Roe v Wade was struck down on Friday, Why is this important? Why is this the right thing? Why have we been fighting for this for so long? How does this help our country? How is this a win for Christians? . . . AND . . . What do we do from here? . . . This video is personal and gives lots of Scriptures, resources, rebuttles to arguments, and practical training for moving forward! Check out the video here . . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM1eHDbaUWk.
Love & Blessings to all, Jared
“The holy, wholesome and happy truth about Jesus,” some phrases stick with you on accident, some experiences lock into your memory oddly, some songs hang in your head like an earwig for no reason, but some phrases hang on by design. My dad, Dr. Jack Stepp used the above phrase so many times while I was growing up that today not only do I remember the phrase, but I can remember his inflections and the smile on his face as he said it. This was by design, and I’m so grateful for it – it shapes my thinking about the gospel of Jesus.
Gospel means “good news”, and I am SOOOOO thankful that the central concept of our faith is good news! “But first . . . Thankfulness!” – Thank God for the good news of Jesus right now! Good news means that Jesus can help your happiness meter too! “[Believers] ate together with glad and sincere hearts.” (Acts 2:46) A sincere heart is a wholesome heart, a heart that is authentically innocent (not ignorant), purposefully wholesome and clean before God.
Then there’s holy – set apart for God. This is the baseline for being in with Jesus, a part of the kingdom of God. Saying, “God, I’m yours, above all others, I’m turning toward you in truth, Jesus.” Hebrews says this, “Without holiness no one will see the Lord.” (Heb 12:14) We NEED to see the Lord, and the starting point is holy, the meat is wholesome and the reward or icing is that it’s also happy.
The holy, wholesome and happy truth about Jesus is a triumvirate of awesome that you should get deep in your spirit too. Ask God right now, “Do you want me to grow in the holiness, wholesomeness or happiness of Your truth today? How can I grow in you?” Then listen.
“The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it.” (2 Kings 3:19)
This quirky little story, in 6 verses illustrates clearly a King of Israel with misplaced passion. King Jehoash is weeping to the prophet Elisha about his armies (2 Kings 3:14), but then when it’s time to participate in Elisha’s strange prophetic pantomime, Jehoash gets skittish and dispassionate, striking the ground only 3 times as a prophetic demonstration of beating the enemy in battle. Was this a strange thing for Elisha to ask of the King? Definitely. Did it also demonstrate Jehoash’s overall lack of passion for Yahweh? Absolutely.
Jehoash striking the ground thrice (I feel British writing that), illustrated clearly boredom and malaise in his walk with God, which were only symptomatic of his greater disobedience to Yahweh and affection for falsehood (2 Kings 13:11). Jehoash had a form of godliness, but was unwilling and un-passionate to participate fully in the prophet’s powerful moment.
There’s a time when God demands you ASK FOR MORE – a time of increase, progress, growth, harvest! If you have a history of boredom and malaise in your walk with God, or disobedience, you’ll only participate in God’s prophetic declaration to the extent of your passion. In other words, be passionate for God and His words in this season or you’ll miss the increase and blessing He’s declaring for you in the next. However, if you stoke the flame out of season, when the season of growth and blessing comes – you will ask for more – and God will give it!
I sense that for you – this is the season to ASK FOR MORE. So go ahead, participate in the strange prophetic pantomime (haha), get out the arrows and strike the ground until you can’t strike anymore. The strange prophetic pantomime for us right now, I believe, is the continual request that God’s been leading me to ask people to the altar and receive prayer for more of God. Our job is to passionately respond each time, and watch as God gives the increase in our life!
One of my favorite moments as a father is when my kid saunters over and asks to be in my arms. There’s something about those arms outstretched even if their grubby, and the nose that nuzzles in the neck even if it’s . . . ummmm. . . gross. By far most of the time, I will welcome my child no matter who else I’m talking to, or how important my tasks are. That moment of embrace blesses me.
Jesus never fathered physical children on the earth, yet we see this scene twice within 30 verses (Mark 9:36, 10:16) Jesus taking a child in his arms, and then many children in his arms to bless them. I don’t know if there was a good Greek word for hugs back then, but that’s the scene that’s described. Jesus taking up in these children in an embrace, putting his hand on them and prophetically blessing their future. Grubby fingers, snotty noses, the least important people on the planet – Jesus embraces them and blesses them!
What if there’s more hugs? What if the example of Jesus means that we can receive that kind of embrace from Him also, even with our grubby fingers and snotty noses? Come to Jesus RIGHT NOW, be embraced by Him, receive His prophetic declarations of blessing for your future. What if you should give more hugs and prophetic blessings too? Who can you bless today?
“I saw a snake (that’s Satan) and a giant sword came down cut the snake into a bunch of pieces (that’s the Word of God)!” When my boy Jaren (10 yrs old), gets pictures from God they’re most often violent. They often involve intense struggle, and God winning! It’s easy to think,” oh he’s 10 he’ll grow out of it,” and I’m sure he’ll get more varied pictures from God someday, but I’m 37 and I still haven’t grown out of the rhythm of struggle and the need for God to gain victory in my life!
Truth – you’re built for struggle! AND you’re built to lean on God’s power and win! You were PROMISED struggle by Jesus, “In this world you will have trouble.” (Not one of my favorite promises to “Amen” to) And you were promised ultimate victory, “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (Jn. 16:33 NIV) You were given weapons (Eph. 6:10-18), and you were told they’re different BUT they win (2 Cor. 10:4-5).
God is declaring to everyone in a struggle today – Use your other-worldly weapons – God’s truth, righteousness, peace, faith, God’s Word, prayer, the blood of the lamb, declaring testimony. God has already declared ultimate victory. Partner with God’s kingdom, knowing that any defeat is temporary – God can’t lose in you!
Laying on the floor, eyes closed, incapable of movement – I heard a symphony of noises all around the room: loud praying, yelling, singing, “More, Lord” repeatedly (the same prayer that sent me to the floor without anyone touching me), BUT ALSO WEIRD ONES – someone roaring like a lion in one corner, someone else acting like they’re giving birth behind me, someone barking like a dog in the other corner, and laughter not like someone told a good joke laughter – but rather embarrassing, uncontrollable laughter – loud and awkward. Those sounds were accompanied by abnormal movement – shaking, jerking, doubling over, gyrating like electrocution happened. And ALL OF THAT would have freaked me right out and caused me to scream “fakers”, except for the UNDENIABLE work that God was doing in me . . .
As I laid paralyzed, God began to speak to me and confirm in specific and unavoidable ways many things He’d been telling me about my future and ministry. On the screen of my imagination, He flashed vision after vision of things He had for me and I would do for Him. Those things ALL HAPPENED, His words ALL came true. 25 years later I still remember many of those words, visions and fulfillment.
If you want to call it emotionalism or excessive – you’re entitled to that opinion. You’d be wrong though. Were there people who embellished a little – maybe – but when God shows up undeniably in your life you might freak out too! There’s excess in every Gathering of believers from the beginning, but in a move of God, we get our excesses out IN THE OPEN so we can grow from them and learn, rather than all the private sin of other believers
Also in a move of God those excesses are the exceptions that prove the authentic work of God in people’s lives. I know God was moving and HE was aggressively and consistently pushing me OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE and that’s what brings us to Jesus (sorry it took me a minute to get there – haha) . . .
Throughout His life, Jesus aggressively and consistently pushes people out of their comfort zone. As we’ve studied Mark (and throughout the rest of it – I’ve read ahead – hehe) this is one thread that’s not going away. Jesus was a pusher. Jesus militantly crushes barriers in which people were personally and spiritually comfortable. He only and always broke down the barriers that who would separate people from God. Personal space – crushed. Self-righteousness – crushed. Earthly thinking – crushed. Doubt in His power and goodness – crushed. Every time. He aggressively pushed people into a place of encounter with God!!!
Jesus is STILL aggressively pushing people out of their comfort zone and into authentic encounter with God!!! Ask Him, HOW AM I TOO COMFORTABLE? When I come to church, what are my next steps toward encounter with You? In my prayer time right now, Holy Spirit please invade my comfort zone and bring me into Your growth!!!
When you come up out of the water, all you might FEEL is wet. That’s ok. You don’t need to feel this, you simply need to walk in obedience. Water Baptism is symbolic AND supernatural! The need to make it one or the other is a false division. Every baptism in the Bible is tied directly to supernatural encounter with God . . .
Bottom line – when you get water baptized you’re going to encounter God! It’s God’s will for every believer to have a meaningful baptism. But I have to go one step further, the significance of water baptism is no less than the death and resurrection of Jesus Himself that YOU NOW PARTICIPATE IN! . . . “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Rom. 6:4 NIV) What does that mean? The resurrection power of Jesus lives in you! What does THAT mean fully? I think it will take us way into eternity to unpack it, but I know it’s good, so good.
If you haven’t been water baptized, this is your next step – this Sunday is your day! Come and celebrate with others this Sunday, the worship, the teaching, the Gathering & the water baptisms – it’s going to be a party!
Pound, pound, p-p-pound, pou-p-pound pound – the stomping of 6 little feet throughout my house for 30 minutes after my kids got home from school yesterday got my adrenaline going! Why now? They’ve been sitting, storing up energy for 2+ weeks over the break and now they have this HUGE, ALL-ENCOMPASSING DAY – with school and piano lessons afterward and now it’s time to GO NUTS! They should have been less rested because of that day, but they were more energized instead.
Here’s the point . . . a break from your normal routine doesn’t always mean rest AND a huge season of activity doesn’t mean you have to feel overwhelmed. What’s the difference between tons of activity meaning exhaustion, and tons of activity being energizing – one word – JOY!!! Joy represents the difference between a whirlwind that drains and a whirlwind that feeds! My kids were having a blast! They were so pumped up! And that joy did NOT lead to a crash. What if there’s joy that doesn’t lead to a crash?
Hebrews describes this scene in heaven . . . You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, (Heb. 12:22 NIV) That is particularly the kind of joy that God is calling you to. Joyful activity. There will be seasons of rest, but your reset in 2020 means that activity can be joyful! Lean into God’s joy today!
Is that snowy scene frightful? Is seems rather soothing to me? Don’t get me wrong – the cold chill in the bones is well . . . chilling. But what if the cold is a reminder . . . not of the beach parties you missed or the palm trees that aren’t swaying, but of the cleansing power of God in your life. Snow was just that reminder for Isaiah . . .
Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18 NIV)
Sin is frightful. God hates it. He hated it so much He sent Jesus to the cross to cover and wash it in His blood for you and me. Your choice to surrender completely to Jesus washes your sin, and all that’s left is thanks and praise! So see the snow, remember exactly how clean your clean is, and take a moment to be thankful and praise God right now! He’s so good!
Sittin’ on the couch, it is often a matter of time before one of my kids (3 to 11 yr olds) plop down next to me and cuddle in. BUT if I’m laying on the floor, it’s typically a matter of seconds before one or more of kids start to pile on. As a daddy, if my little ones don’t naturally come over to hang out with me or crawl on me, there is one tried and true strategy – get a little lower. When daddy gets lower, the kids come around.
This is why Jesus came at Christmas. He longed to embrace His kids, and He was willing to go lower to do it! How amazing He is!?! “But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor” (Heb. 2:9 NIV).
Here’s the truth – Jesus is still going lower for you today! Paul says it this way, “Christ Jesus … is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us”. (Rom. 8:34 NIV)
See Jesus on the floor, ready for you pile on and play. Take a moment with the God who is lower still for you right now.
If you missed the kickoff of the Lower Still series catch it today – you need this – https://www.facebook.com/124728734266058/videos/540097603505192/ or on youtube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-avf5zXcYU.
jaredstepp 