Kopp Disclosure
(John 3:19-21)
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It
began when I could no longer hide my sin; and decided to pray and labor to
enflesh John 3:19-21.
That
was 14 or 15 years ago.
It
accelerated last October 2011 with Eugene and my covenant brothers.
I'm
either moving deeper and deeper and deeper into intimacy with Him or having a
nervous breakdown.
Anyway, here's a dream and prayer related to...
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Beloved,
Recently, I was asked
why I am so increasingly passionate about peace, unity, and purity in, through,
and for Jesus.
Uh, it's because we
become increasingly passionate about what matters to Jesus as we become more
intimate with Him; or as the apostle tried to articulate the
experience/expression: "It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who
lives in me."
We begin to tell the
truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth: Jesus.
We begin to
experience/express Joshua's boldness, strength, and courage as a fruit of
intimacy with Him: "But as for me and my house, we will serve the
Lord!"
Well, I had a dream on
Sunday.
I met someone for coffee
who had left First about nine years ago; though the face kept changing to
people who had left before, during, and after...
The faces were similar, recognizable,
uneasy, and longing for something forfeited; but the eyes were
indescribably vacant, cold, and dark.
As she/he tried to
explain why she/he left, I interrupted and said/asked, "I hope you're not
expecting to go to heaven when you die; because heaven includes all of the
people who have loved Jesus. You divorced yourself from members of the
family when you left; so why would you want to spend eternity with people who
weren't worth your time, love, and forgiveness for just a lifetime? Why
do you expect to live with them in heaven when you couldn't live with them on
earth?"
I have never said
anything like that to anyone; yet a sense of truth about it/Him has stayed with
me since awakening.
Then Ella Jane's prayer
(below) arrived on Monday morning; and shortly thereafter a personal note:
"Bob, you and I are feeling the same heartbeat from the Father...'Make us
one!'...This has been so strong and unshakeable with me for the past several
weeks. We need unity and love if we are going to impact the world."
Somehow - beyond me to
calculate or comprehend - it all seems related to an outburst during Sunday
morning's message that kept going through my spirit during a Sunday afternoon
ordination: "We've already got too many Democrats, Republicans, Masons,
Shriners, Lions, Elks, Moose, 81s, 1%ers, Baptists, Episcopalians, Catholics,
Congregationalists, Lutherans, Methodists, Fundamentalists, Pentecostals, EVFs,
AGs, and...with all of their idolatries, separations, and segregations so
insulting to the One who sacrificed Himself for peace, unity, and purity
and so damningly distracting from the only One who saves here and now and
forever: 'You make converts twice as fit for...as you are yourselves!'"
We need more, uh, Christians.
I don't know what it all
means.
I'm just scratching the surface.
But I think it has
something to do with God as final arbiter.
Sobering.
Very, very, very
sobering.
Blessings and Love!
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Prayer for America
“When the foundations
are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Psalm 11:3
Beloved:
My heart is heavy with
the need to pray for unity in our Nation and in the
Churches. If we do not unite as one, we give the enemy a great advantage
over us. I pray that your heart will be stirred to prayer to pray as
Jesus prayed, "Father,
make them one, even as You and I are One." It is a time of repentance for the
Church and for America.
Father God,
I
watch with horror as we increasingly turn from Your ways. Your precious Word
speaks so strongly to our situation: “The
wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men”
(Ps. 12:8).
The
Psalmist David again asks the right question for our day, “When the foundations are being
destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Ps. 11:3).
Lord,
You have greatly blessed our nation. From our beginning, there have been those
in leadership who have honored You and sought to lead us in righteousness. You
have made us a beacon for freedom around the world for those who are oppressed
and downtrodden. The material blessings from Your hand have welled up in
national generosity to help those who are hurting, both within and outside our
borders.
We
recognize our imperfect human nature and structures. While fighting for
freedom, we had periods of slavery within our own nation. Even with slavery
behind us, freedom was not always available to all in the same measure. The list
of our sins, Lord, is long. We slaughter the innocent in wombs of choice. We
defile the sanctity of marriage and make it vile. We love the pleasures of
darkness even while professing to be Carriers of Your Light. We call good
evil...and evil good. We are filled with self-centeredness,
self-pleasure, and a "me first" mentality while claiming You as
Lord. We know little about self-denial and denial of our will to take up Your
ways. We build our lives and houses and allow Yours to go to
waste. Our Ministers have profaned Your mercy and grace, and have
built personal kingdoms instead of blessing Your Kingdom. We are a Nation
and a Church filled with idolatry that denies Your Power. We bow our knees
to the gods of this world and have become a lukewarm church with a lukewarm
message that entertains instead of transforms. Without Your mercy, who could stand?
Throughout
our nation’s history You have blessed us with times of spiritual awakening and
revival. Your Spirit moved in our midst to restore godly worship. You empowered
Your people to be witnesses to Your truths and to take stands for righteousness
and justice.
Oh God, do it again!
Come upon Your people again in reviving power. Before our nation can be
changed, our hearts must be changed. Turn us from selfishness and sin to Your
loving ways. Forgive our Nation for turning from You, and for the sins of
idolatry and wickedness. Forgive Your people for our transgressions and
slothful ways.
Your Word tells us, Lord, that judgment begins in the house of
the Lord (1 Peter 4:17). May Your mercy and grace also
begin there. Pour out a spirit of repentance upon the Church in America.
Forgive us for making our faith more about us and our comfort and preferences
than about Your purposes on planet earth. Fill our pulpits with godly preachers
who will proclaim Your Word fearlessly.
We
will respond to Your Word as those who are called by Your name, humbling
ourselves before You and in prayer, seeking Your face and turning from our
wicked ways. Father, will You then hear from heaven and forgive our sin and
heal our land (2 Chron. 7:14).
On Bended Knees and Bowed
Heart,
Pastor Ella Jane Coley
Passageway Ministries
P.O. Box 507
Bixby, OK 74008
918-366-4415
If you or someone you know would like to receive our "Thought for the Day", please call or send us an email asking to be put on our email list.
Visit our Website at www.PassagewayTulsa.org
Passageway Ministries
P.O. Box 507
Bixby, OK 74008
918-366-4415
If you or someone you know would like to receive our "Thought for the Day", please call or send us an email asking to be put on our email list.
Visit our Website at www.PassagewayTulsa.org
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I'm
just scratching the
surface of my relationship with
the Lord and Lord's.
The
less I acknowledge I know, the more people come to travel avec moi.
The
doors on the corner of Lincoln and Main in Belvidere, Illinois along with those
of my heart are wide open.
I've
stopped trying to figure out what He's up to in my life; and that includes
ministry entrusted to me.
I've
given up.
I
think that should have happened long before I dared to be an undershepherd.
I
don't know why it took me so long to leave religion about Him for a
relationship with Him.
Better late than...
Go
back to the dream and prayer.
I've
never been happier in my life.
Read
Psalm 131.
He
wants that for me...you...everyone.
That's why He can be called...love.
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Blessings and Love!
2 comments:
Dr. K...
Soooooo awesome!!!!
I Put My Trust in You….The Road for me….
The song goes:
I walk….by faith
Each step….by faith
I live….by faith
I put my trust in You
Each praise song has found its own way into my heart. Singing them with eyes closed and lifting your hands up to the Lord….he fills me, completely renewed and refreshed whenever I need strength.
I didn’t always look at faith this way though. I was made to start going to a Lutheran church when I was in 7th or 8th grade. The only reason I was made to go was because it was “time” for me to make my confirmation. I was never given the choice if I wanted to do it or not, this was something that I was told I had to do by my Oma.
Being confirmed as a Lutheran, I had to memorize the Apostles’ Creed, The 10 Commandments, Our Father and a verse that we pulled out of a bucket. Once I put on the white robe and perfectly stated all of my memorized requirements…I was now allowed to take communion in the church. BIG WOOP! After that day, I never went back…sad, huh?
I had a very long road of giving in to sin and temptations, which I knew were against my very being, but indulged in them anyways. I was convinced, just like the rest of the “non saved” people in my family, that if you are a good person and you are only hurting yourself, you will go to heaven because that’s all there is to it. Boy was I wrong, but more on that later….
It’s not that I didn’t believe in God, but I didn’t know God. Even after 2 years of confirmation classes and the required Sunday services, I didn’t learn a damn thing….either that, or they never taught it. Is memorizing a few “ritualistic prayers” going to teach me about God’s salvation??? ((ouch))
In the midst of all my drinking and ALOT of other things I would rather not write on here….I ended up becoming pregnant. Marissa was God’s way of wrapping His arms around me. He took the initiative for a relationship with me. See, when I found out I was prego, I changed my lifestyle immediately and never looked back. If it wasn’t for this – who knows where I would be! I was determined to have a healthy pregnancy and baby. This was a sign and I was grabbing His hand.
To read more please go to www.Ramonadishes.com
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