Homework and such...

Spring break was rough. With all of my Kansas City friends off on adventures, I was here, working, reading, enjoying some extra sleep. By the end of the week I got super lonely though, not because I spent the week by myself, I actually enjoyed that aspect. I came to the realization that in a few short months these people that I have run with for the past year and a half will scurry off in pursuit of their future calling and I will be left to start at ground zero in building community, again. It is a bit overwhelming to think about. But, I trust the Lord to meet every single one of my needs. He promises in Psalm 68 that He sets the solitary in families, I am definitely leaning on that promise right now.

I thought I would make you all a little bit jealous  about the homework I have in one of my classes... This week our homework list is as follows:

-Read Pages 1-41 of "Foolishness to the Greeks" by Lesslie Newbigin


-Read Chapters 1&2 of "The Ministry of Intercessory Prayer" by Andrew Murray


-Complete days 1-5 of the School of Intercession in the back of Murray's book


-Read out loud, Isaiah 6:1-8, Revelation 4, Revelation 21-22:
-Tues
-Wed
-Thurs
-Mon


-Spend an hour reviewing each set of notes:
-Tues
-Thurs


-Sing the Psalms for 30 Minutes:
-Tues
-Wed
-Thurs
-Mon

Where else do I get to do homework like that? I am blessed! :)

Happenings and things...

I have been running nonstop since January, but a good running it has been. :) Midway through January I realized that I have become far too immersed in introspection, although it is a natural byproduct of studying the bible all day, everyday, it is quiet tormenting to the heart and soul. The best way I've learned to keep from focusing on ME is to start thinking about someone else. I started serving the poor and the lost at IHOP-KC's inner city ministry called "Hope City" at the end of January as a portion of my practicum and when we moved on in the rotation, I continued to serve. When I hang out in the slums of the inner city with the people who live on the streets and in the poorest neighborhoods, the drug dealers and those that give them job security, my heart comes alive! I have helped in the kitchen and subbed as a singer on a worship team and helped with both of the kids programs. Every week my heart breaks for those kids who have experienced more pain and hardship in their young age than I have in my 25 years of life. I want them to experience the freedom of Christ in their own hearts and see them believe in faith for their families to be set free from addiction and demonic influence. I have decided to focus on helping with the children's ministry at Hope City because I know that long term the Lord has given me vision to minister to youth at risk.

In the next couple of months I will be completing two years of bible school here at IHOPU. When I moved here, my goal was to finish two years of school and I was sure that by then the Lord would have all the doors wide open  (insert angelic crescendo here) with glowing arrows pointing me in the way He wants me to go. But, He has not. I do have peace remaining here in Kansas City, but then there is a part of me that is so excited about the next stage of my journey.

I have come to realize that when the Lord releases me from here I can literally go anywhere. Anywhere in the world! I get so caught up in fear of making the wrong move or missing my calling or not being ready that I forget that the Lord puts the desires of His heart on my heart, it is not just me, those pangs of desire are an invitation for me to partner with His heart. All of my life I have pictured myself in a particular stage of life and at a specific state of heart before I would be sent to make disciples. But, I have been sifting through those presuppositions, asking the Lord what His standards and prerequisites are. I didn't realize that I had placed on myself this restriction of only being able to follow  my husband into ministry. I don't know if it is fear related or if it harkens back to my tendency to disqualify myself, probably both, but the Lord is blowing up all of my expectations. For the first time in my life, I don't care about going by myself and I never thought I would feel this way, ever. My heart is crying out "here I am, send me" and I don't have the echo in my mind that says "after I am married." At the moment I am even content to be single for life. Praise the Lord! I want Him to remove every one of my self imposed parameters.

The Lord has blessed me by my job so much, it is ridiculous! We were nominated again for a James Beard award and made the top 100 list for best service nationwide. A couple of the servers moved away and I have worked my way up in senority which makes better shifts available to me. The Lord is so good! He also has been opening up doors for me to build relationship with a couple of my co-workers. I am believing for their salvation and an outpouring of His Spirit on Bluestem!

Click here to watch a video of Bluestem!

Dance your way through the desert...

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18

Oftentimes we focus on the glories, but how often do we think about the in between times, the seemingly endless seasons between the glories? The desert season.

What does it mean to be in a desert season? Webster’s Dictionary defines the word desert as arid land with usually sparse vegetation; especially such land having a very warm climate and receiving sporadic rainfall, an area apparently devoid of life, a wild uninhabited and uncultivated tract, a desolate or forbidding area (lost in a desert of doubt.)  In my experience I would describe a spiritual desert season or valley as a time of intense longing or hunger for the Lord to break into an area of need, the in-between, transitional period between glory and glory. The time when all that is beautiful and life giving is stripped away and you are left with the reality of who you are without the veneer or the “anointing”. Sometimes we hear it described as a valley, a wilderness, John of the cross named it the dark night of the soul, Job, King David and Moses described it as a time of affliction.

And when we cried unto the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression. Deuteronomy 26:7

My eye wastes away because of affliction. LORD, I have called daily upon You; I have stretched out my hands to You. Psalm 88:9

"And now my soul is poured out because of my [plight]; The days of affliction take hold of me.” Job 30:16

One of my favorite authors Oswald Chambers says so wisely, “We have all experienced times of exaltation on the mountain, when we have seen things from God’s perspective and have wanted to stay there. But God will never allow us to stay there. The true test of our spiritual life is in exhibiting the power to descend from the mountain. If we only have the power to go up, something is wrong. It is a wonderful thing to be on the mountain with God, but a person only gets there so that he may later go down and lift up the demon-possessed people in the valley (see Mark 9:14-18). We are not made for the mountains, for sunrises, or for the other beautiful attractions in life— those are simply intended to be moments of inspiration. We are made for the valley and the ordinary things of life, and that is where we have to prove our stamina and strength. Yet our spiritual selfishness always wants repeated moments on the mountain. We feel that we could talk and live like perfect angels, if we could only stay on the mountaintop. Those times of exaltation are exceptional and they have their meaning in our life with God, but we must beware to prevent our spiritual selfishness from wanting to make them the only time. In actual fact, it is to be turned into something even better than teaching, namely, character. The moments on the mountaintop are rare moments, and they are meant for something in God’s purpose.

How many times have I kicked and screamed in objection to the spiritually dry seasons because I am not encountering the Lord the way I want? Oswald Chambers blew my ego out of the water, we are made for the valley?!?!?! Everything in me wants to revolt at this! Are we not made as lamps of the glory of God? Yes! But nowhere does it say that in order to bear the glory of God we have to be on the mountain top. 

 Desert seasons are inevitable, they can be self inflicted, a result of sin and disobedience or they can be a season allowed by God for the purpose of testing and refining of our faith. Either way, it is the desert where the Lord kindly molds us and shapes our hearts into maturity and wholeness.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.  And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:

“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;

For whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”

 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?  For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.  Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:1-11

 When I was in the midst of the most painful season of my life, I was wallowing in self condemnation, introspection and self pity. During one of the nights where I was in the most extreme of the depths of despair and crying out to the Lord, “Where are You? I thought You said You would never leave me or forsake me! I thought You promised to be my Comforter! Why would You abandon me if You are supposed to be good? You promised not to give me more than I can handle!” The responded to my cries, “I am re-bulding the cracks in your foundation.” I thought, what is that supposed to mean? Is that supposed to be consoling? I didn’t actually understand what the Lord was meaning with those words until a year later when I stumbled upon Isaiah 54.

Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed;
Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame;
For you will forget the shame of your youth,
And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.

For your Maker is your husband,
The Lord of hosts is His name;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel;
He is called the God of the whole earth.

For the Lord has called you
Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit,
Like a youthful wife when you were refused,”
Says your God.

“For a mere moment I have forsaken you,
But with great mercies I will gather you.

With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment;
But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,”
Says the Lord, your Redeemer.

“For this is like the waters of Noah to Me;
For as I have sworn
That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth,
So have I sworn
That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you.

For the mountains shall depart
And the hills be removed,
But My kindness shall not depart from you,
Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,”
Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

“O you afflicted one,
Tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems,
And lay your foundations with sapphires.

I will make your pinnacles of rubies,
Your gates of crystal,
And all your walls of precious stones.

All your children shall be taught by the Lord,
And great shall be the peace of your children.

In righteousness you shall be established;
You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
And from terror, for it shall not come near you.

Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me.
Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake.

“Behold, I have created the blacksmith
Who blows the coals in the fire,
Who brings forth an instrument for his work;
And I have created the spoiler to destroy.

No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord. Isaiah 54


The Lord in His faithfulness and His mercy loves us enough to prune away everything that hinders love in our hearts. That is what He is doing in me, rebuilding every crack and every area where my foundation is faulty. It hurts, it is difficult, I feel overwhelmed with the darkness in my heart, but I trust that what the enemy intended for evil, the Lord will work together for good because I love Him and I know He will make something beautiful out of the ashes of my life. IF I don't give up and IF I keep my heart tender toward Him.

Sometimes we are propelled into a dry season through circumstances completely unrelated to sin. Job was a righteous man that remained faithful to the Lord and His promises despite devastating circumstances. Consider Job, the Lord used his circumstances to root His faith even deeper in the Lord. 

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth and from walking back and forth on it.” Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” So Satan answered the Lord and said, Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” And the Lord said to satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power , only, do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. Job 1:6-12 

 Our father’s in the faith experienced dry seasons! Time and time again the bible gives us examples of how faithfulness and perseverance in the desert season is the training ground the Lord uses to propel His people into their destinies.    

Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

But Jesus answered him, saying,“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’” Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.  Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written:‘He shall give His angels charge over you,To keep you,’ and,‘In their hands they shall bear you up,Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ” Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. Luke 4:1-14

Jesus remained faithful and steadfast, enduring the trials in the wilderness and it was the strengthening and maturing season that propelled Him into His ministry.

We see this as a common thread throughout the bible.

Moses’ season in Midian resulted with an encounter with God in the burning bush and the Lord anointing him as the deliverer of the nation of Israel. (Exodus 2-3) Hannah struggled with barrenness but remained faithful to God and gave her son as an offering to the Lord. Her son became a righteous priest and prophet to the nation of Israel. (1 Samuel 1:10-16, 2:4-9) David stayed faithful to the Lord and in Godly character during His season of persecution by Saul. Shortly after, he became king over the nation of Israel and the Lord sent His Son, the Redeemer of the nation of Israel through his line. (1 Samuel 18:14, 23, 24:8-22) John the Baptist’s season of maturity in the desert prepared him for his ministry as a forerunner. (Luke 1:67-80, Matthew 3:1-5, Mark 1:2-5) John the Beloved was exiled to the island of Patmos where the Lord gave him the book of Revelation. (Revelation 1:9)


Time and time again it is the FORERUNNER that emerges from the desert, fully equipped for their assignment.

Why should it be any different for us who are called by God to minister in our own assigned time and place?

It is so easy to give in to discouragement when we are facing the seemingly endless wilderness season. I have compiled a few keys to focus on in order to remain alive when all of life seems to be draining the joy out of us.

1. Commit yourself to the process, trust that the Lord is good even when your life looks ugly and despair knocks at your door! He who began a good work in you will complete it! We need to trust God’s purpose and sovereignty in the dry season. (Hebrews 6:10-20,10:32-39, 12:1-13, Romans 5:1-9, 8:18-26, James 1:2-8, 5:7-12)

But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of  love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,  saying,“Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:10-20

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy,for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete [it] until the day of Jesus Christ; just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. - Philippians 1:3-7

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,  knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2-4

2. We need to fix our gaze on the Lord and not on our circumstances. When we focus on ourselves and negativity, we fall into a dangerous myopic swirl, robbing ourselves of the growth and maturity we could’ve gained in the desert. Are we focusing failures or do we really trust the Lord’s strength to be made perfect in our weakness? Where we are fixing our gaze often determines how long we wander in the desert.

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?

My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.

The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore. Psalm 121

3. Know your God and His character! The enemy will do his best to make you believe wrong thoughts about God, don’t fall prey to his plans to make you angry at the Lord. Counteract the lies by immersing yourself in the truth of who God is.  If you get offended, the enemy wins. God will work everything together for good for those who are called according to His purpose! 

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to [His] purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined [to be] conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

Romans 8:27-30

4. Abide in Him! Dialogue with Him, share your heart, your fears, your insecurities, these seasons are an invitation to friendship! He will give you the desire of your heart to be alive again if you trust His purpose in the dry season. Prayerlessness ALWAYS leads to powerlessness! Press in to the heart of the Lord, even when you don't feel like it. Tell Him how your heart feels! Stay connected to the vine, it is our source of life!

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. "I am the vine, you [are] the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw [them] into the fire, and they are burned. "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.” John 15:5-9

5. Exercise your faith, don’t give in to doubt! Doubt is the doorway to despair! The Lord honors your faithfulness and your trust in Him.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good. Hebrews 11:1

6. Focus on truth, know the word! There are a few scriptures that have been my trail map over the years, every time I am experiencing those overwhelming moments, I hang onto His promises to me. 

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, To the end that [my] glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever. Psalm 30:11-12

[Let your] conduct [be] without covetousness; [be] content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

Take advantage of this season to build your history with God, if you keep your heart tender and willing, it is amazing what He can do with your life, even in your weakest state! One of my hero’s in the faith is Jeanne Guyon, her life was full of trials and crosses. The thing that most amazed me about her character was that in everything she saw the Lord! In her autobiography she describes a season in prison that I look to whenever I am experiencing momentary troubles. 

I shall not speak of that long persecution, which has made so much noise, for a series of ten years imprisonments, in all sorts of prisons, and of a banishment almost as long, and not yet ended, through crosses, calumnies, and all imaginable sorts of sufferings. There are facts too odious on the part of divers persons, which charity induces me to cover.

I have borne long and sore languishings, and oppressive and painful maladies without relief. I have been also inwardly under great desolations for several months, in such sort that I could only say these words, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me!" All creatures seemed to be against me. I then put myself on the side of God, against myself.

Perhaps some will be surprised at my refusing to give the details of the greatest and strongest crosses of my life, after I have related those which were less. I thought it proper to tell something of the crosses of my youth, to show the crucifying conduct which God held over me. I thought myself obliged to relate certain facts, to manifest their falsehood, the conduct of those by whom they had passed, and the authors of those persecutions of which I have been only the accidental object, as I was only persecuted, in order to involve therein persons of great merit; whom, being out of their reach by themselves, they, therefore, could not personally attack, but by confounding their affairs with mine. I thought I owed this to religion, piety, my friends, my family, and myself.

While I was prisoner at Vincennes, and Monsieur De La Reine examined me, I passed my time in great peace, content to pass the rest of my life there, if such were the will of God. I sang songs of joy, which the maid who served me learned by heart, as fast as I made them. We together sang thy praises, O, my God! The stones of my prison looked in my eyes like rubies; I esteemed them more than all the gaudy brilliancies of a vain world. My heart was full of that joy which Thou givest to them who love Thee, in the midst of their greatest crosses. When things were carried to the greatest extremities, being then in the Bastile, I said, "O, my God, if thou art pleased to render me a new spectacle to men and angels, Thy holy will be done!"

 Jeanne Guyon- Autobiography, December 1709

A Little Bird Am I

Madam Jeanne Guyon 

A little bird I am 

Shut from the fields of air; 

And in my cage I sit and sing 

To Him who placed me there; 

Well pleased a prisoner to be, 

Because, my God it pleases Thee.

Nought have I else to do, 

I sing the whole day long; 

And He whom most I love to please, 

Doth listen to my song; 

He caught and bound my wandering wing, 

But still He bends to hear me sing.

Thou hast an ear to hear, 

A heart to love and bless; 

And though my notes were e’er so crude, 

Thou wouldst not hear the less; 

Because Thou knowest as they fall, 

That love, sweet love, inspires them all.

My cage confines me round, 

Abroad I cannot flee; 

But though my wing is closely bound, 

My heart's at liberty. 

My prison walls cannot control 

The flight, the freedom of the soul.

Oh! it is good to soar 

These bolts and bars above, 

To Him whose purpose I adore, 

Whose providence I love; And in 

Thy mighty will to find 

The joy, the freedom of the mind.

What is the "Good News" all about?

    Today in the western world we have all heard the “good news” as the message that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and if we choose to believe in Him according to John 3:16, 1 we can be saved from eternity in hell. This is true! But, there is so much more to the gospel, there is so much more to the story, there are so many more amazing details to discover about the Lord’s plan for humanity and the cross is just one of the major markers in God’s timeline of human redemption. 

     In the beginning, the triune God created the earth. He created the heavens, the waters, the sky, the mountains and the trees, He even filled it with animals2 but it was still lacking. There was one part of creation that He was giddy with excitement about creating, you! Have you ever had a great idea? A painting that you see in your mind that you are wild with excitement to splash onto a canvas? Or, an invention in that you know is going to be revolutionary to the world that you are practically dying to fabricate? I would imagine that anticipation would be a fraction of the excitement that was in the Lord’s heart as He planned the blueprint for humanity. Before the earth was formed, God had an eternity to dream about how He would create us in His image3, how He would breathe life into us, how He would create our hearts to yearn for Him and love Him, and how He would partner with us in bringing new life to fill the earth.  When the time came for Him to create the first man, imagine the inordinate tenderness and passion He felt as He drew Adam from the dust4 and looked into the eyes of His dream for the first time. There is no word in the english language that can describe the emotion He felt at that moment. 

      The most mind blowing part of our design is that the Lord gave us our own will to think and choose to love Him on our own accord. We have all heard the devastating story about Adam and Eve5 being expelled from the garden of Eden after committing the first sin. You see, we were created to be the bearers of His manifest glory on the earth. But that only comes with perfect relationship with Him. God’s dream for humanity was to have a people who lived in 
wholehearted obedience and devotion to Him, but He wanted voluntary love and affection from us. He could have created us as robots who compulsively do and say all that we are asked, but 
He did not. He didn’t want friends who loved Him because they had to. From Adam and Eve’s perspective, can you imagine enjoying perfect friendship and experiencing the fullness of the glory of God on a daily basis and then because you chose disobedience, having that intimacy and face to face relationship broken forever6? The grief and longing they experienced for the rest of their days must have been overwhelming. 

       This is the state that we were born into, as a result of Adam and Eve’s original sin, we were born into sinful flesh in need of a Savior. Throughout the bible we see countless examples of men and women who are loved by God, showered with favor and provision and then we see them turn their hearts away in sin just as Adam and Eve did. Each and every time man chooses sin and disobedience it strikes the Lord’s heart with grief.  Tim Keller describes sin as “the despairing refusal to find your deepest identity in your relationship and service to God. Sin is seeking to become oneself, to gain an identity apart from Him.7” When we choose to sin, it creates a chasm between our hearts and the Lord that only the true turning of our heart in repentance can restore. 

     Consider the Israelites in the desert. The Lord rescued them from slavery, opened up the sea to secure their deliverance8 and provided food and drink9 for them in miraculous ways. The Lord pursued them in love, but they were created with free will and they chose to worship false gods.10 We can look at their choices and point judgmental fingers at them all we want, but the plain truth is this, we ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.11 Jesus came in human flesh and gave His life as the ultimate payment for our sins, without His blood we would remain in our sin, separate from God12. If we choose to repent and turn from our sin, we can begin the journey of restoring relationship with the Lord as He intended. 


     Just before He ascended to heaven, Jesus left us with a promise. He assured His disciples that He would return on the clouds for us, the desire of His heart, His creation, His friends, His bride. He also promised to send His Holy Spirit to dwell in us13 and among us so that He would always be with us in part until the restoration of all things. The indwelling of Holy Spirit fills us with the hope of glory 
and is merely a taste of what He has for us in the end.14 


       Salvation boils down to this: if we acknowledge our sin, repent and turn from our ways, accepting His sacrifice for us on the cross as payment for our sins, choosing to serve Him and love Him faithfully with every fragment of our being, we will be the bride that He returns for and restores fully the relationship that was broken in the garden. His ultimate plan is to be with us where we are15 in a fully restored heaven and earth, where we will walk with Him, bearing the fullness of His glory, talking with Him and communing with Him just like Adam and Eve did in the garden. That is the deepest, most intense longing of His heart, even now. 


    I think our modern view of Christianity is a bit skewed to be honest. We focus on being saved from hell and pursue being a “good” person and label that as righteousness. The Lord doesn’t just want to save us from hell, He wants a relationship that is fully restored. One of the central themes of the New Testament is that we need to be watchful and ready16 for the return of our bridegroom. When He returns will He find friends on the earth? I think we need to shift our pursuit from being saved from hell to focusing on being fully prepared for His return, faithfully pursuing friendship and relationship to be restored so that His glory can be manifest in its fullness on the earth again. 

     The “Good News” is not just that He created us, it is not just that He died on the cross. The good news is about the love that the Lord has in His heart for us from the beginning and that we can access it simply by realizing that we are sinners in need of a savior! This life is not worth living without fellowship with the Lord, we are created by love, for love, to live as eternal companions of our Bridegroom. When He returns, will you be one that He calls friend? Have you truly given your heart in pursuit of relationship with the Lord or have you settled for the “don’t go to hell” mentality of our culture? 






1 ”For God so loved the world that He gave His only son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have 

everlasting life” John 3:16 

2 Genesis 1:1-25
3 Genesis 1:27 
4 Genesis 2:7
5 Genesis 3 
6 Genesis 3:20-24 
7 Tim Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Scepticism (New York:Penguin, 2008),162. 
8 Exodus 14 
9 Exodus 15:22-27, Exodus 16:4-21, Exodus 17:1-7
10 Exodus 32 
11 Romans 3:23 
12 Romans 6:23 
13 Luke 24:49 
14 Colossians 1:27 
15 John 17:24,Leviticus 26:12, Jeremiah 32:38, Ezekiel 37:27

16 1 Peter 4:7-11, Matthew 24, Mark 13

The Rapture of the Saints according to the Olivet Discourse..

I have been neglecting my writing lately, I'm sorry! Here are some thoughts on the "rapture" of the saints...


       The “Olivet Discourse” found in Matthew 24 and Mark 13 has been one of the most debated eschatological passages of scripture in church history. In these passages we find Jesus teaching His disciples about His return from the Mount of Olives. One of the topics within the text that I find muddy is the concept of the rapture of the saints. Was Jesus referring only to the Jews or was He also speaking to the Gentiles? Is the passage where two men are in a field and one is taken while the other left standing 1 referring to a secret rapture? Popular belief considers those that are left behind as the wicked and unrighteous, was this really what Jesus was relaying to His disciples? These are a few questions that I wanted to get to the bottom of and find clarity on in my research.
Unfortunately the word “rapture” doesn’t appear in the bible at all. The Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines the rapture as “the final assumption of Christians into heaven during the end-time according to Christian theology”2 This is expounded on in Mark 13:27 and Matthew 24:31, “And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of the earth to the farthest part of heaven.” Also, Paul writes about the gathering of the elect in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” Gundry argues that the rapture in this context is referring solely to the nation of Israel 3 based on Revelation 7 where the four angels who were holding the four winds of the earth were commanded to seal the 144,000 children of Israel. 4 However, he fails to mention verses 9 and 10 describing the multitude containing people of all nations, tribes, peoples and tongues. According to Strong’s Concordance, the greek word for the elect who were gathered from the four winds is εκλεκτοσ, meaning chosen by God, to obtain salvation from God, Christians are called the chosen or elect of God and in some cases the Messiah or “Chosen One” was referred to as the elect. 5 Therefore, the elect who were taken up were not only the people of Israel, rather, all who have obtained salvation from God.
I think one of the most important thing to focus on is the context of Jesus’ conversation on the mount and the purpose of His message. Jesus is merely responding to questions asked by His disciples in the beginning of His discourse.6 When will these things be and what will be the signs? In the discourse, He is describing the signs of the end of the age 7 and using the parable of the fig tree, the days of Noah, the parable of the servant and His master. Jesus’ point was not to indicate a secret rapture or to tell the disciples the date and time of His return, rather, to promote an urgency to be watchful and ready at all times 8 because no one knows the day or the hour 9. The scripture lays out a roadmap of signs 10 to watch for as indicators of the soon return of Christ so we won’t be caught off guard like the foolish virgins in Matthew 25. We see this message repeated throughout the New Testament countless times, 1 Peter 4 talks about the end being near and follows with a list of instructions for preparedness.11
If we look back to the days of Noah, we see a corrupt generation of people who were only capable of doing evil.12 Jesus referenced that time as comparable to the days leading up to His return, just as in the days of Noah, people will go about their lives seeking their own gain. 13  This is where we see the men in the field and the women at the mill come into play,14 contrary to popular belief, I assert that the reference to those taken is to a negative end. I believe that Jesus is using this imagery to describe another perspective on the scenario in Matthew 13, where we find the parable of the wheat and the tares.15 At the end of the age, the tares that have been growing with the wheat are bundled up and burned, the wheat are those who are saved and the tares refer to the unsaved who are sent to the lake of fire. Although I don’t agree entirely with his conclusions, Penney affirms this perspective in his article,
“Matthew 24:40–41 cannot be the Rapture of the Church since the comparison Christ gave was a taking away in judgment and Christ says the judgment at His return will occur “just like the days of Noah.” If this were the Rapture He would have said it will be just the opposite of the days of Noah. This is confirmed in the parallel passage in Luke 17:34–37 which explicitly states that they will be taken in judgment and their carcasses be fed to the vultures.”16 
        Therefore, I believe that there are two gatherings of those who remain on the earth after the great tribulation portrayed within the Olivet Discourse, the gathering of the saints who will
meet the Lord in the air 17 and the gathering of the wicked into final judgment and eternal damnation 18. Many scholars would lump these two instances into one event, but I believe that Jesus in the Olivet Discourse was clearly laying out a map portraying two different scenarios.

¹ Matthew 24:40-41

²“Merriam-Webster Dictionary.” http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rapture (accessed March 1, 2012).

³ Robert H. Gundry, Church and the Tribulation: A Biblical Examination of Posttribulationism (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1973), page 152.

⁴ Revelation 7:1-10

⁵ Goodrick, Edward W., and John R. Kohlberger III. 2004. The strongest NASB exhaustive concordance. Grand Rapids:  Zondervan.

⁶ Matthew 24:3, Mark 13:3-4

⁷ Mark 13:5-25, Matthew 24:4-30

⁸ Revelation 16:15, Luke 12:37,Matthew 22:8, Matthew 25:10, Revelation 19:7

⁹ Matthew 24:36, Mark 13:32-37, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2

¹⁰ Matthew 24:3-30, Mark 13:5-27, Revelation 5-20, Daniel 7, Daniel 9, Daniel 12

¹¹ 1 Peter 4:7-11

¹² Genesis 6

¹³ Matthew 24:38-39

¹⁴ Matthew 24:40-42

¹⁵ Matthew 13:37-43

¹⁶ Russell L. Penney, “Why the Church Is Not Referenced in the Olivet Discourse,” Conservative Theological Journal 1, no. 1 (Apr 1997): 60.

¹⁷ Mark 13:27, Matthew 24:31

¹⁸ Matthew 24:40-42, Revelation 19:17-21