My Ph Site - Blog

DIG DEEPER (1)

21/1/2020

Job 28 writes: "Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."

Proverbs 25 writes: "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter. As the heavens for height and the earth for depth, so the heart of kings is unsearchable. Take away the dross from silver, and it will go to the silversmith for jewelry."

Matthew 16 writes: "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church."

Ephesians 3 writes: "For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles - if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets."

A mine for silver and a place for gold, silver and copper, concealed matters to be searched, things not revealed ny flesh and blood but by the Father in Heaven, mysteries not made known to some but made known to others... quite mysterious and intriguing in a way but true Kingdom-issues regulating Heaven's influence and advancement on Earth through individuals, families and churches and affecting communities, professional environments, educational institutions, societal structures, and even cultures and civilisations.

An open heaven is not an excuse for laziness and passivity. At the opposite it animates us to walk further, stand stronger, connect cleaner, pay more attention.
The issues pertaining to the Kingdom will not rain on you, so to say. You are not a vegetable.

Decide to dig deeper. Get started, develop the mind of a researcher. You know the mine is there because the Spirit has led you to the 'place', but you might not know what is inside that rock. And as you dig, you might know how to proceed or how to continue. Maybe you go a little left, then a little right. Keep digging while your ear is open to the voice of the Spirit, while your heart is teachable. Even you don't get it the first time, at least you are developing a Kingdom-mentality. At least you grow some new abilities and the capacity to pursue. At least you exercise the muscles of your soul and spirit and learn disciplines which will most probably useful in the future of your life and walk in the Kingdom.

Remember: 'The glory of kings is to search out a matter.'

In the coming blogs I will write about when it's time to dig deeper, and how to do it.

Philip DuPont

(To be continued)

STRATEGICALLY POSITIONED, IN OTHER WORDS: WHERE ARE YOU?

23/10/2019

Photo: Maëwa Payet

"Where are you?" was God's cry when He came and walked in the garden in the cool of the day (Gen 3,8-9). And neither Adam nor Eve were in the location where God expected to find them.

The question was not 'Who are you?', a highly relevant question for many christians today struggling with identity. All too many. But Adam and Eve knew who they were. They were God's sons (Lk 3,38). The issue with the "Where are you?" question goes much deeper. It's not about identity. It's about position, it's about assignment. It's about mature responsibility, accurate representation and contribution to the establishment and advancement of the Kingdom.

God expected to find His sons totally devoted, engaged and busy with the assignment which He had entrusted them with ... A three-fold assignment:
TO GUARD... and administrate
TO GROW... and cultivate and develop
TO GOVERN... and establish order

It had no limitations as their fellowship with God and His creation were absolutely defined and divinely perfect:
"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so. Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day." Gen 1,28-31"
"And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates." Gen 2,9-14

• Man was created in God's image.
• Man was blessed by God.
• Man was spoken to by God.
• Man was given dominion over fish, birds and every living thing that moves on earth.
• Man was given food.
• Man was given the ability to be fruitful and multiply.
• Man was given rivers.
• Man had access to gold and other precious metals.

Total perfection. Phenomenal wealth.... not only material.

They lived and worked in total transparency and sincerity... and without shame:
"And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed." Gen 2,25

But the assignment did have borders... regarding the trees:
"The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed ... Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Gen 2,8-17

And regarding the territory:
"Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates. Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it." Gen 2,10-15

If they had done well, the borders might have been moved and the territory expanded. But no. God sent them out from Eden.
If they had done well, multiplication would have meant the spreading of God's glory. But no. Evil spread, neither divine glory nor human stature and nobility.

God would have to wait until He found Abram. Then everything turned well. Therefore believers are not called sons of Adam but sons of Abraham. And Jesus is called son of David, son of Abraham by Matthew. God created Adam and Eve, blessed them with all kinds of wealth and entrusted them with an assignment. But they deviated from their strategic position. God looked for them there but didn't find them there.

We hear God calling Joshua: "You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess." (Josh 13,1). In other words: 'Joshua where are you?'
Joshua came back to the assignment and finished it and at the end of his life he challenged the whole nation: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." In other words: Israel, where are you?'

God's Word in this season is a call, a question: Where are you?

It's time to position yourself strategically. Make meaningful plans. Build purposeful connections. Engage accurate training.

Philip DuPont
October 2019

LETTERS FOR THE DISPERSED

23/10/2019

Photo: Unsplash

The two letters of Peter have become very central in my walk with God in these weeks.

Peter knew like no other how easy it is to be diverted. It makes him the right person to write these two short letters which are the simple vehicles carrying a weighty message for the church in these years leading us into a new decade. I will definitely pay attention to its words and focus.

First of all it's about DETERMINATION.
Peter wrote: "Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." An other translation says: Be prepared for action.
The source of this determination is to be found in the revelation of Jesus Christ. Human determination, strong will and personality will not make it.

Then comes the time for DEFINITION.
In Jerusalem Peter presented a fresh and updated revelation of Jesus Christ: ""Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." It generated a strong and immediate response: 'What shall we do?' Determination was intense. They were prepared for action. What did Peter then? He invited them into a defining process. After opening up for the first steps (Repent, be baptised) definition began: "With many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation." Lines were drawn.
And it continued: "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine."

After definition comes DILIGENCE.
This is what Peer wrote in his 2nd letter: "But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love." Consider its ultimate goal: "Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

Diligence must be followed by DEVOTION.
Why? Simply because walking with God, growing in God and partnering with God is a heart-issue... so to say. Therefore after Peter had spoken and people aligned with his word, they devoted themselves to the apostolic fathers' teaching, to their destiny-companions, to the breaking of bread and prayers.

What then?

Personally I mean that it's clearly DISRUPTION. There are a lot disturbing words in Peter's two letters. Very disturbing indeed.

And I will come back to that later.

Philip DuPont
May 2019

GOD HEALS THE BLIND, HE HEALS THE LAME BUT HE CANNOT HEAL THE IRRESPONSIBLE

20/5/2019

The second book of Samuel reports the situation when David is determined to conquer Jerusalem which had fallen into the hands of the Jebusites.

“And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, "You shall not come in here; but the blind and the lame will repel you," thinking, "David cannot come in here.” Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David). Now David said on that day, "Whoever climbs up by way of the water shaft and defeats the Jebusites (the lame and the blind, who are hated by David's soul), he shall be chief and captain." Therefore they say, "The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.” 2Sam 5,6-8

The Jebusites knew that the blind and the lame were so limited and dependent on others that they would have no meaningful role in a war, neither offensive nor defensive. If David could not overtake them, he would have been weaker than them and totally unable to enter the gates of Jerusalem. Maybe the Jebusites intentionally placed blind and lame people on the walls to ridicule David and humiliate him publicly.

Maybe they consider themselves as a military power mighty and David as a political and strategic novice. In that context handicapped people would be an equal match for him and his men.
Maybe they thought that their fortifications were so impregnable that even blind and lame were sufficient to defend them.

Already as a shepherd boy David was able to pick up issues in the heart of God. Like Abraham, like Moses, like Joshua and Caleb. the bible says simply that David heard him.

Hearing and seeing are identical when it comes to the issues of the Spirit.

One response was:
“And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. So the men of Israel said, "Have you seen this man who has come up?” 1Sam 17,24
And after an intense conversation between David and his brothers, he said:
“And David said, Is there not a cause?” 1Sam 17,29
Saul, his armies including Jesse’s sons were blinded by what they saw and paralyzed by what they heard. Therefore they remained silent and passive in the valley of Elah. There was no royalty left in the king, no power left in his armies, no purpose in their skills.
David heard the same words but he saw something else, and he moved forward.

The blind and the lame…

Again and again in the three years of the public work of Jesus these two categories of people are mentioned: The blind and the lame. The most significant of these narratives is the following:
“Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'“ Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes. Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?" Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.” Matt 21,12-17
The blind is the person who doesn’t have or has lost the ability to see. And the absence of sight will make their desires unreachable and their skills purposeless.
As Jesus intervened in this situation a certain crowd left the temple and an other crowd entered it. When the spiritually blind and lame left, the physically blind and lame came in. He threw out the first and welcomed the second. He restored sight, he gave mobility and paid attention to the next generation.
Jesus saw clearly what took place in the heart of the nation, both in the streets of its capital and in the court of the temple.
Jesus moved and judged the situation and its different actors (merchants, priests and children).
Basically Jesus took responsibility.

The irresponsible

King Saul was blind and lame at one of the most critical moments of the history of Israel. But that was not the worst issue. Irresponsibility was. Not only he was blinded by the size and strength of the giant, not only he was paralyzed by his repeated statements. He let go of his royal responsibility.
David understood that there was a cause and he stood up for it. Even when the curses of Goliath were sent against him as arrows of hellish fire.
The king backed off embarassingly.
First Saul sent for David.
Then he played spiritual: “Saul said to David, "Go, and the Lord be with you!”
Finally Saul left the scene: “Saul clothed David with his armor.”

Blind.
Lame.
Irresponsible.

Why was this important for them?
Because the core-issue is neither Saul, Goliath or even the young, ruddy and good-looking’ David. National destiny and a global prototype are at stake.

Why is this important for us?
For two reasons:
(1) Because God’s people have developed a chronic blindness, paralysis leading to spiritual irresponsibility. We have to see, and we have to move in judgment. This is the Jesus-way to articulate it:
“Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch … Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them. So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.” Matt 15,14,30-31
(2) Because it’s the Father’s will to restore our sight, heal our paralysis so we can again take responsibility:

“Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the ends of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and the one who labors with child, together; A great throng shall return there.” Jer 31,8

That’s the three-fold focus of the Father: The blind, the lame and responsibility for the legacy.

See clearly... be prophetic and apostolic.
Move forward... be brave and consistent.
Take responsibility... look after the legacy for your next generations.

Remember:
God can heal the blind.
God can heal the lame.
But God cannot heal the irresponsible.

Philip DuPont
May 2019

The LONG HAUL

15/5/2019

BE DEFINED

30/4/2019

The first chapter of the book of Genesis speaks about the Creation. God is at work:

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. Then God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters." Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day. Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good." Gen 1,1-10

God created. There was so much determination behind what took place. God acted and the action was to speak... and what He spoke was. As simple as that.

The next creative move was to define what had just been created: He divided the light from darkness, the waters from the waters, above from under, the dry land from the seas.

And God said: It is good. Definition is good in God's eyes.

Peter wrote to the believers who were dispersed throughout Minor Asia and after encouraging them to be determined, he explained for them wherefrom that determination actually comes. He didn't mention anything about motivational talk but he had to dig deeper than soulish issues. For the soul to become stable it has to be connected to the spirit of man and be well-defined.

The letter to the Hebrews tells us: "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." (Hebr. 6,19-20) The soul needs an anchor going into what is deeper, solid and unshakeable.

Then Peter wrote: "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy." 1Pet. 2,9-10.

YOU WERE BUT NOW YOU ARE ... YOU WERE BUT NOW YOU ARE ... YOU WERE BUT NOW YOU ARE

That's definition.
A chosen generation.
A royal priesthood.
A holy nation.
A special people.

In the previous chapter Peter mentioned the process of definition:

"You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."

This process will remove 'all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking'.
This process will create solid growth and development: 'as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby'.

Well Peter had never been perfect. He had his ups and downs. He also tasted serious setbacks but as he wrote these two letters and thought back to his life and walk with God since he was called, he knew that a defining work had been taking place. The original call was just a beginning. Then Jesus trained him, fixed him, helped him. Jesus prayed for him.

Let me just mention one issue, but a deep one.

Jesus asked His disciples: "He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" (Matt 16,15).
What was His purpose with such a question? He wanted them to define who He was for them. He asked 'Who am I to you?' so to say. And Peter answered: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matt 16,16). Things were defined and clear for Peter because of revelational insight given to him by the Father.

Then there is this awkward situation at the end of Jesus' earthly days.
"Jesus said to them, "Come and eat breakfast." Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, "Who are You?" - knowing that it was the Lord." (John 21,12).
And to Peter: "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" (Joh 21,15). And this repeated itself three times.
What was His purpose with such a question? The relationship Jesus-Peter had to be defined accurately. Its first dimension had been worked on since the words recorded in Matt 16: Who was Jesus for Peter. But now comes the second dimension: Who is Peter for Jesus. The core of the relationship is simply deep love.

No wonder Peter was so clear in his two letters.
No wonder he could write to the dispersed believers to be even more diligent to make their call and election sure.
No wonder he encouraged them to gird up the loins of their mind, to be sober, and to rest their hope fully upon God's grace.

No wonder!

Could it be that the reason why our determination sometimes fails, is that important issues are not defined in our lives? Could it be the reason why God took the people of Israel from Egypt to Mt Sinai where He planned to meet them and define them? Could it be that God knew that their focus and courage would come under pressure as they walked through the hostile environment of the wilderness? Therefore He had to have an encounter with them all. What did He tell them?

"You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel." Ex 19,4-6. He defined them.

Yes right, they had seen what He had done but it was not enough in order to stay determined, focused and bold to the end. You can see and stay the same. God didn't want them to stay the same. Therefore He told them: You shall be, or: I will make you.

Jesus did exactly the same the moment after He had called His first disciples: "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matt 4,19 and then "You are the salt of the earth ... You are the light of the world." Matt 5,13-14

Be determined!
Be defined!

Philip DuPont
May 2019

BE DETERMINED !

10/4/2019

Determination is the immediate and lasting effect of an intense atmosphere and environment. The question is then: What creates such an intense atmosphere? I will suggest six reasons:

(1) God’s presence
(2) The earthly manifestation of His Heavenly world – the Kingdom of God
(3) The accurate presentation of Kingdom truth
(4) The existence of genuine potential and substance in a situation or in people
(5) The vitality and energy of new beginnings initiated by God
(6) When fathers and sons begin to walk together in destiny

Could it be some of the thoughts which were to be found in Esther's heart and mind? I do think it was the case.

When this happens separately or simultaneously in whatever combination and chronology, intensity is obvious and tangible… almost expected. At Mt Sinai, the mountains were shaking and they ran from it. At Pentecost minds and hearts were shaken but they ran to it and the city was deeply affected.

It cannot fail because deep levels are touched in God’s heart, world and will. Heaven and Earth merge, the powers of coming worlds are in operation and people come home to the Father.

This intensity has an effect on people present, people who engage what is taking place. Intensity creates determination which is the most obvious response to it. Something unusual and extraordinary is discovered, seen and heard, registered and tasted. As Jesus foresaw: “A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matt 5,14).

Acts 2 shows all that with immense clarity.

John wrote about it:

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life — the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father…” 1 John 1,1-2

Something from the beginning of the world, John wrote. Maybe all the way back to the cosmic and majestic moments of Creation, something which had been revealed to the apostles and the prophets who saw it, and heard it. They looked upon it. The substance was eternal divine life; the powers of the worlds to come were involved. The Spirit-atmosphere of these words was saturated by God’s presence and it seemed even difficult for John to articulate it with precision. He tried his best to ’bear witness to it’. He said that it was the eternal life which was with the Father.

No wonder these people put all their trust in Him.
No wonder they took the intensive training and shaping and reforming… even when the journey meant death to self/ego, personal opinions, good ideas and plans.
No wonder the apostles wrote letters with deep and world-shaking revelations both when they were free and when they were imprisoned.
No wonder they couldn’t keep their mouth shut, and refused to keep silent, neither in prison-cells nor before kings and priests.
No wonder they could rejoice over their sufferings… they had tasted the untastable and touched the untouchable.
No wonder they raised their voices as one man quoting Psalm 2, written centuries ago by King David but extremely relevant after the death and resurrection of the Son of David, Christ Jesus, the Son of God now operating through the apostolic fathers.
No wonder it shook every structure, even the physical ones. But also the spiritual ones and priests were saved.
No wonder God vindicated their hearts, their determination, their courage, their sonship by filling all with a new measure of His Spirit.

No wonder!

Be determined

Philip DuPont
February 2019

THEY DIDN’T RECEIVED HIM, DO WE?

24/2/2019

John wrote about the first coming of Jesus that He came to his own, and his own didn’t receive Him. This is quite surprising for the following reasons:

- Numerous prophetic statements spoke about Him and His coming.
- All statements were about the good things which would take place when He come.
- Between the prophetic words written by Malachi and the birth of Jesus 400 years passed by... God was silent and distant, so to say. However darkness and dead religion ruled the territory but His agenda for His nation were unaltered.
- In His three years of public work He helped all and healed all.

Why then did His own not receive Him? Well it became even worse. They crucified Him.

Today we are certainly 'His own'.

Do we receive Him and His instruction? Do we receive the companions He has selected for us?

Philip DuPont
November 2019

THE SEED AND THE ASSIGNMENT

21/2/2019

God gave us a Word for 2018 from Acts 4 saying: “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word.” The word was COURAGE. I believe this word is still extremely valid and must be with us all the time and everywhere. Much courage will be needed and I do see it emerging in more and more believers. It could also be called DETERMINATION.

THE SEED

There is an other word which has almost ‘landed’ on us lately, and it is the word SEED. We see it appear strongly already in the very first pages of the Bible. A quick look in a concordance will show you that it is something essential in all Kingdom-presence and advancement. Well, the Son of God Himself gave it a central place and role when He trained His disciples: “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?” It was the parable of the sower and the seed.

Understanding the life, the nature and capacity of the Seed is directly linked to the progression of the Kingdom and therefore obviously extremely important.

Peter who was with Him when He said it, and continued to walk with Him until the earthly part of His assignment was finished…
Peter who was so passionate in words and acts, so determined and hungry for God that He was shown and told things no other did…
Peter who failed dramatically at very decisive moments, but nevertheless ultimately became a key-person in the breakthrough and advancement of the Kingdom in the capital of Israel, its population, its families and social life…

Years later Peter wrote about that Seed:
“You were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because "All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever.”

If the Word which has been spoken by God, endures forever, it will also work and grow forever. It will bear fruit. It will draw people to the One who spoke it. It will establish lives, it will shape personalities, it will empower men and women to influence individuals, families and communities, it will propagate and challenge structures and positions, it will shake the shakeable, it will create and sustain life, it will infiltrate institutions with truth and wisdom… well God said that it will not return void.

Listen to His voice through Isaiah.
“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; And to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
But we must remember that He spoke about His Word, not ours. His thoughts, not ours. His ways, not ours. Our words don’t become His Word just because we hold a bible and read from it, or even because we stand behind a pulpit… or sit in the pews and nod our heads or say amen.

THE ASSIGNMENT

We must realize three things.
Number one: The assignment is absolutely enormous.
Number two: Without the Seed it is totally out of reach.
Number three: The process is already designed and is non-negotiable.

What then? Look into the parable to find the key, which Jesus gave His next generation who were under intensive training in order to represent Him and fulfill what He had finished:
“He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom.”

God’s methodology is not programs, structures and technology… it is and will always be people. It is the ‘sons of the Kingdom’, people called by Him, shaped, trained and tested by Him. Period.

That’s where the disciples came into the picture.
That’s where you and I come into the picture.
That’s why Paul had his intensive training in Ephesus, and Luke the doctor reported: “So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.” Right! And that’s why and how all minor Asia had heard the Word in a period of just two years.
Societal structures were affected, spiritual hierarchies were shaken, and the Kingdom moved crowds.

That’s the reason, and the only reason why we have the School of Apostolic Reformation.

It’s about the Kingdom and nothing less. The Kingdom and never less.

You can become His Seed and qualify for His assignment. It will take courage and determination.

Philip DuPont
January 2019

GOD’S MIGHTY SCENARIOS FOR HIS INTERVENTION IN THE AFFAIRS OF MEN

3/1/2019

How do we relate to God's extreme scenarios, which display His sovereign interventions in the affairs of men?
How do we handle and relate to his judgments and grace, his righteousness and mercy?
The Scriptures give us a deep insight in quite phenomenal sequences of events recording some of God's effectful decisions and moves in the global community of nations.

The famous stories about Israel's exit out of Egypt, the journey through the wilderness and the re-conquest of the land given by God the their forfathers, are not the narratives focused upon in these few lines. Neither it is the supernatural assignemnts given to the judges or the unusual lives of the kings and their spectacular regimes. Our attention must be led to the much more famous 'christian' celebrations: Christmas, the resurrection and the ascension of Christ, and Pentecost. These are recorded in our calendars, at least in the Western nations.

Christmas is celebrated by the millions every single year and maybe therefore it is a true challenge to look away from the presents, the Christmas tree, the carols, and the joyful family-gatherings. And all of this is definitely dear to our hearts and represent fundamental stones in Western civilisations. To challenge their presence and even to remove them for our minds and cultures would have unexpected and deep effects. Maybe irreversible so our coming generations would wander around in life without the spiritual and moral compasses essential to a society built on hope, justice and compassion. Neither Halloween, Valentine’s Day or Black Friday come close to fill the absence of these celebrations. Actually their increasing success is a symptom exposing their absolutely hopless poverty and emptiness.

Easter is also a wellknown event: the death of Jesus on the cross and the following resurrection. We know quite well the big lines. Maybe we are not in the same state of mind as in the case of Christmas, but we do have the invasion of rabbits, eggs and a dream about better weather linked with a legitimate longing for true Spring and Summer.

When it comes to Pentecost we might be even less clear. Both in our contemporary society and in quite substantial parts of the Christian church.

There is not much to say about the Ascension... well... He left them and went back to Heaven.

There is a challenge in cleaning up the mess, filling the holes in our insight and addressing superficial knowledge. New understanding must replace previous understanding. There must be some serious adjustments and corrections made in the light of the new or updated insight. It is an expected scenario in normal life. Continuous evaluations, adjustments and corrections are certainly necessary and highly recommanded.

It is a tremendous help to consider Christmas at a totally different time than Christmas. Otherwise the tree, the decorations, the presents, the good food and our excited descendants might distract us from the core and reality of the matter. Then there is the barn, the animals, the star, the men from the East, the incense and myrrh, and the gold. In our pursuit for understanding it is definitely helpful to separate Christmas from the celebrations in family and church.

The same is the case when it comes to Easter and its scenario in the garden of Getsemane, the walk from Herod to Pilate, the open-air trial, the horror of the Roman torture and the bestiality of crucifixion. Then the empty tomb and what followed. Our minds can easily get overwhelmed and our emotions overstimulated by pictures we have seen and movies we have watched.

We are familiar with the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the sound of a mighty wind in the upper room, the discples' speaking in tongues, Peter's words which cut the hearts of many. Of course we especially love to know about the thousands who were born into the Kingdom.

May God take us with Himself behind the scene in order to discover the eternal patterns. Or as David wrote: God’s ways, and not only His deeds.

So you do want to go beyond the obvious about Christmas, Easter and Ascension, and Pentecost?

Could it be that Christmas was more about the Spirit than about the baby Jesus.
Could it be that it is the Father who has the central role at Easter.
Could it be that Pentecost reveals more the Son of God, Christ Jesus, more than the Spirit.

Soon my manual SCENARIOS will be published and you can study by yourself with your bible open and under the guidance of the Spirit. You can definitely look forward to that.