The Joseph Generation

9/17/11

Greetings,

                I often hear talk about a “Joseph generation”. This is phraseology amongst Christians which describes a group of individuals that God is raising up to have the attributes modeled by the biblical Joseph. The story of Joseph is found in the latter part of the book of Genesis.

               Joseph’s father was Jacob (whose name was later changed to Israel). Joseph was one of twelve sons sired by his father. The offspring of these sons became the twelve tribes of Israel. Several things set Joseph apart from his other brothers. For one, he was the son of his father’s old age (Genesis 37:3). Two, he was the first born of his mother Rachel. This is the wife that Jacob wound up working fourteen years for! When Rachel died giving birth to Joseph’s younger brother Benjamin it set Joseph apart even more (Genesis 35:16-20).

                Joseph’s favor began with his father. As the story of Joseph continues we find that favor was with him no matter where he went. When was sold to an Egyptian slave owner he had favor and even when he was falsely accused by the Egyptian’s wife and sent to prison he found favor. The verses below show the favor he had with his father, the favor he had with his Egyptian master, and the favor that he had with the warden of the prison.

                “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a [distinctive] long tunic with sleeves.” (Genesis 37:3 AMP)

“But the Lord was with Joseph, and he [though a slave] was a successful and prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.” (Genesis 39:2 AMP)

“But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy and loving-kindness and gave him favor in the sight of the warden of the prison.” (Genesis 39:23 AMP)

The favor that began with his father followed him into every situation and circumstance. Joseph was also granted prophetic insight that unfortunately ignited violent opposition from his brothers. When he was seventeen years old he dreamed dreams and began to “cast the vision” before he had time to process it and communicate it out of a right spirit. Though the dreams were true, the implications were too much for his brothers to handle. Both of his dreams prophesied that the day would come when his father and brothers would all stand before him and bow (Genesis 37:7-10).

The reason why Joseph ended up becoming the slave of an Egyptian (and ultimately put in jail) was because his brothers not only rejected him but conspired against him. They threw him into a pit and then sold him to slave traders and told Jacob that he was dead! Sounds pretty terrible right?

I acknowledge that there is a generation in the earth today that carries the mantle of Joseph. They are going to excel in business. They are going to bring enormous amounts of wealth into the kingdom. They will have wisdom beyond their years and operate according to prophetic clarity. They will have enormous amounts of favor and they will be great assets in the hands of God.

However, before all of this is true the Joseph generation will be rejected, kicked out, given the left foot of ministry, declared a “threat,” and told that they are bringing division to the established order of things. They are going to be betrayed by those closest to them, they will find themselves isolated, and in some cases seemingly left without hope. As a matter of fact, some of the very people that preach and prophesy about a coming “Joseph Revolution” are guilty of suppressing and rejecting the “Josephs” that God has sent them.

The mantle of favor and excellence that is upon the Joseph generation is awe-inspiring. However, arising Josephs will find the most immediate and painful opposition from the very spiritual family that they belong to. This should come as no surprise.

The good news is that the day finally came when Joseph was released from prison and brought before the Egyptian Pharaoh. He was presented before Pharaoh in order to decipher Pharaoh’s dreams. After being told the dreams, the Lord revealed to Joseph that there would be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. After Joseph interpreted the dreams he was made second in the kingdom of Egypt and put in charge of preparations for the coming seven years of famine.

Sure enough the famine came and eventually left Jacob and his household without food. When they realized that they were out of food they sought to purchase some from Egypt (as many other people were doing). In order to do this, they had to go through Joseph. To make a long story short, the day came when Joseph’s dreams were fulfilled. However, when it became understood that God had allowed for everything to happen—unity was reestablished between Joseph and his family. 

“And he fell on his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. Moreover, he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers conversed with him.” (Genesis 45:14-15 AMP)

Not only was unity established, but provisions were made that would not have come about any other way. The entire tribe of Israel was permitted to move into the land of Goshen and live on Egypt’s resources for the duration of the famine. Moreover, his whole family received favor from the Egyptian government.

When we are talking about a Joseph generation we are essentially saying that the anointing and mantle that rested upon the historical Joseph is now being placed upon an entire group of people within God’s kingdom. While it is true that this mantle comes with favor, prophetic clarity, an anointing to produce wealth, and an assortment of other benefits and blessings, it also comes with a price and a mandatory period of testing. Many that have a “Joseph mantle” will face rejection, persecution, and opposition. Nonetheless, in the end God will work all things to the good of those that love him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). He will work through the adverse circumstances that His Josephs experience and use them to create provisions for His body that would otherwise not occur. In the end, one of the most powerful ramifications of the Joseph revolution will be the unity that manifests as a result.

Discussion

1.       What do people mean when they make reference to a Joseph generation?

2.       What are the benefits of being part of the Joseph generation?

3.       What are the burdens of being part of the Joseph generation?

4.       Why will the Joseph generation produce unity?

5.       Do you see yourself as part of the Joseph generation?

Parable of 2 Kingdoms

9/10/11

Greetings,

                Once upon a time there were two kingdoms. The kings of these two kingdoms were diametrically opposed. As a matter of fact there was only one thing that they agreed on. They were agreed on the fact that they agreed about nothing. For this reason, they were continually at war.

                One of the kings was valiant and brave. He was a hero of heroes and supremely powerful. A parable was often spoken of this king. It was said that “wisdom itself was birthed from his loins.” This king’s style of rulership was just, fair, and compassionate. This king not only loved his people, he loved his enemies as well. The people of his kingdom simply called him Father because of the affection they had for him.

                The other king was a coward. He was cunning and intelligent, yet he never took responsibility and always blamed his faults on others. He was harsh, despicable, and he lied all the time. A parable was often spoken of this king. It was said that “lies and deception were birthed from his loins.” This king was a ruthless tyrant over his kingdom. The people of his kingdom called him the devil because he was wicked to the core.

                Each kingdom sat upon its own mountain and there was a deep valley between the mountains. This valley was full of dead men’s bones, disease, and constant fear of war. Whenever the kingdoms went to war, they fought their battles there. Those that took up residence in this valley could never find peace and fulfillment. Since the valley wasn’t technically its own kingdom, it had a mayor. The mayor’s name was Pride.

The Father’s kingdom sat on a beautiful mountain full of every treasure imaginable. It was always brilliant and shining and it was said that from a distance it looked like a lamp set upon a hill. The food of this kingdom was the best in the world. Everyone drank “milk of the word” and “living water”. The older people ate “strong meat” and everyone partook of the “fruit of the Spirit”. The “bread of life” was served in every bakery. As far as the real estate, there were only mansions and they were all free because the Father’s son paid for them.

The devil’s kingdom sat upon a mountain that was always covered by thick black clouds. There was never any sunshine. Nothing ever got better because laws were never passed. There was only one law. Obey the devil when he wants you to do something, or else lose your life by various forms of torture. As far as the real estate, there were only apartments because the devil owned everything. They were unclean, had no running water, and were ridiculously expensive. Everything in his kingdom came with a high price.

As crazy as this may sound, the devil’s kingdom actually had a very large population. However, what was even more shocking was the population of the valley. Many of the citizens of the Father’s kingdom chose not to live on his mountain. Instead they built shacks in the valley. The materials that were used to build these shacks were exported from the devil’s kingdom, and as you can imagine, they were overpriced. The lives of those in the valley were racked by war and torment.

The devil would often attack those living in the valley. The Father would come and fight against the devil when the people in the valley called for his help. Unfortunately, many times they wouldn’t call. The devil would often go into this valley and get away with beating up on people. Every once in a while, he would even take prisoners back to his mountain and make them pay rent for one of his filthy apartments. He would put them in places like “Bitterness Lane,” “Selfishness Street,” “Addiction Avenue,” “Pornography Place,” or the dreaded “Fornication Station.” The Father grieved continually for those both in the valley and in the devil’s kingdom.

_________________________________

                This story is meant to illustrate many of the things going on in the spirit realm today. It is inspired by a conversation that I had with a friend of mine. Whenever a country is invaded, those that are first to lose out are those that live in the outskirts and small villages. These little villages have no defense and are often separated from the military might of the major cities of the kingdom or nation. They will have no walls and they might not even have trained warriors. Thus when another kingdom or nation attacks, all they can do is lose.

                Many people in the body of Christ have recreated this scenario by spiritually separating themselves from other believers. By doing this they effectively remove accountability and mutual spiritual support and wind up in a spiritual valley. This is often done by refusing to attend a church or Bible fellowship. However, I want to add that this can be done within a church as well. Relationship with other believers is the key. Without relationship and accountability it is only a matter of time before pride begins to affect the person. This is why Pride was the mayor of the valley in our illustration. Pride leads to things like self will, selfishness, resentment, and a host of other sinful acts and attitudes.

                Those that pay the price to submit and sacrifice their lives and do everything the Father asks of them will inevitably find themselves housed upon the mountain. They will be able to take full advantage of the inheritance Jesus purchased for them because they will be freely interacting with it. This is illustrated by those living on the Father’s mountain in their mansions. We are all given mansions (John 14:2) in our heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6), but many people will go their whole lives without ever accessing any of the blessings stored up there (Galatians 5:19-21). This isn’t the Father’s will but it is the choice of the individuals.

                On another level, this is also true of church congregations. Many refuse to partner with other bodies of believers. They prefer to be by themselves. In my opinion, it is almost just as bad for a group of believers to sequester themselves from the body of Christ at large as it is for an individual to separate themselves from a church home. These churches will remain ineffective on a larger scale. No single church can reach an entire city for Christ. It takes cooperation. When we look at state wide or nationwide levels of influence, this fact becomes even more pronounced.

                We as the body of Christ need to get out of the valley and unite upon the Father’s mountain. It won’t be easy, but it is necessary. When we look at the story, it illustrates that true unity isn’t intended to be established among those in the valley. They are too busy arguing their own points and living in the warzone to think clearly and be effective. Pride is the authority over the people in the valley. Those that live in the valley will not unite and if they try it will simply fail.

Unity is intended to be established by God among those that are willing to submit their lives in order to live on His Mountain and freely interact with their inheritance. Among those that are willing to live this lifestyle, God will establish unity. It will be these people that accomplish the purposes of God as a powerful force of righteousness in a lost and dying world. Those that remain in the valley will remain ineffective and live lives racked by spiritual war, a lack of peace, and repetitive failure.

Discussion

1.       Where do most of the Christians in your sphere of influence live: the kingdom of the Father, the Valley, or the Kingdom of Darkness?

2.       Where do you live?

3.       Why do you believe that this is your current spiritual location?

4.       What can be done in your life to migrate into a place of more power and effectiveness as a citizen of the Father’s kingdom?

5.       What will be required for unity to be established among the people of God?

Unity and the Coming Antichrist

9/3/11

Greetings,

                Unity is the vehicle through which many of the final works of the church will be accomplished. This week we are going to weave the message of unity into the message of the last days. We have looked at the message of unity from this perspective on several occasions throughout this year, so those of you that read these letters regularly will have some familiarity with this subject.

                The Bible is clear that God is going to present a bride without spot or wrinkle or any such thing to His Son Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:27). He will also bring us to the unity of the faith and to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:13). This means that among other things discord, arguments and division will have been put away. This is not true of the church today. If for no other reason, this is enough evidence to throw away the thought that Jesus can return and make us “disappear” at any time—it simply isn’t scriptural. We aren’t going anywhere until we fulfill scriptural qualifications that warrant the return of Christ. The Bible says heaven must receive Jesus until the restitution of all things.

“Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:21)

We cannot receive anything except it be given to us by heaven. This means that heaven has to sign off on the return of Jesus. Heaven will not sign off on His return until the restitution of all things. The church began on one accord in the upper room (Acts 2), and it will end in one accord as He is returning. A man can receive nothing unless it is given to him from heaven.

“John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven” (John 3:27)

                Since we are not going anywhere until certain things are true of the body of Christ, and since many people (maybe even you) tend to be hardheaded and uncooperative with God’s purposes, we are going to be here for some time. There is only one vehicle that solves the problems that are between where the church is (divided, full of sin, lukewarm, etc) and where the church must arrive (glorious, without spot or wrinkle, united, etc). This vehicle is great tribulation. It is inevitable that someone reading this will immediately say, “That’s impossible because we aren’t appointed to God’s wrath, so we can’t go through tribulation (1 Thessalonians 1:10)!” What needs to be pointed out is that the great tribulation that Jesus mentions in Matthew 24:21 isn’t the wrath of God; it’s the wrath of Satan and his child otherwise known as the antichrist.

In the book of Revelation there are seven seals (Revelation 6 and 8), seven trumpets judgments (Revelation 8, 9 and 11), and seven bowls of wrath. The trumpet judgments do not begin until after the seven seals have been opened. Likewise, the bowls of God’s wrath aren’t poured out until after the trumpets have all sounded. They are all chronological. The wrath of God is contained in the bowls of God’s wrath that are poured out in Revelation 16. His apocalyptic wrath isn’t revealed prior to these bowls. At the seventh trumpet (Revelation 11:15), which is synonymous with the end of the great tribulation, Jesus returns for the catching away of the church (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17) thus delivering us from the bowls of God’s wrath that are about to be poured out. Put simply, the bowls of God’s wrath come after the great tribulation.

                When the antichrist is here several things will be occurring that will make living on earth uncomfortable (to put it softly). Just how uncomfortable will it get? The arrival of the antichrist will basically begin a “new age” that will threaten to destroy all flesh. The only reason that it won’t destroy all flesh will be because Jesus will return and cut those days short for the sake of His elect. Persevering through these days will require unity.

                “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.” (Matthew 24:22)

                In the book of 2 Thessalonians the arrival of the antichrist is described. I’m going to go through some key points, not to scare you, but to motivate you to get on board with the agenda of God. It’s for your own good. Consider what is written:

“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let [otherwise known as the “restrainer”], until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked [the antichrist] be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:7-9)

When the restrainer is removed the antichrist will be revealed. This revealing involves the working of Satan with all power, signs and lying wonders. What are these lying wonders? They actually come together to produce a counterfeit second coming. This is why the sixth seal reads the way it does. The men that say “the Lamb’s wrath has come” are deceived by the lying wonders. They are just as deceived in their speech as Peter was when Jesus rebuked him for suggesting that Jesus shouldn’t die (Matthew 16:21-23). They are watching the arrival of the antichrist, an event the church will not be removed from.

“I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Revelation 6:12-17)

                Consider the degree of power that will be necessary to produce such a cataclysmic scenario. This will be the same power that backs the antichrist. It will be so spectacular that men will be deceived into thinking that it is the day of the Lord’s wrath and that Jesus is actually returning. Is it really conceivable to successfully stand against this degree of opposition as a people divided? Is it possible to maintain our faith, our concept of purpose, and our identification with God under this scenario if we’re devoting our time and energy to fighting with our brothers and sisters in Christ? How ridiculous! It’s time to begin to unite and build the infrastructure necessary to stand against the greatest darkness that history will ever reveal!

Discussion

1.       What is a vehicle through which many of the final works of the church will be brought about?

2.       Has the church met the clear biblically defined qualifications for the return of Christ?

3.       Do you know Christians that are hardheaded when it comes to the purposes of God?

4.       How do we know that the sixth seal of Revelation is a counterfeit second coming?

5.       Do you feel as though you have the kind of understanding regarding the last days that God would want you to have? Why or why not?

The Vision of Daniel Duval

8/27/11

Greetings,

                Instead of a letter this week this I am including a link to a YouTube video. This is a seven minute version of my vision set to music. In it I give context for why I believe so strongly in the unity of the church and how I believe it fits into God’s purpose for the last days. If you listen to it and it bears witness with your spirit I encourage you to forward it to other people you know and spread the word.

LINK TO VIDEO

                Also, if you haven’t been to my website recently I want to encourage you to visit. There are numerous audio files available containing powerful teaching and revelation. I have a free mini-book available on the Life Coaching page as well as other free materials to be found on the products page. I have also released my first Audio product called The Kingdom. It is a compilation of my best Kingdom teachings. They have been edited for clarity, pacing, and quality and are available on an MP3 CD for only $5 plus Shipping and handling. This can be ordered on the products page. Last of all, the video archive is finally available and I will begin periodically adding new videos so I encourage you to check back often! God Bless you.

WEBSITE

Forgiveness

8/20/11

Greetings,

If you’ve never heard about a woman named Corrie Ten Boom then it’s time you did! She has an incredible story of forgiveness, which is the topic of discussion this week. The fact of the matter is that unity among the body of Christ requires forgiveness. We are all human, and even the most spiritual among us do things that can be offensive or hurt others. If we refuse to forgive offenses, we effectively refuse God’s ability to work forgiveness in our midst.

Corrie Ten Boom was a World War II Holocaust survivor. She was taken to a concentration camp for hiding Jews in her house during the Nazi occupation of Holland. I need not go into the details of all that she faced while she was there. Her whole family was imprisoned, but both she and her sister were sent to the notorious Ravensbrück concentration camp. Corrie survived while her sister did not.

She became a preacher after receiving a miraculous deliverance from the concentration camp. After some time had passed, her preaching took her back to war torn Germany. On one occasion she was speaking in Munich on the topic closest to her heart—forgiveness. After she finished, a man made his way to the front to talk with her. It was none other than one of the most abusive guards from Ravensbrück. This was a man she was forced to stand before naked, shamed, and starved. The flood of memories caused Corrie’s blood to stand still. Although he did not remember her, she remembered him. Nonetheless, he asked to hear it from her mouth that he was forgiven for the sins he had committed as a guard. She did.

Her testimony is so powerful because it shows the limitless power of forgiveness. Some of us have a hard time forgiving the driver that cuts us off in traffic. Yet the power of forgiveness is as infinite as God Himself. There is no offence that is beyond forgiveness, and Corrie Ten Boom is an incredible illustration of this fact. How can one forgive another human being that showed only abuse, torment, and utter disregard for their humanity? The answer is only through the power of Christ.

As Christians, we can never get away from the fact that Jesus came so that we could be forgiven. Sure He came to heal us, to set the captives free, to give sight to the blind, and so forth. However, all of these other works are meaningless apart from our forgiveness and reconciliation to God. Jesus even explained that he healed so that men would know that He had power on earth to forgive sins.

“And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”” (Mark 2:1-12 NKJV)

It is clear from this account that the purpose for healing the paralytic was to prove that Jesus had the power to forgive sins. He came to forgive us. How often do you go out of your way to forgive someone else for all the offenses they have committed against you? The ultimate call of Christians is to be lovers of God and men. However, this rests entirely upon our ability to forgive like God forgives. Quite frankly, it is impossible to allow the love of God to flow through us towards someone we refuse to forgive. The un-forgiveness not only blocks God’s love flowing out of us, it puts us in bondage as well. Furthermore, we have a clear warning in scripture.

“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14-15)

Forgiveness isn’t an option for Christians. It is a requirement. It doesn’t matter what’s been done to us or how horrific the abuse has been. Corrie Ten Boom proves to us that nothing is beyond God’s ability. With His power at work in us, forgiveness is possible in any situation. With Christ you can forgive the friend that turned their back on you. You can forgive the employer who treated you unfairly and unjustly fired you. You can forgive the mother that didn’t protect you. You can forgive the partner who walked out on you, who abused you, who cheated on you, or who blamed you for every problem they have. You can forgive the person who molested, or even worse, who raped you. With Christ, all things are possible.

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13)

Forgiveness is required for unity in the body of Christ. When we forgive, walls come down and we find deliverance. We find a new ability to embrace God’s love towards others and we walk free of the oppression that un-forgiveness enforces. When we release forgiveness every relationship in our lives will see improvement because it allows old wounds to be healed. If you have been harboring un-forgiveness, today is your day to forgive!

Discussion

1.       Are there individuals that you made a point to decide you wouldn’t forgive today?

2.       Are there individuals that you know you have to forgive after reading this letter?

3.       What prevents you from forgiving both lists of individuals from questions one and two?

4.       How do you think God feels about your answer to question three?

5.       Are you ready to forgive both lists of individuals? If so use the following format speaking the prayer out loud.

Father, today I choose to forgive (name) for (list each individual offence they committed against you). Thank you that as You have forgiven me, I have forgiven them. I receive Your healing from every wound they have caused me. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Sin

8/13/11

Greetings,

In my letters I usually spend a lot of time talking about concepts that are new, revolutionary, and often challenging. However, sometimes it is necessary to hit on concepts that are not new or exciting. Sometimes we need to get down to the bread and butter—so to speak.

It is my conviction that one of the greatest barriers to true unity is personal sin. That’s right; we are going to spend this entire letter discussing sin. The fact of the matter is that when a believer who is on fire for the Lord tries to be around a person that is under guilt or condemnation because of un-dealt with sin, it often leads to problems. The guilty party, in an attempt to cover their issues, will often reject or even lash out at the man or woman of God.

So what constitutes sin? Sin in a theological sense means to miss the mark. Imagine a target board with a bull’s eye. Sin is like when a person shoots an arrow and the board and misses the target. The target is the standard spelled out in the Word of God. Anything that comes short of this is sin.

Sin is your enemy. It’s an enemy of God as well. God doesn’t hate people but He does hate sin. Consider what he says of the deeds of the Nicolaitanes in the book of Revelation.

“But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.” (Revelation 2:6)

Who were the Nicolaitanes and what were the guilty of? They were a sect of Christians whose primary theological error was that they believed things done in the flesh had no effect upon the health of the soul or spirit. In other words, they believed that once a believer received the free gift of salvation by grace through faith they became free to sin in whatever capacity their heart desired. God hated their deeds. The following is an extraction from a Wikipedia article about them:

Hippolytus of Rome states that the deacon Nicolas was the author of the heresy and the sect. Several of the early church fathers, including Irenaeus, Epiphanius, and Theodoret mentioned this group. Irenaeus discusses them but adds nothing to the Apocalypse except that "they lead lives of unrestrained indulgence.” Victorinus of Pettau states that they ate things offered to idols. Bede states that Nicolas allowed other men to marry his wife and Thomas Aquinas believed that Nicholas supported either polygamy or the holding of wives in common. Eusebius said that the sect was short-lived.

There are many Christians today that come to the conclusion that sin is okay. They justify it, nurse it, and come up with religious excuses for it if necessary. However, when unity takes place according to God’s agenda, the removal of sin and the institution of unity will go hand-in-hand. Consider one of my favorite passages:

“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13)

Is it possible to come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ while nursing an addiction to pornography? What about the Christian who is having sex with two or three people while they can’t conclude which one they love more: their spouse, their boss, or the children’s nanny? Give me a break. It is easier for a passionate Christian to watch gold dust manifest during a prayer meeting than to unite with a group of Christians that have major issues with sin. I say this literally.

The following passage gives us a list of sins that are defined as sin in the New Testament. Let’s take a look.

“Now the doings (practices) of the flesh are clear (obvious): they are immorality, impurity, indecency, Idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), selfishness, divisions (dissensions), party spirit (factions, sects with peculiar opinions, heresies), Envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21 AMP)

                I used the Amplified Bible in order to make this passage read as clearly as possible. For some reason when it comes to sin, Christians quickly begin to get confused. In order to bring a little further clarity let’s take a second look at verse 19 from the King James Bible:

“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness” (Galatians 5:19)

I would like to do a word study on each and every one of these offenses to God but space simply does not permit me to do this. Here’s the point: Get the sin out of your life. This is my three-step plan for success.

1.       Admit that what you are doing is wrong and repent.

2.       Ask God for His grace to never want to do it again.

3.       Repeat steps one and two every time you sin until the sin stops.

It is wrong to get drunk. It is wrong to curse at others including your spouse. It is wrong to entertain perversity and this includes pornography. It is wrong to have sex outside of marriage because this is fornication. It is wrong to commit idolatry by putting your children, your job, or you car before God. It is wrong to practice witchcraft even if the activity is a “family tradition.” It is wrong to give into jealousy and lash out against another Christian because their anointing or relationship with God makes you “uncomfortable.” The sin must stop in order for true unity to enter in!

Discussion

1.       What is God convicting you of right now?

2.       What is the three-step plan for getting sin out of your life?

3.       Can true unity come without dealing with sin?

4.       Who were the Nicolaitanes?

5.       Does God hate the sinner or the sin?

Vision and Unity

8/6/11

Greetings,

                This week we are going to discuss the power of vision as it pertains to unity. There are three types of vision. One is the kind that we have because of our eyes. For many people this is the only type of vision they have. If they see a golden brick and you ask them what they see, they will tell you they see a golden brick. It they see a pile of cow dung and you ask them what they see; they will tell you a pile of cow dung.

                Although this is a type of vision, it is not the most important type of vision. The Bible talks about something called the eyes of our understanding.

“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18)

The eyes of our understanding allow us to have greater sight. They allow us to have vision of spiritual realities and potential. This kind of vision is far beyond the vision that our eyes will give us. When someone has true vision, they can sit in front of a golden brick and when asked what they see, they will tell you that they see a resource. When they sit in front of a pile of cow dung and you ask them what they see, they will tell you fertilizer.

This is the kind of vision that God wants us to have. When we don’t have it, it’s actually offensive to God. This is what God was referring to when He said:

“Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not” (Jeremiah 5:21)

How can a person have eyes and not see? It isn’t because their physical eyes don’t work; it’s because they have no vision. The eyes of their understanding are shut. However, once we get beyond the vision of our physical eyes there are really two additional types of vision. There is limited vision, and then there is God’s vision. Both of these are better than no vision, however only one requires God.

There have been many visionaries throughout history that have done great things without God. Conversely, there have been many Christians throughout history that have done nothing even though they had God. Do you see a problem with this picture?

Some people believe that Christianity consists of saying a prayer of conversion and becoming a faithful attendee of a church. Is attending a church regularly a vision from God, or a beneficial habit? The answer is that it is a beneficial habit. God never intended your faith to climax at a weekly church service. God has a vision for your life that you are responsible to pursue. In light of this, many people wonder why there are so many problems in the church. Consider the following passage:

“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” (Proverbs 29:18)

Visionless Christianity is a death wish.

Now that we have established the importance of vision in regard to our faith, we are going to consider it in light of unity. Whenever any great societal or cultural change came about, it required people. It may have started with a few visionaries, but ultimately many people wound up creating the change that the visionaries saw. It is impossible to execute vision without generating unity. I have a vision to bring about unity in the body of Christ. However, the purpose isn’t the unity in and of itself. There is a greater purpose and a greater vision.

Many people have no idea what this world is about to face. Continual increases in earthquakes, tornadoes, fires, and various other types of natural disasters including famine are coming (Matthew 24:6-8). In addition to this, the trans-humanist agenda is pushing the boundaries of “what it means to be human.” The development of enhanced humans having genetic enhancements, synthetic biological implants, robotic components, nanotechnology that impacts them on the cellular level, and artificial intelligence uplinks, are quickly becoming science fact. Of course, we will eventually see the rise of an antichrist figure who will seek to enforce satanic principles and agendas upon the world.

A change is coming to the world, and ultimately there is going to be a great divide between light and dark. Unity within the church will be required to successfully transition into the darkest age humanity will ever see. Part of this transition will involve the agenda of creating sheep nations—entire geographies where the kingdom of God reigns in the hearts of men. This is why my vision is to promote unity in the body of Christ worldwide and assist in the creation and development of sheep nations. I see what is coming, but I also see God’s solution.

In this hour God is giving larger and larger visions to those that will listen. These visions will ultimately produce God’s vision for the church. It is spelled out so clearly and so plainly that it is impossible to miss. However, it is so big we know it can only come from Him.

“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13)

Discussion

1.           What kind of vision do you have: none, limited, or God’s vision?

2.           Why do you believe this is the type of vision that you have?

3.           What do you think you need to do in order to expand your vision?

4.           What is visionless Christianity?

5.           What is God’s vision for the church?