First Century Church

Acts is sequel to the life of Christ in the Gospels, and it records the spread of Christianity from Jerusalem to Rome.  It is the initiation of Jesus’ Great commission to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.   Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen).  We as believers are the descendants of the original disciples and are called to do the same in carrying out the Great Commission (Mark 16:15-18). 

Act 1:8 is the key to the book (But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth”).  This verse predicts the outpouring of the Spirit and its powerful witness. Under the New Covenant, every believer is given the Promise of the Father (Luke 24:49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high”), the active, indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.  By this activity of the Spirit’s fullness in the life of every believer, dynamic devotion is possible and the ministry of Christ in His church continues.  In general, Acts relates the step-by-step expansion of Christianity and the church.  Acts is a record of practicing Christianity under the power of the Holy Spirit.  It teaches believers how to live together in meaningful Christian fellowship.

Probably the most prominent characteristic of the early Christians was their spiritual power.  They fasted and prayed fervently (Acts 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers, Acts 13:3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away). Acts is about ordinary people doing extraordinary things with the power of the Holy Spirit.  Signs followed those who believed (Mark 16:17-18 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name, they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover”).  Acts was the first century church that should be a model for the body of Christ in this age.

Acts contains indispensable material for those who wish to learn the power principles of Christian leadership.  The leadership of the apostles in Acts is some of the most spiritually powerful the church has ever known. The leadership models here provide patterns for effective ministry and service.  Applying the lessons for leaders given in Acts will help give today’s Christian leaders increased power in every ministry.

Leaders, incorporate these four elements into your congregation’s life: Teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers. (Acts 2:42-47 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.  Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.  Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common…. So, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved).

Leaders, allow others to share in the work of the ministry (Acts 6:1-6 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.  Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas…. whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them).

Leaders, give prayer a central place in your church life (Acts 12:12 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church).

Leaders, submit to the Spirit’s guidance when confronting decisions.  Call leadership to prayer and fasting in such times.  Release freely those appointed and called by the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:1-3 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius…, Manaen…. and Saul.  As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”  Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away).

Leaders, remain humble before the Lord and those you serve, giving Him all praise and honor (Acts 14:14-18 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them, who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways.  Nevertheless, He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” And with these sayings they could scarcely restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them).

Leaders, personally train young people who are called to ministry (Acts 16:1-5 Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek.  He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium.  Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek.  And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem.  So, the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily).

Leaders, shepherd God’s beloved people over whom He has given you oversight.  Diligently guard and care for the flock God has entrusted to you (Acts 20:28-32 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.  For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.  Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.  Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified).

Acts summons us to a bold faith.  The lives of the men and women in Acts challenge us to believe in our great God to do great things in a great way in the church of today.  These accounts invite us to the kinds of risks associated with this bold faith and inspire us to have the courage to follow these great examples. Believe steadfastly that God will fulfill everything He has promised in His Word (Acts 3:21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began).  Humbly call to the Lord to perform signs, wonders, and miracles to confirm with power the gospel message of His Son (Acts 14:3 Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands).

Tony Sanchez 5-11-17

Prophesy 3-26-17

Prophesy 3-26-17

I gave my life to the Lord on November 22^nd 1992 at 9:15 in the morning.  At the time, I had no clue the journey God would take me on, how He would use me, and the blessings He would bestow on me.  In His mercy, God has changed my life and if He can change me, He can change anybody.

My walk with God drastically changed in 2014 when I discovered how important the Helper is to us as the one sent in place of Jesus Christ (But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you John 14:26). 

As I developed a relationship with the Holy Spirt, I began to hear from the Lord.  I began to receive words of wisdom and knowledge.  I began to receive understanding of what the Word is saying.  I began to receive answers to many things that I did not know (‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know Jeremiah 33:3). I begin to receive prophesies and recently, I have experienced visions.  I began to depend on the Holy Spirit God sent to be our Helper who would abide in us forever (And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever John 14:16).

This brings me to the subject matter of this piece.  It has to do with what the Lord showed me a few weeks ago in late March.  It is my responsibility to share what God has shown me.

In the last days, we must operate in and with the Holy Spirit.  In doing so, we will be operating in the prophetic.  In other words, we will be operating in the Spirit world because that is where the real battle will take place.

As this began to sink in, I was reminded of Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  We read and speak this scripture, yet we fail to understand fully what it really means.  It is telling us we must battle in the spirit world today and especially in the last days.   Unfortunately, most of us are not equipped to do so.

So, in the last days, the evil in the spirit world (principalities, powers, and rulers of darkness) will manifest in the flesh through evil men, organizations, consortiums, governments, nations and, groups of nations. It says in Galatians 5:16-17 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.  For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. The problem with us specific to this scripture is we walk predominately in the flesh with very little Holy Spirit manifestation in our lives or in the lives of others because we don’t know the Holy Spirit like we know the flesh (sin).  Nor, do we fully know how to access the Holy Spirit in most cases.

In essence, the flesh has become so contrary to the Holy Spirit that the Holy Spirit that resides in us, is buried by our flesh.  This is not what God wants.  God says “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” John 4:23-24. 

Many will question to what level we can walk in the Holy Spirit.  Galatians 5:16 says to “Walk in the Sprit.”  I don’t believe God is talking about partially walking in the Spirit.  Is it possible to walk fully in the Holy Spirit even though we are existing in the physical?  Stephen experienced exactly that just prior to being stoned to death.  He was full of the Holy Spirt (But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” Acts 7:55-56). Another example is Jesus who as man was without sin, meaning he did not operate in the flesh (2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him).  Jesus as man was baptized and the Spirit of God descended on Him, And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove Mark 1:10. From this point on, Jesus operated fully in the Holy Spirit. 

We cannot afford to resist the Holy Spirit as Israel did in Acts 7:51 ^“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.  Can you see history repeating itself in today’s age? We are failing to call on Him, But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob… Isaiah 43:22.

How can we began to operate in the Holy Spirit?

• Acknowledge, believe, and accept that we have received the Holy Spirit and its power when we became born again Christians But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth Acts 1:8.  But truly, I am full of the power of the Spirit of the Lord Micah 3:8.  This power from on High allows all Believers to defeat Satan if we believe what God says said in His Word.
• Immerse yourself in the Word of God so you become one with Him, the Son, and Holy Spirit, 1 Corinthians 6:17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.  Not letting man interfere with your relationship with God.   Colossians 3: 23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.  Conviction will come from the Holy Spirit, John 16:8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.  
• Call on the Holy Spirit continuously at every Godly function and throughout the day for every need because He is "Lord,” “Branch of the Lord,” “Immanuel,” “Wonderful Counselor,” “Mighty God,” “Everlasting Father,” “Prince of Peace,” “Rod of Jesse,” “Cornerstone,” “King,” “Shepard,” “Servant of Yahweh,” “Elect One, ““Lamb of God,” “Leader and Commander,” “Redeemer,” and “Anointed One.”  The Holy Spirt (Helper) was sent to us when Jesus went to be with His Father (John 14:15) and the Holy Spirit will be there when you call on Him to teach us the things Jesus taught in His ministry, But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you John 14:26

Psalms 86:7 In the time of trouble, I will call upon you, for you will answer me.

Psalms 91:15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and   honor him.

Jeremiah 33:3 Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.

Luke 11:13…. how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

The time is getting close to the second coming of Jesus Christ and we must be prepared for the onslaught of evil and destruction prior to His coming.  Man, and this sinful world will not have the answers. The ultimate question is:  Are we going to operate in the flesh or will we chose to operate in the Holy Spirit now, and in the last days.

Call on the Holy Spirit to pave the road before us as we go boldly (fearless) out to the world.

So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:6

Blessings,

Tony

Fear Is a Choice

Fear is a Choice – Tony Sanchez 3-10-17

From the beginning of the Bible, God has given us a choice to do good or evil (So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate Genesis 3:6).  When Adam sinned, sin entered the world and the end result is death (Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned Romans 5:12).  The first fear man experienced is when God could not find Adam and Eve because they were in fear of their nakedness.

The choices we make in defiance of God have taken us into captivity because we have chosen to believe satan’s lies.  All the lies from satan and he is the father of all lies, are contrary to what God says in His Word (You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it John 8:44). 

Fear abounds in our lives to a degree that we don’t fully discern.  In essence, we are in denial.  Everyone experiences fear each and every day in their lives, but God tells us not to worry about our life (“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life…).  The effects of fear are manifestation in the physical, mind, and emotions.

Traumas (fears) are very difficult or unpleasant experiences that causes someone to have mental, emotional, and physical problems.  If left untreated, they become a Post-Traumatic Stress (fear) Disorder.  Accidents, physical & mental abuse, rejection (unloved, abandoned, not feeling worthy) and offenses are some of the primary traumas we deal with.  Many times, these traumas lead to depression.

Accidents – Accidents can be every bit as damaging as any other trauma. You may had heard of stories of the elderly falling down and breaking a hip resulting in a spiraling decline in their health. We have seen young athletes blow out their knees dashing all their hopes of a great athletic career.  Car accidents can do great damage.  The trauma can become trigger a point that causes additional physical, emotional, and mental issues.

Physical & Mental Abuse – Emotionally, mental and physical abuse does incredible damage whether it be parents, spouses, siblings, friends, co-workers, churches or employers.  It is a form of bullying because it causes one to be fearful, rejected, and not feeling loved or worthy.

Rejection – I found the earliest point of rejection other than generational fead, is in the womb where the child was not expected and not wanted.  The second earliest point of rejection is when the father does not convey the perfect love of God to his children at birth and throughout their life.  Out of the mouth comes blessings and curses (James 3:10).  When we tell our children “I love you,” we are speaking a blessing that shows our children how much we love them and they are worthy to receive God’s perfect love.  Nine out of ten people have not heard these simple words from their father early in their lives or not at all.  “I know they loved me” is not cutting it.  They need to hear the words.

Offenses – Offenses come from everywhere and we must expect them in this fallen world (Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses, must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes Matthew 18:7). But His Word tells us to avoid those who cause offenses (Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them Romans 16:17).  Every offense can lead to trauma resulting in rejection.  It can cause great hurt and self-pity.  Why self-pity?  Self-pity is a victim spirt and it can be very destructive in itself.  Ever hear someone say “Nobody cares.”  “It’s all my fault.”  People with self-pity believe they have suffered more than is fair or reasonable.

I have found that those who are offended will have a record of wrongs against whomever caused the offense and with it they will have a level of anger, bitterness, and un-forgiveness.  This is a choice that is contrary to the Bible (Ephesians 4:31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice).    A record of wrongs indicates that the offenders are not living or acting according to our expectations. Interesting, an offender will never feel the extreme hurt of the person they offended.   When we consistently have a record of wrongs, we are declaring these records of wrongs as central to our lives, which will not allow us to choose God as central to our lives.  A record wrongs requires the person to forgive the offender allowing the offended to wash their river of wrongs into the sea.  

Conclusion

Fear is a spirit and a single spirit of fear is fairly easy to deal with.  An entry point of fear left untreated can trigger other fears that will latch on causing more extreme issues leading to captivity.  Each and every additional trauma throughout a lifetime can make it worse causing sickness and disease as our mind and immune system breaks down. 

Fear causes depression.  How do I know this?  The Bible says so in Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety (stress, worry nervousness) in the heart of man causes depression (despair, hopelessness), But a good word makes it glad. The medical field does not know this and most believers I ask do not know this either.

Trauma/fear will continue to happen in our lives.  We can choose to hold onto to these fears in the present, we can fear into the future, which will lead to destruction, or we can choose to obey what God teaches us in His Word.

Our present and future is determined by what happened to us in the past.  We have a choice to allow those unpleasant things in our lives to dictate our future or we can wash away these traumas and live a life of peace in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth who came in the flesh.  Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Romans 5:1.  For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit Romans 14:17.

We must cast out every major trauma (fear) from conception to present.  When needed, we must forgive those who caused the trauma.  The next step would be to bring the damaged soul out of prison as David says in Psalm 142:7 Bring my soul out of prison, That I may praise Your name; The righteous shall surround me, For You shall deal bountifully with me”  and do as we are anointed to do in Isaiah 61:1 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

Every fear thought has a body or soul part that corresponds to that thought. 2 Corinthians 10:5

If we truly have the mind of Christ, we would not have sickness and disease. 1 Corinthians 11:1

Fearful people embrace fear.  They become in fellowship with fear.

Satan wants to train you to accept fear as a part of your normal.

Blessing to you all.

Tony

Holy Spirit Power

Greetings,

 I pray all is going well for you all across the country.  I had computer issues and I just got up and running again.

 We have a bible study every 2^nd and 4^th Friday and part of our study involves healing as well.  We conduct individual healing on the off Fridays, as we follow Isiah 61:1 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those (souls) who are bound; and the Great Commission Mark 16:15-18.

This message was prepared 2 weeks ago for our last study, but the Holy Spirit had different plans.  We were led to pray for those in our group who had emotional, spiritual, and physical things that needed prayer.  With that, we seen several miracles and continue to see healing miracles at every bible study.  Praise God. 

Power from the Holy Spirit

Mark 3:14-15 (NKJV) Then He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons

Appointed:  The Greek verb means “to make someone into something.”  Jesus selects the twelve from the larger group to form His closet following.  The purpose of this “Divine Appointment” is that they may be with Him in order to learn from Him, then go out in divine power to extend his work.  He wanted them to imitate Him (1 Peter 2:21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps) and He wants us to do the same.  Jesus give us divine power (But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; Acts 1:8) and authority (Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you Luke 10:19) to do this as instructed in the Great Commission (Mark 16:15-18 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. ¹⁶ He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; ¹⁸ they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”).  The Great Commission is not option if we are imitators of Jesus Christ.

Power, exousia; Strong’s #1849: One of four power words (dunamis, exousia, ischus, and Kratos), exousia means the authority or right to act, ability, privilege, capacity, or delegated authority.  Jesus had the exousia to forgive sin, heal sicknesses, and cast out devils.  Exousia is the right to use dunamis (“might”).  Jesus gave His followers exousia to preach, teach, heal, and deliver and that authority has never been rescinded (John 14:12-13 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son, John 14:12-1).  The promise is not that disciples of Jesus will perform works that are greater in value or significance than His.  Rather, they are greater in scope and number in these respects.  Powerless people, home groups, churches, and ministries become powerful upon discovering the exousia residing within in the name of Jesus, by the blood of Jesus, by the exousia of the Holy Spirit, and by Almighty God.

Because He was crucified, Jesus’ earthly ministry was limited to only a few years, but after the Resurrection and Pentecost, His ministry was and continues to be multiplied through Holy Spirit empowered believers.  Our works include the preaching of the gospel which is included in the Great Commission (Mark 16:15-18), resulting in the blessings of justification, reconciliation, and the gift of the Holy Spirit coming to humankind – all post Resurrection manifestations of Christ’s reign (John 5 20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel).

A vital key to walking in the pathway of God’s miracles is to stay available to the implications of Jesus’ words here.  When blessing comes in your work, service, or ministry, it is tempting to accept that this is “all” God has for you. Many find it easy to stop and rest, rather than keeping your hand to the plow (Luke 9:62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God”).  Instead, refuse to allow the blessings of God’s grace on your work to lead you to think that He may not be ready to do even more in your life (God is there to take you to a higher level with Him).  He does not call you to attempt to produce more, but to ask and believe Him for more–for greater works He has in store for us to receive and, by His grace, achieve for His kingdom’s purpose and glory.  Keep your heart set and ready for the next level of our walk for His kingdom.

Tony Sanchez (Bible Study 1/13/2017) www.obeygodsword.blogspot.com

 

Walk With the Lord

Taking Our Walk with God to the Next Level

Recently, two things happened in my life that caused me to look at myself.  One, is a need to examine myself to determine if I am at the level God’s wants me to be in my relationship with Him (2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you are disqualified).  Second, I met with two wonderful men of God.  As we discussed ministering to others, the subject of how we minister came up.  The subject matter was this: Do you minister differently with certain individuals that are mature in the Lord?  The answer for me was yes, because there are those who are not mature enough to understand how we are praying or teaching.  The underlining thought was we did not want to offend the less mature for fear they would think that we are absurd or miss-guided.  Bottom line is we are having to minister at different levels.   

The Gospels show that Jesus was forthright in His message to the people during His ministry.  Yes, He did have to speak in parables in many situations to get the message across, but overall, He was blunt in His message.  He spoke the truth, which better equipped His disciples to spread the uncompromised Word of God.  Jesus and His Apostles went out boldly spreading the Word without fear.

 I believe we are in the last days and this is a time when God is pouring out treasures of wisdom.  The apostolic and prophetic era in which we are living is bringing us new dimensions of Jesus’ light.  The Scriptures are being understood with far greater clarity.  There is an unprecedented revelation of the power and manifestation of the Kingdom of God. 

God is raising a spiritual Remnant Army of people who understand the spiritual arena and are willing to operate in the fullness of the Holy Spirit here on earth. It is those who receive and operate in the Holy Spirit that will receive a higher level of understanding, wisdom, knowledge discernment, revelation, visions, prophesy, power, authority and especially the love and compassion that God and Jesus has for us.

The level of revelation depends on the level of love and commitment we have to witness God’s Word on the earth.  We must also understand the pain God suffers as He watches the world being dragged to hell.  He sees how afraid we are to spread the Gospel in its fullness.  He sees a watered-down message from His people that is contrary to what He expects of us.  Jesus and His Apostles did not deliver a watered-down message.

1 Corinthians 2:9 “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

God desires to reveal to us the deep things of His Kingdom.  The light and understanding of the mysteries of God are revealed to us in the measure that we walk with Him in love.

Colossians 1:9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

God in His grace supplies all of that we lack, but He also desires to fill us with knowledge and wisdom.  His hope for us is to be mature children with spiritual intelligence

Colossians 2:2-3 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

 

The Lord has things for us that have not been revealed to other generations.  God expects the Church to grow from glory to glory and from light to light.

John 16:12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

There are things we cannot handle because of our immaturity, our hardness of heart, or our religious doctrine.  Jesus knows which revelations we may or may not be able to understand.

When Jesus ascended into Heaven, He could not tell His disciples all that He would have liked to share.  However, He gave the promise of the Holy Spirit to teach us all things and to help us understand the things Jesus said and to do greater things than He (John 14:12…whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these…).  This means that the Holy Spirt brings us different depths of teaching, in accordance with the level of our spiritual growth.  A growth the Body of Christ has to encourage.  A person who aspires to great spiritual wisdom and intelligence must spend more time with Him than with the distractions of this world.  This individual must love God and others and seek answers from the Holy Spirit (Psalms 91:15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him).  Then the things that “eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man” (1 Corinthians 2:9) will be revealed.

God has things that have never entered our hearts, yet He wants to reveal them to us (But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you Acts 26:16).  They are biblical and they have always been in the Scriptures, but they have been closed and veiled until we are ready to receive.

Luke 8:10 And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that ‘Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.

We have entered a prophetic era and must understand these things.  God is empowering this generation with more understanding than those of the past.  The Word of God is being revealed in a higher way, to advance the Kingdom of God more effectively.

Many agree that we are in the last days.  What I don’t hear is that we are prepared for the coming of Jesus Christ.  A question to ask ourselves is: Are we are prepared for the extreme evil and darkness that will manifest prior to His coming?  My position is, Believers do not know the level of spiritual warfare knowledge needed now or for the future when the level of darkness increases.  There will be a time when Satan comes with his army of demons and their manifestation of evil through men.  We have little time and no choice but to prepare the flock for the battle now and the days to come.  It is critical that we know our authority and power in the name of Jesus that will allow us to persevere until the time of His coming.

We (individuals, leaders, and the church) must take our current walk with God to a higher level.  We are tasked to teach and preach the uncompromised Word of God without fear of offending others or worrying about what they may think of us.  God says do not fear man.  Psalms 56:11 In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?

The simple conclusion is this: We must walk according to the spirit of God.  We must love one another, be firm in the truth, and correct the Body in light of the soon coming of Jesus Christ.  It is time to take our walk with God to a higher level.

Blessings to you all,

Tony Sanchez, 12-28-16

Fasting

Greeting to you all,

 

Our church is calling for a fast in January that may include some or all of the first 21 days in January.  I commend the leadership for calling for a fast.  I believe that fasting on a regular basis is needed in the life of the believer especially, in these last days.

 

Our church hand out had some biblical fasting examples:

       ·        Isiah 58 – Fasting to break chains of bondage

·        1 Samuel 7:6 – Fasting for the purpose of repentance

·        Ezra 8:21-23, Nehemiah 1:14-11, Ester 4:16 – Fasting for the protection for favor and for God’s will.

·        Matthew 4:2 Fasting for intimacy with God.

·        Acts 13:2-3 – Fasting for the commissioning for ministry.

·        Mark 9:29 – Fasting for deliverance.

 

There are many books on fasting and I would recommend reading Fasting by Jentezen Franklin whose church fasts for 21 days to start the new year.

 I want to share with you fasting that pleases God and can be found in His Word.

 Isaiah 58:1-14

“Cry aloud, spare not;
Lift up your voice like a trumpet;
Tell My people their transgression,
And the house of Jacob their sins.

V.1 Expect God to first bring to your attention areas in your life that need to be addressed before you fast.
² Yet they seek Me daily,
And delight to know My ways,
As a nation that did righteousness,
And did not forsake the ordinance of their God.
They ask of Me the ordinances of justice;
They take delight in approaching God.
³ ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen?
Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’

“In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure,
And exploit all your laborers.
⁴ Indeed you fast for strife and debate,
And to strike with the fist of wickedness.
You will not fast as you do this day,
To make your voice heard on high.

(V. 4 Their fast days turned into times of physical strife)
⁵ Is it a fast that I have chosen,

A day for a man to afflict his soul?
Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush,
And to spread out sackcloth and ashes?
Would you call this a fast,
And an acceptable day to the Lord?

V. 1-5 Israel has yet another transgression, that of defective worship, especially the wrong concept of fasting.  Israel worshipped and sacrificed with regularity, but their works gave a false idea of religion.  Their conspicuous self-denial was really selfish.  They were ignoring the real needs.

⁶ “Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
⁷ Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?

V. 5-7 Fasting is a powerful and effective part of the Christian life.  Jesus taught that some things are resolved only by fasting (Mark 9:29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”)  Jesus is telling us that we must fast so that God can show us how to cast out difficult spirits.  The bible says to “Call on Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which we do not know” Jeremiah 33:3.  However, fasting and personal holiness are acceptable to God only when we have our priorities straight.  Sharing with the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, and caring for own families are the prerequisites of godliness.  Fasting becomes offensive in God’s sight when we ignore the people closest to His heart – the poor, the oppressed, and the needy.⁸ Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
⁹ Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’

“If you take away the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,

V. 9 The yoke refers to all forms of political, economic, and social injustice.  Th pointing ….finger refers to falsely accusing people with fear tactics.  Speaking wickedness refers to stirring up trouble.
¹⁰ If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
¹¹ The Lord will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;

V. 11 Satisfy your soul means that God’s perfect love will provide what is needed for you mind and emotions.  Strengthen your bones means that you bone marrow  will produce the needed white cells to ward off immune diseases.You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
¹² Those from among you
Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.

¹³ “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,
From doing your pleasure on My holy day,
And call the Sabbath a delight,
The holy day of the Lord honorable,
And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,
Nor finding your own pleasure,
Nor speaking your own words,
¹⁴ Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord;
And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth,
And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

V. 6-14  The fast that I have chosen:  The Lord clarifies the meaning of the true fasting for Israel.  She must cease to oppress the poor and must observe the Sabbath with a pure and joyful worship.  Then the Lord will give light, healing, and full restoration.

From a spiritual warfare standpoint, fasting is a powerful weapon against the enemy.  Jesus said in Mark 9:29 “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”  Jesus is calling us to fast so that we can hear from the Lord on how to deal with difficult and wicked spirits and how to pray for physical and emotional healing.  Ask the Holy Spirit to show you  sinful areas of your life that need to addressed before you initiate a fast. 

 

Blessings,

Tony

Is American Is Repeating the History of Israel?

This piece is a follow up to the last article (https://obeygodsword.blogspot.com/) I sent out on Patriotism – What Does God Think?  It is based on the book of Ezekiel that I have been studying.

In Ezekiel the people of Israel place great value on their corporate identity as a nation.  Ezekiel countered that thinking by highlighting personal responsibility in terms of behavior and personal relationship with God.  Though Israel had sinned as a nation, each person was responsible for his or her own individual sin.  Godly living requires personal responsibility before the Lord.  Like Israel, we cannot blame our families, our leaders, or our nation for the choices we have made, nor can we rely on someone else’s righteousness to change or save us. 

Why did Israel fall from God’s grace?  Why has America fallen from God’s grace?  Because of Israel’s and America’s disobedience.  We choose our righteousness and fail to submit (surrender) to God’s righteousness (Romans 10:3 (NIV) since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit (surrender) to God’s righteousness).  Isn’t it amazing how history repeats itself, yet we fail to learn from history the pitfalls that Israel experienced?

Corporately as a nation and individually, we are feeling spiritually dry, brittle, and lifeless.  These struggles may result from not knowing God because we fail to invest in the kingdom of God by reading His Word and calling on the Holy Spirit.  Perhaps you have walked closely with the Lord, but have allowed sin (iniquity and trespasses) or the priorities of this world to draw you away from God.  Or perhaps you are simply exhausted, in despair, and in hopelessness and need a fresh touch from God.  Whatever the case, the spirit of God in heaven and the Holy Spirit (the Helper) on earth is present to touch you, heal you, and to lead you back to Him where you will find new life.

Ask for and receive a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit.  Invite God’s spirit to touch every desperate place in your life.  Let the power of God transform you, restore you completely, and let it flow from you to those around you.  Ezekiel 37:14 I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.”

Repentance, or turning away from your fleshly ways (sin) is a crucial message in Ezekiel.  God had given Israel (as with America) every possible opportunity to turn from their sin, but they would not.  In God’s holiness and justice, He poured out His judgment both to punish and restore His people.  Today, God continues to cry out to His people to turn from their sin and to return to a life of holiness (1 Peter 1:16    because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”) so that you can connect with Him.  God’s desire now is the same as it was then for the people to know Him.  We are to walk in God’s ways and teach them to others.

Ezekiel 36:21-28 But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned (abused) among the nations wherever they went.  “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went.  And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.  I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.

Blessings to you all,

Tony Sanchez 10-22-16

Patriotism – What Does God Think?

Patriotism is an emotional attachment to a nation which an individual recognizes as their homeland. This attachment, also known as national feeling or national pride, can be viewed in terms of different features relating to one's own nation, including ethnic, cultural, political or historical aspects.

It’s not what we think or feel about our nation.  Rather, what would God feel or think about our Patriotic nation and our national pride? 

Ethnic - of or relating to races or large groups of people who have the same customs, religion, origin, etc.  associated with or belonging to a particular race or group of people who have a culture that is different from the main culture of a country. 

If we are created equal, why is there inequality in our Patriotic prideful nation? 

1. Malachi 2:10 NLT Are we not all children of the same Father? Are we not all created by the same God? Then why do we betray each other, violating the covenant of our ancestors?
2. Acts 17:26 NLV He made from one blood all nations who live on the earth. He set the times and places where they should live.
3. Galatians 3:28 NKJV There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Culture – A culture is a way of life of a group of people – the behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and that are passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next.  

1. We have created a nation that is not one nation under God as it says in our Pledge of Allegiance.
2. We have allowed our nation to kill over 60 million unborn babies, and we as believers, do very little to stop the killing.
3. We have an imbalance of wealth.
4. We have created idols/gods such as sports, celebrities, recreation, entertainment, vacations, movies, television, smart phones, computers, our own thinking, etc. All of which take us away from our relationship with God and He does not like it because He is jealous God.  Exodus 34:14 for you shall not worship no other god, for the Lord, whose names is Jealous, is a jealous God.

Political – Of relating to, or dealing with the structure or affairs of government, politics, or the state.

1. Trust in the politicians is at an all-time low. 
2. We don’t believe what they say. Exodus 23:1 Do not spread false reports.
3. Politicians are not held accountable for their lies.  Exodus 20:16 You shall not bear false witness.
4. They do not represent the will of the people. They do represent the will of the parties, constituents, and lobbyists.
5. The politicians are out of control and we do very little to oppose them as a prideful patriotic nation.

Historical Aspects – of, pertaining to, treating, or characteristics of history or past events. 

God certainly is not happy with the history of our nation and He will bring judgment which is happening at this very moment and it will get worse. 

Ezekiel 14:13 Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it.

There must be national and personal repentance before God or His righteous judgement is sure to come.

Romans 2:5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed.

Blessings,

 Tony Sanchez  10-6-16