Topic: Consolidate – The Word for This Season. Category: Kingdom of God> Love of God> Bible Scriptures: Ephesians 1:9-10, Ephesians 4:1-16, Galatians 3:27-29 and 1 Corinthians 12:13-14.
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As we reflect on the year that has been, we give thanks for the numerous lives that have been transformed for all eternity. We thank God for the doors that He has opened. Those physical doors into numerous communities and the emotional doors into people’s hearts and minds.
We thank God for His liberating truth that has set people free. Free of the strongholds that held power over people’s minds, body, emotions and spirit. Praise God that people have been freed of addictions and the negative forces that have been destroying people’s lives. But most of all we thank God for who He is. For His great love for all people and His hearts desire that no one should perish.
Let us take a moment to remember, reflect and give thanks.
Heavenly Father we thank you. We thank you for who you are and what you have given us in Jesus. May you reveal more and more to us of your unconditional love, liberating truth and transforming power. By Your Spirit may the awe and wonder of who you are go deeper and deeper still into each every heart in Jesus name amen.
So the word for this new season is, ‘Consolidate.’
the meaning of consolidate
In a military sense consolidate also means rearranging the position of ground combat troops after a successful attack. We are in a battle for people’s right to hear the truth about God and self. To be free to make an informed choice on who they worship and their eternal destiny. Jesus has won the battle. His mission to the ends of the earth is light and easy in His hands. For He has defeated the powers of evil and death in His life, death and resurrection. This is the good news of Jesus Christ.
the prophetic vision
“As I was worshipping, I saw Jesus standing before me. God the Father had His arms wrapped around Jesus. They are together as one.
Jesus was holding the earth, in His nail pierced hands. The Father’s hands were underneath Jesus’ nail pierced hands. Together they hold the globe of the earth and together they hand it to me.
My response. ‘Lord you have to hold it under my hands, by your Spirit Lord.’ Jesus’ reply, ‘Yes, I give it to you, hold out your hands.’ The Lord places the world in my hands which are now opened wide. I am shocked and amazed as the earth touched by God, has no weight. The earth now like an inflated large ball is floating up, up, up! ‘Lord the earth floats in your hands! It has no burden or weight.’
In wonder and excitement of a little child, I realise that You Lord just want us to touch your wonders.
I see as the earth as it gently floats down, I reach up and gently touch it with my finger tip. Looking around there are many people with me. A vast number from throughout the ages. Each one touches the earth as it floats up and down above us. The earth is being touched by all Your children Father with Your truth, love and power.
I understand Father that You just want all your children to be a part of Your wonders. LORD you make everything light.”
consolidate throughout the ages
The people are all God’s children throughout the ages. Each one is a part of God’s wonders having said yes to Him. Every individual throughout the ages, touches God’s wonders and passes on His truth to the ends of the earth. We are part of God’s story, touching His wonders. Each one consolidated in Jesus.
This is so awesome, God is so awesome. His heart’s desire never changes. It is such an incredible honour that God so loves, that each individual has a part in His wonders. By His Spirit, in His name we are together with all God’s children throughout the ages touching His wonders.
Together we are a part of bringing the Kingdom of God as revealed in Jesus Christ, to all tribes and people groups, inclusive of all faiths, age-groups, genders, castes and cultures.
God cares about the one. Jesus died for the one. He also cares about the whole body of Christ. That is every individual who has received Jesus, said yes to Jesus, is part of the body of Christ throughout the world.
Consolidate means to bring together seperate parts into a single, unified whole. A unified whole that is filled with diversity and colour. This is the will of God in Jesus Christ.
in Jesus we consolidate
Ephesians 1:9-10 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.
In the fullness of time all things will be gathered together in one in Christ Jesus. This is God’s saving purposes planned for all eternity. That is one with Him, together as one.
God’s final goal is to consolidate, uniting all things in heaven and earth in Christ Jesus. God chose to sum up the cosmos and restore peace and harmony to the universe through Jesus. Jesus is not only the way, but He is the one whom through all this occurs. This is the will and word of God.
It is in Jesus that we consolidate. The whole spiritual body of Christ, that is every child of God throughout the ages, is one. The Apostle Paul puts it this way.
Ephesians 4:1-16 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
each one unique
But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
spirit of unity
It is God in Jesus who brings us together. It is God who gives us His Spirit, the Spirit of unity and peace. The Spirit of God, His Holy Spirit testifies of Jesus and who we are in Him. The spirit that consolidates.
Receiving Jesus, receiving His Spirit, we are given a peace that is in perfect harmony with God. In fact we are given the Holy Spirit the peace and unity of God. For the Father, Son and Spirit are one. Not only one in essence, but one in will.
Every disciple of Jesus has the Spirit of unity and peace within.There is one spiritual body of Christ, made up of every disciple of Jesus throughout the ages.
The Apostle Paul, is urging every disciple of Jesus to carefully guard the gift of unity and peace that God has given.
Each day we are faced with relational conflicts and differences of doctrine. Yet now is the time for the entire body of Christ throughout the whole earth to surrender our differences and hold onto the one who unites us. His name is Jesus!
Further on in Ephesians, the Apostle Paul reveals that by giving power to either our selfish desires or the evil one, we bring sorrow to the Holy Spirit. Anything that causes conflict, disunity, oppression, inequality and imbalance of power grieves the Holy Spirit. Not only grieves the Holy Spirit but destroys harmony in relationships and becomes a blockage to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit within us. We become trapped in the hurt and pain.
God’s desire we are free
As it is God’s desire we are free of them and live in the awe and wonder of His oneness of His love. Holding onto the hurt and pain, gives our selfish desires power over us. True freedom comes in lettering go of them, surrendering them to God. In giving our selfish desires to God, enables Him to pour more of His character and victory over them into us. In holding onto our anger, hurt, pain, bitterness, rejection and negative thoughts, we give the devil’s lies and false accusations power. There is no shame or blame with any of these emotions or thoughts. They are not for us to carry. Jesus has carried them and taken away the shame and blame.
This is the daily journey of surrender and receive.
Yes we live in a world of inequality and oppression, war and conflict, hurt and pain. God does not diminish the suffering, He came to stop the suffering and take it away for all eternity. Now is the time for every child of God, disciple of Jesus to live in the victory of surrender of self will to that of the Father’s will. Giving God a moment each day just to receive. Just to be. Focus on who God is and what He has done and given each and everyone of us in Himself.
For there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is all. There can only be one faith, as there is only one true God and one Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is receiving Him and giving total allegiance to Him.
oneness is to consolidate
Furthermore there is only one baptism. In this context Paul is not referring to the form of baptism of different denominational doctrines. Also Paul is not referring to the ceremonial formula of words spoken, whether in the name of Jesus or in the name of the Father, Son and Spirit. None of these things concern Paul. What does concern Paul is identity. When a person receives Jesus, receives His Spirit they are baptised or fully immersed in His identity.
Galatians 3:27-29 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
We are all immersed in Jesus and are His spiritual body, drinking the same living waters from the same source.
1 Corinthians 12:13-14 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.
The one thing, the main thing is there is one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all.
SERMON CATEGORIES
unsearchable mysteries> son of man> love of God> hope and healing> know God> truth> power> end times> experience God> life> success in life> kingdom> the miracles of the wilderness journey>
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