Engage Pt.1 “Releasing A Sound” Sunday, October 11, 2020 Last night during the prophetic worship night Jim shared something the Holy Spirit showed him about praise overcoming fear. It was a powerful word which spark several things in me that I wanted to share, but time would not allow it so I want to touch on it today. I believe the will tie into what we’ve been talking about, but also there are certain principals, certain pillars or foundation, that need to be consistently revisited and retaught as God increases our body.   Context: Jacob was the younger son of Isaac and Rebekah. Rebekah and Jacob came up with a plan to deceive Isaac and steal the blessing that was meant for Esau. Because of Esau’s anger Jacob sought refuse with his uncle Laban. Laban had two daughters, Leah and Rachel and Jacob fell in love with Rachel. He made a deal to work 7 years to marry Rachel, but at the end of the 7 years Laban deceived Jacob and gave him Leah instead. He then agreed to work another 7 years for Rachel. (Rebekah was a deceiver, Jacob was a deceiver, and Laban was a deceiver… What you don’t break in one generation will increase in the next!) Genesis 29:31-35 31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. 32 So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, “The Lord has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me.” 33 Then she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon. 34 She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi. 35 And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing. Leah realized from the beginning that Jacob did not love her or at least that he loved Rachel more than her. So she did what many us do… She started birthing things trying to feel the void on the inside of her!  Ruben means “see me”. She realizes that she is invisible to her husband. No one sees her or values her.  Simeon means “hear me”. Because she knows her voice carries no weight. No one wants to hear what she has to say. Her opinion is irrelevant.  Levi means “know me”. She  She tried to produce her way into love and acceptance.  In the relationship there was the acts (or works) of intimacy with out true intimacy!  For many of us this sums up our relationship with God. We go through the motions of intimacy, but that leaves a void and then we start birthing things to try to fill that void! Ministries God never called us too! Jobs that were not meant for us! Relationships that God never intended for us to be in! She finally comes to a place of maturity in her life where she realizes no one is going to fill the void I have on the inside of me! If you haven’t got there yet, you need to go ahead and understand that no human can fill the void on the inside of you. No relationship will satisfy you completely.  She names the fourth child Judah means “Praise”! (Say Judah means praise!) She comes to a place where she makes a decision… “I’m done trying to get people to see me, listen to me or know me… In fact I don’t really care anymore what he thinks, what she thinks, I’m just going to birth a praise! And when I birth a praise and get into the presence of God all the things I was looking for I will find! In His presence there is fullness of Joy and at His right hand are pleasures for evermore!” Psalm 114:2 and Judah became His sanctuary, And Israel His dominion. TPT so that Israel, God’s people of praise, would become his holy sanctuary, his kingdom on the earth. Israel as a whole was supposed to be the light to all the other nations, but the tribe of Judah will become the sanctuary. (Sanctuary means a place to dwell!) Praise is the dwelling place of The Lord!  Psalm 22:3 But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel. KJV that He inhabits the praises…  God inhabits praise!  If praise is the space in which we build God to manifest His presence, then you are in control of the size of manifestation that you will experience.  My praise creates space… an atmosphere for the the manifest presses of God to come and take up!  “I hope we have a good service today.” Thats up to you, God does not have bad services! The greater the praise the greater the space created for Him to manifest!  Why is the Spirit of God attracted to praise? Because God is pleased by faith and praise is an outward expression of an indwelling faith! When I can praise before I see it, its an indicator I know I’ve got it!  Praise attracted the presence, complaining repels the presence. What you honor will move toward you, what you dishonor will move away from you. Praise honors God!  There can not be a praise without a sound. I have to release a sound that creates a dwelling place for the presence of God.  What was the first thing God created? The first thing God created was not the heavens and the earth, the first thing God created was sound! “And God SAID…” The entire creation narrative is based on God speaking into existence and calling things into order!  Most significant power in the earth is accompanied or precede by a sound.  Train by our house in Lowell.  Tornado/winds that tore the roof off dad’s house.  Chainsaw when I was a kid.  Airplanes that can move 500 miles per hour.  Why do you think the devil tries to make churches so quiet? Because God moves in the power of sound!  The movie industry uses sound to move the audience. The sound will tell you where the story is going before it gets there. Why? Because sound is prophetic! Everything in life follows the sound it makes. Sound creates atmosphere.  If you want to have a romantic evening with your spouse you don’t put on “I exalt thee”.. Why? Because that sound creates a specific atmosphere. Everything follows the sound it makes. If you don’t like where headed change the sound to alter the direction.  When you start feeling yourself getting depressed, you have to change the sound your making to changes the atmosphere your in!  There comes a point in your life where like Leah, you have to mature to the place that you can birth a praise in the midst of your adversity! You have got make a joyful sound in the midst of your tears! You’ve got to make a prosperous sound in the middle of lack! You’ve got to make a healing sound when your body is racked with pain and your mind is telling your your going to die! There is power in your sound!  We have to get out of the mentality of “we sing 3 songs before he preaches.” We have to get past the thought process of “the music is the part it's ok to skip.” No, praise is a weapon! Praise shifts the atmosphere around us! Praise attracts the presence of God into the place! Praise has to be engaged in.   You have to actively and intentionally engage in praise and worship.  Its not a spectator sport. Its not enough to stand around and watch those around you. 

Mike Young

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt Pt.9 Receiving What is done.  Sunday, September 27, 2020 Ephesians 2:1-10 “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” As believers we must learn  to understand, believe, and respond to God’s grace correctly. A key component of responding correctly is understanding that if Jesus has already done something, there is no need for us to try to do it ourselves. We have to realize that the entire gospel rest upon this truth; Jesus did what He did because no one else could do what needed to be done! As believers we must come to a place where we believe completely in what He has done so that we can receive the fruit of what He did. IT IS ALL ABOUT JESUS! HIS LIFE, HIS DEATH, HIS RESURRECTION, HIS VICTORY! Today I want to lay out some practical things we can do to receive or manifest what He has already done. I don’t want to call them steps, but principals. “Steps” make it sound like there’s a formula and if you work the formula you will get the result and we have a tendency to prefer formulas over understanding. I don’t have to understand why or how, I just follow the formula and get the result. 2+2=4 every time! 5x5=25 every time!  The problem is when the formula doesn’t work. The more complex the problem the more opportunity there is to miss a step or have something unforeseen cause the formula to not work. But when I understand the how and why I can work the problem and when something comes up I have a foundational understanding that will allow me to overcome the obstacle or hindrance. God said my people perish for lack of knowledge, not a lack of formula’s! “What you don’t know can’t hurt you” is a lie. The truth is what you don’t know can kill, steal, and destroy you! I believe that he loves me! The foundation upon which everything else is built the the absolute truth that GOD LOVES ME!  Our perception of God will either limit or increase our capacity to receive from God. Love is the motivational factor for everything God has done.  Romans 5:8 TPT 8 But Christ proved God’s passionate love for us by dying in our place while we were still lost and ungodly! John 3:16 TPT 16 For this is how much God loved the world—he gave his one and only, unique Son as a gift. So now everyone who believes in him will never perish but experience everlasting life. 1 John 4:9-11 The light of God’s love shined within us[a] when he sent his matchless Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 This is love: He loved us long before we loved him. It was his love, not ours. He proved it by sending his Son to be the pleasing sacrificial offering to take away our sins. Romans 8:37-39 TPT 37 Yet even in the midst of all these things, we triumph over them all, for God has made us to be more than conquerors,[a] and his demonstrated love is our glorious victory over everything! 38 So now I live with the confidence that there is nothing in the universe with the power to separate us from God’s love. I’m convinced that his love will triumph over death, life’s troubles, fallen angels, or dark rulers in the heavens. There is nothing in our present or future circumstances that can weaken his love. 39 There is no power above us or beneath us—no power that could ever be found in the universe that can distance us from God’s passionate love, which is lavished upon us through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One! Jeremiah 31:3… “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” When I am rooted and grounded in the absolute truth that God loves me, it positions me to see that His will if for me to be healed!  Pauls prayer; Eph 2:14-17 14 So I kneel humbly in awe before the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, 15 the perfect Father of every father and child in heaven and on the earth. 16 And I pray that he would unveil within you the unlimited riches of his glory and favor until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with his divine might and explosive power. 17 Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of his love will become the very source and root of your life. I believe that his grace has been extended toward me!  Grace is the action that is a result of the Love.  The Love and Grace of God must be the foundation upon which our belief system is built. Grace has appeared to all men, but not all men have appealed to grace! ALL MEN! EVEN ME! Grace is the atmosphere created by love that makes faith the only reasonable response. Healing is a product of GRACE!  I believe in the finished work of Jesus. I believe that healing (spirit, soul, and body) is part of that finished work and therefore is already done!  Our trust in the finished works of Jesus allows us to take possession of what He has made available. Our healing—both physically and emotionally—is already done. My faith must be in what He has accomplished and not in my own ability.  A simple definition of Faith is a positive response to what God has already provided by grace. In other words, faith is your positive response to God’s grace. Faith appropriates what God has already provided for you. I’m not trying to get God to heal me, I’m renewing my mind with the truth that He has already healed me!  Faith moves what God has done and made available into my situation! 1 Peter 2:24  “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” TPT 24 “He himself carried our sins[a] in his body on the cross so that we would be dead to sin and live for righteousness. Our instant healing flowed from his wounding.” Rest in the finished work of healing.    Hebrews 4:1-3 TPT Now God has offered to us the same promise of entering into his realm of resting in confident faith. So we must be extremely careful to ensure that we all embrace the fullness of that promise and not fail to experience it. 2 For we have heard the good news of deliverance just as they did, yet they didn’t join their faith with the Word. Instead, what they heard didn’t affect them deeply, for they doubted. 3 For those of us who believe, faith activates the promise and we experience the realm of confident rest! For he has said, “I was grieved with them and made a solemn oath, ‘They will never enter into the calming rest of my Spirit.’ ” God’s works have all been completed from the foundation of the world… Rest authenticates faith!  We are not working to be healed, we are working to stay at rest!  Hebrews 4:11 TPT “So then we must give our all and be eager to experience this faith-rest life, so that no one falls short by following the same pattern of doubt and unbelief.” We do this by speaking in agreement with what we are resting in. His word and His finished work.  Master your emotions! 2 Corinthians 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not [a]carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. This is spiritual warfare! You must engage in order to receive. God’s will doesn’t just happen.  Regardless of what you see or hear in the natural, you must hold onto the healing Jesus has obtained.  Resist fear! 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. TPT  For God will never give you the spirit of fear, but the Holy Spirit who gives you mighty power, love, and self-control. We tend to focus on what he hasn’t given us in this verse instead of what He has!  Perfect love cast out fear!  Fear tolerated is faith contaminated!  We do this by engaging in praise, worship and declaring the word! (Go back to first 3 praises and how they are worded.) Nothing confuses the enemy more than a believer who praises in the midst of attacks!  LOVE IS THE MOTIVATION, GRACE IS THE ACTION, FAITH IS THE RESPONSE, AND HEALING IS THE RESULT!

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt Pt.8 Love, Grace & Healing Sunday, September 20, 2020 Ephesians 2:1-10 “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” It is mind blowing to me how something so absolutely amazing as The Grace of God can be resisted with such passion by the very ones it was extended to. There are few things that ignite debate and draw lines in the sand like Grace. When you think about it it makes sense though because Grace draws a line in the sand between The Father and religion!  Weather we are talking about forgiveness of sin, healing, provision, restoration, etc… In order to truly live in the fullness of what Jesus accomplished according to the will of The Father, WE MUST UNDERSTAND, BELIEVE AND RECEIVE THE GRACE OF GOD IN OUR LIFE!  We have a hard time receiving Grace because we have been taught by society that we have to work to be valued, accepted, and approved. Our nation was built upon hard work and independence. In the Kingdom of God we are not valued, accepted or approved because of our works, but because of the Love of God!  We don’t work to become valued, accepted, and approved, we work because we are valued, accepted, and approved! There is a huge difference.  Love is the motivation, Grace is the action. You could say it this way; love is the noun (person/place/thing), Grace is the verb (action). From The Fathers perspective, He IS Love and the resulting action of Love is Grace toward the object of that Love!  Grace is Gods response to us. Faith is our response to His Grace! Our faith is not in our faith. Our faith must be rooted completely in the Love of God and the Grace of God!  Grace is the atmosphere created by love that makes faith the only reasonable response. When we start talking about Grace without fail there are those who say, “Well, you better not focus too much on Grace or you will have people living in sin!” Or “You’re just giving people a license to sin!”, “God doesn’t just wink at sin! He takes sin serious!”…  He takes sin so serous the He paid the highest price to redeem us from the dominion of sin!  Grace doesn’t overlook sin, it empowers righteousness by paying the price to set you free from the dominion of sin. Thereby, giving you the freedom to resist sin! Some people need a theology of an angry God to justify their anger against sinners. Some people need a works based salvation to justify their works mentality driven by a need that be recognized. The Love and Grace of God must be the foundation upon which our belief system is built. Love and Grace led to the finished work of Christ which is where we find our VICTORY!  Salvation, which includes healing, is a gift from God.  The American Heritage Dictionary defines “gift” as “something that is bestowed voluntarily and without compensation” Titus 2:11 says, For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.. Salvation has been provided for all… Grace has appeared to all men, but not all men have appealed to grace!  Without faith, God’s grace is wasted, and without grace, faith is powerless. Faith in God’s grace has to be released to receive what God has provided through Christ! Jesus hasn’t saved, healed, delivered, or prospered a single person in the last 2,000 years! What God provided by grace 2,000 years ago now becomes a reality when mixed with faith. Healing is a product of grace, not a result of works. Our faith, not our works, positions us to receive all that God wants us to have. Then the question becomes “How do I get healed?”. That question is usually followed by: “I have been praying, reading my Bible, going to church, and paying my tithes, yet I’m still…. In that question and explanation lies the root of the problem: They have fallen into the trap of linking God’s response to their performance. WE ARE saved,  SOZO’d by GRACE…. We are not saved by works, we are saved unto works! There is a vast difference between being saved by good works and being saved unto good works. Good works do not gain us salvation, but they do affirm that salvation has been received into our lives. Good works cannot produce a new nature, but a new nature should produce good works We have been taught that we must obey the law to be right with God, but this is a religious teaching that contradicts His Word. Our trust in the finished works of Jesus allows us to take possession of what He already did. Our healing—both physically and emotionally—is already done. By definition, one aspect of the word grace means unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor. That means grace has nothing to do with you. Grace existed before you ever came to be. Grace is God’s part.  A simple definition of Faith is a positive response to what God has already provided by grace. In other words, faith is your positive response to God’s grace. Faith appropriates what God has already provided for you. Could it be that we’ve been a little off in the “faith” camp? Maybe it’s not that faith moves God, but that faith moves what God has done and made available into your situation. Without faith, God's grace is wasted, & without grace, faith is powerless. A few weeks ago Kelly touched on something so profound that I think many of us missed it.  We have been taught that healing is a process, but if healing is part of what Jesus paid for, it is a finished truth, accomplished and made available by Grace! Healing then, is not the process. The process is renewing my mind to the it can appropriate by faith what has been made available by Grace! Whatever we focus our attention on is what will dominate our thoughts (Proverbs 23:7). If our thoughts are dominated by the things of this world then we are going to get worldly results in our lives. We need to focus on God to get godly results.” The problem is most believers won’t let the word get in the way of what they believe! We must make a decision to believe in Jesus’ finished works concerning our healing.   When we get a bad doctor’s diagnosis, we need to go to the Bible and study every Scripture concerning our healing. We have a choice as to who we trust with our healing. Until God’s will is known, faith will not work. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8). It is God’s will for us to be healed, but His will does not automatically come to pass. We must first choose to respond positively to what is available to us. Luke 5:12-13 And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and [a]implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 13 Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him.\ The leper questioned if it was God’s will to heal him and Jesus answered that question emphatically!  We look to the standard!

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt Pt.7 Healing and The Testimony Sunday, September 13, 2020 Luke 8:38-39  “Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.” And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.” Quote by Charles Spurgeon “When people hear about what God used to do, one of the things they say is: 'Oh, that was a very long while ago.'… I thought it was God that did it. Has God changed? Is he not an immutable God, the same yesterday, today and forever? Does not that furnish an argument to prove that what God has done at one time he can do at another? Nay, I think I may push it a little further and say what he has done once is a prophecy of what he intends to do again .…Whatever God has done…is to be looked upon as a precedent .… [Let us] with earnestness seek that God would restore to us the faith of the men of old, that we may richly enjoy his grace as in the days of old.” Why is the testimony critical? Because acknowledging and praising God for what He has done in the past, : 1)Positions us to experience what He is doing in the present, 2)Keeps us focused so we can discern what He’s wants to do in the future.  A testimony is the written or spoken record of anything God has done in history.  God’s acts reveal His ways, and His ways reveal His nature. A testimony reveals not only what He has done, but who He is.  The nature of God.  The testimony is not just about sharing what God has done from our memories, but also revealing what God is like to those around us through declaration and demonstration.  The word for testimony in the OT comes from a word meaning “to repeat” ,“do it again”. Saying (to repeat) and doing (do it again). When we declare the testimonies of God to people, we are creating an atmosphere for them to meet God in the same way that we are declaring. The same way that we met Him.  A testimony is an invitation to receive. A revelation of God through a testimony is always an invitation to know/encounter God experientially in that revelation. The testimony of the Lord must be declared. There is a clear connection between the declaration and the release of power. From the very beginning: God spoke, power was released. This is the pattern God gave us to advance His Kingdom by. One way we put that into action is by declaring what God has done.  When the testimony is declared, it creates access for the very anointing that brought about the testimony in the first place. “TO DO AGAIN”. The fact that it is being released is evidence that God wants to do it agin.  Expectation for Duplication!  We have a responsibility to keep, remember and steward the testimonies of God.  Hebrew root word for male. The male carries the seed of reproduction. When you remember the times when God has supernaturally intervened in your life or the life of others, you are carrying the seed of another miracle.  Remember, declaring the testimony creates an atmosphere for duplication. When you remember what He has done, and you declare it, your taking the seed from one miracle, depositing it into a new environment and it reproduces another miracle. A SEE REPRODUCES AFTER ITS OWN KIND! Stewardship involves speaking.  Declaration does not have to look like preaching from a stage with a mic. In fact, declarations of what He has done is usually more effective though our conversations. Deuteronomy says the testimony some be continually in our conversations.  When we talked about it, we focus on it. When we focus on it, it creates an exception, faith for it to be repeated.  Testimonies release faith for someone to receive what God has made available! Testimonies prophesy God‘s intent and nature to all who hear. When someone hears a testimony of what God has done, their is an anointing on that testimony. It opens a realm of possibility. The atmosphere becomes stirred with faith for the miracle that has been described in the testimony to be duplicated. When we engage our faith and step into that opportunity, that possibility becomes reality. Revelation 19:10 NKJV [10] And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Hebrews 13:8 NKJV [8] Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Acts 10:34 NKJV [34] Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. Testimonies prophesy God’s intent and nature to all who will hear. To prophecy means to declare the word of the Lord.  Prophecy is either FORETELLING OR FORTH-TELLING. Prophecy either foretells the future or causes a change in the present. A testimony can become catalyst to bring about a change of atmosphere in the present, making room for a supernatural release. The testimony is a declaration that what Jesus has done He wants to do again.  Testimonies encourage pursuit of relationship instead of gifts. Testimonies of God are the key because, in unveiling who God is, they teach believers to pursue a relationship with Him more than gifts or answers to prayer. God is longing for His people to love Him along with His gifts. He is longing for them to encounter His incredible love so they will be motivated by passion more than duty. In every story of what God has done, there is a revealing of an aspect of His nature and an invitation to the person hearing to know Him, to experience that aspect of who he is.  My provider. My healer. My defender.  Testimonies help us to walk in obedience and boldness.  Continual, personal interaction with supernatural God brings a complete change in a persons confidence level. Awareness of God’s ways effects how people think and live.  Deuteronomy 6:17 NKJV [17] You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you. Keep: means to watch or preserve. It is translated in several ways including observe, watch and protect.  Commandments show us how to live. Statutes show us how to think. Testimonies show us how to Expect! Testimonies will become a reference point. This supernatural way of thinking should be sustained through conversations, songs, reading... When we forget the miracles, we talk about them less and our expectation declines. When this happens miracles eventually disappear from our lives altogether.  Testimonies keep our focus on how big our God is!  We spend to much time talking about how big the devil is.  When I’m focused on what the devil is doing I will react to him. If I live in reaction to the powers of darkness, I’m allowing the enemy to influence my life.  Living in reaction to the devil is not the same as living in response to God.  Instead of taking about the strongholds the devil has in our city, our lives... Let’s find a testimony of God breaking that power off someone’s life, combine it with The Word to back it up and declare that over our city!  Spreading testimonies of what God has done will spark hope that will soon become expectation!  The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy: The testimony of a healed body or a healed marriage prophesies God’s intent and desire for every body and every marriage!

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt Pt.6 connection between sin and sickness Sunday, August 30, 2020 Revival will be sparked and marked by healing.  More specifically, believers growing in and learning to receive their healing by the finished work of Jesus and in turn flowing in the power that is available to them from the finished work to bring healing others. Last week we talked about the gap between our spirit and our mind.  The renewed mind empowers us to receive and steward the finished work if Christ.  “We must narrow the gap between our expectation and the word”.  We must establish for ourselves if healing is always God’s will because Faith begins where the will of god is known.  It is not possible to have faith in an area where you question if it is God’s will or not.  Jesus is the will and the nature of god  revealed and demonstrated. Hebrews 1:3 3 tells us Jesus is express image or the exact expression of God’s true nature- His mirror image. Colossians 1:15 He is the exact likeness of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible]… We can conclude according to the Word of God… Not opinion, experience, or circumstance, but by the Word only, that everything Jesus did was in agreement with the will of the Father. Healing is always the will of God! (This is radical to most) Every person that came to Jesus that was sick or bound, HE healed and set free!  The works of Jesus give us a clear view of God’s will to bring healing and wholeness to the earth, because the Son only does what He first saw His Father doing. If Jesus is the reflection of The Father on earth and, by His own admission multiple times, only does what He sees the Father do and only says what He hears the Father say, THEN WE MUST CONCLUDE THAT HEALING IS ALWAYS THE WILL OF GOD! Healing is as much apart of the atonement as forgiveness of sin! This is where I want to come back too today.      The connection between sin and sickness. Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned… Before Adam rebelled there was no sin. Sin was entered through Adam’s actions. The same is true of death. Before sin there was no death.  Sin came as a result of Adam’s rebellion. Death came as a result of sin.  Death here has two aspects; spiritual and natural.  Sin entered the world through man, and death was the result. Sickness is death in its first stages. Every sickness has the goal of death in our lives.  There is not sickness that strengthens, blesses or improve the life of the sick person! Sickness of any kind fits into the job description of the thief… to steal, kill, and destroy!  Sin in the human race is the root of sickness!  I’m not talking about an individuals sin, I’m talking about sin as a whole.  Adam’s sin unleashed death, and sickness is a product of the power of death in humanity.  Sin is the root, sickness is the fruit! If we can understand sickness as a fruit of sin, then we can understand that sin is the root that must be dealt with. If the root of sin can be destroyed, the fruit of sickness has no source of authority and no right to stay in our bodies.  If you deal with the root, there is nothing for the fruit to feed from. The life is in the root.  Sin and sickness are linked throughout the Bible.  David said in Psalm 103 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases.”  Isaiah 53:4-5 But He was wounded for our transgressions (our sins), He was bruised for our iniquities (our sin patterns); The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. Matthew 8:16-17 “When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.”  1 Peter 2:24 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. Isaiah prophesied it, Jesus demonstrated it during His life on earth and sealed, Peter pointed us back to it. Isaiah was looking forward to what Jesus WOULD do, Peter was looking back at what Jesus HAD done! The root of sin and the fruit of sickness were both carried to the cross so that we could be free from both.  When the power of sin was defeated, the power of sickness lost its authority.  In light of sickness being the fruit of sin, let's look at Romans 5.  Just as sickness is the fruit of sin, healing is the fruit of Grace!  Fruit is the outward manifestation of an internal reality.  The fruit of healing will manifest externally when the Grace of God is received and becomes reality internally.  Healing is a product is Grace, not a result of works.  Works does not produce manifest the fruit of healing, it produces an entitlement mentality. “I deserve to be healed because I have done....”. “God, I’ve done all you asked me to do, why haven’t you healed me yet?” If healing is part of the atoning work if Jesus, then it is past tense and we must approach it as such!  Ephesians 2:8-9 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. Grace makes it available, faith makes it possible! Jesus dealt with the root. He destroyed the power and dominion of sin and that includes the fruit of sickness and disease.  1 Corinthians 11:29-30 “he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.” 

Pastor Curtis and Pastor Kelly talk about the gap that exist between the spirit and the mind. 

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt Pt.4 Atonement Sunday, August 16, 2020 Scripture: Over the last several weeks we have been looking at healing. Can we, from a biblical standpoint, prove the following beyond a reasonable doubt; Healing is for today, Healing is always God’s will, The authority and power to heal has been given to every believer?   ”I believe revival will be sparked and marked by healing, but Not just God supernaturally healing everyone. Believers growing in and learning to receive their healing by the finished work of Jesus and in turn flowing in the power that is available to them from the finished work to heal others. This will spark revival and lead to true awakening. When I say healing in this sense I’m talking about healing, deliverance, miracles, etc... The signs that Jesus said would follow believers who... well believed.” We have seen from the Word several reason why Jesus healed; To establish the dominance of The Kingdom of God, To prove He was the coming Messiah, and last week we seen that Jesus healed the sick to To demonstrate the will and nature of the father.   It seems that one of the hardest things to convince believers of is not Can God Heal, but WILL He heal. More specifically, will He heal me? Is healing His will in this situation. We must establish for ourselves if healing is always God’s will because Faith begins where the will of god is known.  It is not possible to have faith in an area where you question if it is God’s will or not.  When I know the will of God for a situation, then I can release faith to see His will manifested in the natural. If we have a question or something we need to prove, we go back to the reference point or the standard. Who or what is the standard? JESUS. Can we prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, by The Word, that Healing is ALWAYS God’s Will? Jesus is the will and the nature of god demonstrated. Hebrews 1:3 3 tells us Jesus is express image or the exact expression of God’s true nature- His mirror image. Colossians 1:15 AMPC 15 [Now] He is the exact likeness of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible]; He is the Firstborn of all creation. Jesus said multiple times “I only do what I see my Father do; I only say what I hear my Father say.” Jesus totally represented the Father in actions, nature, and character. Jesus said, “He that has seen me has seen the Father” We concluded that, according to the Word of God… Not opinion, experience, or circumstance, but by the Word only, that everything Jesus did was in agreement with the will of the Father. Healing is always the will of God! (This is radical to most) Every person that came to Jesus that was sick or bound, HE healed and set free!  Jesus never said, “I’m sorry, but you will have to wait until you get to Heaven to get healed”, “You just need to suffer a little more so that you can grow spiritually.”, “God is trying to teach you something through this sickness.”. Nor did yes ever impart sickness! Religions teaches us that God uses sickness, but the Bible does not reflect that! The bible shows Jesus demonstrating the will of God every time He comes into contact with a sick person and the result is always HEALING!!! The works of Jesus give us a clear view of God’s will to bring healing and wholeness to the earth, because the Son only does what He first saw His Father doing. Look at Matthew 12:22-28 A kingdom divide can not stand.  If Jesus is the reflection of The Father on earth and, by His own admission multiple times, only does what He sees the Father do and only says what He hears the Father say, THEN WE MUST CONCLUDE THAT HEALING IS ALWAYS THE WILL OF GOD! Healing is as much apart of the atonement as forgiveness of sin! Isaiah 53:4-5 NKJV 3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.[4] Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. [5] But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. The word translated “griefs” is the Hebrew word meaning “sickness, disease, malady, anxiety, calamity.” The word translated “sorrows” is the Hebrew word meaning “pain and mental anguish.” The word translated healed is the Hebrew word: Rafa, as in Jehova-Rapha. Always used in reference to physical healing.  Isaiah prophetically refers to Jesus as a “Man of pains and acquainted with sickness ” Isaiah prophesied a complete redemption: Spirit, soul (mind will and emotions) and body. Matthew 8:14-17 NKJV [14] Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever. [15] So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them. [16] When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, [17] that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.” Matthew said, he did all these things “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, “He himself took our infinities and bore our sickness.”  When you study out the word “fulfill” you will find it often applies to an action that extends throughout the whole church age.  Jesus healing during His time on earth wasn’t the fulfillment in total, it was the beginning. If He is still saving and cleansing of sin, He is still saving and healing bodies.  Jesus began with His actions while on earth, but he solidified and completed with the cross and resurrection.  1 Peter 2:24 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. Isaiah and Peter were looking at redemption from two different vantage points.  Isaiah and Peter were looking at redemption from two different vantage points. Isaiah, looking forward to what Jesus would do, said, “we are healed.” Peter, looking back at what Christ has already accomplished, said, “ye were healed.” Healing for my body is just as much an accomplished fact in Redemption as is the forgiveness of my sins! The provision for healing is just as much part of Redemption as is the provision for forgiveness. Both provisions have been made for everyone, because of what Jesus has already accomplished. Isaiah prophesied it, Jesus demonstrated it during His life on earth and sealed, Peter pointed us back to it. Isaiah was looking forward to what Jesus WOULD do, Peter was looking back at what Jesus HAD done!  Saved/SOZO Romans 10:13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” When we read this verse we have been trained to automatically associate it with salvation, meaning the forgiveness of sins.  Mark 5:21-32 21 Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. 22 And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet 23 and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed (SOZO), and she will live.” 24 So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him. 25 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26 and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. 28 For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” (SOZO) 29 Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the [a]affliction. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?” 31 But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ” 32 And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. 33 But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.” James 5:14-15 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. If healing is part of the atoning work if Jesus, then it is past tense and we must approach it as such!  Ephesians 2:8-9 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. Grace makes it available, faith makes it possible! We have to appropriate healing the same way we appropriate forgiveness… BY FAITH!  Appropriate;  to set apart, authorize, or legislate for some specific purpose or use: to take to or for oneself; take possession of. Jesus appropriated the price He paid toward healing.  We must appropriate, take possession of, healing for ourselves by faith!  Jesus dealt with sin and sickness the same way.. He removed it as part of redemption. Jesus Redemptive work was a complete work. Jesus took our sins and sickness upon Himself. He took our sickness upon Himself.  Since Jesus bore my sins, I don’t have to bare them. Sense Jesus bore my sickness, I don’t have got bare them! He didn’t just cover them, He removed them! If healing is part of redemption:  Its God’s will that all are saved. Forgiven. It’s His will that none should parish. It is always God’s will for us to be healed.  If healing is part of redemption, it is an established truth that we should believe and act upon. It is past tense and too be received.

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt Pt.3 Sunday, August 9, 2020 This morning I am going to review quite a bit and then get into where I believe The Lord wants us to do for today. Next week I will not review near as much and I believe next week is extremely important.   ”I believe revival will be sparked and marked by healing, but Not just God supernaturally healing everyone. Believers growing in and learning to receive their healing by the finished work of Jesus and in turn flowing in the power that is available to them from the finished work to heal others. This will spark revival and lead to true awakening. When I say healing in this sense I’m talking about healing, deliverance, miracles, etc... The signs that Jesus said would follow believers who... well believed.” It is not that difficult to convince most believers that Jesus healed the sick while He was on the earth. The more difficult task is to convince them that He STILL heals!  Can we establish, from a biblical standpoint, prove the following beyond a reasonable doubt; Healing is for today. Healing is always God’s will. The authority and power to heal has been given to every believer.  We must be willing to repent. to change the way that we think in order to change our perspective.  Repent/Metanoia: literally means to change your mind. Not just to think different thoughts, but to change your entire thought process by changing what you believe about reality.  The focus of repentance is to change our way of thinking until the reality of His Kingdom fills our thought process. Romans 12:2 AMP 2 And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind… Transformed; from the Greek word meaning “metamorphosis.” Refers to an internal transformation that leads to an external manifestation.  When we change the way we think about healing it opens us up to receive healing. Remember, Perception determines reality. Something can be completely and readily available to me, but if I don't perceive it to be true I can not receive it.  Perception vs Perspective. I don’t have time to review. Refer to the podcast or our website and listen to the first message. My notes are available there as well.  If my perspective (the lens looking through) has been transformed, not conformed to the world any longer, but in line with God’s perspective, then my perception of healing will be in agreement with His word which will cause faith to rise within me to actively and aggressively pursue healing for myself and others!  Mike did a great job last week talking about this subject. One of the things that stuck out and encouraged me the most from his message is that while the overall process of renewing the mind will take place over a lifetime, getting to a place of thinking from a Kingdom perspective does not.  I loved how he brought out the 40 days Jesus spent teaching the Kingdom to the disciples after His resurrection and pointed to His 40 days in the wilderness as our example.  I know my mind is renewed to Kingdom perspective in the area of healing when my initial response to pain or sickness is not to reach for the medicine or call the doctor, but to stand on the word and declare healing!  I know my mind is renewed when impossibilities look like opportunities!  (In order to make sure our perspective is correct) We must establish a standard by which everything else will be judged.    Your experience can not form your belief system. We can not lower the standard of Jesus to explain or justify our lack or results.  We must begin to see things through the finished work of Jesus and the example He gave us until our results are raised to His standard.  If Jesus is the example, the standard If what we believe does not line up with what He taught and what He demonstrated, then we have believed a lie. If we have believed a lie, we must identify it, reject it and replace it with truth.   Is healing a peripheral issue or a central issue to the Gospel of The Kingdom? In 37 recorded “miracles” in the Gospels performed by Jesus, 28 of them were physical healing or deliverances! 76%! Healing was a major part of the ministry of Jesus. If healing was a major part of His ministry then, why wouldn’t it be a major part of His ministry now? 23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. 24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. 25 Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. Why did Jesus heal?  To establish the dominance of the Kingdom of god.    Jesus came with a mandate to restore the dominion of The Kingdom of God.  1 John 3:8 …For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Acts 10:38 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Matthew 12:28 28 “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.” To prove that he was the Messiah, the coming king.   Healing offers scriptural proof of Jesus’ clear identity as the Messiah. The Savior!  In Isaiah 61, the prophet describes the coming Messiah’s healing ministry.  Luke 19-22 TPT “19 So John dispatched two of his disciples to go and inquire of Jesus. 20 When they came before the Master, they asked him, “Are you the coming Messiah we’ve been expecting, or are we to continue to look for someone else? John the prophet has sent us to you to seek your answer.”  21 Without answering, Jesus turned to the crowd and healed many of their incurable diseases. His miracle power freed many from their suffering. He restored the gift of sight to the blind, and he drove out demonic spirits from those who were tormented. 22 Only then did Jesus answer the question posed by John’s disciples. “Now go back and tell John what you have just seen and heard here today. The blind are now seeing. The crippled are now walking. Those who were lepers are now cured. Those who were deaf are now hearing. Those who were dead are now raised back to life. The poor and broken are given the hope of salvation. John 14:11 TPT 11 Believe that I live as one with my Father and that my Father lives as one with me—or at least, believe because of the mighty miracles I have done. Jesus, out of His own mouth, said believe because to the miracles you have seen! Healings, miracles, etc…. Proved Jesus was the savior… Correct? Jesus expects us to reveal to the lost He is the savior, correct?  Why would Jesus demonstrate one way of proving who He was and then send His followers out to win the lost without the same power can authority. Why would miracles not be needed or used today too prove Jesus is who He we say He is? “Now we have the Bible”. Why would an atheist believe what the Bible says?  To demonstrate the will and nature of the father.   It seems that one of the hardest things to convince believers of is not Can God Heal, but WILL He heal. More specifically, will He heal me? Is healing His will in this situation. Why is it important to know weather or not it is God’s will for you to be healed?  Faith begins where the will of god is known.  It is not possible to have faith in an area where you question if it is God’s will or not.  You can not have faith for healing if you are not absolutely certain that healing is His will. When we know His will on a situation, we are equipped to fight the battle that the enemy will bring to stop us from receiving what God has.  1 John 5:14-15 14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. AMPC 14 And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us. 15 And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him. TPT 14 Since we have this confidence, we can also have great boldness before him, for if we present any request agreeable to his will, he will hear us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we also know that we have obtained the requests we ask of him. When I know the will of God for a situation, then I can release faith to see His will manifested in the natural. If we have a question or something we need to prove, we go back to the reference point or the standard. Who or what is the standard? JESUS. Can we prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, by The Word, that Healing is ALWAYS God’s Will? Jesus is the will and the nature of god demonstrated. 1 John 1 He is the word manifest in the natural. God’s word is His will, so you could say Jesus is the will of God manifest.  The Greek word that is used here is “LOGOS,” and it denotes “the expression of thought–not the mere name of an object” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary). Jesus totally expressed the thoughts of the Father and was manifest in a physical form so all the world could read them.  Hebrews 1:3 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power TPT The Son is the dazzling radiance of God’s splendor, the exact expression of God’s true nature—his mirror image! The Greek word translated “express image” speaks of an identical copy or a perfect representation. This reveals that Jesus is the identical copy and perfect representation of His Father. Colossians 1:15 AMPC 15 [Now] He is the exact likeness of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible]; He is the Firstborn of all creation. Jesus totally represented the Father in actions, nature, and character. Jesus said, “He that has seen me has seen the Father” By doing the works of God, Jesus gave the world the most accurate picture of who the invisible God is. Jesus said multiple times “I only do what I see my Father do; I only say what I hear my Father say.” Can we conclude that, according to the Word of God… Not opinion, experience, or circumstance, but by the Word only, that everything Jesus did was in agreement with the will of the Father?  Healing is always the will of God! Every person that came to Jesus that was sick or bound, HE healed and set free!  Jesus never said, “I’m sorry, but you will have to wait until you get to Heaven to get healed”.  Jesus never said, “You just need to suffer a little more so that you can grow spiritually.” Jesus never said, “God is trying to teach you something through this sickness." Religions teaches us that God uses sickness, but the Bible does not reflect that! The bible shows Jesus demonstrating the will of God every time He comes into contact with a sick person and the result is always HEALING!!! What God does anywhere, he wills to do everywhere! What Jesus does for anyone, He wills to do for everyone!  Matthew 4:24 24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. MATTHEW 8:16  When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and HEALED ALL THAT WERE SICK: MATTHEW 12:15...and great multitudes followed him, and HE HEALED THEM ALL; There are seventeen times in the Gospels where Jesus healed all of the sick who were present. There are forty-seven other times where He healed one or two people at a time. John 5:14-19, 30 The works of Jesus give us a clear view of God’s will to bring healing and wholeness to the earth, because the Son only does what He first saw His Father doing. Look at Matthew 12:22-28 A kingdom divide can not stand.  If Jesus is the reflection of The Father on earth and, by His own admission multiple times, only does what He sees the Father do and only says what He hears the Father say, THEN WE MUST CONCLUDE THAT HEALING IS ALWAYS THE WILL OF GOD!

Pastor Mike talks about the process of renewing your mind and having a Kingdom mindset toward healing.