Understanding the Times

Strange fire results from polluting the pure. Jesus warned of strange fire through the parable of the tares. When attempting to mix the impure with the pure, it backfires. Pure fire is the most potent catalyst to the release of the blessing and power of God. It is also the most powerful response to encounters with aggressive strongholds, and actuates the release of judgment. However, strange fire results when the pure process is modified or defiled with a replacement. Strange fire and replacement of the purity of God’s process has been at the core of the enemy’s strategy from the beginning. The pure was defiled by eating the forbidden fruit in the garden. Similarly, the pure process was corrupted by the sons of Aaron, just as the profane was added by Ananias and Sapphira. The defilement of the pure was reflected by the Hellenization of the Gospel, the expungement of the Jewish roots to the faith by Constantine; and in each instance whereby the precepts of men employed the seductive use of strange fire that impeded entrance within the veil. It is within the veil that the pure fire is released. The times demand not just the pure fire, but the restoration of the holy process without the polluted add-ons. Daniel noted that in the time of the end many would be purified and refined, but that wickedness would increase and abound. The times upon us are bordering between the times of sorrow spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24 and the times of the end described by Daniel. Wickedness is on the increase and abounding.

The world’s system is being shaken. Tenets of leadership, once accepted as the standard, are in question. The response of God’s chosen to this shaking; the response needed to impact nations requires more than what can be done in the natural. It demands a community-level response and a higher level of leadership. The response needed is to foundationally restore God’s order. The response will flow from the ancient model of God-centered entrepreneurial community being fully set in motion by a people mobilized in God. Within Christendom today are remarkable models to mobilize churches. Likewise, the last generation has seen incredible models that have mobilized missionaries. Now, we have entered the time of mobilizing the marketplace. All this has been good. However, in each of these cases there’s been a serious blind-spot. That blind-spot is created from the premise that if you are successful in one area, then success will follow in other areas. The blind-spot has also held that if you just employ a successful Western church model, then by doing it enough it will transform society. Not so. Church growth should be the by-product rather than the goal. Mobilizing missionaries should be the by-product rather than the goal. Spiritual success first pivots on changing the spiritual climate to the level that it impacts a culture. It is a process. It is a process that emanates from God’s order. At its crux is the restoration of the biblical model that fully embraces the interactive dynamic of the spiritual, the economic and community, all operating in concert.

Lord God, in the Name of Jesus, we bow our hearts before You. For Yours O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty. Indeed, everything that is in the heavens and earth is Yours. YOURS is the dominion O Lord; and You do exalt Yourself as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You and You do rule over all. In Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to strengthen and to make great. So we thank You O Lord and we glorify Your awesome, holy Name. And Lord we thank You for preparing us for a pathway purified by fire, that we might walk blameless before You. Lord, we bless You and we praise You. You are awesome and worthy to be praised. Lord, give us the grace we pray, to rule our own spirits. We thank You Lord, for giving us a heart to repent and a heart to forgive. Lord, we resist and renounce all forms of unholy dependencies and blindnesses. We likewise repent, and renounce and resist impatience and the sin of Saul to force issues that go contrary to your plan and timing, as well as the bitterness and fear and jealousy that so marked his tragic life. Lord, bring us into Your flow. Sensitize us to the issues central to Your heart. Enable and equip us afresh as able instruments of Your purpose; as Your ambassadors. Lord, may we be strong in You and do exploits. O Lord, the thunder of Your power; who can understand? Lord, up until this point, we have only heard the small whispers of Your power; despite these “whispers” being awesome. May our hearts be prepared for the time in which we will witness the thunder of Your power. Grant us the wisdom to recognize and flow in the authority you’ve given us each within our spheres. Lord, we thank you for the incredible opportunity in these times we have entered. Help us to better understand the unfolding of these times and to know what to do. These are the times spoken of by so many who have come before us. They are the times spoken of by Daniel when he said that many will be purified and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. Lord may we flow in that type of wisdom. Lord, these are the times spoken of by Ezekiel, when every vision will be fulfilled and the accomplishment of Your word will not be delayed. Lord, may we operate in the level of strategic holiness, authority and faith that releases that type of impact.

At the core of our mission is discerning the heart of God, defining issues and then with strategies based on God’s model and mandate, strengthening, equipping and mobilizing leaders, especially among those persecuted and oppressed for their faith. So, as we have traveled the nations to fulfill this mission during this last year, our sights have been lifted in terms of the whole arena of “understanding the times and knowing what to do.” If I had to sum it up in a word, this year has been a sequence of exposures to fresh applications of the model and strategies reflected by the “Joseph-Daniel calling” and wisdom of “God’s economy.” These applications offer pivotal insights into responding to the times we have entered and are key to the mandate of preparing to prepare. At the core of our observations is the Abrahamic model of God-centered, entrepreneurial community. Within totally different contexts, we have seen unexpected demonstrations of the application of this Abrahamic model. We have witnessed it releasing God’s authority to bring influence and positive impact in unlikely secular and corrupt settings. We’ve viewed the release of God’s power resident within remnant communities operating in unity as they have been led by the Spirit to operate beyond the threshold of their natural abilities. We’ve observed the potential exhibited by the establishment of “incubators” to enable opportunity and bring increase in community settings. Incubators are safe places that nurture the growth of an enterprise, be it ministry or business or both. These “unexpecteds” we’ve encountered the past few months have taken place in locales ranging from the African continent, to Asia, to Eastern Europe, as well as within areas in our own nation.