|City on a Hill - Writings for Refuge

The Church was born on Easter Sunday a little over 2,000 years ago. The disciples, confused about the death of their friend and anointed Messiah, Jesus, ran to the tomb on the report of the ladies who had gone to check on His body: John 20:1-10 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been arou

In heaven, right now, there is a throne room. In that place there are two large thrones and several smaller ones. On the two large thrones sit the Father and the Son, Jesus: Mark 16:19-20 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. The temple in Israel was a copy, a model, of this real place in the heavenly city called the New Jerusalem. This throne room in heaven is the Holy of Holies...the holiest place in all of creation. The Holy of Holies in Jerusalem was a representation on earth of the real place in the heavenly city. This is the "living room" of God's household, where we were created to live with Him. In a similar way, the Mosiac law on earth was a representation, a model, of the law of God, the "law of His house", written on the hearts of God's peopl

The escalation of events, politics, and circumstances in the world is making a steady advance towards what the Bible describes occurring in the "last days." Last days is really a misleading term, because the Bible is clear that life on earth is not about to end. Life without Jesus physically on earth is certainly about to end! In Cyprus, bank depositors just had up to 40% of their bank accounts confiscated. This is just the beginning. The US-backed World Bank is about to get some serious competition, as China, Russia, South America, and India (and a few other countries) align to form the new BRICS bank. This bank is intended to form an "alternative to dollar-trade finance" which are fancy words to say they don't trust the dollar will hold its value long term, and they believe that the endless printing of money by the US Fed and the ECB is unfair to their interests...which it clearly is. When the world threatens to stop using the US dollar, there is going to be a

The closer I get to Jesus, the more I want to agree with Him. He is so worth it. The love, and wisdom, and mercy that He is the fullness of is undeniable the more I consider who He is and how He represented himself to humanity. He is the opposite of a top down religious system, He became the least to demonstrate the humility of God. He said "if you have seen me, you have seen the Father." Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are each the fullness of humility. I could tether my mind to this idea for 1,000 years and still not grasp the enormity of it. We worship a God who not only places high value on humility, but is the fullness of that very thing. Philippians 2:1-11 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let

The Sermon on the Mount is God's blueprint for walking in agreement with God. God is jealous with vibrant desire to be close to me. He only made one of me, individually fashioning my heart for His enjoyment as I walk into the purpose and plan He envisioned as He forged my heart with its desires and capacities. Because I am the only me God will ever make, He jealously desires that my choices would agree with Him so He could see me live in the fullness of what He has for me! The Sermon on the Mount is the manual for walking into that fullness. It is a road map to wholeheartedness. The Sermon on the Mount can be most easily found in Matthew 5,6, and 7, where it is relayed in it's continuous entirety. It starts with the Beatitudes (blessed are the poor, etc.). The Beatitudes are the goal...my goal is to grow these blessings in my heart. An awareness of the gap between what God says is possible and what I am actually experiencing is the first and most valuable Beatitudes. It is call

There is an idea that floats through the minds of many believers that satan is an opposite force of God. That God is the good side of power, and satan is the evil side of power. This could not be further from the truth. God is uncreated. He is eternal, which means He has always existed and will always exist. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have no beginning or end. They are the complete fullness of all their attributes. They only love fully…wholeheartedly. They only reign in complete justice, mercy….joy. God is the full measure of every good thing. Satan is a created being, just like you and I. He is completely limited in his ability to act. God is sovereign over all satan does. Between the uncreated God and created satan, there is an infinite difference in power. Satan can do nothing without permission: Job 1:6-12 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. (7) And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you

There is one piece of real estate in the entire world that is truly invaluable. The entire world focuses their gaze on this tiny patch of land. This is the spot where the Bible indicates Abraham proved His faith, and David atoned for his mistake in counting human strength more important than God's. Islam claims this is the place where Mohammed ascended to heaven. This is the Temple Mount. Want to know what most of the trouble in world politics over the entire course of modern history is primarily about?...It is who controls this 37 acres of land! Want to know why peace is elusive in the Middle East, why both Palestinians and Jews want to claim Jerusalem as their capital city? It is these 37 acres of land. Want to know why Jews have been persecuted throughout the last 2,000 years, having their capital city, Jerusalem, destroyed and their entire nation being wiped off the face of the map in 70 A.D.? Why Jews were literally then chased by people who wanted to exterminate them througho

There is a great increase in the activity of God among His people sure to come. Many of the prophets declared it would come thousands of years ago. Each one tied it to the "day of the Lord," the season of preparation for the return of Jesus. This is the promise many in Jesus' body are contending for. Some don't know it is promised, and some don't know when it will come in full. It has been available for 2,000 years, but will come in full in the future on a very specific day. This is the Joel 2:28-32 outpouring of the Holy Spirit on "all flesh." Joel 2:28-32 “And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. “And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned

The book of Revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ. It is the most full statement of who Jesus is, what He is about, and why. This amazing book ends with heaven rejoining earth, just what the Father called "very good"...God with man on earth. This book is one of the least understood books in the Bible, even though it is very straight-forward and clear. It is one of the least-taught books in the Bible, although the book of Revelation is the only book in the Bible with a promised blessing for anyone willing to read and teach it: Revelation 1:3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near. The book of Revelation is organized in an amazingly clear way. The first Chapter introduces us to the one the whole book is really about: Jesus! There are over 30 descriptions of Jesus describing who He is...God revealing God...on the first page of the book! The next two chapters describe who it

The world is ripe for the very specific events that the Bible describes the last generation before Jesus returns in power seeing with their own eyes. We live in a time that is very unique in world history. Daniel was given a ton of information about the generation that would see the Lord return, but he was also told this information wasn't for him, it was for that time when it would be understood: Daniel 12:4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” I believe we are living in the time Daniel was given the message for. With the advent of the internet, this is the first time in human history that knowledge is basically instant and global. People certainly run "to and fro" not just traveling, but living lives at a frenetic pace. Understanding of the Daniel prophecies is quite telling, if we are willing to look at what Daniel was told and hold it before the Lord. One subject Dan

Psalms 60:4 You have given a banner to those who fear You, That it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah Psalms 60:11-12 Give us help from trouble, For the help of man is useless. Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies. Jesus is the banner given to those who fear God. The banner is truth, and truth is a man. His name is Jesus. There is soon coming a time, and in fact, the time has already begun, where truth will be openly and confidently confronted by the greatest lie ever released on the earth: that man can provide for himself better than God can. The Bible says that the antichrist is the champion of this great lie. When most people hear the name antichrist, they get some kind of strange picture in their minds of a menacing figure, but the Bible describes a much different picture. The antichrist is a man who appears to have the answers to the world's major problems. He will offer himself to the world as a substitute for truth...as a