Red Ink

When Jim Bakker was imprisoned for participating in the abuse of funds that were received for the PTL ministry, he had been preaching what is called a “prosperity gospel” for many years. He had promised riches to people who invested heavily in ministries that preached the proper message. While he was in jail, he says that he was led to […]

Wild Voices

People who have not encountered valid expressions of the ministry of prophet have a wide array of responses to the concept of prophecy in the church today. Some people have had no interactions at all, some have had bad experiences, and some have misjudged real encounters. By the time any consensus had happened among church leaders regarding what should be […]

Knowing or Knowing About

When Jesus influenced the woman at the Samaritan well, she went to town and influenced her neighbors. Her influence was only information, though. In order to convert people to the Family of God and to the Kingdom of God, we need to be involved in what the Samaritans experienced after they heard the woman’s testimony: Now many Samaritans from that […]

The Scent of Brokenness

Knowing Jesus in the “fellowship of His sufferings” (Philippians 3:7-11) was a goal that Paul had in his heart at one point in his life. A lime has a much greater impact on the aroma in a room if you scrape its skin or cut it open. Being bruised by serving Jesus causes us to have the power to change […]

Outside the Camp

The laws that Yahweh gave Israel through Moses included many activities that had to happen outside of their camp. Anyone who became unclean had to spend time outside the camp. Activities that were unclean had to be conducted outside the camp, from disposing of trash and excrement to stoning someone to death. Being dismissed even temporarily to life outside of […]

Inviting or Invading

The two extremes of trying to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to the earth that the Church has proven don’t work are hiding behind stained glass and inviting people to meetings, and attempting to rule the earth from our pulpits. This ranges from rantings against “Washington” by Texas preachers on TV, which no one in “Washington” is listening to, to […]

Better Than Jesus

What could be better than having Jesus around? According to Him, it is better for us to have the Holy Spirit around: “But now I am going away to Him who sent Me, and not one of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ Yet, because I have spoken these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I […]

Household of Truth

We are the people who live in Yahweh’s household. We eat at His table. We are welcome at His meetings and gatherings. I write these things to you, hoping to come to you soon. But if I should be delayed, I have written so that you will know how people ought to act in God’s household, which is the church […]

Angels Seeing You

Angels who have seen the awesome glory of their Creator, with no veil to shield them, not needing it because they have no earthly flesh from an ancestor like Adam, have seen much! They have seen more than John saw in the Revelation of Jesus that he received. Some of that was shown to him by angels. They have seen […]

Letting Jesus In

In the Revelation of Jesus that John received, this was the message Jesus sent to the believers called to be the church in Laodicia: “The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Originator of God’s creation says: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. So, because you are […]