Continuous Growth

What if it were possible for us to continually grow in our spiritual life with no wandering in the wilderness, getting stuck, or having significant setbacks?  Sounds impossible, yet in heaven the Word says the trees bear fruit 12 months of the year and so are we to bear fruit.  Revelation 22:2 says, "On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."  Since we now live under the New Covenant that which was external rules under the Old Covenant becomes internal.  Interesting that the dendrites that grow on the axons in our brain look like trees, when these dendrites are from a good and healthy memory they release life and stimulate the adrenal system to release chemicals into the body that bring strength, health, and life.  On the other hand dendrites that grow on axons from toxic memories actually release too much chemicals into the adrenals which cause all kinds of issues physically (stresses affect on the body).  In 2 Corinthians 3:18 it says, "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit."  As we look toward Christ we are to be transformed from glory to glory, this literally means from one realm or dimension of glory to a higher realm or dimension of glory.  I would say I am not the only believer who has experienced their Christian life as a series of peaks and valleys, more like a wild ride on a roller coaster than continuous growth.  I am in no way saying that there will not be circumstances in our life that are not challenging, hurting, adversarial, or even losses.  Does growth depend on the happenings in our life or on what we believe deep down inside?  I once heard that happiness is connected to our happenings, therefore if I have good happenings in my life then I will be happy.  Yet we live in a fallen world full of sin, disappointments, losses, hardships, broken relationships, etc...  

If we are to live as Jesus said, "...thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven..
then there must be ways to continually grow because this what is in heaven.  I am not only faced with this question on a personal level but also for those who I invest in during my life (family, clients, people I minister to, and those I influence).  I believe the Father is challenging us in this hour, to cry out to Him for models of continuous growth in our relationship with God and our destiny.  I have served in some form of ministry or counseling for 18 years, seeing folks in hopeless situations only to come into freedom but often I do not hear from them after they get a breakthrough and are moving into a new season.  Some times in an orphan society we are short-sighted and come to God when we are in pain or are stuck, then we grow and find freedom but go back to cycles on the roller coaster of life.  Also, orphans think short-term looking for their next meal, the next thing, or the next item but fail to look far out on the horizon of life.  I believe the Father's plan for your life includes your entire life and His plans (Jeremiah 29:11) are ones for your continuous growth in maturing to be like His Son Jesus.  Sometimes we, in the Body of Christ, can even encourage sporadic growth by rallying people around an Event or Service which leads people to believe that there really is no process of growth just the finished product of people on stage.  Growth is work and a choice to renew our minds to truth, which requires continually holding up what we believe to the light of God's revealed word.  Jesus said, "you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free...", this wasn't taking one glance at the truth, this knowing truth (ginosko) was based on long-lasting relationship.  Yet I believe too many of our models of Christian growth do not plan for long-term growth and thus lead us to go in fits and spurts.  I believe the Father is seeking His sons and daughters who will passionately pursue His heart for their entire lives and those who will come along side them to see this happen.

Growing into the son He has made me,
Bret

Agape Reformation vs. Traditional Disicpleship

There has been a growing revelation in the Body of Christ since the 1970s of the Father's (Agape) Love that it has been said will be an even greater reformation than the grace reformation where Luther declared we are saved by grace apart from works.  It is said in 1 Corinthians 13 that "love never ends" but that even prophesies will cease but love will go on far past these.  I believe prophesy is such a powerful gift to call forth that which is not as if it is so, God was constantly using the prophets throughout the Old and New Testaments to proclaim what He was doing on the earth.  God through 1 Corinthians 13 ranks love above the very important reality of prophesy, even saying at the end of the chapter that the greatest of the three:  faith, hope, and love is love.  In the Agape Reformation will the raising up of sons and daughters of God look like it has in traditional discipleship movement?  The most important revelation in the Agape Reformation is the revelation of the Father's Love in Christ, yet another revelation that is following is new ways to raise up sons and daughters of God.  Much of traditional discipleship has emphasized Biblical knowledge and insight but has been weaker on the area of transformation of the disciple, since often the focus is on "head knowledge" of truth rather than on "heart knowledge".  These models often emphasized the model which said, believe, change, and then belong.  Whereas Jesus way with His disciples was belong, believe, and then change.  Many times when Jesus would display the Kingdom of God to the disciples they would react with unbelief or not understanding, yet He patiently brought correction to their thinking so they could see God's perspective.  Jesus called and chose the disciples through listening to the Father's voice, the disciples belonged before they even believed or truly followed Jesus in their heart.

 One of the more extreme movements coming out of the discipleship movement is the "shepherding movement", this movement emphasized a need for greater accountability and submission to shepherds that ended up becoming legalistic and controlling.  Unfortunately in the Body of Christ, we often judge what we perceive as errors within the Body of Christ instead of learning what was of God and what was simply of the flesh.  We need to see that God is seeking for us to build on previous revelation, instead of having new revelation which abolishes past revelations.  New revelations of who God is and what has been done for us through the finished work of Jesus Christ, will shine light on areas of past and current deception bringing us into the truth at a new level.  Growing in revelation means that my life is transformed as I personally encounter God and through this encounter I now believe truth (truth is a person) and the Word of God tells us "you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free."  There is much we can learn from the discipleship movement and the shepherding movement, yet not seek to repeat that which was fleshly for our future.  According to Jack Frost the Agape Reformation is bringing relationship reformation in six areas:  1) Father God's supernatural love is driving out fears of trusting, rejection, intimacy, and believers are becoming convinced that they were created to dwell in God's love.  (See I John 4:18; Romans 8:15; Isaiah 66:12-13.), 2)  Christian leaders who employed control and positional authority are being humbled as the Body of Christ is seeing that all believers need intimacy with God and others.  (See Romans 2:4; 1 John 1:5-9; 1 Thessalonians 2:7-12.), 3)  We are seeing a move toward greater unity in the Body across denominational and doctrinal lines.  (See John 17:21-23.), 4)  There are prodigal sons and daughters coming home, as there parents humble themselves asking for forgiveness for misrepresenting God's love. (See Malachi 4:5-6; Luke 15:17-24.) , 5)  Believers who have been wounded by religious and performance-based Christianity are returning to the church to heal and encounter God's love.  (See John 3:16-18, 5:19-24,12:47; 1 Corinthians 4:14-21.), 6)  Pre-believers are being drawn to sons and daughters of God who display His love through bringing them into Love Encounters with God through prophetic words, healings, and miracles.  (See Luke 15:1-2; John 13:34-35.)

Many believers are confused about the shift in the renewal movement toward the New Apostolic Reformation, which puts emphasis on the restoration of the five-fold ministry from Ephesians 4:11 as some new trend.  I believe Father God is restoring this Biblical model of leadership to the Body of Christ because the Kingdom of God is meant to be a family and there has been a need for spiritual fathers in an orphan and fatherless society.  I believe people who are true apostolic leaders are those who are laid down as living sacrifices to Jesus and embody being leaders who are sons and daughters of God who serve and lift others up.  Those self-appointed apostles who use their position for special privileges and for self-promotion I believe have missed God's heart for apostolic leaders.  Believers gathering around spiritual mom's and dad's who carry the Father's heart are more likely to be built up as sons and daughters of God versus those who submit themselves to programs and classes but don't engage in this kind of mentoring relationship.  I believe discipleship was designed by God and clearly the Bible says to make disciples of all nations but the whole earth is groaning for the revelation of the unique sons and daughters of God (Romans 8:19).

Father's Love Reformation,
Bret

No Regrets

As I was nervous about sharing my testimony with our group of home school teens, the Spirit began to speak to me about a life of no regrets.  As Graham Cooke was talking about a very hard season where he nearly died, he said you begin to review your life and make important decisions.  One of his decisions was to live a life of no regrets.  Regret is defined as- feel sad, disappointed, repentant over something that has happened or done (especially a loss or missed opportunity).  As I was sharing my testimony and asking the teens how they had experienced "Father's Love Letter" I was impacted again by the brilliance of the Gospel.  Yet even in my own story it was believing that it was "too good to be true", there must be a catch, or somehow I of all people on the planet are uniquely unqualified to ever receive His grace.  I see why Paul says in 2 Timothy 1:7, "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline."  Timidity, seeing ourselves as orphans, causes us to avoid things that we believe are too scary, impossible, or overwhelming.  We back up from whatever this is but because we have missed stepping into an opportunity we have regret, this regret can plague us by reminding us about what we missed out on.  Regret is pointing out the realm of living we could have entered into if we would have said "yes" to stepping into the opportunity.  Jesus told us that if we want to gain our life, then we need to lose it.  Losing our life means laying down our soul life, what our mind, will, and emotions are telling us.  Living life without regrets seems impossible, yet Jesus displayed this life as a son being dependent on the Father for what He would say and do.  Even if we seek to not have any regrets but rely on ourselves, our mind will point out the regrets.  We simply need to give ourselves without reservation fully to the Father as Jesus the Son did, surrender is the path not only to intimacy but prevents us from regrets.  Jesus lived a life without regrets because He gave Himself fully to the Father but also was singly focused on fulfilling the Father's will on the earth as it is in heaven.  The Great Commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength and then to love your neighbor as yourself.  In other words, to give yourself to fully being loved by Father and loving Him and from this to love others with the love that you have received.  True boldness does not come from ambition, being a daredevil, but truly loving without reservation or regret.  I don't believe we will get to Heaven and wish that we had withheld more of ourself from God, or loved our spouse less, or shared the Gospel less when we were prompted, or back away from giving a compliment or blessing to someone.  Honestly, if I were to think about the regrets I have because of missed opportunities I would quickly become weighed down with a huge pile on top of me.  What does God want to do with our regrets, Isaiah 61 paints a wonderful picture of making beauty for our ashes.  The ashes represent losses or regrets in our lives but we will just have ashes if we don't give them to Him so He can make something beautiful.  It seems that too much of our Christian culture is about safely dying, rather than a life of complete surrender, abandonment, passion, victory, and risk.  This honestly scares me but I think this is the point, Father wants to scare the regret right out of us so we don't have anything to lose.  Dealing with the disappointments and regrets, so we can continue to behold God's goodness is so critical for living as a son.  That we may see the goodness of God in the land of the living.

In His Goodness,
Bret

Is God really good all the time?

In the middle of a trial I was going through, the Lord spoke to me and said "Thank you for standing for My goodness."  This surprised me because in the midst of the trial I hadn't always felt like I stood for His goodness but more that I had doubted His goodness.  At times I had given the enemy permission to beat me up with my falling into doubts about God's goodness and His good purpose in the midst of what I was going through.  I have been impacted by the life of Moses and especially his intimacy with God.  A prayer Moses prayed from Exodus 33 has rung in my heart and that is "show me your glory.", this was in the midst of Israel being drawn to seek God for His blessings and not His Presence.  Through Moses personal revival and encounter with God, the nation of Israel is led back to worshipping God.  God responds to Moses prayer in Exodus 33:19, "Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”  So Moses prayer to be shown the glory of God was answered by God giving Moses a revelation of His goodness.  So can we see the manifest glory of God without a revelation of His goodness?  God had recently spoken to our church staff and to me personally about the importance of us knowing and experiencing His goodness in this season.  As I began to study about God's goodness I was struck by an author's comments (Gloria Copeland), "Until you settle the fact that God is good and you can trust Him with your life, your faith is never going to be great because you will always draw back in fear. You will always be thinking, What if He doesn't come through for me? What if He is not listening to me? What if He asks me to do something that will harm me in some way?"  Gloria Copeland also says about God's goodness, "Because it is the foundation of our faith in Him.  In her writings she also says that this theme of God's goodness is not simply mentioned in the Bible but a consistent theme from Genesis to Revelation.  We can have some revelation of Father's love for us but it is incomplete without understanding His goodness.  Often throughout the Psalms David talks about God's hesed, which is His lovingkindness but this is often spoken of with His goodness.  If we truly believed that God was good all of the time and that we were recipients of His goodness, then we would be confident God would not hurt us, let us down, or abandon us.  This would result in us trusting Him with every area of our lives.  I am convinced that a lack of revelation of God's nature as good results in much of our turning to our own way as orphans, rather than finding rest in the loving arms of our Father.  Moses cried out for a greater revelation of God than he had, in order to move into the Promise Land but truly into revival.  It is one thing to see and experience God's blessings in your life but a revelation of His goodness moves us from an orphan heart into a place of trusting God as a Father who will care for us love us and meet our deepest needs.  I realized though I have had some revelation of Father's love there are still places in my heart where I do not truly know His goodness and so there is mistrust.  I believe our Heavenly Father is the Father of lights (James 1:17) and since there is no variation or shadow in Him, this means that there is no darkness.  Father is so good and brilliant that He shines even when there are dark or hidden places in us, He is no afraid of our darkness because He is Light (1 John 1:5).  The Father has been revealing Himself to me as pure, warm, good, and unrelenting light.  I believe this revelation comes as I open up areas of my heart that have been in the dark, like little boys who have been locked away in dark rooms.  I believe we in the Body of Christ, need a revelation of His goodness toward us, that we may be come a revelation of this same goodness to the world.

In His Goodness,
Bret

Strength of Weakness

As I walked up the long stairway lit with fluorescent light and saw our office manager's shining face, I knew I would need to answer a very normal question I feared.  How are you today?  I had a rough night with very little sleep as my soul was like a ship tossed on the waves of a giant storm.  I answered in the words of Jack Taylor, "I am perfectly weak".  A strange response but very true to the core of my soul, yet in this nakedness of soul I wanted desperately to grab some "religious" or "I'm fine" fig leaf but chose to resist the temptation.  In order to dwell in intimacy we must be willing to be seen, allow others to see what is going on deep inside of us.  As I later asked my family to pray for me because I felt needy and drained the grace of God began to flow into me.  We have so many ways to hide our weakness, it maybe a certain image we portray, being fine, distant or withdrawn, our in control face, the mask of performance, or being in charge so no one sees our insecurity.  I am more and more convinced that being open with our weakness is vitally tied to walking as a beloved son or daughter.  The god of this world, Satan, hates and despises weakness.  You see this in the enemy's delight over Jesus being beaten, insulted, tormented, and crucified.  The enemy hated Jesus weakness and His unwillingness to respond in violence, it was the enemy working through men yielded over to his purposes who mocked, spit in Jesus face, insulted Him, taunted Him to come off the cross, and to fight the way the enemy does with strength.  The god of this world system encourages us constantly through media, popular culture, climbing the corporate ladder, image consciousness, and even the roots of popular culture "survival of the fittest" point to strength.  An orphan mentality despises weakness and will even taunt those who don't seem to pulling their weight, a man walks by a homeless man and says "get a job".  So does God relate to our weakness the way the world relates to our weakness, the kindest response the world will give is pity so does God just pity us when we experience weakness.  Jesus was constantly encountering weak people, people who had been trapped by the bondage of sin, were broken through others sin, or were in a prison they co-created by partnering with sin.  Jesus is God and perfectly displays the nature of God,.  He engaged those who were broken, needy, sick, with open arms and the compassion of the Father that flowed through Him often resulted in the miraculous taking place.  Jesus was not afraid of stepping into the reality of the depth of people's weakness, sin, darkness yet He brought no condemnation or stern looks.  2 Corinthians 12:7-10 are powerful verses on this subject, "Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!  Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me.  And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.  Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong."  Many times people miss how to properly steward their weaknesses because we don't see the way God sees, we have a natural view either to fight our weaknesses, fall into despair, or walk around limping calling it victory.  These verses are practical guide on stewarding our weaknesses by realizing in our weaknesses is the very place that God's power is perfected.  I believe that all human models of growth in our lives are going to have holes in them at some level, it is only God's model of transforming people into the image of His Son that is complete not lacking any dimension.  So when we turn to human reasoning for explanation of what we are going through in our current season, it will probably be lacking in wisdom and completeness rather than turning to the One who created us.  May God give you revelation of how to steward weaknesses in your life, so you will in turn share words of hope, wisdom, and breakthrough to those who are struggling with weakness.

His Strength in my weakness,
Bret