heaven's tree book club

September 9, 2012
"To what shall I liken the kingdom of Godf1 It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.'
Today had been a special day in church. My dad was the emcee for the church service today. For this church it means leading the sharing time, prayer time, praying for the morning offering, and introducing the pastor. To most people it would seem like a simple task. It turns out no one wanted to do it and in desperation the pastor was asking different people. My dad at first turned it down because English is not his first language and also he gets very nervous in front of large groups. Through prayer and obedience, my dad made it through without any difficulties. It is when we do things beyond our own ability that we see God at work in and through us. With the subject of revival still on my mind from yesterday, I am a bit discouraged to see the state of my church today. 20 years ago I hear from the old ladies it was a flurry of activity and many guest preachers would come share. Now, it is looking like its best days are behind. I feel that way about my life sometimes. When I realize I don't have any purpose, my health is not in good condition, I begin to feel very discouraged and think my best days were behind me.
"I once taught on this passage in a small pastor's conference m a European country. My subject was: The Infiltrating Power of the Kingdom of God. Much like light that exposes, or salt that preserves, leaven influences its surroundings in a subtle but overpowering way. So it is with the kingdom of God. I spoke about some cat the practical strategies we had taken as a church to infiltrate the social system in our area tor the cause of Christ.
We had a young man in our church who was on trial. He had already spent time in prison, and was looking at a possible 20-year sentence. He committed the crime before his recent conversion. Both the judge and the prosecuting attorney admitted this young man's life had been transformed by God. But they wanted some measure of justice for the crime. So they sentenced him to six months in a short-term prison.The Sunday before he left we laid our hands on him, sending him out as a missionary to a mission field that none of us could get into. As a result of this infiltration, over 60 of the approximate 110 prisoners confessed Christ within a year."
"It is impossible to have faith where you have no hope. Such approaches to understanding Scripture have crippled the Church.
Without a revelation of what God intends to do with His Church, we cannot move in overcoming faith. When the main goal of our faith is keeping us safe from the devil, our faith becomes inferior to what God expects. Jesus had in mind more for us than survival. We are destined to overcome. Every conversion plunders hell. Every miracle destroys the works of the devil. Every God encounter is an Invasion of the Almighty into our desperate condition. This is our joy.
The original flame of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit Himself, burns within my soul. I have a promise from God. I am a part of a company of people destined to do greater works than Jesus did in His earthly ministry. Why is it so hard to see the Church with significant influence in the last days? It was God who determined that the bride should be spotless and without wrinkle. It was God who declared, "Behold darkness will cover the earth, but His glory will appear upon you."' It was God who calls us, His Church, overcomers.4
The parable about leaven illustrates the subtle but overwhelming influence of the Kingdom in any setting into which it is placed. In these days, God has planned to put us into the darkest of situations to demonstrate His dominion.
A jeweler often places a diamond on a piece of black velvet. The brilliance of the gem is clearer against that background. So it is with the Church. The dark condition of world's circumstances becomes the backdrop upon which He displays His glorious Church! "Where sin abounded, grace abounded much"
To influence in a subtle but overpowering way is the power of the kingdom. God can even use a man who turns his heart to Christ in a prison cell to turn many to faith. One man filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. I need to be a part of this power of God. Each week I get so discouraged and disappointed about the church where I am at and so unsure how and if God can turn this congregation around. It is such an unhealthy church where the members are talking bad things behind the pastor's back. They say he doesn't do anything other than preach a half an hour sermon. Such negativity and lack of support is unhealthy if the church is to be effective for the kingdom. It is impossible to see faith where there is no hope. Does that mean that there is no hope because there is no faith in this congregation? I desire to be a part of those who do greater works than Jesus but I feel both physically and spiritually weak.
"Daniel started as a trainee in Nebuchadnezzar's court, but later was promoted to an advisor of foreign kings. He grew above all others in wisdom, and became a counselor to the king. Because of his excellence in service and power, the king considered him ten times better than all the others.7
To more accurately understand the setting, remember that Daniel is now a part of one of the most demonically inspired kingdoms to ever rule the earth. He is deeply embedded into that system. He is numbered with the naagicians, astrologers, and sorcerers. While God considered him to be His man, he was just another spiritualist to the king.. .at least for a season. What a strange group of people to be associated with, especially when you consider that we're talking about Daniel, a prophet without blemish. His unwillingness to be defiled is legendary, raising the high water mark for generations of prophets to follow
Babylon was a sophisticated society, with enough distractions to keep any Hebrew in the constant tension between devotion to God and an unhealthy love tor this world. When you add strong idolatrous worship and the demonic presence it brings, you have a deadly combination that would undermine the faith of any casual Christian. Daniel, on the other hand, was absolute in His devotion to God, and uncompromising in his purpose. He sought for excellence in his position as leaven. If you want to find someone with a reason for bitterness, you've just found him—taken away from his family; made into a eunuch, and forced to serve among the cultists. Greatness in God is often on the other side of injustice and offense. Daniel made it over this hurdle, but not because he was great. He was victorious because of His devotion to the One who is great!"
When we think of men who had kingdom impact in a corrupt and pagan society many of us think of Daniel. The author talks for a little while about this man of God and how in a short period of time was able to distinguish himself. He was a shining light placed in a very dark place in leadership. We surely need Daniel's in this generation. People of strong Godly influence and full of the Spirit's power in a dark place. The author mentions elsewhere the church is not to merely spend all our time with church people but we are to be in the midst of this dying world. My last internship, I had about ten immediate coworkers. The sad part is that we all had little to no time to get to know each other. People also after very stressful days needed time alone for lunch. I never got to know anyone there other than my direct supervisor who by the grace of God I had a positive influence on. I want another chance at a better place to be involved in other people's lives.
"The closing verses of Chapter 4 record what is possibly the greatest conversion of all time: that of Nebuchadnezzar. He was the darkest ruler ever to live. His final recorded words are: "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride, He is able to put dowm."1" He was saved from hell because of the leavening power of the kingdom of God. The system was invaded, righteousness was established, power was displayed, and people were saved.
For massive worldwide revival to reach it's dominating potential, it must be taken out of the four walls of the Church and launched into the market place." Quietly-, powerfully, decisively invade through service; and when you run into a person with an impossibility, let him know the reality of heaven is within arm's reach! And "let your peace come upon it."13"
"Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well."14
Any gospel that doesn't work in the marketplace, doesn't work. Jesus invaded every realm of society. He went where people gathered. They became His focus, and He became theirs.
We see businessmen use the gifts of the Spirit to identify the needs of then- co-workers and customers. A young teammate laid hands on the star running back of his high school football team after he had been knocked out of the game with a serious leg injury. After the running back was healed, he returned to the game acknowledging God had healed hina!
A young girl with sugar diabetes was suffering from insulin shock. Her Christian friend prayed for her on the way to the nurse's office. When the mother picked her up from school and took her to the doctor, they found she no longer had diabetes.
A ten-year-old asked her mom to take her to the mall so she could find sick people to pray for. Students set up a sign at their table at our local coffee shop. It says, "Free Prayer. " People not only got prayer, they received a prophetic word that brought them to a greater aw-areness of God's love.
Teams of people bring hot meals to our local hotels to touch the needy. A hotel owner gave us a room for a season just so we would have a place to pray for the many sick patrons.
Some invade the bars looking for people who need ministry. The gifts of the Spirit flow powerfully in these environments. In my brother's ministry, grandmas go into the bars m San Francisco. While he stands to the side for their safety, the women sit at .1 table with a soda and pray. One by one people e to their table asking for prayer. It's common for them to kneel and weep as they discover God's love for them.
Yards in the poorest communities are mowed and cleaned, while others clean the insides of the homes. Some go house to house looking to pray for the sick. Miracles are the norm.
Skateboarders are touched by other skateboarders who look to bring them into an encounter with the God of all power. If people are there, we go there. Under the bridges, out in the vacant lots, we look for the homeless.
We bus the neediest to the church for a holiday banquet. Our families adopt a table, setting it with their finest china, crystal, and silverware. The most broken of our community are brought to the church to be treated as heaven's treasure. They are fed, clothed, and ministered to for their most basic natural and spiritual needs.
Not only does Jesus care for the down and outer, but He also loves the up and outer. The wealthy are some of the most broken of our cities. But we must not serve them for their money! They are accustomed to people becoming friends to get something from them.
Parents become Little League coaches. Some lead after-school programs in our public schools. Others volunteer at a local hospital, or become trained as chaplains for the police department or local high schools. People visit their sick neighbors seeing God do the impossible.
Where does life take you? Go there in the anointing and watch the impossibilities bow to the name Jesus."

Prayer:
Father, I long to be the Daniels and the Josephs in the world. Help me to be a man of kingdom influence and impact that brings about healing and redemption. I was discouraged that I wasn't able to do much in my last internship. For months now after graduation I pray for a place of employment that is Your choice for me, not merely to have a paycheck, but to do something with purpose and effectiveness. I pray that You will place me right in a place where I can build relationships in addition to be doing something meaningful. I thank You for Biblical and modern stories of how people are placed in the right place and the right time for Your work. Open my eyes to where You are at work and I ask for the wisdom to make a difference.