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God has a bach

by | Oct 15, 2016

In New Zealand it is accepted that many people have two houses – one where they live and work and the other is a bach (pronounced “batch”), or if you live in the south of the South Island it’s a crib. Anyway it’s a holiday house, usually at a beach or lakeside. We love to get away to the bach to relax and be refreshed. I grew up in Hamilton but most of my summer holidays were at the family bach by the sea at Raglan. That little two bedroom cottage that Mum and Dad bought in 1966 is now four bedrooms and still in the family.

It seems to me that God has a bach and that bach is us. Isaiah 57:15 says that God lives in two places: “I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit”. His high and holy place is His heaven and we see a good description of that in Revelation Chapter 4. But He also lives with the humble of heart.

Isaiah 66:1,2 says the same thing:
Thus says the LORD, “Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool.
Where then is a house you could build for Me?
And where is a place that I may rest?
For My hand made all these things,
Thus all these things came into being,” declares the LORD.
“But to this one I will look,
To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.”

God is looking for a place to rest. He doesn’t find that in anything He created but in something He didn’t create – the outcome of our will. Our surrendered will is the one place in the universe where God finds rest outside of Himself. God doesn’t look for rest because He’s tired or needs a break, it’s just that He enjoys being with family.

When Noah sent out a dove from the ark the dove looked for a place to rest. In the New Testament we see that the dove is a picture of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit today is still looking for a place to rest.

Will you be a holiday home for God? Allow the Holy Spirit to chill at your place.

Heavenly rewards

by | Aug 8, 2016

While we, as Christians, understand that our works don’t have anything to do with our entry to heaven, we find out that our works have everything to do with our reward once we get there.

REWARDS

1 Corinthians 3:10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

The loss referred to here is the loss of reward. The “revealing by fire” reference I like to visualise as Jesus taking one glance at our works with His eyes of fire and Poof! – instantly everything burnable is reduced to ashes.  Of course His foundation of salvation in our lives is fireproof so at the very minimum we are left with salvation only and no reward. This fire is not the fires of hell which is a separate issue not referred to in this passage. Also, note the degrees of perishable works and the degrees of imperishable works. This shows a variety of value in our works and a corresponding value of reward. Knowing this, the Christian must always be thinking “I must be producing gold, silver, precious stones otherwise I might as well just quit and go to heaven now.” That’s why Paul admonishes the believer to “take care” how he builds.

Revelation 22:12 Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.

1 Cor 3:8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labour.

2 Cor 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body (ie, while alive on this earth), according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Matthew 16:27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

2 John 1:8 Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.

Note that if by our effort we can win a full reward then by less effort we can win a partial reward. And by carelessness we may lose the reward that we have worked for.

Rev 3:11 I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.

Again, be diligent so that you won’t lose something of incredible value that Jesus will give you.

 REWARDS ARE IMPLIED TO BE RESPONSIBILITY/POSITION

Matthew 25:14-30  For it (the kingdom of heaven) is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves, and entrusted his possessions to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. But he who received the one talent went away and dug in the ground, and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. And the one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me; see, I have gained five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master.’ The one also who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted to me two talents; see, I have gained two more talents.’ “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed. And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground; see, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I scattered no seed. Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’ For to everyone who has shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.”

Matthew 5: 19Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus clearly told his followers the Kingdom of Heaven would be a place where individual saved believers would be rewarded according to their deeds. If you do a lot with what God has given you, you will get a greater reward in Heaven. If you squander what God has given you, don’t be surprised to find that your reward is much less. All Christians need to know this reality which is why the writer of Hebrews 6 refers to judgement and resurrection of the dead as two of the six foundational teachings. Eternal rewards begin with the saints ruling on earth with Jesus but that’s another subject (Rev 5:10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth. Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; … but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.)

Other scriptures imply degrees of joy, types of crown, and other unspecified rewards. My above notes are a simple introduction to this subject and there is much material available for further study.

For such a time as this

by | Mar 1, 2016

This is a message Lynne gave at Pacific Pearls prophetic women’s conference, Hastings, NZ, Saturday 27th Feb 2016. She encouraged the women to rise up in their God given identity. Following her message she painted a picture of the Lion of Judah roaring “Revival” over New Zealand.

Esther 4:14 paraphrased Don’t think that you can remain silent at this time. You have received royalty, the kingdom of God, for such a time as this.

God is raising up an elite end-time army of warriors. They are prayer warriors, fearless, full of faith and power. They are called to live a life of risk with a fire burning within that cannot be put out. They have on the full armour of God.

Psalm 144:1 Blessed be God my rock who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle. I believe you and I have been handpicked to be on planet earth at this strategic time in history, to be in God’s army to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth and usher in the return of Jesus. But we have an enemy – one of his names is Satan. Other names are tempter, liar, deceiver, destroyer and my favourite is Beelzebub which means dung god. As a liar and a deceiver Satan will try everything he can to stop you from knowing your true identity.

The day you asked Jesus into your life as your Lord and Saviour you signed up for battle. How can we defeat the enemy? By totally surrendering to Jesus the commander in chief. When we know and love our God then we are secure in Him and are able to trust and surrender to Him. Also we defeat Satan by knowing our true identity in God. It’s not all about what I think or feel about myself it’s about what God says about me. It’s time to shake off intimidation and the lies of the enemy. The Bible says we have the mind of Christ and we are to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

Evangelist Winkie Pratney once told a story about a pastor’s wife who was jogging one day when she saw a man dressed in white standing in a cornfield. The pastor’s wife had been going through a difficult trial, and when she saw this man, whom she recognized as Jesus, He said to her: “Don’t you know who I am? Don’t you know who you are? When you know this, it is not really as hard as you think.”

As a young single person I grew in my faith and became fearless after having been involved with YWAM (Youth With a Mission) for some time. I then went through a few years of sickness and other setbacks which affected my identity and confidence in God. One book which helped me during this time and highlighted the areas I needed to be healed in was “Powerful and Free” by Danny Silk. I made a list of events and circumstances whereby I had allowed myself to be shut down, and started praying through them. It’s time for all of us to come into that freedom that Jesus died for.

Many have had disappointments, heartaches, regrets, unfulfilled dreams…DON’T BE ROBBED! It’s time to rise up again and believe what God says about you!

You have all authority and the enemy is under your feet. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. Luke 10:19

Your calling is unique. Your gifts and personality are uniquely you. Because of who you are and what God has said about you, you are world changers. Even when one person is drawn to God through your life you have made the world a better place. YOU AND GOD ARE A MAJORITY! Don’t underestimate what God can do through you! When I am weak He is strong.

We are to be the kind of women that when our feet hit the floor each morning, the devil says: “Oh, no, she’s up!”

The Word clearly instructs us to put on the whole armour of God to be equipped for battle: the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, our gospel boots, and prayer. I’ll just cover the shield of faith and the gospel boots today.

The shield of faith covers the length of our body and only protects us as we face the enemy. Heb 11:6 Without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith overcomes fear. 1 Jn 5:4 This is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith, Heb 11:33,34 who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouth of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight… Rom 10:17 So faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ – the sword of the spirit.

The good news is the battle is already won!! I’ve read the end of the book. We win!! We need to be believing believers. When we have faith, we will begin to release the spiritual authority necessary to perform signs, wonders and miracles.

The gospel boots are for BOOTING the enemy off our turf. The Living Bible says “Wear shoes that are able to speed you on as you preach the Good News of peace with God,” “..so that you will be fully prepared” – New Living.”Open your mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel” (Ephesians 6:19).

Without gospel boots you are restricted where you can go, where you need to go, how far you can go – you can only go where the surface is smooth and safe otherwise you’ll get cut, bruised, blistered, and become immobile. Many believers today live restricted lives and are unable to fulfil their calling because they don’t have on their gospel boots. It is said that only about 2% of Christians in the western world share the gospel so how can we have a harvest!!

With your gospel boots on, you walk in the “same steps as Christ” (2 Corinthians 12:18, 1 Peter 2:21), touching people as Jesus did in everyday life.

Just as God spoke to Joshua so too He speaks to us. Joshua 1:3 “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given to you. V9 be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

So why do we struggle to put on our gospel boots? We think evangelism is for the evangelist and we may not know how to share our faith. If someone had three minutes to live could you share the gospel clearly in three minutes? Many have the fear of man and think people won’t be interested. Get equipped to share the gospel. The Bible clearly says “Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.” John 4:35

Recently after praying I sensed I would be talking to an elderly lady in town. I saw an older lady in a wheelchair and started to chat to her. She was 90 years old, visiting from Australia, and was celebrating her 90th birthday in NZ. After sharing the gospel she asked Jesus into her life and as soon as she finished praying a sparrow came and landed on her foot. It was like the Father was saying “My eye is on the sparrow how much more will I look after you.” There are needy people all around us. Go into your day with God’s eyes expecting Him to lead you to those who need to know Him.

“If you love me you will keep my commandments.” The fear of the Lord compels us to obey. We are commanded in Mark 16:15 “to go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” So what is ‘the gospel’? In simple terms the heart of the gospel is believing and trusting God. Believing you have sinned, repenting from your sin, believing Jesus died for you on the cross and asking Him into your life to be your Saviour and Lord. The words of the gospel are ‘the seed’ that must be planted into people’s hearts to bring about salvation. Good works plough the field making it ready for the seed to be planted and water the seed after it’s planted.

We are all called to be witnesses – Acts 1:8 but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses….. The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to empower us to witness.

“As He is, so are we in this world” – we are all soul winners.

Let’s take New Zealand for Jesus, ask for souls and keep those gospel boots on. General Booth said “my best men are women!

1 John 3:8 The Son of God appeared for this purpose that He might destroy the works of the devil. Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Matt. 9:37 the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.

YOU ARE A MIGHTY ARMY AND YOU WERE CREATED – FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS.

Micah 4:13 paraphrase “On your feet, Daughter of Zion! I’m remaking you into a people invincible.”

Isaiah 60:1 “Arise, shine; for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord will rise upon you. And nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”