|City on a Hill - Writings for Refuge

The government of Jesus is unlike any other the earth has ever experienced. Many of us know this intuitively. It is common, when we think about heaven, to imagine everyone living in peace, getting along, having fun with eachother, and not living selfishly. We are imagining a place where everyone is friends. This is true according to the Bible. But, the way this actually happens will not be accidental! John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. The Greek word translated "friend" in the passage is "philos." Which is a specific love expressed in friendship. The Strongs outline of Biblical usage defines Philos as: friend, to be friendly to one, wish him well a fr...

Got a good question from a really great mom who is also a friend, and thought it might be helpful to others: Q:. How would you teach young kids about end times. We have been doing some, but I do NOT want to instill fear in my kids about it as I want them to walk in freedom in the spirit & bravely know who they are in the times coming. But my people are quite young minus my two older girlies. But do you have a resource or teaching or ideas on how to talk freely about the upcoming events without making it seem fearful? My Answer:. The simple but not super easy answer is night and day prayer. Imo, empowering kids into this is essential. Joel 2/Rev 7/Ezek 9 all describe the reality of crying out day and night making people safe. Kids totally get this. What's more, they get, even little ones, how messed up the world already is! The fear is already entirely present. That is actually the problem. The events of the book of Revelation are honestly no more fearful than the daily grind in...

Jesus gave us the Sermon on the Mount to show us how to ascend to where He is. We have 70 or 80 years, max, to really press in and spend ourselves on our forever future with Him. Teaching people how to press in by being salt and light, even at the guaranteed cost of persecution, makes a man or woman great forever. Teaching and doing the Sermon on the Mount is "Christianity 101": Persecution is guaranteed if you actually do the beatitudes Matthew 5:10-12 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (11) "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. (12) Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Enduring the persecution and seeing it as the success of the upward call of Christ is what makes a person "salt" and "light": Matthew 5:13-16 "You are ...

Luke 18:2saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. 3“Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ 4“And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5‘yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ” 6Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. 7“And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8“I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” There is no other end time plan. The cry for vengeance implies that those crying out day and night have been given injustice...like Jesus. The promise of being found faithful is to those who embrace this idea and gather others into THAT gospel. Anything less than the real gospel filling more and...

Luke 18:2saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. 3“Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ 4“And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5‘yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ” 6Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. 7“And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8“I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” There is no other end time plan.  The cry for vengeance implies that those crying out day and night have been given injustice...like Jesus.  The promise of being found faithful is to those who embrace this idea and gather others into THAT gospel. Anything less than the real gosp...

John 15:13“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15“No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. The leadership structure Jesus has chosen for His body is occupied by friends. This leadership concept is actively resisted in much of the church where leaders separate from "people" in order to protect their hearts or influence. The false structures of leaders and people requires identifying your role to others, so that you can be known. Since the relational knowing of friendship isn't accessible, instead the false five fold has to assert it's position by credentials, networks, and endorsements. The true structure of the kingdom rejects this idea: John 1:19Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from J...

All prophecy is an invitation to submit to God in faith. All prophecy is an invitation to grow in meekness and humility ... To become more like Jesus. Many people are told of great things to come so they will respond to them. Because God chose love, he also chose free will. Prophecy is an invitation to use your freedom to choose restraint. Where there is vision that is believed and submitted to, restraint follows: Proverbs 29:18Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law. 19A servant will not be corrected by mere words; For though he understands, he will not respond. Many have been shown prophetic realities. Unfortunately, many also reject the restraint that the prophetic vision is inviting them into. Often, the prophetic reality still happens, but it happens in a way that does not benefit, or sometimes even include, the one who had the vision because they wouldn't say yes to what the word was inviting them into. Jesus gives prophe...