What is a Christian? An intro...

What does it mean to be a Christian? Since the time of the apostles there has been debate on this topic. And today we are faced with the importance of this question in a way that we haven't since the time of the apostles. We are surrounded by those who call themselves Christian but to our religious minds they don't look much like Christians. And then there are those who say they are Christian, and might even look like it, but they have some crazy theology. Surely those people aren't "real" Christians? But isn't it all about Jesus? One would think that if someone professes Jesus they should have the privilege to call themselves Christian. It doesn't seem that that's enough though... Let's see what the Church decided when they were first presented with this issue and how that should shape our viewpoint today.

If we look at the early days of the Church we often see the phrase "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." But what did this mean? After all the demons believe that Jesus existed and the Hindus see Him as a wise guru or even an avatar of the divine. Christ means the anointed one. We have to believe that Christ carried the anointing of God as Messiah. We also have to believe in His ability to save us from our sins (the meaning of Jesus). And Lord means believing in His lordship for our lives. It signifies a level of surrender. To lay aside our own personal ownership of ourselves and accept Christ as our only Lord and Savior. That is what the phrase means.

However, debates quickly rose up. The first Church council was called to answer the issue of Gentiles coming to Christ. It was a radical idea that a Gentile could be saved. After all this was a Jewish Messiah- the One who was promised to bring salvation to the Jews. But the fruit of the Gentile believers, and the fact that they were filled with the Holy Spirit, was indisputable. The apostles accepted them as fellow members of the new covenant. However the question quickly arose; did these new Gentile converts need to convert to Judaism? In other words, could you be a Christian without being a Jew? The idea is laughable to us as 21st Century Gentile believers. But when we put ourselves in the context of the 1st century it makes sense as a valid question. Thankfully the Jerusalem council decided that one did not need to be a Jew to follow Jesus and one did not need to follow the old covenant with its regulations in order to be submitted to the Lordship of Christ.

However the Judiazers never stopped. We see many of St. Paul's writings had to address this issue of legalism. But then there were other issues that arose- the heretics. Scripture was still being written and the canon hadn't been decided. And there were plenty of teachers running around with all sorts of weird ideas. The early Church had to convene council after council to address these heresies. But they hadn't been defined as heresies just yet. The councils had to grapple with them and argue about them. For example the Council of Nicaea took almost a hundred years to decide on the Gnostic heresy, among other things. Before that you could be a Gnostic and a Christian. But after that the Church definitively declared that Gnosticism had no place within Christianity and that anyone holding onto that belief was excommunicated.

One of the greatest gifts of that council was the Nicene Creed. It codified a basic set of beliefs on what it meant to be a Christian. If one held to this creed then they were a Christian- if they did not then they were excommunicated from the Church. In fact, the Church would recite it as a congregation before taking communion. As a declaration of faith before approaching the Lord's Table. And many churches throughout the world still do this to remind ourselves on what a Christian is and to declare our common faith.

But is it enough to believe? Shouldn't our lives reflect this reality? Yes and no. It isn't our role to judge as we can't see the heart. And Scripture is full of men and women of God who were deeply flawed. Religiosity singles out certain lifestyles as incompatible with Christianity while excusing others- this is a problem as we have created a hierarchy of sins and stated that certain ones are incompatible with the Christian life while others can be forgiven. However, if we are professing Christ yet refusing to give Him Lordship then we have a problem. Now I'm speaking of open rebellion/unrepentant sin. I'm not speaking about those who are struggling to overcome something. However, just because someone is blind and deceived about something doesn't mean that their name isn't written in the book of life. All of us are called to bring more and more of our lives under the Lordship of Christ. As we commune with Him He will be faithful in showing us those dark areas of our lives that need to be brought into the light. It is a journey- it isn't instant.

This is why judgment scares me. There are so many people who look righteous yet their inner life is repulsive. And there are so many who look like horrible sinners yet have a revelation of God's love for them and are desperately pursuing Him. We don't know what lies beneath. God looks at the heart and we can only see the outward. But, we should see a progression of holiness in those lives. There's a place for judgement. That is why God has ordained pastors and elders. But we should be careful of judging those who we are not in relationship with. For example it grieves me when I see Christians making judgements against celebrities based on paparazzi reports that are later found to be false. I also see others questioning the salvation of other Christians simply because they have some bad theology- or are on the opposite side of the political spectrum. Satan is the accuser of the brethren. We need to be careful not to do the same.

In short, the Christian is one who has placed themselves under the Lordship of Christ by abandoning all else to follow Him. They believe in the historic creeds of the Church as the doctrine that all Christians have believed throughout the centuries. And they recognize their personal need for a Savior. Then there is the personal relationship and a life spent pursuing more of Him. Justification is a one time thing when we are ransomed by Christ. But it takes a lifetime to become like Him. It's a journey as we bring more and more of ourselves under His Lordship. We can't judge someone simply because they are on a different part of that journey.

Being a Christian is not easy but it is simple. We need to stop making it complicated and purge the spirit of judgment from our midst. How many people have abandoned the church because we judged rather than loved? It is our job to point people to a greater level of communion and the Holy Spirit to guide them into the truth of conviction. Jesus met the woman at the well with compassion. He didn't excuse her sin but He didn't condemn her either. We must do the same. We are the representatives of Christ on this earth and must live accordingly.

The least of these...

One thing that I appreciate about the Roman Catholic Church is its strong commitment to life and the value of those who society considers as lesser. From the fighting for the rights of the unborn, to the valuing of those with mental and physical disabilities.

I grew up in the Reformed tradition which stressed the value of the intellectual pursuit of God. Christian maturity was measured in our articulation of theology and doctrine. Unfortunately this didn't give much of a place to the mentally handicapped. I remember one lady in our congregation who loved Jesus with all that she was but had the intellect of a child. She was always viewed with suspicion and treated as a bit of an outcast. However, in the Catholic tradition I see how people like her are celebrated and actually held up as examples that we should all learn from.

I can give so many examples from the Bay Area diocese that has a monthly mass for its mentally challenged adults, to my friend's brother with down syndrome who serves as an acolyte in his home parish, to the tireless work of Catholic priests on behalf of the unborn.

Today I had the privilege of stopping at the National Shrine for Our Lady of Guadalupe in Sacramento. I was passing by and felt the need to stop in, not realizing what it was other than it was a Catholic Church. I spent a beautiful time praying before the Blessed Sacrament. And then I got to meet a gentleman who volunteers his time to care for the building. His son was there, sitting in a wheelchair. He reminded me of my cousin who has Cerebral Palsy. This man, about my age, comes to the church every morning in his wheelchair with the key where someone else helps him to open up the church. This man, who cannot feed himself is used by God in a way that few of us are.

This church has been a testimony and a ministry to those who society views as defective. From its former rector and auxiliary bishop of Sacramento who had to memorize the liturgy because he couldn't read the missal due to his visual handicap, to the memorial to the unborn outside the chapel's doors, to this man who can't hold a job but dedicates himself to opening the church each day and watching over its doors.

Perhaps we are the defective ones. We allow our intellectual pride to eclipse the ways of the Spirit. We rely too much on our own abilities as we don't need to depend on others. And in this glorification of our independence we lose sight of how God created us for communion with Him. Perhaps we need to learn from the least of these as they hold something that we don't understand.

"A Banner Year of Increase and Advancement" by Kyle T. Miller

For various reasons I haven't published a word of the Lord for 2016. But this prophecy is spot on and speaks into some areas that I have been speaking into. I highly recommend you read and pray into it.


A Banner Year

This is going to be a banner year. For those people who are in tune with the Spirit of God, it's going to be a year of increase and advancement. However, we will not be able to make this advancement in the flesh. We will only be able to move forward by receiving supernatural empowerment from the Holy Spirit. In this article I will share what I feel the Lord has told me that we can expect in this year, along with how we can walk supernaturally in the Holy Spirit.

Hidden Riches in Secret Places

For the world, the year of 2016 will be a year of uncertainty. From the world's standards, the economy will be up and down all year long. At times it will seem as though things are going well in the economy, and yet at other times it will seem as though the economy is headed for disaster. 

The Lord told me that much of this up-and-down cycle in the economy will be a façade created by the enemy to set people on edge and cause people to get in fear. The Lord said that much of this is smoke and mirrors. That at the very root of the economy, God is shifting things out of the hands of wicked people, and giving His people the opportunity to access hidden riches in secret places. 

God told me to share with you that we are to start asking Him to unveil riches that have been hidden from us until such a time as this. We will hear about people accessing land with oil on it, gems hidden in areas in that were not known to have jewels, and other natural resources that people will find this year by following the voice of His Spirit.

The Enemy Will Seek to Make People Weak, But the Joy of the Lord Will Be Our Strength

Until September 2016, there will be many challenges the world will experience. The Lord said the enemy will seek to use these challenges to try and hinder the growth of His people. In contrast, God will use these challenges to draw His people in to Him.

As we are challenged to feel overwhelmed, we can ask Him to in-fill us with His joy, and this joy will give us supernatural strength. Those of us who receive this supernatural joy will find ourselves empowered, while others will feel weary and fearful. This contrast between us and the world (along with Christians who are not hooked up with His anointing) will be used by God to draw people to His light. 

The Lord emphasized to me that we, the Church, should not use the media as a barometer to determine what He is doing because much of what will be portrayed in the media will be lies. We will not be able to watch cable and local news to fully interpret what God is doing because the mainstream media will often be used by satan as a tool to instill fear in people. God said, "I will show you what is to come. You can trust My Spirit to speak to you."

Finally, the Lord says it is absolutely critical that we receive His joy because He wants to use us to draw people to Him. When the world sees us operating in supernatural joy when everyone else is running helter-skelter, this will cause them to be drawn to the light of Christ that is residing within us. This takes me to the next point the Lord told me about.

Many of God's People Will Be Promoted to New Levels of Authority

As God's people walk in His supernatural joy this year, the world will be drawn to our light. Just as David was brought into the King's palace to comfort Saul, God's people will be promoted to levels of authority because leaders will recognize that they are comforted by the presence of God that is residing within us. Because we are filled with the joy of the Lord, we will be desirable to the world. People will literally feel better when we are around. 

Many of Our Unsaved Loved Ones Will Come to Christ

Just as the world will be drawn to our light, so shall our unsaved loved ones be drawn to the Spirit of God that is residing within us. The Lord told me that our unsaved loved ones will get saved "in droves" this year.

Things Will Begin to Smooth Out the Last Quarter of 2016

Things will begin to smooth out around September of 2016. For His Believers, the Lord wants us to use this season to catch our breath, get refilled, and experience restoration of lost things. God is going to cause us to recover things that were stolen from us in the last season.

Kyle T. Miller
Prophet Kyle - Personal Prophecy
Email: kyle@prophetkyle.com
Website: prophetkyle.com

"Your Father Has Another Special Gift For You" Ben R. Peters

This is a powerful word by Ben Peters that I am reposting here:

While the enemy of our souls uses his brainwashed and evil-spirit-controlled captives to terrorize and to take away our freedoms, our peace of mind, and even our very lives, our ultimate gift-giving Father is using His renewed-minded, spirit-filled lovers of Jesus to bring comfort and to give freedom, the peace of God, and eternal life to desperate souls everywhere. The way that our Father in Heaven is able to accomplish this is through His incredible gift-giving generosity to His servants on earth, not just at Christmas, but all year long.

God began to download His heart concerning spiritual gifts and ministries in a very clear and strong way in the past two or three years. It started when Brenda and I were ministering to an apostolic training center in Washington State. There were several pastors attending, and a strong anointing was flowing as we spoke and prophesied over them. Then the Lord gave me a clear and instructive word for them all. It went something like this:

God's Strong Word to Ministry Leaders

"It's time to take a look at your team and make sure you don't have any major weaknesses that the enemy can exploit. Use the football analogy and see if you have a strong defensive line and backfield, as well as the offensive line, wisdom-filled quarterbacks, and gifted ball carriers and receivers. These positions can only be filled by those who have received and developed their spiritual gifts and ministries."

The important point the Holy Spirit was making was that we need every single gift and gift-ministry properly functioning on our ministry teams, or the enemy will continue to mess with us and defeat us in our battles against him. The positions on a football team can be easily compared with the five-fold ministry gifts mentioned in Ephesians 4, and their use of the spiritual gifts listed in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12-14. God was using American football as an object lesson that most of us could understand. For more information, read my book Folding Five Ministries Into One Powerful Team. 

Here are the gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:

"For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues" (1 Corinthians 12:8-10).

At that point, the Lord clearly highlighted the gift of discerning of spirits. There had been very little focus on this gift, but the need for it was extremely obvious. Church ministry teams everywhere had suffered incredibly from the enemy's attacks. These attacks were successful to such a large degree because nobody was discerning the enemy's diabolical influence and subtle methods of warfare.

I began preaching and teaching the Body of Christ everywhere I could, challenging people to ask God to increase this gift in its purest form in every ministry team to prevent the enemy from taking away what God had given. Satan still comes to steal, kill, and destroy. His favorite target is your ministry team. If he can bring misunderstanding, strife, selfish ambition, and jealousy in your ministry team, he can steal, kill, and destroy the effectiveness of your ministry or church. Tragically, we've seen this scenario repeated over and over and over again.

God's Special Christmas Gift for 2014

Late last year, well before Christmas 2014, I heard the Lord say that He wanted to give His people an increase in the gift of faith. I shared this with as many as possible, both in writing and speaking, as well as with impartation of laying on of hands. I believe God said He was giving an increase in the gift of faith so people would walk through the doors that He was opening for them. They would need faith, because they were going where they had never gone before, and were leaving their comfort zones behind them. To enter a new place, you have to leave the old behind. 

God's Special Christmas Gift for 2015

I actually wasn't expecting God to highlight another gift for this Christmas and the New Year, but while I was ministering to someone on the telephone, the words flew out of my mouth, and I knew it was a word for the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit is going to especially empower people with gifts of healings (see 1 Corinthians 12:9).

As I have meditated on this word, I can see the divine logic in this order. First, we need to discern spirits, so we don't allow false gifts to operate and deceive the Church. Next, we need a stronger gift of faith, not only to walk through new doors, but to help us believe for the healings we are called to release through the power of the Holy Spirit.

An Extremely Necessary Gift for the Church and for Kingdom Expansion

A. In the Church

The need for a greater healing anointing should be very obvious. Churches are not only filled with people who are physically sick, but the majority of Christians are just beginning to become aware of the need for emotional healing in order for them to function to their full potential. Without the healing of their soul, they have real openings for the enemy to cause more pain to themselves and to others. 

Without that healing, we can never have real, deep unity, which we desperately need in order to bring in God's great harvest. Unhealed emotional pain prevents us from seeing others through God's loving eyes, because past pain invites the constant fear that the pain will be repeated again. Fear causes defense mechanisms to be set up and opens the door for contention, anger, and bitterness.

God certainly wants us healed physically, but His priority is the healing of our soul and spirit. Our priorities are usually the physical healing, because we can bury the emotional pain easier than we can the physical pain or disability. But God will always prioritize the eternal over the temporal.

B. Outside the Church

There is no doubt that God wants His people healthy in every way. He loves us and does not wish pain upon us. But God knows this life is short and eternity is forever. Thus, there is no doubt that He is more concerned with the spiritual health of every person in the world that He created than with their physical health.

The great and wonderful news is that the gifts (plural) of healing not only bless people with a better quality of life on earth, but God loves to use these gifts to transform the hearts and souls of men and connect them with the eternal source of Life Himself. This is an overwhelmingly wonderful truth that should touch our hearts with deep gratitude to God. He really does want us to have a full and joyful experience in this life, and He also wants us to help others to experience it both here and in Heaven. 

God is giving us His amazing spiritual gifts to use for both purposes, but the greatest blessing is that we can use these gifts to reveal God's love and transform the hearts of people to give them eternal life. Healing bodies is one of God's preferred ways to reveal His love to the lost, and I believe He is asking us, "Do you want this gift?"

I've seen how this gift works in powerful ways to bring the lost to Christ. I've seen it in Canada, Argentina, India, Africa, South Korea, and America. I've seen it under the ministry of other men and women of God as well as our own ministry. A number of years ago, I did extensive research in Scripture and Church history and discovered that over 90% of conversions have resulted from supernatural occurrences, of which most of them were physical healings.

A Prophetic Challenge

I believe God wants me to challenge people all over the world at this season – the season in which we remember the greatest gift ever given to the human race – the gift of a Savior, Jesus Christ, who was born in a humble stable, but has been highly exalted as King of kings and Lord of lords.

God is speaking to me that He is now inviting us to join His medical team. He is preparing to send us out to do clinics, house calls, and stadium healing events. He will empower us as individuals, but even more powerfully when we form divinely orchestrated medical teams who will carry the various gifts of healings. These gifts include pretty much every other spiritual gift God has given us.

Sometimes words of knowledge and/or words of wisdom are released to bring healing. The gift of faith is, of course, a very frequent contributor to the healing ministry. Many times the healing comes through the gift of miracles. Other times, a prophetic word can open the mind and heart to the fact that God knows and cares. As Jesus demonstrated, the gift of discerning of spirits can also be frequently used to bring the miracle healing. Tongues and interpretation of tongues can also be used like prophecy, so we can see why Paul wrote it was the "gifts of healings." 

Do you want to join God's medical team? Are you willing to leave your comfort zone and take up the Heavenly challenge to do house calls, clinics, and/or stadium healing events? If so, here are some practical ideas to prepare.

1. Educate yourself in the realm of healing. The Bible is your chief textbook. Read about the healings in the Old and New Testament. Then read stories of more recent revivals and healing ministries. Grow your faith in prayer and worship and deeper intimacy with Jesus. Attend healing services and listen to the teachings offered live or on electronic media. Learn about all the gifts, especially those you are the strongest in.

2. Take the first steps as God opens doors for you. Pray for everyone you can. Learn about spiritual treasure hunts – asking God for words of knowledge about people He wants you to minister to.

3. Join a ministry team in your church or ministry or neighborhood. Practice develops your gifts.

4. Give God all the glory and stay humble when you see people healed.

It's time to get excited about the opportunities God is opening up to us. We have been given the ability to give the gift of hope to people living in fear and anxiety over the threat of radical terrorists who want to destroy us. Instead, we have the supernatural power of God given through His Spirit-empowered gifts, with which we can expose and defeat every attack of our enemy. It's the Church's privilege and the Church's responsibility. Will we take up the challenge, or will we cringe in fear? It's time to embrace our destiny and God's amazing adventures prepared for us, His beloved children.

Shalom!

Ben R. Peters
Kingdom Sending Center
Email: ohmint@gmail.com
Website: kingdomsendingcenter.org

Have we forgotten martyrdom in our apathy?

I sometimes think that the Western Church grew weak because we stopped telling the stories of martyrs. We relegated their examples to the forgotten annals of history. And we have adopted a weak faith that flees from adversity. The truth is that the Church has thrived during the times of persecution. Persecution has always been used as a refining fire to purify the Bride of Christ. For years the Chinese church has prayed that we here in America might know the same joy of persecution that they have known.

I rejoice in the fact that I am able to worship freely. I rejoice that I do not need to fear for my life or freedom. But I sometimes wonder if I am utilizing this freedom properly. Am I taking full advantage of my religious liberties? Or am I squandering the blessing that I have to live in this country?

I have grown up with the stories of the ancient martyrs. My own grandmother has told me her first hand accounts of being in the underground church in Nazi Germany. And how as they worshipped in secret they vowed to one another that they would not do so once they had their freedom. And the very first Sunday, after the Americans liberated their city, they held their first public meeting in the local park. Over those next few years they saw many come to Christ. My great grandfather, himself a butcher by trade, planted thirteen churches. Will we here in America only appreciate our freedom once we lose it? Or will we utilize it now? Apathy is our biggest enemy.

Don't attack the body

Recently I heard a pastor declare to his congregation that Catholics aren't Christians due to their theology. This deeply grieved me on many levels. I have heard this charge before, it isn't new. First it's based on a misunderstanding of Roman Catholic doctrine. Their theology of Christ is the same as Protestants. In fact they hold to the ancient creeds more faithfully than the rest of Christendom.

It also grieves me when I look at the world around me. Most of those who are being killed for the name of Christ are not Protestant. They are Catholic and Orthodox. How can one uphold the martyrdom of the Christians being killed in the Middle East while at the same time denying their salvation? To do so is to dismiss their status as martyrs for the Glorious Name!

Scripture is clear; believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. You don't have to subscribe to a certain set of doctrinal beliefs. As long as you have a proper understanding of who Christ is (which Catholics and Orthodox do) then you are saved. We are saved through Christ alone. Our pitiful attempts to understand doctrine does nothing to save us but allows us to understand the character of the God who did save us.

Jesus, in His high priestly prayer, prayed that we would be one as He and the Father are one. He didn't pray that we would have perfect doctrine. He prayed that we would be one. As we have been baptized we have been made one with Christ. And as we partake of the Sacrament we are made one with our fellow believers around the world. It is one cup of salvation that we share. To declare that someone as a non-Christian because we don't like their theology is to attack the very body of Christ.

Oh would we repent for those times when we have allowed ourselves to be used by Satan as a voice of accusation.

The Coming Economic Shaking

There is a coming shaking to our economic structure. Many of the prophets have been speaking about this. I don't know what form it will take but I see several possibilities. Some say that it is a minor shaking/recession. Others say it will be a complete currency collapse. I do see a realignment coming. The prophets have been speaking for a long while about how there is coming a transference of wealth into the Kingdom. The wealth of the wicked will be brought into the hands of the righteous.

Economic shakings bring opportunities to those who are positioned to take advantage of them. More millionaires were made during the Great Depression than any other time of American history. I firmly believe that this coming shaking will be used by God to release much wealth into the hands of His people.

The question for us right now is how do we prepare? We need to be positioned to take advantage of the opportunities that are to come. I believe there are several areas in which we need to prepare ourselves.

The first is our attitude to wealth and stewardship. We need to break free from the mammon structure. Several years ago I was in a season of severe lack. I had no regular paycheck and at times had to choose between paying for parking or paying for lunch. God spoke to me that being controlled by lack of wealth is just as bad as being controlled by abundance of wealth. I had to learn what it meant to be generous and to make decisions based on what God was speaking to me rather than my circumstances. I don't know how I survived that season as the numbers don't add up- but I did. We need to adopt a Kingdom mindset of wealth and stewardship.

We also need to start educating ourselves so that we might take advantage of opportunities that may come. God will show you what those things are for you. For me it is learning about real estate investing and becoming literate in that industry as I become familiar with the vernacular of real estate investors. For others it might be learning about estate sales or collectible coins. Ask the Lord what you need to start learning. Joseph spent years learning the structure of Egypt's economy before he was exalted as Pharaoh's right hand to oversee the financial structure of the nation.

We need to examine our investments and savings. Maybe you need to diversify your investment portfolio in ways that you haven't before. Examine what is liquid and what isn't. I would also advise most people to get out of as much debt as you can. Consumer debt is going to weigh you down during the times of shaking. Be in a place where you are as free as possible. Trim your budget so you have more money at your disposal that you can redirect as needed.

Finally, be in a place both practically and spiritually where you can take advantage of the shakings to come. Have emergency supplies stockpiled in case disasters are part of the shaking that is coming. Be the type of person that others can look towards during a time of crisis.

Most of all, do not be dismayed. The Lord will uphold you with His righteous right hand. He will take care of you. My Great-Grandfather had his business taken from him three times- twice from the Nazi regime. He went through a currency change where his savings became worthless overnight. But he was a man of faith and prayer. He came through each trial and shaking with a testimony of the Lord's goodness. I can't give you a specific strategy as the Lord will give a different strategy to each of His children. Be strengthened!