The Rapture Of The Church (Part 1)

I am convinced the rapture, or “catching away of the saints”, is the next great thing to take place on God’s calendar of events.  I can remember 10-20 years ago, the rapture was something that people talked much more about than they do today.  It reason for this could be that so many people have become use to the major catastrophes in our world that they don’t give the rapture much thought anymore.  But I am convinced the Bible clearly teaches that the rapture is a distinct coming of Christ where he meets the saints in the air to take them to heaven (John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) and that this event could take place any day.

REASONS FOR THE RAPTURE

There are many reasons “why” we expect a rapture and “why” God has chosen it as part of His plan for the end times.  Some of them include:

• So Jesus can receive the saints to Himself – John 14:1-3.
• To resurrect the dead “in Christ” – 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17.
• To take the saints to heaven where they will be judged and receive their rewards and partake in the marriage supper – 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 19:9.
• To change the bodies of the saints to immortality – 1 Corinthians 15:51-58; Philippians 3:20-21.
• To cause the saints to escape the tribulation – Luke 21:34-36; 1 Thessalonians 5:9.
• To permit the revelation of the Antichrist – 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8.

WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR A PERSON TO GO IN THE RAPTURE

This is a critical question.  Contrary to what many may think, or want to believe, God has set certain requirements in order for a person to be in the rapture of the saints.  These include:

• To be in Christ, which means to be a new creature – 2 Corinthians 5:17.
• To be saved, having ask Jesus to come into your heart – Romans 10:9-10.
• To repent and change directions and make Jesus your Lord.

In my next post I will outline some of the signs of His coming and what will happen after the rapture.  Until then, continue to “look for his coming!”

Pastor Temple

The Rapture Of The Church (Part 2)

In my last post I covered some of the reasons God has chosen the rapture as part of His plan for the end times and what is required of a person to go in the rapture.  In this post I want to talk about some of the signs of His coming and what will happen after the rapture.

THE SIGNS OF HIS COMING

Over the years there has been much speculation as to whether or not we can know when the Lord will return.  Although no one knows the “day” or the “hour,” there are signs that would indicate His soon return.  Signs such as earthquakes, famine, pestilences, distress of nations, and men’s hearts failing them for fear (Luke 21:11, 25-26).  Other signs include the increase of travel and knowledge (Daniel 12:4), perilous times and people being lovers of themselves (2 Timothy 3:1-5), and scoffers or those who say where is his coming (2 Peter 3:3-4).  Although none of these in and of itself would indicate the Lord's return, we can be assured that the proliferation of all these certainly indicate Jesus will return and it could be at any time.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN AFTER THE RAPTURE

After the rapture takes place there will be many disturbing and tumultuous events take place here on earth.  Some them include:

•  A figure, whom the Bible refers to as the "antichrist," will present himself as Christ and the Jews will sign a seven year covenant with him.
• It's during this time that a seven year "tribulation" will occur on the earth.  It will be a severe time of judgments and it will be like nothing anyone could imagine.

You must be ready for the rapture.   The greatest day that this world will ever see will be that day when Gabriel presses heaven's golden trumpet to his lips and he sounds that mighty blast that shatters the cemeteries and the dead in Christ will rise and then we which are alive and remain will join them in the air.

Any day, Jesus is all of a sudden going to split the atmosphere and suddenly the gravitational pull of this  world will let go of us and we will all rise to meet the Lord in the air, where we will have a great reunion with all the saints that have already died and gone on before us.  You don't want to miss that day!  I pray you are ready to meet Jesus when He comes, no matter the day or the hour.  But if you're not, today is the day for you to come to him and ask forgiveness and start a new relationship with the Savior of the world.  He's ready if you are.

Pastor Temple   

Satan's Distractions (Part 2)

What are your distractions?  I’m sure you have them, everyone does.  What is important though is how we handle these distractions and keep our focus on God.  Remember, distractions are designed by Satan to captivate your time, energy, and resources.  When it comes to your spiritual walk, a distraction is anything that draws your attention away from God, His Word, and His plan and purpose for your life.

Just a reminder about the dangers of distractions:

•    A distraction’s “spiritual destruction” is gradual.  It happens over time not over night.
•    Distractions will delay or even abort God’s plan for your life.
•    They can cause you to miss God’s timing concerning people, things, and events.
•    They rob you of your time and energy.
•    Distractions will keep you from being as close to God as He desires you to be.
•    They damage and choke a proper relationship with God.

The church as a whole is not “immune” to Satan’s distractions.  The Church has become distracted by many of the “cares” of the world.  When the Church begins to focus more on the deceitfulness of riches and a love for the things of the world rather than the people of the world, it has become distracted from its mission to save the lost.  It’s time for the Church to awaken!  It’s time for the Church to become what God intended it to be…a light to a world of darkness.

You can avoid distractions by learning to recognize them quickly.  The longer we “tolerate” the distraction, the more entrenched and dangerous it becomes.  Ask God to reveal to you, through the Holy Spirit, exactly what is distracting you from God’s priorities.  Discipline yourself to stay focused on God and evaluate on a daily basis what you are doing to ensure it lines up with God’s plan.

To conquer distractions your must:

•    Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus
•    Know God’s purpose for your life
•    Keep your relationship with God fresh and growing
•    Devote your attention to God and the things of God
•    Set aside the weights and sins that so easily “beset” you.

This week, be aware of the distractions Satan is trying to weigh you down and cloud your mind and thinking with.  Serve the Lord diligently.  “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.  Whom resist stedfast in the faith.” (1 Peter 5:8).

Satan's Distractions

Do you ever stop to realize how easy it is to get distracted?  We see a growing occurrence of this with people texting and driving.  It only takes a split second to get distracted from the road and the result is often tragic.  If we aren't careful, the same thing can happen in our "spiritual" lives.  The world is full of distractions.  So much has changed that we have allowed our priorities to change too.  Satan’s desire, more than ever, is to keep us distracted so that we take our eyes and attention off of the Lord.  We need to be aware of the dangers of distractions and what impact they have on our spiritual life.

Distractions Defined

Distractions means to "draw away in another direction; to divert; to draw the thoughts in conflicting directions, to harass and confuse."  From a Biblical standpoint a distraction would be anything that draws your attention away from God, His Word, and His plan and purpose for your life.  It's important to not that distractions do not have to pertain directly to sin.  In other words, a distraction may not be a sin, but it could lead to that.

The Bible has a lot to say about distractions.  In Jesus' parable of the sower (Mark 4:14-19) he points out that the seed that was sown among thorns becomes choked out by the cares and worries of this life and the deceitfulness of riches and the desire for other things to distract us from God.  Satan is the main source for all of these distractions, but we must be aware of them so that we can combat his devices.

Distractions We Face

There are many distractions we face in this life.  Some of them include:

• Doubt -- Satan will bring doubt into the minds of people to make them doubt that God's Word is true.  This doubt even extends to doubting ourselves that we will ever reach the potential God has for us.
• Discouragement -- Satan does his best to keep you discouraged.  Everyone goes through hard times, but remember to keep your eyes and focus on God and not your circumstances.
• Defeat -- Never allow defeat to distract you from God.  When you suffer defeat, don't allow it to destroy you.  You have to get back up and continue your journey with God.
• Recreation/Amusement/Entertainment -- This distraction is one that is easy to see; television, shopping, video games, internet, cars, games, hobbies, the list could go on and on.  There is nothing wrong with any of them, but when they become a distraction from God, that's the point it is damaging.
• Procrastination -- Procrastination is a distraction because we often "put off" reading God's Word, going to church, praying, or anything spiritual that draws us near to God.

Distractions are easily recognized by "how much time, energy, and resources they occupy and how much they affect us spiritually.  What happens is that Satan uses these distractions to divert our attention away from God and to change our interests, desires and priorities away from spiritual things.

Just as you would pay close attention as you drive down the road, it also important to pay close attention to your spiritual life.  Don't let Satan distract you from God.  Be aware of his devices.  What are you doing to keep your attention focused on God?

The Desire For Revival

Revival doesn't come as a result of the wisdom and plans of man, but it is through the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit.  Even though we may have the best of everything in our church that doesn't mean we will have revival.  It is only the Holy Spirit and the power of God that will bring revival.  In this post, I want to cover "five necessities" in order for revival to take hold in our lives and subsequently in the church.

1.  Become Unified In Christ

First of all, unity with each other will not happen until we have unity with Christ.  Paul admonished the Ephesians to "make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." (Ephesians 3:3)  To be in unity with God, we must have the mind of Christ.  We have to think like Christ thought.  Unity among believers is not everyone thinking the same, but everyone seeking the mind of Christ.  We can never be in unity with each other until we are in unity with Christ and that requires relationship.

2.  Get In Real Relationship With God

To get in a real relationship with God requires you to spend quality time with Him.  Just as with any relationship you have, your relationship with God can be measured by how much you are willing to give of yourself in spending time with Him.  Relationships don't just happen, we have to work at them.  Most Christians are only concerned about developing a relationship with God when they need something, but God want's a continual relationship with His children.

3.  Get Rid Of Selfishness

Selfishness is at the root of most sin and will keep revival from ever happening.  God's heart is to bring revival to every church in America and across the world, but it won't happen until we get in relationship with Him, get rid or selfishness, find out how He wants it done, and do it.  One of the reasons there is so much strife in the Body of Christ is that everyone wants things done their way.  Selfishness always blames, never takes responsibility, never gives, and always takes.  We need to repent of our selfishness if revival is to happen.

4.  Move In Compassion

Without relationship you cannot move in compassion.  If you check your compassion, you will know where you are in relationship with God.  Compassion will always gravitate towards the needs of others.  When we loose our vision for souls, the hurting and sick, we have lost our relationship with God and our compassion for people. 

5.  Start Listening To God

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."  It's time we start listening to God.  God has the answers we need in order for revival to happen.

There is a great need for revival in the land.  It's time the church repent and come back to God.  If we want revival, we must become unified in Christ, get in real relationship with God, get rid of selfishness, move in compassion, and start listening to what God wants us to do.

How To Increase The Anointing

There are several reasons why it is important for us to "have the anointing" in our lives.  The anointing empowers us to live righteous lives and to do the work of the ministry.  It's the anointing of the Holy Spirit that flows through us so we can touch the hearts of others.  The anointing is given to us to demonstrate God's love and power and it is the tangible presence of God upon the believers life.  In this post I want to share with you several ways that you can increase the anointing in your life.

1.  Have a heart for God.  An increase in our heart for God will naturally lead to an increase of the anointing.  This increase of the anointing will bring an increase in the supernatural.  Jesus admonished us to "seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness..."  (Matthew 6:33).  He also declared that "Blessed is he who hungers and thirsts after righteousness, for they shall be filled."  (Matthew 5:6).  If you desire an increase of the anointing in your life, then you must have a heart that seeks after God!

2.  Develop a love for the Word of God.  The Word of God is life to you and as you grow in the Word, the Word will grow in you. The Word of God nurtures the anointing and the anointing will perform the Word.

3.  Learn respect for leadership.   We will always have people over our lives.  There is a natural blessing that comes with developing a respect for leadership.  The anointing can't flow where there is strife and division.  That's why it is so important to respect and follow the leadership God has placed in your life.

4.  Develop a personally pure lifestyle.  The anointing in your life will not increase if your are living a life that is contrary to the Word of God.  You have to follow the things of God, not the things of the world.  The world will drain the anointing from you.  If  you want the anointing in your life, you must be willing to pay the price by living a pure life.

5.  Learn how to worship.  We are to have "no other God" before Him and our worship of the One True God, must come from our heart.  Be careful what you worship.  God only wants you to worship Him, not your stuff!  The anointing will never be effective in your life without the true worship of God.

6.  Activate your faith.  An active faith lifestyle is another way to increase your faith.  The reason is, faith is the language of the supernatural!  When you speak in faith you speak the language understood in the supernatural.  Don't let people speak doubt and unbelief around you.  If you do, it will diminish rather than increase your faith.

7.  Walk the love walk.  Don't hold on to things that will destroy your love walk.  You have to learn to let go of the past.  As you walk in love the anointing will grow in your life.  When we walk in love, what we are doing is showing God's love to the world.  Allow the anointing to increase in your life, by walking in love.

The Work Of The Holy Spirit (Part 6)

This is my final post on the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.  In this post I want to answer some of the common questions people have with respect to the Holy Spirit and how He operates in the believers life.

1.  What is the "anointing" of the Holy Spirit?
When someone refers to the "anointing" of the Holy Spirit, what they are referring to is the "presence and power" of the Holy Spirit.  Just prior to Jesus' ascension back to the Father, He told His disciples in Acts 1:8 that "ye shall receive 'power' after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you..." When the Holy Spirit "indwells" the believer, they receive power and can begin to operate in the "anointing."

2.  Do you have to have the anointing to have the power?
When Jesus emptied Himself of all His Godly attributes and took upon Himself the form of humanity, He had to have the Holy Spirit anointing in order to accomplish what He did.  Prior to the Holy Spirit descending upon him at His baptism in Luke 3:22, Jesus hadn't performed any miracles.  Everything He did after that point was with the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit.  The answer to the question is "Yes," we have to have the anointing if we are going to have the power of the Holy Spirit operating in our life.

3.  How does the power of the Holy Spirit demonstrate itself?
First of all, He demonstrates His power by being the inner Witness, Comforter, Teacher, Counselor, Leader, and Guide in the life of the believer.  His Spirit, bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.  He also demonstrates Himself through the anointing.  Acts 10:38 says "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him."  It's God's desire for all believers to have this anointing in their lives for the purpose of doing good and operating in the power of God.

4.  Is the power of the Holy Spirit to be demonstrated today?
Absolutely!  There is not one scripture in God's Word that would indicate otherwise.  If we are to accomplish what God has called us to do, we must have the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit.  This is not the time to be "powerless."  It is time to rise up in the power of the Holy Spirit and do what God has called us to do.

The question is not "Is the power and the anointing of the Holy Spirit to be demonstrated today?" but the question is "Are we willing to allow Him to demonstrate His power and anointing through us?"