Words for 2005
With the holidays over, we’re back to our word of the week study for 2005. Our goal for the year – as should always be our goal – is to have more of God in our lives than we did the year before. Looking back over 2004, it is amazing to consider how the Lord has moved in our own lives in a single year’s time. The Lord has opened the nations to us like never before, and brought us to a whole new level of ministry and intimacy.
:: suddenly ::
I believe that 2004 was a first fruit year for many. Things sown into the kingdom over the past year are about to quickly bring a return, beginning in 2005. This is because we are entering a time of acceleration, where the reaper literally overtakes the sower. This will be true in many areas we’ve been contending for in prayer. We will find that suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple (Mal. 3:1). This will be a “suddenly” year, as the Lord intends to release destiny – and a number of the promises He has made to us over the past year will begin coming into fruition in 2005. If 2004 was a year of visioning, then 2005 will bring us into the realization and activation of that vision. But we will not really be surprised by these “suddenlies,” because they will come only as a response to our faith. True belief is not shocked when it receives what it was expecting.
:: sojourn ::
As we press into 2005, my prayer for this word of the week study is that it proves to be a deeper sojourn into the practice of the presence of God for all of us.
Blessed is the man whose strength is in you, whose heart is set on pilgrimage (Psalm 84).
This year, through this series of teachings, we will undertake an inner sojourn, which will often produce an external one. And for many, 2005 will also be a year of literal pilgrimage and mission. There will be an acceleration in short-term and long-term missions and overseas ministry travel across the corporate body this year. As we enter the end-time harvest, it will be more and more common for “ordinary believers” who are not in ministry to start taking overseas excursions on a regular basis. As Christians, all of us are really “in ministry.” I believe the Lord is giving a green light this year to anyone who is considering a mission trip. The desire to go is the only qualification you need.
The recent tsunami disaster around the Indian Ocean was a wake up call to the church to consider the multitudes in the nations now perishing without salvation. The church’s response to this disaster will be a critical factor in the next few months. We truly have an opportunity to step in and be the church. The world is looking to us, and now is not the time to disappoint them.
On another note, the sobering death tolls should also remind us that 167,000 Christians are martyred every year, worldwide, for their faith – in more than 40 countries. That adds up to a great many more annual deaths than this single, albeit horrible, disaster has accounted for. Our prayers and monetary relief are needed for the many regions affected by this earthquake, but we should not forget the regular needs of our spiritual family in the Third World. We pray also that the sleeping church of the West will awaken to the needs around her.
:: on the brink ::
I believe one way to describe the coming year is “on the brink.” We do not realize how drastically close we sit on the brink of revival. One hundred years ago, in 1905, the church was already in the midst of the Welsh Revival, which was sweeping the world. But it was just on the brink of an even longer lasting outpouring that would begin at the Azusa Street mission in Los Angeles the very next year. I believe 2005 is a year of positioning ourselves and preparing for another great move of God that is just on the brink of happening. It is time to be bringing the jars into the house, because we want to catch all of the oil that God is about to start pouring out in our midst.
:: olive trees ::
The key verse the Lord has given me for this next year is found in Matthew 17, just as Jesus is transfiguring on Mt. Tabor, his face becoming as bright as the sun and his clothes becoming white as the light. In verse 3 we read:
Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
I believe that Moses and Elijah represent the Word and the Spirit – the law and the prophets. I believe they also represent the two lamp stands and olive trees in the book of Zechariah and in Revelation. The lamp stand brings illumination and revelation into the things of heaven, while the olive tree is a producer or a source of the anointing. As believers, we are all called to corporately embody these elements. We are called to be a prophetic, revelatory generation, and we are called to cultivate the anointing, or presence of God in our lives. As Christians, we are literally carrying a deposit of heaven here on earth. We are portals of heaven – lowercase “gods” – not because we are anything, but because of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. As the church, we are God’s ambassadors – living Jacob’s ladders – who carry the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Over the next year, the Spirit and the Word will be our guides as we ascend the mountain with Jesus and see His glory manifest before our eyes in greater proportions. We must remember that, in ourselves, we are unable to handle the glory – no matter what level of “holiness” we feel we have attained. It is only by the blood of Jesus that we are carriers of this great treasure, and it is only by grace that it will spill out from us in greater measure. Deeper: that’s where we want to go. Grace: that’s how we’re going to get there.
:: grace ::
God does not dwell in a temple made by human hands. There on the mountain, Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters – one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah” (verse 4). But God’s glory does not rest in the works of men. What did He say to Peter?
While he (Peter) was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (verse 5)
God is going to be cutting us off mid-sentence this year and pointing us back to Jesus. A revelation of Christ in us is the only way we will be able to handle the glory that the Lord wants to pour out on us this year. Jesus is talking with Moses and Elijah. The Spirit and the Word always point us back to Jesus. The Lord wants to release us into deeper dynamics of ministry this year, but our chief ministry will always be to the Lord Himself. The number five often represents grace – and it also represents ministry (i.e. the fivefold ministry). I think that 2005 is going to be a year of “great grace,” supernatural grace, as well as a supercharge in ministry. As we press into God’s presence, more grace will come upon our lives. We will not be earning it, we will just be positioning ourselves by submitting to the Lord’s work in the coming year, instead of our own agenda.
The number five speaks also of Benjamin’s portion: He was given five times as much as his brothers. I believe this is the type of abundance the Lord wants to pour out on His church this year – spiritually and naturally – for those who risk believing Him for it.
:: year of favor ::
The favor of God is not earned, but when you choose to stay close to Him, it cannot help but to spill over onto you in a greater measure. The apostle Paul said:
I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! (Gal. 2:21)
There is a grace for righteousness that was satisfied for us on the cross. But there are also special graces for ministry, destiny and calling in the lives of believers. Just like salvation, these graces are also a free gift. But just like salvation, it takes faith on our behalf to tap into these blessings. Our sojourn this year will not be a personal “ascent” to these new realms of God’s glory, as if we are doing something to acheive it. We must understand that Jesus is walking with us up the mountain. He is our destination, but He is also the journey itself. He is the way, and He carries us along. As we begin to have faith that He is walking alongside us, that is where the extra favor will begin to flow in our homes, our jobs, our ministries and our finances.
Let’s sum all this up: This is going to be another year of favor for the church. The Spirit and the Word will be twin rocket boosters that take us into new realms of glory by revealing Jesus in a new way. And the key to arriving and staying in that place will be to recognize we did not “ascend” there, but that we only positioned ourselves for God’s grace by believing Him. Captives will be set free this year by a revelation of God’s grace. We will see that the prison doors that have held us captive all along were unlocked the entire time.
It’s time to step out.
God bless you, as we enter this promising new year!
:: suddenly ::
I believe that 2004 was a first fruit year for many. Things sown into the kingdom over the past year are about to quickly bring a return, beginning in 2005. This is because we are entering a time of acceleration, where the reaper literally overtakes the sower. This will be true in many areas we’ve been contending for in prayer. We will find that suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple (Mal. 3:1). This will be a “suddenly” year, as the Lord intends to release destiny – and a number of the promises He has made to us over the past year will begin coming into fruition in 2005. If 2004 was a year of visioning, then 2005 will bring us into the realization and activation of that vision. But we will not really be surprised by these “suddenlies,” because they will come only as a response to our faith. True belief is not shocked when it receives what it was expecting.
:: sojourn ::
As we press into 2005, my prayer for this word of the week study is that it proves to be a deeper sojourn into the practice of the presence of God for all of us.
Blessed is the man whose strength is in you, whose heart is set on pilgrimage (Psalm 84).
This year, through this series of teachings, we will undertake an inner sojourn, which will often produce an external one. And for many, 2005 will also be a year of literal pilgrimage and mission. There will be an acceleration in short-term and long-term missions and overseas ministry travel across the corporate body this year. As we enter the end-time harvest, it will be more and more common for “ordinary believers” who are not in ministry to start taking overseas excursions on a regular basis. As Christians, all of us are really “in ministry.” I believe the Lord is giving a green light this year to anyone who is considering a mission trip. The desire to go is the only qualification you need.
The recent tsunami disaster around the Indian Ocean was a wake up call to the church to consider the multitudes in the nations now perishing without salvation. The church’s response to this disaster will be a critical factor in the next few months. We truly have an opportunity to step in and be the church. The world is looking to us, and now is not the time to disappoint them.
On another note, the sobering death tolls should also remind us that 167,000 Christians are martyred every year, worldwide, for their faith – in more than 40 countries. That adds up to a great many more annual deaths than this single, albeit horrible, disaster has accounted for. Our prayers and monetary relief are needed for the many regions affected by this earthquake, but we should not forget the regular needs of our spiritual family in the Third World. We pray also that the sleeping church of the West will awaken to the needs around her.
:: on the brink ::
I believe one way to describe the coming year is “on the brink.” We do not realize how drastically close we sit on the brink of revival. One hundred years ago, in 1905, the church was already in the midst of the Welsh Revival, which was sweeping the world. But it was just on the brink of an even longer lasting outpouring that would begin at the Azusa Street mission in Los Angeles the very next year. I believe 2005 is a year of positioning ourselves and preparing for another great move of God that is just on the brink of happening. It is time to be bringing the jars into the house, because we want to catch all of the oil that God is about to start pouring out in our midst.
:: olive trees ::
The key verse the Lord has given me for this next year is found in Matthew 17, just as Jesus is transfiguring on Mt. Tabor, his face becoming as bright as the sun and his clothes becoming white as the light. In verse 3 we read:
Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
I believe that Moses and Elijah represent the Word and the Spirit – the law and the prophets. I believe they also represent the two lamp stands and olive trees in the book of Zechariah and in Revelation. The lamp stand brings illumination and revelation into the things of heaven, while the olive tree is a producer or a source of the anointing. As believers, we are all called to corporately embody these elements. We are called to be a prophetic, revelatory generation, and we are called to cultivate the anointing, or presence of God in our lives. As Christians, we are literally carrying a deposit of heaven here on earth. We are portals of heaven – lowercase “gods” – not because we are anything, but because of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. As the church, we are God’s ambassadors – living Jacob’s ladders – who carry the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Over the next year, the Spirit and the Word will be our guides as we ascend the mountain with Jesus and see His glory manifest before our eyes in greater proportions. We must remember that, in ourselves, we are unable to handle the glory – no matter what level of “holiness” we feel we have attained. It is only by the blood of Jesus that we are carriers of this great treasure, and it is only by grace that it will spill out from us in greater measure. Deeper: that’s where we want to go. Grace: that’s how we’re going to get there.
:: grace ::
God does not dwell in a temple made by human hands. There on the mountain, Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters – one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah” (verse 4). But God’s glory does not rest in the works of men. What did He say to Peter?
While he (Peter) was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (verse 5)
God is going to be cutting us off mid-sentence this year and pointing us back to Jesus. A revelation of Christ in us is the only way we will be able to handle the glory that the Lord wants to pour out on us this year. Jesus is talking with Moses and Elijah. The Spirit and the Word always point us back to Jesus. The Lord wants to release us into deeper dynamics of ministry this year, but our chief ministry will always be to the Lord Himself. The number five often represents grace – and it also represents ministry (i.e. the fivefold ministry). I think that 2005 is going to be a year of “great grace,” supernatural grace, as well as a supercharge in ministry. As we press into God’s presence, more grace will come upon our lives. We will not be earning it, we will just be positioning ourselves by submitting to the Lord’s work in the coming year, instead of our own agenda.
The number five speaks also of Benjamin’s portion: He was given five times as much as his brothers. I believe this is the type of abundance the Lord wants to pour out on His church this year – spiritually and naturally – for those who risk believing Him for it.
:: year of favor ::
The favor of God is not earned, but when you choose to stay close to Him, it cannot help but to spill over onto you in a greater measure. The apostle Paul said:
I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! (Gal. 2:21)
There is a grace for righteousness that was satisfied for us on the cross. But there are also special graces for ministry, destiny and calling in the lives of believers. Just like salvation, these graces are also a free gift. But just like salvation, it takes faith on our behalf to tap into these blessings. Our sojourn this year will not be a personal “ascent” to these new realms of God’s glory, as if we are doing something to acheive it. We must understand that Jesus is walking with us up the mountain. He is our destination, but He is also the journey itself. He is the way, and He carries us along. As we begin to have faith that He is walking alongside us, that is where the extra favor will begin to flow in our homes, our jobs, our ministries and our finances.
Let’s sum all this up: This is going to be another year of favor for the church. The Spirit and the Word will be twin rocket boosters that take us into new realms of glory by revealing Jesus in a new way. And the key to arriving and staying in that place will be to recognize we did not “ascend” there, but that we only positioned ourselves for God’s grace by believing Him. Captives will be set free this year by a revelation of God’s grace. We will see that the prison doors that have held us captive all along were unlocked the entire time.
It’s time to step out.
God bless you, as we enter this promising new year!
posted by John Crowder at 7:11 PM
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