2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. Revelation 21:2-3ESV

My real point is that God has a game plan for how He will transition human history and he has give the Church a leading role in this grand eternal drama that the Author of our faith is writing. Well i said that it ends the way that it began; with and through song. Clearly i am saying that the way  that God brought forth creation was through song!  Here are a few scriptures that set a biblical standard for the singing God.

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17NIV

saying, “I WILL PROCLAIM YOUR NAME TO MY BRETHREN, IN THE MIDST OF THE CONGREGATION I WILL SING YOUR PRAISE.” Hebrews 2:12NASB

30Then I was beside Him, as a master workman. And I was daily His delight. Rejoicing always before Him, 31Rejoicing in the world, His earth,  And having my delight in the sons of men. Proverbs 8:30-31NASB

It will be the same at the end of the age, only this time God will raise up a people who join Him and the heavens in a mighty chorus. Catch the vision of millions of  young black men and women singing with one voice. To this end we labor, to this we STAND. Join hundreds of others who have heard the sounds of heaven and are responding by taking there STAND for three days in Kansas City, MO at the International House of Prayer, where the sounds of worship and prayer have not ceased for the past 13 years. IHOPKC.org/STAND for more info.

From the ends of the earth we hear songs, “Glory to the Righteous One, Isaiah 24:16NASB 

13And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them. Mark 10:13-16ESV

There are three brief but important lessons that Jesus outlines for us in this one experience with his disciples and his love for children. In this one event and statement Jesus externalize the importance of the human life based on intrinsic value and not work driven value.

13And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. Mark 10:13ESV

 16And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them. Mark 10:16ESV

First and foremost Jesus reveals not just his great love, kindness, and affection toward the children but  I believe that He models what true pastoral ministry looks like. But giving a place of importance to the children and the importance of physically touch. The scripture is full of examples of the power and importance of the laying on of hands. This is actually a common practice still within Judaism. It is a part of the sabbath for the father to bring his family near him and lay his hands of each of them including his wife. It imparts dignity, worth and even a spiritual deposit. Below are a few others scriptures that talk about more.

For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; Romans 1:11 NASB

Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. 1 Timothy 4:14ESV

I wonder what it was that Jesus said to that group of young ones as they received a blessing and prayer from the Son of God! But there is more to be seen in this story. Let us go on to point number two.

“Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.

The implications of this statement are massive, i will extract two gems from the wealth of wisdom being presented here. The first is that the Kingdom can be possessed but only the right kind of person can receive it. And secondly, Jesus points us to the future and in essence says the Kingdom is being prepared for your children. As a father it is my constant prayer that my children will run farther, see what I have dreamed of, and accomplish what I have only seen is prayer. My ceiling their platform, as a spiritual and natural father my goal is to allow the Lord to bend me backwards that I might shoot my children into their prophetic destiny.

3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. 5 Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! Psalm 127:3-5ESV

Lastly, Jesus gives us the key ingredient to receiving the Kingdom. It is not a theological point of orthodoxy, nor is it a matter of practical application. Rather it is a posture of the heart and demonstration of life.

15Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” Mark 10:15

Like the children who were coming to Jesus, they had one longing, to love and be loved by Jesus. As a result of that loving desire their lives would be forever hanged. Secondly like those little children we too must come to him empty handed with wide eyes full of faith. For the one who has everything they need can receive nothing. May your heart remain childlike as you and I inherit the Kingdom. Thank you for taking the time to read this blog, please make use of the other free resources on this website.

Maranatha

You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain…John 15:16NASB

“Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” Mark 4:8NASB

Together we’ve been looking at this most interesting parable of Jesus together for a few post, and while there is so much more within it to be discovered, Jesus gives a powerful close to this parable. The closing statements of Jesus regarding this parable does not incapsule it and crystallize the lesson intended to be learned but rather what Jesus does is open up a wide world of possibilities full of workable principles if we apply them rightly.

From this verse Jesus gives us five workable and pursuable principles to carry out into our lives, and for those of us who lead others, to make it a part of the culture of our leadership teams and churches/ministries. I would encourage you to ponder how can you implement this model of growth in your home life, business, and personal life.

Immediately the assumption that is made is the quality of the seed is of the highest nature. There is much to be said about the correlation of the quality of the seed and the quality and measure of the yield that it produces. Nonetheless, in order to make good use of your time I’d like to shift gears and hopefully bring a greater sense of understanding of this parable and a new depth of its implications and appreciation of it’s meaning.

Jesus identifies the first and most crucial element of fruitfulness.

Good Soil: and that is that the soil conditions must be to receive the word or seed that is being implanted. You can have the most quality seed but if you plant it in bad soil it will yield little to no fruit. I believe that the soil is the condition of our hearts and i would add even our environments play a vital role in our ability to nurture, and provide an incubator for the word to grow.

Grew Up: It is critical that we provide the right conditions for our hearts and those around us to grow up. In the natural no seed grows to fruitfulness without certain elements(sun, rain,weeding) being present and even in abundance. My role as a father and husband is to provide the best environment for my wife and children to grow in the knowledge and love of God and others. I do this by getting them the resources, and providing the opportunities essential for their growth as the present gardener under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. I prune, plant, and provide all that is necessary for growth. We MUST do the same for those within our sphere of influence.

To keep this post from being to lengthy I will close it out here but release a second post shortly. Thank you for reading and sharing this with others. I want to encourage you to share your thoughts in the comment area.

Maranatha

Of the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do… 1 Chronicles 12:32NASB

For David served the will of God in his generation… Acts 13:36ABPE

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” Revelation 3:22ESV

For the past couple of months the Lord has been challenging me with 1 Chronicles 12:32 and Acts 13:36. The number one point that the Lord has been driving home with is this, it is NOT enough t fulfill the will of God for your life, but we must begin to ask God what is Hs will for our generation. What does Go want to do in your family, high school, community, city, state, nation? The question is what is the Lord saying to the Church, not just the global but the local church?

It is not only a matter of how big is your faith or how wide and long is your vision but the real question is do we have clarity from the Word concerning the heart and will of God for our generation? As much as i love and embrace the contemporary prophetic ministry and its rightful place in the context to the body and its ability and application for ministry, direction and assignment. I am surprised at how little of our vision and mission statements are truly in line with the word of God and the will of God for our generation. The prophetic Scriptures tell us so much of what the Lord desires to do in our day and in our time.

WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY?

The number one exhortation that I give to my interns when I teach during the Life of David is find yourself in the story line of human history and the Grand Drama that God is writing. Essential to any well played out drama is knowing your role and responsibility. Jesus is the Author of this epic  drama and He has given us the invitation to be a part of His story. David was such a man who knew the will of God for his life and generation.

And David realized that the LORD had established him as king over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel. 2 Samuel 5:12NASB

Discerning the will of the Lord is only part of the battle, discerning the will of the Lord is mere knowledge, what we are in need of in this generation is for the Lord to raise up men and women, young and old with a prophetic spirit. Individuals who can discern the will of the Lord and who know what to do like the sons of Issachar.

HOW DO I CULTIVATE A PROPHETIC SPIRIT?

Let us listen to the words of the prophet Jeremiah,

Thus says the LORD: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ Jeremiah 6:16ESV

The prophet Jeremiah tells the people to stand at the crossroads, or another way of looking at it is to say, dont deny the crossroads that we are in as the most unchurched generation but rather go to where the multitudes walk and look. The question is as we look do we perceive what the state of our communities, generation, and nations are in? Do we have eyes to see? Upon seeing we are to ask, and seek the Lord to give to us the revelation of what to do. This is the key that unlocks the realm of revelation, asking the Lord and seeking the Scripture. This was the good “way”, the way was light by the word which was a lamp upon their feet and light upon their path.

Thank you for reading, join me in asking God to give our generation sons of Issachar.

Maranatha!

The same is true for our lives, the preparation, fertilization and cultivation of the soil of our lives determines the fruitfulness of our love, lives, and leadership. Most people dont know that I love to garden. Every summer I plant a garden full of veggies and fruit. Being outside working the dirt and dialoguing with God is absolutely m favorite time of the day, especially when my five year old son Jonathan comes out to help me. This summer i must have put twenty plus hours a week in just preparing my soil, for the heirloom seeds.

Like most things in life, there is a positive and a negative dimension to soil preparation. With soil prep, you must hand pull the weeds up by the root lest they grow back later and choke out the crop, you must remove the rock lest they hinder root growth and expansion, and you must erect a fence of some sort to keep, the wildlife from eating your fruit. Like weeding we must be sure to uproot the things from our lives that will choke our fruitfulness. We must also give attention to any people or things that will hinder our roots from going deep, and lastly we must be sure to put in place the proper boundaries to ensure the safety of the crop.

Next post we will look at soil fertilization and cultivation and what are the vital nutrients necessary for growth and where and how do we get them. May God grant you grace to grow.