He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives!

“THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.” Luke4:19

for fear of the Jews.. John 7:13, John 20:19

the Jews, who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets…. 1Thes2:14-15

Wow, they were very afraid of “the Jews”.

Let’s look at this phrase, “the Jews”, metaphorically as referring to a major demonic spirit that controls antichrist religions,  in opposition to God, and NOT “literally” as in an ethnic people group or a culture. Let’s look at how this spiritually designated group spans centuries, many religions and nations, and it’s function of hurting and killing, and keeping people captive.
1. for fear of the Jews= the plotting, envious, murderous Pharisee religious leaders of Jesus’ time who wanted to maintain power and control. They loved death and hated Truth and desired to kill the Truth (ie Jesus and those who followed Him). They kept the people captive in bondage and fear. This is the satanically empowered force that is against Christ Jesus and all the saints.

2.for fear of the Jews= those greedy papal Church leaders of Holy Roman Empire Christendom who wanted Roman Empire power, wealth and dominion. They loved death and hated Truth and desired to kill Truth (ie Christians and anyone else who would not submit to their lies, power, authority and dominion). This is the group who instituted the Inquisitions, planned the killing Crusades of the middle ages and kept spiritual truth from the people, keeping them captive in bondage and fear. This is the same group who planned death for every person killed in the world wars. This group presents itself as Pious and Holy Christianity but is actually in satanic opposition to Christ and to the saints. This force is merely an extension of group 1.

3. for fear of the Jews= those modern religious Islamic Jihad leaders who want power and dominion. They feed lies to the people, making them captive to bondage, deception and fear. They love death and hate Truth and desire to kill everyone who will not submit to Islam, especially Christians. This is the same exact spirit as what exists in group 2. It is the same entity with a different culture, language, and geography. But it is the exact same thing. This force is merely an extension of groups 1 and 2.

All three are the same spirit of death, spanning many centuries and  manifesting in three world religions  (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) using them as a front, so to speak. Same spirit of killing, envy, lust for power, cruelty, torture, and spiritual bondage and captivity. It is a religious demonic spirit that hates God and people and loves to kill and destroy. It loves to hurt and lie and deceive and keep people captive.

This spirit keeps the world’s people in fear of being punished if they do not obey. This spirit also makes our brethren worldwide fear for their lives, for belonging to Jesus Christ. This evil spirit wants to kill and make everyone captive and submit to their self-appointed Dominionist power.

We are dealing with religious spiritual forces here. This is what we are dealing with:  “we wrestle not against flesh….. but against rulers, powers, forces, principalities… rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Eph.6:12

But.

“THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,
TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”

Therefore, keep loving God and loving your neighbor. Continue keeping a soft heart of mercy, compassion, empathy and love, as Christ abides in you and you in Him.

Keep praying for the suffering saints who are persecuted. Keep loving and helping them in every practical way, meeting their needs, comforting, caring for, feeding and encouraging them however you are able.

Keep telling the truth of salvation and life in Jesus Christ to the world. Keep declaring and living His kingdom. Keep living the life and faith of Jesus Christ and making disciples. Proclaim release to the captives! And do not be afraid to speak openly of Him.

more encouragement to women who witness for Jesus

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples” Matt.28:18-19

In response to this blog post article:
http://spiritualsoundingboard.com/2014/03/17/learn-to-discern-can-women-read-scripture-aloud-to-men/#comments

Any professing Christian “leader” who tells any disciple of Jesus, that they “should not” or “must not” be obedient to Christ, evangelize, speak of Jesus, preach the gospel, proclaim the Truth, or make disciples of Jesus, (which is part of loving your neighbor as He commanded) is a false teacher and is not speaking for Jesus Christ but is very much working against Christ. Woe.

To make evangelism and proclaiming the gospel about being obsessed with sex (that is, male roles, female roles) authoritarianism, power, control and domination over women, is to create a cult.

Jesus Christ Himself is the power and the authority. His Spirit indwells the female saints as well as the male saints. HE has given His authority also to the daughters of God (the sisters in Christ) to witness and speak of Him, or read scripture, to any person, as HE leads and empowers them by the Spirit.

ALL

For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. 1Cor14

Not a male? Not a Clergyman? Not a Theologian? Not a pastor? Not an MDiv? Not ordained? Not an owner or employee of a 501c3 Church business? Not an owner or member of a recognized tax-exempt Ministry? Not “accepted” by the inner circles of Ecclesiastical Power? Not a graduate of systematic theology school?  Not a problem!

You may ALL prophesy!

You have no need of permission from someone above you in some hierarchy.

You also are ekklesia. You also have the Holy Spirit. The Lord also speaks to you. He also reveals to you. You also have a part to play. You also have something to contribute. Yes, you also may participate, along with all the others. You may speak to others what He has given you to speak. You may edify and exhort and proclaim.

That all may learn, and all may be comforted.

You have permission FROM GOD to prophesy. That Christ’s flock may be edified, taught, warned, comforted, encouraged, exhorted.

You are a member of the Kingdom.  His Kingdom is a Kingdom of priests. All the saints in the Kingdom are priests.

The ekklesia, His Kingdom, is made up of ALL the saints. You are a member of that ALL.

there is ANOTHER KING

Guest Post:

Announcing Another King

by Bill Johnson of Canada

“and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.” Acts17:7

Acts 17:6 And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;

Paul and Silas, in “turning the world upside down”, by going forth with the gospel were a working power of the Spirit prophesied  in Isaiah 29-16. They were known for being diametrically opposed to  the decrees of the State. . They were “turning the world (system) upside down.” A reflection upon what Jesus told the women at the well in John ch. 4; Man will no longer worship God in temples of organized religion, which lifts up the works of mans hands, but rather God is a Spirit and the true worshiper must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. What was their inflaming message that turned the world upside down? Were they telling the congregations to seek out  a Pastor or Farther and support him; go to church every sabbath day; go along to get along with the world and their system by conforming to it? Could this have been the message that set the city fathers against them in verse 7? I think not! Were they asking people to send their tithes to them so they could build a nice church or develop a Christian youth center to keep the teens off the streets? I think not? What could it have been that made the works of Paul and Silas so contrary by “turning the world system upside down”? The answer is found in verse 7:

“Whom Jason hath received (into his house): and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.”
 
Paul and Silas were announcing ANOTHER KING!  One who’s kingdom IS NOT OF THIS WORLD… They were forming congregational bodies that could meet daily anywhere at any time in the name of the LORD. Assemblies that no longer looked to Caesar as their king.

Contrary to revised history and the false pundits of today, Paul and Silas weren’t the “church builders“ they claimed them to be. They weren’t proselytizing people into a 2 fold child of hell from one church or synagogue to another.  They were establishing freedom in the Spirit to serve their King Jesus. They weren’t building and attending churches! Please understand the foundational ground work for these assemblies in the New Testament bears no resemblance to what we know today as “church”. In fact they were 24/7  sabbath gatherings of God’s people, who were meant to live together by the ecclesia pattern in communities, holding all things common, under the government of God, through His anointed spiritual elders of godly obedience. This is the Acts 2 model of assembly after the Spirit, holding fast the doctrine of Christ, and not after the arm of the flesh holding fast the traditions of men “ie” “the Nicolaitanes”..The early church body were kingdom builders in the Spirit! The members themselves were the church, not the buildings, institutions, and traditions of men and its so-called Christianity. The true Christian ecclesia’s we read about in the New Testament were independent bodies of Christians, when two or more are gathered in His name. Independent from worldly kings and governors, being led by the Spirit of grace, thus being ruled by the authoritative  government of Christ unto obedience to Him, a living movement, modeled after the Sermon on the Mount.. These lowly men were walking in the light of the gospel, and  reigning over the darkness of this world, treading upon serpents and scorpions, by dethroning rulers in the minds of the people, removing the deception,  and alienating them from the mental hold Caesar had upon them through heathenistic central government. They were teaching the principles of Christian government under Christ, the King of a kingdom that is not of this world, by preaching the new way of the gospel> love thy neighbour, do good to those who despise you, be not quick to anger, pray for your enemies, go yet another mile, have no malice, take no oaths, lay down your sword, for those who live by the sword  will perish by the sword, worship the one true God in the name of Christ, and thou will receive treasures exceedingly in the kingdom above..  They were putting forth the call of God to whomever would hear and obey HIS commandments, and of those whose hearts responded to the call became citizens of Christ’s kingdom and joined themselves to the ecclesia’s, or community of believers who walk by faith and not by sight. On the contrary, organized state religion, walks by sight, seeking signs and wonders through the works of man’s hands, a directive of having no faith, “ie” the Cain model of worship. The holy scriptures do not teach us that churches, their masonic buildings, their demonization’s;  and the ways of the Nicolaitanes,  would eventually take the place of His assembling of the saints gathered in His name. Therefore,  Paul and Silas were a threat to the existing establishment  8 And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things.

grace and truth bill

private communications

These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete. 1John1:4

“No reasonable expectation of privacy”

This is what one “Big” Silicon Valley Tech company recently quipped, defending their right to scan private emails that use their services. Government agencies have admitted to their ability to crack encryption codes and “intrude upon communications”.

As we enter further into the brave new computer-enhanced world, there is no longer any “reasonable expectation of privacy protections”.

Your mail, email, phone calls, private blogs, files, photos, records, etc.  …… all are now potentially open and technically available for electronic or live perusing by  IT geeks and government powers that be.

Shall we then stop speaking? Shall we then quiet our witness? How about encouraging the other saints?

We can choose now to be intimidated; to put a lid on it and quiet down……. or we can choose now, to continue on as usual with both our public and our private spoken and written communications….paying no mind to whoever may be listening or reading……….. (as if nothing were different)……… with trust and joy. Let us choose to continue in our witness and choose to continue on encouraging one another.

american jesus

Gay ‘marriage’ and abortion cliff notes

Guest post: Gay ‘marriage’ and abortion cliff notes (abortion bill, prop 8 etc)

by Jim at Fleebabylon

Conservative christendom, full of pride and hypocrisy, was emboldened by her political allies to fight in the flesh for key social issues. She and the world exchanged blows as they battled back and forth. Even with the strength of her evangelicals, catholics, and mormons joining hands together she couldn’t best the world. Now the world rejoices in its alleged victory, erroneously thinking it has defeated Christ and His kingdom, not realizing its triumph was merely over american jesus and his kingdom.

There is no hope in the world or in christendom. The only hope is to keep your eyes on the real Jesus who is seated at the right hand of God the Father and shun the ways of american jesus who is seated at the right hand of worldly political powers. The early followers of Jesus didn’t spend much time trying to legislate holiness in rome or else where. Instead they preached ‘Christ crucified’ with great spiritual authority and power and it pierced the hearts of the most depraved men. If this lost generation (world and christendom) is to escape hell-fire nothing else will do.

1 Corinthians 1:20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

Article link Here

Read Flee From Babylon HERE

the fake & the real

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Rev12:11

Fake country……fake news, fake reporting, fake crisis, fake wars, fake actors, fake blood, fake government, fake presidents, fake govt. leaders, fake laws, fake victims, fake show, fake savior, fake power,

fake Church….. fake worship, fake prayers, fake Christianity, fake actors, fake doctrines, fake believers, fake pastors, fake Church leaders, fake traditions, fake show, fake Christians, fake jesus, fake gospel, fake power,

real Babylon, real deception, real delusions, real crisis, real death, real evil, really satanic.

Real preaching, real judgment, real separation, real snakes and scorpions, real Judases, real “repeat”, real voice of the Spirit, real prophets, real witnesses, real kingdom of heaven, real wilderness, real Shepherd, real saints, real narrow path, real blood, real suffering, real persecution, real betrayal, real mocking, real tribulation, real martyrdom, real commandments of Christ, real teachings of Christ, real Master and Lord Jesus Christ, real discipleship in Christ, real conditions, really abiding, really following, really obedient

real devotion, real Israel, real Zion, real remnant, real bride, real gospel, real testimony, real temple, real ekklesia, real deliverance, real food, real drink, real covenant, real forgiveness, real Life, real resurrection, real Jesus Christ is come in the flesh (really),

real repentance, real love for enemies, real love for neighbor, real courage, real forgiving others, real love for one another, really caring for the saints, really serving them, real picking up cross, real dying to self,

real gentle, real humble, real meek, real poor in spirit, real hungry and thirsty for righteousness, really merciful, really pure in heart, real peacemakers, really persecuted for righteousness sake, real insults, really hated, really receiving false accusations of evil, real lonely, real tears, real rejection,

real Jesus, real Word of God, real edification, real rejoicing, real glad, real reward, real prophets, real salt, real light, real fellowship, real unity, real communion, real love, real power, real glory,

real faith, real obedience, real enduring, real overcoming….. real overcomers.

The troublemakers

Guest post:

BE LIKE STEPHEN: MAKING THE RIGHT KIND OF TROUBLE

by: A. Brother

“But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him.”

Acts 7:55-58

When a man gets a full vision of Christ, and has his eyes opened to who Christ really is, and then seeks to communicate that fullness to others, he will run into trouble, and create much opposition.  Here we have that happening.  Stephen had testified to the full message of Christ in front of the religious establishment of his day, and he was rewarded by being dragged outside the city walls and stoned by a large crowd of men.

When any of us begins truly seeking to have his eyes opened to this fullness of life in Christ, and it begins happening, Christ in us will overflow to others, and the truth will often offend and even infuriate those who do not see.  It happened throughout Scripture, and it will happen to those today who make it their sole aim in life to know Christ, the fellowship of his suffering, the power of his resurrection.

My heart is grieving this morning over the state of the Body of Christ.  Not because I choose to be critical, or because I am legalistically imposing the measure of Scripture upon our current modes and methods of doing church.  But because I see the people of God like Jesus saw the Jews in His days among them, and wept.  I was raised in these churches, and spent many years trying to live the life they represented was the Christian life.  The Spirit of God grieves today at the hardness of our hearts, and the proud insistence that we know how to do everything Christian in the best way.

God’s people in our modern, affluent society are like sheep without a Shepherd.  Running to this man or that man who can speak well, or has written some landmark book about the Christian life.  Running after this or that new method, or clever program, or way of doing church that seems to breathe something new into their spiritual walks.

Scripture points back to Christ Himself, who is not only our Savior and Lord, but whose Life must be in us, whose Eyes must illuminate Truth to us, whose Mind must open us up to His fullness.  Our hearts must beat to the drum of His love in our chests.  This is what Jesus taught, that we are the branches to His Vine, and the Father the source of all nourishment.  That remaining in Him is the essential, and all other things are optional.

So why do we concentrate on the optional?

Today we have a plethora of pulchritudinous programming going on among Christians.  (Sorry for the cheesy PPP acronym).  That means a complete array of attractive systems for practicing and distributing the gospel.  The church has become like a spiritual candy store, holding out sweets and treats, hoping to lure people into attending.

Come here to church because we have so many services of different worship styles to meet your needs.  Come here and enjoy cappuccinos while you fellowship after worship.  Does your back get tired while meeting together?  Can’t see or hear the presentation very well?  No problem, we’ve installed expensive theatre-style seats and fabulous sound systems so you can concentrate on hearing the music and viewing the sermon in total comfort.  The Pastor is on a huge screen or multiple screens around the room so you can feel like you’re actually in a more intimate, personal setting.

Tired of traditions that bore you?  No worries, I feel you, we’ve done away with the things that take too much time and effort.  Communion is only hassled with on occasion, and then with little cups and tiny wafers, and love feasts among believers are a thing of the past.

Remember how Paul used to speak on and on to those early believers, cramming in Truth until late at night, meeting in homes day after day, gathering anytime they could find to be together, hungry for the Word, hungry for the Spirit to work, thirsting after righteousness like it was Life itself?  Forget about it!  We don’t need all that.

We have schedules to keep, and people to see, and business to conduct, and lives to live out in the world.  We’ve figured out how to do both!  Just keep your appointment with God in our services once or twice a week, or if you’re really zealous, meet for a Bible study, too.  That will set you on fire.

The reason we’ve settled for this type of Country-Club Christianity is that we have not understood the Christ-life.

We have been taught wrongly, by men who have only known the casual, easy gospel of modern, affluent religion, instead of the radical, revolutionary, life-changing, outside the city gates, stir-up-opposition-everywhere-you-go, stumbling-block, hate-inducing, cliff-edge, religion-destroying, faith- and love-filled Gospel of Christ that God absolutely will not allow to be contained in man-made systems or programs.

You can be a member of the Christian Country Club set, or you can be a member of the Body of Christ.  There is no middle ground.  From the birth of the Body, men have sought to impose their own religious mind-sets upon it, and have succeeded in the form of the huge Christian denominations and organizations throughout history.

The dynamic ekklesia, Christ’s church, which originally meant the “called out to be together” people of God, has been hijacked by religion.  Every day more Christians get together and decide they want to form another group, or build another building to meet their needs.  Every day Christians make another list of options they want in their religion.  Every day Christians miss the simplicity of Christ, and His love and power, in favor of building another platform from which to proclaim an easy gospel.  With their list of choice options, they have managed to derail the Spirit of God from reaching men.  Like the Pharisees, they keep others out of the Kingdom as they are keeping themselves out.

The point is this:  Stephen saw what we must see.

Christ is all, and is our focus.  Not our methods and man-made options.  Not our forms of doing church.  We don’t worry about that.  We seek Christ, and He seeks us.  We die, He lives.  Individually and corporately.  Christ leads us by His Spirit, and dictates what we do and how we do it.

Today, Christ may do this.  Tomorrow He may do that.  Just as He did with His disciples, He is busy doing the Father’s work, and will not be pinned down as to where or how He’ll be doing it.  He looks for needs, and He responds.  Today He is in Bethany, tomorrow in Cana of Galilee, the next day in Jerusalem.  Today He’s healing people, tomorrow preaching from a hilltop, the next day He’s confronting the religious leaders.  He is ever meeting where two or three of us are gathered together.  He is not bound by our calendars and schedules.  And He would have us be more responsive and flexible, open to the Spirit of God to respond to one another and to His prompting.  Many of our modern churches are just as hide-bound and fixed in their ways as the highly liturgical churches they criticize.  They just have different traditions.

This dying to the Old Man and living to Christ in the New Man is a messy, hard, can’t-be-contained-in-traditions thing.  No carefully-programmed new church service format or electronic gadget is going to make this happen, or, more tragically, even allow this to happen.  There is no room in our carefully-scripted lives for God to move.

One thing is certain.  If you and I have the explosive, uncontainable Spirit of God in us, we will be like Stephen.  Seeing clearly the Christ we love and serve, and speaking of Him to whoever asks, no matter the consequences.  There is no room for compromise in the Kingdom of God.  We love and serve Christ, without any option.  That is the gospel, the good news of the Kingdom.  This hard, beautiful and ultimately impossible-without-God gospel that is Christ in us.

Like our Lord Jesus Christ, like Stephen, like a host of others including many around the world today, when we stand and tell the Truth from Scripture many will oppose us.  The fury of the oppressor, religious or pagan, has the same result.  The stoning of the one who sees.  The shooting of the Messenger.  The eradication or excommunication of the offender.

Be ready, brother or sister, if you seek Christ in all His fullness.  He will uphold you.

 Article found here: http://narrowgatepub.blogspot.com/2012/03/be-like-stephen-making-right-kind-of.html

Visit the Narrow Gate blog by A. Brother here: The Narrow Gate

living in the Repeat

Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again. Mark 10:33-34

Yes this thing is on “Repeat”.

->OT Israel– the faithful remnant and the unfaithful harlot: and the Judgment of God upon His apostate people, via the Assyrians/Chaldeans.

->Jesus’ life—- the (Christ-rejecting)Religious Establishment working with the Roman Empire Leaders to kill those in the opposing Kingdom (Jesus and His people).

->First century believers—- under the pagan Caesars of Rome who also killed those in the opposing Kingdom.

->Middle ages Christians under the combined “Church-State Holy Roman Government Pope Empire” (with the inquisition) who worked as one to kill those in the opposing Kingdom.

->1400-1500’s persecution of believers who followed Jesus outside the State Churches, who killed (by the power of the State) believers who would not submit their allegiance to those kingdoms.

Prepare yourself — you are living in the repeat.

shamed

So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. Acts5:41

In The Church I was shamed by the pastor for rightly discerning false teaching the camp and boldly calling it out. (Warning & exposing the darkness.)

In The Church I was shamed by the pastor for caring for and helping suffering Christians. (Loving one another; loving Christians.)

In the assembly (ekklesia) , I know that I am allowed to use my spiritual gifts that He has given me, as He leads me by His Spirit, to be a witness to the world, boldly preach truth,  to minister to & help the suffering, and to edify the saints.

And there, I am not shamed for doing so.