Wanted: Adopted Parents

Greetings, this fine snowy day...since many of you couldn't get out to church today, here's a little something to meditate on.

I think we all know that the Lord made certain promises to Abraham and his "seed". "Seed" would refer to his sons and daughters; the generations to come. Of course, as Paul wrote in Galatians, that the "Seed" refers to Christ Jesus. Paul goes on to say that those who are in Christ are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

With that in mind I'd like you to consider how our Father God operates in His Kingdom. For example, God gave the promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Several generations later we find Moses beginning the move to actually possess the promises. Yet Moses was still a generation away from the inheritance, though he had an enormous part to play in getting the children of Israel up to the point of crossing the Jordan. But when it came time to cross, it was Joshua who had the responsibility of dividing the inheritance to the people.

I've been chewing on this for a while and have come to at least two conclusions. First, the promises of God typically come to us in "installments"; and the greater the promise, the more the installments. The installments come through revelation upon revelation as the prophet said - here a little, there a little, line upon line and precept upon precept. God gave the promise to Abraham yet Joshua received revelation regarding the promised land more than those before him. Joshua was told exactly where to draw the boundaries for each tribe. Second, it is vital for each generation to nurture the next one in all the things of God. We must train them up in the way they should go...not just our biological children, but sons and daughters in the kingdom. This, of course, would include "adopted" sons and daughters of the next generation - those younger and less mature in Christ than we are.

Paul gave us an example of the Kingdom principle when he wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2 - "And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. " He defined it even greater in Philippians 4:9,"The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you." This is how the word of God prevails in the earth! People before us committed the Word to us and we, in turn, find others to pour into - not just the Word of God, but our very lives to the point people will learn, receive, hear, and see God living through us!

Father needs His disciples to make more disciples. He needs us who have learned how to hear His voice and obey His heart to pass that on to others. He needs people who will become "moms and dads" in the Kingdom. "Adopt-a-life" should be our focus and then expect Father to bring greater revelation to those we are "rearing".

I'm going to preach this more in depth, the Lord willing, next week (and probably continuing the week following). But the Word of the Lord, I believe, is this: "It's time for the younger to connect with the elder. It's time for the elder to connect with the younger. Training, mentoring, impartation of the Father's life and the principles of that life. The Kingdom of God advancing and making a difference in society - the world- because people know the power of God and their boundaries." You see, He is also saying to each generation and the next one to come - "This is your land! Fathers, tell your children 'this is your land'". The Lord, by revelation and the word of the fathers will further define the phrase "this is your land". He will define the "this" and the "land". He then declares through the fathers what the boundaries are...the promises that pertain to life and godliness and how to take them.

Hopefully, this little teaching will whet your appetite for further study. May I suggest you run some references on mothers and fathers and generations. Then, let the Lord take you out of your comfort zone and sign up with Him to be "adopted parents" in the Kingdom. You are needed, for sure!

Two closing passages:
Psalm 78:3-8 and Psalm 145:4
"Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done. For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children; that the generation to come might know them, the children who would be born, that they may arise and declare them to their children, that they may set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments; and may not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not set its heart aright, and whose spirit was not faithful to God."

"One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts."

Abraham did it, and so also did his children; plus Moses, Joshua...Paul, Barnabas...and so should we.

We'll discuss this more in the near future. God is trying to bring our vision into focus and this is part of it.

Pastor Jan

Be Mine

Greetings,
I just had to send you a note...to express a little of the heart of our Father. Since this is Valentine's Day and all, there is a message from the heart of God to each of us. It says simply, "Be Mine".

Father didn't look for the pretty, the popular, or those with plenty of money to send His message to. Instead, He sent it to those who could never measure up to His standard of excellence. He sent it to each person who could never earn enough to buy it or never flatter their way into His good grace. No, His message is a simple one and one that is for all. That message is

1) Father didn't wait for our goodness to do what He had to do (His heart couldn't wait any longer) and
2) Father was in His Son (His Valentine) speaking the message of reconciliation to us.

Romans 5:5-11
Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His , we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Behold, what manner of Love the Father has given to us that we should be (could possibly be) called children of God.

May the message of Father's reconciliation continue through the message each of us share. The message, the invitation, the Heart of God - "Be Mine".

...and the Spirit and the Bride say, "come"

Amen