdom, we hurt one another, we must forgive (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13); we sin, we must confess to God and to one another for healing and purifying (1 Jn. 1:9), and we must truly repent (change the way you think, change the way you act); (Acts 2:38, 3:19).

Since we are all works in progress, confession and true repentance are a process for each of us and for the Church, and should be practiced regularly; the Lord is sanctifying us.

What are we striving for? To be rooted and growing in the truth of the Word of God, and who the Lord has called us to be individually and collectively.

To assess the true measure of our spiritual maturity as individuals and as the Church living in Authentic Community, we must maintain the humble posture of confession and repentance; and we must see ourselves by the standard of the Word of God, not by the society or culture around us.

The standards of God’s Word are not unreachable ideals if He has given us His Spirit and His Word, and his righteousness is what is intended for us as Believers and as His Church. If we’re not yet found in these truths in God’s Word, let’s grow in it and walk it out together as an Authentic Community.

“The glory that you have given to me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one…that they may…be with me where I am…that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:22, 24, 26).

By the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,

Jayson

What encourages Authentic Community:

• Conversing about the Lord in fellowship.

• Asking for prayer.

• Setting our hearts as a community to pursue, by the Lord’s grace, God’s standards of godliness and holiness.

• Refusing to tolerate sin in our lives.

• Staying committed to other believers.

• Spending time together, immersed in the Word.

• Praying together regularly.

What hinders/discourages Authentic Community:

• Fellowship as a Popularity Contest (Few, if any Churches are immune).

• Becoming isolated from the group.

• Sin with our words.

• The Lack of forgiveness.

• Sin in general

• Unconfessed sin

• Exclusivism

For more information on USC House of Prayer please join our facebook group:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=26289460014

His Calling, His Inheritance, His Power

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe (Ephesians 1:17-19).