Category: Unity

The Work of the Holy Spirit in Ministry – Modern Day Miracles

Filed under: Faith, Jesus, Ministry, Possess the Vision, Spirituality, spirtual warfare, the Holy Spirit, Unity — 2 Comments

June 24, 2011

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

The Work of the Holy Spirit in Ministry – Modern Day Miracles

When our church decided to launch a program to increase membership, they secured speaking engagements from a number of well-known evangelists and pastors and offered special church services over a single weekend. To ensure that the public knew about the opportunity, they invested in an advertising campaign.

The church wanted everyone who attended these special events to get the message of our church out to our community. Therefore, they set up a number of tables just outside the church to sell books, videos, audiotapes, and other religious items. I had been asked to work the table that offered videotapes of a famous evangelist. In the course of the assignment, I struck up a conversation with an interesting man who came by the table. He mentioned that he had a food distribution ministry and had connections with several salmon companies in Alaska. These companies had a unique situation.

Due to government regulations, the fishermen had to collectively limit the amount of fish they sold each day. If they caught more than the legal limit on any given day, they had to dispose of the excess fish. This typically resulted in taking the excess fish back out to sea and dumping them in the ocean. As a result, the fishermen were dumping large volumes of fish back into the ocean on a regular basis. Now, this is where the opportunity came in. Although they could not sell the excess fish, they were allowed to donate it to a charitable organization. This was where his ministry came into play. He said that he worked with a number of people who would process and freeze the fish and others who would deliver it, all for free. I thought that this could be a great opportunity for our church food distribution program. This man seemed like a nice person, but I decided to check him out before doing anything. I asked him if he had worked with anyone else in our area. He mentioned two organizations, one about which he had many great things to say. He indicated that this organization was led by the Holy Spirit, and that the anointing there was unbelievable. The name of this organization is Friend Ships.

I was very impressed with what he told me about Friend Ships, so I called them and set up an appointment to meet one of their representatives. I also arranged for Johnnie, Wanda, and two other couples to see this organization with us. One day after work we drove over to the Friend Ships’ warehouse on the Long Beach docks. We entered the office area but found that the person we were scheduled to meet with was not there for some reason. However, there was another man there who seemed very interested in us. He introduced himself as Don Tipton. We were soon to find out that he was founder and leader of the Friend Ships organization. What an amazing and rare organization Friend Ships turned out to be. At that time they did not ask for money. In fact, they operated very well with little money because every worker was a volunteer. No one was paid a salary, including Don and his wife, Sondra.

One thing that we noticed while we were there was that there was a lack of any organizational structure and minimal planning activities. I thought that anyone who came here from corporate America would be amazed at how this group got anything done at all. The irony of all of this was their tremendous ability to deliver food, supplies, equipment, and all sorts of other things to people who really needed it. This was all explained by the fact that they had a secret weapon—their faith in Jesus Christ. They simply stepped out in faith and trusted in God for what they needed. Time after time they watched in awe as God came through again and again.

Remember: Peter Walked on Water until he Doubted

Let me give you an example. They had a food distribution program in which they collected and distributed food for the poor each Saturday morning. Amazingly, they did not make any arrangements for people to bag the food into distribution packets so that the food could be easily passed out to the poor and needy. People just showed up. The right number of people showed up at just the right time to get the job done. They trusted in God, and God delivered.

The entire operation was run this way—on God power. There was something special about Don that I liked right away. He was a no-nonsense kind of guy. He had seen it all, and he was serious about his commitment to God. He told us a story of how he brought his wife to Jesus prior to their marriage. They had read the entire Bible together, and once they did, the call of God became clear to them, and they went into full-time ministry.

They sold their Beverly Hill’s polo field and other businesses and started their ministry by simply stepping out in faith. Their vision was to collect surplus food from the wealthiest country in the world—the United States of America—and distribute it to the poor and the hungry people of the world.

Don told us all about their ministry, and how they got started. For example, he told us a story of how their first ship was donated to them. Soon after they had entered full-time ministry, they found their heart was for the poor and starving people all over the world. But to care for them, they would require a ship to transport goods they had collected to the places where people needed them. So, they started praying for an ocean-going ship, but nothing happened at first. Consequently, they said to themselves, we must step out in faith and start looking at ships that are for sale.

One day Don went to look at a 300-foot ocean transport ship. The owner took him on a tour of the ship showing him everything it had to offer. After the tour, the owner invited Don to have a cup of coffee with him, and they sat down to talk. The owner was obviously very interested in selling the ship, and he immediately started to negotiate the price with Don. This, however, made Don uncomfortable because he did not know how to tell the man he didn’t have the money to buy it. Eventually, he told the owner that he ran a food distribution ministry and hoped that he would donate the ship to them. The owner agreed immediately. All he had to do was to come over the following day and sign the papers. That is how Friend Ships got into the shipping business. They stepped out in faith, and God delivered.

But now they had to find a place to store the items to be shipped when the ship was out to sea making deliveries. They found a warehouse that was not being used and got permission from the owner to use it rent free until he could sell it. That owner sold the property after six months, but the new owner extended the agreement with them until he could lease the warehouse to someone else. The result was that they were able to use the warehouse for an additional eighteen months prior to finding their next warehouse in Los Angeles.

Again, they stepped out in faith and God delivered. This kind of thing was the norm for this ministry. There are so many stories like this about Friend Ships. Miracles prevented disaster, money was given just when they needed it, and skilled people like retired naval officers showed up saying that God sent them.

Don explained that their food collection depended on what the local businesses gave them. They also worked with church groups and other individuals to distribute the food locally to the poor. Clearly, God was blessing this ministry. Don explained all of this as he escorted us through the warehouse. We got to see, first hand, all the items that they had collected and eventually would be shipped overseas. The items consisted of all of the things that are needed to support a community including —school desks, fire fighting equipment, and medical equipment. The Holy Spirit was overseeing it all. Pat and I broke off from the group for a while and walked through all three floors of the warehouse, crying like babies most of the time. We were humbled how God had supported this ministry.

Don took us out to the dock where the newest of their three ships was being renovated for duty. The ship was longer than a football field and more than five stories above the water line. The ship was being renovated to become a floating hospital. Their plan was to bring the ship into various ports around the world to deliver medical attention to the poor. As they brought people aboard ship for treatment, there would be opportunity to tell them about Jesus. We walked through the ship and found a great number of people working to convert it for her new mission. I thought: the ship is huge, what a job it is going to be to make her ready for the mission.

The Holy Spirit was on the ship as well. Don brought us to one of the finished meeting rooms and led us in prayer. I believe that every one of us had tears in our eyes in the midst of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. What a pleasure to find a ministry working under the pure guidance and direction of God. I guess that you could say that we got more than we bargained for, but somewhere along the way we did manage to ask Don about the man who had the salmon fish distribution ministry. He indicated that he knew him, and he had been there to visit with them but they had only gotten a couple hundred pounds of fish from him.

Subsequently, this information did not sway us one way or the other. We did not get what we went for, but God delivered what He wanted us to have. He was providing information once-again. This time it was to see how He worked with His people. He showed us a ministry that was His ministry. It ran with volunteer help and required very little money. It was a ministry that was directed by the Holy Spirit with little planning and organization. This ministry just stepped out in faith and learned to depend on Him. He showed us that miracles are still happening today. God has a heart for the poor and the needy. He showed us a ministry focused on building communities and enabling people to better care for their families. If you would like to know more about the Friend Ships ministry, read the book entitled, Jesus and Company—Part 1 by Don and Sondra Tipton. Information on how to order the book or learn more about the ministry is on the Internet. Simply go to http://friendships.org/

Thank you, Don and Sondra, for being such a true example of what it means to be a Christian.

Tags: Christian Love, Christianity, church, God, Jesus, Love, Ministry, Religious, spiritual warfare, Spirituality, the Holy Spirit

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PROPHESIES OF PROVISION

Filed under: Christian Education, Ministry, Possess the Vision, Spirituality, spirtual warfare, Unity — 3 Comments

June 13, 2011

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

Read the truly amazing life story about how the forces of good and evil battle over a man and the vision that God gives him. Joseph W. Gordon’s Possess the Vision (Xulon Press, $12.95, 140 pages, ISBN 1-59781-205-6) tells about the mysterious spiritual experiences that occur throughout his lifetime.

PROPHESIES OF PROVISION

Our past set of postings has proposed that a universal technology be developed and deployed with the purpose to unite and empower Christians around the world. This technology is to be built and established by Christians for Christians. It is designed to help usher in the kingdom of God by supporting the growth and development of all Christian churches, missions, and peoples. It is to be a tool to enable Christians to proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ more effectively and, in so doing, become more fruitful as a people. Fundamentally, this technology is to be a tool to help Christians work together in the ministry of improving the world around them; by helping the poor and disenfranchised better take care of their families.

With this being said, God started to talk to me about His provision and support for the vision through the prophetic. This started one Sunday when a visiting pastor pulled me out of the congregation and gave me a message from God that was so accurate that it could only have come from God. The things that he told me were not only incredible but they revealed things that only I could have known. I was in awe of the words that he spoke. Here is what he said:

Tonight you are going to get a breakthrough. It has already started—it has already started. God has blessed you. Your mind is so sharp. It is so keen. It is so precise. Your memory, your retention, your energy for detail, it is so right there. But, the enemy comes at you. I am going to tell you something. You could see success in so many different ways. But, I want you to understand something. God has a success plan for you in your spiritual walk. He has planted you in this church. He has planted you within this ministry, and God is going to use your life supernaturally. The Lord said some things are going to begin to happen down in your spirit, and it’s going to be greater than any day that you have ever beheld before. But brother, sometimes the thing gets so heavy. You just feel like a weight is on your head. You get under so much pressure. You get under so much stress, and you say, “I can’t take this.” And the Lord said I am going to open up the anointing to your thoughts. This thing is going to lift. This thing is going to be destroyed, and you are going to begin to relax.

I look at people, and I don’t know anything about you. I do know one thing though. I know your name is Joe because you have it on your name tag. But Joe, I’m going to begin to turn some things into the hands of an almighty God. And the Lord said, whatever your hands do is going to begin to prosper. There is going to be a loosing of the blessing of God upon your life greater than you have ever known before. There is favor that is coming upon you in the corporate structure greater than you ever thought could happen. The Lord said, that you thought to yourself, “God, if I am what You want me to be I am going to get persecuted.” Oh, son, don’t judge that to be the truth. Judge this to be the truth: with anointing comes favor. I am going to give you favor like I gave Joseph. I am going to give you favor like that of Laban when he looked at Jacob and said, “I have been blessed because you have been with Me.” And the Lord said, “I will give those over thee an understanding that you bring favor, you bring wisdom, you bring direction.” And the Lord said, “I see the circumstantial struggles. I see the battles in your midst. I see even an individual that has stood against thee and has fought thee in the steps that you have been taking.” But the Lord said, “I will pull the teeth right out of the mouth of the lion. I will mute the voice of the devil. And you shall sound like a trumpet. You shall be heard in high places and it shall bring results.”

He continued prophesying: Oh my, I see a report. I see something lying on your desk. I see it is like recommendations. The devil is saying this isn’t going to fly. And the Lord would say, “Read about Joseph. You’ve got that kind of favor.” And the Lord said, “You know how I guided you, and you know how I directed you. And, you know that I have given you the insights that I have given you. I am going to cause favor to come upon you. And, son, you have not ever asked Me for promotions. You’ve not asked Me for raises. Oh, but son, don’t be surprised when they come, don’t be surprised when they come. Because you’ve sown seed and you have trusted Me, and, you’ve said, ‘God I just want to do what you want me to do.’” “And, I would say, I will uproot. I will uproot the thorns. I will uproot the briars. I will cause the fir and the myrtle tree to flourish because My Word will not return void”, says the Lord of hosts. “And, I would say, I have seen you as you have sat at your computer. I have seen you as your fingers have moved across the keyboard faster than you have ever watched your hands move before because I was putting the thoughts and directions into your mind. I know they have to do with carnal things, son. But it has to do with the fact that I put you where I have put you to let the glory of God shine.” And the Lord would say, “I have seen you, even in the early morning hours. I have seen your wife when she has come into the office and into the study of your home and said, ‘Honey, it’s late. You’ve got to come to bed and rest.’ But, I kept speaking concerning the natural but yet the supernatural is on it. Son, know I am with thee. Be not troubled. Be not distressed. Be not worried. For the glory of God is upon thee”, says God.

I take this prophetic message to mean that God was intending to support the development of a strategic technology to be a delivery system through which His love can flow. In my next posting I will get into the details of this message and why it was so profound.

Tags: Christian Love, Christianity, church, God, Jesus, Ministry, religion, spiritual warfare, Spirituality

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UNITING CHRISTIANS TO SUPPORT MISSIONS

Filed under: Christian Education, Ministry, Possess the Vision, Spirituality, spirtual warfare, Unity — 1 Comment

June 10, 2011

Read my story by ordering my book, “Possess the Vision”

: The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

UNITING CHRISTIANS TO SUPPORT MISSIONS

A few weeks ago we proposed that a universal technology be developed and deployed with the purpose to unite and empower Christians around the world. This technology is to be built and established by Christians for Christians. It is designed to help usher in the kingdom of God by supporting the growth and development of all Christian churches, missions, and peoples. It is to be a tool to enable Christians to proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ more effectively and, in so doing, become more fruitful as a people. Fundamentally, this technology is to be a tool to help Christians work together in the ministry of improving the world around them; by helping the poor and disenfranchised better take care of their families.

In our prior postings we have laid out the communications infrastructure for the mission, but this may be of little value in many third world countries where people are suffering the most. In addition, many ministries require person-to-person interaction. Book learning can only go so far. To become proficient, one needs hands-on experience. This certainly includes job and trade skills like auto mechanics, home construction, and farming. In addition, ministering to the homeless and disenfranchised in third world countries requires feet on the ground. Physical presence is also desirable in spiritual matters where praying for the sick and the laying on of hands can enhance the outcome.

Jesus "The light of the World," Heals a Blind Man

Therefore, we need to do several things. First, we must build a courseware and expert knowledge to support the missionary efforts abroad. Second, we must expand the knowledge and capabilities of the existing missionary force through the educational and communication capabilities of the computer technology we have presented. Thirdly, we must recruit and train expert advisors who can augment the skills and courseware being used by missionaries. Fourthly, we must recruit and train additional missionaries, again through the leverage of churches and computer technology.

Saint Peter Healing the Cripple - Raising Tabitha - Masolino

To achieve these things requires bringing the capabilities of computer technology to the world, starting with the industrialized countries that have the means to support outreach missions. The overall plan is to first deploy this customized technology in strategically located churches across the United States. These churches will then coordinate the development of the initial curriculum.

Each church will develop a portion of the curriculum using the technology and the human resources of the church. First, they will develop the curriculum by collectively seeking the advice of their existing missionary force. Once the curriculum has been established, individual courseware will be developed. Each church will have responsibility for the development of one course. Once completed, it will be reviewed by representatives from the other denominations and then certified. After certification has been accomplished, each church will have access to the entire curriculum of courseware. This should represent a substantial return on their investment because an entire curriculum of classes is now available to each church for the price of developing only a single class.

With this educational material in hand, the churches can now do a number of things. First, they can release the training material to their general population for individual use and development. The result will be a congregation that is better prepared for ministry and able to achieve a higher standard of living as a whole. Secondly, the training material can be used as a ministry to the communities in their vicinity. Even in America, there are plenty of people who would be interested in free education and training. This would be especially true if that training would help them improve their standard of living and increase their ability to take care of their family. The result of such a ministry is that the church will gain a solid opportunity to evangelize, which will bring people to the Lord and increase the membership. Thirdly, existing ministries can be extended to include the training and education programs available or initiate entirely new ministries based on them. Of course development will not stop at this point because there will be several rounds of expansion afterward. Many churches will be drawn into the program and with them will come the development of additional curriculum. More course work will be developed, more technology will be used, more outreaches will be created, more lives will be improved, and more people will know about Jesus and work in the service of the Lord.

Read my story by ordering my book, “Possess the Vision”

Tags: Christian Love, Christianity, God, Jesus, Ministry, Religious, spiritual warfare, Spirituality

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UNITING CHRISTIANS FOR POLITICAL INFLUENCE

Filed under: Bride of Christ, Ministry, Possess the Vision, spirtual warfare, Unity — Leave a comment

June 3, 2011

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

Read my amazing true life story about how the forces of good and evil battle for my life and the vision that God has given me. My book, “Possess the Vision,” communicates my supernatural experiences and as a result, provides insight into the realm of the spiritual warfare that is raging for our souls and our purpose. This is a must read for all Christians. Learn more by following this link: Possess-the-Vision-at-Amazon

UNITING CHRISTIANS FOR POLITICAL INFLUENCE

One way to achieve this is to provide a foundation for political influence in the United States of America and other countries through the use of the technology we mentioned above. The primary focus of this will be to support and promote Christian values, beliefs and religious rights. This includes support systems for the election and appointment of Christians who believe in bringing the will of God into their political office. The systems we recommend will support for our religious freedoms as well as the human rights of the individual as viewed from a Christian perspective. For example, we have seen school teachers in one school tell students that they cannot wear a cross in their class. While many of these things are simply misguided, all such issues should initiate a united action from the Christian community. The system we propose should achieve that end.

The system we propose is designed to organize and put in place such action. A loss of individual rights can occur whenever the common people do not stand up to the tyranny of the powerful few who plan to profit from their demise. Such is the case today—as major corporations, other nations, and special interest groups attempt to change the laws of our country through the leverage of their power and money. Often, this comes at the expense of the people who are supposed to be protected by their government. For example, legislation that is passed based on the influence of the insurance lobby can produce results that restrict the benefits that would otherwise be due to hard-working Americans. This being the case, it would seem to me that we have lost our representative form of government. The fact that these injustices can occur must mean that there is corruption in our government. This, in turn, means that we are no longer a nation of the people, by the people, and for the people. If laws are passed based on the desires of the rich and powerful, then we are a nation of major corporations and foreign interests made up of special interest groups who represent the rich and powerful. When these things happen, there should be a unified Christian force to confront our government in a righteous and balanced way.

We must restore the honesty and integrity that we once had by establishing a true system of checks and balances like those that our forefathers had intended when they drafted our constitution. We must get big money out of politics and restore our government to the people. Think about this statement for starters. If for some reason both of our political parties were being influenced and/or paid by the same group of powerful people and corporations, then we would have lost the power of our vote and, as a result, the control of our government and in the end our civil rights. It is in this way that the system we propose can provide a valid check and balance that may be missing today.

One major use of this computerized system will be to gain political influence by providing a facility that will enable the Christian community to identify, define, debate, and unify around Christian opinions and issues. For example, it can make it possible for the entire body of Christ to voice their opinions on candidates and proposed laws. It will allow the collection and consolidation of information into easily digestible packages that will inform and enable Christian voters to align on issues of importance to the Christian way of life. In addition, this system will provide a capability to initiate, create, and pass petitions to change existing laws. In addition, dialog capabilities will enable Christians to discuss the issues openly. All of this is necessary to protect our most precious rights in the United States—the right to freedom of religion and speech. These rights have been systematically under attack in recent years.

So, in these ways, the collective body of Christ will gain more political influence in government actions, appointments, and elections. In addition, the body will gain more influence over our public schools, our environment, our local governments, and laws that pertain to our welfare. In addition, we will be able to take a stronger and more forceful position on abortion, sex and violence on public TV, prayer in schools, corruption in politics, and the influence of big corporations in government. The unity of the entire church body is necessary to bring influence in all of these areas.

Tags: Christianity, church, God, Jesus, Ministry, politics, Religious, spiritual warfare

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Development of Courseware in Support of Universal Christian Education

Filed under: Bride of Christ, Christian Education, Christian Love, Ministry, Possess the Vision, spirtual warfare, Unity — 1 Comment

May 31, 2011

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

Development of Course Ware in Support of Universal Christian Education

A few weeks ago we recommend that the universal Christian Community work together toward the deployment of a Christian Educational system. This system could be available to anywhere in the world by leveraging existing computer, communications and software technology.

A key component of all of this is the development of educational content. Content will be the very heart of the product that is to be delivered to the poor and disenfranchised peoples of the world. This course ware will be developed by Christians from across the world and then donated as a gift to all peoples of the world. In addition, processes will be established that enable continuous improvements to the course work as is appropriate. Educational materials will also be modularized such that good material can be reused in future course ware development.

The course ware will be displayed in a multimedia format much like television but will also have interactive components as well. Therefore, this material will require the interactive participation of subject matter experts to address student questions and needs for support. A major portion of this support is to come via on-line television that connects the student to the teacher via the Internet. The thought here is that subject matter experts can be made available much easier when travel and residency outside one’s native country are not a requirement. This strategy will also be very useful in areas of the world where Christian persecution is a problem.

The Martydom of Saint Paul - Tintoretto in 1556

For cases where the physical presence of a subject matter expert is required, the recommended course of action will be to use local people who are trained to accomplish this mission. So, while I expect that there will be some cases which will require the physical transportation of subject matter experts and teachers, in all cases a plan to transfer this capability into the hands of local people must be carried out. Therefore, train the trainer programs will be developed to achieve this objective and in some cases practical experience must be achieved by transporting people to the host country.

In summary, the computer systems, networks and course ware will support existing missions with the capability to improve the living standards of the peoples of the world, while also spreading the word of Jesus where it is currently absent. They will be a demonstration of the love of the body of Christ for all people. It will help them be self sufficient, not relying on the handouts of others but rather instilling in them the confidence of their ability to adequately care for their families and lead their respective communities.

Undertaking such an initiative will require a tremendous amount of work. But we already have a treasure of religious educational services in place. Certainly there are educational programs deployed for child education that includes K-12 courses. There are religious colleges that specialize in both contemporary as well as religious programs. There are seminaries and religious programs designed to prepare people for ministry. There are also existing audio/visual materials that are teaching programs, bible studies and religious education. These are the places to start because much of the material is available, well though out and proven to be effective. The work to be required would be to transfer this existing material into a form where it can be made available to others through the facilities we have been talking about.

One of the benefits of participating in such an effort is that there are several positive effects of developing such subject matter. First of all, it would enable these school systems to deploy this material in their own schools. This would provide teachers with a wealth of material to integrate into their own curriculum’s. This can provide the benefit of reducing the amount of time invested in developing this teaching material from scratch. This in turn could free teachers for other necessary activities like providing personalized tutoring, grading exams, preparing for future lesson plans or administrative paperwork.

The material developed for online course work can also be used by new teachers to reduce their class ware. In addition, since the material will be modularized, there will be times when pieces of material from one course can be reused. In such cases teacher productivity is improved. Other productivity improvements will also be provided such as self grading tests, templates for lesson plans, and student collaboration.

Tags: Bride of Christ, Christian Education, Christianity, church, God, Jesus, Ministry, religion, Religious, spiritual warfare, Spirituality

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The Importance of Christian Networking

Filed under: Ministry, Possess the Vision, Unity — 3 Comments

May 19, 2011

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

Read my story by ordering my book, “Possess the Vision”

The Importance of Christian Networking

In our past several postings we have been recommending the creation of computerized system to facilitate Christian ministries across all denominations and geographic locations. In effect, the recommended technology will provide the tools necessary for Christians to more easily work together and to do so more effectively. The recommended system would enable every Christian to be able to register themselves and/or their ministries in the systems database. In doing so they are making information about their ministry available to the Christian community. So in a way, this is like advertising. Other Christians can find your information by entering in basic search criteria. So, for example, someone may be able to find your ministry by searching based on zip code and denominational preference. You may be able to find them in a similar way as well. Of course, these inquiries and information sharing can lead to additional actions which can positively affect both ministries. One major decision would certainly be to follow up with personal contacts and make a decision to work together or partner in some activity that leads to the building of the body of Christ.

Jesus Speaks to the Multitude

Such networking can bring substantial dividends to the workers of Christ. The point is that once a ministry is registered, the following capabilities become available to the Christian community:

● Join forces with other ministries with similar missions (like food collection and or distribution.)

● Produce and distribute educational materials for the benefit of the poor and disenfranchised (covered in prior postings)

● Unite for the positive influence of governments policies and actions

● Reach ministries in all parts of the world without the need to be physically present

We will present each of these capabilities in greater detail in our following postings.

Tags: Christianity, church, Jesus, Ministry, Religious, spiritual warfare, Spirituality

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THE CORE BELIEFS OF A CHRISTIAN MINISTRY

Filed under: Ministry, Possess the Vision, Spirituality, spirtual warfare, Unity — Leave a comment

April 23, 2011

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

THE CORE BELIEFS OF A CHRISTIAN MINISTRY

In addition to the core values of a Christian Ministry (as presented in our last posting,) core beliefs are an integral component of our values. These fundamental beliefs are the basis of our ability to work together in ministry. They are the core commonality of our faith and of ability to work with Christians in multi-denominational ministries (like we discussed a few postings ago.) Like core values, core beliefs also serve to constrain our partners in ministry to people who are aligned on the fundamental principles of Christianity.

The following list reflects our core beliefs:

● Jesus is the Son of God, and that He came to earth to tell us about the Father and to demonstrate His love for us.

Jesus heals the man at the pools.

● His love was manifest in the sacrifice of His life on the cross, which was offered up for the forgiveness of our sin.

Jesus Sheds His Blood on the Cross

● He defeated evil in His resurrection from the dead.

Jesus at the Tomb

● He ascended into heaven where He is our advocate with the Father.

The Ascension of Jesus

● He has sent us His Holy Spirit to enlighten our path and empowers us for spiritual warfare.

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost

● The enlightened path of the Holy Spirit will lead us to the Father who will be faithful in His covenant promises to those who are steadfast to the end.

Of course, it would seem to me that the Nicene Creed serves this purpose very well as well. I know that it is used by many of our denominations as well and so I will provide a copy here for your reference.

We believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

We as Christians, therefore, should unite on these core values and beliefs by sharing what we have with the world. More specifically, we must share our knowledge, skills, and know how. To use an old analogy, we must teach them to fish rather than simply giving them fish. This being the case, we must proceed hand in hand toward the development and use of technologies that enable us to work together more effectively (presented previously.) In walking together in this way, we will demonstrate the love we have for our brothers and sisters in the world, and we will be doing what Jesus would have us do—have compassion on the poor and hungry.

Tags: Christianity, core beliefs, Jesus, Ministry, religion, Religious, spiritual warfare, Spirituality, the Holy Spirit, theology

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UNITY AND LOVE ARE REQUIRED IN THE MINISTRY OF JESUS CHRIST

Filed under: Bride of Christ, Christian Love, Ministry, Possess the Vision, Spirituality, spirtual warfare, Unity — Leave a comment

March 29, 2011

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

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Read my story by ordering my book, “Possess the Vision”

UNITY AND LOVE ARE REQUIRED IN THE MINISTRY OF JESUS CHRIST

One objective of this posting is to communicate the mission of Possess the Vision ministries. In presenting this mission however, we take a good look at the subjects of unity and love which must be at the heart of any ministry attributed to Jesus Christ.

A mission statement addresses the primary objective of the ministry by identifying the direction in which the people are to direct their activities. A good mission statement should also answer the question, what are we to do? The Possess the Vision Mission Statement is presented below:

Christians from all denominations and sects will work together (unite) to collectively deploy the tools, technology, resources, and support necessary to enable all peoples of the world to improve their lives and living standards through the knowledge and blessings of Jesus Christ.

As we mentioned earlier there are two major components of the mission statement. One component is unity and the other is love.

A major component of the mission is to create unity in the bride of Christ as Jesus commanded. It is clear by looking at the following scripture that Jesus expects us to as one in Him and the Father:

I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me (John 17: 20 – 23).

The Power of Prayer

This means that we must work with all other Christians toward continuing the mission that Jesus left us, which is that we love one another. The vision and mission statements presented here lead us to do this in a organized way. This mission is like that of Jesus in that it is designed to spread His love across the planet. Therefore, we must act as one body in love just as Jesus prayed.

This means that we will have to work around many of the issues that are dividing Christians currently. Therefore, our focus must be on Jesus our savior exclusively, striving to do the things that He did while He was on the earth. Further, we must look past our differences by understanding that they stem from the inability of men to always understand the ways and words of God.

Conflicting interpretations of the Bible for example, only reveals that one of the parties are wrong. Such differences can only be attributed to the fallibility of man since there is only unity and peace in the body of Christ. Therefore we must realize that our differences regarding church doctrine, philosophy and dogma are nothing more than different styles. Often these things make no difference in getting into heaven. What I do know is that we must work together because Jesus taught us that a house divided against itself cannot stand.

But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand” (Matthew 12:25).

In addition, the mission started by Jesus is a mission of love.

Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, “Where I am going, you cannot come,” so now I say to you. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:33 – 35).

The second component of the mission is love. If we love one another we must find a way to work together so that we will not be a house divided and secondly, so that the world will know that we are the true disciples of Jesus. If we love one another we will carry on the mission that Jesus left us. We will seek with all of our heart to have the same impact on the world as Jesus. The people who followed Jesus were fed. The sick that came to Jesus were healed. The people who heard the words of Jesus received the truth about God the Father and His love for them. The mission of Jesus was a mission of love, and the people touched were much better off for the experience. It is in this way that our mission is also a mission of love. It is to this goal that we aspire: that the impact of our ministry will leave the lives of others in a much better state, both physically and spiritually. A mission based on love is supported by the first two commandments.

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5).

You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD (Leviticus 19:18).

Moses and the Ten Comandments

In addition, much is expected of him to whom much has been given. This places a great deal of burden on us in the developed countries of the world, who do have the goods of the world at a time when there is much poverty and depression in undeveloped areas.

Jesus is also clear about loving unconditionally.

But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you (Luke 6:27 – 38).

Therefore, our goal is to love even those who hate us and abuse us. In addition, the love that we give is what we have and what we are. It is a love that will improve the lives to whom it is given. This love includes providing food, medicine, and clothing when needed. In addition, it includes telling the truth about Jesus, which should be evident, based on the demonstration of our actions. In today’s world, our love should show others how to better care for families. We must share our knowledge and technology and, therein, provide the capabilities necessary to achieve this objective. In this we will take them from the darkness and into the light.

Read my story by ordering my book, “Possess the Vision”

UNITY AND LOVE ARE REQUIRED IN THE MINISTRY OF JESUS CHRIST

Tags: Bride of Christ, Christian Love, Christianity, church, God, Jesus, Love, Ministry, religion, spiritual warfare, Spirituality, Unity

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SEEKING JESUS

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