The Essentials

Personal Devotions

There is absolutely no substitute for having a personal devotional life that includes reading the Bible, prayer and worship. Jesus Christ is not only the “Word made flesh” but also “the bread of life” and “the true vine” — “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you an do nothing.” (John 15:5) To learn, discern, and apply the Word of God in Jesus Christ is the primary foundation of the Christian faith. Poor devotions means a poor spiritual life and easy prey for the deceptions by “the world, the flesh and the devil.” More than any other time in history, the church has never had so many resources and time available to grow and advance the Kingdom of God; and at the same time been so thoroughly distracted from its calling. Jesus said to His disciples — “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (John6:63)

The Eternal Purpose

Now that the revelation of Jesus Christ has come it is a tragic mistake to start reading in the Book of Genesis and not realize that a new heavens and earth were in the mind and heart of God before the Garden of Eden existed. No one, including unseen principalities and powers, has ever foiled or even diverted “the eternal purpose” of the Trinity (Job42:2). Jesus was always destined to become the King of Jerusalem that is above (Ps. 110) and the “firstborn” to open the womb (“matrix” Heb., Ex.13:2), for the sons and daughters of God (Rom. 8:29; Heb. 1:6; Col. 1:15,18) — “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, and prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” (Rev.21:2) “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem . . . to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.” Heb.12:22-23.

Leaving Behind the Gates of Babylon

The first thing Cain did after leaving “the presence of the Lord” was to build a city — Enoch. Enoch means “beginning”; Cain was going to remake the world after his own image. This was no small act of rebellion; cajoled by the devil he was being led about like a marionette on strings in order to lay the foundation for Babylon the Great — the antithesis to Jerusalem that is above. Instead of offering light, freedom and life, it brings darkness, slavery and death. To be ignorant of Babylon is to be enticed by her charms, mesmerized by her seductions, and addicted to the lusts she traffics in. The Genesis flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 60, and ultimately the final cataclysmic meltdown of the universe (2 Peter 3:10-13), all demonstrate the power of secular culture to direct, control, exploit, and beguile the hearts of humanity.

Strategy

• Seek first the Kingdom of God through Jesus Christ and the Word of God — the Bible.
• Discover the major players in creation and their roles to influence our lives.
• Be the salt, light, leaven and sheep we are called to be through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Supreme Gift

“For by faith are you saved through grace; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.

Ephesians 2:8

The Glorious Truth

This is life eternal, that they may know You, the only true God, Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John17:3