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Highlight: The Mustard Seed

Seed: In the last post, we talked about how it is crucial to plant good soil for the seed to grow.  Sometimes, we are the farmer who can sow seeds of the Gospel in the hearts of others when we interact with them. In other times, we are the field by which God Himself sow greatness. In both cases, if the soil of the field is hard, nothing will grow.

The Mustard Seed

Scholars note that it is odd to call a mustard a tree. The fact is it’s only grown to be a shrub. Jesus certainly did not make a mistake in his word choice. The people who were listening to him understood that mustard seeds don’t really grow into trees.

This metaphor implies that a mustard seed growing into a tree is unnatural and could not happen if agricultural laws apply.  

If you notice this, you’ll see Jesus’ warnings. There will be many churches and Christians that seem to grow unnaturally. While we can chalk this up to the supernatural grace of God, this can also mean that there are perversions in the way Christians and churches are produced.  Jesus wants to warn Christians about this unnatural way of being.

Shrub vs. Tree Potential

A shrub differs from a tree.  In the same way, the Holy Spirit develops a true Christian. This individual will differ from one who has a superficial faith. The Christian can live and make decisions by the grace of God. Conversely, the other who claims to be Christian is only borne out of good works and trivial human effort. Somehow, a part of us shrivels in discomfort when we enter a church or encounter a Christian that may appear God-honoring on the outside but is truly self-gratifying on the inside. Even the least discerning of us get uncomfortable around certain people because we know that the way they present themselves is fake and unnatural.  

The Lack of Authenticity in the Church

When watermelons grow naturally, they are oval in shape, full of seeds, and are covered by a green, striped outer skin. Yet these days, we will find watermelons that are square, seedless, and monochromic. These are unnatural, produced by the interference of human hands. While we enjoy eating a seedless watermelon for its convenience, watermelons were never really designed or created to be this way.

In the same way, some churches have become perverted when it comes to their doctrines, values, and objectives; thus, they take on a new nature – one that is not of God. They may identify as a church of Christ in the same way that the mustard tree is identified as something that stemmed from the mustard seed, but the way they present themselves and what makes them up differ. They grow because they placed their own hands in the process.  As a result, we will encounter churches with resounding accusations of secularism, manipulation, abuse, purposeful connection with authoritative figures to acquire power, and unnecessary extensive expenses on marketing and advertising.

 

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Breaking Down the Parable of the Mustard Seed

What does the mustard seed teach us?

Countless churches and Christians today look to the parable of the mustard seed. We must take cues from the values that Jesus was presenting to the early believers when he spoke of it.

Still, the parable has important facets that we can only understand if we have the same context and knowledge as the ones who initially heard it.

While most had come to understand and appreciate how the mustard seed was the smallest seed known when this parable was given, there are elements that we do not inherently know due to cultural differences.

Agriculture was an important topic for the listeners of Jesus. The listeners knew the specific traits and functions of the different kinds of seeds.

For instance, apart from the fact that the mustard seed was known for its size, its quality was also something that was to be noted. Apparently, it is also famous for being an irritant.

Should it touch a person’s skin, it can cause contact dermatitis. The place of contact will turn red and feel as if it is burning. In modern times, we mix it with vinegar, oils, wine. People need to mix other spices with it before the public can commercially consume the seed.

Small in size but with great potential

Legend tells us that when Darius, the king of Persia, invaded Europe with his army, he sent a bag of sesame seeds to Alexander the Great to symbolize that there are as many soldiers in his army as there are seeds in the bag. Stepping up to the plate, Alexander sent back a bag of mustard seeds to Darius as a way of saying that while their army may be many, his army is biting and fiery. Such was the case for the mustard seed – small in size but large in potential. 

 

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The Church Caters to the People

The Diverse Church 

Megachurch leaders designed today’s church ministries to cater to the needs of the particular context they are in.  As a result, they have a variety of congregations. The preaching style and the genre of worship music already vary within churches in a city.  For example, if we flesh out the details of their congregation, we will find stark differences in every church. However, megachurches have an advantage over other churches. They can cater to a wide array of needs due to their very nature.  

Social observers have time and again likened the megachurch to a shopping mall. The consumer-driven ministries are viewed as seasonal offerings. Consequently, you can liken them to specialized boutiques. People come in and out of the mall depending on what they need. 

On the other hand, people can think of the core ministries as anchor stores. Their existence continues to draw people to enter the church even if the need for seasonal offerings falls. This structure provides members a continuous supply of activities to suit their needs and tastes. Meanwhile, it also gives active volunteers the option to choose which particular ministry they want to serve. Therefore, in the megachurch, there is something for everyone. 

Ministries in the Traditional Church

The traditional church has a limited number of ministries, and perhaps the only art-based ministry they have is the choir. However, in the megachurch, people are given more opportunities to use their natural talents in the arts.

Aside from the music team, most megachurches also have dance troupes, video presentations, and interpretative dancing. Those gifted in making visual arts can use their talent to create posters for the weekly sermon and special events, and the painters create backdrops for the stage. Several churches are even known to do elaborate stage plays and musical performances during special events and holidays, involving the children doing Sunday school as they do. 

The weekly worship services held by the megachurch further prove the variety. While local churches only commonly hold a weekly Sunday service, megachurches conduct various services throughout the week to cater to different people and leanings. For instance, there will be Wednesday services for working young professionals, Friday evening services catered to the youth, Saturday prayer meetings, and Sunday services are separated by language for multi-racial congregations.

Worship styles can also differ as the worship team adjusts this based on the crowd they are serving. Overall gives people the option to choose a particular service and time that works best for them.  

Targetting Specific Groups

This also helps the megachurch narrow down their statistics and connect with their target groups of audience.

The youth attending Friday services will find it easier to know their crowd and make friends. In contrast, the internationals attending language-specific Sunday services will immediately feel a sense of belonging, thus making it easier for the leaders to reach out to them.

The singles ministry won’t have too much difficulty gathering people for relationship-themed training and events as most people are already together in one service.

In contrast, those who joined the dance troupe have an automatic set of acquaintances they have something in common with. 

Family-centered events such as Mothers’ Day Outs and game nights provide both parents and children the avenue to build relationships with their own age groups and life stages. Since the megachurch is large, the narrowed audiences per service and ministry provide the avenue not to make people feel as if the large overall congregation swallows them up. 

Interestingly enough, even with the apparent segregation of different cultures and life-stages to make people feel more like they belong, megachurches also excel in integrating these people and blending different social statuses, races, and life groups. As such, a megachurch experiences higher involvement and participation rates from its members than other churches.

There is the value given to volunteerism and social activity. Because the structure itself needs hundreds if not thousands of workers to function, even the non-committed members find themselves helping out. And eventually, it is through their volunteering that they become planted in the church even more. 

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RECEIVING THE PROPHETIC MANTLE

THE RESPONSE FOR THE CONTRIBUTIONS (EXODUS 35:21–29)

THE RESPONSE FOR THE CONTRIBUTIONS (EXODUS 35:21–29):

The response was excellent. The people immediately began bringing their contributions to Moses. Exodus 35 shows us that their hearts were stirred up, they were willing-hearted (Exo. 35:21-22, 26, 29). There were no gimmicks required. The instructions of God moved their hearts.

Târumah is given from nothing. God already provides what we are to give.

Like the Israelites, we are to give as we are enabled. Târumah is not given anything. God already provides what we are to give. God gives us the ability to give. You do not need to give anything that you do not already possess.

23-26  They came, both men and women, all the willing spirits among them, offering brooches, earrings, rings, necklaces—anything made of gold—offering up their gold jewelry to God.

Anyone who had blue, purple, and scarlet fabrics; fine linen; goats’ hair; tanned leather; and dolphin skins brought them.

Everyone who wanted to offer up silver or bronze as a gift to God brought it. Everyone who had acacia wood that could be used in the work brought it. All the women skilled at weaving brought their weavings of blue and purple and scarlet fabrics and they’re fine linens. And all the women who were gifted in spinning spun the goats’ hair. (Exodus 35: 23-26)

They already have these objects in their possession. God prepared them for the act of giving.

If you notice the verse above, they already had what they offered. They did not take the time to gather or save up for it first and did not have to go on an expedition to get these things. They already have these objects in their possession. God prepared them for the act of giving. They offered what God supplied.

 

Your weekly dose of prophetic wisdom and anointing awaits you. Join our LIVE Conference Call!

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GROWING YOUR PROPHETIC GIFT

In every area of life, feedback from others is fundamentally needed to help us grow and develop our gifts and skills. There is a saying that goes, “Feedback is the breakfast of champions!” This is also true concerning our spiritual gifts of prophecy and discernment. At the end of the day, if we don’t know how to improve and sharpen our spiritual gifts — and the manner in which we use them — we will not reach our truest potential. It’s not that we are the source of these gifts, but it is that we’re the stewards of these gifts that we seek to grow them.

It’s not that we are the source of these gifts, but it is that we’re the stewards of these gifts that we seek to grow them.

Feedback is important because when we recognize and acknowledge our blind spots, we are able to address them. We can never identify our own blind spots. Moreover, we also learn from the wisdom of others who are already ahead of us on the journey. Our ability to communicate clearly to others what God has spoken to us is sharpened when we receive feedback from elder prophets. Moreover, Godly feedback provides confirmation of our prophetic insight, which benefits us and those to whom we are ministering.

Through feedback, we can assess the degree to which the ministry is helpful. You can also ensure that there is no gap — or misunderstanding — between what you have heard from God (regarding His heart and purposes for a person or for a situation), and what the person has actually received and understood through your prophetic word.

Ministry feedback can come from the following people:

  • A person you share a prophetic insight with;
  • A leader, pastor, or spiritual overseer in the situation you are ministering in;
  • A mentor or fellow team member.

What are the benefits of ministry feedback you’ve personally experienced and how did it help you grow?

Do you have fears or anxieties with regards to receiving feedback or constructive criticism from prophetic leaders, senior pastors, or fellow prophets? What are they?

 

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Understanding Tithing

The premise of tithing as an expression of grace is three-fold:

First, tithing acknowledges God as the source and owner of all that we possess. Tithing performs a role separate from that of unsystematic giving, which suggests that we believe we own all that we possess. Through tithing we acknowledge that God created our increase.

Second, tithing is a voluntary act of worship. At Bethel Jacob said:

If God will help and protect me on this journey and give me food and clothes, and will bring me back safely to my father, then I will choose Jehovah as my God! And this memorial pillar shall become a place for worship; and I will give you back a tenth of
everything you give me!

If you don’t already, you too should consider tithing — or giving more — as an act of worship. Through this act, you keep your focus on the heavenly Father and testify to His kindness and generosity toward you.

Third, tithing teaches us to put God first. Moses said, “The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives.” Tithing as a systematic, purposeful plan for consistent giving enables you to circumvent the emotions and circumstances that would hinder you from being a faithful steward and, thus, from putting God first in your life. This prioritizing releases you from the tyranny of materialism and clears the channel for God’s additional and abundant blessings.

Start gaining more knowledge about God’s Kingdom and understand His design in your life. When you get your written prophecy you will be capable of living a life of abundance. Finally get your to know God’s Kingdom is truly by speaking to Master Prophet E. Bernard.

Obedience is Key

Obedience to His commands in every facet of our lives is the key to experiencing the presence of Christ and the joy of heaven. Jesus says, “The one who obeys me is the one who loves me…I will only reveal myself to those who love me and obey me. The Father will love them too, and we will come to them and live with them.

Are you experiencing the presence of Christ in your life? Do you know His joy, His love, His peace, the sense of His direction? If not, could it be that you are not obeying His commands? When you withhold the resources that God has entrusted to you for His work, He has little with which to bless you, and your life becomes unfruitful and unhappy.

I personally know of no greater joy than that of being an instrument of God to communicate the good news of the gospel to others. And that takes money. We are not our own anymore; we have been bought with a price, the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our time, talents and treasure are our way of expressing gratitude to our great and glorious God and Father for all that He has done to fill us with His presence.

If you want to know more about Biblical Prophecies, talk to Master Prophet Bishop Bernard Jordan and get your Free Written Prophecies and know God’s will for you.

HOW TO DEAL TEMPTATION

Temptation comes in many forms. You think being tempted as being enticed to do things like stealing, murdering or committing adultery. Most often we were to be impatient, stingy, jealous, greedy or any number of other things that you consider lesser sins. Satan strikes at your points of weakness.

Temptation or giving in to temptation has been a serious problem since the beginning of time and it is still a very real part of our life until now. Whether we like it or not we all have to deal with it. Most of us may not really understand temptation and its purpose.

“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)

Everyone are facing temptation. But the truth is very of us deal with it effectively. It should not be the case and it does not have to be the case for believers. There is some ways of dealing with temptation that we should know and if we put them intpractice. It is also important to understand that all temptation is rooted in selfishness is really Satan’s beachhead. To develop spiritual strength, you must pass all kinds of test of temptation both large and small.

You find that Satan also tempted Christ, hoping to find an area of weakness to invade. But Christ stood strong and defeated the enemy. We believe He knew ahead of time that Christ would pass the test ans we believe that God has confidence on us that we will pass many of our test too.

Master Prophet believes that we cannot be tempted unless we have first thought about it. All temptation are link to what we think on. Control our thoughts and we will control temptation. This is simple but profound truth. It is the reason most of us fall into temptation.

FIND A GOOD LIFE

Only a relationship with Christ can give us the good life that He has designed us to crave. Placing our hope in anything less even if it is something good that He has created, turns into idolatry that interferes with our relationship with Christ and actually leads us away from the good life that God wants us to enjoy.

Idolatry happens whenever we look to something that does not have His power to give us what only He has the power and authority to give us. Reflect on our life right now and honestly consider whether or not we were hoping to derive fulfillment from things like material possessions, a successful career, an exciting romantic relationship, or close relationship with family and friends. Ask Him to show us if we have wandered away from Christ and towards idols and what type of idols is God biggest rival in our life right now. Clues what we spend time thinking about, and what we invest the most energy and money into pursuing. Anything that we are devoting ourself to more that we are to Christ is an idol in our life.

Bishop Jordan believe that we may struggle with financial idolatry if we look to money to give us security, peace, or happiness or if we were often anxious about getting more money or holding onto the money we already have rather than being content and generous as He want to be. Christ said that we can not serve both God and money because trying to do so will divide our mind, and we need to devote ourself to Him with single minded focus so we can become the person that God has design us to become. Choose to trust Him completely with our finances, following biblical principle to manage our money as a tool to accomplish His purpose for our
life.

If you want to know how to live a good life through God’s will, talk to Master Prophet. And get your Free Prophecy.

“For i know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”(Jeremiah 29:11)

LOVE AND FAITH

God is love, to believe in Him is to believe in love. True love is patient and kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, and keeps no wrong records. Love does not delight in evil rejoices with the truth. It is always protects, trust, hope and perseveres. Lover never fails. Love is like faith which is patient, detached, persistent and never failing. Faith and love are the two eternal heavenly things.

Since love energizes faith, the opposite must also be true. The opposite of love is hate. Hate drains faith. Hate will sap the strength out of faith. Our faith is perfect when it is found in the love of God. Faith and love are one. Faith is faith in love and love causes us to have faith. Having one is having the other. We have faith towards where our heart is in. When our hearts is in Him, our faith is in God. To believe in God’s love is to believe in His love for us. It is not His power, glory, or intelligence that our faith is truly in, but it is His love. Because it is only His love that set our heart at rest. When our faith is in His love all else will fall into place.

Master Prophet believes that the primary order is to believe, and believe in the of God. When our knowledge and perception of His love is perfect, our faith is perfect. You are all here to know Him by knowing God’s love. All of life is for you to evolve spiritual in greater knowledge of the love of God. As you grow in faith in His love, you become more perfect as spiritual beings of power.

“Now faith, hope and love remain these three things and the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)

OUR FIRST LOVE, GOD

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

One of the ways that you bring glory to Him and cultivate our love for God is by worshiping God. Take time to ponder Him. Consider God acts in creation and in the circumstances of our life. Adore God. Sing praise to God. Bless His holy name. Repent our indifference toward Him. Repentance involves a change of heart, direction and mind. Forsake the thoughts, attitude and actions that have drawn our attention away from wholehearted love for God. Receive His forgiveness and renew our commitment to do the first work of our faith.

Ask God to give us attentiveness to His voice as God brings to our attention and direct us to them, in God strength, with God’s love and for God’s glory, as we serve His name, we will know the joy of God, which is our strength. By recalling our salvation experience and our first love for Him can help us to recognize changes that have developed in our relationship with Him since then. Do we have greater or weaker sense of our need for Him now? Are we cooler toward Him and less passionate about spiritual things that once we were.?

Master Prophet believes that when a person receives Jesus as our Savior, we experiences the delight of first love for God. The Lord’s Spirit witnesses with our spirit that we is a child of Him, and this new found relationship brings great freedom and joy. Unfortunately many of us fall away from this first love. When we does not depend on Him to meet our daily needs, our love for Him grows cold. Prophetic Insights will awaken faith in each and every one of us and will build better relationship with God. Get your free written prophecy now.

THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL – SELF LOVE

The self love forms the foundation of our single, most important relationship that with ourself. The strength of all our other relationship is exactly equal to the strength of that foundation. To love ourself is not just a self esteem boosting piece of advice.it is prerequisite to truly loving others.

The Golden rule tells us to love your neighbour as you love yourself. We are likely to have heard it many times, expressed in different ways, thinking it is about loving others. Look a closer though and we will find that at its very center is the command to love ourself.

Master Prophet E. Bernard Jordan believes that self love is not being arrogant or egotistical. It is not about comparing ourself to others to determine if we are good enough. It is not about always putting ourself at the expense of others. It is not always getting our way. It is not about always winning. It is not about only after number one. “ But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with your heart and all your soul.” (Joshua 22:5)

To love ourself is to in awe of the miracle of our existence. It is to accept our self as weare the light parts and the dark the good and the bad, while knowing that the real us is above the perceived dualities of the physical realm. It is to be willing to receive as much as we are willing o give and do both equally. It is about knowing our values and our boundaries and honoring them. It is about teaching others how to treat us by showing them how we treat ourself. It is about being kind to ourself. Its about looking after our mind, our body, and our spirit. It is about knowing we are worth it, not because of what we have achieved or what we look like or what others think of us, but because love is our birthright no matter what.