ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: KEYS OF THE KINGDOM XII
Hello! Hello! Hello! Hello! ….Oooppsss, my greeter got stuck again. Hope you had a good night’s rest, your whole being is re-charged and ready for what God has in store this day.
I’m trying to get this series wrapped up and there’s still a ways to go in this discussion, so let’s once again dispense with the preliminaries.
FAITH: THE SUBSTANTIVE FORCE, THE SUSTAINER OF THE WORD
We have to believe in our hearts that Jesus was indeed raised from the dead. That may seem to be oversimplified but take a look at how Paul puts it.
Romans 8:2: For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
The very fact that God raised Jesus from the dead is a law in itself: it is part and parcel of the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. Unless we believe that first and foremost, we cannot believe the rest of what Jesus says to us.
This is the Quantifier of faith.
Faith is more than simply hearing what God says.
Faith is hearing AND believing with absolute conviction what God says to us.
We’ve said that Faith is the Quantum Force — the transporter of the substance, the matter, the event, or series of events — that comes forth from the mouth of the Lord, but it is more than that. Hebrews 11:1 spells it out precisely.
Hebrews 11:1: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
The New American Standard phrases it like this:
Hebrews 11:1 NASB: Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
The Greek text uses the word hupostasis to describe what faith is (translated “substance” in the KJV).
This word is a conjunction of two words: hupo (meaning: under) and histemi, a prolonged form of stao (meaning: to stand, to hold up, to abide, to establish).
You see what Paul is saying here?
Faith is the substantive force, the sustainer, that which stands behind and under, supporting and making effective the word that is being spoken. Go back to what he wrote in Hebrews 1.
He refers to Jesus as being the One who created the worlds, he says that Jesus is the “brightness of His Glory, the express image of His Person,” and then he tells us that He (meaning Jesus) upholds, sustains, energizes and causes to operate and function “all things by the word (rhema) of His power.”
Faith, therefore, is inextricably linked to speaking. Let’s see if we can better define it like this.
QUANTUM PHYSICS DEFINES THE LAW OF FAITH
We’ve already said that faith is the transporter in the laws of Quantum Physics, but let’s break down those laws into three or four fundamentals.
1. Seeing, visualizing something, some event, or some state of being is absolutely essential before anything can happen. We can call this imagination, if you like, but imagination — under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit — is a necessary precursor.
2. Believing that what we see has been given and inspired by the Holy Spirit is also an absolute necessity. It is anointed imagination! What we see in and by the Holy Spirit is tantamount to hearing it; and the Lord may well actually speak the vision audibly in our ears.
3. Added to this is the necessity of believing that Jesus not only means what He says, but also that He intends and expects it to be accomplished in and through us. He cannot receive His full inheritance until His Word is operational in us! It is essential, therefore, that we understand that He deserves to see His Word operating in and through us.
4. Lastly, unless we speak — audibly — that which we see, hear and believe in our hearts, it cannot come to pass. Without speaking the Word of Faith, there is no “transporter” of the vision from the Spirit realm — releasing the treasuries of Heaven — into this time-space world.
The essence of all this, therefore, is the Law of Faith. We’ve said all this to lay the foundations for understanding the Key of David.
The Key of David is perhaps the most practical and useful (to the believer) means of employing that authority and power Jesus referred to when he was telling the disciples,
Matthew 16:19: And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
David understood the Kingdom of God — the realm of the rulership of the Lord — in a way that no one of his generation even began to comprehend.
Think about something that the prophets prophesied on several different occasions.
Isaiah 16:5: And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.
In this instance Isaiah is prophesying of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amos 9:11-15: In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.
Now we have the apostle James preaching to the elders and the disciples in Jerusalem:
Acts 15:15-18: And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.
THE KEY OF DAVID: SYNONYMOUS WITH THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID
Finally, we come back to John’s prophecy to the Ekklesia in Philadelphia:
Revelation 3:7-9: And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
Why did Isaiah and Amos prophesy that the Lord would again raise up the tabernacle of David instead of the temple? Why David’s tabernacle and not the temple he designed?
And why did the Angel of the Lord tell John to prophesy to the Ekklesia in Philadelphia concerning the Key of David instead of using the same term that Jesus used — the Keys of the Kingdom — when he talked to the disciples?
If you’ve been following the discussion concerning the laws of Quantum Physics and how they relate to the release of faith through seeing, envisioning, believing and speaking, you’ll now be able to connect those laws with why, in a span of 33 years, David forever altered the character and nature of the nation of Israel and laid the foundations for Kingdom rulership in the earth.
You should be able to now see and understand why David is referred to by the Lord as “a man after God’s own heart.”
David had a grasp of the spiritual laws that control the course of history. He had a revelation of what it took to bring Kingdom prosperity back to the earth. He knew what it took to take down giants and strike down the armies and forces of the enemy — no matter how large they were proportionately to the visible forces and might he had to work with.
David — in fact — knew what it would take to restore the Garden of Eden and the Tree of Life to the earth.
What was — and is — the Key of David?
Praise!! PRAISE!! P R A I S E!!!
Worship!
Thanksgiving!
USING THE KEY IN THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID
The word “praise,” and its synonyms like “exalt” or “magnify,” occurs some 300 times in the Word.
Terms for “worship” occur some 150 times, and variations of the word, “thanks” or “thanksgiving” are used approximately 75 times.
Unusual proportions, don’t you think? But every one of these words or word-phrases is event-changing. Think about what David released in Israel with his tabernacle and the offering of praise, worship and thanksgiving on a 24-hour basis.
David knew that praise would release the armies of Heaven to fight on his behalf and fight for Israel. He understood that his words of exaltation and magnifying God enabled the transport of supernatural resources — resources in God’s Kingdom — into this time-space realm where he was living and working.
David knew that every time he exalted the Lord, the spiritual forces that upheld the thrones of enemies were cast down. Invisible thrones and dominions were destroyed.
How was that? Pretty simple, really! He was agreeing with what God had said and was saying (rhema)! God had already spoken it in Heaven, and now David was declaring it with the rhema of God on the earth!
When he began to praise and magnify God, he was surrounded by angelic hosts who joined him in his exaltation. What’s more, those very same hosts of Heaven became his defense, his “shield and buckler.”
Go back to the prophecy of Amos for a minute, and consider why God said he would again “raise up the tabernacle of David.”
The Lord says, “That they (God’s people) may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.”
The “remnant of Edom (Esau), and of all the heathen (nations) which are called by my name (shem)?”
We’re talking about Saudi Arabia (that’s the ancient territory of Edom) and other nations that occupy the Middle East.
Furthermore, the prophecy states that it is the Lord which causes this to happen. With the Tabernacle of David restored, you have a people who have — and utilize to the fullest extent — the Key of David.
PRAISE RELEASES THE SOUND, THE RHEMA, THE DABAR OF GOD
With the Key of David — praise, worship, thanksgiving and intercession — being employed, the authority and power of the Kingdom of God is being released.
Thrones are being torn down, the spiritual forces that keep the enemies of God and His people sidetracked or uselessly engaged are removed from the field of battle. Lands and territories once under the dominion of the Enemy are now the possession of the King of Kings and His kings and lords.
Notice that when Amos is prophesying, Israel has been taken into captivity. They no longer occupy their land of promise, the land God covenanted to give them.
But Amos prophesies that with the restoration of the Tabernacle of David, Israel would again occupy its homeland, “And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.
Isaiah had earlier prophesied that “He (Jesus) shall sit upon it (the Throne of God) in truth in the tabernacle of David.”
David had written,
Psalm 103:19-22: The LORD hath prepared (kun: erected, fixed and established) his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure. Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.
You’ve got the picture, I’m sure. In the midst of praise, David declares that the Lord is enthroned, that His throne is fixed and established. In the midst of praise, the angels “excel in strength.”
In the midst of praise, the angels “hearken unto — listen and obey — the voice (kole: the sound, the proclamation) of His Word (dabar: this word is similar to the Greek, rhema, but adds a new dimension the Greek lacks: dabar describes: a thing happening, an event spoken of, a matter or cause being acted upon.)
This word, dabar, incorporates the elements of the Greek hupostasis, (translated “substance” in the KJV of Hebrews 11:1) indicating that it supports and makes effective the Word that is being spoken.
Get it? In the midst of praise, the Word of Faith is released. Substance is transferred from the eternal realm to the present, time-space realm, “calling those things which be not (in the time-space realm) as though they were” because they now are. They previously existed only in eternity — in the Heavenlies — and now they also exist in the time-space realm.
The Key of David is the release and transfer of material substance — whether that substance is the Angelic Hosts, whether it be material or financial resources, whether it be assistance in emergencies, or provision for any need, including healing and deliverance — through the utterance of high praise.
Consider Psalm 149:
Psalm 149-1-9: Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints. Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation. Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand; To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.
Where is this praise taking place: “In the congregation of the saints!”
How are they praising God: “In the dance, with the timbrel and harp.”
And they are executing God’s vengeance and judgment. More to come!
Blessings on you!
Regner
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Prosser, Washington 99350
509) 515-0133
All Coffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted – provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee Break archives are now available at http://regnersrangers.multiply.com/journal/ and are being slowly added at http://www.AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry. Should you desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this ministry, please contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses, or visit http://www.RiverWorshipCenter.org.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: KEYS OF THE KINGDOM XI
ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: KEYS OF THE KINGDOM XI
Good Morning!
Shall we dispense again with our off-topic beginnings today and get right into the discussion? Good! Thought maybe you might agree.
FAITH IS THE QUANTUM (AND QUANTIFIABLE) FORCE AND SUBSTANCE
The apostle Paul now takes this law of Quantum Physics the next step when he writes:
Romans 10:8-11: But what saith it? The word (rhema) is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word (rhema) of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess (homologeo: say the same thing God is saying) with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession (homologeo) is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Are you seeing how this law is applied?
It’s not simply that we quote some verse of Scripture that God said. The law works because God is the One Who quantifies that which is spoken.
The concept of rhema is not merely that the word is being spoken or said at that moment: the word is coming from the Quantifier Himself where the creative force exists and resides. He is the author, the creator and originator of the laws of Quantum Physics.
He has given us the capacity to speak what He speaks and see the same results as though He were here in person saying those words. This is the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus.
But there is a requirement on our part before faith can become active and operational through our mouths. There are two parts of this law.
1. That if thou shalt confess with my mouth, and
2. And shalt believe in thine heart.
Understand? Saying it is one thing. Repeating the same words that Jesus says “like a parrot” accomplishes little.
We have to believe in our hearts that Jesus was indeed raised from the dead. That may seem to be oversimplified but take a look at how Paul puts it.
Romans 8:2: For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
The very fact that God raised Jesus from the dead is a law in itself: it is part and parcel of the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. Unless we believe that first and foremost, we cannot believe the rest of what Jesus says to us.
This is the Quantifier of faith. Faith is more than simply hearing what God says: faith is hearing AND believing with absolute conviction what God says to us.
THE THREE PARTS OF QUANTUM PHYSICS AS SEEN IN FAITH
We’ve said that Faith is the Quantum Force — the transporter of the substance, the matter, the event, or series of events — that comes forth from the mouth of the Lord, but it is more than that. Hebrews 11:1 spells it out precisely.
Hebrews 11:1: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
The New American Standard phrases it like this:
Hebrews 11:1 NASB: Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
The Greek text uses the word hupostasis to describe faith.
This word is a conjunction of two words: hupo (meaning: under) and histemi, a prolonged form of stao (meaning: to stand, to hold up, to abide, to establish).
You see what Paul is saying here? Faith is the substantive force, the sustainer, that which stands behind and under, supporting and making effective the word that is being spoken.
Go back to what he wrote in Hebrews 1.
He refers to Jesus as being the One who created the worlds, he says that Jesus is the “brightness of His Glory, the express image of His Person,” and then he tells us that He (meaning Jesus) upholds, sustains, energizes and causes to operate and function “all things by the word (rhema) of His power.”
Faith, therefore, is inextricably linked to speaking. Let’s see if we can better define it like this.
We’ve already said that faith is the transporter in the laws of Quantum Physics, but let’s break down those laws into three fundamentals.
1. Seeing, visualizing something, some event, or some state of being is absolutely essential before anything can happen. We can call this imagination, if you like, but imagination — under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit — is a necessary precursor.
2. Believing that what we see has been given and inspired by the Holy Spirit is also an absolute necessity. What we see in and by the Holy Spirit is tantamount to hearing it; and the Lord may well actually speak the vision audibly in our ears. Added to this is the necessity of believing that Jesus not only means what He says, but also that He intends and expects it to be accomplished in and through us, and that He cannot receive His full inheritance until His Word is operational in us! It is essential, therefore, that we understand He deserves to see His Word operating in and through us.
3. Lastly, unless we speak — audibly — that which we see, hear and believe in our hearts, it cannot come to pass. Without speaking the Word of Faith, there is no “transporter” of the vision from the Spirit realm into this time-space world.
The essence of all this, therefore, is the Law of Faith. We’ve said all this to lay a foundation for understanding the Key of David, and that’s where we go next.
THE KEY OF DAVID, Part 2: HOW FAITH WORKS
Let’s revisit the some of the aspects of Quantum Physics we discussed in our previous Coffee Break for the sake of a refresher before we take the next step in understanding.
First of all, Quantum Physics is the study of the behavior of matter and energy at the molecular, atomic, nuclear, and even smaller microscopic levels. Early in the 20th century, scientists discovered that laws that govern macroscopic (or larger) objects do not function the same in such small realms.
The word “quantum” comes from the Latin “quanta” meaning “how much.” It refers to discrete units of matter and energy that are observed and predicted in quantum physics. Even space and time, which appear to be extremely continuous, have smallest possible values.
In the realm of quantum physics, observing something actually influences the physical processes taking place. Light waves act like particles and particles act like waves (called “wave particle duality). Matter can go from one spot to another without moving through the intervening space (called quantum tunneling). Information moves instantly across vast distances.
In fact, in quantum mechanics we discover that the entire universe is actually a series of probabilities. Fortunately, it breaks down when dealing with large objects.
Applying Quantum Physics in the spiritual realm, therefore, is actually a means of expressing how faith operates.
Matter — substance — can go from one spot (e.g., the treasury rooms in Heaven) to another without moving through the intervening space.
Faith is the transporter!
Consider something Jesus said in the “Sermon on the Mount.”
Matthew 6:19-21: Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
The essence of what Jesus is saying is that we put treasure in the treasury rooms of Heaven by our acts of obedience and faith — and that’s the same way we withdraw that treasure.
Information — creative commands spoken according to and in conjunction with the will of God — move instantly across vast distances. We use the term “vast distances” only in relative terms, meaning measurable distances within the universe.
The term “vast distances,” however, has little application when applied to the realm of the Spirit since there really is no distance between the realm of the Spirit and the time-space-based realm we refer to (incorrectly) as “the natural realm.”
We’ve all heard the favorite cliché that “there is no distance in prayer.” That is absolutely true. Likewise, there is no distance in faith.
FAITH: THE LANGUAGE OF THE SPIRIT
Allow me to define faith like this:
Faith is nothing more and nothing less than the transport of material substance — in the spirit-realm — from one dimension to another.
Faith is the ability to see something (whether an object, an act, or a state of being) and visualize it with anointed imagination.
Faith then speaks forth, calling “those things which are not (in the time-space realm) as though they were.”
The power to do this is activated and energized directly by our hearing God’s Word. Let me be more specific.
Romans 10:17:So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the (rhema) word of God.
You see the distinction don’t you? Faith — that creative energy and force, that law of quantum physics — becomes active and operational first by hearing that which we look for and expect to see visibly, and secondly by virtue of the fact that what we are hearing is coming directly from the mouth of God.
We are hearing the same creative force that caused light to come into existence. We are hearing that same creative force that caused the worlds to be. We are hearing that same rhema sound that came forth from the mouth of God when He spoke into Adam and Eve the following words:
Genesis 1:28a: And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion…..
It was true the instant the words came forth from God’s mouth. Adam and Eve were fruitful, they had the capacity to multiply, to fill up the earth, to subdue all the forces that existed on earth — including Satan who had already been cast out of heaven with a third of the angels “to the earth” (Revelation 12:4) — and they had complete dominion over every living creature (except man), every animal, every bird, every fish: “over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
When God called those things that “were not” in the time-space world “as though they were,” He created matter, set events in motion, and breathed life into the beings He had formed from the dust of the earth “in His likeness and image.”
The apostle Paul now takes this law of Quantum Physics the next step when he writes:
Romans 10:8-11: But what saith it? The word (rhema) is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word (rhema) of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess (homologeo: say the same thing God is saying) with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession (homologeo) is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Are you seeing how this law is applied?
It’s not simply that we quote some verse of Scripture that God said. The law works because God is the One Who quantifies that which is spoken.
The concept of rhema is not merely that the word is being spoken or said at that moment: the word is coming from the Quantifier Himself where the creative force exists and resides. He is the author, the creator and originator of the laws of Quantum Physics.
He has given us the capacity to speak what He speaks and see the same results as though He were here in person saying those words. This is the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus.
But there is a requirement on our part before faith can become active and operational through our mouths. There are two parts of this law.
1. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth, and
2. And shalt believe in thine heart.
Understand? Saying it is one thing. Repeating the same words that Jesus says “like a parrot” accomplishes little. It must be the actual Word that is coming forth from the Lord – at that moment in time!
I’d thought to be close to wrapping this up in one more Coffee Break, but in order to do so I’d have to really make this one extra long, so it looks like we’ll still take two more discussions before moving on to a strong prophetic word the Lord has given me.
Blessings on you!
Regner
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Prosser, Washington 99350
(509) 515-0133
All Coffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted – provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee Break archives are now available at http://regnersrangers.multiply.com/journal/ and are being slowly added at http://www.AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry. Should you desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this ministry, please contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses, or visit http://www.RiverWorshipCenter.org.
Good Morning!
Shall we dispense again with our off-topic beginnings today and get right into the discussion? Good! Thought maybe you might agree.
FAITH IS THE QUANTUM (AND QUANTIFIABLE) FORCE AND SUBSTANCE
The apostle Paul now takes this law of Quantum Physics the next step when he writes:
Romans 10:8-11: But what saith it? The word (rhema) is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word (rhema) of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess (homologeo: say the same thing God is saying) with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession (homologeo) is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Are you seeing how this law is applied?
It’s not simply that we quote some verse of Scripture that God said. The law works because God is the One Who quantifies that which is spoken.
The concept of rhema is not merely that the word is being spoken or said at that moment: the word is coming from the Quantifier Himself where the creative force exists and resides. He is the author, the creator and originator of the laws of Quantum Physics.
He has given us the capacity to speak what He speaks and see the same results as though He were here in person saying those words. This is the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus.
But there is a requirement on our part before faith can become active and operational through our mouths. There are two parts of this law.
1. That if thou shalt confess with my mouth, and
2. And shalt believe in thine heart.
Understand? Saying it is one thing. Repeating the same words that Jesus says “like a parrot” accomplishes little.
We have to believe in our hearts that Jesus was indeed raised from the dead. That may seem to be oversimplified but take a look at how Paul puts it.
Romans 8:2: For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
The very fact that God raised Jesus from the dead is a law in itself: it is part and parcel of the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. Unless we believe that first and foremost, we cannot believe the rest of what Jesus says to us.
This is the Quantifier of faith. Faith is more than simply hearing what God says: faith is hearing AND believing with absolute conviction what God says to us.
THE THREE PARTS OF QUANTUM PHYSICS AS SEEN IN FAITH
We’ve said that Faith is the Quantum Force — the transporter of the substance, the matter, the event, or series of events — that comes forth from the mouth of the Lord, but it is more than that. Hebrews 11:1 spells it out precisely.
Hebrews 11:1: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
The New American Standard phrases it like this:
Hebrews 11:1 NASB: Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
The Greek text uses the word hupostasis to describe faith.
This word is a conjunction of two words: hupo (meaning: under) and histemi, a prolonged form of stao (meaning: to stand, to hold up, to abide, to establish).
You see what Paul is saying here? Faith is the substantive force, the sustainer, that which stands behind and under, supporting and making effective the word that is being spoken.
Go back to what he wrote in Hebrews 1.
He refers to Jesus as being the One who created the worlds, he says that Jesus is the “brightness of His Glory, the express image of His Person,” and then he tells us that He (meaning Jesus) upholds, sustains, energizes and causes to operate and function “all things by the word (rhema) of His power.”
Faith, therefore, is inextricably linked to speaking. Let’s see if we can better define it like this.
We’ve already said that faith is the transporter in the laws of Quantum Physics, but let’s break down those laws into three fundamentals.
1. Seeing, visualizing something, some event, or some state of being is absolutely essential before anything can happen. We can call this imagination, if you like, but imagination — under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit — is a necessary precursor.
2. Believing that what we see has been given and inspired by the Holy Spirit is also an absolute necessity. What we see in and by the Holy Spirit is tantamount to hearing it; and the Lord may well actually speak the vision audibly in our ears. Added to this is the necessity of believing that Jesus not only means what He says, but also that He intends and expects it to be accomplished in and through us, and that He cannot receive His full inheritance until His Word is operational in us! It is essential, therefore, that we understand He deserves to see His Word operating in and through us.
3. Lastly, unless we speak — audibly — that which we see, hear and believe in our hearts, it cannot come to pass. Without speaking the Word of Faith, there is no “transporter” of the vision from the Spirit realm into this time-space world.
The essence of all this, therefore, is the Law of Faith. We’ve said all this to lay a foundation for understanding the Key of David, and that’s where we go next.
THE KEY OF DAVID, Part 2: HOW FAITH WORKS
Let’s revisit the some of the aspects of Quantum Physics we discussed in our previous Coffee Break for the sake of a refresher before we take the next step in understanding.
First of all, Quantum Physics is the study of the behavior of matter and energy at the molecular, atomic, nuclear, and even smaller microscopic levels. Early in the 20th century, scientists discovered that laws that govern macroscopic (or larger) objects do not function the same in such small realms.
The word “quantum” comes from the Latin “quanta” meaning “how much.” It refers to discrete units of matter and energy that are observed and predicted in quantum physics. Even space and time, which appear to be extremely continuous, have smallest possible values.
In the realm of quantum physics, observing something actually influences the physical processes taking place. Light waves act like particles and particles act like waves (called “wave particle duality). Matter can go from one spot to another without moving through the intervening space (called quantum tunneling). Information moves instantly across vast distances.
In fact, in quantum mechanics we discover that the entire universe is actually a series of probabilities. Fortunately, it breaks down when dealing with large objects.
Applying Quantum Physics in the spiritual realm, therefore, is actually a means of expressing how faith operates.
Matter — substance — can go from one spot (e.g., the treasury rooms in Heaven) to another without moving through the intervening space.
Faith is the transporter!
Consider something Jesus said in the “Sermon on the Mount.”
Matthew 6:19-21: Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
The essence of what Jesus is saying is that we put treasure in the treasury rooms of Heaven by our acts of obedience and faith — and that’s the same way we withdraw that treasure.
Information — creative commands spoken according to and in conjunction with the will of God — move instantly across vast distances. We use the term “vast distances” only in relative terms, meaning measurable distances within the universe.
The term “vast distances,” however, has little application when applied to the realm of the Spirit since there really is no distance between the realm of the Spirit and the time-space-based realm we refer to (incorrectly) as “the natural realm.”
We’ve all heard the favorite cliché that “there is no distance in prayer.” That is absolutely true. Likewise, there is no distance in faith.
FAITH: THE LANGUAGE OF THE SPIRIT
Allow me to define faith like this:
Faith is nothing more and nothing less than the transport of material substance — in the spirit-realm — from one dimension to another.
Faith is the ability to see something (whether an object, an act, or a state of being) and visualize it with anointed imagination.
Faith then speaks forth, calling “those things which are not (in the time-space realm) as though they were.”
The power to do this is activated and energized directly by our hearing God’s Word. Let me be more specific.
Romans 10:17:So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the (rhema) word of God.
You see the distinction don’t you? Faith — that creative energy and force, that law of quantum physics — becomes active and operational first by hearing that which we look for and expect to see visibly, and secondly by virtue of the fact that what we are hearing is coming directly from the mouth of God.
We are hearing the same creative force that caused light to come into existence. We are hearing that same creative force that caused the worlds to be. We are hearing that same rhema sound that came forth from the mouth of God when He spoke into Adam and Eve the following words:
Genesis 1:28a: And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion…..
It was true the instant the words came forth from God’s mouth. Adam and Eve were fruitful, they had the capacity to multiply, to fill up the earth, to subdue all the forces that existed on earth — including Satan who had already been cast out of heaven with a third of the angels “to the earth” (Revelation 12:4) — and they had complete dominion over every living creature (except man), every animal, every bird, every fish: “over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
When God called those things that “were not” in the time-space world “as though they were,” He created matter, set events in motion, and breathed life into the beings He had formed from the dust of the earth “in His likeness and image.”
The apostle Paul now takes this law of Quantum Physics the next step when he writes:
Romans 10:8-11: But what saith it? The word (rhema) is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word (rhema) of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess (homologeo: say the same thing God is saying) with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession (homologeo) is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Are you seeing how this law is applied?
It’s not simply that we quote some verse of Scripture that God said. The law works because God is the One Who quantifies that which is spoken.
The concept of rhema is not merely that the word is being spoken or said at that moment: the word is coming from the Quantifier Himself where the creative force exists and resides. He is the author, the creator and originator of the laws of Quantum Physics.
He has given us the capacity to speak what He speaks and see the same results as though He were here in person saying those words. This is the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus.
But there is a requirement on our part before faith can become active and operational through our mouths. There are two parts of this law.
1. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth, and
2. And shalt believe in thine heart.
Understand? Saying it is one thing. Repeating the same words that Jesus says “like a parrot” accomplishes little. It must be the actual Word that is coming forth from the Lord – at that moment in time!
I’d thought to be close to wrapping this up in one more Coffee Break, but in order to do so I’d have to really make this one extra long, so it looks like we’ll still take two more discussions before moving on to a strong prophetic word the Lord has given me.
Blessings on you!
Regner
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Prosser, Washington 99350
(509) 515-0133
All Coffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted – provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee Break archives are now available at http://regnersrangers.multiply.com/journal/ and are being slowly added at http://www.AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry. Should you desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this ministry, please contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses, or visit http://www.RiverWorshipCenter.org.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: KEYS OF THE KINGDOM X
ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: KEYS OF THE KINGDOM X
Hey! Are you awake, yet? Well…..wake up and smell the coffee! Got some of that double-roasted French mixed with some dark Columbian in the French Press. C’mon over and join me.
We’ve got a lot of ground to cover today, so let’s dispense with the preliminaries and get right to it.
THE POWER OF WORDS AND THE LANGUAGE OF THE SPIRIT
Genesis 1:28: And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Genesis 2:7: And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed (naphach: to puff, to blow hard, to create a short wind) into his nostrils the breath of life (neshamah -- the divine breath, the vital wind, the divine intellect and inspiration); and man became a living soul.
Since God is a Spirit (John 4:24) we can say that the very breath and life that comes from His mouth into us is His Spirit. By the same token, because wind — breath — ruach came forth from His mouth when He spoke the words of Creation, there is an inseparable link between the Words of His mouth and the Spirit.
Words, therefore, are the language of the Spirit.
We understand then what Solomon wrote when he said, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” By the same token, we have David’s statement when he writes, “For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.”
Understand?
There is an indissoluble link between the words of our mouth and the Spirit realm. We are first and foremost spirit beings. The spirit part of our existence has preeminence over the soul and the body.
The words of our mouth originate in the realm of the spirit. They have a realm of authority that supersedes every other realm.
Consider what Paul writes to the Hebrews:
Hebrews 1:1-3: God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Get it? He upholds or sustains and energizes ALL THINGS by the Word (rhema: the direct, spoken, articulated Word) of His power (dunamis: force, ability — specifically, miraculous power).
Where does that power come from? It is inherent in the Spirit of God.
In order to better (?) explain where I’m coming from, let me take you briefly into the world of Quantum Physics.
Quantum physics is a branch of science that deals with discrete, indivisible units of energy called quanta as described by the Quantum Theory. There are five main ideas represented in Quantum Theory:
1. Energy is not continuous, but comes in small but discrete units.
2. The elementary particles behave both like particles and like waves.
3. The movement of these particles is inherently random.
4. It is physically impossible to know both the position and the momentum of a particle at the same time. The more precisely one is known, the less precise the measurement of the other is.
5. The atomic world is nothing like the world we live in.
Let me explain it by quoting from the results of an experiment by the physicist, Niels Bohr.
Sometimes a particle acts like a particle and other times it acts like a wave. So which is it? According to Niels Bohr, who worked in Copenhagen when he presented what is now known as the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum theory, “the particle is what you measure it to be. When it looks like a particle, it is a particle. When it looks like a wave, it is a wave. Furthermore, it is meaningless to ascribe any properties or even existence to anything that has not been measured.”
Bohr is basically saying that nothing is real unless and until it is observed.
Let’s take this another step.
An electron, when observed, changes from a wave to a particle. Matter changes at the atomic and subatomic level depending on the following circumstances:
1. Emotions
2. Feelings
3. Strong Desires
But it is neither emotions themselves, nor feelings themselves, nor strong desires alone that change matter.
In Proverbs, we are told the following:
Proverbs 23:7:As (he) a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.
We then correlate that with something that Jesus said:
Matthew 12:34-37: O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
THE (LEGAL) POWER OF OUR WORDS
It is important to understand this connection between the heart and the mouth.
Notice that Jesus says, “That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”
What is He referring to?
An “idle” word, according to the Greek text, is argos: any inactive or unemployed word; a useless word. In case you haven’t quite gotten it yet, any “idle” word is a word that didn’t come from the Spirit of the Lord.
Words that come out of evil spirits are — legally — unemployed, unemployable, and useless. Words that come forth from our mouths that don’t originate in our relationship with the Lord lack in legal authority.
Let’s see if we can put it another way. God’s Word is backed by His power — His dunamis. His Word, therefore, is active and employed.
Jesus put it like this:
John 6:63: It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Thus Jesus makes the Spirit-mouth-life connection. He makes clear that words which simply come out of our flesh are profitless, whereas words which come out of the Spirit of God have energy, life, power, authority, and creative power.
Think about it like this: if “all things” are kept in place, sustained, energized and made operational “by the rhema of God” then whatever He speaks to us which we in turn speak carries the same power, force, energy, life and authority. It is not simply us speaking something out of our own imagination: we are now giving audible voice to that which God has spoken in our spirits.
There’s another aspect of the legal activation and empowerment of the words (or Word) which comes forth from our mouths. Paul writes the following:
Hebrews 11:1-3: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
FAITH ENERGIZES, SUSTAINS AND ACTIVATES OUR WORDS
The worlds were framed by the Word of God. Material substance appeared, made from things at the spirit-level which do not appear in the natural realm.
Let’s revisit the some of the aspects of Quantum Physics for a minute in order to explain this phenomenon.
First of all, Quantum Physics is the study of the behavior of matter and energy at the molecular, atomic, nuclear, and even smaller microscopic levels. Early in the 20th century, scientists discovered that laws that govern macroscopic objects do not function the same in such small realms.
The word “quantum” comes from the Latin meaning “how much.” It refers to discrete units of matter and energy that are observed and predicted in quantum physics. Even space and time, which appear to be extremely continuous, have smallest possible values.
In the realm of quantum physics, observing something actually influences the physical processes taking place. Light waves act like particles and particles act like waves (called “wave particle duality). Matter can go from one spot to another without moving through the intervening space (called quantum tunneling). Information moves instantly across vast distances.
In fact, in quantum mechanics we discover that the entire universe is actually a series of probabilities. Fortunately, it breaks down when dealing with large objects.
Quantum physics, therefore, is actually a means of expressing how faith operates.
Matter — substance — can go from one spot to another without moving through the intervening space. Faith is the transporter.
Information — creative commands spoken according to and in conjunction with the will of God — move instantly across vast distances. We use the term “vast distances” only in relative terms, meaning measurable distances within the universe.
The term “vast distances,” however, has little application when applied to the realm of the Spirit since there really is no distance between the realm of the Spirit and the time-space-based realm we refer to (incorrectly) as “the natural realm.”
We’ve all heard the favorite cliché that “there is no distance in prayer.” That is absolutely true. Likewise, there is no distance in faith.
Allow me to define faith like this:
Faith is nothing more and nothing less than the transport of material substance — in the spirit-realm — from one dimension to another. Faith is the ability to see something (whether an object, an act, or a state of being) and visualize, and then speak forth, calling “those things which are not (in the time-space realm) as though they were.”
The power to do this is activated and energized directly by our hearing God’s Word. Let me be more specific.
Romans 10:17: So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the (rhema) word of God.
You see the distinction don’t you? Faith — that creative energy and force, that law of quantum physics — becomes active and operational first by hearing that which we look for and expect to see visibly, and secondly by virtue of the fact that what we are hearing is coming directly from the mouth of God.
We are hearing the same creative force that caused light to come into existence. We are hearing that same creative force that caused the worlds to be. We are hearing that same rhema sound that came forth from the mouth of God when He spoke into Adam and Eve the following words:
Genesis 1:28a:And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion…..
It was true the instant the words came forth from God’s mouth. Adam and Eve were fruitful, they had the capacity to multiply, to fill up the earth, to subdue all the forces that existed on earth — including Satan who had already been cast out of heaven with a third of the angels “to the earth” (Revelation 12:4) — and they had complete dominion over every living creature (except man), every animal, every bird, every fish: “over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
When God called those things that “were not” in the time-space world “as though they were,” He created matter, set events in motion, and breathed life into the beings He had formed from the dust of the earth “in His likeness and image.”
We’ve covered a lot of territory today, but we’ve got a ways to go yet in this phase of our discussion on the Keys of the Kingdom, and I’m going to try and wrap it up in the next two or three Coffee Breaks. See you in a few days.
Blessings on you!
Regner
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Prosser, Washington 99350
(509) 515-0133
All Coffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted – provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee Break archives are now available at http://regnersrangers.multiply.com/journal/ and are being slowly added at http://www.AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry. Should you desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this ministry, please contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses, or visit http://www.RiverWorshipCenter.org.
Hey! Are you awake, yet? Well…..wake up and smell the coffee! Got some of that double-roasted French mixed with some dark Columbian in the French Press. C’mon over and join me.
We’ve got a lot of ground to cover today, so let’s dispense with the preliminaries and get right to it.
THE POWER OF WORDS AND THE LANGUAGE OF THE SPIRIT
Genesis 1:28: And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Genesis 2:7: And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed (naphach: to puff, to blow hard, to create a short wind) into his nostrils the breath of life (neshamah -- the divine breath, the vital wind, the divine intellect and inspiration); and man became a living soul.
Since God is a Spirit (John 4:24) we can say that the very breath and life that comes from His mouth into us is His Spirit. By the same token, because wind — breath — ruach came forth from His mouth when He spoke the words of Creation, there is an inseparable link between the Words of His mouth and the Spirit.
Words, therefore, are the language of the Spirit.
We understand then what Solomon wrote when he said, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” By the same token, we have David’s statement when he writes, “For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.”
Understand?
There is an indissoluble link between the words of our mouth and the Spirit realm. We are first and foremost spirit beings. The spirit part of our existence has preeminence over the soul and the body.
The words of our mouth originate in the realm of the spirit. They have a realm of authority that supersedes every other realm.
Consider what Paul writes to the Hebrews:
Hebrews 1:1-3: God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Get it? He upholds or sustains and energizes ALL THINGS by the Word (rhema: the direct, spoken, articulated Word) of His power (dunamis: force, ability — specifically, miraculous power).
Where does that power come from? It is inherent in the Spirit of God.
In order to better (?) explain where I’m coming from, let me take you briefly into the world of Quantum Physics.
Quantum physics is a branch of science that deals with discrete, indivisible units of energy called quanta as described by the Quantum Theory. There are five main ideas represented in Quantum Theory:
1. Energy is not continuous, but comes in small but discrete units.
2. The elementary particles behave both like particles and like waves.
3. The movement of these particles is inherently random.
4. It is physically impossible to know both the position and the momentum of a particle at the same time. The more precisely one is known, the less precise the measurement of the other is.
5. The atomic world is nothing like the world we live in.
Let me explain it by quoting from the results of an experiment by the physicist, Niels Bohr.
Sometimes a particle acts like a particle and other times it acts like a wave. So which is it? According to Niels Bohr, who worked in Copenhagen when he presented what is now known as the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum theory, “the particle is what you measure it to be. When it looks like a particle, it is a particle. When it looks like a wave, it is a wave. Furthermore, it is meaningless to ascribe any properties or even existence to anything that has not been measured.”
Bohr is basically saying that nothing is real unless and until it is observed.
Let’s take this another step.
An electron, when observed, changes from a wave to a particle. Matter changes at the atomic and subatomic level depending on the following circumstances:
1. Emotions
2. Feelings
3. Strong Desires
But it is neither emotions themselves, nor feelings themselves, nor strong desires alone that change matter.
In Proverbs, we are told the following:
Proverbs 23:7:As (he) a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.
We then correlate that with something that Jesus said:
Matthew 12:34-37: O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
THE (LEGAL) POWER OF OUR WORDS
It is important to understand this connection between the heart and the mouth.
Notice that Jesus says, “That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”
What is He referring to?
An “idle” word, according to the Greek text, is argos: any inactive or unemployed word; a useless word. In case you haven’t quite gotten it yet, any “idle” word is a word that didn’t come from the Spirit of the Lord.
Words that come out of evil spirits are — legally — unemployed, unemployable, and useless. Words that come forth from our mouths that don’t originate in our relationship with the Lord lack in legal authority.
Let’s see if we can put it another way. God’s Word is backed by His power — His dunamis. His Word, therefore, is active and employed.
Jesus put it like this:
John 6:63: It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Thus Jesus makes the Spirit-mouth-life connection. He makes clear that words which simply come out of our flesh are profitless, whereas words which come out of the Spirit of God have energy, life, power, authority, and creative power.
Think about it like this: if “all things” are kept in place, sustained, energized and made operational “by the rhema of God” then whatever He speaks to us which we in turn speak carries the same power, force, energy, life and authority. It is not simply us speaking something out of our own imagination: we are now giving audible voice to that which God has spoken in our spirits.
There’s another aspect of the legal activation and empowerment of the words (or Word) which comes forth from our mouths. Paul writes the following:
Hebrews 11:1-3: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
FAITH ENERGIZES, SUSTAINS AND ACTIVATES OUR WORDS
The worlds were framed by the Word of God. Material substance appeared, made from things at the spirit-level which do not appear in the natural realm.
Let’s revisit the some of the aspects of Quantum Physics for a minute in order to explain this phenomenon.
First of all, Quantum Physics is the study of the behavior of matter and energy at the molecular, atomic, nuclear, and even smaller microscopic levels. Early in the 20th century, scientists discovered that laws that govern macroscopic objects do not function the same in such small realms.
The word “quantum” comes from the Latin meaning “how much.” It refers to discrete units of matter and energy that are observed and predicted in quantum physics. Even space and time, which appear to be extremely continuous, have smallest possible values.
In the realm of quantum physics, observing something actually influences the physical processes taking place. Light waves act like particles and particles act like waves (called “wave particle duality). Matter can go from one spot to another without moving through the intervening space (called quantum tunneling). Information moves instantly across vast distances.
In fact, in quantum mechanics we discover that the entire universe is actually a series of probabilities. Fortunately, it breaks down when dealing with large objects.
Quantum physics, therefore, is actually a means of expressing how faith operates.
Matter — substance — can go from one spot to another without moving through the intervening space. Faith is the transporter.
Information — creative commands spoken according to and in conjunction with the will of God — move instantly across vast distances. We use the term “vast distances” only in relative terms, meaning measurable distances within the universe.
The term “vast distances,” however, has little application when applied to the realm of the Spirit since there really is no distance between the realm of the Spirit and the time-space-based realm we refer to (incorrectly) as “the natural realm.”
We’ve all heard the favorite cliché that “there is no distance in prayer.” That is absolutely true. Likewise, there is no distance in faith.
Allow me to define faith like this:
Faith is nothing more and nothing less than the transport of material substance — in the spirit-realm — from one dimension to another. Faith is the ability to see something (whether an object, an act, or a state of being) and visualize, and then speak forth, calling “those things which are not (in the time-space realm) as though they were.”
The power to do this is activated and energized directly by our hearing God’s Word. Let me be more specific.
Romans 10:17: So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the (rhema) word of God.
You see the distinction don’t you? Faith — that creative energy and force, that law of quantum physics — becomes active and operational first by hearing that which we look for and expect to see visibly, and secondly by virtue of the fact that what we are hearing is coming directly from the mouth of God.
We are hearing the same creative force that caused light to come into existence. We are hearing that same creative force that caused the worlds to be. We are hearing that same rhema sound that came forth from the mouth of God when He spoke into Adam and Eve the following words:
Genesis 1:28a:And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion…..
It was true the instant the words came forth from God’s mouth. Adam and Eve were fruitful, they had the capacity to multiply, to fill up the earth, to subdue all the forces that existed on earth — including Satan who had already been cast out of heaven with a third of the angels “to the earth” (Revelation 12:4) — and they had complete dominion over every living creature (except man), every animal, every bird, every fish: “over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
When God called those things that “were not” in the time-space world “as though they were,” He created matter, set events in motion, and breathed life into the beings He had formed from the dust of the earth “in His likeness and image.”
We’ve covered a lot of territory today, but we’ve got a ways to go yet in this phase of our discussion on the Keys of the Kingdom, and I’m going to try and wrap it up in the next two or three Coffee Breaks. See you in a few days.
Blessings on you!
Regner
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Prosser, Washington 99350
(509) 515-0133
All Coffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted – provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee Break archives are now available at http://regnersrangers.multiply.com/journal/ and are being slowly added at http://www.AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry. Should you desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this ministry, please contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses, or visit http://www.RiverWorshipCenter.org.
Friday, September 17, 2010
ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: KEYS OF THE KINGDOM IX
KEYS OF THE KINGDOM IX
‘Mornin’ Folks! This is the best day of your life! Yessir! This is the next day that God has made – after yesterday, which really was a good day – and the last time I checked, every day with the Lord is better than the day before. See there?
In our last Coffee Break, I told you about our granddaughter Jessica’s “experiencing,” as she so uniquely described her event where “the Holy Spirit put [me] to sleep,” and the angelic visitation she had. Later during the conference she decided it would be more “fun” to be with the adults during the meetings because “they do more experiencing!”
During one of our worship times I had felt to simply lay prostrate before the Lord and soak in His presence. No, I wasn’t “slain in the spirit.” This was a conscious decision to simply lay prostrate face down before the Lord.
To my very great delight, I “experienced” and was it ever unique! As I simply soaked in the presence of the Lord, it was as though waves were breaking over my back. The sensation was that of water rolling back and forth across me. The glory of the Lord was absolute tangible!
When I returned to my seat, a sister who was sitting in front of me turned around and said, “While you were lying on the floor I saw the most astounding thing. My eyes were wide open. There was a cloud of Glory that formed over you and it billowed back and forth across you. Then an angel of the Lord appeared and stood next to you. He was very large, and he had an oversized sword in his hand held upright. Fire was coming out of both edges of the sword, and the angel laid the sword across you.”
The lady went on to share a direct Word from the Lord to me that was extremely meaningful – and one that I will not share in this forum. Suffice it to say that it fit with “feather” experience. It was both a confirming Word to things the Holy Spirit had been speaking to me, and a Word of release for me to move into a realm of ministry I have long awaited.
The conference was filled with these kinds of events, including dreams, visions and visitations some of which I will share in the days to come.
Now, let’s continue with our discussion.
THE NATURE OF GOD'S COVENANT WITH US
Let’s talk about this Covenant for a minute.
Two words appear in Greek, both of which are translated “covenant” or perhaps “agreement.”
The first word is suntheke, and it represents contracting between men. It is a covenant with terms each side must agree to, and having penalties imposed on any party that might violate the terms of the covenant.
This word is a contraction of sun (meaning with, by mutual agreement) and theke (to dispose of). Theke is a legal term which deals with unresolved issues.
Suntheke, however, is not a word you will ever find used in the New Testament with reference to our covenant with God. Suntheke is a contract or covenant between peers. It is the kind of covenant struck between Jacob and Laban (see Genesis 31), and it is the word which appears in the Septuagint (or Greek translation) of the Old Testament.
The word which always occurs throughout the New Testament for covenant is diatheke, and it has strong implications. Diatheke combines dia (which means “through” or “by way of”) with the aforementioned theke.
What makes this word so unique is the fact that it is a covenant accomplished through and by Jesus’ Blood, and the sacrifice He made on the Cross.
In other words, it is a covenant ratified and put into force by the act of just one party— the Lord Jesus Christ — and made available to all who will agree with and enter into.
Understand? This covenant is unique in the fact that it was put in force by one man — Jesus — in the process of fulfilling the old Covenant God made with Abraham and clarified through Moses.
Under the old Covenant, the sacrifice of innocent animals was required so that there could be a shedding of blood. Just as a reminder to you, all Biblical and ancient historical covenants have required the shedding of blood before they could be ratified.
The old Covenant God made with Abraham and enacted with Israel required the continual shedding of the blood of animals as substitutionary for the blood of man — which had been contaminated by sin. Jesus’ death was the death of an innocent man. He had never sinned despite being tempted and tested in every way that we are tempted.
Jesus fulfilled and completed in totality the requirements of the old Covenant so that we could enter into a new Covenant with Father — the same Covenant that Adam and Eve had in the Garden. Adam and Eve lacked for nothing under that Covenant.
They had literally everything they could possibly want or have need of. What’s more, they had a realm of fellowship that permitted them to move back and forth between time and eternity with ease.
They were spirit beings operating in the realm of the spirit with the breath and voice of Father, being able to speak with the same creative power and exercise God’s dominion in Earth.
I know that some folks have really questioned how Adam and Eve could exercise God’s power of creative speech, but when you realize that they spoke what He spoke, their speech simply agreed with what Father had already said. They put audible sound to what Father was saying in the Heavens, causing to come to pass what He was saying.
When Eve first ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, thanksgiving for that naturally supernatural realm went by the wayside, traded for a fantasy and a lying myth out of the mouth of the Serpent. When Adam followed Eve’s act, because he was Eve’s covering and the first to hear and agree with God’s Covenant in the earth, he set in motion a series of events by which the entire human race from that moment forward was condemned.
Thanklessness was part of the fruit of that act. Instead of being thankful for all that he was in God, instead of being thankful for the opportunity to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to Earth, Adam’s act now imposed a spirit of greed and a continual thirst or lust for something more that they didn’t have — or at least they didn’t see that they had.
Being unthankful limits our access to all that God has. Being unthankful is the ultimate betrayal of the Covenant we have with Father through Jesus Christ.
Unthankfulness towards God is a slap in His face. Not offering thanks for all that Jesus has done is to effectively negate His suffering, His death on the Cross, and His resurrection from the dead.
NONSTOP THANKSGIVING
Unthankfulness literally shuts the windows of Heaven to the untold wealth of the Kingdom God desires to open up to the world. We have a responsibility as Sons and Daughters of God to continually express thanksgiving and to demonstrate to the world the gifts, the authority, the power, the grace, and — most of all — the love of Father towards the world in the ultimate sacrifice of giving His only begotten Son so that all of Heaven could once again be available and accessible to all who will enter into this diatheke with Him.
Once again we look at what Paul wrote the Ekklesia in Ephesus:
Ephesians 5:20: Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Notice that Paul doesn’t say in this instance “giving thanks always in all things,” as he says in another one of his epistles. He says “giving thanks always for all things.” There is an important distinction here. We must remember that God never permits anything to take place in our lives that He can’t use for our growth and our development of His character in us.
Since His objective is for us to live and operate as His fully-grown, fully-mature huios “sons” with full authority and power of His Kingdom functioning and visibly manifested, He is able to take every circumstance – no matter what it is – and turn it for our good. The catch is that we have to allow Him to do just that.
Thanksgiving offered to Him IN the midst of every situation opens the way for that to happen! It is key to the release of His authority and power in our lives.
Let’s switch gears now in this discussion and take a totally different approach. We’re still talking about the Keys of the Kingdom. Let me lay a little foundation for where we will be taking this topic.
THE KEY OF DAVID, Part 1
David had an understanding of spiritual principles that none of his peers had. The Holy Spirit enabled him to see into a realm of authority that became the standard for the way we utilize the Keys of the Kingdom.
First we’ll look at the prophetic word, and then we’ll begin laying some foundations for understanding just what John was talking about.
Revelation 3:7-13: And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Notice that the angel of the Lord says to John, “These things saith He that is Holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and no man shutteth, and shutteth, and no man openeth….”
What was and is the Key of David? Let’s see if we can get to the core of understanding just what David possessed. Consider the following statements that David made in the Psalms:
Psalm 8:4-6: What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels (Elohim: God), and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
Psalm 144:3: LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!
Then David says:
Psalm 129:1-4, 13-18: O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
Next we see Solomon expanding upon what his father had shared:
Proverbs 18:21: Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
Proverbs 16:1: The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.
Proverbs 18:4: The words of a man’s mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.
Proverbs 21:23: Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.
How is all this possible? We know that in the beginning we were made in the image and likeness of God. Since every word that came from His mouth had creative effect, we shouldn’t be too surprised that we, likewise, have that same power and authority.
I want to expand on this further, but it would make today’s sharing quite long.
Let’s shorten today’s Coffee Break here and pick this up in our next discussion as we talk about the power of words and the language of the Spirit.
Blessings on you!
Regner
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Prosser, Washington 99350
(509) 515-0133
All Coffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted – provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee Break archives are now available at http://regnersrangers.multiply.com/journal/ and are being slowly added at http://www.AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry. Should you desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this ministry, please contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses, or visit http://www.RiverWorshipCenter.org.
‘Mornin’ Folks! This is the best day of your life! Yessir! This is the next day that God has made – after yesterday, which really was a good day – and the last time I checked, every day with the Lord is better than the day before. See there?
In our last Coffee Break, I told you about our granddaughter Jessica’s “experiencing,” as she so uniquely described her event where “the Holy Spirit put [me] to sleep,” and the angelic visitation she had. Later during the conference she decided it would be more “fun” to be with the adults during the meetings because “they do more experiencing!”
During one of our worship times I had felt to simply lay prostrate before the Lord and soak in His presence. No, I wasn’t “slain in the spirit.” This was a conscious decision to simply lay prostrate face down before the Lord.
To my very great delight, I “experienced” and was it ever unique! As I simply soaked in the presence of the Lord, it was as though waves were breaking over my back. The sensation was that of water rolling back and forth across me. The glory of the Lord was absolute tangible!
When I returned to my seat, a sister who was sitting in front of me turned around and said, “While you were lying on the floor I saw the most astounding thing. My eyes were wide open. There was a cloud of Glory that formed over you and it billowed back and forth across you. Then an angel of the Lord appeared and stood next to you. He was very large, and he had an oversized sword in his hand held upright. Fire was coming out of both edges of the sword, and the angel laid the sword across you.”
The lady went on to share a direct Word from the Lord to me that was extremely meaningful – and one that I will not share in this forum. Suffice it to say that it fit with “feather” experience. It was both a confirming Word to things the Holy Spirit had been speaking to me, and a Word of release for me to move into a realm of ministry I have long awaited.
The conference was filled with these kinds of events, including dreams, visions and visitations some of which I will share in the days to come.
Now, let’s continue with our discussion.
THE NATURE OF GOD'S COVENANT WITH US
Let’s talk about this Covenant for a minute.
Two words appear in Greek, both of which are translated “covenant” or perhaps “agreement.”
The first word is suntheke, and it represents contracting between men. It is a covenant with terms each side must agree to, and having penalties imposed on any party that might violate the terms of the covenant.
This word is a contraction of sun (meaning with, by mutual agreement) and theke (to dispose of). Theke is a legal term which deals with unresolved issues.
Suntheke, however, is not a word you will ever find used in the New Testament with reference to our covenant with God. Suntheke is a contract or covenant between peers. It is the kind of covenant struck between Jacob and Laban (see Genesis 31), and it is the word which appears in the Septuagint (or Greek translation) of the Old Testament.
The word which always occurs throughout the New Testament for covenant is diatheke, and it has strong implications. Diatheke combines dia (which means “through” or “by way of”) with the aforementioned theke.
What makes this word so unique is the fact that it is a covenant accomplished through and by Jesus’ Blood, and the sacrifice He made on the Cross.
In other words, it is a covenant ratified and put into force by the act of just one party— the Lord Jesus Christ — and made available to all who will agree with and enter into.
Understand? This covenant is unique in the fact that it was put in force by one man — Jesus — in the process of fulfilling the old Covenant God made with Abraham and clarified through Moses.
Under the old Covenant, the sacrifice of innocent animals was required so that there could be a shedding of blood. Just as a reminder to you, all Biblical and ancient historical covenants have required the shedding of blood before they could be ratified.
The old Covenant God made with Abraham and enacted with Israel required the continual shedding of the blood of animals as substitutionary for the blood of man — which had been contaminated by sin. Jesus’ death was the death of an innocent man. He had never sinned despite being tempted and tested in every way that we are tempted.
Jesus fulfilled and completed in totality the requirements of the old Covenant so that we could enter into a new Covenant with Father — the same Covenant that Adam and Eve had in the Garden. Adam and Eve lacked for nothing under that Covenant.
They had literally everything they could possibly want or have need of. What’s more, they had a realm of fellowship that permitted them to move back and forth between time and eternity with ease.
They were spirit beings operating in the realm of the spirit with the breath and voice of Father, being able to speak with the same creative power and exercise God’s dominion in Earth.
I know that some folks have really questioned how Adam and Eve could exercise God’s power of creative speech, but when you realize that they spoke what He spoke, their speech simply agreed with what Father had already said. They put audible sound to what Father was saying in the Heavens, causing to come to pass what He was saying.
When Eve first ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, thanksgiving for that naturally supernatural realm went by the wayside, traded for a fantasy and a lying myth out of the mouth of the Serpent. When Adam followed Eve’s act, because he was Eve’s covering and the first to hear and agree with God’s Covenant in the earth, he set in motion a series of events by which the entire human race from that moment forward was condemned.
Thanklessness was part of the fruit of that act. Instead of being thankful for all that he was in God, instead of being thankful for the opportunity to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to Earth, Adam’s act now imposed a spirit of greed and a continual thirst or lust for something more that they didn’t have — or at least they didn’t see that they had.
Being unthankful limits our access to all that God has. Being unthankful is the ultimate betrayal of the Covenant we have with Father through Jesus Christ.
Unthankfulness towards God is a slap in His face. Not offering thanks for all that Jesus has done is to effectively negate His suffering, His death on the Cross, and His resurrection from the dead.
NONSTOP THANKSGIVING
Unthankfulness literally shuts the windows of Heaven to the untold wealth of the Kingdom God desires to open up to the world. We have a responsibility as Sons and Daughters of God to continually express thanksgiving and to demonstrate to the world the gifts, the authority, the power, the grace, and — most of all — the love of Father towards the world in the ultimate sacrifice of giving His only begotten Son so that all of Heaven could once again be available and accessible to all who will enter into this diatheke with Him.
Once again we look at what Paul wrote the Ekklesia in Ephesus:
Ephesians 5:20: Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Notice that Paul doesn’t say in this instance “giving thanks always in all things,” as he says in another one of his epistles. He says “giving thanks always for all things.” There is an important distinction here. We must remember that God never permits anything to take place in our lives that He can’t use for our growth and our development of His character in us.
Since His objective is for us to live and operate as His fully-grown, fully-mature huios “sons” with full authority and power of His Kingdom functioning and visibly manifested, He is able to take every circumstance – no matter what it is – and turn it for our good. The catch is that we have to allow Him to do just that.
Thanksgiving offered to Him IN the midst of every situation opens the way for that to happen! It is key to the release of His authority and power in our lives.
Let’s switch gears now in this discussion and take a totally different approach. We’re still talking about the Keys of the Kingdom. Let me lay a little foundation for where we will be taking this topic.
THE KEY OF DAVID, Part 1
David had an understanding of spiritual principles that none of his peers had. The Holy Spirit enabled him to see into a realm of authority that became the standard for the way we utilize the Keys of the Kingdom.
First we’ll look at the prophetic word, and then we’ll begin laying some foundations for understanding just what John was talking about.
Revelation 3:7-13: And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Notice that the angel of the Lord says to John, “These things saith He that is Holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and no man shutteth, and shutteth, and no man openeth….”
What was and is the Key of David? Let’s see if we can get to the core of understanding just what David possessed. Consider the following statements that David made in the Psalms:
Psalm 8:4-6: What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels (Elohim: God), and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
Psalm 144:3: LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!
Then David says:
Psalm 129:1-4, 13-18: O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
Next we see Solomon expanding upon what his father had shared:
Proverbs 18:21: Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
Proverbs 16:1: The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.
Proverbs 18:4: The words of a man’s mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.
Proverbs 21:23: Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.
How is all this possible? We know that in the beginning we were made in the image and likeness of God. Since every word that came from His mouth had creative effect, we shouldn’t be too surprised that we, likewise, have that same power and authority.
I want to expand on this further, but it would make today’s sharing quite long.
Let’s shorten today’s Coffee Break here and pick this up in our next discussion as we talk about the power of words and the language of the Spirit.
Blessings on you!
Regner
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Prosser, Washington 99350
(509) 515-0133
All Coffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted – provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee Break archives are now available at http://regnersrangers.multiply.com/journal/ and are being slowly added at http://www.AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry. Should you desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this ministry, please contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses, or visit http://www.RiverWorshipCenter.org.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: KEYS OF THE KINGDOM VIII
ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK:KEYS OF THE KINGDOM VIII
‘Mornin’ Everybody! Are ya awake yet? Got that first cup of coffee poured? Good!
We’ve talked many times in these Coffee Breaks about our granddaughter, Jessica, and her unusual sensitivity to the things of God ever since she was knee-high to a grasshopper.
Jessica went to the camp meeting and conference in Red Deer with us this year. She almost went last year, but bailed at the last minute. Now eight years old, this was a very new experience for her. She’s been exposed, of course, to the realm of the supernatural in being around us and has experienced many things in the Lord, her young years notwithstanding.
Each year during Frontline Ministries’ conferences, they have ministry for the youth directed by a couple from Saskatchewan. When the time of worship concludes during the main gathering, the youth head out to another room (these conferences have been held at the Capri Hotel and Convention Center in Red Deer) where they receive ministry designed to expose them to the realm of the Holy Spirit. The couple in charge seek to help the kids come to know the supernatural as just “natural” in Christ Jesus.
The children are taught the importance of speaking in tongues, laying on of hands, ministering healing and deliverance and so forth. There is scarcely a time when they gather that there are not supernatural demonstrations and manifestations of the presence of the Lord. Many photographs have been taken in these meetings when a mist has appeared in their midst and there has been a tangible presence of the glory of the Lord; and angelic appearances take place frequently.
As I noted, Jessica has been exposed to a lot being around us and has seen a lot, but this was a new realm for her. The second night of the gathering around 10:00 or 10:30, Della went to check on Jessica expecting to pick her up and take her home. She found her lying on the floor “slain in the Spirit” (to use a common descriptor) and oblivious to her surroundings entirely. Della wasn’t sure if this was real or a “copy-cat” thing because other kids were also in a similar state so she waited and watched.
After some period of time had elapsed, Jessie finally opened her eyes and slowly got to her feet. When she saw Della she said, “Grandma, the Holy Spirit put me to sleep.” Della asked her what happened and she answered excitedly, “We flew up to a place where there were three angels. I got to dance with them and be an angel, too!” Della then asked her what they were dancing to, and Jessica said that they were praising and worshiping the Lord.
It was a very real and personal experience for Jessica, and one that she will remember for a lifetime. In the days that followed when she saw people falling under the power of God and being laid out prostrate on the floor during worship she decided she wanted to stay with us because we (Della and I both experienced this) were “experiencing.” That was her way of expressing what she was seeing. My “feather” event wowed her as much as it did the rest of us.
On with our discussion.
THE RELEASE OF AUTHORITY THROUGH THANKSGIVING
Let’s go back to a scripture that we discussed in our previous study.
I John 5:14-17: And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.
OK? Do you see it? Our prayer for that brother (or sister) whom we see (or know about) in the midst of a sin MUST come with thanksgiving.
Authority is released when we pray and offer up thanksgiving at the same time. Our thanksgiving to Father is our declaration of faith in the Covenant we have with Him through Jesus Christ.
The authority released is that which is needed to accomplish that which we put before Father.
Consider this: Jesus almost ALWAYS offered up thanks to Father whenever He made a request. Take a quick look at a few examples.
Matthew 15:36-37: And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.
John 6:11-13: And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.
Matthew 26:27-28: And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
John 11:41-43: Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
Each time Jesus expressed thanks to Father He did so as a confession of faith, knowing that His prayer or request was heard, knowing that His request was what Father would have done were He standing there physically.
EXPRESSING THANKS COMES WITH KNOWING FATHER'S WILL
When Jesus gave thanks before breaking the bread and the fishes to feed the multitudes He wasn’t hoping for a miracle of multiplication. He was acting on Father’s heart’s desire knowing the loaves and fishes would multiply to more than meet the needs of those hungry people.
When Jesus took the Cup and gave thanks before giving it to the disciples, He knew with certainty that He was offering them His very life-force. He knew absolutely that He had taken death from the Cup.
Consider Jesus’ statement to the disciples as He offered them the Cup:
Matthew 26:29: But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.
Jesus could not drink of the Cup He was offering because — by virtue of His having offered thanks to Father beforehand — He had already taken death out of it. His course was set. He was headed for the Cross.
Were He to have partaken of that Cup prior to the Cross, He would have canceled His own death on the Cross and redemption for the sins of mankind would never have taken place.
Remember how John saw it when he was taken in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day?
Revelation 13:8: And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him [the Beast], whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Jesus had already accomplished this before the very first words of Creation were uttered. He had become the sacrifice, the Lamb that needed to be offered up as the atonement for the sins of the world.
Were He to drink of that Cup prior to His death and resurrection the Plan set in motion before “the foundation of the world” would have been nullified.
Jesus, therefore, seeing Father’s will and knowing Father’s heart for a family — having agreed with Him and Holy Spirit already — offered up thanks because He was now fulfilling literally and physically the cancellation of the curse that had come upon the human race by Adam’s sin. He was canceling death and restoring eternal life.
The first Adam had failed in his effort to redeem his bride, Eve, when he ate of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Jesus, as the last Adam, succeeded in redeeming His Bride by NOT partaking of the fruit of the vine UNTIL death was canceled, the curse was erased and the Kingdom of God was now accessible to the human race.
His offering of thanksgiving before distributing the Cup was the demonstrated proof.
THANKSGIVING OPENS UP FATHER'S RESPONSES
Now, let’s shift the nature of this discussion a bit. Take a look for a minute at how the Scripture defines those who are thankless or unthankful.
II Timothy 3:1-8: This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient parents, unthankful (acharistos: thankless, ungrateful, lacking grace towards others), unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate (adokimos: tested and found unacceptable, unapproved, worthless, rejected) concerning the faith.
There’s more in this passage than we have time for in this discussion, but there are some keys to our understanding of the nature and character of thanksgiving revealed in Paul’s letter.
Notice first of all that Paul characterizes those who are unthankful among this long list of those with defiled and corrupted (the Greek text uses a word which defines spoiled and depraved) minds and souls.
Secondly he characterizes these minds as tested (in the crucible) and found to be worthless — of absolutely no value.
Now obviously there are many characteristics to the mind or soul that is spoiled and depraved but unthankfulness is fifth in a list of twenty. Notice also that key to these negative attributes is the fact that folks who are unthankful have a “form of Godliness” but they deny or reject the miraculous power of God as relevant or accessible.
Why does Paul make this comparison?
It’s pretty simple, really. Being thankful accesses and opens up Father’s responses to us. Thankfulness is part of “Godliness.”
The word “thanks” and “thankfulness” are rooted in the Greek word charis, which means “grace” and “favor.”
Once you begin to grasp the “grace” aspect of thanksgiving it opens up a whole new vista in understanding how important a part thanksgiving plays in our walk with Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We’ve become partakers of a Covenant with God — a covenant that is absolutely inviolable. God NEVER makes covenants with man that are changeable or that he can back away from keeping. I’ll drop two Greek words on you that are important in understanding this Covenant we have: suntheke and diatheke, and we’ll come back to these when we take up a discussion in the next Coffee Break on the nature of our Covenant with God.
Thanksgiving is the expression of grace, favor, love, worship — and a whole lot more — towards the Lord.
Thanksgiving is the channel of grace between us and the Lord that releases the answers and the manifestation of the miraculous or the supernatural demonstrations of God in our midst.
Folks who make their requests from God with a heart of expectancy, an attitude of “getting” and demanding but have no grace towards the Lord and a genuine expression of thanksgiving often fail to receive that which they request.
Our society today is a thankless society. Technological achievements have made instant gratification possible in many situations. People expect things instantly and gripe when they don’t receive what they expect at a moment’s notice.
The result is that many Christians expect God to answer to them and their demands instantly — at the moment of their request — and when God doesn’t respond exactly at that time, or even at some somewhat delayed moment, they begin to complain, they blame God for their circumstances, they accuse God of not responding according to His Word, and they basically blaspheme Him or rail against Him.
You also have the opposite picture where people simply won’t ask things of God that they genuinely have need of, or that are freely provided within the framework of His Covenant with us simply because they’ve believed the lie of the Enemy that “it just isn’t His Will.”
In our next Coffee Break we’ll take up the nature of God’s Covenant with us, wrapping up our discussion on Thanksgiving and moving on to the final phase of this series: The Key of David.
Blessings on you!
Regner
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Prosser, Washington 99350
(509) 515-0133
All Coffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted – provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee Break archives are now available at http://regnersrangers.multiply.com/journal/ and are being slowly added at http://www.AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
‘Mornin’ Everybody! Are ya awake yet? Got that first cup of coffee poured? Good!
We’ve talked many times in these Coffee Breaks about our granddaughter, Jessica, and her unusual sensitivity to the things of God ever since she was knee-high to a grasshopper.
Jessica went to the camp meeting and conference in Red Deer with us this year. She almost went last year, but bailed at the last minute. Now eight years old, this was a very new experience for her. She’s been exposed, of course, to the realm of the supernatural in being around us and has experienced many things in the Lord, her young years notwithstanding.
Each year during Frontline Ministries’ conferences, they have ministry for the youth directed by a couple from Saskatchewan. When the time of worship concludes during the main gathering, the youth head out to another room (these conferences have been held at the Capri Hotel and Convention Center in Red Deer) where they receive ministry designed to expose them to the realm of the Holy Spirit. The couple in charge seek to help the kids come to know the supernatural as just “natural” in Christ Jesus.
The children are taught the importance of speaking in tongues, laying on of hands, ministering healing and deliverance and so forth. There is scarcely a time when they gather that there are not supernatural demonstrations and manifestations of the presence of the Lord. Many photographs have been taken in these meetings when a mist has appeared in their midst and there has been a tangible presence of the glory of the Lord; and angelic appearances take place frequently.
As I noted, Jessica has been exposed to a lot being around us and has seen a lot, but this was a new realm for her. The second night of the gathering around 10:00 or 10:30, Della went to check on Jessica expecting to pick her up and take her home. She found her lying on the floor “slain in the Spirit” (to use a common descriptor) and oblivious to her surroundings entirely. Della wasn’t sure if this was real or a “copy-cat” thing because other kids were also in a similar state so she waited and watched.
After some period of time had elapsed, Jessie finally opened her eyes and slowly got to her feet. When she saw Della she said, “Grandma, the Holy Spirit put me to sleep.” Della asked her what happened and she answered excitedly, “We flew up to a place where there were three angels. I got to dance with them and be an angel, too!” Della then asked her what they were dancing to, and Jessica said that they were praising and worshiping the Lord.
It was a very real and personal experience for Jessica, and one that she will remember for a lifetime. In the days that followed when she saw people falling under the power of God and being laid out prostrate on the floor during worship she decided she wanted to stay with us because we (Della and I both experienced this) were “experiencing.” That was her way of expressing what she was seeing. My “feather” event wowed her as much as it did the rest of us.
On with our discussion.
THE RELEASE OF AUTHORITY THROUGH THANKSGIVING
Let’s go back to a scripture that we discussed in our previous study.
I John 5:14-17: And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.
OK? Do you see it? Our prayer for that brother (or sister) whom we see (or know about) in the midst of a sin MUST come with thanksgiving.
Authority is released when we pray and offer up thanksgiving at the same time. Our thanksgiving to Father is our declaration of faith in the Covenant we have with Him through Jesus Christ.
The authority released is that which is needed to accomplish that which we put before Father.
Consider this: Jesus almost ALWAYS offered up thanks to Father whenever He made a request. Take a quick look at a few examples.
Matthew 15:36-37: And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.
John 6:11-13: And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.
Matthew 26:27-28: And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
John 11:41-43: Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
Each time Jesus expressed thanks to Father He did so as a confession of faith, knowing that His prayer or request was heard, knowing that His request was what Father would have done were He standing there physically.
EXPRESSING THANKS COMES WITH KNOWING FATHER'S WILL
When Jesus gave thanks before breaking the bread and the fishes to feed the multitudes He wasn’t hoping for a miracle of multiplication. He was acting on Father’s heart’s desire knowing the loaves and fishes would multiply to more than meet the needs of those hungry people.
When Jesus took the Cup and gave thanks before giving it to the disciples, He knew with certainty that He was offering them His very life-force. He knew absolutely that He had taken death from the Cup.
Consider Jesus’ statement to the disciples as He offered them the Cup:
Matthew 26:29: But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.
Jesus could not drink of the Cup He was offering because — by virtue of His having offered thanks to Father beforehand — He had already taken death out of it. His course was set. He was headed for the Cross.
Were He to have partaken of that Cup prior to the Cross, He would have canceled His own death on the Cross and redemption for the sins of mankind would never have taken place.
Remember how John saw it when he was taken in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day?
Revelation 13:8: And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him [the Beast], whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Jesus had already accomplished this before the very first words of Creation were uttered. He had become the sacrifice, the Lamb that needed to be offered up as the atonement for the sins of the world.
Were He to drink of that Cup prior to His death and resurrection the Plan set in motion before “the foundation of the world” would have been nullified.
Jesus, therefore, seeing Father’s will and knowing Father’s heart for a family — having agreed with Him and Holy Spirit already — offered up thanks because He was now fulfilling literally and physically the cancellation of the curse that had come upon the human race by Adam’s sin. He was canceling death and restoring eternal life.
The first Adam had failed in his effort to redeem his bride, Eve, when he ate of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Jesus, as the last Adam, succeeded in redeeming His Bride by NOT partaking of the fruit of the vine UNTIL death was canceled, the curse was erased and the Kingdom of God was now accessible to the human race.
His offering of thanksgiving before distributing the Cup was the demonstrated proof.
THANKSGIVING OPENS UP FATHER'S RESPONSES
Now, let’s shift the nature of this discussion a bit. Take a look for a minute at how the Scripture defines those who are thankless or unthankful.
II Timothy 3:1-8: This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient parents, unthankful (acharistos: thankless, ungrateful, lacking grace towards others), unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate (adokimos: tested and found unacceptable, unapproved, worthless, rejected) concerning the faith.
There’s more in this passage than we have time for in this discussion, but there are some keys to our understanding of the nature and character of thanksgiving revealed in Paul’s letter.
Notice first of all that Paul characterizes those who are unthankful among this long list of those with defiled and corrupted (the Greek text uses a word which defines spoiled and depraved) minds and souls.
Secondly he characterizes these minds as tested (in the crucible) and found to be worthless — of absolutely no value.
Now obviously there are many characteristics to the mind or soul that is spoiled and depraved but unthankfulness is fifth in a list of twenty. Notice also that key to these negative attributes is the fact that folks who are unthankful have a “form of Godliness” but they deny or reject the miraculous power of God as relevant or accessible.
Why does Paul make this comparison?
It’s pretty simple, really. Being thankful accesses and opens up Father’s responses to us. Thankfulness is part of “Godliness.”
The word “thanks” and “thankfulness” are rooted in the Greek word charis, which means “grace” and “favor.”
Once you begin to grasp the “grace” aspect of thanksgiving it opens up a whole new vista in understanding how important a part thanksgiving plays in our walk with Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We’ve become partakers of a Covenant with God — a covenant that is absolutely inviolable. God NEVER makes covenants with man that are changeable or that he can back away from keeping. I’ll drop two Greek words on you that are important in understanding this Covenant we have: suntheke and diatheke, and we’ll come back to these when we take up a discussion in the next Coffee Break on the nature of our Covenant with God.
Thanksgiving is the expression of grace, favor, love, worship — and a whole lot more — towards the Lord.
Thanksgiving is the channel of grace between us and the Lord that releases the answers and the manifestation of the miraculous or the supernatural demonstrations of God in our midst.
Folks who make their requests from God with a heart of expectancy, an attitude of “getting” and demanding but have no grace towards the Lord and a genuine expression of thanksgiving often fail to receive that which they request.
Our society today is a thankless society. Technological achievements have made instant gratification possible in many situations. People expect things instantly and gripe when they don’t receive what they expect at a moment’s notice.
The result is that many Christians expect God to answer to them and their demands instantly — at the moment of their request — and when God doesn’t respond exactly at that time, or even at some somewhat delayed moment, they begin to complain, they blame God for their circumstances, they accuse God of not responding according to His Word, and they basically blaspheme Him or rail against Him.
You also have the opposite picture where people simply won’t ask things of God that they genuinely have need of, or that are freely provided within the framework of His Covenant with us simply because they’ve believed the lie of the Enemy that “it just isn’t His Will.”
In our next Coffee Break we’ll take up the nature of God’s Covenant with us, wrapping up our discussion on Thanksgiving and moving on to the final phase of this series: The Key of David.
Blessings on you!
Regner
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Prosser, Washington 99350
(509) 515-0133
All Coffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted – provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee Break archives are now available at http://regnersrangers.multiply.com/journal/ and are being slowly added at http://www.AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: KEYS OF THE KINGDOM VII
Keys of the Kingdom VII
Salutations and Blessings to All!
During the last part of July and the first part of August, Della and I attended a camp meeting/prophetic conference hosted by Peter and Cathryn Nash and Frontline Ministries in Red Deer, Alberta. The principal speakers were Paul Keith Davis, Steven Shelley, Charlie Robertson, Chuck Pierce – and of course, Peter and Cathryn.
The revelations and impartations were almost too numerous to recount, but I had an experience that I must share before we resume our discussion on the Keys of the Kingdom.
Many of you have no doubt heard of the series of really remarkable signs and wonders that have been taking place with increasing frequency in gatherings all over the world. I’m referring in this instance to the appearance of gemstones (some ranging in size from 44 to 54 carats) that have the appearance of diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, etc. but – according to expert jewelers – have purity, hardness, brilliance and characteristics unknown to the jewelry industry. Two years ago, Mary Ellen had a stone suddenly appear in her lap while Neville Johnson was speaking that seems to be a cross between a blue sapphire and a brilliant green emerald.
Many folks have reported gold dust or gold flakes appearing on their faces, in their hair, and all over their clothing – in quantities ranging from a tiny fraction of an ounce to many ounces. In one of our worship gatherings a couple years ago, both Della and Sandy had very visible gold dust that appeared on their faces and their clothing.
There have been numerous reports of feathers – angel feathers, if you please – suddenly appearing in mid-air and falling all over people during times of intense worship when the spirit of the Lord was being poured out on people. Charlie Robinson has experienced this phenomenon on numerous occasions and even has some funny stories to share where some folks have literally been covered in feathers.
What’s it all about? I don’t have all the answers, but these are signs and wonders that follow the believer. As I shared with Peter Nash the other day, “We see all these signs, and we wonder at them!” (Grin)
Anyway, during one of Charlie’s times of sharing during this conference, a few feathers suddenly appeared in mid-air and floated to the floor. For most of those present – Della and me included – this was a first! We’d only heard about this sort of thing happening, but never seen it. But it was soon to become far more personal.
There was a break in the service during which an offering was taken. Della and I had asked the Lord how much we were to sow into the conference before even leaving the U.S. The amount was set aside in advance, divided proportionally for the number of days, and then put into offering envelopes readied for each meeting.
I had placed this night’s offering envelope just inside the cover of my Bible and when it was time for the ushers to take the offering, I opened the flap to take out the envelope. To my utter astonishment, a rather large feather suddenly appeared on the envelope. I took it out and showed it to Della, and then showed it to Charlie who waved it before the gathering shouting, “This is a sign, folks!! This is a sign!”
What was fascinating was that the Holy Spirit flashed before me the verse from Malachi 3:10 about the windows of Heaven being opened and an uncontainable blessing being poured out when I first saw the feather. One of the Frontline ministry team members who was sitting in front of us turned around and said to us, “The Lord wants you to know that He has seen your sacrifice in giving, and that He holds both you and your giving in remembrance.” We’d said nothing to anyone about our giving or how sacrificial it really was so the Word was impacting to say the least. The feather is a visible sign for us of the promises of God!
Now, let’s get on with today.
THANKSGIVING: THE KEY TO RECEIVING
We all know how crucial is the giving of thanks to the Lord, but its importance far transcends the normal concept of saying, “Thank You, Lord!”
The apostle Paul spells it out in precise language:
Philippians 4:6-7: Be careful (merimnao: fretting, anxiety) for (medeis: not so much as one thing, no matter how insignificant) nothing; but in everything by prayer (proseuche: worship [within the framework of our Covenant]) and supplication (deesis: presenting a [legal] petition or request) with thanksgiving (eucharistia: the language of grace [within our covenant] and gratitude towards God) let your requests (aitema: requirements, petitions) be made known unto God. And the peace of God (eirene: prosperity, quietness and rest), which passeth all understanding, shall keep (phroureo: be a watcher in advance, act as a sentinel, mount a guard, hem in and protect) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
You see it don’t you? There is no request, no demand, and no requirement of any kind that we can or should present before the Lord — under our Covenant with Him — without thanksgiving being given at the same time.
Why?
Thanksgiving is the language of grace. It is the language of faith. If we do believe that God is a covenant-keeping God, that our covenant with and through Christ Jesus is in force, then thanksgiving becomes the language and expression of our hearts. It becomes the statement of absolute faith and trust in the Word.
We don’t give thanks for something we haven’t received. We give thanks for something we have received!
It matters not that we don’t see the actual manifestation yet before our natural eyes. Where we first see the manifestation is before our spiritual eyes.
We see in the realm of the Spirit.
Do we believe what Jesus said, “And I will give you the authority and power to lock and unlock Heaven so what whatever you bind, restrict or stop on earth shall be, having been already bound, restricted or stopped in Heaven."
“And whatever you break up, loose, dissolve or put off on earth shall be, having already been broken up, loosed, dissolved or put off in Heaven.”
Do we believe that the Keys of the Kingdom have been given to us? Have we done all that is necessary to ensure that they are available to us?
THANKSGIVING: THE LANGUAGE OF FAITH
The story has been told of a young boy whose grandmother had promised to give him a new bicycle for his birthday. Weeks went by. The birthday came and went. No bicycle had come.
He complained to his father one day that “Grandma promised” but the bicycle hadn’t come.
“Maybe if you write a note to your grandmother and thank her for the bicycle, it will make a difference,” his father replied.
“But, Dad, how can I say ‘thanks’ for something she hasn’t given?” asked the boy.
“Son, she has given it to you already. You just haven’t received it yet. Send the note and say ‘Thank You’ and see what happens.”
So the boy sat down and wrote, “Grandma, I forgot to say thank you for the new bicycle. I really appreciate receiving it.”
When his grandmother received the note, she realized she hadn’t fulfilled her promise and immediately went out and purchased a new bicycle. She had the store assemble and deliver the bicycle to the boy’s home so that it would be waiting for him when he got home from school.
When the young lad arrived home and saw the new bicycle, he had his mother call ‘Grandma’ so he could talk to her.
“Grandma, I knew you would keep your promise. Thank you for this wonderful bicycle!”
This story was related to me years ago by the pastor who saw this event unfold. It is a classic illustration of faith in action.
THE LANGUAGE OF THE SPIRIT
Now let’s take a look at another perspective.
Ephesians 5:15-20: See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming (exagorazo: to buy up, ransom, rescue from loss) the time, because the days are evil (poneros: hurtful or calamitous). Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will (thelema: inclination, desire, pleasure) of the Lord is. And be not drunk (methusko: intoxicated) with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled [The tense of this word in the Greek text is present-future, meaning: to be being continually filled or finished] (pleroo: thoroughly furnished) with the Spirit; Speaking (laleo: uttering articulate words) to yourselves in psalms (psalmos: specifically from the Book of Psalms and accompanied with other voices, harps or other musical instruments) and hymns (humnos: specific celebratory hymns from the Psalms) and spiritual (pneumatikos: divinely supernatural, ethereal, non-carnal [hence, that which does not come out of the intellect) songs, singing and making melody (psallo: to twang or to pluck on a stringed instrument in celebratory music) in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks (eucharisteo: expressing gratitude [within the framework of our Covenant]) always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
If you read Paul’s instruction and understood the context of what he wrote, it becomes clear that the giving of thanks is integral to the language of the Spirit.
Notice how he begins this discourse: “See that ye walk circumspectly — with eyes wide open — not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil.”
Why would he say that?
It’s pretty simple, really. Let me digress for a moment to remind you of our priorities as believers.
We need to observe the state of the world around us as it compares to the standard Jesus set before us in His command concerning prayer.
Remember?
“Your Kingdom come, Your will be done in earth, in the same way that it is done in Heaven.”
The objective before us always is that the Kingdom of God be in operational authority (as opposed to delegated) and manifested in the earth.
KINGDOM CHARACTERISTICS AND KINGDOM AUTHORITY
Jesus made it abundantly clear.
Matthew 6:33: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Matthew 9:35: And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
Matthew 10:7-8: And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
Matthew 11:11-12: Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
Matthew 12:28: But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
Matthew 13:10-11: And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
This last statement — “it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven” — signifies the fact that He reveals the Kingdom, its authority and power, and its character and nature only to those who are His disciples.
There are literally hundreds of such examples in Jesus’ preaching and teaching. In this 13th chapter of Matthew, for example, Jesus describes at least 12 attributes of the Kingdom.
Before Jesus was betrayed, seized and crucified, He made the following prophetic announcement:
Matthew 24:14: And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Now, let’s get back to our discussion on the relevance of the Keys of the Kingdom to the giving of thanks.
In our previous discussions we have talked about the use of the Keys of the Kingdom to pray for one another, to declare forgiveness and the remission of the sins — especially those that are committed by brothers or sisters in the Lord.
Within that context, consider now what Paul writes to the Colossians.
Colossians 4:2-4: Continue (proskartereoô: persist, contend, persevere, be constantly diligent) in prayer (proseuche), and watch in the same with thanksgiving (eucharistia); Withal (hama: at the same time [used as an adverb denoting close association]) praying (proseuchomai) also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
Take note of the fact that there is an inseparable link between prayer and thanksgiving. Every request — EVERY REQUEST — if that request is to be made in faith, MUST be accompanied by and with thanksgiving.
Next: Seeing the release of authority through thanksgiving.
Be blessed!
Regner
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Prosser, Washington 99350
(509) 515-0133
All Coffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted – provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee Break archives are now available at http://regnersrangers.multiply.com/journal/ and are being slowly added at http://www.AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry. Should you desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this ministry, please contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses, or visit http://www.RiverWorshipCenter.org.
Salutations and Blessings to All!
During the last part of July and the first part of August, Della and I attended a camp meeting/prophetic conference hosted by Peter and Cathryn Nash and Frontline Ministries in Red Deer, Alberta. The principal speakers were Paul Keith Davis, Steven Shelley, Charlie Robertson, Chuck Pierce – and of course, Peter and Cathryn.
The revelations and impartations were almost too numerous to recount, but I had an experience that I must share before we resume our discussion on the Keys of the Kingdom.
Many of you have no doubt heard of the series of really remarkable signs and wonders that have been taking place with increasing frequency in gatherings all over the world. I’m referring in this instance to the appearance of gemstones (some ranging in size from 44 to 54 carats) that have the appearance of diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, etc. but – according to expert jewelers – have purity, hardness, brilliance and characteristics unknown to the jewelry industry. Two years ago, Mary Ellen had a stone suddenly appear in her lap while Neville Johnson was speaking that seems to be a cross between a blue sapphire and a brilliant green emerald.
Many folks have reported gold dust or gold flakes appearing on their faces, in their hair, and all over their clothing – in quantities ranging from a tiny fraction of an ounce to many ounces. In one of our worship gatherings a couple years ago, both Della and Sandy had very visible gold dust that appeared on their faces and their clothing.
There have been numerous reports of feathers – angel feathers, if you please – suddenly appearing in mid-air and falling all over people during times of intense worship when the spirit of the Lord was being poured out on people. Charlie Robinson has experienced this phenomenon on numerous occasions and even has some funny stories to share where some folks have literally been covered in feathers.
What’s it all about? I don’t have all the answers, but these are signs and wonders that follow the believer. As I shared with Peter Nash the other day, “We see all these signs, and we wonder at them!” (Grin)
Anyway, during one of Charlie’s times of sharing during this conference, a few feathers suddenly appeared in mid-air and floated to the floor. For most of those present – Della and me included – this was a first! We’d only heard about this sort of thing happening, but never seen it. But it was soon to become far more personal.
There was a break in the service during which an offering was taken. Della and I had asked the Lord how much we were to sow into the conference before even leaving the U.S. The amount was set aside in advance, divided proportionally for the number of days, and then put into offering envelopes readied for each meeting.
I had placed this night’s offering envelope just inside the cover of my Bible and when it was time for the ushers to take the offering, I opened the flap to take out the envelope. To my utter astonishment, a rather large feather suddenly appeared on the envelope. I took it out and showed it to Della, and then showed it to Charlie who waved it before the gathering shouting, “This is a sign, folks!! This is a sign!”
What was fascinating was that the Holy Spirit flashed before me the verse from Malachi 3:10 about the windows of Heaven being opened and an uncontainable blessing being poured out when I first saw the feather. One of the Frontline ministry team members who was sitting in front of us turned around and said to us, “The Lord wants you to know that He has seen your sacrifice in giving, and that He holds both you and your giving in remembrance.” We’d said nothing to anyone about our giving or how sacrificial it really was so the Word was impacting to say the least. The feather is a visible sign for us of the promises of God!
Now, let’s get on with today.
THANKSGIVING: THE KEY TO RECEIVING
We all know how crucial is the giving of thanks to the Lord, but its importance far transcends the normal concept of saying, “Thank You, Lord!”
The apostle Paul spells it out in precise language:
Philippians 4:6-7: Be careful (merimnao: fretting, anxiety) for (medeis: not so much as one thing, no matter how insignificant) nothing; but in everything by prayer (proseuche: worship [within the framework of our Covenant]) and supplication (deesis: presenting a [legal] petition or request) with thanksgiving (eucharistia: the language of grace [within our covenant] and gratitude towards God) let your requests (aitema: requirements, petitions) be made known unto God. And the peace of God (eirene: prosperity, quietness and rest), which passeth all understanding, shall keep (phroureo: be a watcher in advance, act as a sentinel, mount a guard, hem in and protect) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
You see it don’t you? There is no request, no demand, and no requirement of any kind that we can or should present before the Lord — under our Covenant with Him — without thanksgiving being given at the same time.
Why?
Thanksgiving is the language of grace. It is the language of faith. If we do believe that God is a covenant-keeping God, that our covenant with and through Christ Jesus is in force, then thanksgiving becomes the language and expression of our hearts. It becomes the statement of absolute faith and trust in the Word.
We don’t give thanks for something we haven’t received. We give thanks for something we have received!
It matters not that we don’t see the actual manifestation yet before our natural eyes. Where we first see the manifestation is before our spiritual eyes.
We see in the realm of the Spirit.
Do we believe what Jesus said, “And I will give you the authority and power to lock and unlock Heaven so what whatever you bind, restrict or stop on earth shall be, having been already bound, restricted or stopped in Heaven."
“And whatever you break up, loose, dissolve or put off on earth shall be, having already been broken up, loosed, dissolved or put off in Heaven.”
Do we believe that the Keys of the Kingdom have been given to us? Have we done all that is necessary to ensure that they are available to us?
THANKSGIVING: THE LANGUAGE OF FAITH
The story has been told of a young boy whose grandmother had promised to give him a new bicycle for his birthday. Weeks went by. The birthday came and went. No bicycle had come.
He complained to his father one day that “Grandma promised” but the bicycle hadn’t come.
“Maybe if you write a note to your grandmother and thank her for the bicycle, it will make a difference,” his father replied.
“But, Dad, how can I say ‘thanks’ for something she hasn’t given?” asked the boy.
“Son, she has given it to you already. You just haven’t received it yet. Send the note and say ‘Thank You’ and see what happens.”
So the boy sat down and wrote, “Grandma, I forgot to say thank you for the new bicycle. I really appreciate receiving it.”
When his grandmother received the note, she realized she hadn’t fulfilled her promise and immediately went out and purchased a new bicycle. She had the store assemble and deliver the bicycle to the boy’s home so that it would be waiting for him when he got home from school.
When the young lad arrived home and saw the new bicycle, he had his mother call ‘Grandma’ so he could talk to her.
“Grandma, I knew you would keep your promise. Thank you for this wonderful bicycle!”
This story was related to me years ago by the pastor who saw this event unfold. It is a classic illustration of faith in action.
THE LANGUAGE OF THE SPIRIT
Now let’s take a look at another perspective.
Ephesians 5:15-20: See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming (exagorazo: to buy up, ransom, rescue from loss) the time, because the days are evil (poneros: hurtful or calamitous). Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will (thelema: inclination, desire, pleasure) of the Lord is. And be not drunk (methusko: intoxicated) with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled [The tense of this word in the Greek text is present-future, meaning: to be being continually filled or finished] (pleroo: thoroughly furnished) with the Spirit; Speaking (laleo: uttering articulate words) to yourselves in psalms (psalmos: specifically from the Book of Psalms and accompanied with other voices, harps or other musical instruments) and hymns (humnos: specific celebratory hymns from the Psalms) and spiritual (pneumatikos: divinely supernatural, ethereal, non-carnal [hence, that which does not come out of the intellect) songs, singing and making melody (psallo: to twang or to pluck on a stringed instrument in celebratory music) in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks (eucharisteo: expressing gratitude [within the framework of our Covenant]) always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
If you read Paul’s instruction and understood the context of what he wrote, it becomes clear that the giving of thanks is integral to the language of the Spirit.
Notice how he begins this discourse: “See that ye walk circumspectly — with eyes wide open — not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil.”
Why would he say that?
It’s pretty simple, really. Let me digress for a moment to remind you of our priorities as believers.
We need to observe the state of the world around us as it compares to the standard Jesus set before us in His command concerning prayer.
Remember?
“Your Kingdom come, Your will be done in earth, in the same way that it is done in Heaven.”
The objective before us always is that the Kingdom of God be in operational authority (as opposed to delegated) and manifested in the earth.
KINGDOM CHARACTERISTICS AND KINGDOM AUTHORITY
Jesus made it abundantly clear.
Matthew 6:33: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Matthew 9:35: And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
Matthew 10:7-8: And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
Matthew 11:11-12: Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
Matthew 12:28: But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
Matthew 13:10-11: And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
This last statement — “it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven” — signifies the fact that He reveals the Kingdom, its authority and power, and its character and nature only to those who are His disciples.
There are literally hundreds of such examples in Jesus’ preaching and teaching. In this 13th chapter of Matthew, for example, Jesus describes at least 12 attributes of the Kingdom.
Before Jesus was betrayed, seized and crucified, He made the following prophetic announcement:
Matthew 24:14: And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Now, let’s get back to our discussion on the relevance of the Keys of the Kingdom to the giving of thanks.
In our previous discussions we have talked about the use of the Keys of the Kingdom to pray for one another, to declare forgiveness and the remission of the sins — especially those that are committed by brothers or sisters in the Lord.
Within that context, consider now what Paul writes to the Colossians.
Colossians 4:2-4: Continue (proskartereoô: persist, contend, persevere, be constantly diligent) in prayer (proseuche), and watch in the same with thanksgiving (eucharistia); Withal (hama: at the same time [used as an adverb denoting close association]) praying (proseuchomai) also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
Take note of the fact that there is an inseparable link between prayer and thanksgiving. Every request — EVERY REQUEST — if that request is to be made in faith, MUST be accompanied by and with thanksgiving.
Next: Seeing the release of authority through thanksgiving.
Be blessed!
Regner
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Prosser, Washington 99350
(509) 515-0133
All Coffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted – provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee Break archives are now available at http://regnersrangers.multiply.com/journal/ and are being slowly added at http://www.AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry. Should you desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this ministry, please contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses, or visit http://www.RiverWorshipCenter.org.
ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: KEYS OF THE KINGDOM VI
Keys of the Kingdom VI
Howdy, Howdy!
My apologies to all the readers of this column for the long break since the last posting in mid-June. We have been in the midst of a transition from our location in Prosser, Washington to new quarters, and that transition is not yet complete. In addition, we’ve been in Canada for the better part of this past month participating in a prophetic conference sponsored by Frontline Ministries in Sylvan Lake and Red Deer, Alberta, as well as an Open Bible Faith Fellowship pastors’ conference immediately following. (More on that in the days to come.) At the same time, we are losing some of our long-time ministry staff who are moving on to other ministries and places as God is opening doors for them. Actually, I should rephrase that to say that we are sending them forth with our blessings and appreciation for their longtime association and fellowship with us.
Robert and Sandy Storer (and their son, Andrew) will be leaving us for a ministry in Arkansas. Della told me some months ago that the Lord had alerted her to the fact that He was going to be drawing them on to other fields of activity and that we should be prepared for their departure. With nearly 19 years of fellowship and ministry together that dates back to our days at Trails’ End in Idaho, they have been faithful laborers in the Gospel and effective intercessory prayer ministers – not to mention their musical involvement and participation in our daily worship gatherings.
Sandra Lopez, who has overseen our children’s ministry for most of the past four years, has taken on nursing as a career, and is being drawn away from her active involvement because of job responsibilities. Although we don’t expect to lose her completely, her new schedule precludes her being with us on Sunday mornings to minister to the children. She has been a good steward of the Gospel and we bless her!
I want to try and wrap up this series – or at least this portion of this series – within the next couple of weeks and move on to share with you a prophetic picture of the body of Christ that the Lord has given to Della and me through parallel dreams within the past few days. By the grace of God we should be able to do that in mid September. In order to accomplish this, I will be publishing these Coffee Breaks every three or four days.
Now, on to today’s discussion.
JESUS' OBJECTIVE IS REMISSION AND RECONCILIATION
Let’s take a look at one more example in the Word that clearly outlines the heart’s desire of the Lord before we shift gears in this study.
Matthew 18:11-20: For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
Even so it is not the will (thelema: desire, pleasure, inclination) of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
Moreover if thy brother shall trespass (hamartano: err, miss the mark, sin, commit an offense) against thee, go and tell him (elengcho: admonish, reprove, rebuke [in love] with convincing evidence) his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church (Ekklesia): but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind (deo: tie up, lock, restrict, or stop) on earth shall be [having been] bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose (luo: break up, dissolve, unlock or put off) on earth shall be [having been] loosed in heaven.
Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
What is Jesus getting at with this discourse? It’s pretty simple, really. He’s describing some pretty extreme circumstances to demonstrate that His first objective in every situation is to bring forgiveness, remission of sin, and reconciliation between brethren.
With the example of the one lost sheep, He demonstrates His heart to recapture and retrieve those who’ve fallen by the wayside, been ensnared and are on the verge of losing their lives.
Next, Jesus launches into the picture of dealing with deliberate personal offenses. In this parable, He is not using the word, paraptoma (side slip, lapse in judgment, error—intentional or unintentional, sin) that He used with the disciples in Mark 11.
This time He uses hamartano — the archery term — which defines a missing of the mark or the target (and is used more often throughout the Greek text of the New Testament to define more deliberate or repetitious sins and offenses).
Since His objective is complete remission and reconciliation between His people, Jesus commands a sequence of events which resolves disputes and offenses 99 percent of the time. The first step is to go to the individual whose words or actions clearly evidence wrongdoing towards you; show him in love the nature of the sin or offense and seek to resolve and reconcile the issues. Most of the time, this procedure is going to work — especially when you have two people who love the Lord and are seeking to walk in harmony with Him.
If this fails, however, the next step is to take one or two other brothers (or sisters) in the Lord with you — either or both of whom have been witness to the sin or the offense — who will be able to provide both affirming testimony and secondary counsel to them. It is a rare set of circumstances in which this step does not succeed, particularly when the offender has walked in a bond of love with all the parties concerned.
SUMPHONEO PUT TO THE TEST
But Jesus doesn’t leave it there. He is so committed to having agreement (sumphoneo: with the same sound, being in harmony, speaking the same thing) between the members of His body that He provides a third procedure should the first and second fail. If the offending individual fails to hear and receive the rebuke and admonition from the first and second (and even third, if present) brothers or sisters, Jesus now commands that the individual be brought before the entire body — the Ekklesia of which he is a part — and that a serious, all-out effort be made by the entire body to bring healing and remission and reconciliation.
Where there is real agape in operation in a body of believers, it is hard to fathom any conceivable situation in which the offender could not or would not hear and repent. We are talking about a pretty extreme situation in which an individual would refuse to respond in these circumstances. Should it take place, however, Jesus makes clear that this person can no longer be a part of His Ekklesia — that they are now treated as the “unsaved” who are unredeemed.
I hope you are getting the picture here of Jesus’ immense love and heart’s desire to bring this lost individual back!
They are indeed now “lost.” They have refused to hear the counsel, the admonishment, the loving rebuke of their peers in the body, and now must be treated as though they have never been a part. Sounds pretty drastic, doesn’t it? But this is agape in motion. When an individual who has been an integral part of a living organism (not an organization!) like this is suddenly cut off from all spiritual life, the natural instinct is to do whatever it takes to get that life back — and this is what Jesus is after. His heart is not to cut folks off so completely that they are totally without redemption, but agape gives them that choice without forcing their decision. They have the opportunity yet to repent and return — and we are commanded to remit their sin and erase it as if it never happened.
Again Jesus uses the example of the use of the Keys of the Kingdom when He says, "Whatever you bind, restrict or stop on earth shall be, having been already bound, restricted or stopped in Heaven.
And whatever you break up, loose, dissolve or put off on earth shall be, having already been broken up, loosed, dissolved or put off in Heaven.”
What He is effectively demonstrating is that once folks have had access to Heaven’s resources, and those resources are suddenly cut off or stopped, there is an awakening to their circumstances. If they turn again and see their error and repent, the Keys of the Kingdom are used to once again unlock Heaven to them. Notice how Jesus wraps up His discourse:
Matthew 18:19-20: Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
See the picture? Sumphoneo. This is what He’s after: harmony, agreement, speaking the same thing (and seeing the results manifested before your eyes), demonstrating the Kingdom of God effectively before the world!
NONSTOP REMISSION OF SIN
Peter now raises an issue that an uncountable number of Christians have asked in the millennia since.
Matthew 18:21-22: Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin (hamartano: err, miss the mark, sin, commit an offense) against me, and I forgive (aphiemi: remit, dissolve, cause to cease to exist) [the sins against] him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
490 times? In one day? There aren’t that many hours in the day! You get the idea. It seems utterly impossible, but this is what Jesus is getting at: absolutely unstoppable, bottomless, always-replenishing forgiveness and remission of sin. Notice also that Peter’s question comes within the same framework of Jesus’ previous discourse. Jesus has just been talking about the means for bringing remission and reconciliation between brethren and sisters when a sin or an offense has been committed towards you.
So Peter with his big heart says, “Do I forgive the offending brother as much as 70 times for the same offense?”
Not bad, really. I doubt any of us have ever had someone commit the same sin or offense towards us as much as 70 times in our lives — much less in the same day! But Jesus makes it clear that His ability to forgive and remit is bottomless towards those who will repent. And there is the key to understanding the well of agape in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is always replenishing, always ready to remit and erase all evidence of sin.
Get it? Jesus is always READY to remit. His final parable in this discourse shows that access to that well of agape requires repentance on the part of the would-be recipient.
Matthew 18:23-35: (There isn’t sufficient room here to print the entire text, so suffice it to say that we have the picture of a man who is forgiven the equivalent of a billion-dollar debt — an unpayable amount — by the King to whom he owes the debt.) This man, now forgiven, goes out and throws another man into prison who owes him the equivalent of two dollars. The King finds out and reimposes the billion-dollar debt on the first man and has him given over to the “tormentors” — essentially evil spirits.
Jesus wraps up the parable with this: And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses.
Can it be any clearer? There is a place where there is no access to God’s love and mercy. That place is holding onto unforgiveness.
In our next Coffee Break we’ll consider the effect and effectiveness that thanksgiving has in the use and operation of the Keys of the Kingdom. Remember: the Keys of the Kingdom – as we have described them thus far in this series – are authority and power, and they are given to us to use in accordance with the Word – the rhema – of God.
Be blessed!
Regner
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Prosser, Washington 99350
(509) 515-0133
All Coffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted – provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee Break archives are now available at http://regnersrangers.multiply.com/journal/ and are being slowly added at http://www.AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry. Should you desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this ministry, please contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses, or visit http://www.RiverWorshipCenter.org.
Howdy, Howdy!
My apologies to all the readers of this column for the long break since the last posting in mid-June. We have been in the midst of a transition from our location in Prosser, Washington to new quarters, and that transition is not yet complete. In addition, we’ve been in Canada for the better part of this past month participating in a prophetic conference sponsored by Frontline Ministries in Sylvan Lake and Red Deer, Alberta, as well as an Open Bible Faith Fellowship pastors’ conference immediately following. (More on that in the days to come.) At the same time, we are losing some of our long-time ministry staff who are moving on to other ministries and places as God is opening doors for them. Actually, I should rephrase that to say that we are sending them forth with our blessings and appreciation for their longtime association and fellowship with us.
Robert and Sandy Storer (and their son, Andrew) will be leaving us for a ministry in Arkansas. Della told me some months ago that the Lord had alerted her to the fact that He was going to be drawing them on to other fields of activity and that we should be prepared for their departure. With nearly 19 years of fellowship and ministry together that dates back to our days at Trails’ End in Idaho, they have been faithful laborers in the Gospel and effective intercessory prayer ministers – not to mention their musical involvement and participation in our daily worship gatherings.
Sandra Lopez, who has overseen our children’s ministry for most of the past four years, has taken on nursing as a career, and is being drawn away from her active involvement because of job responsibilities. Although we don’t expect to lose her completely, her new schedule precludes her being with us on Sunday mornings to minister to the children. She has been a good steward of the Gospel and we bless her!
I want to try and wrap up this series – or at least this portion of this series – within the next couple of weeks and move on to share with you a prophetic picture of the body of Christ that the Lord has given to Della and me through parallel dreams within the past few days. By the grace of God we should be able to do that in mid September. In order to accomplish this, I will be publishing these Coffee Breaks every three or four days.
Now, on to today’s discussion.
JESUS' OBJECTIVE IS REMISSION AND RECONCILIATION
Let’s take a look at one more example in the Word that clearly outlines the heart’s desire of the Lord before we shift gears in this study.
Matthew 18:11-20: For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
Even so it is not the will (thelema: desire, pleasure, inclination) of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
Moreover if thy brother shall trespass (hamartano: err, miss the mark, sin, commit an offense) against thee, go and tell him (elengcho: admonish, reprove, rebuke [in love] with convincing evidence) his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church (Ekklesia): but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind (deo: tie up, lock, restrict, or stop) on earth shall be [having been] bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose (luo: break up, dissolve, unlock or put off) on earth shall be [having been] loosed in heaven.
Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
What is Jesus getting at with this discourse? It’s pretty simple, really. He’s describing some pretty extreme circumstances to demonstrate that His first objective in every situation is to bring forgiveness, remission of sin, and reconciliation between brethren.
With the example of the one lost sheep, He demonstrates His heart to recapture and retrieve those who’ve fallen by the wayside, been ensnared and are on the verge of losing their lives.
Next, Jesus launches into the picture of dealing with deliberate personal offenses. In this parable, He is not using the word, paraptoma (side slip, lapse in judgment, error—intentional or unintentional, sin) that He used with the disciples in Mark 11.
This time He uses hamartano — the archery term — which defines a missing of the mark or the target (and is used more often throughout the Greek text of the New Testament to define more deliberate or repetitious sins and offenses).
Since His objective is complete remission and reconciliation between His people, Jesus commands a sequence of events which resolves disputes and offenses 99 percent of the time. The first step is to go to the individual whose words or actions clearly evidence wrongdoing towards you; show him in love the nature of the sin or offense and seek to resolve and reconcile the issues. Most of the time, this procedure is going to work — especially when you have two people who love the Lord and are seeking to walk in harmony with Him.
If this fails, however, the next step is to take one or two other brothers (or sisters) in the Lord with you — either or both of whom have been witness to the sin or the offense — who will be able to provide both affirming testimony and secondary counsel to them. It is a rare set of circumstances in which this step does not succeed, particularly when the offender has walked in a bond of love with all the parties concerned.
SUMPHONEO PUT TO THE TEST
But Jesus doesn’t leave it there. He is so committed to having agreement (sumphoneo: with the same sound, being in harmony, speaking the same thing) between the members of His body that He provides a third procedure should the first and second fail. If the offending individual fails to hear and receive the rebuke and admonition from the first and second (and even third, if present) brothers or sisters, Jesus now commands that the individual be brought before the entire body — the Ekklesia of which he is a part — and that a serious, all-out effort be made by the entire body to bring healing and remission and reconciliation.
Where there is real agape in operation in a body of believers, it is hard to fathom any conceivable situation in which the offender could not or would not hear and repent. We are talking about a pretty extreme situation in which an individual would refuse to respond in these circumstances. Should it take place, however, Jesus makes clear that this person can no longer be a part of His Ekklesia — that they are now treated as the “unsaved” who are unredeemed.
I hope you are getting the picture here of Jesus’ immense love and heart’s desire to bring this lost individual back!
They are indeed now “lost.” They have refused to hear the counsel, the admonishment, the loving rebuke of their peers in the body, and now must be treated as though they have never been a part. Sounds pretty drastic, doesn’t it? But this is agape in motion. When an individual who has been an integral part of a living organism (not an organization!) like this is suddenly cut off from all spiritual life, the natural instinct is to do whatever it takes to get that life back — and this is what Jesus is after. His heart is not to cut folks off so completely that they are totally without redemption, but agape gives them that choice without forcing their decision. They have the opportunity yet to repent and return — and we are commanded to remit their sin and erase it as if it never happened.
Again Jesus uses the example of the use of the Keys of the Kingdom when He says, "Whatever you bind, restrict or stop on earth shall be, having been already bound, restricted or stopped in Heaven.
And whatever you break up, loose, dissolve or put off on earth shall be, having already been broken up, loosed, dissolved or put off in Heaven.”
What He is effectively demonstrating is that once folks have had access to Heaven’s resources, and those resources are suddenly cut off or stopped, there is an awakening to their circumstances. If they turn again and see their error and repent, the Keys of the Kingdom are used to once again unlock Heaven to them. Notice how Jesus wraps up His discourse:
Matthew 18:19-20: Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
See the picture? Sumphoneo. This is what He’s after: harmony, agreement, speaking the same thing (and seeing the results manifested before your eyes), demonstrating the Kingdom of God effectively before the world!
NONSTOP REMISSION OF SIN
Peter now raises an issue that an uncountable number of Christians have asked in the millennia since.
Matthew 18:21-22: Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin (hamartano: err, miss the mark, sin, commit an offense) against me, and I forgive (aphiemi: remit, dissolve, cause to cease to exist) [the sins against] him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
490 times? In one day? There aren’t that many hours in the day! You get the idea. It seems utterly impossible, but this is what Jesus is getting at: absolutely unstoppable, bottomless, always-replenishing forgiveness and remission of sin. Notice also that Peter’s question comes within the same framework of Jesus’ previous discourse. Jesus has just been talking about the means for bringing remission and reconciliation between brethren and sisters when a sin or an offense has been committed towards you.
So Peter with his big heart says, “Do I forgive the offending brother as much as 70 times for the same offense?”
Not bad, really. I doubt any of us have ever had someone commit the same sin or offense towards us as much as 70 times in our lives — much less in the same day! But Jesus makes it clear that His ability to forgive and remit is bottomless towards those who will repent. And there is the key to understanding the well of agape in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is always replenishing, always ready to remit and erase all evidence of sin.
Get it? Jesus is always READY to remit. His final parable in this discourse shows that access to that well of agape requires repentance on the part of the would-be recipient.
Matthew 18:23-35: (There isn’t sufficient room here to print the entire text, so suffice it to say that we have the picture of a man who is forgiven the equivalent of a billion-dollar debt — an unpayable amount — by the King to whom he owes the debt.) This man, now forgiven, goes out and throws another man into prison who owes him the equivalent of two dollars. The King finds out and reimposes the billion-dollar debt on the first man and has him given over to the “tormentors” — essentially evil spirits.
Jesus wraps up the parable with this: And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses.
Can it be any clearer? There is a place where there is no access to God’s love and mercy. That place is holding onto unforgiveness.
In our next Coffee Break we’ll consider the effect and effectiveness that thanksgiving has in the use and operation of the Keys of the Kingdom. Remember: the Keys of the Kingdom – as we have described them thus far in this series – are authority and power, and they are given to us to use in accordance with the Word – the rhema – of God.
Be blessed!
Regner
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Prosser, Washington 99350
(509) 515-0133
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