In Pursuit Of Perfect Love.  

Because perfect love casts out fear.

In The Spirit And PoweR of The mob. By Deana Barnes.

 Some seed fell upon good ground. Good fruit develops from a planting in good ground. This ground is described in Luke 8:15. 

The seed that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, KEEP it and bear fruit with patience.  

A noble and good heart is one who has responded to the drawing of the Holy Spirit. One who hungers and thirsts after righteousness. The Holy Spirit preps our heart to receive God’s word, and breaks up hard ground. His love and unmerited favor or GRACE, is like the sun and rain that nourishes what He has planted in it.  The Holy Spirit exposes stones, snags, and roots, in order to make room for the WORD so it can develop fruit and flourish. This work of GOD comes by invitation. Psalm 139:23-24   Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

The Father has drawn us to Him, but our lack of faith can be an inhibitor of growth. Many on their own decide how much truth they are willing to walk in. We can allow the traditions and philosophies of men to  take up ground and mingle like weeds in the garden of our understanding. This limits spiritual productivity and can even choke it out. By not applying the word of God in prayer and meditation, and rightly dividing the word of truth. Many gather together in a culture of compromise and reinforce it by doing so.  Among the weeds are circumstantial offences (like seeds) that grow into resentment. While the root is bitterness the fruit is often division, strife, and every evil work. Springing out when we neglect our time and intimacy with the Father, in prayer, and meditation on His word, and the examination of our own thoughts and motives. This is where we cast down those things that are in conflict with the nature of Christ in us. Otherwise, weed seeds grow and bitterness and resentment flourish. Generational root systems take their predominance, and eventually we are repeating history all over again. Have you ever seen root growth from the old stump of an otherwise dead fruit tree? It’s called a sucker plant and all it does is rob trees around it of nutrients from the soil. It’s a wild out of control sapling, and that’s what it looks like when we are not practicing self control. All our actions do in the condition of lacking self control, is rob us from growth and fruit development. It is no different than being tossed about on every wind of doctrine, both of these metaphors are the same, such a person as these are carried about, and influenced, by the Prince and Power of the air. Self control is the key to everything, second to love. 

Doing, the word. Being a doer of the word is not about hyper activity in good works, as much as it is doing all we can to cultivate and nurture, Christ in us the Hope and glory, and present Him to the world around us. His character, His anointing,  His authority, and power. In THAT, we are able to fulfill the great commission making disciples of all nations. Preaching the word with signs and wonders following those, that believe in His name.

Many in the church (because of what is being cultivated in the heart) have migrated over to activism, in order to have an impact on their community.

This is the power of the mob in the arm of the flesh, to change the world.

This was the same counter active spirit among the Jews that operated in Jesus day. They were looking for a political savior that would gather the sword, and defeat the Roman occupation of Jerusalem. Often Jesus had to address that spirit when it crept in among His disciples,  telling them, ”You know NOT what spirit you are of.”  This is true today, there are those among us who call themselves disciples of Christ that find commonality in the bitter roots of todays political climate. Because of that we can move in and out (of the influence) of the spirit and power of the air, based on what has residence in our heart and is leaving its residue on are garment! The garment that is suppose to be in the process of becoming spotless!  We’ve got to wake up to the witness of the Holy Spirit! What is growing inside of us?  Either a spirit of resentment and bitterness, enrolled into todays political atmosphere, that supports the arm of the flesh, or the Holy Ghost-anointing that graces the mandate of ambassadorship. Which melts off the mob mentality.

Just as John The Baptist asked (while in prison) are you the one or shall we look for another? Jesus told John’s disciples to go back and testify to him the works they saw Jesus do. Jesus was a healer. Not an activist. His kingdom was not of this world, and so neither is ours. He finished his message to John saying this: Blessed are they that are not offended in me! Blessed are they that do not take offence when His men and women are busy about the Father’s business of the Kingdom, rather than political activism, that often requires a bipolar mentality because these things change and shift with the currents of the wind. Our political opinion can find itself derailed because it’s based on the good behavior of fallen men and women. Who can be heroes for a season and zeros in another. Like I always say, no matter who you waltz with in politics, it will turn into a twist with Leviathan before the night is through. That is the nature of the beast.

Many laws meant to protect us by a good government, ensnares us in the hands of an evil regime. But the mandate of Christ has not changed for over 2000 years. The Jews of Jesus time didn’t know who they were looking for when they were looking for the Messiah. John did, He was the forerunner of Jesus in the spirit of Elijah. But, look at this, John was in prison, He knew of the works Jesus had done, but still John questioned him under the hardship of his imprisonment. Something many under that same mantle that John carried, will struggle with in perilous times.  The mantle that now goes before the coming of the Lord, in the spirit of Elijah, upon the Church. Many will become disillusioned in the same way. How can such destiny in us and among us, still not have impact against the evils of Herod today? The answer is not taking political control. The answer is the power that is in the Gospel of Jesus Christ to save, and the demonstration of it. That is the key, everything else we do to change our world beyond that is shifting sand. Whole cities change their political atmosphere when impacted by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  This is how we overcome the world.  As Jesus answered John, so that same answer should shake us out of the arena of political activism and re align us back to where our focus should be, as true disciples doing what Jesus did! 

Mathew 11:2-6

Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said to him, Are you he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said to them, Go and show John again those things which you do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. Blessed is he that is not offended in me.

We are Christ manifested in the earth. The mandate remains the same. It is the only thing that will hasten His return to rule and reign. Blessed are they who are not offended in Him! Herod tolerated John, but his appitites and unholy agreements snared Harod into killing him. This is the same spirit of the age we are living in now. You cannot entertain it, you can not train it to work for you. It is in the nature of the beast to pursue power, above all else, and extinguish what will displace it. Remember, that same spirit went after Christ and killed all the children under 2 years of age in Bethlehem, jealously seeking out what one day will replace it.

Witnessing to All Nations

Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and you shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved. If we are found doing what Jesus commissioned us to do .. not just talking about, not  just writing books about it, but actually doing it, than we have nothing to be ashamed of, in His appearing. In us He will find faith in the earth! Praise God, let it be so! Amen.