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Are You Listening? #returnofChrist

In my last post I started talking about the end-time generation. We looked at the Scripture which told us that if a man cleansed himself from wrong purposes, he would be ready and equipped for good works.

This is where we are in time. I believe that this is the final generation before the return of Christ. We are the “John the Baptist generation.”

He was one man sent to a nation. Now there’s a small group sent to a sleeping church. Either you’re the one calling, or the one needing to wake up.

We must respond to God’s call for equipping. God is now equipping a people for the end-time ministry.

But there was another part to John’s ministry.

During the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Luke 3:2-3

He heard and he went. Our generation must hear a Word from God. God is speaking the same message throughout the body of Christ today.

“Listen to Me!!!”

God is trying to get our attention. He wants to speak to a church that is largely enamored with what the world has to offer. We don’t want to take the time to hear from the Holy Spirit.

The enemy knows this. Never have there been more distractions.

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
Romans 10:17

We seem to have lost sight of this truth. That verse literally says, “Faith comes out of hearing and hearing through the rhema of Christ.” Rhema is the Greek word that speaks of the word we hear in our spirit.

That’s one of our biggest failings. Not listening, and therefore not hearing God’s voice speaking to us.

We want to just go out and minister with the power of the spirit. We want to go to work, watch TV, play basketball, and heal the sick. We want formulas – quick, easy ways to walk in the spirit.

The spiritual authority that we’re looking for starts in hearing from God. John went out into the desert and didn’t minister until he heard a word from God. People actually flocked to him in the desert. Today, we find it hard getting people to our meetings in the middle of a city.

What’s wrong? I believe that the answer is clear – we have no word from God. If we want to be the end-time church, prepared for Christ’s return, then we need to be listening to the Holy Spirit.

Question: Are you willing to take the time to hear a word from God?

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Posted by Revzacc on November 8, 2013 in Prayer, Return of Christ, Revival

Tags: are you listening, distractions, end time generation, equipped, equipped for good works, hearing from God, John the Baptist, last days, listening to God, ministry, return of Christ, rhema, second coming, spiritual authority, wake up, word of God

The Days of the Son of Man #returnofChrist

13 Sep

I have been posting about the return of Christ. We saw the warning He gave to His disciples that He would not return in their lifetime.

Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. Men will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.”
Luke 17:22-24

He had to tell them the truth. They weren’t going to see the days of the Son of Man. Now that’s a term we need to understand. He had never yet used that term with His disciples before that day.

The days of the Son of Man. What does the Lord mean by that? We’d better find out. Let’s look carefully at the words of the Lord as He explains it to His disciples.

Even though this was for the disciple’s benefit we must not miss the very important statement that Jesus made. He talked about the days of the Son of Man culminating in His day. Notice that He says in verse 24, “For the Son of Man in his day…” – singular.

The word day means one literal twenty-four hour day. So what we see are “the days of the Son of Man” leading up to “the day of the Son of Man.” Thankfully He’s not finished with His explanation.

“But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.”
Luke 17:25

Here Jesus explains to them what He’s going to do. He still hadn’t died yet and the disciples needed to prepare themselves for the shock of seeing their Messiah hung upon a cross. Unfortunately, the disciples never really heard what Jesus said, and ultimately were taken by surprise by the death of the Lord.

We are now going to look at verse 26. Please read it carefully because a lot of people use these comparisons out of context and twist them all around to mean something other than what’s written.

“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.”
Luke 17:26-27

Notice that Jesus again uses the phrase “the days of the Son of Man.” It will be just like in “the days of Noah.” Notice “the days of the Son of Man” culminates in “the day of the Son of Man.” Compare that to “the days of Noah” culminating in “the day Noah entered the ark.” It was on that day that the flood came and destroyed them all.

This is important, and I will talk about it in detail in my next post.

Question: Do you see the importance of the particular words Jesus used to teach His disciples? Why are they so important?

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Posted by Revzacc on September 13, 2013 in Return of Christ

Tags: cross, day of the Lord, days of the son of man, last days, Lord's return, return of Christ, second coming

A Last-Days Deception

28 Jun

This post is the last in a series about our relationship to the Word of God.

The Book of Revelation mentions synagogues of Satan (Revelation 2:9). These are places where the teaching of Scripture was done by satanic influence. I need the Holy Spirit to help me interpret the Bible. Yet, there are those who listen to the demon’s view of it.

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
1 Timothy 4:1

There are those who teach the Bible, but not the Word of God. This is a great deception. Of course no one would listen if a minister got up and said, “Satan says to do this.” But if he reads a Scripture verse and puts a demonic twist to it, the church seems to fall for it most of the time.

Just because someone quotes Scripture doesn’t mean that what they’re preaching is of God. I need the discernment of the Holy Spirit to protect me from false teaching. How can I tell the difference between Satan’s teaching, man’s teaching, and the true Word of God?

Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
Mark 16:20

This verse literally says that the Lord was a co-worker with them. They did their work – proclaiming the Word of God. God did His part – confirming the Word that was proclaimed. Miracles were commonplace. As the disciples went out, the Word of God spread, and there were signs and wonders everywhere they went.

When Satan quoted the Bible to Jesus (Luke 3:9-11), he used it to try and convince the Lord to jump off the highest point of the Temple. If Jesus had jumped, would God the Father have confirmed that “word”? Of course not.

Just because I quote the Bible, it doesn’t put God under any obligation to confirm it. Even if I’m preaching from a text on healing, there’s no confirmation unless it’s a Word God wants preached at that moment.

There are questions I need to ask myself. Is God working with me? Am I proclaiming the Word of God for these people? If the answer to both of these is “yes”, then I can expect a move of God.

We may not like it, but the truth is plain and simple. If there are no signs following, then it wasn’t the Word of God that was preached.

When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said.
Acts 8:6

Scripture is very clear as to relationship between the preaching of the Word, and the response of the hearers. When the Word of God is confirmed, there is a supernatural manifestation that draws people’s attention.

America needs a revival of hearing the Word of God. It will only come from those who have received and planted the Word into their lives.

Questions: How hungry are you for a revival to sweep our nation? Are you willing to seek God for it?

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Posted by Revzacc on June 28, 2013 in Revival, The Church, Word of God

Tags: America, Bible, Christ, church, confirming the word of God, deceived, deception, discernment, false teaching, God's word, healing, Holy Spirit, Jesus, last days, last-days deception, man's teaching, miracles, proclaim, revival, satanic influence, Scripture, spiritual discernment, synagogue of satan, teaching, truth, word, word of God

The Last-Days Mentality

11 Mar

Do you believe that we’re living in the Last Days before the coming of the Lord? Do you think that His return is close? If so, then what should our mindset be like?

At one point in His ministry the Lord talked about the importance of being ready. We’re not to be distracted by all the things the world has to offer.

“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.”
Luke 12:35-36

In this verse Jesus shows us how to live in the last days. He tells us to be dressed. For us it means to have our spiritual armor on. Don’t go around without your protection from the snares of the enemy.

Too many Christians are walking around spiritually naked. Then they wonder why the enemy has such an easy time messing with them. The time is now to prepare for the conflict ahead.

The Lord also said to keep your lamps burning. We must be awake and alert. The world is in the dark and we’re supposed to be in the light. That’s the kind of constant preparedness our lives should be equipped with.

We are to be in an attitude of waiting and watching. The meaning of the word that He uses for waiting is to give access to.

In other words, I’m not living for myself. I’m at someone else’s disposal. I’m supposed to be ready at a moment’s notice to do something for somebody else.

The Lord must have 24 hour a day access to our lives. As soon as the Master knocks we should be at the door, opening it. Our schedule should not even factor into it. We live to please the Master.

Sometimes our attitude with the Lord sounds like this; “Oh, I’m sorry. I was reading a book, and I wanted to finish the paragraph.” Servants don’t have that luxury. We live to please Christ. We must be prepared to serve at a moment’s notice.

In order to fulfill this calling we must have the attitude of a waiting servant. Christ is coming, and we want to be ready when He appears. It doesn’t matter what I’m doing, what I’m reading, or what I’m eating – when He arrives on the scene, I’m there to meet Him. “Lord, I’m ready for you.” That’s the ready attitude to have.

It’s time for the church to stop living like our wants and desires are the most important thing. Christ must be given the highest priority of our service.

Question: Does the church appear ready for the return of Christ?

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Posted by Revzacc on March 11, 2013 in Return of Christ, The Church

Tags: alert, attitude, awake, Christ, church, coming of the Lord, distracted, distractions, end time, Jesus, lamps burning, last days, last days mentality, mindset, ready, return of the Lord, second coming, servant, spiritual armor

The Last Days – Two Kingdoms Side by Side

09 Jan

I believe that we’re in the Last Days before the return of Christ. Did you know about the weeding that is going to take place in the Last Days? Christ taught about it during His earthly ministry. Very few people talk about it because it doesn’t fit into their view of the end times.

I want to take a few posts to examine this important concept. I think that it’s important for every believer to know what to expect on the road ahead.

The following is based upon the events and teachings found in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 13 and verses 24-41. I encourage you to read that passage first, before continuing this post. You will have a greater understanding of what I’m saying.

This is actually the second teaching given by Jesus concerning the last days. He gave it to the disciples in parable form.

At this point the disciples already knew that there would be a day of resurrection sometime in the future. They knew that on that day the graves would be opened. Someday all believers will rise with a new resurrected body. In this teaching, Jesus builds upon that knowledge.

In the parable, the Lord teaches about a farmer who sowed good seed in the ground. Secretly, an enemy sowed bad seed during the night. When asked what he would do about it, the farmer said that he would let both plants grow together until the harvest. That way he could tell the difference between the weeds and the wheat.

The disciples had no idea what Jesus was talking about. Later on in the day, the disciples found themselves alone with the Lord. They took that opportunity to ask Him about it. It’s Jesus’ explanation that I want to talk about.

According to the Lord, sons of the kingdom (that’s us), were sown into the world. But the devil also sowed his sons into the world. According to the parable there are two kingdoms, on earth, growing side by side. I believe that’s where all the spiritual tension comes from that we are presently experiencing.

The kingdom of God and the world are both headed in opposite directions. They have two different kings and vastly different goals. As we approach the end, both kingdoms are going to start developing to the point where they’re bearing fruit. The closer we get to the return of the Lord, the clearer we will see both the church of Jesus Christ and the world for what they truly are.

It is the overlap of the world and the church that causes the problems. This parable addresses what God intends to do about it in the Last Days. This is a very important subject. If you haven’t already done so, subscribe to this blog for email delivery, so you won’t miss any of the posts.

Question: How have you experienced the tension between the kingdom of God and the world?

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Posted by Revzacc on January 9, 2013 in Return of Christ

Tags: Christ, disciples, end times, harvest, Jesus, kingdom of God, last days, parable, resurrected body, resurrection, resurrection day, return of Christ, second coming, side by side, spiritual tension, teaching, the world, two kingdoms, weeding

Lacking Love – A Sign of the Times

07 Jan

In my last post I talked about the work it took to love others. Faith is the fuel, so as we love, our faith is used up.

That’s the hindrance that we face. We’ve noticed, the more we try to love others, the more of our spiritual reserves are used up. Anyone in ministry can tell you about this phenomenon. The more we minister to the needs of others, the more we need to be built up ourselves.

But, instead of more time in the Word to refuel, since faith comes by hearing the Word of God, we decide to love less. We spend less time truly fellowshipping with other believers. Less time going to church, prayer meetings, and other events that could possible tap into our faith-fuel reserves. That’s the condition of many Christians these days.

There is a fallacy with this kind of thinking. You can’t just decide not to use the car because the gas gauge goes down when you drive it. That’s simply foolish.

We wouldn’t do that in the natural. We’d never think of telling our boss, “I’m only coming to work one day a week because my car would use too much gas if I came to work more often.” Yet, many believers treat God this way all the time.

Jesus warned us that this would be a sign of the last days.

“However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
Luke 18:8b

Jesus was asking if anyone would fuel up in the last days. That’s a valid question based upon what we see taking place in the church today.

“Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
Matthew 24:12-13

Jesus warns us that in the last days the love-generators will start shutting down for lack of fuel. Engines begin to grow cold once they’re turned off. In the same way, love begins to grow cold without the addition of faith.

Heed the warning of the Lord. Don’t become a victim of this age. Keep your spiritual engine running. Keep your tank filled with the fuel of faith. Use it to energize your love walk so that your spiritual voltage is always high.

This is the generation when the church needs to shine the brightest. The world is getting darker and darker. This makes the light of the Lord that much more powerful.

Remember, it’s the power of God that draws men to Himself. But that power is only energized in us by our faith working through love. It’s not faith all by itself. Stay fueled up, and keep your love flowing.

Question: How do you keep your “faith tank” filled?

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Posted by Revzacc on January 7, 2013 in Faith, Power of God

Tags: Christ, faith, faith working through love, fellowship, heat, Jesus, lacking love, last days, light, love, love faith connection, ministry, power of God, prayer, prayer meetings, sign of the times, spiritual reserves, the word, time in the word

The Spirit and the Word

Tag Archives: last days

Are You Listening? #returnofChrist

The Days of the Son of Man #returnofChrist

A Last-Days Deception

The Last-Days Mentality

The Last Days – Two Kingdoms Side by Side

Lacking Love – A Sign of the Times

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