Author: Kyle Fuller

I love Jesus. I desire to encourage and equip the body of Christ and preach the gospel to those who don't know Him.

Fresh Oil

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

Can I tell you something? And I’m talking to followers of Jesus now. If tomorrow we were to wake up and find all racism gone, all prejudice erased, world-wide peace and harmony, every conspiracy theory solved, and “justice” meted out on a global scale; it would not be enough to satisfy our hearts. We are His, and He alone can fill us.

My dear brothers and sisters, what we need today is not to be found in anything birthed by the flesh. No , it is a fresh revelation of the wonder of the Son of the living God. Once again we need to go to that secret place where only those who worship him in Spirit in truth may go and gaze anew upon the beauty of the glory of Jesus. He is the radiance of the unseen God and the exact imprint of his substance, all that we need in this age or in any age to come.

It is the love of God in Christ, eclipsing all other loves that alone can soothe the storm in our hearts. There is nothing that this world has to offer that can bring the peace and joy that he alone extends to us in his Spirit. Once more we need to cry out to God that the eyes of our hearts may be opened that we may see the One through whom all that is or ever will be was brought into being. There is nothing: no system or authority or dominion or powers seen or unseen over which he is not God. And this God almighty has called us to himself!

May we turn away from lesser things that vie for our attention and affection and return again to our First Love. Forsaking all others, let us hold fast to that which we have first believed, knowing that he is faithful to give us all things. We are heirs of everything, joint heirs with Jesus, recipients of every spiritual blessing God has to bestow. And he shouts with a lion’s roar, “Come away with me my beloved!!”

The name of the Lord is a strong tower. Let us run again to that name and do the things we did when we first believed, and find him again in all of his majesty. Faithful One, Holy One, First Born and Ruler of all creation. It is he who anoints our heads with fresh oil and binds our hearts together as the love of God is poured out in us by his Spirit. We return again to the fountain of living water, and shall thirst no more.

Deceit vs. Counter-Deceit: Alt-Reality and the Collapse of Common Consensus ( By Chris Anderson)

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

(The following is an article written by a dear brother, Chris Anderson. I know Chris and have spent time with him in worship, prayer, and discussion about the things of God. When I received this article via email I was once again amazed at how the Spirit of God speaks through his people and wonderfully reminded of how we are all together one in Christ: diverse members, one Body, joined to one Head through whom we share the heart and mind of the Lord.  I immediately asked him for permission to share it with NLI Ministries readers.)

 

Deceit vs. Counter-Deceit: Alt-Reality and the Collapse of Common Consensus ( By Chris Anderson)

I Jn. 5:20 …So that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true….

Gen. 11: 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth….

Ex. 10: 22 …And there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. 23 They did not see one another….

II Th. 2:11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie…

Is. 8:12 “You are not to say, ‘It is a conspiracy!’ In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it.”

II Tim. 2:23 But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels.

A phenomenon has begun arising to destroy the world’s core capacity for consensus through communications as chiefly conducted by electronic media. Two articles have already come forth from this ministry in this regard under the caption “Don’t Believe a Word of It.” Yet given the intensity and vastness of what is developing, a third article is required.

In order to deal with this deceitful phenomenon, it is necessary to begin by establishing our reference point for truth. I direct your attention to the five scripture passages that head this article. The first identifies our source of truth. The remaining passages all identify the deceit.

The Truth

So we begin with the truth. The knowledge of all truth is ultimately traced to and anchored in the knowledge of God through Christ through the Spirit, Who Is Truth. We who share together in this ministry are seekers of Truth and truth reconciliation inside of our common knowing of Him Who Is True. We rely on the Spirit of Truth in Jesus Christ for our individual understanding and in turn for our cooperative and collaborative common understanding.

So in moving to discuss what we will discuss here, it is vital that I first reestablish our ultimate common reference point for what Truth is. Truth is not established through the empirical knowledge of our senses, which can deceive us, nor in revelation per se, which can also be deceiving to the false heart. Truth is established in our spiritual knowing of “Him Who Is True.”

Thus the more we know Him through time spent in surrendered waiting and listening in the Lord’s fellowship through His written word, the better we come to know “the truth” about all other “else” pertaining to this life and world.

The Collapse of Common Consensus

The reason this is now more vital than we have ever perceived it to be is because the common bases we have historically accepted for scientifically knowing “the truth” about life in this world are now being destroyed in front of our eyes under a deceitful power of accusatory suspicion, creating mass confusion and conflict throughout world society. This assault is being executed throughout the vast networks of electronic media by which we as a world receive information.

In 2016, we touched on the “fake news” controversy that became and remains the buzzword at the heart of political turmoil particularly in America. Through the ability to manipulate electronic media including photography and video, a capacity has always existed and has been exercised to skew news reporting to create false reports and impressions. It is deceit in the first dimension.

However, in the wake of the exposure of such capacity, a second dimensional counter-deceit in the form of accusatory suspicion has arisen to deny there to be any truth to any reporting of any news. The capacity for any reporting of any kind is assaulted to where any and all news is deemed “fake news.” Thus the capacity for common belief in any factuality is being destroyed, producing culture wide confusion, chaos and mental anarchy. In its place, alternate realities based upon conspiratorial conjecture are being advanced as the true reality, not based on the word of God or of His Spirit.

This scenario is not confined to politics but is reaching out to accuse the fundamentals of empirical scientific belief by which society commonly functions.  The most basic propositions of commonly accepted natural reality are now being assaulted as “false” and “fake,” beginning with the charge that scientific belief in a round earth is a hoax conspiratorially foisted upon mankind. Such proponents are in turn devoted to proving the alt reality of a “flat earth.”

In tandem with this is the charge that everything related to the science of space exploration over the last 60 years has been “faked” (man never went to the moon or even into outer space. It was all filmed in Hollywood.) Again, the result of this is massive debate, confusion, the destruction of the capacity to believe anything to be true and for common societal consensus; and the creation of competing alt-realities (worldviews established merely upon conspiratorial conjectures).

Deceit vs. Counter-Deceit

The difficulty at the heart of these controversies is that one dimension of deceit is being released against another dimension of deceit in order to destroy any reliable common perception of natural reality so as to create mental anarchy across the entire human culture.

Please soak in that last statement:

One dimension of deceit is being released against another dimension of deceit in order to destroy any reliable common perception of natural reality so as to create mental anarchy across the entire human culture.

The reason this must be identified is because the body of Christ is 1) being sucked up into this realm of conspiratorial counter-deceit over the natural realm and 2) is experiencing this conflict within Herself regarding the very things of the Spirit and spiritual truth.

The Lure Without

Let’s take the first point first:

The body of Christ is being sucked up into this realm of conspiratorial counter-deceit over the natural realm.

As Spirit-sensitive believers in Jesus, we inherently know that the world is filled with deception. We know that conspiracies exist on many levels, both political and scientific. The New World Order is such a conspiracy. So is the theory of Evolution. These are fairly well known and identifiable conspiracies based in the readily observable evidence.

What we are not however as savvy to is the counter-deception of “alt-real” philosophy based in a spirit of conspiracy exposure that plays off the first dimension of deceit. Under this spirit, true spiritual discernment corrupts into a counterfeit spirit of suspicion on which believers adopt alt-real worldviews based in the belief that all natural reality is being faked—whether political events, violent tragedies, natural disasters or scientific achievements—and their job is to expose it and convert everyone to their alt beliefs.

The net effect of this is that believers are being lured out of their prayer closets and listening chambers, leaving their first love to become caught up into both sides of the conspiratorial “reality” debates, and so swallowed up in the mass confusion. (That is the satanic objective.)

The Lure Within

Now to the second point:

The body of Christ is experiencing this conflict within Herself regarding the very things of the Spirit and spiritual truth.

This ground is more familiar to us but bears repeating. As prophetic people we understand that satan counterfeits spiritual gifts. We know there are false ministers who possess genuine gifts. Judas was the first in that line. We also know there are false / counterfeit gifts that mimic the gifts of the Spirit. There are false tongues and false healings and false miracles. (Simon the sorcerer had this capacity.)

For all these things we require discernment. However we as a body are equally afflicted by the spirit of counter-deceit. It is the spirit of suspicion masking as the spirit of discernment. This spirit’s job is to cast doubt on every work of the Spirit and His ministers, whether genuine or not, charging every Spirit minister and movement with some kind of hidden complicity in the “anti-christ one world agenda,” all bringing the church to a place of internal disempowered confusion and strife. (We saw this so clearly in the Lakeland affair.) The end is to leave the church within Herself wondering, “How can we ever believe whether anything going on is of the Holy Spirit?”

Passing the Test

So here is what we want to recognize about what is going on.

First, this counter-spirit of deceit answers to the strong delusion God said He would send in the final end times because people refused to love the Truth. Remember, God is always testing our hearts for the state of our love. It is to this end that the tempter has been released to prove our hearts before Him. We saw this in the teaching on Lying Signs and Wonders. So, if we are a people who fail the test by failing to love the truth, we will become subject to the spirit of counter-delusion.

We should first recognize however that this spirit was not originally intended to judge the church (any more than hell was originally meant for man). The spirit of counter-deceit was intended as judgment on the world. And it is judgment on the world. The chaos now being experienced culture-wide over alt-reality based on the spirit of conspiracy exposure is unlike anything we have ever known.

But because the world is in the church, the church has to be sifted, and if we in the church fail of our first love, we will come under the world’s judgment. Our own common reference points of belief with the world over scientific realities are under this assault. And we are seeing this happen as believers—and I mean prophetic believers—are getting caught up into arguing for the “flat earth.”

The spirit of alt-real counter-deceit is the real power behind the confusion that was put upon Babylon and the darkness experienced in the plague of Egypt. It says it was so dark that they “could not see one another.” This speaks to the destruction of the common reference points for natural reality the world shares among its own.

In the same passage about the plague of darkness, it goes on to say though that “all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings.”  This article is meant to be a “sons of Israel” article for God’s people. It is to give light in our dwellings amidst this present darkness. The Lord wants us to remain in His Light as the True One, and not get caught up in the no-win war between deceit and alt-real counter-deceit, where all proponents on all sides lose.

The Pull of Conspiratorial Alt Reality

But in particular, this article is given to keep us from falling into the error of alt-real deception through attacking everything as “fake.” This is where the Lord’s word to Isaiah comes in:

Is. 8:12 “You are not to say, ‘It is a conspiracy!’ In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it.”

Don’t be feeding on “infowars.com” and all the websites and news outlets dedicated to exposing conspiracies, prophetic and otherwise. They do not have the real truth, even if they may have a part of it. They are still feeding on alt-real counter-deception.

Please notice that all this confusion is coming through the mass airwaves. It is all coming through mass electronic communications with the power to manipulate communications media of every kind, audio and visual. And you know who is the prince of the power of the air. The chaos is not coming through your Bible! It’s not coming through your prayer channel!

Staying in the Truth

So one asks,

“Then how are we to know what to believe about anything we are hearing? Was 9-11 staged or wasn’t it? Was the shooting in Las Vegas staged or wasn’t it? Did people really die, or was it all actors? Did some people die at Sandy Hook and the Boston Marathon, or was it all faked? What did NASA fake and what didn’t it fake about the space program? (Are the Challenger astronauts really still alive?) Are these fires and earthquakes and F5 tornadoes being caused by HAARP or by chemtrails or by God? ”

All I am going to say right now is what I said in the beginning: Stay in your prayer closet, listen for the Spirit, and wait. Don’t come out of there. Don’t venture out into the airwaves.

Remember what Vicki [she and her family are in the midst of the fires raging in California] just said to us about staying hidden in the Lord during the fire. Some things cannot be known until the smoke clears, literally as well as spiritually. (The ones actually in the midst of the fire had no way of knowing what was happening! Their airwaves were cut off.) You just need to abide under the shadow of the military love of the Lord!

In due time, everything will be revealed for what it really was. We don’t have to know what it really was. If something was faked, or part faked, it doesn’t matter. If it was man caused or God caused or both, it doesn’t matter. Determining who did something doesn’t determine whether or not it was God’s judgment. (It doesn’t matter why the Tower of Siloam collapsed. It didn’t change anything for the eighteen who died under it.)

The Lord is on a different playing field with you than that. So don’t venture out to get caught up into the confusion. When you need to know what you need to know, the Spirit will make it clear. He is the Spirit of Truth. But He doesn’t reveal to us all that He knows. He only reveals what we need to know when we need to know it.

As pertains to this ministry, we will only be discussing airwaves issues and any related conspiracy points at the Lord’s convicting of their need to be discussed, and no further. We will offer to this Circle private spirit witness and testimony to whatever is revealed and prompted to be discussed. But we will not be entering into alt-reality discussions and debates over unverifiable conflicting evidences regarding what is said over the public airwaves. This is for your assurance going forward.

&&&&&&&&&&

I have written this to stablish, strengthen and settle hearts, to keep us from counter-delusion posing as “true reality” and from all those things Paul speaks of as “foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels.”

If we can pass this test, we will be well on our way to readiness for the Lord’s voice when He calls our name at the Exodus.

With steadfast love,

Chris Anderson

First Love Ministry

Stairway To Babylon

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

It has been said that the surest way to aim large groups of people in a particular, desired direction is to push them hard towards its opposite. I can’t help but wonder if that’s what we’re seeing in the world today. Is a steady diet of violence, racism, political unrest, and division creating a hunger for peace, inclusion, universal governance, and unity? I think that it could be so. And as I contemplate these things I can’t help but imagine that such a climate sets the stage perfectly for Babylon and the Beast. “And it makes me wonder.”

The last time that all the people of the earth were unified and of the same mind was after the Flood, on the plains of Shinar, in ancient Babylon.

Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.

If you haven’t guessed it already this is a segue into the story we know as the Tower of Babel. Mankind was all together, of one mind and one accord, seeking to establish themselves as god. Babylon, in its earliest geopolitical and prophetic form. And perhaps it is here that we catch our first glimpse of the “beast” and see the essence of “Mystery Babylon, Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations”: mankind, unified and deified. We are, you are, I am god. Our desires, our appetites are not to be denied for we are divine. Let us recognize the common divinity we share as men, and establish ourselves as one upon the face of the earth. We will put an end to war, racism, political divide, any and everything that would separate us. There is no religion other than the worship of ourselves. Together, we shall prevail! “And it makes me wonder.”

Many, if not the majority of Christians see the world in a state of progressive deterioration. “Things are only gonna get worse,” they say. But what if things “get better”? What if people start coming together, loving each other, and laying all of their differences aside? Doesn’t that sound like the exact thing we’ve all been praying for? Doesn’t it sound beautiful? Surely, only a god could accomplish such a thing! “And it makes me wonder.”

 …and all who dwell on earth will worship it [the beast], everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.

And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come.

For years now I have pondered and prayed over II Thessalonians 2. The passage is never far from the forefront of my mind. And although many now see Islam as the Beast or Babylon or the end- time religion, I always come back to the place where it is said of the “antichrist/beast,”…who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.” These words remind me of how man sought to establish himself as God upon the plains of Shinar. “And it makes me wonder.”

This is not the place where I put a stake in the ground and build my whole eschatological paradigm. But it would seem that the time is right for a season of “peace,” “self-realization,” and “human divinization.” Rampant violence, racism, political unrest, and division are pushing humanity to seek another direction, one that may appear good, but its true end is destruction. Even many within the Body of Christ have abandoned their First Love for “good causes.” Among the religions of the world, Islam has successfully been demonized, and soon true Christianity will be labeled as hateful. Why not simply do away with all religion and focus upon the only thing suitable for worship- US.

Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one [Jesus,] sitting on the horse and his army.  And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies.

“And it makes me wonder.”

 

 

 

 

 

Untangled

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

The last thing any of us like to see is pile of jewelry all tangled up together into one big glob with all the pieces practically indistinguishable from each other. We look at all the knots and twists and turns, and we’re ready to give up before we’ve ever started. What was beautiful has somehow morphed into an absolute disaster, one nerve away from a trip to the garbage can.  HEEEEEELLLP!! Usually, someone with a lot of patience and some time can salvage the jewelry fiasco. But what about our lives?

I remember a time when I looked at my life, and I seriously doubted that it could ever be “untangled.” I had made such a mess of things. Potential and promise had been destroyed. The years of pain and addiction had wound around me, extended into the lives of my family and friends, and insinuated its chains into every facet of my world. One giant knot of hurt. I hated the sound of my own voice and doubted that God could or even would  help. Hopelessness.

I began to cry out to the Lord, desperate pleas to a God I thought I knew:

 God please, just get me right and then kill me before I can screw it up again! I don’t care what it takes; put me in prison, give me cancer, please just somehow get through to me! Jesus, I want to know you, not what they told me you were like, but YOU!!

He heard my cry. And with great love and patience and care and mercy he began the process of untangling all the knots- healing, restoration, and reconciliation. He saved me, and he’s still saving me today. Salvation! God, taking our death and giving us his life, untangling it all in Jesus. HOPE.

You have not gone too far.

1:51

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

Unto you O Lord do I lift up my soul.

I will seek Your face for you are continually before me.

How wonderful it is that I awake to find you calling me,

Extending to me Your steadfast love.

 

It is Your faithfulness my God that keeps me,

          Your strong right hand that upholds me.

And though I cannot see my way before me,

You, O Lord, know the path that I should walk.

 

I entrust to you my family, their perpetual care.

I know that you love them perfectly.

My wife, my children, my mother, brother, my in-loves,

All whom you have given to me I commit into Your hand.

 

 

As for me, I will dwell in the secret place of the Most High.

I will call upon the name of the God of my youth, the Faithful One

Who has sustained me even as I walked through the darkness.

I will trust in the God who hears my cry and delivers me.

 

I know that your intentions towards me are good.

Let me regard You in faithfulness.

May I not sin against You with an evil, unbelieving heart.

For I have seen you power and received Your tender care.

                                                   I know that You are with me.

 

I will sing praises to you upon my guitar.

I will magnify the name of my God before creation awakes.

In the stillness of the hour I will greatly rejoice.

Unto You alone will I sing.

For I know that you are with me.

 

When The Sun & Moon Speak

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

Yesterday, as we all watched the Eclipse together from different places across the country, as we all stared with wonder at the moment of Totality, something really wonderful happened. Magically (or so it may have seemed), all hostilities ceased, protests abruptly came to a halt, and we didn’t care about the color of the person’s skin who stood or sat next to us. As one were simply amazed. Watching some of the news coverage after the event, people said that they had cried not really knowing why and that they had felt a peace and oneness with everyone and everything. All eyes were fixed on the heavens, and somehow we knew there was MORE and that we  wanted to be a part of it.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known.
They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard.
 Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.

[God] has planted eternity in the human heart…      

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature…

You and I were created in the image of God. No matter the color of your skin or if you are male or female, you were made in his likeness; you were made for Him. And though sin has brought death and separation, perverting our understanding of God and ourselves; we KNOW. We may not understand how we know or entirely what it even is that we know, but the truth is that when we behold the glory of God in his creation our hearts know that we were created for something more. And what we experienced yesterday as we watched the eclipse together was creation itself, the sun and the moon crying out, “God is here, and he wants you!”

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

[God] has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature…

Know it or not, yesterday, we all watched the same “podcast.” In our hearts, we all heard the same message: “Come to Me, let me love you and show you who you really are.”

 

The Path Towards Totality

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

Today’s solar eclipse is but the beginning of a series of upcoming celestial events that have some saying it’s the end of the world, the beginning of the tribulation, or an indication that the “rapture” is about to happen. Could be, I don’t know. But what I do know is that we are most definitely on the path towards totality-Jesus is going to totally dominate.

Regardless of how men claim total and absolute power, the day is drawing near when Christ shall appear and the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our God and of his Christ. Although the rulers of this world set themselves and take counsel together saying, “We will not submit to God nor allow him to rule over us.” The Father has promised the Son, “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage and the ends of the earth your possession.” And he shall rule them in totality!

We live our lives like there is no tomorrow, thinking only of how we can please ourselves. We have become so deluded that we deny even the simplest of truths. But the time is drawning near when the totality of God’s revelation of Jesus Christ shall be made known from one end of creation to the other. And on that day, when the total and absolute glory of God is revealed there will be truth and justice. Not the redefined powerless notions that we have made them to be, but the righteousness of God in totality.

While today is still called today, may we give to Jesus all that we are even as he has given us himself. Humbled, torn apart, and poured out upon the cross on a day in which the sun was also darkened, and God assumed the brokenness of his creation in totality.

Operation Cold Heart

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.

One of the most if not the most tragic signs of the end of the age is one we tend to overlook the most-hearts in which love has grown cold. The Christian heart, indwelt by the Holy Spirit is to be ablaze with love for God and love for others. But as we witness the strategies of the Evil One being played out across the land, we understand that perhaps his primary goal is to replace the flame of a heart filled with the love of God with the icy resolve of love for self.

True agape love as it is understood within the context of the Trine God is always “other than.” The Father says of the Son, “Your throne, O God, is forever.” The Son says to the Father, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” The Spirit glorifies the Son as God’s love is poured out in our hearts, and we cry, “Abba!” And then ultimately we see God’s “other than love” realized in the person of Jesus who gave himself for and to us. This heart of humility, preference , and sacrifice as seen in Christ is to burn within us. We are to have the same disposition as was found in Jesus who, “though he was God, did not demand and cling to his rights as God, but laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise of a slave and becoming like men. And he humbled himself even further, going so far as actually to die a criminal’s death on a cross.” This is a heart on fire with love! A stark contrast to the cold, self-centered heart we see on display in many who name the name of the Lord today.

Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.

Sadly, even now many of us are being deceived and have grown cold as deceptive spirits and demonic teachings insinuate themselves into our hearts. One characteristic that is always present in a heart grown cold is the emphasis on “my, me, and mine.” As lawlessness increases the heart can be taken captive by “causes, movements, and things.” The sad result is a heart that once burned with the love of God and others becomes a cold heart that loves itself more than anything or anyone.

Fortunately, when it comes to “Operation Cold Heart,” we have been provided with a fullproof defense: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”

The Racial Millstone

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

When I write about culture or current events, always in the back of my mind is what the Apostle Paul told the folks in Corinth: “It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church…” I understand that as the Body of Christ we do speak prophetically into the world. We also desire justice and to see liberation brought to those who are oppressed. But as followers of Jesus, our understanding of these concepts and the means by which they are achieved differ greatly with the world. And so, when I speak of these things, knowing that those who are “outside” are of a different spirit and mind-set altogether, my conversation is primarily with those who claim to be believers. In other words, I don’t expect unbelievers to behave nor see the world as those who are in fellowship with Jesus. But when I see those who call themselves Christians carnally provoked, divided and at odds with one another I am more often than not moved to speak.

It would seem that American Christians have either forgotten or simply do not believe that “we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” A war involves strategy, and one of the strategies being employed by the Enemy at this time is to entrap believers in racial conflict. So many American Christians  are being deceived as the Enemy stirs up strife and inundates the media with coverage of racial issues/tensions. His goal is to distract, discourage, and “defile” followers of Jesus by soliciting strong, carnal, emotional responses. He knows how easy it is to push the “pride & anger button.”

Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples…. “Get away from me, Satan!” he said. “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

Racial conflict within the Church is always due to seeing and responding to things according to the basic principles of this world rather than by the Spirit of God. And the strategy of the Enemy is to bring about that kind of response in the believer. Answer honestly, when you watch the news and read the content so abundantly supplied by social-media, how many times have you become irate and thought, “Man, I can’t stand those ___ people.” How often have you as a Christian thought of your brothers and sisters in Christ as one of those ___ people instead of as a member of the Body of Christ? How often do you think of yourself as one of those ___ people instead of as a son or daughter of the living God? This type of mind-set is fleshly, of this world, and contrary to the Kingdom of God.

But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Finally, a word of caution to you who teach and have leadership positions within the Body of Christ. If you are using your affluence to influence others to adopt your carnal mind-set you will receive a more severe judgment. You would do well to remember the warning of the Apostle James, “Dear brothers and sister, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.” Jesus takes very seriously the way you feed his sheep, the way you molest his bride. Repent and allow God to heal you of the racism within your own heart, and then you will see more effectively how to minister and care for his people.

[Jesus,] you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
    from every tribe and language and people and nation,
 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
    and they shall reign on the earth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rethinking Church Practice and Liturgy

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you.  No more than two or three should speak in tongues. They must speak one at a time, and someone must interpret what they say.  But if no one is present who can interpret, they must be silent in your church meeting and speak in tongues to God privately.  Let two or three people prophesy, and let the others evaluate what is said. But if someone is prophesying and another person receives a revelation from the Lord, the one who is speaking must stop. In this way, all who prophesy will have a turn to speak, one after the other, so that everyone will learn and be encouraged. Remember that people who prophesy are in control of their spirit and can take turns. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace…

Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria were Barnabas, Simeon (called “the black man”), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (the childhood companion of King Herod Antipas), and Saul.  One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said [ever wonder how he said it?], “Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.” So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.

There are so many things that are revealed to us within these various pericopes of the Bible; I must admit that I find my mind wanting to go in several different directions. But I ‘ll put forth a sincere effort to stay focused on what the title of the article indicates that the content found herein will be. I’ve thought about these things for a LONG TIME, studied them in Bible College/Seminary, but woke up this morning and as I worshipped, felt the desire to put some things down “on paper.”

Truthfully, I suppose that it was something I read yesterday that stoked these embers again. I was reading an About section a church had included on their website, and it read something to the effect of, “And we believe that worship [singing] puts us into the position to receive the preaching/teaching of the Word..” I couldn’t help but be a little disappointed, and I began to think again: Why do we do “church” the way we do it? Why do we hold to the practices/liturgies that we do? And ultimately, why do we call what we do worship?

If you’ve ever studied Church History, the obvious answer to the questions I’ve asked extend all the way back to what is known as the Reformation. For the uninitiated or perhaps I should refer to you as “the blessed,” simply stated, the Reformation was what caused the existence of what we call the Protestant church. A breaking away from the Catholic Church ultimately resulted in what we have today: Presbyterians, Lutherans, Baptists, Methodists, and so on. The Reformers rejected many of the teachings that the Catholic Church maintained. And after much fighting and bloodshed (even amongst the Reformers themselves), the Protestant Church came to be. But the Reformers retained some of the liturgies and practices of the Catholic system, including the priest.  Only now he was called the Pastor. Insert spooky time travel music…, and we come to the year 2017.

Today, we have divided “church” into everything that comes before the Pastor preaches/teaches, i.e., worship and the “true reason” for our gathering together- The Word. Usually it looks something like this: 3 Songs (A good fast one to get ’em going, then some medium to slow ones to induce “worship”), the offering gets collected, the Pastor preaches/teaches (nowadays there may be a “team” that fulfills this position), prayers are scattered throughout at different points during the “service,” and then you go home. This paradigm has been “successful” for a long time. The trouble is: 1) According to statistics, it’s not working anymore. 2) You don’t find it anywhere in the New Testament.

Thankfully, the Holy Spirit is awakening the Body of Christ to the reality that we need to change. He is challenging us to prayerfully and humbly reconsider the practices and liturgies that we have made into idols. A mighty Wind of God is sweeping among his people: shifting, moving, changing, reviving, and stirring our hearts to surrender all. And asking those who lead, “Are you willing to relinquish control? Is it success or my heart that you truly seek?” Sometimes, the two are not synonymous.

Perhaps the reason for this “awakening” has come to remind us of what true worship is. Worship is relationship, namely, the perichoretical relationship of the Trinity. And our worship can only be “understood” within the context of this relationship, and our participation in it. It is not something we do apart from God, to get to him, or to get him to come to us. Worship is something we “do” in Him. Although worship may/will be expressed through our actions, it is not merely things that we do: singing, preaching, praying, Bible-study, service, etc… It is who we are, men and women living their lives in Jesus, participating in the very life of the Triune God. That which the Father, Son and Spirit have known from all of eternity has been given to us. Before there were angels, planets or people, there was worship. There is no Step 1, Step 2, Step 3…   Worship is not centered around any aspect of worship or liturgical practice, it is centered around the person of Jesus and his union with his people. And it can look different in every gathering as the Spirit provides the order.

As worship is relational, derived from the mysterious perichoretical union the Church has with the Triune God, our coming together is not designated to the control of any individual other than the Spirit of God. While there are leadership gifts,  the shepherds/pastors who feed, watch, care, and guard the souls of God’s people are but one expression. According to scripture, God has also placed within the Body Apostles, Prophets, Teachers, and Evangelists, who are also to equip the people of God for the work of ministry. And as we see in the passages above, when the Church comes together it is not only the “office gifts” that are used, but each member functions according to the grace that God has allotted. We do not have to fear that chaos will ensue, but can trust that as we humbly submit to one another, the Spirit will provide decency and order and correction if needed. To put it in today’s vernacular, “This ain’t no one man show.”

Before I am accused of denying that biblical instruction/teaching has no place in our gatherings, let me say that it should be obvious to anyone familiar with me or acquainted with my writings that I believe that “all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” As I have said so many times before, I’ve spent a lot of money and time acquiring my degree in Biblical Studies/Theology. I do however question the way we have limited the means by which the “impartation” of the Word is expressed. 

While authentic worship most definitely involves receiving the Word of God, I fear that we have failed in that we have come to see preaching and the “Bible-study” as the only means by which this is to be accomplished. It would seem that we have forgotten Paul’s exhortation to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” We must remember that the Bible itself declares that the gifts within the Body are also they that strengthen, encourage, and declare God’s Word. The Word of God, engrafted, alive, and expressed in and through the hearts of believers, holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

I suppose I could talk about buildings, home churches, small groups, etc…, but I think all of that will work itself out as we sincerely seek the Lord concerning these matters. After all, the “where” of worship is any place that two or three gather in his name. So, when it comes to rethinking church practices and liturgies, may we be willing to lay everything we think we know at his feet and trust him to mold us after the kind intentions of his heart.