Behold the former things have come to pass, now I declare new things; before they spring forth, I proclaim them to you. God is revealing new things in our day, we have been comparing and contrasting old and new so we can make sure we are embracing the new and not clinging on to what is old.
The Joshua Generation is forerunners of new things which are characterized by establishing everything first beyond the veil in the heavenlies. We are looking at evangelism from a new perspective the context being a supernatural embassy of heaven, a storehouse ready for the harvest.
At the heart of evangelism is the gospel or good news – what is that? The heart of the good news is a love relationship that God has with the world. John 3- God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten on that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
A new level of experiential relationship with God who is Father, Son and Spirit A new level of communication with God as our Father – the ability to hear what He is saying and see what He is doing. New theology, a new understanding about God Himself that comes from our experience with Him. New doctrinal understandings that come from our encounters with the Truth – Jesus Himself. New foundational understandings that redefine what we have believed because of our firsthand encounters. New mind-sets that come from the mind of Christ that we can engage. New ways of evangelism as ambassadors of heaven on the earth with a ministry of reconciliation and restoration.
We are all called to be involved as witnesses, who have a personal testimony of our relationship with God. The sonship mandate of Gen 1:26-28 is for all of us to be fruitful and multiply fill the earth, subdue and rule
We all join the amazing circle of relationship that is the oneness of the Father, Son and Spirit We are adopted and welcomed back into the family from which we came in what was – eternity I am that I am has opened the circle to include us in the dance to join the party.
Luke 15:20 So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him nd the son said to him ather have sinned against heaven and in your sight am no longer worthy to be alled your son’ uke ut the father said to his slaves uikly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; 23 and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine was dead and has ome to life again he was lost and has been found’ nd they began to celebrate.
I AM lives in us and we now live in I AM and represent I AM on the earth as it is in heaven. To demonstrate the heart and love of God to those around us, particularly to those who are mentioned in Isa 61 (we have a specific mandate to the disadvantaged but that is not a limitation).
Isa 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; 2 to proclaim the favourable year of the Lord
We have a mandate to be a place of exchange and transformation where people exchange an old life of bondage and slavery for the freedom of a new and abundant life in Jesus.
We all have the privilege to represent Jesus as his ambassadors and share and demonstrate that amazing, good news with those around us. Do we have good news to share? What is our personal good news? What is our testimony?
Old ways of evangelism was where experts do it all for us. Healing evangelists and miracle workers, the kingdom superstars rather than the nameless, faceless sons of God. God is calling us to mature to the place where we all operate supernaturally as ambassadors of the good news.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
1 Cor 13:8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.
We all need to be transformed into His image as sons of God. Not just servants or stewards but mature sons who operate like Jesus, anointed and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Mature sons who in relationship with the Father can see and hear what He is doing and saying and do likewise. We are all commissioned to be a kingdom influence, to be good news. To make known the reality of the kingdom through being heavenly priests and kings. We need a first-hand experience of who God really is – love – to present hope to the world.
What is the good news that we are offering the world? That God is love and God is good and that we can all know and experience that God is love and therefore good all the time. Is that our personal experience or are we offering only a theory?
Act 10:38 You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
Matt 5:16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Our lives should point to our relationship with the Father.
Love was manifested in a person, Jesus, who is the lens through which the world should see that God is love. The whole concept of the good news of Jesus is based on God’s love for His children. We are all His children. He has created all of us to have a love relationship with Him. If we are to be good news to a hurting and damaged world we must know the good news, the Father revealing Himself perfectly in Jesus. God is perfect love, and we need to know love because it casts out all fear, specifically our fear of God punishing us.
Heb 2:14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.
Jesus came to relate to us, to embrace our pain and brokenness Himself. Heb 2:17 Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Jesus took that death on the cross so we do not have to. Jesus came and took our place so we have His place as sons.
Rom 6:23 (Mirror Bible) The reward of the law is death and the gift of grace is life! The bottom line is this: sin employs you like a soldier for its cause and rewards you with death; God gifts you with the highest quality of life wrapped up in Christ Jesus our Leader.
Jesus through His amazing love became what we are so He might bring us to be who He is. He became the Son of Man with us, so we can become sons of God with Him. He descended from heaven so we can ascend into heaven now without physical death.
We have a relationship not with a distant, all powerful, disinterested deity but with a God who became like us to embrace our pain and our brokenness and who cares for each of us. Do we have such a relationship? Is that the God you know and share with others?
Rom 5:6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. God came to us in Jesus and is waiting for us to come to Him as Father.
Rom 5:2 (Mirror Bible) Jesus is God’s grace embrace of the entire human race, here we are standing tall in the joyful bliss of our redeemed innocence! We are God’s dream come true, it was God’s idea all along
Rom 5:6 (Mirror Bible) God’s timing was absolutely perfect; humanity was at their weakest when Christ died their death. Herein is the extremity of God’s love gift, mankind was rotten to the core when Christ died their death.
Rom 5:9 (Mirror Bible) If God could love us that much when we were ungodly and guilty, how much more are we free to realize his love now that we are declared innocent by his blood?
Rom 5:10 (Mirror Bible) Our hostility and indifference towards God did not reduce his love for us; he saw equal value in us when he exchanged the life of his son for ours. Now that the act of reconciliation is complete, his life in us saves us from gutter-most to the uttermost.
We have this amazing, good news about a loving God. We have to demonstrate the heart and love of God to a world that does not believe it primarily because religion has painted a picture of a different God.
The enemy has done a good PR job on God through religion.
God is falsely presented as a hard harsh taskmaster who is waiting to punish us who are afraid of and hidden from him. That is not who God really is
A song: Here is love, vast as the ocean, lovingkindness as the flood. When the Prince of Life, our Ransom, shed for us His precious blood. Who His love will not remember? Who can cease to sing His praise? He can never be forgotten throughout Heaven’s eternal days.
On the mount of crucifixion fountains opened deep and wide. Through the floodgates of God’s mercy flowed a vast and gracious tide. Grace and love, like mighty rivers poured incessant from above. And Heaven’s peace and perfect justice kissed a guilty world in love.
God is love’ and therefore being infinite He is an infinite fountain of love. God is all-sufficient therefore He is an overflowing and infinite fountain of love. God is eternal therefore He is an unchangeable eternal fountain of love.
Rom 8:37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
There is a process of purifying and refining that can prepare us to radiate. Matt 17:1 Jesus led them up on a high mountain by themselves. 2 And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. We need transformation to release radiation.
Heb 12:28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; 29 for our God is a consuming fire. Let’s not be afraid of the process of transformation and embrace the fire of a loving God.
There are many places of fire in the heavenly realms – engage there! Fiery sword. Temple altar coals and seraphim. Judgement seat of consuming fire. River of fire and the Fire stones. Fire walk with Jesus – embrace purification and refining.
We have the four angels of transformation here with us. Refiners fire is here: engage in a fire that represents God’s amazing love for us. An amazing love that desires us to like Him as sons. Let the rubbish in our lives be consumed so we can be a true expression of love to the world.