Revelation Part II, Bible Study 07/13/11

Posted on July 19, 2011 by growintheword

Revelation Part II

The 7 churches of Asia Minor (laying a foundation)

Synopsis of Bible Study 07/13/11

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

 

Remember that the book of Revelations is progressive. We are still seeing it unfold day by day. When we are looking at history, church history in particular, we have to look at the events that happened and see them in particular. We call them dispensation or periods (chunks) of time where God is revealing certain things to the body of Christ.

The 7 churches of Asia Minor and their descriptions

Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea

  1. Ephesus – Means first or desirable. It was kind of known as the influential capital of the city Asia Minor. It was also known to be huge metropolis or place of commerce. Looking at this church is like seeing the church (as a body) in its purest apostolic state that a church could be in. When we say apostolic we mean that when the Disciples became Apostles after Jesus ascended and established the churches, we see the Holy Spirit descending on the people where they gathered just as it did in Acts 2:1-4. As a result, they began to speak in tongues and lots of gifts began to manifest in the early church. This was the church that was first and desirable. Acts 2:1-4 where says 1And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
  2. Smyrna – Myrrh or sweet smelling savor. This was a poverty church that survived martyrdom. To be a martyr was to be someone who died for the cause. This church was also a powerful trading spot. It had a sea harbor. If you were to look for it today it would be found around Izmir Turkey. They were known for making Myrrh which was a healing ointment for the dead. Myrrh was made by crushing and bleeding a plant at the same time. Myrrh tasted bitter, but smelled sweet (also called a sweet smelling savor).
  3. Pergamum – Means Height or Elevation. This was a church mixed with lots of mixed church doctrines. It was built on a 1000 ft hill. This made it easy for them to defend themselves from their enemies.
  1. Thyatira – Means Savor or labor or sacrifice of contrition . It was known as the false church that followed the seductive prophetesses. Consisted of poor folk who were willing to sacrifice. God honored them for being willing to labor. They produced instruments of Brass and bronze. They also produced dyed cloth in scarlet and purple. What’s interesting about this is there was the  entrepreneurial woman in Acts 16:12-14 . It says 12And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days. 13And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. 14And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. –  This scripture tells us of a lady at a prayer meeting. The women were praying and this woman was an entrepreneur. She did very well, because she sold scarlet and purple cloth and linen at the church. When she heard Peter and Paul preach about Jesus, she got saved and went home and got her whole household saved.
  2. Sardis – This means Song of Joy or that which remains. It was known as the dead church that fell asleep.
  3. Philadelphia – Church of brotherly love. Known for variety of temples and worship centers they had.
  4. Laodicea – A just people or people being judged. They were known as the lukewarm church. It was a hub for the Roman Water System. It was strategically located.

What is more important was where these church wasn’t located

  1. None of these churches were in the land of Israel. They were not associated with Israel either. AD90 is about the time.
  2. Jerusalem had been wiped out and the temple was destroyed. God is not dealing with Israel as nation anymore. At this time he is dealing with them as a church.
  3. Historically, everyone thought Jesus would come back only for the Jews.
  4. When God delivered the children from Egypt, they were his chosen people. When Paul writes in Romans 11:24-25: 24For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? 25For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.- Here is saying that some people are still operating under the old system. , Romans 10:12: 12For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him., Galatians 3:28: 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.  – Things have shifted now. When you look from the New Testament, through the Apostolic Age, up until now, you have to know that God didn’t intend sexism, racism, or classism to ever be part of the church. Salvation was not just for the Jew, it was to the Gentiles too. Whosever will, let them come.
  5. When we say the church, we are not talking about physical building. They were places where they gathered to worship. AD 29-33 was the time period of Jesus’ ministry. Somewhere in there he speaks what Matthew records in verse 13.
  6. About the Parables:
    1. We have these 7 parables listed in Matthew 13. Parables were earthly stories that with spiritual meanings that were used by Jesus in his teachings.
    2. You have the Parable of Sower, the Parable of the Mustard seed, the Parable of the Leaven, the prophecy of Parables, the Parable of the Hidden Treasures, the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price, and the Parable of the Dragnet. The reason you have to study these 7 parables, written around AD90, 60yrs after Jesus walked this earth, you can line up what Jesus was referring to in these parables with the 7 churches of Asia Minor. For ex: The first parable was talking about the first church (Ephesus), the second parable was talking about the second church (Smyrna), and etc… In the parables, Jesus talks the churches to come in these parables, because he knew what they would become.
  7. About the Nicolaitans:

We will run into these people in Revelations Chapter 2, 14, and 15. The origin of the Nicolaitans is not exactly known. We do know that they were a sect that started in faith and then started teaching contrary towards to what they had been taught.

    1. The first school of thought says the Nicolaitans started following a Deacon named Nicolas. Acts 6:5 says 5And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: – This is a list of the 1st Century Deacons. This same school of thought says that Nicolas turned from the faith. His name means on who conquers people. This same school of thought explains that he took on the doctrines of Balaam or those of the Devil and taught Israel to eat food that was sacrificed to idols and to he taught them to sin by committing sexual immorality.
    2. Another train of thought is that is was not so much after Nicolas. The word Nicolas which suggests that they were encouraged to eat things sacrificed to idols. (tape).
    3. These false people led people into licentiousness. This is simply lewd behavior. Peter and Jude described this.  2 Peter 2:15 says 15Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 2 Peter 2:19 says 19While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. Jude 1:4 says 4For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. – He writes that certain men have gotten in and look just like you and I. Lewdness means to unrestrained by laws or general morality. This means having no boundaries.

A look at Each Church

Ephesus – Look at the time period AD time period which means the year of our Lord. Then look at the first 100yrs of church history and then the next 300, and the next 500yrs. These 7 churches represent time periods in history. We are talking about a literal church and literal things that were starting to unfold. When John writes about eh Ephesus prophecy (church), these were things that he was seeing right now. When we get to Smyrna, it represents what would happen in the next time period and so and so on until now.

  1. Ephesus – AD 33-100 –Revelation 2:1-7 says 1Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; 2I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 3And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. 4Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. 6But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate. 7He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.  – The stars mean angels or messengers. The lamp stand (candlestick) symbolizes God’s presence. Here we have a church who labors. They represent the first desirable. They did all these great things, but they left God. They were guilty of working for him, instead of with him. Ex- Just because you’re faithful and just because you are always present at church, doesn’t mean a thing. God can tell that you have moved. If you don’t repent he will remove the candlestick (remove his presence). Ever seen someone try to sing or preach with no candlestick? They will be trying their hardest, but God’s presence is not with them. When God removes his candlestick it means that God has fired you. God doesn’t save by works; he saves by faith lest any man would boast. This was a literal church, in a literal time period, but the implications permeate the church today.
  2. Smyrna– What does it mean?  It means Myrrh. Remember Myrrh which was a healing ointment for the dead and was extracted by crushing and bleeding a plant at the same time.  Revelation 2:8-10 says 8And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; 9I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. 10Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.- Here God is saying, if you overcome this, you will escape a 2nd death. God will not exempt you from suffering. You might be the church according to its description that was meant to suffer. Remember that crushing causes a sweet smelling savor. It is through the crushing that you get the best glory to God.
  3. Pergamum– This is the time period where paganism first came into the church. It was about AD 300-500. Pergamum is known as the compromising church. Revelation 2:12-13 says  12And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; 13I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. – Satan’s seat was where paganism was. Here God explains that they were the church positioned in Satan’s territory. They saw people killed for the cause, yet they remained faithful. God says he still held the fact that they had followers of Balaam in there with them.

Revelation 2:15-17 says 15So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate. 16Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 17He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. . – The Sword of his mouth. This is the word. During this church’s time period, we have witchcraft and paganism coming in. Ex- You will have churches positioned in Satan’s territorial dominion. There are churches that must remain faithful in that city and not to let Nicalaitanes pull people out of the church. It is important to know that Satan is territorial. This mean Satan assigns himself to certain territories.

  1. Thyatira –Revelation 2:18-29 says 18And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; 19I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. 20Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. 21And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. 22Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. 23And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. 24But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. 25But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. 26And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 27And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. 28And I will give him the morning star.29He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. –  – This covers the period around the 1500s. We are talking about Papal Supremacy. This is Roman Catholicism. It is an Apostolic succession of the Pope and how all of that comes down through history. They (Popes) see themselves in Apostolic bloodline succeeding Peter.

We know about the spirit of Jezebel in the Old Testament. The Spirit of Jezebel uses seduction to promote power. It is a spirit that has to be seen. It is important to know that this spirit does not just affect women. This spirit exists in men too. The bible calls it a false prophetess. She knows the word, uses seductive sexual persuasion to gain power or position or promote his or her agenda. This spirit will not accept rebuke. It is a spirit of rebellion which is witchcraft.

The scripture says he will kill her babies. Ex- This is mean figuratively. You will connect with this spirit and decide to birth this vision and God said he will kill it as soon as it is born, because the motivation of this vision was never right. This spirit exists even today. This is why the majority of great falls in Christian leadership has been sex. It doesn’t matter what your sexual preference is, this spirit wants you. This spirit applies to both genders. The craftiness is, you put stuff away and get closer and closer to God, and then the anxiety intensifies. This is why Satan don’t want you to worship because in worship you out of the flesh. If you really think about it, the majority of the struggle in this house (church) today is sex (not drugs, alcohol, and etc …). The only way you will overcome it is to know that Satan don’t want you, he wants you position.

  1. Sardius – Time period from the 1600s until 1700. Revelation 3:1-3 says 1And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. 2Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 3Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. – Here God says he knows their works. God knew that there would be some people who wouldn’t defile themselves. He knew their works wasn’t perfect, but he knew they would strengthen those who remained in the faith and for these things, God said he would reward them.
  2. Philadelphia –  Remember this is the church of brotherly love. Revelation 3:7-11 says 7And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; 8I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.9Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. 10Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. 11Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. – This represents the time period of the 1800s. It is the time period which the bibles were being printed. God says he would strengthen them by his word and strengthen those who overcome.
  3. Laodicea – All those other churches (1-6) have come to pass. Those churches were literal churches during literal seasons of time that have come to pass. Laodicea is the 7th church, the end of time church. It represents the time period of the 1700s until Jesus Christ comes back. This church represents the presents the current time now. We are in the Laodicea time zone. Revelation 3:14 says 14And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; – There will be no other time period after this. We are in this time period. In fact, we may be the generation that could see the coming of the Lord. No other time period could have said this, because the other time periods had to unfold first.

Revelation 3:15-21 says 15I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 20Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. – God says here is a church, now a contemporary church. This is us.

 

God says he knew we wouldn’t be all the way in or out (lukewarm) and this makes him sick. He says as a result, he will vomit us out of his mouth. He says we believe it is alright to have one foot in the world and one in the church and you have made it ok. God says every time he sees us like this, it makes him sick. He says we think it is alright to be full of the Holy Ghost one day and full of liquor the next. He says we have made our sins convenient enough to accommodate it.

 

God says we don’t want to hear sermons about conviction, holiness, or living right. We think that this would be judging us. We don’t want to hear the real word of God. We want to hear people talk about positive living and how everyone should be happy. God says we don’t want to hear anything about repenting and turning away from your wicked ways. We just want a positive message that tells about the house or car we are going to get. We don’t want anyone to tell us that we are living in sin and that we ought to repent and turn from our wicked ways! If they do, we will leave that church and find somebody to accommodate our sin because we are lukewarm!

 

We don’t even recognize that we have jobs making more money than anyone in our family has made. We have bigger cars and bigger churches and we don’t even realize that because of our dysfunction of satisfying our lukewarmness, why we are always depressed. We can’t figure out how we are in this big house, yet no one in it is speaking to each other. You don’t realize why your children can’t stand you, because they see you shout in church and curse each other out on the way home! God says we don’t even realize how dysfunctional we really are. He says he is telling us what to do. We have big churches, but little Christians. He tried to tell us to buy gold from him that was tried. We thought the tangible stuff was where it was at. This was prophesied in AD90. We are in 2011. We think our stuff adds value to us, because we are a stuffy generation. We are a name brand generation. We are so consumed with stuff, that we are in so much debt. God said he tried to tell us if we buy gold from him that is tried, it has been through some things. Gold has been tried by fire and like it, if we would go through some things, we would start reappropriating things in life and you will start thanking God for the thing money can’t buy, instead of the things money can buy. Then you will start giving God glory for his mercy and grace. Know that your car will fade away, your house, and your bling bling will fade away. There will be no UHaul behind your hearse when you die. What shall it prophet a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? Jesus says I love you so much, I could come at any moment. If he came tonight, some of us would be up the creek. He said that he loves us so much, that he stands at the door knocking. He knows the party is going on so loud, we don’t hear him. He says if we can turn the noise down and get all the seducing spirits out of our ear, maybe we will realize that the door. It is not in relationship or another drink. It is at the door. He says he is at the door knocking. He is not going to force his way in. If he comes like a thief, we won’t be ready. He just wants us to let him in and he will forget all things that we did. Like the thief on the cross, he says this day you can be with him in paradise. God is giving us time, this generation, time to get this thing right.

 

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Revelation Series Part I, Bible Study 07/06/11

Posted on July 19, 2011 by growintheword

Revelation Series Part 1

Laying the foundation

Synopsis of Bible Study 07/06/11

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

Dates and Times

  1. A.D. – Stands for Anno Domini which is Latin for “year of our Lord”. Stands for the number of years since Christ lived. 1 A.D. for example, stands for the year Christ was born. We are still in A.D. today.
  2. C.E. – Stands for Common Era. History books often refer to A.D. with this, C.E, because they try to shy away from religious references.
  3. The apostle John was the author of Revelation. In AD 28/30, he became a disciple. The death of Christ was in AD 33. In Rome, though it was a prosperous city, it was treacherous for Christians. They had rulers thought it no greater than to persecute Christians. They beheaded them, fed them to lions, and etc… One of those leaders was Nero who reigned from AD54-68. He was a Caesar in Rome. Note that Caesar is a title not name.
  4. The Destruction of the temple in Jerusalem occurred in  AD70
  5. Domitian reigned from AD 81-96

Interpreting

  1. When interpreting Revelation there are 4 views people use:
    1. Preterist – Suggests the events are historical events of the 1st Century.
    2. Idealist – They look at Revelations as a collection of allegories depicting good and evil.
    3. Historicist – Views Revelation as an over view of the churches’ history. They believe the events are past events and have already taken place.
    4. Futurist – it is a prophetic book to be taken literary. They believe these things will happen. Note that for this series, we will be teaching from a futuristic interpretation.

Meaning

  1. Revelation comes from the Greek word Apokylpsis or Apocalypse- It means disclosure, revelation, or manifestation. Deuteronomy 29:29 says 29The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. – We are saying like this scripture that Revelations is a comprehensive look revealing the manifestation of God. It is happening.

People’s views

  1. Syndical – They think that the things that are happening in comparison to Revelations is all coincidental.
  2. Spiritually discerning – There is a connection in events. These people think something is happening concerning all the tsunamis, dust storms, earthquakes, tornados and other events are occurring in today’s times.

Revelation chapter 1

Revelation 1:1-3 says 1The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: 2Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 3Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. –  Revelations is a revelation of Jesus Christ, given to his servants of things that are coming to pass shortly.

God revealed himself by signals.

  1. God sent his angel to John. This angel was Gabriel, the angel of prophecy. Daniel 8:16 says 16And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. – Gabriel was that same angel that is mentioned in this scripture.
  2. The message comes from God, he gives it Jesus, it is put in signs and symbols, and then it is given to Gabriel who gives it to his servant John who in turn gives it to us by writing.
  3. John gives record of:
    1. The word of God
    2. A testimony of Jesus
    3. Everything that he saw
    4. When John wrote this, he makes no changes. He simply wrote what he saw. John wrote words based on the things he saw. 73 times, he writes of things he saw and 38 times he writes of the things he heard.
    5. Christians were mostly being persecuted in Rome. Paul writes a letter to the Romans found in  Romans 13:11-12 where it says 11And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. –  Paul is saying that these things are being revealed now. You can’t look at these events as single isolated spiritual events. It is a series of events that are unraveling collectively.
    6. We won’t know when the day is coming when Jesus is coming back, but the time is near or at hand. We are in that period of time right now. We could be the generation that sees the coming of the Lord.
    7. How do we know that we could be in the time where we could see Jesus’ return? The bible says that Jesus won’t come back until the gospel is preached in every crevice of the world. In this day and age, with internet and satellite TV, the gospel can be preached to any part of the world. This ought to tell you that It is time to wake up.
    8. Revelation 1:4-6 says 4John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; 5And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. – Here John is talking to the 7 churches that existed in Asia Minor not Asia. In this scripture, John reveals:
      1. He is writing a literal letter to a literal church.
      2. He shows the time period of the Christian church until Christ’s return
      3. A look at our own Christian life.

Further explanation of Revelation 1:4-6

  1. 7 means completion.  God is moving through the church even today. Asia (talked about in Revelation) is the roman province of Asia: Republic of Turkey.
  2. Him who is who was and is to come. Why is this significant? Psalm 90 says 1Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. 2Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. – In other words, God is not in time. He is in eternity. John was there when Jesus was persecuted and crucified. He was also there when Jesus ascended back to heaven. John said the God who was, is now, and is to come.
  3. Science has to even acknowledge based on archeological evidence that there was a man named Jesus that lived back in the bible day. Even if you don’t believe that Jesus is the son of God, you cannot deny his existence, because science has proven it. He is he was and is coming.
  4. John says God is not bound by time and dates. This is why none can give a time when he is coming back.

7 attributes of the Holy Spirit

  1. The number 7 represent the fullness and the perfection of gifts operating in the lives of the believers.
  2. Isaiah 11:1-2 says 1And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; – Isaiah had a messianic prophecy. Here we get a glimpse of Isaiah prophesying about Jesus years before he comes.
    1. 7 spirits of the Lord:

i.      Spirit of the Lord

ii.      Spirit of wisdom.

iii.      Spirit of understanding.

iv.      Spirit of counsel.

v.      Spirit of might.

vi.      Spirit of knowledge.

vii.      Spirit of the fear of the Lord.

Jesus was the first begotten of the dead.

  1. Jesus was not the first raised from the dead, but he was the first begotten. There are two doctrines of resurrection.
    1. Resuscitation- Jairus daughter died and was raised from the dead, but she died again. The widow woman’s son died and was raised from the dead, but he died again. This implies that she was just resuscitated.
    2. Resurrection -Jesus died and is still alive today.
    3. Colossians 1:18 says 18And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.  – He is the prince of the kings of the earth this earth. His domain was gotten back after Adam lost it.
    4. Ephesians 1:20-21 says 20Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: – Remember when Adam and Eve sinned? Satan became the prince of this dimension at that time. When Jesus died, he took this authority back. When he died, we now get a packaged deal which is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. When you are saved, the devil is scared of you. Fear is what allows him to have authority over you. This is why the bible says greater works will we do. When Jesus comes back, he is coming for the church without spot or blemish. When he is talking about coming back for the church without spot or blemish, he is not talking about a sinless church. He was talking about the church that is operating the way he intended it too, with power manifested in the earth realm. The devils only weapon is to make you not know who are.

The Vision

Revelation 1:9 says 9I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. -John he has a companion. The 1st century is from the time period of A.D. 1-100. Many Christians were persecuted in public. Even in James 1:1 it says 1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. – This scripture shows how James wrote to the scattered tribes. They were scattered because they were all on the run.

  1. Patmos-was a small island in the Aegean Sea. It was about 10miles long and 6 miles wide. It was a rocky and barren place. It was a penal place where they would send prisoners.  Remember Domitian the ruler in Rome? Well he was the one who sent John to this island after failing to boil John in oil.
  2. Those who sow righteousness are remembered. How many of you have heard of Domitian? How many of you have heard of John? Those who don’t aren’t. Proverbs 10:7 says 7The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot. – Hope somebody will remember me. Some people and some credible Theologians think that being in the environment that John was in, he had to be hallucinating when he saw these visions. Our argument to this is this, we have never heard of anyone hallucinating and journaling about it at the same time.
  3. Vision of Christ- Revelation 1:13-15 says 13And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. – You will short change yourself trying to argue the authenticity of Jesus from this verse. You need to lay the next scripture beside this one to really get the real picture. Daniel 10:5-6 says 5Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: 6His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.-What John saw was the same as what Daniel saw.
  4. Revelation 1:16 says 16And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. – 7 stars were in his right hand. The right hand is a position of power. 7 stars represent angels or messengers. The word aggelos ang’-el-os in the Greek means messenger whether human or divine, which means these stars represented messengers. John saw 7 stars in his right hand.
  5. Daniel 12:3 says 3And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. – Firmament is a space. People that do righteousness is called stars in the bible. If you look Jude 1:13, it says that those who sow wickedness, are called wandering stars who end up in darkness. Jude 1:13 says 13Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
  6. Revelation 1:16 says 16And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
  7.  – He had 7 stars and out of his mouth a twoedged sword which means it could cut you or bless you. The Greek word suggests that starring at God was like starring at the most direct point of the sun. This means he only saw a glimpse of God’s glory, because no one can stare at the sun. Revelation 1:17 says 17And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: – John explains that the sight of God was so powerful, it knocked him down as of he was dead. Noone can stand the sight of God’s Glory.

The revelation has begun.

Malachi 4:2 says 2But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. Remember Matthew 17:2 when it says 2And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light- Jesus was transfigured before the disciples. Jesus’ face shone as the sun.

  1. Paul who was Saul killed Christians in the 1st century. He testified in Acts 9, a light hit him and blinded him on Damascus Rd. He says he heard a voice say why are you persecuting me. Saul asked who he was persecuting and the voice said, “This is Jesus”.  This mean his experience with Jesus’ glory was brighter than the sun.
  2. Genesis 1:5 says 5And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. –  God separated day from the night. Later in the scripture, the bible says God put the sun in sky. Genesis 1:14-15 says 14And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: 15And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.- his means the light was present before the sun and moon was present. This further illustrates that God’s glory brought light before the sun even shinned. Remember him saying he was the light of the world. When they crucified Jesus, the moon dripped in blood & the sun refused to shine. When you have an experience with God’s glory, it will knock you to your feet.
  3. Revelation 1:17 says 17And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: – God took his right hand and laid it on John and told him that he was the first and the last. In other words, God says to John in other words, “I am he that got this thing started.” God spoke it and it was and he was that word. He is the first and the last, he is about to rap this thing up. He started it and can’t nobody else finish it but him.
  4. Revelation 1:18 says 18I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. – God says he has the keys to hell and death and he tells John that he needs him to tell the saints. Ex – When Adam & Eve were placed in garden, they were placed in a perfect environment destined to live forever. Death came in where it was never supposed to be, because Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit. God sent his prophets and they laughed and did not listen.  He sent Noah the flood and John the Baptist and no one listened. He finally sent his son and Jesus  said whosever will let him come. God sent Jesus, because he loved the world. We are not just trying to live, we want eternal life.
  5. Jesus dies and he snatches the keys and he appears to John and says tell them not be afraid no more. Hebrews 2:14-15 says 14Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. – Because I am saved, I don’t have to fear death, because death for the believer is not death. Saved people go from eternity back to eternity. We go back to live with him. We don’t die, we sleep.
  6. There is one enemy left. 1 Corinthians 15:25-26 says 25For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. – God created a perfect environment where man could live forever in his will. God communicated with Adam without prophet. They had a direct line to God. There was no struggle or pain. It was heaven. Sin contaminated it. Christ redeemed us. When Christ comes back, we won’t go to heaven. Heaven will come to us. Fret not your loved ones who have gone on, who love the Lord or who are asleep in him. When he comes back, we shall not prevent them, because the dead in Christ will be raised and they that remain will be caught up and will reign with him after the 1000yrs has happened. It will be what God promised.
  7. +Revelation 1:19 says 19Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; -The things that took place after that is what we will talk about next way. I hope this has blessed you.
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Patience and Hope Part II, Bible Study 06/22/11

Posted on July 1, 2011 by growintheword

Patience and Hope Part II

“Hope”

Synopsis of Bible Study 06/22/11

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

Hope is something that is so critical to your survival as a believer that the Devil works overtime in this area to try and take you out. Think about the rate of suicide, depression, alcoholism, and drug abuse, in our society today. All of these things are really a result of people that feel that all hope is gone. Once the Devil robs you of your hope, you might as well take a car and run off into a river, because that is what the Devil wants you to do. The Devil wants to take your hope away!

I.                   How do we hold on to hope?

  1. 1 Corinthians 13:13 says 13And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. – One of the key elements of the ideal Christian character is hope. Remember the bible says these abide faith, hope, and love. Of these 3, the greatest is love or charity.
  2. Hope is a major ingredient and element to our Christian character.
  3. When we talk about hope, we are talking about trustful expectation. We are talking about the ability to really trust in God’s word.
  4. When we trust God, according to Isaiah 49:23, we won’t be ashamed of waiting on the Lord. Isaiah 49:23b says … and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me. –Wait in this scripture means hope.
  5. Hebrews 11:1 says 1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. -– Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Faith (or the word) of God is the stuff (or substance), that gives credibility or (that which justifies) what we are expecting. This is what hope is. The word is the stuff, the credible source that justifies what we are expecting. We would not hope for it if the word did not tell us it was going to come. Why would anyone hope for something, if the word didn’t say it was going to happen?
  6. The world loves to go after and hope for things in their own way (instead of God’s way). Proverbs 16:25 says 25There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. – It says there are ways that seems right to man, but the end is the way of death.
  7. Carnal hope is hopeless hope. It is that which is not of the spirit. When we hope in our flesh, we have to recognize that the world’s wealth cannot save us. The world’s resources, military power, and the world’s system can’t be trusted with our hope. Ex- So many people put hope in their finances. They think that the more they accumulate, the better off they will be. They think this is where their security is and therefore they hope in this. If there is anything the recession taught us it is that we can’t put our hope in our money. It can be here today and gone the next day. Some people even believe they can use their money and resources to make a spiritual exchange in terms of salvation, but Psalm 49:7 says 7None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: –  – You can’t buy salvation.
  8. Psalm 49:8-9 says 8(For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) 9That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption. – In other words, all the stuff you are hoping for will one day have to be left behind. We need something that is eternal and something that can keep us no matter what.

II.                Hope in God will never fail you

  1. You got to rejoice in the hope of God, while sharing in the glory of God. Romans 5:1-5 says 1Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. – This scripture tells us the following:
  2. Justification is a part of the process of salvation – We are saved this way. We are regenerated. This means we turn from the world and turn to God. This is to re-genesis or to start over. When we turn from the world and turn to God, we have all the guilt and shame from the stuff we have done and as a result we don’t feel worthy enough to be here. God tells us that he justifies us. He makes it as if we have never done it. He acquits us from our guilt and stain. It is not that we are not guilty; he just chooses to give us an acquittal. In summary, we have been converted, we return to God, and he says that we have been justified by faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for. Ex- Based on his word, we know we have been justified. Some people try to hold our past against us, but his word says we have been acquitted of our past. Regardless if you have an issue with me or not, the text says we have peace with God (verse1). You might have anxiety about my issues, but me and God are cool about it!
  3. We have access (verse 2) – We have been converted and acquitted and now God has opened up access to us. Doors have been opened up to us that others thought would not open up for us. We walk into those doors and we stand not in our arrogance, our pride, our degree, or our money. We stand on grace. Just like you might be surprised that we are here, we are more surprised that we here. We are standing on a job that we don’t deserve, standing in a house we don’t deserve, and standing in a program that we don’t deserve. Somebody reading this knows that it is grace that we stand in. Again we got converted, acquitted, doors opened up for us (which is access), and we stand in it by faith. We are in the door, but just because we are standing in the door, don’t mean we have accomplished everything God has for our life. We are in the door (started the program, the job, and etc…), but this isn’t where we are trying to end up. We are standing here grateful, because of grace.
  4. We are rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God (verse 3) – On a theological level, this verse indicates an apocalyptic theology. Apocalyptic deals with the end time of thing. For example, Revelation is an apocalyptic work, because it deals with the end of time. When you see the glory of God, it is the idea in Paul’s day that they were waiting for God to come back through Jesus Christ in his full glory. In a relevant and practical sense, we have been acquitted, we have been converted, doors have opened for us, and we are standing in this place by grace. I can’t believe that I am here, but I am here! We believe God for some things, because his word said it was going to happen. Verse 2 says I am rejoicing in the hope that God is going to show up.
    1. Hope is the manifestation of God’s promise. It is the belief that what God promised is going to manifest. We are giving God the glory. This isn’t an issue of faith; it is an issue of hope. Ex- In Mark 9, there is a father that takes his son to Jesus. The son has a dumb and deaf spirit. He took his son to Jesus, because he heard Jesus was a healer. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Jesus asks a series of questions. The father tells of his son foaming at the mouth and other things and Jesus asks how long he had been like this. The father says since he was a child. He asks Jesus to have compassion on the both of them. Jesus says all things are possible to those that believe. The father explains he doesn’t have a faith problem, because he believes. But he did ask Jesus to help his unbelief. That is hope. Ex- We fundamentally believe that God can restore our marriage by faith, but it ain’t looking good. That’s what hope is. We believe fundamentally that God can heal our body, but based on the report we got, it ain’t looking good. This is hope. You got faith, but hope is asking if it is going to manifest. We know God is able, but we are struggling with the manifestation of it.
  5. Now that we are clear on hope, let’s go back to Romans 5:2– We believe that God is going to show up. When the glory of God shows up, he is going to manifest what he said he was going to do. We could stand here and be negative and have a pity party, but we remember that God saved us, acquitted us, and opened the door up. God will never open a door up that he wasn’t going to manifest, because God don’t start nothing that he won’t finish. You can sit there and have a pity party if you want, but we got a feeling that God is going to show up!
  6. We have developed the capacity to give God the glory in the tribulation (Verse 3) – We are not in denial nor are we a religious fanatic. We have simply chosen in tribulation to give God the glory. Why is this? It is because of what we know. Ex- The world is looking at people that have no hope. They look at us and wonder what we know that they don’t know. This is what we know; we understand that tribulation produces perseverance. The trails we have gone through have made us a perseverer. We are a survivor of the stuff we have gone through. You can’t call yourself a survivor, if you haven’t survived anything. The stuff we went through had to be overcome in order for us to be called survivors.
  7. Surviving it gave me character (verse 4). – Character is behavior on display. Ex – Based on what we have gone through, we don’t have time to key your car or time for breaking the windows out of your car, because we have character. We have been through too much to let you pull us down to your level. Some people are going to look at your character and they will be saying crazy stuff to you to challenge your character. You will be able to prove your character to them. It will be proven by the mere fact that they are not on the floor and we are not in jail. They ought to give God the glory we are not where we used to be! It is our character that has produced hope. Backing the text up: People who have hope, are people of high character.

III.             People of high character have survived significant trials.

  1. Even though we have hope in God, we are still going to face challenges. 1 Peter 3:14 says 14But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; -Even if you suffer for righteousness sake, you are blessed- Don’t be afraid of their threats or trouble. Sanctify the Lord in your heart and be ready to give defense for the reason you have hope within you. Ex- You should always be ready to tell people how you got to this place of hope. We been through things and survived them and they produced character. Trials can produce character. For example, you might promise the Lord that you will be in church every Sunday if he gets you out of this. Trials produce character. In a hopeless world, people need to know where our hope comes from.
  2. Christians are not just wishful thinking or dreaming. It is not just presumption on our behalf. It is not just yearning or longing for a thing. It is not just positive thinking or an anticipated waiting game. It is confident expectation. We are confidently expecting God to do something or to manifest something in our life. It comes from the Greek verb 1679. elpizo el-pid’-zo which means to expect.
  3. Christian hope is personally based. It is not hope in one thing, but instead hope in someone. 1 Timothy 1:1 says 1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope; – The bible says our hope is in Christ Jesus. Paul greets them and says his hope is in Christ Jesus. When we begin to access and appropriate this hope, we realize that it is hope in the finished work of Jesus Christ. In John 19:30 says 30When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. – After been given the bitterness, Jesus said, “It is finished”. What does that mean in relationship to hope? It means Jesus took our sins. It should have been us on the cross, but Jesus paid a price that he didn’t even know for you and I. Jesus recognized that in order for us to be redeemed, something had to die. Consequently he became the Lamb of God slain from the foundations of the world for the remissions of our sins. That is how we got saved. Jesus died on his own terms. When he said it is finished, he transacted heavenly business. At that moment, he moved from death to life. The moment Jesus said it was finished, we lived when he died. 3 days later, Jesus rose from the grave to give us a powerful moment of hope. When the world thought it was over, he rose. This is where our hope is. Why? It is because when you begin to look at all the problems that you go through, tell me one thing that is greater than a dead Jesus on Easter Sunday morning that God raises up. If you have something bigger than that you need to make it known. There is nothing we are going through bigger than that. If God can raise a dead Jesus on Easter Sunday morning, then we know God can pay our rent, pay our tuition, and heal our body. Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. Dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.
  4. Remember the Devil has a systematic approach in hope. The devil is calculated in how it attacks a believer’s hope. Ex- The attack on Job was really about his hope. He told God if he took Job’s stuff away, he would curse him to his face. The Devil thought he would take his hope away and make him a desperate and mad man. When God allowed the Devil to come in, the Devil started a systematic attack against Job’s hope.
  5. How did Satan’s systematic attack begin? Economically, physiologically, psychologically, domestically, socially, and theologically.
    1. Hope- The devil comes in and takes his money – Economically. No matter how much word you quote, when your money is under attack, we act different. It can really mess with you.
    2. When you are attacked economically, it will make you sick. This is physiologically.
    3. When you stay sick long enough, it effects you psychologically. You start having conversations with yourself. You begin contemplating things you never have, because you are under psychologically attack.
    4. Now that Satan has you almost crazy, he will attack domestically. The place that should be safe, he will make chaotic. Jobs wife said he should just curse God and die. Job says she is crazy. Now there is drama inside the attack and inside Job’s home.
    5. We look for an escape. Now we are attacked socially. Our friends like Job, want to know what we did to cause this attack
    6. Now we have problems with our theology. We want to know what is really going on. It is a theological attack. He is after our hope. Satan wants us to doubt that God is going to manifest what he promised. When Job was under all these attacks, he said, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.” Job says in essence, he doesn’t care what it looks like, he was still going to hope in God, because he knew that God has the power to turn his situation around.
  6. There was a prophet in the Old Testament that had the assignment to bring judgment upon the people of God. His assignment was to cry out. For 50yrs he did this. Nobody paid him any attention. His assignment was to cry out, even though people wouldn’t pay him any attention. He was called the weeping prophet. Jeremiah got to the point he wanted to resign, because he thought it was hopeless. Ex- What is the point? I am not making a difference? They are laughing at me (Jeremiah 20) says Jeremiah. Later on Jeremiah said his word (God’s word) was like fire, shut up in his bones. We come to tell you that God can ignite a fire back in your life. God sent a word to tell you that you can’t quit or give up. God can ignite a fire and tell you to run on and see what the end is going to be.
  7. Jeremiah comes to a place of extreme contemplation. He is the author of two books in the bible; Jeremiah and Lamentation (which means to lament, cry, weep or whale). In chapter 3, he says he feels like wormwood being eaten from the inside out. Now it is starting to affect him. He knows God exists, but it doesn’t look good. He feels like his hope is about to leave him. He says this in a moment of extreme frustration and weariness. But this is what I recalled to my mind. Therefore I have hope, it is because of the Lord’s mercies that I am not consumed, and they are renewed every morning. Great is his faithfulness! You could have been consumed, but you ought to thank God you are in hope! You will not quit or put a razor to your wrist. God is going to heal you completely. God said he is going to provide for you and he will. Whatever you do, do not lose your hope!

 

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Breakthrough Fasting, Bible Study 06/01/11

Posted on June 8, 2011 by growintheword

Breakthrough Fasting

Synopsis of Bible Study 06/01/11

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

The bible teaches us that Jesus fasted. When Jesus was tempted in Matthew 4:2, we see that he fasted for 40 days and forty nights. Matthew 4:2 says 2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. – We believe that this was an absolute fast. In other words, he did not eat anything. So then when we talk about fasting we are dealing with the idea of not eating, giving up food. Lots of times people come up with creative fast these days such as fasting from cell phones, iPods, or shows on TV, but when you are after a breakthrough, we are talking about giving up food. Your body needs food and nourishment, so to abstain from that which your body desires; you literally put your flesh into subjection. You literally take authority over your flesh. Why is this important? Fasting is to abstain so that God can sustain. Most of the time, it is the flesh that prevents us from getting the things that God desires for our lives. It stops us from receiving what we are in pursuit of. So when we put our flesh into submission, this is a huge thing. We are saying that we choose to live completely by the spirit of God and when our flesh rises up, we expect and believe that God will sustain us through that moment. It is all about denying ourselves.

When we fast, we have to recognize that our focus has to be on God. It is a God focused fast. We are not fasting because we have individual agendas. We are fasting because we want God’s will to manifest in our lives.

The prophet Zechariah prophesies and interesting question in Zechariah 7:5 where it says 5Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?  – God wanted to know if they really fasted for him or was their fast focused only on what they wanted. Many of us can believe God for some great things such as healing or breakthroughs in certain areas, but here is what a fast ought to look like. We want to believe that his will might manifest in our life. Whatever his will is, this is what we want to see manifest. This way the fast is not a success of failure if we don’t get what we wanted out of the fast. Success would be simply that God’s will be manifested in our life.

The importance of fasting

  1. What do you think the biggest problem Adam and Eve had in the garden? We know that they disobeyed God as a result and sin came into the world. What do you think is one of the biggest revelations in the Garden of Eden that is often times overlooked? It was that Eve took of the fruit. What is fruit? It is food. God says to them, “You can have this and you can have that, but don’t touch of that one tree.” Eve was undisciplined and allowed herself to take food that God said don’t touch. It was about food. Satan will always try and make you think you need something that you don’t need.
  2. In Genesis 25, there is a more interesting revelation. Abraham has a son Isaac who is the son of promise. Isaac has children and he has twin boys. They were Jacob and Esau. Jacob is the trickster and his name literally means trickster. His brother Esau is the bruit one. Jacob tricked his brother Esau out of his very birthright. By right, Esau was about to follow the patriarchal line, but Jacob tricked him out of it. Jacob tricked Esau out of his birthright with a bowl of soup. Esau sold his destiny for a bowl of soup. He sold his destiny, because he couldn’t say no to his stomach.
  3. Food is a big issue. God thought so much of it that even the children of Israel tried to tempt him with their issue of their hunger in the wilderness. Psalm 106:14-16 says 14But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. 15And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul. – In other words, they asked for fried chicken, but the Lord gave them baked tilapia instead. Food was what was requested and he filled the request, but not with the particular food they asked for.

When we fast, we are fasting because we have a purpose

  1. There has to be a purpose in our fasting. We are not fasting, because of some religious thing or routine. There is a specific purpose we are after such as healing, deliverance from demonic spirits, and etc… Here are some reference scriptures for fasting: Isaiah 58: 4-12, Act 13:2, Acts 9:9, and Matthew 17:41-21. Again we must fast with a purpose and not just because the church is fasting. We are after something.
  2. 2.       When the tempter comes and know that he will come, he will try and get you off of your fast. If you have a purpose, you will say that you want your purpose so much; you are willing to deny yourself of what you are fasting from. It is only until you want what God has promised you more than what is present that you will get it.
  3. Fasting must be accompanied by prayer. You will not get the breakthrough until you understand it is not just abstaining from food. It is accompanied by prayer. Not your ritualistic, cookie cutter prayers. It really spending time communing and talking to God like you never did before. Even if you have never prayed like this before, in the next 21 days, you will learn how to pray. When you get hungry, this is when you are supposed to pray to God. At that moment, you put your flesh into submission, because you know your flesh is trying to make you revert back to the things that you are fasting from. If you don’t pray about it, you will be defeated. We have to learn to integrate prayer. We are praying daily and keeping ourselves built up.

Importance of fasting

  1. Will help you overcome the devil.- We wish we had some exempt passes to give you, but the truth is, during the fast the tempter will come at you just like he did Jesus in Luke 4:1. Luke 4:1 says 1And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness – This scripture teaches that Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit. He was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness Luke 4:2 says 2Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.-While Jesus fasted for 40days, the devil tempted him the whole time. There is no way you can enter the spiritual realm and not get Satan’s attention. Don’t think it strange that the whole time you been fasting, that you have been under attack. You have gotten the devils attention.
  2. What happened during the temptation? The devil tried to get Jesus to turn the stones into bread because he was hungry as shown in verse 2. Luke 4:3-4 says 3And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. 4And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. – Jesus was full of the spirit and he had the word to back it up.
  3. During the temptation, the devil took Jesus to a high mountain and said he would give all that that he could see if he would only worship him. Jesus tells Satan to get behind him and reminds him that Satan should worship the Lord thou God. Some people literally believe that Satan took Jesus up and showed him the kingdoms of the world. If you study this on a deeper level, you find that it is really Satan attacking Jesus’ mind. In same manner, Satan is going to attack your mind. It is amazing that Satan will have you seeing things, that don’t even exist. This why the bible says we have to cast down imaginations. Satan will try to show you stuff. For example: Seems like everyone around you will be eating what you like, but it is just your imagination. You can cast them out only if you have your spirit over your mind. If you let your flesh stay in control, it will talk you out of this fast. Ex- When starting this fast (Mt Zion/Daniel Fast), there was a little bit of confusion about it. Some people were legitimately confused, but for some, they were just looking for an opportunity to skate. In other words, they are asking questions like, “Can you have a smoothie for your fruit?” when they know it has sugar in it (must be fruit that is blended with its natural juices.
  4. You will be tempted, but you can overcome. Daniel overcame the prince of Persia through fasting in Daniel 10:2-3. It says 2In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. 3I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled. – During this fast, he fasted for 21 days. During which he ate of no pleasant foods. No meat or wine came to his mouth. Scripture says he didn’t anoint himself either. Explanation for anointing: As a symbol of respect, people would anoint themselves before they would go into the presence of the king. Some people take this to mean that we are not supposed to use cologne or deodorant when we fast, but we don’t think this is what was meant by this passage. Please anoint yourself on behalf of us that have to be in your presence!
  5. You want to get a revelation. Daniel 10:4 says 4And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel; – In other words he saw a revelation. We want to get a revelation from God. In the next 21 days, we are going to hear and see better more than we have ever in our life. We will hear and see clearer. There are many of us, though in church, we have a lot of clutter in our lives and it prevents us from hearing God like we need to. We get a word, but it has to filter through all of our issues and by the time we get it, we have watered the word down to fit our situation. We are at a point that we need to clearly what he is saying to us and what he is showing.

Different types of fasts

  1. Supernatural fast – Moses fasted and didn’t eat or drink anything. The only way you can do this will have to be with supernatural help.
  2. Total fast– This is fasting without food, but drinking water. Bishop says he has seen people fast for 21 days and for 40days without having anything to eat. They just drank water.
  3. The fast of no delicacy – This is like the fast we (Mt Zion Church) are on now such as the Daniel Fast.
  4. The non- total fast– This is eating nothing, but drinking juice or milk. Now this differs from us, because we are drinking water or fresh squeezed juice with not sugar or preservatives.

How do we break or stop a fast?

  • You can’t fast for 21 days and then go and pig out. If you do, you will be sick as a dog. For a lot of people, you ain’t gong to want the stuff you ate before this fast. For some of us, you will undergo a serious lifestyle change, because you will hear and see better spiritually. You will end up changing some habits.

Why do we fast

  1. We fast because we are trying to make our spirit man sensitive to God’s voice. We want our spirit man to hear God’s voice. We want to let our spirit see and hear what God is saying to us. Our flesh dies so let our spirit hears what God is saying to us. A good reference for this is Acts 13:1-4 says 1Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. 4So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.
  2. We fast because we want to receive direction on what to do and how to do it. We want to do what God is speaking into our life. Luke 6:12-15 says 12And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 13And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles; 14Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, 15Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes,
  3. We fast because it builds up our spirit man with God’s word to defeat Satan and all of his temptations. In Matthew 4 and Luke 4, we are saying that while we are fasting, we have prayer, and our spirit is filled with the word. While fasting, this is not the time to be missing bible study and church. We have to stay in this word and we even have to be careful what we read now. We have to keep feeding our spirit, even being careful of the music we are listening to. We have to keep your spirit pure during this time of fasting.
  4. We fast to set those bound and afflicted by the devil free. Please reference Isaiah 58 and Esther 4:13-17.
  5. We fast to receive revelations from God. We are asking for God to make something plain to us. We need a revelation about our life and where God is taking us.
  6. We fast to get the victory and protection and for God to fulfill his promise. Please reference Daniel 9.
  7. We fast in obedience to God’s word. We fast being obedient to the fact that we are supposed to fast and pray. Please reference Matthew 6. You will discover in Matthew 6 that when you pray and fast, you are not supposed to go around telling people that you are fasting. That defeats the purpose. Even though we do it publically, it is a private matter. We are not supposed to go around broadcasting it or distorting our faces indicating our struggle to fast. What you do privately, your God will reward openly.

7 Tips to observe about the Daniel fast

  1. Be specific- Daniel 1:8 says 8But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. – Daniel was specific that he was not going to eat the Babylonian diet. He defied it because it was against Jewish culinary law and probably had been offered up as sacrifices to idols or demons. Write down why you are fasting, how long, and from what are you fasting from.
  2. Daniel fasted as a spiritual commitment- It takes a spiritual commitment to God. We must follow through. Once we see what we are going towards, we have to be committed to it. We are not taking fast recesses, meaning we are not going to fast, take a break, and fast again. We remain committed.
  3. Daniel reflected inner desire by external discipline. Now you are able to look at how disciplined we can be by our spiritual commitment.
  4. James prayed to role of sin in are relative sickness. In James 5, when James said let those sick call on the elders, we notice that James talked about repentance in vs 16. James 5:16 says 16Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. – Repentance can be linked to our health. If you don’t’ repent, it can adversely affect your health. This fast would be a good time to repent from stuff. Fasting is God’s testing and healing ground.
  5. Daniel fasted as a statement of faith to others. He was asked to eat only vegetables and drink water. Daniel asked the overseer to compare the appearance of the 4 sons of Israel (after the fast) to the others that ate the King’s food. – By comparison, Daniel and his people looked as good as or better than the people that ate the King’s food even though they only ate vegetables and water. This is a great way to learn the effects of the food you eat. Now you can start thinking about what you eat. Ex– Bishop holds up some fat to demonstrate fat that is stored on our body and around our hearts as a result of what we eat. He wants us know that every time we eat something bad we add to this. He even stressed that doctors have to cut through this fat in order to get to what they are trying to correct.
  6. Daniel yielded all results to God. – Daniel basically left it to what God saw fit. If it happened, it was because God wanted it to happen. In Mark 9:29 it says 29And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. – This kind can only come out by pray and fasting. The story: Father has son and the son has a demon. He called the demon a dumb spirit which means the boy can’t talk. The demon causes the boy to go into the hot and the cold. He goes into the fire and the water, rolls on the floor, foams at the mouth, and grits his teeth. He walks around rigid and is out of control. The father goes to the disciples and they tried to help him, but they couldn’t. Finally the father takes his son to Jesus and informs him that he took his son to the disciples first, but they couldn’t help him. Jesus asks how long he has been like this. The father says he has been like this since he was a child. Jesus asks the question not to hear the answer, but to give the father revelation. In other words, this boy has been in his house like this all this time and the father is just now bringing him to Jesus. It is almost like Jesus is calling out a generational curse. Probably what’s wrong with the son is wrong with the father. This is maybe why the father asks if Jesus could have compassion on us and help us. Now the father has included himself in the deliverance process. It is not just his son now, it is him.

 

Jesus says dumb and deaf spirit, come out of him. The father brings the son and the demon is just a dumb spirit. Now when Jesus casts it out, it is two demons. It is a dumb spirit and a deaf spirit. The boy couldn’t talk, because the devil had his mouth. Jesus gives the revelation that he can’t talk, because he can’t hear.

  1. Here is our revelation: All of us have some struggles and issues, but we also have this one thing that we can’t seem to break. It is the one thing that takes us from the fire to the water. We get ourselves in the heat, but we know where the water is to cool us off. We keep going between extremes. We keep going between Jesus and that thing we want deliverance from. It is that one thing that says that if I can break this, I will be where God wanted me to be.

 

Jesus says though there is a dumb and deaf spirit, Satan controls the boys mouth, because he has his hearing. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. If the devil can control what the boy hears, he can also control what he speaks. God created the world by speaking it. If he can’t speak to his situation properly, he will never be delivered from it. If the only thing that comes out of his mouth is in audible stuff and mess, because he foams at the mouth ( or has a nasty mouth), then all he knows is how to be negative with his mouth. He can’t speak with authority, because he can’t hear, properly. The real core issue then, it is not that you don’t have a good heart or that you don’t want to do right. It is because the core issue of the struggle is tied to this. The devil got your hearing and got your speaking.

 

We say it every Sunday. We say preach Pastor or Bishop, because we hear everything  our Pastor says under the anointing of God, but when it comes to the one thing that we are struggling with, we quit hear that properly! When it comes to that one area of our life, it doesn’t come out quite as clear as the other stuff our Pastor talks about. This is why we never speak to it. Instead it speaks to us. We can be lying in the bed and it will say to us, “it is time to go”. All we do is go, because we don’t have the authority to speak to it, because we didn’t let faith come. We don’t let faith come because it is a deaf and dumb spirit. You can shout or run around the church all you want and still have that struggle!The question is, are you going to live with that struggle or are you ready to confront Mark 9:29 where it says 29And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting? This kind comes by prayer and fasting. Some struggles, your Pastor can pray right out of you right now at the altar, but let’s try to address this struggle that can’t be gotten rid of so easily. This kind is where we are trying to get the breakthrough from. God is able to break your “this kind” as referred to in the scripture! We have to say we are ready for a breakthrough! If you want it, it is right here!

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