GOD's Next

Since 1980 when I was born again in my college days, I've always wondered what the real work of God is. With so many church denominations and ministries doing a lot of busy-Martha moves here and there, and sometimes ending up competing against each other, you step back and cannot but wonder what's really going on. Are we continuing what Jesus started or are we inventing our own?  Photo above by 2H Media on Unsplash . Paul’s exhortation in 1 Corinthians 15:58 —“give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord”—is not a call to busyness in church programs, but to a deeper, spiritual ministry rooted in Christ Himself. One that transforms people radically as a genuine spiritual new born in Christ. “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. [Matthew 18] When Jesus defined the real “work of God” in John 6:29 as bel...

First off, this is not about some lucrative marketing or sales venture, though the principle can help lots with business started from scratch. Firstly, I'm talking about Kingdom business. God often starts his ventures with "zero capital." With the nation of Israel, he started with nothing. I mean, he called Abram from North Mesopotamia or Ur, sent him off with practically nothing and made him trek through no-man's land--bare desert and wilderness--exposing him vulnerably there. Initial zero capital. You may opt to see it this way, if you want the principle applied to your situation--God can start you off in an actual business undertaking from scratch. You just have to learn the principle like some business people I know who apply concepts in the bible to their businesses, and find them actually working. One believer started his now very profitable online business with a free blog. 😃 Photo by Liam Pozz on Unsplash . You know how challenging God's zero-capital pri...

The seed God uses to transform your life. When your PC is overstuffed with files and stuff beyond it's storage limit, it can go berserk. Nope, it will go berserk. Totally insane. So you reboot. Worse, you reformat because the old files and trash are most likely contaminated with a virus which slowly wreaks havoc on your CPU. Sometimes, the best remedy is to buy a new unit. Whether reboot, reformat or buy new, the point is, you restart. It's the best option than temporary fixes which can end up making things worse. Should you opt to buy new due to a corrupted CPU, you save the files you need and junk the rest. Right? Or, you download the operating essentials. In a sense, you save the "seed" and restart with it. Photo by Ijaz Rafi on Unsplash . Kingdom Reboot Principle When God saw how the earth was thoroughly corrupted and beyond repair, he rebooted. Nope, he "bought" a new PC, as it were. He discarded the old but saved some "files" he wanted. By ...

One small botanical seed is powerful. In time it can propagate and cover an entire mountain with forest. God's Word is Seed and it can work more powerfully. The big difference is, God's spiritual Seed is not bound by time. It can grow an entire nation in a day. It is designed to fulfill the impossible. Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. [Isaiah 66] Photo above by Gabriella Clare Marino on Unsplash .  One-Word Creation As soon as Zion travailed, nations were born through her. That didn't take a day. Travailing and birth happened in a split second. How? With one Word from God. One Word. If you think that to be impossible or you need to argue against it, watch how God created the universe. Just one Word per phase. The short sentence God declared during creation was really "one Word." When he declare...

Miracles and supernatural powers are all from God, and without Him nothing is possible. But to a certain degree God has relegated that power to believers. It's up to us how we use it and when. He has given us the freedom to create options suited to our situation. Photo by Sabrinna Ringquist on Unsplash . It's called the Signet Ring Principle of the Kingdom. God gives us his signet ring in Christ to do as we please as far as promoting his Kingdom on earth is concerned. In his words, Jesus declared, "According to your faith it will be done to you." So our faith is given complete leeway to do everything we think and feel is needed to make known Jesus as LORD, and that faith will be backed up by Heaven 100 percent. Problem is, we do not use this privilege. We prefer our human ways and efforts in ministry. Remember Mordecai being given King Xerxes' signet ring to use as he pleased to save the Jews? It works that way. Xerxes told him to issue laws and edicts as he plea...

For sure there will be a great deception in these end times orchestrated by the Beast and the False Prophet mentioned in the Book of Revelation. The aim is to deceive even the elect, if that were possible. It is clearly directed against the church, first and foremost, then to the world at large. Photo by Taras Chernus on Unsplash . Elsewhere in the bible we are given hints of how this will happen. Like what Jesus said about wolves in sheep's clothing. And the wide road to destruction. Some people will claim they are the Christ, or the Christ is "there" or "here," and lead many astray. However, no details are given on how this can take place effectively.  I mean, we know for a fact that Christ is in heaven and won't come back till the Second Coming. So how can Christians be deceived with the idea that he is already here? Satan will do it right inside the church. In fact, the deception was introduced even long before and is in progress now. He's using peo...

This is NOT a time for usual things. Much less for church traditions. If in CIY Fellowship we've been doing things so unusual, it's time to leave these "elementary teachings" and go on to the next level of maturity. As there's a new normal in the world, so there is in the heavenlies. Actually, the new normal in the spirit realms has started long before the one in the world came to be. [Picture by TedwardQuinn, Unsplash]. Just as the Jesus' spiritual church started long before man's church in this world started. Least is the Greatest In these last days, God is introducing some brand new things to the Philadelphia church [Revelation 3]. This church is weak (it has "little strength") and probably belittled and despised. The least church by all earthly measures and standards. But in God's eyes it is a 5-star general in his army, being in possession of an "open door" from the Lord that no one can shut. To this church Jesus ha...

In a way, Resurrection's good news is also about the grace that enables us to stop drinking from the cup of God's wrath, and having the enemy drink from it instead. By Jesus' rising from death through God's supernatural power, true believers become children of God spared from his wrath and given supernatural power to live his life on earth and do his ministry. [Picture above by Damir Spanic, Unsplash]. “See, I have taken out of your hand the cup that made you stagger; from that cup, the goblet of my wrath, you will never drink again. 23 I will put it into the hands of your tormentors, who said to you, ‘Fall prostrate that we may walk on you.’ And you made your back like the ground, like a street to be walked on.” [Isaiah 51.22-23] But it doesn't end there. To a lot of church people, though, it does--escaping the wrath is the end--and all they have to do now is be active in  their church and in their ministries happily ever after. This is what they call church...

In this world but not of it. Jesus taught this vital Kingdom operation to his disciples to show what life of a true believer is. So followers of Jesus have this peculiar culture even if they're hedged in by other cultures in this world. Paul said there are no more earthly cultures in God's kingdom, no more races. [Photo above from Chaozzy Lin, Unsplash]. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. [Colossians 3] There's only one life and culture--Christ. Christ is all . The reverse is also true-- all is Christ . Therefore, church people who still think in terms of their nationality, race or earthly culture still operate in the system of this world--which is the Babylon system. Some churches have worship services for Americans, another for Koreans, another for Filipinos, etc. and they think it's some kind of accomplishment. Some churches are heavily influenced by their local ...

Here's Part 1 Ylanite Koppens While Waiting for More Instructions After that, they had to wait for orders from heaven again. They didn't sit down and figure out what to do next. What they did was devote themselves in apostolic teachings, communion and prayer while waiting. The apostles did signs and wonders. They met together in the temple courts and fellowshipped in their homes. As they did, the Lord (it was the Lord!) added more to their number. So, they continuously shared the Word in their vicinity while waiting for further instructions. Then comes chapter three. Peter and John "happened" to be in the temple (God again arranged this) and saw a guy lame from birth. Led by the Spirit, they healed the man and the thing attracted multitudes to gather around them at Solomon's Colonnade. Again, Peter had opportunity to preach. They didn't sit and meet to make these things happen. "OK, this time we go to the temple and heal a lame there (or ...

Raw Pixel It wasn't because they didn't to go out and do mission work that God allowed them to be persecuted and scattered abroad, which suggests forced missionary work. God does everything by grace, not force, coercion or compulsion. But the story floated around by some preachers said God allowed the church to be persecuted because it refused to carry out the great commission and remained contented staying in Jerusalem. This is grossly inaccurate. From the start since Pentecost, the church has been excited about evangelism. Prior to Pentecost they locked themselves up in the upper room, but only per Jesus' instruction. He said wait in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit. And the disciples knew well what "wait" meant. The modern church doesn't. It just does anything it sees effective and gathers crowds. It loves doing what I call just-do-it evangelism . The principle is similar to the days of the Judges--they did as they saw fit. Modern Ch...