The Perfecting Church

One of the most frequently used languages in all of scripture is the language of God given dreams, visions, thoughts and ideas.  Not only is God still using this means of communication, He promised in the last days He would use them even more.  We must reverence the language of dreams and visions that God might move us beyond the boundaries we’ve set for ourselves and others, into His perfect will.  

One of the key features that marks out a Christian as a child of God is the ability to hear the voice of God. Although the capacity to hear God is given to us, spiritual deafness can and does still happen for numerous reasons. The key reason for not hearing God is due to not cultivating a walk and relationship with God. We must renew our walk daily so that we can learn to hear God clearly.Exodus 15:1-22

There are times in our lives when God doesn’t make sense. Some would argue, that’s exactly why they don’t follow God. No matter the camp we are in, those who openly reject or those who subtly resist — more often than not our reasons are the same. We want God to make it make sense before we give Him a whole hearted yes. 

Celebrations of any sort are always happy occasions where the agenda is to party. Jesus approached a celebration in his day where partying was on the agenda. Yet his agenda was less about being the life of the party, but to be the life IN the party. Turning water into wine certainly kept the party going, but it also showed the transformative power of Jesus. As we celebrate the anniversary of TPC today, partying is on the agenda, but so too is Jesus’ transforming power.

God’s voice is the ultimate expression of His desire for His people: God speaks because God Loves. In a world filled with sound, volume, and distraction, we must become a people ready to hear and respond to the still, small voice of our King.

Hearing from God is an #IYKYK kind of thing. It is exclusively for those who are His. It’s not that God isn’t speaking, it’s that only those who are His recognize and surrender to His voice. Hearing and obeying God is the entrance into an entirely different quality of life — eternal life. If you know then you know.  

God has been exalted in us as His Church over the last 11 years. He has made His boast through TPC in mind-boggling ways. From the Movie Theater to Delsea Drive, from Winslow to the West Bank — again and again Yahweh has declared His goodness, His faithfulness and the miraculous through the life of this body of believers. As we enter into this 12th year the question continues to be — Can I be exalted in you?

Eli taught Samuel to pray the most courageous prayer in the Bible — “Speak Lord, for your servant hears.” It’s a prayer of surrender from a posture of humility. We often don’t hear God, because we don’t always want to hear God. It’s the ear, connected to a surrendered and humble heart, that prays the prayer that causes us to hear from the living God.  

Learning, discerning and surrendering to the voice of the Lord is literally the answer to every thing we will face in this world. Of all the endeavors we might give ourselves to learning, nothing will impact our lives and the lives of others as much as learning to hear the Lord’s voice. Learning, discerning and surrendering to the voice of the Lord is not only important, it is important now — Before the Lamp Goes Out.  

According to the World Health Organization, slightly more than half of the world’s population is male.  But males aren’t men until they take responsibility for themselves; and men aren’t fathers until they take responsibility for their children.  It’s God’s desire that every male become a father, not having children, but taking responsibility to love, protect and provide for others.  Jesus never had children but he was a father — “if you’ve seen Me you’ve seen the Father.” (Jn. 14:9)

God has hand-picked us, appointed and anointed us for His assignments, just as He did Moses and Joshua . God has assignments that have been tailor-made specifically for us. He trains and prepares us for each assignment and gives us His heart and mind to implement His plan. God gives us His courage, as we surrender our will. 

We often view courage as something valiant, rare and unforgettable and that’s typically the case — Moses confronting Pharaoh, Esther going before the King and David standing up to Goliath were all undeniable acts of courage. But courage is also us getting out of the way. It’s doing what appears to be nothing, when something has to be done. It’s surrendering to God’s command to be insignificant and fade to the back, so He can be God front and center. Sometimes living courageous looks like getting out of the way.  

Joshua is confronted with a time where courage is required to overcome his circumstances. However, the courage required isn’t his own courage, but rather the kind of courage that can only come from God. In the same way, we are confronted with moments where we need courage, but we must seek Godly courage. We believe that courage means the strength to do something we may be afraid or unable to do. However, courage from God comes when He reveals His heart and mind to us, equipping us with a passion and power to achieve his kingdom aims. Through today’s passage (Joshua 5:13-15), God will reveal to us what real courage looks like when confronted with a seemingly insurmountable challenge.  

The Book of Joshua begins with the word “after”. It implies a continuation, a moving on from what God had been doing to what He’s doing now. God moves forward. And if we’re going to walk with the God who continues, who moves and advances — we are going to have to learn to do the same. God calls us to be river crossers. Our lives are filled with moments where we cross over — from where we once were to where we’ve been ordained to be.

The scriptures reveal that there are many different types of love and various dimensions of love. As humans, we are prone to associate certain qualities of love based on gender. However, in order for the body of Christ to fully mature and transform this world, we have to activate and operate in a higher dimension of love.