Peace On Earth?

One of the things I love about the Christmas Season is that for a few days and weeks at the close of every year virtually the entire world is confronted with the belief held by millions throughout time that two-thousand years ago a Baby was born in a lowly manger who was the long-awaited Messiah of Israel and the Savior of all Mankind. "You shall call His Name, Jesus," the angel of God instructed His human parents, which means Savior, for He would save the world from their sins. His Name would also be Immanuel, which means, God with us; and that He is! for all those who receive Him, are infused in their human spirit with His very Life, His Being, His Spirit, the Divine Nature.

America Under Attack

It was eight years ago today that the horrific events of 9-11-01 occurred. In light of that, I wanted to reprise the article I wrote the day after, because it is obvious now that what I wrote was both prescient and prophetic. I knew that day, as I watched the events unfold on television that we were witnessing the collapse, not only of the Twin Towers, but the world's economy, if not the "Fall of Babylon" prophesied in Revelation 18. Though the news commentators and pundits were unwilling to speak such things at the time, it was confirming and reaffirming to hear Alan Greenspan, the then Chairman of the Federal Reserve — the twelve banks that are the real control center of America — admitted in a recent televised interview on a CNBC progam about the 2008 global economic collapse that he too instinctively knew he was witnessing the collapse of the world economy when he flew over ground zero in a helicopter the day after to see for himself the utter devastation and ruin wreaked at the hands of few foreign terrorists. The article regarding 9-11 follows.

America Under Attack September 11, 2001 "A Day that Will Live In Infamy" By Steven Lambert, ThD

Dear Friends and Fellow-believers,

Regarding the tragic and incredible events of yesterday, September 11, 2001, another "day that will live in infamy," some ten years ago, the Lord gave me a prophetic dream showing me, in essence, devastation of this sort taking place specifically in NY City. He also showed me in my discussion with Him about what transpired in the vision (far more than I can disclose here), that NYC was the epicenter of the financial, communication, commercial, and international political infrastructure of America, and hence the world. In the days following, He went on to tell me that there would come a time (I believe this is the beginning of that time) when everything that we have come to rely upon as being foundational to our individual and collective lives, the "foundations" of America and the free world, would be rocked, critically wounded, and indeed, some of them fatally wounded and destroyed.

Consequently, "life" as we have come to know it in this country especially, (at the time of the fulfillment of the vision) would be "forever changed." The words that continuously reverberated in my spirit, which I knew to be the words of the Holy Spirit within, were, "Nothing will ever be the same. Nothing will ever be the same."

The Children's Bread

The Great Commission:
And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." (Mk. 16:15-18)

According to what Jesus said, if you are a believer, you should be casting out demons! That's what believers do: cast out demons. Notice also it was the very first thing He addressed in what has been called, "The Great Commission!" While it is indeed the Great Commission to all the church, regardless of denomination, affiliation, or creed, yet it is the most disobeyed command Jesus gave.

The number five in the Bible symbolizes grace or another connotation of the Greek word, charis, which is giftings. It is no accident or coincidence that The Great Commission consists of five tenets, all of which delineate supernatural acts that believers are called and commissioned to perform through the power of the Holy Spirit and through the auspices of the authority Jesus relegated to the Church prior to His ascension into Heaven. The fact that there are five tenets indicates that the believer has been empowered and commissioned by the Spirit to perform them by the grace and supernatural giftings of God.

Jesus gave The Great Commission to the Church to be obeyed, yet it is so ignored and disobeyed by churches that it has been called "The Great Omission." It was not given merely to the leaders of the Church, but to believers of the Church. Any believer who is not performing these tenets of The Great Commission is, at the very minimum, a disobedient believer. My personal interpretation is that anyone who is not performing these acts is not a believer at all, for Jesus said this is what believers do; operating in these giftings to perform these acts is what defines a believer. At the very least, believers who are not obeying The Great Commission are unbelieving believers, if there is such a thing. Faith without works is dead; these works of The Great Commission are the works of a believer. James said, no one is saved by their works, but believers demonstrate their faith by their works.

The Purview of Apostolic Authority

Not long ago, I received an email from a subscriber who was asking me for answers to some questions he had concerning some troubling issues related to the nascent apostolic renewal. It was not until I was finishing the last paragraph of my response that I heard the Spirit tell me to post my answer to the SLM website, because it would also help others who have had similar thoughts and questions. Just bear in mind as you read my response, that this is not intended to be a theological treatise or comprehensive exposition on the matter of the apostolic or even this aspect of it, but rather I offer it to you as just one tiny little patch of the quilt the Spirit is weaving on the matter at this time in the Church..."line upon line, precept upon precept, a little here, a little there."

Question:

I hear a lot concerning "apostolic authority." What does apostolic authority mean? I have known apostles who march into churches and tell the pastor he has to submit to them because of apostolic authority or they will ask the pastor, who is your apostle? Does the apostle have authority over the pastor in the local church? Help!!

Reply:

I will try to give you a relatively succinct answer to a rather complex matter, without fleshing it out much. I will answer the first question in what follows. The last question, which is the essence of what you are asking, I will answer directly first: No, an apostle does not have authority over the leadership of local churches of which he is not a part and is not esteemed as the "set man" of that assembly merely by virtue of some perceived "authority" inherent in the title of "Apostle." Indeed, a true God-anointed, God-appointed, Spirit-trained apostle would never even THINK of such a thing.

Unfortunately, the kind of attitudes you describe represent what "Apostolic Authority" means to many misinformed and misguided people. A major problem in dealing with the matter of local church government, on the backdrop of the renewed awareness concerning Fivefold Ministry and the restoration of the Apostolic and Prophetic offices, in particular, is that while they are related, they are not the same, and the terminology we have been using regarding ministry offices or positions in the church has been contrary to Scripture.

The Passing of the Passe' in 2009

Among the things this earthen vessel hears the Lord Jesus Christ saying in 2009 to the Remnant Church He is building is:

"The 'former things' have come to pass, and indeed have now passed. This is necessary in order that 'new things' be ushered into your individual and collective lives. Whirlwinds of wholesale, seemingly radical change are now whirling. Everything is being shaken, in order that the things that remain be only authentic Kingdom things. The new things that are coming and have come are a passageway of promotion unto a higher dimension of the Spirit into which I am leading you. The challenges before you demand that you walk in a higher dimension of the Spirit in order to meet and resolve them. So also the trials, troubles, and tribulations ahead shall drive you deeper into the Kingdom and require you to walk in greater comportment with the Order of the Kingdom of Heaven in order to overcome them. There is an order and structure of the Kingdom you must begin to apprehend, comprehend, and implement through intense personal prayer. Ask of Me and it shall be given unto you. Seek Me and you shall find Me. Knock and the Door unto this new and higher dimension of the Kingdom shall be opened unto you. Remember, I AM the Door! As you seek ME in greater intensity and intimacy than ever before, you shall find Me in this hour. Draw nearer to Me and I will draw nearer to you. What I speak to you will be whispered in your ear as of a still, small voice, so you must draw nearer to Me in greater intimacy as did John who laid His head upon my breast to not only hear with his ears but to feel the reverberation of My Words and Heartbeat. Many shall begin to hear anew and get in sync with my very Heartbeat this year as you dine with Me in greater intimacy of the Spirit. It is then incumbent upon you to 'Shout from the housetops' what you hear whispered in your ear and what reverberates in your heart!"

2009 -- A Year of Changing Paradigms

Earthly life entails few constants. Indeed, the only constant in life is change, someone once observed. Change is inevitable and certain. When it comes, our attitude regarding it determines whether it comes as friend or foe. Of all that 2009 holds, it promises to be a Year of Change!

For a number of years now, for what it's worth, I have published at the beginning of each year my sense of what God is saying to me concerning the new year. I always compose my article before reading the commentaries of other prophets, prognosticators, and pundits to avoid being influenced by them. I do my best to hear what God is saying. Prior to the close of 2008 I posted some articles reflecting what I heard God saying regarding some of the events and circumstances transpiring at that time and their prospective impact upon our collective future. The theme of one of those posts was God's Plan for the Global Economic Collapse of 2008, which I invite you to read if you have not already. Though I indicated in that article that I believed that God indeed did have a plan for the economic collapse which would involve the manifestation of His purposes, I also indicated that I was not delineating in that article the particulars of what He was showing me regarding His Plan. I will be writing what He allows me to write about those particulars in forthcoming posts. However, the upshot of all that God is showing me in that regard is that this new year of 2009 promises to be a year in which the Lord initiates significant change -- paradigmatic change -- in mindsets, methodologies, and ministrations -- both in the world and in the Church Jesus is building. The question will be who will have an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church and give heed to -- i.e., flow and grow with -- what they are hearing, for it is not the hearers of God's Word who are justified (aligned and allied), but rather the doers.