Inception of Envisioned Leader

INCEPTION of ENVISIONED LEADERS

Dear Father,

You are the Great Shepherd of the Flock. You are the only Eternal Father and Rabbi. Please help Your people to know the eternal wisdom of leadership.

In Jesus Christ’s Name,

Amen

OUTLINE

1.     The Phantom Leader

2.     The Marrow of the Phantom Leader

A.    Fear of Man

B.    The Mammon Antichrist

C.    The Devil

3.     The Birth of a True Leader

A.    The Inpouring of the Vision

B.    Transformation

C.    The Followers

D.    Culmination under the Will of the Triune Godhead

1.     The Phantom Leader

There is a central tendency among mankind to lead and to be led. Mankind finds utmost inner satisfaction in being a leader or in being led by a worthy leader. Sometimes there is a combination of these two desires in a man. For those who seek to lead, the world has several resources to offer to perfect the likeness of a leader: the “phantom leader”. One of the most powerful resources is a vision or inspiration present within the hearts of aspiring leaders. These visions are often centered around political, monetary, familial, social, and moralistic causes: the condemned wisdom of the world. Another resource is the written word of leadership education which describes axioms, traits, rhetoric, features, body language, etiquette, etc. of leaders. Aspiring leaders may read and learn from such writings to become better leaders and perfect their phantom techniques of persuasion, crowd-pleasing, goal-accomplishing, and charm. Finally another resource is the self-derived learned behavior and character of the phantom leader learned from personal experience, imitation of other men, or from the devil himself masquerading as the angel of light. 

 ¹³ For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. ¹⁵ It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve. 2 Cor 11

          These phantom leaders are present throughout every arena of society including the government, competitive environments, finance, corporations, churches, charitable organizations, knowledge banks, education, health, and science. The masses seek their insight and direction. The masses are influenced by numerous phantom leaders driven by the darkened understanding, depraved mind, hardness of heart, and self-seeking nature of mankind. Their labor and words are altogether useless. Both the phantom leaders and their followers will surely meet their end in God’s timing.

I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this desert; here they will die.”Num 14:35

WHEN WE SAW THESE PHANTOM LEADERS, THEIR DYNAMIC PASSION, STAUNCH RHETORIC, AND MAGNETIC CHARM WAS UNDENIABLE, BUT THE ESSENCE OF TRUE LEADERSHIP WAS ABSENT FROM WITHIN THEM.

2.     The Marrow of the Phantom Leader

 ²⁵ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. Matt 23

A.   The Fear of Man

Many aspiring leaders have lost their chances because of their inconfidence arising from their fear of men. Certainly those among mankind who seek to follow a great leader are unwilling to follow a leader who is either incapable or inconfident. The masses look for both competency and passionate confidence in their leader(s). The phantom leader is also given to the fear of man. Many have perfected the technique of disguising their fear of man. They are able to appear bold and self-renewing, and yet in the core of their being, they have been driven by the fear of man. The fear of man may refer to the literal fear of men: opponents, rivals, competitors… The fear of man may also refer to the fear of the rejection, disrespect, disapproval, condemnation, and judgment of man. In any case, the fear of man disqualifies a man from true leadership. This fear of man is not in the marrow of the essence of the true leader.

I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them. I Sam 15:24b

B.    The Mammon Antichrist

The phantom leader worships the antichrist of mammon. Mammon, μαμωνᾶς, refers to money, riches, material goods, pleasures of the corruptible flesh, victories in the vain battles of men, sensuality, and earthly comfort. All of the ideals of the phantom leader are contained in the overarching category of mammon. His vision will last as long as the mammon domain to which he had aspired endures. The idol of mammon is exceedingly present in our world and makes haughty claims within the territory of human souls, minds, and hearts. Her power is persuasive, alluring, commanding, sucking, draining. Indeed the Sovereign God is breaking off her power over the chosen ones… her reign has almost deceived the elect.

¹ One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. ²With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.”Rev 17

Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.Phil 3:19

C.    The Devil

In some cases, the visions of phantom leaders are given to them by demonic influence. Examples include the entering of Satan into Judas Iscariot and the control of the “lawless one” by the devil.

²⁵ Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,²⁶ and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.2 Tim 2

THE ORIGIN, ESSENCE, AND DESTINY OF PHANTOM LEADERS ARE CONDEMNED

3.     The Birth of a True Leader

The eternal essence of the true leader comes from the conception of his vision and purpose. He is not born of the resources mentioned above: earthly visions, leadership education, or self/demon-derived purpose. His nature as a leader, his strength, his purpose, his character, his perseverance, his willpower and zeal, come from a vision that is poured into him from above. He becomes: “the envisioned leader”.

A.   The Inpouring of the Vision

The inpouring of the vision comes from God who has chosen to reveal Himself to this man. He has heard the Words of the Gospel and his granted faith accompanies his hearing of the Words of Christ. His faith in the Word of God is accompanied by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

⁸ When He comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹ in regard to sin, because men do not believe in Me; ¹⁰ in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see Me no longer; ¹¹ and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. ¹² “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. ¹³ But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.¹⁴ He will bring glory to Me by taking from what is mine and making it known to You. ¹⁵ All that belongs to the Father is Mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is Mine and make it known to you. John 16

          As the glory of God is continually revealed to him, the eternal purpose of the everlasting God is poured into him. The result of the inpouring of the Vision is that this man is made a leader from the core. No longer does he require leadership education, rhetorical skills, or the study of lists of leadership axioms. The Vision of the glory of God has possessed him and conceived in him the purpose for the fulfillment of the will of God. All of the traits of a true leader are granted to him with increasing inpouring of the Vision. The source of his strength of leadership is the inpouring of the Father’s vision.

THE PERFECTION OF LEADERSHIP IN AN ENVISIONED LEADER COMES FROM ABOVE NOT FROM WITHIN OR AROUND THE LEADER.

B.    Transformation

The revelation of the Father’s vision is transforming to the man. The core of the transformation are the words of John the Baptist “HE MUST BECOME GREATER. I MUST BECOME LESSER.” As these words are fulfilled, the leader is released from the slavery to the old marrow of the fear of man and the idolatry of mammon. The old marrow is removed and the new marrow of righteousness, humility, sacrifice, Agape, and the zeal for the honor of God are given to him.

His overarching goals become the glory of God and obedience/conformity to Christ: a life lived in love. The true leader’s goal is to love as Jesus loved. It is not as though love is his tool to accomplish some other noble goal or that love is a valuable asset that he carries as he goes about his work. The very end goal of the true leader is love. In the process of believing the Word of God and receiving the atonement for his sin, he is granted a clear conscience before the Father. His clear conscience results in his acting, thinking, and speaking in faith. He does everything with complete acknowledgement of God’s Sovereignty and grace. The result of his actions of faith is that his love increases. Indeed this is his goal. His goal is the love of the Father.

These promote controversies rather than God’s work—which is by faith. ⁵ The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. I Tim 1

          His love abounds more and more in knowledge and depth of insight. His love bestowed to him from the Father becomes the overarching motive for everything that he does. He is completely devoid of self desires and longing. He is altogether poured out as a living sacrifice.

      His love increases his zeal and strength. He is given the supernatural power to labor tirelessly. He is able to work on behalf of the Vision during the waking hours and spend the dark hours in prayer. The Spirit gives life to his mortal body.

¹⁰ Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very Words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. I Peter 4

          His desire for the Father’s Kingdom will supersede any temptation of the fear of failure. His failures do not shake him because his faith is in the One whom He has believed in who will “keep what he has entrusted to Him for that Day”. He is not afraid to try 100 times and fail 99 times. When he falls, he rises again and finds his place in the Sovereign will of God. Indeed his leadership is still valued among the believers.

for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, 
   but the wicked are brought down by calamity. Prov 24:16

One of the greatest traits of a true leader is that he lives among the people. His living, working, eating, training, conversing, and resting with them shows the trueness of his rhetoric and the worth of his passion. God often works to increase the sincerity and trueness of His leaders through the training of having them work and labor among the people. They will be tested and often feel inadequate, but God will bring them forth as pure gold. God has a way of training His leaders in innumerous ways through failures and outwardly fruitless time and work. His beautiful work brings forth jewels of Truth and Godliness from single encounters and experiences.

⁷ Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong. Not that people will see that we have stood the test but that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed. ⁸For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 2 Cor 13

THE TRUE ENVISIONED LEADER IS FOLLOWED IN SPITE OF ALL HIS ERRORS BECAUSE OF HIS ETERNAL STANDING AND ONGOING SELFLESS REFLECTION OF THE IRRESTIBLE LOVE OF CHRIST FOR THE FLOCK.

C.    The Followers

There is state of leadership coexistence between envisioned leaders that does not occur with phantom leaders. The interaction of two or more phantom leaders in the worldly arena may expose the worst character traits of competitiveness, ambition, jealousy, and pride. The nature of their aims of darkness often disallow coexistence: the root cause of many type of conflicts, wars, battles, and the absence of peace in the world. In other cases, phantom leaders work together to lead the world astray.

 ¹ I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” ² I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

 ³ When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” ⁴ Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword. Rev 6

However, the coexistence of true envisioned leader of God is not only peaceful and filled with the righteousness of the Father, but it is desirable and is included in the will of God. It is a great mystery that in the Kingdom of God, the leaders perform their duty by following Jesus (To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps. I Tim 2:21). In their wholeheartedly knowledge of Christ, they become beacons of righteousness, shields of faith, a royal priesthood, examples of Godliness (Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. I Cor 11:1)…leaders of sacrificial and servant-like love on behalf of the glory of God in the fulfillment of His will with the love of Christ as the end goal. This mystery allows for each follower of Christ to be a leader, to be a fisher of men. He calls each one to follow Him that they may become fishers of men.

I will put my laws in their minds 
   and write them on their hearts. 
I will be their God, 
   and they will be my people. 
¹¹ No longer will a man teach his neighbor, 
   or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ 
because they will all know me, 
   from the least of them to the greatest. 
¹² For I will forgive their wickedness 
   and will remember their sins no more.” Heb 8

Every believer is given a needed purpose in the body of Christ. For the Father has configured the body in this very way in order that there may be equality, respect, honor, and value attributed to each member. They are all leaders of one another as they reflect the love of Christ and are possessed with zeal for His honor.

ZEAL FOR THE FATHER’S HONOR ALONE GIVES TRUE ENVISIONED LEADERS THEIR NEEDED SKILL

          As each believer follows in the footsteps of the Servant King of Love, Jesus Christ, they become leaders. The other sheep are drawn to each believer who follows Christ. The end goal of all of these leaders is the conformity to Christ’s love. In this sense, the stronger the leaders are, the greater will be the uniting force of love, humility, and sacrifice. Thus, as opposed to the nature of phantom leadership, the increasing faith, knowledge of the Word, and envisioning of leaders results in stronger leaders who possess more sacrificial love and humility. This love and humility draws in the other believers who follow suit. Stronger envisioned leadership results in a stronger unity among believers based on sacrificial love.

 ²⁰ “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their Message, ²¹ that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in you. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. John 17

THE ENVISIONED LEADERS UNITE THE BELIEVERS IN SACRIFICIAL LOVE AS THEY ACCOMPLISH THE FATHER’S WILL.

D.   Culmination under the Will of the Triune Godhead

We use the term “envisioned leader” and yet, ultimately there is only one Teacher, one Father, one Great Shepherd, and one enthroned “Leader”. All leadership roles given to the believers are useful for the present time to carry out the Father’s will: “to give the servants their food at the proper time”, “to be overseers of the flock”, “to set examples in life, love, faith, and purity”, to “train others in righteousness and in the Word”, “to be imitated for obedience to Christ”, and “to make disciples of all nations”.

¹⁸ I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength, ²⁰ which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹ far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. ²² And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, ²³ which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way. Eph 1

EVEN TRUE ENVISIONED LEADERSHIP IS TEMPORARY AND ULTIMATELY SUCCUMBS TO THE HEADSHIP OF GOD IN HIS FULNESS.

Disqualified from the Fading World

Theme Song: Overcome in honor of Mark Porter

¹⁰ And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of Light. ¹³ For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Col 1

Dear Father,
        Thank You for allowing us to be disqualified from the world and for qualifying us to live with You in Your Kingdom. Please help me to remember all of what Your Spirit has revealed concerning the End which is in our sight as we put our hope in You.
In Jesus Christ's Name,
Amen

     God is exhorting and commanding us to number our days so that we may gain hearts of wisdom. He is turning our hearts towards His second coming. He is calling us to readiness, faithfulness, and perseverance. He is calling us to make forceful advances and to zealously labor. Of utmost importance, He is stirring within us intense love and world-shattering faith. In the process of working this mindset into our hearts and minds, He must cut off our earthly attachments. HIS REFINING WORK IS DISQUALIFYING US FROM THE WORLD. But oh, to be found in Him with Christ's righteousness covering us!

Hang-ups: Perspectives that Deserve to be Crucified

     There are certain "hang-ups" that we all have. Most of them qualify us for living in this world under the dominion of darkness. Most of them have an [often indirect] root cause involving the love of money. These hang-ups result in a hardening of our hearts in many areas. They inhibit our love for one another. They inhibit the outpouring of our time and strength. They inhibit our boldness for His Kingdom. There are many lies that we have believed and continue to believe involving the security of our lives and the lives of those dear to us.

     The evil forces take these hang-ups and amplify them before our eyes and command us to worship them with our lifestyles and the attitudes of our heart. The devil screams out day and night "worship the idol of gold and precious stones, of power and comfort, of earthly glory and security, of the traditions of your forefathers and culture...there is no other way for you to survive. You must worship the idol". But we know that we belong to the King of eternal riches and glory.

      Indeed the antichrists that are already in the world would have deceived the elect if it were possible. If they refused to fix their eyes on their King, they would have stumbled beyond recovery. But He will remove these hang-ups. Yes, it will involve fierce refinement.

     No, He does not command us to immediately lose all material things, but He asks us "Do you love me more than these?" He calls for us to have complete faith in Him. He knows that our faith is weak and small...very much so. He is working on our behalf to increase our faith that we may trust in His provision and His Fatherhood over our lives.

Our Deep-Rooted Strongholds

       Our deep-rooted strongholds are not deep-rooted because the devil's head has been crushed under our Savior's Heel. They are quickly removed from us as we turn towards the living God. We are tempted to believe that the removal of our worldliness will involve long battles and horror-filled anguish. But there is a sight of Him that is able to quickly draw us to Him. We would drop our idols in an instant. Oh, seek Him dear saint! Press on in the secret prayer which is known to only you and the Father. You will find Him there. "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see My glory".

He is pouring out His Spirit to all those whom He has chosen and called!

The Double-edged Sword

    We must be pierced by His Word that our hearts may be circumcised. There is a great need to come to His Word with great faith and great fear of the Author. The study of the Word of God without the power and conviction of the Spirit is idolatry. We must read His Words with a zeal to know Him and to see Him.

     Why do we struggle with apathy and boredom, joylessness and sinful addiction? It is because we have not seen Him. We have not looked for Him with all of our heart. He longs for our zealous longing for Him. He cannot tolerate our lack of emotion. He will surely cut off all those who have not been wholeheartedly committed to Him.

The Seed Sown Among the Rocks and Weeds

     Jesus warns us by giving us the examples of the seed that fell on the rocks and weeds. In both places, the seed, the Word of God, brought forth life. But ultimately the pleasures or persecutions of the world brought destruction. I ask God:

 "I have never seen someone receive Your Word with joy and fall away. If there were someone who actually received Your Word with joy, I would feel very optimistic and believe wholeheartedly that they were Your own. If they fell away, I would believe that You are faithful to complete the work that You had started in them. But when I read this parable, it sounds like people can turn away. It appears that You may allow some people who at some point received you to eternally fall away. But who is there to remove the rocks and weeds but You, my Father, the powerful Gardener and Harvester? I know that I have rocks and weeds all around my own root, Father. And then I read in Romans 1 and elsewhere that You are able to give men over to the evil desires of their hearts. You give men over to powerful delusions. You harden the heart of men. If we refuse to repent of those hard parts within our being, You are able to harden our hearts eternally. And yet You Yourself hold me for the Day of Redemption. That has been my only hope...my only way for escape. My Father, how can it be that You, the Sovereign One, would let some fall away eternally?"

DEAR CHILD
¹¹ Here is a trustworthy saying:
   If we died with Him,
   we will also live with Him;
¹² if we endure,
   we will also reign with Him.
If we disown Him,
   He will also disown us;
¹³ if we are faithless,
   He will remain faithful,
   for He cannot disown Himself. 2 Tim 2

His own cannot disown Him nor will He disown us for He has treated us as His own Self. Their source of life is in Him. He is their wisdom, righteousness, holiness, and eternal redemption.

What Does this Food Do?

     He has given us His precious promises in His Word and His unfailing love. He tells us to put His Word and our lives on display since men ought to regard us as servants of God on behalf of His Gospel.

     Our fear has prevented us from sharing His Word, though the harvest has been ripe and ready for harvest. We thought that our lives were not fit for display, not realizing that indeed His righteousness would shine to cover our mared and shameful lives.

     As we deliver His Words to the lost in the world and as we live among them, we will discover the life-changing, world-shattering, glory-revealing nature of His Food which we have been keeping to ourselves. We will not know what His Food does until we give it to His sheep (many of whom have yet to join our fold) and watch His transformation in all of our lives. The sower and reaper are glad together.

Families for the Kingdom

Rather than using His training to perfect our families, His intention is to use our families to build His Kingdom.

²⁶ Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are. ²⁷ Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife. ²⁸ But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.
 ²⁹ What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; ³⁰ those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; ³¹ those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away. 1 Cor 7

     He is building His true Kingdom and our families exist for that end. The true fathers who follow Christ will realize this and put the Kingdom of God above the earthly comfort and security of their families. With regard to the recommendation to virgins, I have prayed something like "Father, please let me get married. We will not get distracted from Your Kingdom, but we will serve You together as a son and daughter of Your Kingdom. As it is Your revelation of the souls of many men has made me feel disqualified from the "game" of romance and marriage..." His Sovereign will for all His children is good. God does not exist to perfect our families and marriages. Our families and marriages exist only for His glory. Here are two noteworthy examples:

1. The husband may try to please his wife so that she will be happy. He gives in to her worldliness and desires for earthly entertainment. He is afraid to rebuke her in love for her ungodly temperaments because she will refuse to show him love for a week...judge for yourselves whose Kingdom you are on to refrain from seeking for the Father's daughter's eternal righteousness though it may be temporarily painful for both of you.

2. The wife submits to her husband in everything without clear insight into his soul nor unconditional AGAPE for him. She herself has deceived herself into self-righteousness in her submission and refuses to pursue true righteousness in and the sanctification of her husband. Surely the women of God have learned by now that they are able to lead their husbands by following them and bringing to the forefront those very Spirit-led acts and inclinations from the husband's life. But in the name of submission many women have refused to work zealously on behalf of her husbands soul and against the lingering evil and strongholds! There are two evils: one) a lack of submission and/or respect, two) a lack of insight into the Word of God and her husbands soul in the Light of His Word. Both are signs of lovelessness and disrespect in the wife. A woman of God will wisely assess her husband's soul and gently and quietly draw Him to the right path. An apathetic ignorant submissive wife digs her husband's spiritual grave. She needs her heavenly Father's wisdom and direction to do this. She must see His glory herself first. She must know His Words and hold them so very dear.

Intense Love

     As we sense the Day of Redemption drawing near, God unifies the hearts of His people. They will have nothing else to hope for or long for in this world. All of the distractions are the world are falling away from them and the purpose of the heavenly Kingdom increases in each of their hearts. Their love for their Lover increases within each of them. All earthly inhibitions and social classifications are cast away as the tents that we dwell in are sealed for destruction and disqualified from immortality.

Steps of Faith Which Have no Return

     The elect are learning that every step not walked in faith, with eyes on the heavenly Master and complete dependence on Him, are worthy of condemnation. Their steps, big and small, will be characterized by faith. Their strides cannot be back-walked. These steps have no return because the saints have overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of their Testimony.

Mark Porter has Seen the Glory of God!

     Mr. Porter, the superintendant of school district 833, has seen glimpses of the glory of God. God has allowed him to go through the trial of having his contract renewal unjustly voted against by the school board. I knew Mr. Porter personally from BSF. I used to go to BSF in my first 2 years at the UMN (I could still go to the High School group with my dad). Most of the other highschoolers' dads would walk with them to their classes, but dad was a leader so he had a leader's meeting before our class. Mr. Porter used to stand at the door and greet all the men who came. He would walk with me to my classroom almost every week since dad could not and was very kind to me. He serves as the Teaching Leader for the BSF men's group.

     Dad told us about his trial with the school board last month and I have been praying for him. God confirmed that He has revealing Himself greatly to Mr. Porter and strengthening his soul enormously. What dad has told me confirms this. May God vigorously defend the cause of His righteous saint! May God bring him into the Light that his enemies may be put to shame, but that the Name of the Lord will be praised and kept in high honor. Mr. Porter is achieving glory, honor, and immortality as His Father raises him up in Christ. There is only righteousness, worthiness, honor, and love that awaits him. The "Mark" of the King is certainly on him forever.

JUSTICE WILL AGAIN BE FOUNDED ON RIGHTEOUSNESS!

When Disaster Comes

Dear Father,
     Thank You that "when disaster comes to a city" it is You who has caused it (Amos 3:6). I have heard of Your deeds. Please renew them in our time and in Your wrath remember mercy. Will I repeat here what You have already had me write before? Help me to do Your will and please show Your glory to Your people!
In Jesus Christ's Name,
Amen


Theme Song: You are our Hope

¹⁵ He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. ¹⁶ He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. Deut 8


       Dear family, we are in the midst of a vast and dreadful desert. 

     This desert is vast due to the many kinds of evil and darkness around us. The desert is vast due to the legions of evil spirits that plague the hearts and minds of those around us. Without Spiritual sight given to us from above, this vastness appears to be endless in every direction. 

¹⁸ They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. ¹⁹ Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.Eph 4

     This desert is dreadful because the Lord of hosts has pronounced His judgment upon our land. No, not only the land of America, but He has pronouned judgment on the inhabitants of this entire world. 

 This is what the Sovereign LORD showed me: The Sovereign LORD was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land.Amos 7:4

This land is thirsty and waterless because the inhabitants have done two things:

¹³ “My people have committed two sins: 

They have forsaken Me, 
   the Spring of living water, 
and have dug their own cisterns, 
   broken cisterns that cannot hold water. Jer 2

This land is thirsty and waterless because the inhabitants are under a famine of the Word of God.

¹¹ “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign LORD, 
   “when I will send a famine through the land— 
not a famine of food or a thirst for water, 
   but a famine of hearing the Words of the LORD. 
¹² Men will stagger from sea to sea 
   and wander from north to east, 
searching for the Word of the LORD, 
   but they will not find It. Amos 8

The snakes and scorpions are the principalities, evil forces, demons, false doctrines, and the spirits who "masquerade as angels of light". We know that those who are in Christ are not harmed by these.

Have we not felt it? Have we not known the endless cruelty of the waning rule of the evil one who sets himself up against our glorious God? Are you not undergoing certain events in your life which are as to you: a dark valley and an endless desert? 

His message to us is that He Himself is causing these disasters in our lives. He knows the disasters in your life and He Himself has surely caused them. 

⁷ Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty says:

   “See, I will refine and test them,
   for what else can I do 

   because of the sin of My people? Jer 9

     He has caused them because it is only when we are in this desert that we receive His Living Water from the Rock and His Manna from Heaven. We have never known this Food and Drink. We have never tasted them. But He has brought us here that we may be humbled and that we may taste Him. His heart's desire and plan, which will certainly come to pass, is that it may go well with us in the end. 

His message to us is to wait and to watch for His movement on our behalf. Every disaster that comes your way is a blessing and a chance TO TASTE HIM.

²² Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
   for His compassions never fail.
²³ They are new every morning;
   great is your faithfulness.
²⁴ I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
   therefore I will wait for Him.”

 ²⁵ The LORD is good to those whose hope is in Him,
   to the one who seeks Him;
²⁶ it is good to wait quietly
   for the salvation of the LORD. Lam 3

     He is going to cause us to experience many disasters, and He is going to show us His glory through giving us Living Water and Manna that we have never tasted before. Through the Spirit you have put your faith in this Food and Drink, yet we know that we have tasted so little of them to this day. Expect calamity and yet eagerly await what comes from His Hand. 

 ¹⁴ “Therefore I am now going to allure her; 
   I will lead her into the desert 

   and speak tenderly to her. Hos 2

     For what comes from His Hand will reveal His glory to us. We will then know that there is nothing else that satisfies and we will worship Him with all of our heart and soul. 

     Do we see how good it is for us to see the glory of God? Visions of the glory of God are so essential, so necessary for us to love and obey Him. His inspiration of our hearts is so vital for the prevention of our backsliding. If we cannot see His glory, we can never understand this path that we travel or the One whom we so eagerly seek. When will He reveal His glory? Surely the Father will willingly pour out the Spirit on those who have faith. He commands us to seek Him and press on to acknowledge Him. He reveals Himself to the one who seeks Him with all his heart.


¹ “Come, let us return to the LORD.
He has torn us to pieces
   but He will heal us;
He has injured us
   but He will bind up our wounds.
² After two days He will revive us;
   on the third day He will restore us,
   that we may live in His presence.
³ Let us acknowledge the LORD;
   let us press on to acknowledge Him.
As surely as the sun rises,
   He will appear;
He will come to us like the winter rains,
   like the spring rains that water the earth.”Hos 6


     He will truly reveal Himself. What else do you desire? The smallest revelation of His glory will change us entirely. And apart from the revelation of His glory, we could never know Him or desire Him. Do we not cling to Him because something of His Words of Life or His comfort and fellowship had captured some part of us that could never let go of Him? We need to be absolutely still.There are some who have found Him and they could sing praises and hymns to Him as they were tortured, beaten, and led to the gallows. They rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer for the Lamb. How can we know His great worth if we cannot see our great need in the face of our great worthlessness? We have to see our great need! We must see it clearly, however gruesome and horrifying it will seem to us. He will do whatever it takes to reveal His life-changing and Life-bringing glory to us.



¹⁶ I heard and my heart pounded,
   my lips quivered at the sound;
decay crept into my bones,
   and my legs trembled.
Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity
   to come on the nation invading us.
¹⁷ Though the fig tree does not bud
   and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
   and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
   and no cattle in the stalls,
¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
   I will be joyful in God my Savior.
 ¹⁹ The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
   He makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
   He enables me to go on the heights. Hab 3


Outcomes of Seeing His Glory: from my perspective


I have seen a few glimpses of the glory of God in the recent weeks. They did not come after I spent hours praying or after spending all day in the Word. They did not come after a prolonged period of purity in my heart (As though my own righteousness paved the way for Him). They did not come when I expected them. Here were the characteristics that I remember from these instances:


1. I was silenced and awed. Normally my mind and heart are very active (though I am known by family and friends as peacefully gloomy and quiet in the recent month), and I am weighing the souls of others and myself. But when I saw His glory, my mind was stopped and yet at the same time confusion was washed away. It was as though the glimpse of complete understanding of Him removed my need to think or ponder or even feel.


2. Nothing was even remotely offensive or irritating to me. It was as though I was set free from the feeling of irritation in the flesh that is caused by various nuisances or words by others around me. It was as though my mind and body were elsewhere and I could no longer succumb to the thoughts of the futile mind.


3. Everything brought tears to my eyes. Every image of another person whom I love, every story someone shared with me, every email I read, every thought I had, reminded me of God's goodness and God's ultimate plan. 


4. I had love for people that I could never contrive. I have tried so hard on my own to AGAPE my family and people around me, but I usually feel like I can never do it. I always end up losing physical strength or needing to be alone very quickly. But after these instances, God gave a love for His people that was so closely tied to His concurrent revelation of the souls of others. I cannot read minds and hearts of people, but when I had recently seen His glory, the souls of men and women are laid bare before my eyes. When He reveals a soul, He never fails to give Agape to the one whom He reveals it to. A single sight of a redeemed soul changes the perspective completely.


5. God's Word comes alive. Reading His Word is enlightened with images of His love and splendor. Every Word and phrase fits in to the granted better understanding of His will and ultimate plan.


6. I no longer sought the love of man (which is perhaps my only human desire remaining in addition to physical comfort). I understood that everything apart from Him was corrupt and I no longer sought this as something to marvel at. I was ravished by His Great Gospel and knew I had to give what He gave me to others.


7. I understood His Gospel more clearly and His Words of Life came freely to me to deliver to others. Understanding of the Life given to us in Christ filled me with a hope and longing for heaven that I sadly do not consistently have.


8. I wanted more. I knew that I needed to see Him again and again in order to survive. I wondered how I could live most of my life without seeing Him in this way. My longing for Him increased.

Dear family, this knowledge of His glory seems like some kind of positive feedback mechanism. The more we see, the more we long for and desire Him. The more we lose sight of Him and fail to seek Him and His Word, the less we long for and desire Him.


Closing Song: Take Heart

Glorification Through Our Salvation and Pleasure

The Shelter, Refuge, Streams, and Shadow Man Who Unifies

¹ See, a king will reign in righteousness 
   and rulers will rule with justice. 
² Each man will be like a shelter from the wind 
   and a refuge from the storm, 
like streams of water in the desert 
   and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.Is 32


Theme Song: Behold our God 


Dear Father,
     I praise You that there is a message regarding our relationship with fellow believers in these verses. You in us and we in You...we are able to portray Christ in us to each other and so be strengthened and encouraged to find you in our Spiritual family. Help me to abide in Your Words and not stray from Them.
In Jesus Christ,
Amen


     There is a marvelous blessing that the Father has bestowed to His children: He has given us one another. This blessing is tasted as we find in each other, Jesus Christ: the Hope of Glory. 


Surely the King of Righteousness reigns among the hearts of His beloved and He is to them a Shelter, Refuge. Stream, and Shadow.


He is our Shelter


      He is a Shelter from the heat of the day: the "fiery darts of the evil one", the "breath of the ruthless which is as a storm driving against the wall", from the "wind and the waves", and from the "pestilence that stalks in the darkness". Surely the Name of the Lord is a strong Tower to which the righteous may run and be saved.


⁵ Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over all the glory will be a canopy. ⁶ It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.Is 4:6

He is our Refuge

     His place of Refuge is found in the Eternal Arms which are our strength each morning. Surely when the toils and sorrows of the morning darkness fall upon us, His arm of salvation is extended in love that we may cling to It and ever be renewed and strengthened as He feeds us with His daily Bread. We are as the fugitive scape goat traveling far outside the city of this world and rather suffering with Christ outside the camp, bearing the disgrace that He bore. He is our refuge, yes, even then, He is our place of peace and safety. No enemy can come near the beloved for they are ever hidden in Him

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, ‘Destroy him!’Deut 33:27

He is our "Streams of Water"

     He is to us Streams of Living Water from which we may drink and never thirst again. He brings streams out of the dessert ground and gives life to our soul even as our mortal bodies falter and fail. There is no true Fountain apart from Him and in Him may all our fountains be. "There is a river whose streams make glad the City of God, the Holy Place where the Most High dwells". His streams come to us in the dessert as we are parched and know no other flowing source but Him. These streams are as glorious comfort flowing from the throne, as a rushing river which dissolves whatever hardness remains in us, and as filling of the Spirit which results in the bearing of His good fruit.

³⁷ On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as^[c] the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” ³⁹ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. John 7

He is our Shadow

     He hides us from the fowler's snare and from the heat of the evil outcry rising from the earth. He hides us under the "shadow of His wings" and in the "cleft of the  Rock". He puts His Words in our mouths and brings us to the place of abundance. When in the midst of fires, His Hand lies over us that He may be our Shadow. Even as we walk in His light, the shadow that we reflect is Christ and brings glory to the risen One rather than to any earthly being. We reflect Christ as we abide in His shadow and are not burned through the refining fires that He places in our path. 

¹⁶ I have put my words in your mouth 
   and covered you with the shadow of my hand— 
I who set the heavens in place, 
   who laid the foundations of the earth, 
   and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.’”Is 51

      There are so many times, dear family, when we have grieved the Spirit by whom we are sealed for the Day of Redemption. We have grieved Him by refusing to be led by His gentle whisper, but rather "fled on horses" each in our own direction. The conscious abiding in Christ is a way of life, humble and narrow, that we rarely find ourselves in. It is not even an isolated life-changing event, but rather a life-changing event that changes our perspective towards every task laid before us, large or menial. His filling changes our perspectives towards each soul whom we encounter. We no longer only regard their mortal body and mind, but we regard their souls, lost or found, and His filling should give us a love and compassion. The humility that His Spirit brings to us will shield us from the offenses of the world, great or minor. No longer do we succumb to irritation, anger, jealousy, hopelessness, despair or even fleshly pleasure, useless speaking, and earthly entertainment. His filling of the Spirit is a circumcision of the heart, done not in the flesh by the hands of men, but done in the Spirit resulting in a new heart and a new mind. 

     As the Spirit goes about His circumcising sanctifying work, God has given us a great blessing that we ought never to neglect but that I (and many of us) have overseen. This blessing is the knowledge of Christ and all of His blessings through one another. 

²⁵ Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.Heb 10

     Jesus has given us His Word concerning His relationship towards all of His flock. As we are brought to dwell in Him more and more through the Spirit, the same path of the soul is occurring in other believers. Surely we are all on this path of being in Him more and more. As we are brought to Him, His glory is bestowed upon us. It is the very glory of God imparted to His beloved by which we are made one with each another. It is not the glory of any man or any leader that unifies the people of God, but rather the glory of God Himself. This glory brings His people to complete unity. THIS UNITY IS WHAT PORTRAYS TO THE WORLD THAT THE FATHER SENT THE SON TO BE THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD. And herein lies the importance of our understanding of His Words. As we are brought to Him, His glory is imparted to us. This glory WILL unify us, and the world will see our unity as a sign. This sign will be clearer to them than the miracles of the sick being healed, the physical resurrection of human beings, and the long awaited voices from heaven. The unity of God's people is a symbol to the world of the love of God for them. God has loved the world in the way that He has loved His own sinless Son, Jesus Christ. Why does God impart His glory to us? He imparts His glory to us because He has loved us as His children.

 ²⁰ “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, ²¹ that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: ²³ I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

   ²⁴ “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.John 17

     As we are brought to Him, He will be to us a Shelter, Refuge, Stream, and Shadow. As we hide in Christ, He will impart to us glory and power to do the work of the Father just as His food was to do the Work of the Father. 

³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ, who is your^[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.Col 3

     Thus we are no longer our fleshly selves, though the flesh wages war against us. Our flesh has been destroyed. Our lives are hidden so that Christ may be glorified in us and among us. As Christ is glorified in us, our lives will portray the attributes  of God. Our lives will display the Shelter, the Refuge, the Stream, and the Shadow of Jesus Christ. Our bodies become the temples of the holy Spirit where His glory dwells. As we portray Christ in this way, we will be drawn to one another in the same way that we are drawn to Christ. But the condition is that we must portray Christ in this way as we die to self and abide in the Words of God. The only way in which we will be unified is if the glory of God manifested in the Shelter, Refuge, Stream, and Shadow of Christ are revealed from our lives. Every glory of man broken down from us and every glory of the Father imparted to us will make our lives as beacons and fortresses for our Christian family. YOU FIGHT NOT ONLY FOR YOURSELVES BUT FOR THE JOY OF THE BRETHREN. 

²⁴ Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm.2 Cor 1:24

     There is a miraculous work that the Spirit has done in the regenerate, to cause them to hear the Shepherds voice and to listen to His Words. As you speak the Words of God, the true sheep will hear. They will hear with trembling humility. Surely there are short periods of time when the sheep are led astray and fail to heed His voice, but it may be that Your words from the Father will bring back the straying sheep to His only Good Shepherd. You have the Holy Spirit's residence in the regenerate soul on your side. 

³ The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”John 10

     Why do we teach the commands and the laws of God as though we were able to simply hear and obey? We teach them because the true sheep will hear and obey by the power of the Spirit of Christ. "His commands are no longer burdensome for he who is born of God has overcome the world". 

¹¹ Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. ¹² It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” ¹³ Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” ¹⁴ No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.Deut 30

    For all of the people of God have been given the Words of the God, Jesus Himself, to dwell in their mouths and hearts, through the Spirit, that they may obey Them. 

³³ “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
   after that time,” declares the LORD.
“I will put my law in their minds
   and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
   and they will be my people.
³⁴ No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
   or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’
because they will all know me,
   from the least of them to the greatest,”
            declares the LORD.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
   and will remember their sins no more.”Jer 31

      The conclusion of this writing is that we will all know Him and He has blessed us to know Him through each other. He brings us to Himself. He bestows His glory on us because He loves us. This glory of God in us is shown through the blessings of Christ (His Shelter, Refuge, Stream and Shadow) and unites us. This unity is a symbol to the world of God's love for them. As we speak God's Words to one another, the righteous ones will hear and obey. 

This link is for a blessed painting of "The Broad and Narrow Way": 

Scriptures are in German but you can figure them out.