|City on a Hill - Writings for Refuge

The kingdom comes from the inside out. Not in a way as to be seen. Luke 17:20One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. 21You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.” 22Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see the day when the Son of Man returns, but you won’t see it. 23People will tell you, ‘Look, there is the Son of Man,’ or ‘Here he is,’ but don’t go out and follow them. 24For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so it will be on the day when the Son of Man comes. 25But first the Son of Man must suffer terribly and be rejected by this generation. 26“When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. Tribulation is the resistance of the people of the earth and the consequences for that resistance, to the coming of the kingdom. Many are

What is Happening in the Middle East and Why it Matters Major instability has rocked the Middle East since May 22, 2017. It is easy to see the symptoms of the instability, but for many it is harder to see WHY the instability is suddenly present. If you miss the" why" you will mostly miss the prophetic implications. This is an important principle in general: the more the end time prophetic fulfillments unfold, the HARDER they will be to see. This is because delusion is being allowed into the world at an unprecedented level, as was promised: 2 Thessalonians 2:10and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, This is why Jesus comes at "midnight" in the darkest part, and seeing him requires the intentional act of "trimming a lamp.". The confusion that ensues among believers is unpr

What is Happening in the Middle East and Why it Matters Major instability has rocked the Middle East since May 22, 2017.  It is easy to see the symptoms of the instability, but for many it is harder to see WHY the instability is suddenly present.  If you miss the" why" you will mostly miss the prophetic implications.  This is an important principle in general: the more the end time prophetic fulfillments unfold, the HARDER they will be to see.  This is because delusion is being allowed into the world at an unprecedented level, as was promised: 2 Thessalonians 2:10and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, This is why Jesus comes at "midnight" in the darkest part, and seeing him requires the intentional act of "trimming a lamp.". The confusion that ensues among believe

Humility accepts God's destiny. 2 Chronicles 26:15And he made devices in Jerusalem, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and large stones. So his fame spread far and wide, for he was marvelously helped till he became strong. 16But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the LORD his God by entering the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. Earthly success/acceptance is often much more dangerous than weakness/rejection. In weakness, I make God my strength. As He answers with strength on my behalf, it is easy to begin to presume I am " God's anointed" and begin to take license and liberty that is outside of His direction. Success often is actually testing my loyalty to God Himself. Jesus paid that I could be loyal to God and His value system. The heart of David is to value anointing in others, that at the right time God will raise me up forever. I don'

True five fold Ephesian 4:11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; The true fivefold is simply a reflection of maturity in agreeing with God's vision for restoration of His family. We are all made to be in direct fellowship with God, which means we are all made for revelation. Revelation produces authority. The more I see of God's kingdom, the more I know how to operate in the kingdom, and the more I can serve in the kingdom. The greatest serve the most. The ultimate expression of redemption...the story the Bible is telling is this: all of God's children walking in the confidence and relationship of Jesus, the first of many brothers. The False fivefold p

I don't want to let semantics keep me from truth. Jesus taught in parables so that those who wanted to hear could and those who were only looking for what they already knew to be true would be confounded. If I am willing to try and hear God through other people sometimes I find out that what they are talking about is what God is talking to me about, they are just using different words to describe it. What is the fruit? Does the thing I am hearing make me want to give Jesus more? Does it cause me to get excited about searching his heart? Does it give me a boldness to say the true thing, and does it inspire me to do that in humility. Does it give me a restraint to put on self control or kindness or gentleness? Or.... Is it simply terms I agree with, in a context I feel comfortable with, that is leading me to stay the same or worse, get excited while also growing in impatience, anger, jealousy, or fear? Genesis 11:1Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. 2And it came to p

This is hard for some, but it really needs to be considered: One of the most unfortunate errors that stems from not reading the book of Revelation to the Church is that she presumes the events described in it are primarily the judging, the sifting, and the qualifying of the world for salvation. This is far from the truth. Revelation is describing a wedding...it is describing the judging, sifting, and qualifying of the Church unto a BRIDE. It isn't primarily a letter of warning and promise to the world, although anyone from the world can respond to it at anytime. It is a letter of warning and promise to the church, those who claim to have responded. Revelation 1:11saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.” The time for judgment comes first to the church, then, aft

This is hard for some, but it really needs to be considered: One of the most unfortunate errors that stems from not reading the book of Revelation to the Church is that she presumes the events described in it are primarily the judging, the sifting, and the qualifying of the world for salvation. This is far from the truth. Revelation is describing a wedding...it is describing the judging, sifting, and qualifying of the Church unto a BRIDE. It isn't primarily a letter of warning and promise to the world, although anyone from the world can respond to it at anytime. It is a letter of warning and promise to the church, those who claim to have responded. Revelation 1:11saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.” The time for judgment comes first to the church, then, after 1,000 years of

It is sick to see so many in the body of Christ that have spent years earning the trust of people suddenly turning to serve Mammon. The twisting of the Gospel in this hour for shameless self promotion and pan-handling would be nearly unbelievable if it wasn't prophesied by Jesus over and over: Matthew 7:15-20 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. (16) You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? (17) Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. (18) A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. (19) Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (20) Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Do not be confused: Jesus isn't desperate to finance the kingdom. Generosity is about your heart condition, not God's balance sheet. Don't be so open minded your brain

The problem is not a lack of weapons in church meetings. The problem is a lack of power in church meetings, which really means a lack of prayer in churches. The fear of the Lord is being lifted off the church. Guns won't bring the fear of the Lord, only the fear of man...a snare. Proverbs 29:25The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe. We need the fear of the Lord: Acts 5:10Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. 11So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things. 12And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch. 13Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly. 14And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15so that they brought the sick out

The gathering together with other believers is the washing machine that will make the church pure and spotless because it agitates. Jesus addresses the end time Bride as 7 churches. We see from His warning to Pergamos, Thyatira, and Sardis specifically that we are held accountable together and individually. This is because God desires a family. If I am tired of the family now and finding ways to do God alone, then what will I do when the family is driven together by more intense judgment? If I can't deal with the offenses of the family of God, what am I going to do as the world inherits the hatred of the offended church in the increasing falling away? It will never get easier than now to begin the conversation with Jesus about my own shortcomings in dealing with those closest to me so I can get ready to help those closet to me deal rightly with the Bride and the world. I get rid of the log so I can be helpful with the specs. Jeremiah 12:1Righteous are You, O LORD, when I p