Fellowship of Brothers

One of the dictionary definitions of investing is to endow with power or authority. That is interesting to me because I believe in  people and I invest in people. I investing in people rather than investing in products, processes, ideas, companies or concepts. I see in social and spiritual history more grounds for investing in people than in any other asset. Why?

One is temporal and the other is organic. It is impossible to have an organic relationship with an idea or a process or product. It is probable that a relationship with a person can be established. It is not automatic and it is not a given, but it is a possibility. To me, the risks in making investments are the ricks involved in trusting people. Trust is easy when dealing people you already know and have experience with if the experiences are good. Otherwise, trust is developed by taking the risk that a person is trustworthy.

To invest in people then, one must believe in people until people prove that believing in them is a mistake. I don't believe in giving a person a chance to prove themselves. I believe in giving them a chance be all that they can be until they prove to me that I made a mistake believing in them. But they will have to prove that I was wrong because I am starting from the proposition that their potential will be realized if someone believes in them.

So I invest in people like others invested in me.

FROM THE MESSAGE PARAPHRASE OF MALACHI 4

1 “Count on it: The day is coming, raging like a forest fire. All the arrogant people who do evil things will be burned up like stove wood, burned to a crisp, nothing left but scorched earth and ash—a black day.

2 But for you, sunrise! The sun of righteousness will dawn on those who honor my name, healing radiating from its wings. You will be bursting with energy, like colts frisky and frolicking.

3 And you’ll tromp on the wicked. They’ll be nothing but ashes under your feet on that Day.” GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies says so.

4 “Remember and keep the revelation I gave through my servant Moses, the revelation I commanded at Horeb for all Israel, all the rules and procedures for right living.

5 “But also look ahead: I’m sending Elijah the prophet to clear the way for the Big Day of GOD—the decisive Judgment Day!

6 He will convince parents to look after their children and children to look up to their parents. If they refuse, I’ll come and put the land under a curse.”

FROM THE MESSAGE PARAPHRASE OF LUKE 1:15 – 17

15 He’ll achieve great stature with God. “He’ll drink neither wine nor beer. He’ll be filled with the Holy Spirit from the moment he leaves his mother’s womb.

16 He will turn many sons and daughters of Israel back to their God.

17 He will herald God’s arrival in the style and strength of Elijah, soften the hearts of parents to children, and kindle devout understanding among hardened skeptics—he’ll get the people ready for God.”

Malachi called the Hebrews to repent and in chapter 2 he charged them with abandoning the Fatherhood of God. He charged with abandoning their natural fathers. By these acts they orphaned themselves. But God’s Fatherhood does not allow Him to abandon His chosen ones. He would not leave them as orphans. As Malachi closes his recorded word he declares to all, not just those who fear the Lord, that in the last days he will send an abiding word to awaken fathering in the fathers reverence in the children. There is a hope here that spiritual leaders will rise to a higher resolve than just to preach and minister.

I asked the Lord one day to give me wisdom to understand what was meant by the words pastor, shepherd, elder, father, bishop, overseer, etc. All of the words call up different things to us, images that suit our education, traditions, preference and experiences. Is there one word that might call up a common image and one that reflects well on just what God means when these other words are used?

Well, my good friend whom I have not met yet, author of The Message paraphrase, helped me identify such a word. The word is parent. In bold type above are segments of two verses which convey something that is relevant to this afternoon’s summit.

Some time ago, I undertook to speak to some of you individually. At that time a passion was burning in me for leaders of The City to rise to a new level of corporate appointment as caretakers of The City. The emphasis of what worked in me then was taken from 1 Corinthians 13. When I was a child I spoke as a child… when I became a man I put away childish things. Bill, put down your spiritual childhood and put on your spiritual manhood.

As I reflect now a question presents itself. When must a boy become a man? Well, if it hasn’t happened by then, he must become a man when he becomes a father. The ideals of and the demands of parenting might cause one to faint and cower. Or they may cause one to call upon God for wisdom, resolve, inspiration and courage to parent his family and husband his spouse. No less than this job is the heart of my request for you to be here today.

‘the Sentinel Group of George Otis, Jr. produced a video some years back which chronicles the impact of corporate spiritual parenting on four diverse societies, African, South American, Central American, and North American. Sweeping changes in whole societies resulted from one phenomenon which is summed up for me in the comments of a Pastor interviewed in the segment on North America. The city was Hemet, Ca.

His comment was this, “God is not going to hold me accountable for how I Pastored my church. He is going to hold me accountable for how I Pastored my city.”

An inescapable feature of the Sentinel Group’s production in each case is this; the leaders, translated FATHERS, of these four cities became a galvanized fellowship of Fathers intent on bringing the Kingdom of God to bear on the kingdoms of this world.

When I asked you to come today I told you about a dreamer and his dream. I told you about a vehicle that holds promise as a force to bring the Kingdom of God to bear on our justice system, our educational institutions, our corridors of commerce and even our chambers of politics. That is the substance of Warren Piersol’s conversations with me and others on how prayer might serve to galvanize the spiritual leaders of The City and impact The City.

Additionally, I told a few of you how, on a certain day, as I recalled the many times I have heard Warren speak of this, a picture presented itself to my mind. Warren was recounting the hope of impacting our society before a few others. As he conveyed his thoughts a look of increasingly intense resolve came on the faces of the listeners. Then, as though in unison, they rose and said, “We can do this!” A verse of scripture came to mind from the books of Joel and Acts. Your old men shall dream dreams and your young men shall see visions.

Is there a better time than now to take corporate responsibility for The City? It may be in each of you to do so, but no one of you, even with considerable resources, is equal to this duty. We don’t have the right to stand at the frontiers of The City and call it to repentance or cast aspersions on its waywardness unless and until we take responsibility to bring the love of God to bear on various domains that are now held in the malevolent sway of the spirit of anti-Christ. Does God have permission to meld us into one mind, one heart and one accord?

God helping, it is my great desire to see us mount to a corporate manhood and to advance on becoming a galvanized, melded fellowship of Fathers.

IT'S A PERCEPTION THING

     God has a viewpoint on everything, a perspective that is different than ours. It is part of what He means when He says that His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways are higher than our ways. But He is not saying or even suggesting that His thoughts and His ways cannot become our thoughts and our ways. Perhaps it is easier to assume that His ways and thoughts cannot become ours because then we think to ourselves that we are not responsible for what happens or what doesn't happen. However, God has that kind of thinking trumped by His words in Galatians 6. "God is not mocked.” He goes on to say there are consequences for intentionally sowing bad seed.

      Moving on to the topic at hand, spiritual breakout, let’s press in.

     Breakout is not a term we have heard commonly used in the Kingdom of God. Especially within the community of those who pray, a more common term is breakthrough. Breakthrough suggests that God is trying to penetrate INTO something that He is shut out of. "We expect a breakthrough in the peace negotiations at any time..." says the TV journalist (Not for the Gaza strip though, today).

     Or, “breakthrough” suggests a letting up of something that is adverse, like the weather. "We expect a break in the heat wave by the weekend..." says the weatherman.

     Or the believers pray for new vitality in the church and they talk about a breakthrough that is coming. The word breakthrough comes out more in prayer than almost anywhere else. But I think God has another perspective.

     If God is pushing for anything, I think it is a breakout. He has basically been held hostage within His own house in a lot of ways. Not the least of them is in worship, fellowship and love for the brethren. He has been studied, examined, tested, defined, and... CONFINED. But He is planning a breakout and He is rallying help. He does not NEED help, but it has always been His way to limit Himself to the agency of humanity. It has also been His way to involve sons and duaghters of God in the affairs of His family business.

     He is brooding over His house and a divine discontent for church au natural or church a la carte is percolating. Some of us are catching on and running to enlist in the rank and file militia that He is raising.

     Now lest you think that this means the church is declaring war on itself, let's back up and take a look at US history for a moment. There is an informative observation there. 

     As discontent with British oppression of the colonials grew in the 1700s, the sentiment for revolution grew. More and more of the rank and file found themselves volunteering to resist and to mount a vigorous resistance. The British turned the heat up to scare off the faint hearted, the weak, the old and young and to strike fear into the hard core rebels.

     There were some colonials who were vocal in the beginning and maybe even stepped up to be counted who subsequently withdrew, shut up and disappeared. Some of them even advocated for patience and peace and leaving well enough alone. They resisted the resistors though they were not friends of the King any more than they were friends of the devil. They were victims who had become used to the status quo.

     Others steeled themselves even more to fight and die for liberty and freedom. For many of them, their strength and resolve came from God Who forged their backbone in the fires of His righteousness. It was crucial that they keep their focus on the real enemy or they would make unnecessary enemies of their scared friends and find themselves fighting each other. Not good.

     Now pay attention here.

     The valiant rebels did not turn their attentions from the British oppressors to focus on the retiring, unwilling, scared, uncertain colonials. If anything, the internal disquiet only stoked the fires of the valiant ones because they were ALL being victimized by the oppressors from without and within. They raided the enemy camp. They would not be held in the prison of oppression. They broke out of the hold of their captors and jailers and abusers.

     God is not held captive in the church, but in the world systems that have invaded the church by the craft and subtlety of The Perpetrator, Satan. The church is victim here and God is the liberator, the Captain of the Hosts.

     He will not be caged, nor will He suffer His own to be caged by the oppressions of darkness that have shut down worship and fellowship and devoted love of the brethren.

     Understand what is going on here and if you have the heart for it, take up the call to daring praise, breaking new ground in what your personal worship life has been. Take up the call to fearless worship and brave the contrary tides that resist drawing nearer and nearer to The One who loves your soul.

     I don't know what to tell you specifically to do different than what you have been doing, but I am urging you to find out from God where fear or preference has drawn confining lines around you and make a plan to break out of that captivity. God is with you and you are surrounded by a new breed of believer that is doing the same thing. Band with them in accord and unity and draw around you the company of those who are reaching for worship and fellowship and devotion for the brethren as they exist in the heavenlies. You can be part of making heaven touch the earth.

     Be assured that God is doing His part. He is gathering the governors and leaders of His Kingdom and bringing new coordination to the Bride by way of the accord and unity they are forging together. You are not alone. We are not alone. The quest for new ground and breakout is a worthy one. Let’s pray…

     Father, strengthen my friends whom I have not met yet to rise in answer to the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who comes in the name of The Lord. Open the spirit of their mind to receive the knowledge of the Lord and bring understanding of Your perspective to their heart of hearts. Out of a renewed mind, make Gideons of all of us, willing to defend to the death those whom you sent home from the fight against the oppressor without holding them up to any ridicule and disdain. Strengthen us in Your love and let the breakout that You are calling for reach magnificent proportions throughout the camp of those who love you.

Towards the will of God...

Bill Word, Facilitator

Fellowship of Brothers

www.fellowshipobrothers.org

wmwordjr@yahoo.com

A LIVING EXAMPLE OF

DARING PRAISE AND FEARLESS WORSHIP

     I was with my friend, Auther Culpepper and his wife, Linda, and their two children, Victoria and Nathan, for the Oasis Christian Fellowship family night and prayer gathering. I took my guitar and they asked me to worship. It was the first time in 5 years I have used my guitar and my voice to advance worship before a group. God truly blessed it and 30 minutes later we were all kneeling in honor to the Lord and praying. Pastor Culpepper prayed and worshipped in the reading and quoting of many scriptures. It was suggested that the Lord would have us focus on calling children to come to Him and present themselves before from all over the region that is Corpus Christi.

     There was stillness for a few minutes as we waited before the Lord and then there was the sound of a native Indian drum. Young Nathan had gone to the platform and started beating out a call on the voice of the drum. His sister, Victoria, came up and picked up an instrument called a rain stick and began to exercise with it.

     A lady stood and said the Lord is singing a song in her heart and the words are calling everyone to dance like children. She repeated the words and the simple melody a half dozen times and none of us did anything. I asked Victoria, “How does a child dance before the Lord? She shrugged her shoulders at first. Then she closed her eyes and looked thoughtful as though she was asking Jesus. Then she began to sway and twirl in a blind dance with her eyes still closed. Her brother started to beat the drum harder with more distinct rhythm. There was no other sound except for our voices and clapping our hands.

     Victoria continued to dance and then began to blow a shofar. After several long loud blasts the room erupted in glad shouts and bible proclamations. Victoria took the lead and one by one grabbed everyone in the group and began to skip around the room. A couple of the ladies picked up tambourines. This went on for some minutes and I felt I was beholding something akin to David’s dance in the streets of Jerusalem that caused his wife Michal to despise him. I sensed there was a response of spiritual disgust coming from the heavenlies where the demonic forces of darkness and principalities are lodged. But laughter and glee continued to break out upon this group.

     I do not yet capture the spiritual ramifications of this night, but the word of the Lord in me for it is “Spiritual Break Out.”

     There is more to relate that is relevant to these things, but there must be a stopping place somewhere. But isn’t it significant that it was children leading the parade here. That is no small thing. It is significant that it was an Indian drum and an Indian rhythm that was struck. I do not yet know why, but I know it was significant.

     I don’t know how to stop so I’ll just say there is more and there is more coming… Wow!

Come Let Us Reason Together

In the previous article, the language was more prophetic than originally intended. This is the fourth entry on the FOB web log and the direction of travel might be apparent or even obvious to some. The journal began by speaking of God as a seeker of men. He is unique in the universe of gods because none of those who are falsely thought to be gods seek men, or minister to them.

But Jesus seeks the lost to save them. He seeks the upright heart to show Himself strong in their behalf. He seeks those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth or reality. And He has put in the hearts of all men to seek Him. It is we who settle for lesser principalities who are not gods at all.

The next article is a short view of a mysterious and, perhaps Billish (more Bill that Bible), perception drawn from the OT and the NT. The OT speaks briefly of a clan among the Hebrews known as the sons of Issachar. They were of some repute among the Hebrews because they knew what Israel should do at any one point. The mention of them is written in such a way as to infer they knew progressively what was next for Israel.

This article connects the testimony concerning the sons of Issachar with the rebuke of Jesus to the Hebrews in the book of Matthew. He chided them that they did not know the times or the day of their visitation. They could tell the weather by the skies, but not the times and seasons of the Lord.

It was a stinging rebuke. Maybe it sounded unreasonable to them and maybe to us, too, except that God always addressed Israel as a spiritual people, a chosen nation. The nature of the sons of Issachar to know what is next is part of what God wants to perfect in all believers today and He wanted it for them then. Despite the times of the sons of Issachar, the Hebrews inculcated nothing of the instincts or reflexes of Issachar’s facility to seek God. So Jesus rebuked them openly, en masse. This was not the first time.

The prophet Ezekiel rebuked the Hebrew leadership for leaving the peoples without shepherds, leaving every man to go his own way. Ezekiel used many words to describe the scope of the sin of the priesthood. However, lest any of us glory in their judgment, Ezekiel then turned on the peoples. He sternly rebuked them saying that they have not sought God nor heeded His instructions and commandments. Ezekiel’s rebuke of the people was just as stern and incisive as to the priests.

Well, here we are today and what can be said for our version of the congregation of God’s chosen people, the church? Would His rebuke of the Hebrews scald us as it should have scalded them? In the large part, I say yes. We may have good intentions as church people, but intentions do not exonerate us any more than sincerity would. A person can be sincere and still be sincerely wrong headed.

The church is an organism, not a human possession. The church is the bride of promise for the Son of God. She is not her own and does not have the privileges of self-determination. She cannot be so selfish and shut-up and remain the Bride of promise, the betrothed of the Son.

That is as ridiculous a proposition as Esther assuming to herself the necessary preparations to be presented to King Ahasuerus for betrothal. At Mordecai’s word she consented to the regimens of separation from her loved ones and months of beautification in a culture not her own just so she might lay with the King for a night on the prospect of becoming his queen. All of her decisions over her time and disposition were made for her by others of the King’s servants. Why? Mordecai could only propose to Esther that perhaps it was for just such time as that one for her to come to the place of imperial influence that she gained.

So it is with the Bride of promise;  she must be spotless and without blemish. Whew!

We, the church, are being beautified for a time of imperial influence which begins here, on the planet. We are not our own. The one Who is our Lord, however, is slow to judge. Because of this it is thought that He will not judge our attitudes of puniness and rights and ownership of that which is not ours. We sink to the depths of those who have gone before us and think to tell God what is decent and in order within His congregation. In this we ere just as Michal erred in her heart to despise her husband, David, the King, for his abandon in celebration and worship on the streets of Jerusalem.

So if we are to wake up and smell the coffee and see the reality of the times of the Lord, and if we realize that newness in praise, worship, the prophetic and prayer is a priority of God, what must we do? Well, if you hear the call, the invitation to join the break-out, there is more ground to break and more ground to cover. Just remember that to go where He is going is a valiant quest. Daniel would call it a great exploit. Paul would call it apprehending that for which you were apprehended. Peter would call it partaking in The Being. Jesus would call it, “Take up your cross and come, Follow Me.

Do you have to leave your present fellowship to make the changes? No, but you do have to leave the unrighteous trappings and subjugation and imposition. But the Lord Who suffered and lives again is worthy. Remember, if you fix your eyes on the prize of present tense fellowship with the Father and with the Son among the congregation of those who reverence Him as the Apostle John spoke about in 1 John 1:3, … if you do gain sight of that prize, no price is too great.

So! What is daring about Daring Praise? And what is fearless about Fearless Worship? It is daring to break the molds of your own confinement. It is daring to make solid plans to take your personal worship up a notch or two or three. It will feel so awkward and clumsy at first.

It is fearless to defy your inhibitions and the reckless warnings of our own congregations and to set your heart to draw nearer to God than anyone you know. It is fearless to cultivate your appetite for fellowship with Jesus. It is fearless to notch up your devotion to all you understand of the purposes of God for you personally. Have you ever looked to see how many times Jesus said, “Do not fear …” It might be interesting to look it up. You can do this thing… I believe in you.

See you in the Holiest of Holies.