Releasing the Kingdom

By Tony V. Hammack

Abundant Life Today Media
	Podcast: Play in New Window | Download

Mark 5:36-43

36 Overhearing[a] what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” 37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

• Revelation
• Verbalization
• Manifestation
• Duplication

Spending Time with God/Communion Every expression of God’s Kingdom starts with communing with the Father. He is the source of life and only He has the ability to prompt you to move and empower you in the supernatural. Jesus was empowered with the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38) and we must spend time with the Father in communion if we are to hear and know his heart.   Why Mary is commended by Jesus (Luke 10:38-42) This is why it’s so important to be a Mary over a Martha. Mary was poised for revelatory and thus supernatural works because of her position. Martha on the other hand was poised for only natural works.   Acts 4:13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.   Jesus would get up very early and go to a solitary place to pray. I believe during this time, According to Hebrews 5:7, “[Jesus] offered up definite, special petitions [for that which He not only wanted [a]but needed]   From this base of communion with the Heavenly Father all other operations were flowing. While praying and studying God’s word, we train ourselves to recognize God’s voice so when he speaks again we don’t wonder if that’s him but we are trained to the frequency of heaven, having courage to step out into what seems irrational.   Revelation - Apokalupto

1. to uncover, lay open what has been veiled or covered up disclose, make bare
2. to make known, make manifest, disclose what before was unknown
 

The Rock of Revelation

 

Jesus is the Christ

 

Luke 2:28-32

28Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss[d] your servant in peace. 30For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31which you have prepared in the sight of all people, 32a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”

 

Jesus, Fully God and Fully Man

 

The revelation God gives you will often seem irrational to others or even yourself. This is a big test  and many fall away here.

• Are you really hearing the Lord?
• Am I crazy?
• What will people think?
• What if God doesn’t do what I think he’s telling me he’s going to do?

One of the biggest problems with moving out beyond revelation and getting to declaration is having a greater fear or respect for God than you do man. All this can be dealt with through communing with God.

 

Fear of the Lord

It can be taught and thus caught

 

Psalm 34:11

Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD .

 

Psalm 111:10

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.

 

Proverbs 1:7

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools [ The Hebrew words rendered fool in Proverbs, and often elsewhere in the Old Testament, denote one who is morally deficient. ] despise wisdom and discipline.

 

Sin in the life of the believer will “clog” the communication lines between God and you. Sometimes this will make us want to hide in a Martha ministry; working but not wanting to give up sin, maybe even using the good works to justify the wrong position of our hearts.

 

Psalm 66:18

If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;

 

I believe this is one of the primary reasons God hates sin and Jesus told many to stop sinning. God wants a relationship and a clear line of communication with you so he can move you to do his will, even his supernatural will. Everything to God is natural. We are the one’s who separate the natural from the supernatural.

 

Revelation is a Key to Heaven

 

Peter's Confession of Christ

 

Matthew 16:13-20

13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”    14They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”    15“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ,[b] the Son of the living God.”    17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter,[c] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[d] will not overcome it.[e] 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[f] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[g] loosed in heaven.” 20Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

 

Being able to clearly hear God’s voice is the foundation upon which all other kingdom activity must be built. If we are to be a church of power and relevance in a society of humanistic sin, tolerant, and lost people, we must be able to hear God’s voice.

 

Verbalization

 

Matthew 17: 19–20

19Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn't we drive it out?”    20He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

 

So we flow from communion to revelation to verbalization to manifestation.

 

Have you ever heard a referee say, “I call it like I see it?” I have. In life we have two concurrent realities going on. We have the circumstantial realities that most people can see, but then we also have heavenly realities that many don’t seem to see.

 

I believe these last three steps, revelation, verbalization, and manifestation, can happen all together in seconds.

 

God spoke to Jesus and told him by revelation that the Girl was not dead, she was asleep. A very irrational reality from the perspective of all the mourners. So irrational that they laughed at him. He sends them out perhaps because their thoughts, ideas, and feelings about the situation are affecting him.

 

But Jesus verbalized the revelation even though I’m sure his natural mind knew it was irrational. However, he heard the voice of the Father, which trumps rational thought. Jesus is not running his “own program”

 

John 5:19

Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.

 

The girl is raised from the dead when he tells her “Little Girl, I say to you, ‘Get Up!’” At the moment when heaven and earth intersect there is no communal prayer time. That has already happened earlier. There is not one single example of communal prayer in the New Testament that brings about a healing at the intersection of heaven and earth.

 

I’m 100% for prayer. I believe it’s foundational for us to know and recognize the voice and will of God. However, once this is known we should be declaring His plan and will over situations if we want to see the manifestation of Heaven. Not simply lip service but revelatory release. So many in the Body of Christ are not doing this but many are awakening to the supernatural components of the Christian life.

 

Conclusion:

• Communion
• Revelation
• Declaration
• Manifestation
• Duplication

Duplication

Jesus invites three men to be with him during this process. These three men will catch what is going on here to such an effective level they begin to do what Jesus did.

 

Acts 3:3-7

3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong.

     

Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:15 AM (Central Standard Time U.S.A.) and Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM (Central Standard Time U.S.A.) If you can't be with us in person please visit via internet video on Jubilee T.V.

 

If you live in Batesville please tune into KBAP 88.1 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.

Jubilee Family Church45 Thunderbird Dr. Batesville, AR 72501 (870) 793-9124

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God Frustrates Humanism but Empowers People with the Holy Spirit

By Tony V. Hammack

Abundant Life Today Media
	Podcast: Play in New Window | Download

These notes are best when used in conjunction with the audio or video.  

A comparative look at the tower of Babel and Pentecost                                                                                       It’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness but today we’re going to talk a little bit about darkness before we get into the light.                                                                            Humanism - a doctrine, attitude, or way of life centered on human interests or values; especially : a philosophy that usually rejects supernaturalism and stresses an individual's dignity and worth and capacity for self-realization through reason.

 

I believe humanism has so infiltrated many Christian systems that we don’t even recognize it. It’s accepted as normal and we just go on.

 

Building with Humanism

 

Genesis 11:1-9

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As people moved eastward,[a] they found a plain in Shinar[b] and settled there. 3 They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” 5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. 6 The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” 8 So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel[c] —because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

 

Pray

 

Abraham, Israel, and Jesus Christ were decendents of Shem. The possible jealousy of the Hamites towards the Shemites is revealed in Genesis 11:4, since,'let us make us a name' is an intriguing statement since the Hebrew for 'name' here is actually 'Shem'

 

Many today like to look at how other churches are doing things. There is some value in this, but I challenge those in Christian leadership to hear what God is telling you to do, don’t necessarily pattern the work that you’re doing after another simply because they have numbers or some other method of success. I believe a house built on sand can get very tall… until the rain comes.

 

Psalm 127:1

Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.

 

How the Church is Built

 

Matthew 16:18

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

 

Everything the Hamites did was motivated by their own hearts, their own desires, and their own reasoning. The scripture in v. 3 doesn’t say they asked the Lord and the Lord said. It says, “they said to each other”, and again in v. 4 they said, “let’s build a city and a tower.” None of this grandiose activity was directed or blessed by the Lord.

 

The Power of Human Agreement

 

With innate human power the Hamites built a massive city and were in the process of building a massive tower when God stepped in saying, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.” (Gen 11:6)

 

The purpose of the tower that went to the heavens was two fold:

1. Make a name for ourselves
2. Prevent scattering

Make a Name for Ourselves

This has been the motto of humanity, "let us make a name for ourselves." Think for yourselves how many public edifices make a plaque somewhere on which the names of all the public officials who were in power when it was built are inscribed: the mayor, the head of public works, etc. "Let us make a name for ourselves," is a fundamental urge of a fallen race. It reveals one of the basic philosophies of humanism: "Glory to man in the highest, for man is the master of things." That is the central thought of humanism, glory to mankind.

 

James 4:6

But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

 

1 Peter 5:5

In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

 

Human effort apart from the spoken voice of God has potential to produce a lot of things but God wants us to hear his voice and obey. This is the way we are to build.

 

No Scattering

The second reason they built a tower and a city was so they wouldn’t be scattered across the Earth. God certainly desires that people live in unity but it must be for the right purpose and motivation. Unity that has disobedience as it’s purpose or outcome is not something God desires. The people of Babel where unified in such a way that they were working against God’s intent that humanity multiply, fill the earth, and glorify God in the process. Instead they had united in one place in order to secure their own position and in some way raise themselves up to God. The building of the Tower amounted to an assault on heaven. It was a statement saying that they could approach God on their own terms and in some measure as equals. The confusion of languages forced them to scatter across the earth  in order to fulfill the command to tend it and care for it.

 

One of the biggest temptations facing humanity today is trying to build something “for” God with human effort and strategy being the central theme of the work. Very often the motive is self, money, ego, or some other not so noble heart condition.

 

You hear it when pastors get together. They almost always want to talk numbers immediately, to almost jockey for position based on this. Numbers are important because they potentially represent people who a coming to know Christ and growing in their faith but not at the expense of our obedience to God’s spoken word. Now this will never be stated in a mission statement, vision statement, or church document but it will be in the hearts of the people in leadership if it’s in place.

 

God restores the languages of man but only with himself at the center of the process.

 

Acts 2:1-12

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

Approximately 15 different nationalities and corresponding languages are listed here in Acts 2.

 

I’m concerned in our modern world that there are many religious systems that are built upon man’s abilities, man’s strategies, and man’s personality. I find this most unfortunate but know that “the tower” will come down. God will frustrate these systems.

 

I want every Christian to know how incredible the Holy Spirit is. He’s not Casper the Friendly Ghost, He’s God!

 

Romans 8:14

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Holy Spirit Accepts the Gentiles

 

Acts 11:15-16

15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with[a] water, but you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit.’ 17 So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?” Cornelius the Gentile has a Vision to call for Peter

 

Acts 10:44-46

44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues[b] and praising God.

 

Acts 19:4-7

4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues[b] and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.

 

All believers should persistently seek the promise of the Father, the baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience of all in the early Christian Church. With it comes an increase in the activity of the Holy Spirit in the life of the recipient. The Holy Spirit gives dunamis power for life and service, as well as the bestowment of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry.

 

Humanism says, “I don’t need that”.

 

When God restores our language and He becomes the center of our life and work I believe the statement found in Genesis 11:6 “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.” This will come to pass in a righteous way with the Holy Spirit at the center, giving glory to Jesus.

   

Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:15 AM (Central Standard Time U.S.A.) and Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM (Central Standard Time U.S.A.) If you can't be with us in person please visit via internet video on Jubilee T.V.

If you live in Batesville please tune into KBAP 88.1 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.

Jubilee Family Church45 Thunderbird Dr. Batesville, AR 72501 (870) 793-9124
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God's Plan, Our Obedience

By Tony V. Hammack

Abundant Life Today Media
	Podcast: Play in New Window | Download To watch the video, click here.

These notes are best when used in conjunction with the audio or video.

Thesis:
Jesus desires for us to hit critical mass in the spirit so we can correctly duplicate Him in the world.

John 17:6-12
6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

Jesus is the perfect representation of God.
Obedience to God’s word demonstrates love and opens up revelation to the follower of Christ. Without revelation knowledge the Church has lost connection with the voice and direction of God. Building will be hindered or things built won’t stand.

v. 6 Jesus revealed God to his disciples. Jesus is able to reveal God to people because He is the prefect representation of God.

Colossians 1:15
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Jesus in the Father and the Father in the Son

John 14:9-11
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.

John 10:30
I and the Father are one.

We, like the disciples and Jesus, are called to be in the world but not of the world. (John 17:14-16) v. 6 The disciples belonged to God, God gave them to Jesus and they obeyed God’s Word. These three steps caused everything to happen. Leave out any one of the three steps and the disciples are just ordinary people.

God can only be revealed to us if God chooses to reveal Himself to us.

John 6:44a
44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them,

God’s sovereignty / Our Choice

Jeremiah 29:13
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

If we obey

John 8:31,32
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 14:15
If you love me, keep my commands.

John 14:23,24
23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

The word “now” in v. 7 indicates that because of this, now that. With prolonged obedience comes revelation knowledge.

Ephesians 1:17
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

Because God gave the disciples to Jesus and Jesus taught them the Word of God and they obeyed it, Jesus prayed that the disciples would know “that everything God had given Him comes from God.” This is important because of the foundational importance of having revelation knowledge regarding the identity of Jesus Christ.

Everything Hinges on Revelation

Matthew 16:17-19
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Many in the Church today have traded a pursuit of revelation for a pursuit of theology. Instead of wanting to know God many have decided to learn about God. Theological study has value however it shouldn’t be elevated above knowing God personally.

v. 8 in some ways mirrors v. 6 Jesus got the Word from the Father and delivered it perfectly to the disciples and they accepted it. The disciples knew with certainty that Jesus came from God the Father and they knew that Jesus was sent into the world by God.

v. 9 Jesus specifically mentions that he’s not praying for the World. Why not? He goes on to say that He’s praying for those God had given Him. Evidently God hadn’t given Jesus the world. However, I believe Jesus was believing that the disciples had hit critical mass in the spirit and would also continue to obey and thus perpetuate the ministry into the world.

What’s critical mass?
A size, number, or amount large enough to produce a particular result. What’s critical mass in the spirit? The disciples had enough revelation coupled with obedience to produce a good expression of God’s kingdom through their lives. They were ready to represent Jesus to the world.

I believe Jesus' deliberate strategy was to take over the entire planet with the Gospel. His plan was to have disciples mentoring others in the same way Jesus mentored His disciples. Jesus had His eyes on His disciples and them carrying on His ministry. (John 17:20) Jesus loved the world but realized that His disciples and their disciples etc. would have to be the ones to reach to the uttermost parts of the Earth.

v. 10 Jesus starts talking covenant talk here also between Himself and the Father. In the context of this covenant talk He brings up His disciples. He further mentions that the obedience of the disciples will bring glory to Him. I think of this in a similar way a well behaved or successful child brings honor/glory to the parent of that child.

v. 11 Jesus knows that He’s going to be leaving the world by His sacrificial death, burial and resurrection. He also knows that the disciples have more work to do so He asks God to protect them by the power of his name.

v. 11 (cont.) Jesus prays for the Church to be one. The unity is already given, it’s not achieved. The literal meaning is “that they continually be one”. The unity in the disciples is to resemble the unity between God the Father and Jesus the Son. It’s much more than unity of organization. I believe it’s God’s plan for Church individuals to be in covenant with other church individuals. Committed and deeply loving one another. Not back biting and flippant about their commitments.

The Church Universal
   

Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:15 AM (Central Standard Time U.S.A.) and Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM (Central Standard Time U.S.A.) If you can't be with us in person please visit via internet video on Jubilee T.V.

If you live in Batesville please tune into KBAP 88.1 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.
 Jubilee Family Church45 Thunderbird Dr. Batesville, AR 72501 (870) 793-9124
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