In this week's Coffee Break, while we continue with the same theme we began last week in dealing with being God's peacemakers, I'd like to share with you a story from my early childhood years -- a story which marked the beginning of my parents' miraculous years of ministry in Alaska -- a story which illustrates the authority that we have. Once again, here is what Jesus said:
In the next couple of Coffee Breaks, as we continue with the truths of Jesus' character expressed in the Sermon on the Mount, I'd like to deal with something that some folks may consider as controversial and even heretical -- and that is the ability we have IN CHRIST to literally change the chaos and strife around us by the same simple declaration that Jesus used.
When we paused in this discussion last week, we were talking about the presence of the Lord as it manifested in the cloud. This is a discussion that could take us way off track if we followed the rabbit trail, but I'm really just wanting to draw some illustrations for you to help in understanding what Jesus means when He speaks of "the pure in heart."
Today’s discussion wil run a bit long, but I wanted to finish up before moving on to a new discussion on a different topic. We won’t simply talk about the name of Jesus, we need to get into the concept and principle of actually operating in the name of Jesus. We’ve had this discussion before — or at least part of it — but what we are talking about is the character, the nature, the essence of Who Jesus is, His Onoma!
We’ve been talking about the concept of holiness, but let’s get into the Hebrew text to look at this word a bit better and see if we can grasp the simplicity of holiness. Holiness is not complicated. There’s nothing mysterious or mystical about it. This word comes from the Hebrew, qadash, which means to be clean, to be consecrated, to wholly separate yourself to the Lord and the things of God. Anyone who knew my father would quickly tell you that this word defined him, his character, and his complete commitment to the Lord. If the Lord said something to him and instructed him to go some place or do something, you could take it to the bank! Neither hell nor high water were going to dissuade him.
The early 1980’s were a launch pad for us into the presence of the Lord. Sometimes our worship sessions lasted for well over an hour, and the more we gave time to it as a fellowship, the greater was the degree of His intimate presence. There were a few times when the presence of the Lord filled our midst to such a degree that no one moved, no one made a sound, we just bathed in His Holiness. That was an introductory time for all of us. The House of Praise was an adjunct to CBN-Alaska, Inc., and our affiliation with Pat Robertson and the 700 Club. CBN went through some major changes in 1983 and decided to discontinue all of its satellite operations. That meant that we no longer had authorization to operate under CBN’s administration, and it also meant that we lost much of our funding. Closing the doors of that ministry was a shock to all of us, and with a number of other changes in the works, we closed up our Fairbanks operations and moved to Anchorage.
Years ago during the Charismatic Renewal there was a considerable amount of teaching on the Kingdom of God -- and specifically dealing with the Keys of the Kingdom and accessing the Authority that is available to believers.
Greetings and Salutations! Ready for the day? Good. Then pour yourself a cup of that good dark brew and let's pick up where we left off last week where we were talking about the initial rulings in the Good News Club case. At first, the Federal Judge hearing the case granted a preliminary injunction which allowed the Club to hold weekly after-school meetings in school facilities for a year, while awaiting trial. But trial never happened. Instead, in August 1998, the federal trial judge vacated the injunction and summarily ruled in favor the school district. The Club's subject matter was ruled "decidedly religious in nature, and not merely a discussion of secular matters from a religious perspective."As a result, the Club was kicked out of the building.
It was in 1980 or 1981 that I first became acquainted with Jay Sekulow. I had a brief guest appearance on the 700 Club on this occasion (I was heading up CBN's operations in Alaska at the time), and Jay was the primary guest. When I heard him talk about Law and the Constitution, everything inside me just leaped. Here was a man who had a real grasp of what our nation's founding fathers intended, a man who was more than just an astute attorney. Jay had an anointing from the Holy Spirit to go with his legal brilliance.
Let's see if we can finish up with a couple of Supreme Court decisions today -- decisions, that is, that took away more of our First Amendment guarantees to religious liberties in America. One thing that I think you will find interesting in this Coffee Break is a link to Justice William Rehnquist's argument in the Wallace v. Jaffree case; and I believe that many of you will find his (lengthy, but) complete argument very interesting reading. Here's the link: http://www.belcherfoundation.org/wallace_v_jaffree_dissent.htm