I can, I will, I must Part II , Bible Study 09/10/09

Posted on September 11, 2009 by growintheword

I can, I will, I must Part II
“Purpose and Vision”
Synopsis of Bible Study 09/10/09
Delivered by Bishop Walker III
The bible says in Proverbs 29:18: 18Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. You cannot talk about purpose without talking about vision, because purpose gives birth to vision. In other words God has a purpose for your life and what is revealed to you becomes vision. God has a purpose on your life and the moment of revelation or the moment it gets revealed, it becomes vision.
The question is what is vision? `Vision can be defined as having an insight or a revelation of God’s plan and purpose for an individual or nation. So when we have knowledge of God’s plan and purpose for our life, then we can say that we have a vision for our existence. In other words, to have vision means to have an understanding of God’s intentions for creating us. Vision really is saying that we understand why God created us.
There is an idea we must discuss in terms of vision and dreams. We really want to know if our dreams are tied to our visions. What is this all about? We will give you some dreams that are found in the bible as a frame of reference. It is good to know where these dreams and visions are located throughout the bible. We will tell you some things about them as a systematic point of reference.
Dreams:
Old Testament
Abimelech’s dream – Gen 20:3-7
Jacob’s Ladders Dream-Gen 28: 12- 17
Jacob and Laban’s guidance dream – Gen 31: 10 -24. Laban is Jacob’s uncle and so you have this dream given in terms of guidance.
Joseph’s Dream – Gen 37: 5 – 11. God showed Joseph a dream showing that he was going to rule over his brother’s. He made the mistake of sharing that dream with his brothers.
Baker and Butler Dream – Gen 40: 5 – 8. Joseph was the interpreter of those dreams while he was in prison and he explained to one that he was going to die and the other one would be elevated.
Pharaoh’s Dreams – Gen 41. This was the dream that spawned the stock market. Our modern day stock market came out of Pharaoh’s dream, because when he dreamed this dream he called all the magi or magicians to interpret the dream and they couldn’t. He called Joseph and he told them that there would be 7 yrs of famine. He told him to save up and he would have seven years of plenty.
Solomon’s dream – 1 Kings 3: 5- 9. This was Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the image you have in Daniel 2. Daniel interprets this dream. Daniel also interprets the dream in Daniel 4. .
Daniels dream of the Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream of a tree – Daniel 4
Daniel’s dream of four beasts – Daniel 7.
In the New Testament:
Joseph’s dream – Matt 1:20. This is the dream of Joseph Mary’s husband. This was the dream concerning Joseph’s wife.
Pilate’s wife’s dream -Matt 27:19. This is the dream that the Holy Spirit gave to Pilate’s wife telling Pilate not to mess with the man name Jesus. This was why he was apprehensive to send Jesus to crucifixion.
Abraham’s 2nd call vision – Gen 15
Isaiah’s call – Isaiah 6 – It was a vision. He said I the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord high and lifted up. This was vision.
Ezekiel’s call was given in a vision or dream – Ezekiel also gets this vision of the temple judgment in Ezekiel chapter 8 – chapter 10.
Valley of Dry Bones – Ezekiel 37. This was vision.
Ezekiel then get’s another Temple vision – Found in chapters Ezekiel 40-48
Daniels Visions – Daniel had several visions found in chapters Daniel 8-12
Zechariah had several visions – Zech 1 – 6.
The man from Macedonia – Acts 16:9-10 – This was an instance where Paul and Silas are on their 2nd missionary journey headed in one direction and received what is known as the Macedonia Plea. It was men that said come over and help him. They take this detour to go help this man and go preach the word of God in Philippi. The bible declares on the way there, they were taken captive and they were falsely accused and beaten and put into a Roman jail cell and the bible says at midnight they sang praises unto God and the prisoners heard them and the chains and doors were opened. All of this happened because of a dream, a vision.
The Entire Book of Revelation – this entire book is based on a vision an angel of the Lord showed to John.
Visions
1. This is a vision statement: Whatever God reveals to us in a dream has a divine plan, not a personal agenda. – You will dream about personal things, but that has nothing to do with God.
2. Whatever God reveals in a dream will always line up with his word. God won’t give you a dream about somebody’s wife for instance. When you have a dream, you need to ask yourself is your dream about divine agenda or a personal agenda and you need to ask if it consistent with God’s word.
7 characteristics of vision
1. Godly vision involves prophetic revelation from the Holy Spirit. Proverbs 29:18: 18Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. – Your vision is bigger than you. The Holy Spirit is so powerful that when he gives you vision, we must realize that it is bigger than we are.
a. You can’t localize your vision. Sometimes we want to hold on to something like it is ours, but it is not. Vision belongs to God. God implements vision through us to help others. Proverbs 18:1: 1Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom. – Your vision will not make sense to others because God didn’t show it to them, he showed it to you.
b. Revelations between dreams and visions: The day of Pentecost had come and Peter was giving a response to the people saying that they were not drunk. Peter was saying that this was in fact what was prophesied by Joel in the last days. Acts 2:17: 17 ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. – This scripture lists visions and dreams separately, so it implies that visions and dreams are two separate things. This is how they work together. What we see here is a dream is something an older person sees, but it is unattainable in their lifetime. Whereas a younger person sees a vision, which motivates them to apprehend something that they can make come to pass during their earthly time. People that see vision will one day dream dreams for the next generation. Dreams of the old become visions of the young. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream, but it was never fulfilled in his lifetime. Barack Obama had a vision, but that vision was birth out of a dream.
c. There is a famous quote concerning dreams from T.E. Lawrence of Arabia: “All men dream; but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act out their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible.” T.E. Lawrence. We dream with our eyes open, because we make things happen.
2. Godly vision is a basic human need. Without God, you will be like a car that runs out of gas. God gives vision motivated by the word of God. Like gas in a car, the word of God keeps motivating us to aspire to what we see. Happy is he that keeps the laws. The word is what keeps us in between the time of when vision is revealed and the time vision is manifested.
a. The two most important things in your life is the day you were born and the day you realize why you were born. Why is this? It is because we got a word that made us realize why we were here.
3. Vision quickens faith and zeal to take action and perseverance to sustain the action taken. The clearer your vision is to you, the bolder your action will be. Proverbs 28:1: 1 The wicked run away when no one is chasing them, but the godly are as bold as lions.-When God shows you something, you are bold because you have a Godly authority. Show me a zealous person, and I will show you vision. A zealous person is one that is allowing their vision to motivate them. What happens if you get people outside to motivate you, they become cynical and walk away, creating doubt within you.
a. Paul says to Timothy that he spoke God’s prophetic words to him so he could fight the fight of faith.1 Timothy 1:18: 18 Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles.
b. Anyone who know what God told them to do, are not timid. They are bold. Daniel 11:32: 32 He will flatter and win over those who have violated the covenant. But the people who know their God will be strong and will resist him.
4. Godly vision can and should be shared with others who desire or need to hear what God is saying to them through you. – Habakkuk 2:2: 2And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. – Writing your vision down communicates to others what you are after, sets boundaries, and creates balances. If you don’t write it down, you have nothing to gauge by and show you that you are off course. People are always pulling at you and it is easy to get off course. What can happen is before you know it; you end up doing other people’s vision and yours ends up left undone. If you write your vision down, you can tell if you are being pulled away. Ex-We have a vision for Mt Zion church. Many people want a lot from Mt Zion, because it is a big church. There are people who even want to buy the membership list for marketing purposes. Mt Zion tells them no, because their agenda does not line up with our vision. We have to stay on course. If you don’t write your vision down, you don’t have a course to chart. Write it your vision down.
a. The late Dr Samuel Proctor, Bishop Walker’s mentor, says when you write your vision; no matter how big, it should be able to be summed up on T-shirt. If you can’t put it on a T-shirt, it should be summed up and defined a little more. Bishop says he is learning to say no. We have to realize that “No” is an answer. Let your vision say no when you are being pulled away from it.
5. Godly vision must be consistently obeyed to be fully realized. The Children of Israel (the parents) didn’t reach the Promised Land because of disobedience, not lack of vision. Acts 26:19: 19 “And so, King Agrippa, I obeyed that vision from heaven. – Here is how you know you there with your vision. When you feel an overwhelming sense of divine obligation, you are there. Ex- Bishop Walker explains how he was called to preach. Many have asked did he hear God’s voice. He said no, because that would have put him in cardiac arrest. He said that the feeling was so overwhelming, he could not fight it and it would not let up until he submitted to it.
6. Godly vision leads to a change of present situations through a transformation of personal character. We know all things work together for them who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose, but we have to realize that vision involves external things along with eternal character. 28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.-Talents and gifts can get you there, but character is what keeps you there. There are some of you who are asking God to put you on the fast track to your blessing. In other words, you do not want to take the steps that are necessary in getting to your success. God doesn’t give you the top level yet, because you might not be ready yet. This is all about God protecting you. When you follow the steps, at this level you can mess up and it is under the radar. On the top level, there is a whole other level of exposure. If you make the same mistakes on the top level as you did on the lower level, it can lead to much destruction, so God leaves you on the lower level so that you can learn and build character. Character brings on elevation. God promotes based on what your character can handle. God want let you embarrass the kingdom. God is so serious about it; the level itself can dictate the character. In other words you act with better character, because of the level that you are on. Ex-In every school, every neighborhood, every business office, and etc…, there is someone that goes to Mt Zion, because it is so big. Now Bishop explains that he can be driving down the road and somebody cuts him off at the last minute, he doesn’t say anything when he gets even with the car though he wants to, because the last thing he would need is somebody to say, “Your Pastor cursed me out on Hwy 65”. In other words, there are things that he will not allow his character to become, because of the level that God has placed him on.
7. Godly vision leads to a mission which requires a plan to succeed. This is where vision takes on a practical mission. Proper, prior, prayerful, planning, prevents, pitifully poor performance. We don’t just do stuff without prayerfully planning. We don’t want to end up trifling. There is a strategic process involved. We strategically plan and then we perform it, because we don’t want to be pitiful.
Correlation:
1. You have purpose, vision, and assignment. Purpose is your assignment. The knowledge of your assignment is called vision. The pursuit of you vision is called ministry. Ministry is not always church related. Everything you do is ministry if it is your assignment, because it meets someone’s needs. Why would God give you something that didn’t meet people’s needs?
2. Plans and purpose: Jeremiah 29:11: 11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. – Gods purpose for an individual or people are constant, but his plan to achieve that purpose may vary from time to time.
What is time?
1. Time is a short interruption in eternity. It is a period that is allocated to you, to fulfill what you were sent here to do. –When Habakkuk says it is for an appointed time, we must know that this time is given to us so we can complete our purpose. Habakkuk 2:3: 3For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. – If this time is not used, it is wasted time.
2. Dr Myles writes “He who has time to burn will never give the world much light. Killing time is not murder, its suicide”. Myles Munroe
3. We need help spending the time as we should. Psalm 90:12: 12So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. – The scripture is saying Lord help us to spend the time as we should. Many people say if they could get some of their time back, they would do things different. Time is so important, and you have to be careful how you guard your time. Every day you should be pursuing your purpose or ministry. When you are a person in your purpose, time is something you don’t want to waste. In fact it irritates you when people call you and want nothing. Your time is valuable. If you don’t value your time, nobody else will. When you guard your time, you are stretching right now and reaching toward your not yet.
a. Time starts when we were born and ends when we die. You have to keep having visions why you are still alive. Ex- Bishop Walker says when he comes to pray over your sick bead, he doesn’t just pray for healing. He says he prays for purpose too, because he believes even at those last moments, you have a purpose. Even if it is nothing more than to show us how to have faith in our last months, you have purpose.
b. Eternity has neither beginning nor end.
c. God who is eternal exists outside time.
d. God sees the end from the beginning and sets our course according to his overall purpose for us. God is speaking to your end. He is not looking at your right now. You just need to start what he has already finished.
e. God gives everyone purpose a time that allows it to reach perfection. Don’t miss your appointed time.
f. Time is always given for a purpose. Bishop explains this is why he doesn’t waste our time. Ex -People ask how does Mt Zion grow and he responds that he doesn’t waste his member’s time. They know when they come to church; they know bible study is going to be an hour or an hour and 10 mins at most. You can’t keep people in church all night long and expect them to go home and take of their family. They can’t do this if you have them in church until midnight. Bishop explains that he has been at conferences where it starts at 7pm and put him up at 9pm. By 9:30 he would be through and waiting in the office for the Pastor to come back and he said it would be midnight before he returned. He said he would sometimes leave and say “You can just mail it to me”.
g. Time that is not used for its intended purpose is wasted and lost.
When God first called Bishop Walker to preach, he was 20yrs old. He was going to law school, and God redirected him. He came to Nashville to go to Divinity School. He did not know anything about Nashville except for the show called “Hee Haw”. Bishop gets to Nashville and begins making an investment in his assignment (by attending Divinity School). After being here a month or so, he started seeing stuff different. People would drive by and see pastures, and Bishop would see condos and office buildings. People thought he was crazy and after a while he started questioning his sanity too. God says to him, “son this is vision”. God could not show him these visions first, because he wasn’t ready yet. God had to wait until Bishop invested into his vision. Since he made an investment in the vision by going to school, God knew he could trust him with vision. God knows we will not manage vision well if we are not willing to invest in it. God told Bishop “If you keep the vision under divine supervision, I will always give you provision, you will never have division, or very seldom a need for re-vision. If you see something and you can afford it, it is not vision, it just a good idea. Vision is always bigger than your bank account. God says if it is my will, it’s my bill.
Bishop right out of seminary got the opportunity to serve as Pastor of the Mt Zion Baptist Church. Mt Zion became Bishop’s first church. God gave a vision of new church in place for Mt Zion 2or 3 yrs inside of Bishop’s Pastor Tenure. God had shown Bishop this big Mega Church we enjoy today, but they only had $3000 in the bank for the building fund at that time. Because Bishop had seen the vision, he shouted over this often and there were some people that would look at him and think to themselves, “bless his little heart”. When the time came, Bishop launched the project around 1995 or 96 and lots of things didn’t make sense. He was struggling with his vision. There were still a lot of gaps in looking at how this was going to work. One day Bishop was working on his dissertation at Princeton in the library and he read a book called “The Republic” by Plato and he began having a conversation with himself about the discourse of a chair. It was fascinating the book implies that you are not sitting in the chair; you are sitting in a manifestation of an idea. Someone had to get a conceptualization of the chair in order for the chair to manifest. In other words, if there was no revelation of the chair, the chair maker would never have a blueprint to make the chair in which you sit. As a result, you are sitting in the end result of a revelation. The chair is really up here (the mind) instead of where you are sitting. It made Bishop think that perhaps there are two types of people inside the church. There is the revelation vs. manifestation crowd. In 2001, Mt Zion’s original intent was to have one balcony. The church kept growing and they had to add the 2nd balcony. Mt Zion marched into the church in Oct. of 2001 and they didn’t sell any candy or fish or anything like that to get into the new Church. Bishop Morton preached and Bishop Walker explains he had seen people shout that never had shouted before. Some of the Elders and Deacons were concerned that Bishop was in shouting mode. They thought if anyone would shout over the blessing, it would be him. They feared that he was burned out. After the service, Bishop had to explain to them that way back in the 1996 when God showed him the vision, he shouted then. There are people that have to have manifestation in order to thank God, but there are others that only need revelation that it is going to happen.

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When the Saints go to worship, Praise Dance, Voice Benita Washington

Posted on September 11, 2009 by growintheword
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I can, I will, I must Part I “Purpose”, Bible Study 09/02/09

Posted on September 8, 2009 by growintheword

I can, I will, I must Part I
Purpose Part I
Synopsis of Bible Study 09/02/09
Delivered by Bishop Walker III
God is a God of purpose. Everything God does, no matter when or why, he does it on purpose. God created everything on purpose and for a purpose. Purpose precedes creation. Everything in life begins and ends with purpose, because God is a purpose driven God. Every believer must be driven by what they do, because Gods will is that we be in our purpose.
Purpose is the only thing that will bring meaning to your life. The aim is then to become significant with our purpose. We ought to want the Lord to make our life matter. The greatest tragedy in life is not death, but life without a reason or purpose. It is dangerous to be alive and not know the reason you were given life.
Benjamin Mayes says” The tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. It isn’t a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream. It is not disgrace to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for. Not failure, but low aim, is a sin. “- Benjamin Mays
What is purpose?
1. Purpose is the original intent of the creation of a thing.
2. Purpose is the original reason for the creation of a thing.
3. Purpose is the end for which the means exist.
4. Purpose is the cause for the creation of a thing.
5. It is the desired result that initiates production. Ex-Somebody produces something because they are looking for a desired result
6. It is the need that makes a manufacturer produce a specific product. Ex-Manufacturer saw someone that needed their hair done and decided someone needed to make hair relaxer.
7. It is the destination that prompted the journey. Ex- I saw where I was going and it prompted me to get up to pursue my purpose.
8. It is the aspiration for the inspiration.
9. It is the object one wills or resolves to have.
10. Purpose is the original intent in the mind of God that prompted him to create you. How then do we know what God is up to? We cannot know our purpose while being outside the relationship of God. The Holy Ghost helps us know what our purpose is. It is impossible to know our purpose without a relationship with God.
We were created for and with a purpose.
1. There is a universal corporate purpose that all creation has. Genesis 1:26: 26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. – Every purpose that comes out of one of God’s creations has to come out in order to glorify God. Nothing you do will make sense unless you understand why God created you to do it.
2. We were created not be a problem. Instead we were created to solve a problem. Ex-The problem in the text is this, God had order and structure in the garden. He separated the ground and water, put fish in sea, and created things after that. Then God said let us make man. God needed someone to commune with and someone to communicate with creation and let them know who he was. Man was the only thing that had souls so that purpose was given to man. Genesis 1:26 says man was given dominion over everything which means authority, position, power, or to rule. The original intent was for us (mankind) was for us to have dominion in the earth realm. We were to be in charge of this earth. There is no secret that Satan came in subtly in chapter 2 of Genesis after God told Adam and Eve not to touch that one thing in the midst of the garden, which was the tree. Adam and Eve could not resist it and ate of the tree and were cursed. Because of Adam and Eve eating of the tree, which was stepping out of their purpose, they lost dominion and lost their position and were ultimately kicked out of the garden. Satan then obtained dominion in the earth realm. He became the prince of the earth realm. Sin from the garden turned mankind from God. We must remember that sin separates us God.
3. Jesus then became Gods answer to a problem. God was trying to get man’s dominion back on the earth. When John said the kingdom of God was at hand, he was talking about reestablishing the dominion that mankind lost. Jesus started teaching the dominion of God. The scribes had a problem with him, because they thought he was trying to set his own kingdom on this earth. Jesus was establishing God’s kingdom. John 10:10: 10The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.-Satan wants to destroy your dominion and your authority. Jesus came that we would have a quality of life, where we rule and have dominion in the earth realm. Satan came to destroy. Look at how the devil has taken over in the earth realm. Ex- Look at people who write music in the world. They will be cursing you out on the CD and it will go double platinum, but somebody that sings about Jesus can’t go copper. If a person who tries to open Christian book store, they can’t stay afloat, but an adult book store will have customers in it at midnight. Some of them will be Christians.
4. Our biggest hatters of the church are church folk. We are supposed to take over in the earth realm if we are going to achieve dominion. Ex- In every school, there is someone from Mt Zion. In every hospital, there is at least one member from Mt. Zion. Church folk get mad because we are everywhere, but the unsaved see that we are taking over or in position to make an impact. We are just taking our rightful place in this realm. You can’t take over if your presence is not there. Do you think God just called you to open up another kind of business? No. He called you to take over and make an impact. Some people look at you like your ideas are crazy, but you are supposed to think outside the box, because God promised you. If you don’t have that in your spirit, then you will never understand the totality of your purpose. You will localize your purpose. Your purpose is supposed to be global.
5. Your purposes existed before you were born. Jeremiah 1:5: 5Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. , Romans 8:29-30: 29For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. – God fore knew us and predestined us to look like what we are supposed to look like. We were born and had nothing to do with what God planned. Our birth really was insignificant. Your parent’s job was to simply to birth you. What was in you, your purpose, was created before your parents even liked each other. The devil knows your purpose is great and this is why he wants to kill you.
How do we get our purpose?
1. We are growing and forces of life are pulling us in different directions. Ex-At the age of 14 we do thing, at the age15 and 16 we do another. At the age of 20, we do something else and all of the sudden at 25, God calls us. He connects you with a preacher that speaks in your life and it his sermons convict you. You get less and less tolerant of certain things that you used to tolerate. You still have thoughts from your strongholds, but they don’t feel right anymore. Once we answer the call, he speaks to us through his word, and then you say to yourself, “why would God want somebody like me?” You feel in adequate, but remember that God only uses imperfect people because he has no perfect people to choose from. This is why you give the glory to him. God brought our parents together to bring us in this world and then he saved us from our foolishness. We have to realize that as it says in Romans 8:28, 28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.-It is not about our purpose, but his purpose.
2. God created you to be a player and not a spectator of the affairs of life. Hebrews 12:1: Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, – Notice the phrase in the scripture, “run the race”. Is a runner a spectator or player? Players are assets. Spectators are liabilities. That’s why when you a player, you get irritated by spectators. You in your purpose working hard and somebody who is a spectator is on the side asking what time we get off. Players are for prizes. Spectators are just for fun. Ex- Bishop explains how fortunate he is to see freshman come into this ministry every four years as freshman and the next time you see them, they are seniors. Bishop compares it to child asking for candy and the next time you see them, they want the keys to car. Time moves so quickly. While we see people go through this quick moving cycle, there are others that are always “fixing to do something”. Procrastination is the greasiest enemy of your purpose. Ex-Bishop says he has learned to cease the moment.
There are 3 groups of people
a. People that make things happen.
b. People who watch things happen.
c. People who have no clue what’s happening.
1. Your existence is evidence that this generation needs something that your life contains. Ex- You have the manufacture and his product. The person responsible of a creation is the manufacturer and the thing that is created is the product. Manu means manual. Facturer means maker. The manufacturer makes a manual that will give you a foreknowledge of the functions of the product. Only the manufacturer has the right to determine the purpose of his product, not the customer.
2. Any attempt to use a product in any different way it was created, jeopardizes the product and voids the warranty. People that don’t know how to handle you need to read the manual (the bible). God created you and he created the manual. We who are the product have no say so on how the manufacturer chose to make us or use us. God says stop compromising the warranty by adding parts that he didn’t put on you. You are God’s product and stop letting people tell you who you are. Ex-People say you sound like a preacher and you think you are called to preach. Only God can define your purpose.
10 things about purpose
1. God is the source of purpose. Philippians 1:6: 6Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: -Since God started the work inside you, he will finish it.
2. Your purpose is predetermined. 2 Timothy 1:9: 9Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
3. Purpose is an integral part of you. Jeremiah 1:5: 5Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations; Matthew 10:30: 30But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. – God made us. Ex-Bishop said he was very energetic when he was young. They thought he was going to be a slow child, but it turned out that he was a very hyper child that happened to be very smart. God foreknew his purpose, because that energy comes in handy for a preacher that preaches 4 times every Sunday.
4. Your purpose is the solution to a problem. Exodus 3:7-9: 7And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; 8And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. 10Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. – Your purpose is always assigned to a person or people. Your purpose is the solution to a problem.
5. Your purpose is your assignment. Isaiah 6:8: 8Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
6. Your purpose determines your destiny. Genesis 12:1-2: 1Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: -Abraham became a blessing, because he got in line with his purpose.
7. Your purpose is interrelated. Genesis 12:3: 3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. – Bishop explained that if he had gone to law school like he wanted, you might not be reading this at this very moment. Your decision to say yes will always bless something or somebody else.
8. Your purpose stimulates passion. 2 Corinthians 4:1: 1Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; -Being in your purpose should not tire you out, because you have a passion for it. Ex-Bishop explained that out of all the time he has been pastoring, there hasn’t been one time that he dreaded coming to church. If you go on your job and you dread it, it is a good indication that that job is not part of your purpose.
9. Purpose transcends your pain. 2 Corinthians 4:8: 8We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 2 Corinthians 11:21-30: 21 I’m ashamed to say that we’ve been too “weak” to do that! But whatever they dare to boast about—I’m talking like a fool again—I dare to boast about it, too. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. 24 Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. 26 I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not.[a] 27 I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. 28 Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger? 30 If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am.

Next week is about purpose and vision and what God is showing you. Some of you are having dreams and God is going to show you if they are real or if you are just tripping.

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Devine Transfer, Revival Sermon 08/28/09

Posted on September 2, 2009 by growintheword

Devine Transfer
Synopsis of Revival 08/28/09
Delivered by Bishop Walker
Text:
2 Kings 2:9: 9And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.
Today, we are not coming as a traditional sermon. This is a word streamed directly from the true and living God.
Devine transfer
Bishop Walker explains that he has always been sensitive to the word of God since he has been called as a Minister. He always knew there was something different about his assignment. Bishop explains that it is important that he release what God has shown him to release to the church.
Many people have missed the shift or the cloud of God and got left behind during the last shift. Look at the church you grew up in. Most of you can remember there was a season of change or dispensation. You grew up in a church that was denominationally faithful. It was a church where for example they were glad to say that they were COGIC, or Church of Christ, AME, or Baptist. This denominationally faithfulness was very strong and very evident during the 60’s, the 70’s, and the 80’s. The problem with this season was people would leave saying “that sermon was great!”, yet they didn’t know what the preacher talked about in the sermon later on. While we lived in this season, we really did not recognize the flaws in it. In fact, since we were victims of that season, we actually defended it because of denominational allegiance to or denomination. This was a season of white net hats and cloths on the communion table, but at the same time deacons smoking outside the church and musicians walking out during the preaching and coming back in when the sermon was over.
In the 90s, there was a great shift in the church. God allowed another cloud to come . Suddenly the grandchildren of these denominational faithful people were not at ease anymore. They begin searching for something else in a worship experience. They knew that there had to be something more than this to look forward to. When that shift happened, God used many great men of God. Bishop explains that he believed God put Bishop Paul Morton and other great men on the line to help usher this shift in. Suddenly people began to learn about the gifts of the spirit and women began to preach. This was unheard of in a lot of denominations such as Baptist church. Many of these denominations didn’t even have a Praise Team. Instead of having a praise team, they used to have devotion. This represented the apathy of the first shift.
When the second shift came, people had no more denominational allegiance. They wanted the word. It was painful to make that shift. You would think people would be happy that you were in church, but the truth is, people had to fight their own family because they left the church they grew up in. Even though it was painful, in the second shift, people began to leave the churches they grew up in and they began to go where they could experience God. Out of this shift came the Mega Churches. The Catholic, Baptist, AME, CME, and others all came together to worship one God. Some people were critical and began to call us cults. This criticalness was really birth out of the fear of the unknown. Regardless, churches got bigger and worship went to an all time high. That shift, is what I want to talk about tonight. Ex-Bishop Walker explains that many of his members were involved in the first shift when he first came to Mt. Zion; however, they trusted the God of a young preacher and allowed the second shift to take place. These 50+ members made the biggest shift of them all. God strategically positioned Bishop Walker to share this with the church and the world.
The second shift is about over. The problem with second shift was we created celebrities. Too many people needed too much. People would come to preach for you with contracts bigger than the family bible. God says he let all this happen on purpose. It was to let you know that this 3rd shift is not about a personality. This 3rd shift is not about how many members go to your church. It is about God’s glory.
So what is this 3rd shift about? God has released us to tell the nations of the world, what the church ought to look like. We are not going to stop growing, because this would stop souls from getting saved. Naturally as people get saved, it will add to the number of members at the church. What must happen is, the bigger we get, the smaller we got to get. It was the prophet Elijah who God did marvelous miracles by and his servant Elisha who comes at the moment of Elijah’s ending season. Elijah asks his servant Elisha what he wants from him before he leaves. We know that in the second shift, most of us answered this question by asking for prosperity. What we wanted in the second shift was tangible blessings, but in the 3rd shift, we hear Elisha saying it is not about what money can buy. You got to have something that can sustain you between the money. What we need is the anointing. Not just the anointing on you already, but we want a double portion just like Elisha asked for. The anointing of God is the presence of God on your life. It is the vehicle that God uses to bring the super-natural into the natural. It is that very oil of God flowing in your life that will allow you to tap into his gifts. As we unfold this message, Bishop tells us that God says tell the church how Elisha got it and release them to receive it.
If you want a double portion of Gods anointing you must do the following 7 things:
I. Like Elijah, confront the spirit of the enemy. Who did Elisha have to confront? In 1 Kings 19 tells us that Elijah was confronted by Jezebel in a message and it caused Elijah to flee for his life, but the Lord eventually told him to go back the same way he came and confront what he was fleeing from. Revelation 2:20 says: 20 “But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols.-Jezebel. -People of God, we have not come to talk about Jezebel. We have come to talk about is the spirit of Jezebel. We must confront this spirit in this season. In this spirit is the spirit of manipulation, control, and people that will cling to you taking only what they want , yet leaving and giving you hell when they can’t get it any more. There are people that show up, because they want a title. They only stand up because they want to be seen. In this 3rd shift, you will not manipulate your way through God’s house. Our destiny is in hand the hands of God, not the Devil.
Make a list of Jezebel spirits in your life. God said cut it off now. This spirit is a cancer. You can’t take cancer from one part of your body and put it somewhere else and expect to survive. In this season, you got to confront it. There is a spirit of boldness that is about to break out in this church. God said his transfer is only going to take place when you confront the spirit of the enemy.
II. Rely on God. Before Elijah was taken into heaven, he proclaimed his loyalty to God. Elijah stood before hundreds and declared that God was the God of Israel and that he done it all. It was in 1 Kings 18.26 that Elijah called fire down from heaven. Why have this season come you might ask? You got to quit putting your trust into people. You got to quit leaning to your own understanding and learn to lean on God.
Ask what the Lord wants you to do. This season, God wants people totally dependent on him. If you are going to get a double portion of God’s anointing, only God only can do it. Some witnesses will tell you if you rely on God, he will make a way out of no way.
III. Learn how to serve. Elijah served God. It was Elisha that said he would not leave Elijah’s side. This is the day that God is looking for people that will serve him and not those that are trying to work up to something. God is looking for people who will simply serve him with gladness. He is looking for people who will serve him without a paycheck. Ex-Bishop says the thing that really got under his skin is that he raised up some great guys in the second season. Some were armor bearers, but like the disciples with Jesus, they got familiar with him, and they forgot the anointing placed on his life. They forgot about why they were serving. God told Bishop Walker to put a stop to it and see who would serve God without a title. See who would come to church without a seat up front. Bishop said God just wants people who want to serve him. Ex-13 yrs ago, Bishop Walker came to Mt Zion and served a man named Dr Roberson who was Pastor at that time time Pastor. Bishop Walker explains that he would meet him at his car and grab his briefcase. He just served the man of God. If there was paper on the pulpit, he just picked it up. Bishop just focused on serving the Pastor in the name of God. There was no sound man, so Bishop would even turn on the switch on PA system himself. This experience sparked a whole other mentality for Bishop. Bishop states that because of his experience with serving, it is hard to be around people that want to be served themselves instead of having a heart to serve others. Bishop Walker asks how can he be a Bishop that is tangible and reach people, if the people who work around him are so distance? In this season, God said you will have to do what needs to be done, even if it is not part of your job description.
IV. Walk by faith. Elisha fought against Elijah’s will and he stayed with him. Just like all the great leaders of the church, God has positioned you and me to be people of faith. God has created a situation in this season so you will have to live on the word you have been talking about. The issue is now are you going to walk by faith?
Gilgal is where Elisha’s faith begins. 2 Kings 2:1: 1And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.- Gilgal was where manna (referring to bread from heaven) ceased to be given by God and the children of Israel was forced to live by their faith. -9And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day. 10And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. 11And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day. 12And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year. – For 40yrs the children of Israel lived by following God’s cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. You got to move with God’s glory instructs you to move. Stop looking at your circumstances and move where God says to move. Don’t look at circumstances, because God may be seeding for your harvest.
Manna means “man what is this?” There is no secret that your faith has been stretched in this season. God says in this season, you are experiencing your Gilgal. What God is doing today will change you forever.
V. Know what it means to be tested. Our test right now is this recession. God says the world is in a recession, but the kingdom is in a re-set. God said this is what I did: Nobody came and took the money to create this recession. God says what he done is position the kingdom to be re-set. It is not that there is a lack of money, it is just being transferred. People of God, these money problems are the wounds and scars that others had to take, because in the second season, some were trying to teach you sowing and tithing with integrity. Others tainted it and made you skeptical of the whole tithing process. Proverbs 3:9-10: 9Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 10So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.-Your barns have been emptied through this recession. Not that you are not doing your best to tithe, but you want to know why your barn is empty? It is because God needed to know that when he blessed you, who would get the glory?
The problem with the wealth in the hands of wicked is that they didn’t’ honor the Lord with what they gained. Proverbs 13:22: 22A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just. – God said if you keep trusting him and tithe during the recession, he can see that you trust him no matter what. If you continue to trust God, he has got what you sowed stored up and he will transfer it into your barns. This recession was just a test. If are passing the test, it don’t hurt you to pay your tithe, because you trust God. What happened in your season of being tested?
VI. Know how to wage warfare. Elisha became a man to war in the spirit. Power belongs to God. In Joshua 6, God said this power is only coming to people that have the power of warfare. This is not about who you can cut it in the midst of warfare. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal. God is not looking for people that are dependent on others. God is looking for people who can declare authority over their own lives. Demons have been running rampart in your house. This is not the time for wimps. This is time to turn to the wall and say I am a warrior. Jesus says to his disciples that the work they saw him do, greater works will they do. Ex-Bishop explains that he has been hesitant of releasing the ministry that God has released on this body (the church) and ministries that people have been called to, because of the foolishness found within the church.
God told Bishop that when he releases this 3rd season; people have to be assured that they are ready. You don’t know it yet. You have been so suppressed because of demonic spirits, you are not aware that some of you have been given gifts to operate in the 3rd season. Bishop (and other Pastors) is going to be calling certain people out and some will not believe that God has called you out. Tonight it is going to happen. The only way is to receive a double anointing is to have the next point.
VII. Must have a vision. It was on the banks of the Jordon River where God tested Elisha’s vision. Elijah said asked Elisha what he wanted from him before he would be taken to heaven by a whirlwind. Elisha asked for a double portion of God’s anointing. Elijah told Elisha that if he saw a certain event happen, then the blessing he asked for would be for him. 9And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. 10And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. 11And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. – Elisha was told he would receive what he asked for if he saw Elijah being taken from him. Elijah was taken up into heaven by a whirlwind. Elisha saw him taken up. When he saw this, he received his blessing. When you can see it (us go to the next dimension), the 3rd shift, God will release your blessing. Be aware though, when you take part in this blessing, Satan will try to attack your life.

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