heaven's tree book club

August 30, 2012

Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.'
It is the second to last day before September. I've been praying that this is the month of breakthrough and yet there has been no breakthrough moment. I am not healed. I am still jobless. I am still single. Today even had some downer moments in regards to ministry. I was suppose to meet with two ministry leaders today but since one could not meet, it is now postponed until further notice. Today was a downer. Although I had lunch out twice today once for lunch with an elderly woman from church, and in the evening with my family and brother's girlfriend, I had been mostly tired and drained all day. I continue to struggle with sleeplessness and have little energy. At 31, I feel almost twice that in my body. If heaven's reality is not insomnia, not tiredness, no health problems, than God's will for that on earth must be health. 
 If there was one positive today out of all the seemingly bad news it was that my brother was playing around at our fat monitor and checking his body fat percentage and BMI. He then wanted to know mine. It turns out I dropped ten pounds from 192 to 182 in two months and my BMI went from 27 down to 26. Both numbers are not healthy, but I am glad it is going down. It happened with not that much change. I only recently these two weeks began some light exercise and no longer eat late evening. Nevertheless, I am a mess physically. Even now I feel very low in energy. What is to be the normal Christian life?
"John the Baptist was the high water mark for all under the Old Covenant. But the least in this new era were born to surpass Him through their relationship with the Holy Spirit.
The members of our church and the students of the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry often embrace this privilege.
One student named Jason was ordering a meal inside a tast-food restaurant. Not content to share Christ only with those behind the counter, he began to speak past the cashier to three men in a car at the drive up window! After receiving his food, Jason left noticing they had parked to eat. He renewed his conversation with them and saw that the man in the back seat had a broken leg. So he climbed into the car with them and invited the Holy Spirit to come.. .and He came.The man began to curse. He had no understanding about the holy /ire on his leg. They all jumped out of the car, and the injured man removed his brace and stomped his leg. He was completely healed! The three were so moved by God's goodness that they opened the trunk of their car, which was filled with illegal drugs. They dumped the narcotics onto the pavement, dancing on them and destroying them! lason brought the three men to the Alabaster House, our 24-hour prayer house, and led them to Christ. The kindness of God led them to repentance. This is the normal Christian life.
The Holy Spirit is the agent of heaven who makes these kinds of encounters possible. Not only that. He makes them the norm for those who would follow."
This story and commentary is powerful. Of those born of women, there is none greater than John the baptist says Jesus, but those who are least in the kingdom are greater than he because of our relationship with the Holy Spirit. Imagine having these kinds of encounters in restaurants and on the streets. The healings and miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit we will see if this is the norm for men and women of God. It is certain we cannot produce these power encounters that radically change people's lives. It is the Holy Spirit's empowerment. I don't run with people so Spirit-filled to see these in my own life but I believe that and I personally desire for this to be my Christian experience.

"The Kingdom, the Spirit Realm
"But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God lias come upon you. ""
Look at this phrase, "by the Spirit of God...the kingdom."The Holy Spirit encompasses the Kingdom. While they are not the same, they are inseparable. The Holy Spirit enforces the lordship of Jesus, marking His territory with liberty.11 The king's domain becomes evident through His work.
The second part of this verse reveals the nature of ministry. Anointed ministry causes the collision of two worlds—the world of darkness with the world of light. This passage shows the nature of deliverance. When the Kingdom of God comes upon someone, powers of darkness are forced to leave.
When a light is turned on, darkness doesn't resist. There is no debate. It doesn't stay dark for a few minutes until light finally wins. On the contrary, light is so superior to darkness that its triumph is immediate.
The Holy Spirit has no battle wounds. He bears no teethmarks from the demonic realm fighting for preeminence. Jesus is Lord, period. Those who learn how to work with the Holy Spirit actually cause the reality of His world, (His dominion), to collide with the powers of darkness that have influence over a person or situation. I he greater the manifestation of His Presence, the quicker the victory.
What I like about this passage is the centrality of God and the power of God and the sovereignty of God. The enemy seeks to destroy and to divide. Today as my dad shared about the earthquake in the Philippines and as I recall the recent flooding in that country, I am reminded of the power of the evil one to destroy lives. It breaks my heart to read of the many "natural" disasters as well as civil war going on right now in the world, The world is not at peace. Yet here in this passage it says God is sovereign over the darkness.. Now, in recent weeks I have felt growingly agnostic because I see very little evidence of God's goodness and sovereignty both in my life and in the world.
"By far the greatest gift ever received by us is the Holy Spirit Himself. Those who discover the value of His presence enter realms of intimacy with God never previously considered possible. Out of this vital relationship arises a ministry of power that formerly was only a dream. The incomprehensible becomes possible because He is with us.
/ will be with you is a promise made by God to all His servants. Moses heard it when he faced the challenge of delivering Israel from Egypt." Joshua received this promise when he led Israel into the Promised Land.12 When Gideon received the call of God to be a deliverer for Israel, God sealed it with the same promise.1' In the New Testament, this promise came to all believers through the Great Commission.14 It comes when God has required something of us that is humanly impossible. It's important to see this. It's the Presence of God that links us to the impossible. I tell our folks, He is in me for my sake, but He's upon me for yours. His presence makes anything possible!
God doesn't have to try to do supernatural things. He is supernatural. He would have to try to not be. If He is invited to a situation, we should expect nothing but supernatural invasion."

"Pastor Surprise is an apostolic leader working with Rolland and Heidi Baker of Iris Ministries in Mozambique. During an evangelistic crusade in which he was preaching, a 9-year-old girl died, which threatened to end the series of meetings. The entire village was stricken with grief. The next day Pastor Surprise went to visit the family, and the child's body was still in the hut where she had died the night before. As he was praying for the family, he happened to be holding the little girl's hand. He was not praying for her to rise from the dead, yet after a few minutes the young girl squeezed his hand. She was raised up about 12 hours after her death because someone was full of the Holy Spirit. He overflowed with the resurrection power of Jesus that filled him while he was trying to comfort the family!
A bottle is not completely full until it overflows. So it is with the Holy Spirit. Fullness is measured in overflow. When we get introspective, we restrict the flow of the Holy Spirit. We become like the Dead Sea; water flows in, but nothing flows out, and nothing can live in its stagnant waters. The Holy Spirit is released through faith and compassion, and faith and compassion are never self-centered."

"But to follow Him, we must be willing to follow off the map—to go beyond what we know. To do so successfully we must recognize His presence above all.
There is a great difference between the way Jesus did ministry and the way it typically is done today. He was completely dependent on what the Father was doing and saying. He illustrated this lifestyle after His Holy Spirit baptism. He followed the Holy Spirit's leading, even when it seemed unreasonable, which it often did.
The Church has all too often lived according to an intellectual approach to the Scriptures, void of the Holy Spirit's influence. We have programs and institutions that in no way require the Spirit of God to survive. In fact, much of what we call ministry has no safeguard in it to ensure that He is even present. When our focus is not the presence of God, we end up doing the best we can for God. Our intentions may be noble, but they are powerless in effect.
When Jason began sharing the gospel through the drive-through window of a fast-food restaurant, his actions were off the map. Yet they bore fruit for the King.
 Jesus often healed after being moved with compassion. I frequently detect the leading of the Holy Spirit by recognizing His affection for someone else. Being drawn to a person through compassion usually means that there will be some realm of supernatural ministry to them—either with a word of encouragement or a miracle of healing or deliverance. Loving people is Christ's agenda, and surrender of my own agenda makes me available for His."
Prayer:
Father, sometimes I am not even sure if You are present. I am growing more and more agnostic. Today, nothing seem to go right. It is almost the end of August and still no breakthrough. There are so many impossible things in my life where I need Your help and power. You are supernatural and You are light, light that overpowers the presence of darkness. I need Your help and healing in my life. I am amazed at how You heal and bring back to life a young African girl by the power of the Holy Spirit. Where there is Your Spirit, there is life. I want Your Spirit's power and influence in my life, to bring hope and healing in my own life, and to move in faith and compassion to the many who need Your touch of grace and mercy. Father, I don't want to grow more and more agnostic. All around me, there is powerless Christianity and it is in my own life. More and more there seems to be an absence of God in the world. Father, open my eyes to Your presence and power. Help my faith to grow and not weaken.