As we travel around to many places in the world we do not see a lot of people who want to be poor and fewer yet who want to be "poor in spirit." But being "poor in spirit" assures us we have a place in the kingdom of heaven and maybe the kingdom of God. Jesus told the people gathered on the mountain , “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3) Not too many people heard His words as many do not hear his words today. Now remember the kingdom of God is not a place and you cannot get a good job in this kingdom nor is the kingdom of God the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven is a place we all (or I should say most Christians) hope to go to some day, but the kingdom of God is a heart condition it is within us. The Pharisees demanded of Jesus, "when the kingdom of God should come" and Jesus asked them and said, "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:20-21) Paul told the church at Rome, "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Romans 14:17) I am afraid the nominal apostate church of today has done a great job in deceiving many Christians in not knowing the difference between the two kingdoms. We must come to a correct spiritual understanding of these two kingdoms if we will ever come to know other important concepts and precepts like what is prosperity and success in God. One thing for sure unless you come into the kingdom of God you will probably not come into the kingdom of heaven. Again the nominal (denominational churches, etc.) and the apostate churches have done a great job in redefining these words for those Christians who do NOT read their Bibles, but have a heart for God. They target theses Christians specifically so they can get money and service out of them to further their ungodly ambitions and programs. I have seen it all over the world in and out of the church. I will tell you God is not pleased, but He will let things go on and on (God's longsuffering), but my friend I am telling you now there is a day (it may be coming soon) when God will say enough is enough and pull back the curtain taking away our comfortable places to (what we call) worship and expose people for who they really are. Biblically prosperity has nothing to do with money yet the church (around the world ) is obsessed with collecting every dime and mite it can get its little greedy paws on. We use to go a church where no matter how many people were in the service the offering had to be taken up. Other components of the service could be exempt, but not the offering. Somehow I think they have missed the point of why we come together as a local body of believers and later (as we attended) it became sadly clear their true focus was not God, or the people, but the money and their agenda. It does not matter how much money a church has oh no money is not a measure of prosperity (especially spirituality) in God. Oh the number of churches that think they are "spiritual" because they have a nice building. And even sadder the number of churches that think they are spiritual because they are moved by their emotions. This year while teaching at the Mission Bible School in Agigea (a wonderful school), Romania the second year students and I had much discussion on the topic until I took them to the word of God Jesus told Nicodemus, "Verily, verily (a double imperative) , I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (John 3:5-6) They got it then. The Word of God always settles the issue if you have a heart for the truth. In Genesis God said of Joseph, "And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian." (Genesis 39:2) Did you get that? Joesph was a prosperous man yet all he had was probably a loincloth. My friend Biblical prosperity is not about money and riches, but to be in good condition or bring to a successful conclusion. To push froward in God. Not too many Christians are looking for this type of prosperity maybe that is why not many Christians are in good condition or are successfully brought to a conclusion. Success in God is not measured by who has the most toys, houses, or cars when they die oh no. Success in God is measured by correct understanding and wisdom in relationships and other things of God. No wonder Joseph was such a big success in life he always kept his relationships in check with reality. I will be honest here I get this wrong often. I like to see everyone as my friend, but in the end those people who like to use and take advantage of me well . . . . as God said about a pastor the last time this happened, "your were his friend in your heart, but he was not your friend." This prosperity and success message go beyond the church walls and into the depth of our heart. In the past there were times and places in which there was a substantial moving of the Spirit and many came to respond to the presence of the Lord. However, as soon as this presence lifted they left as their interest was in being blessed rather than in being changed. we must desire to be changed and not just blessed. God can bless anyone, but cannot change someone unless they have a desire for the truth for the word of God and what words God speaks to our heart. Many have experienced touches of this higher realm of worship and desire more, but it cannot happen in the atmosphere of loud rock-like music and entertainment within the present day Church. This limits us to praise which cannot lift us into the higher realms of worship in the Spirit. True worship has nothing to do with singing, dancing, or flag waving, but to bow our head to the ground yet the church muddles on in its presumption, but her time is slowing running out. There is a present urgency and need to present ourselves as being available to become a place of habitation for the presence and glory of the Lord, beyond anything that has previously been experienced or seen. This manifestation of His glory will impact the nations as we have never seen before and some things God is changing up in parts of the world. As I said in this article we spent the week at the Mission Bible School (CRST) in Agigea. We got there on a Friday night and class began on Monday to Friday, but on Saturday they had a great symposium of the refugee crisis in the Balkans. Over the years I have followed it more from a distance since we live in the States and not touched by the magnitude of the mass of people and the seemly unending need to care, feed, and house the masses. But if you look close there is much more going on here. To really understand what is going on you must read a book called, "A wind in the House of Islam" by David Garrison. The book talks about the nine geo–cultural "rooms" in the "House of Islam," and the Wind of God's Spirit is blowing through every one of them. David Garrison spent three years travelling a quarter–million miles through every corner of the Muslim world to investigate reports far and wide of Muslims turning to faith in Jesus Christ. In this amazing odyssey, Garrison gathered the stories of more than a thousand Muslim–background believers, asking them the question. Due to the wars in Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, and other hot spots huge streams of people are moving from a dangerous place to a safer place. Strange how God would use war to move the Muslim people. So now we have country after country (Greece, Turkey, Germany to name a few) in crisis from this exodus of people. Now even though I was not asked to speak at the symposium they asked if I wanted to say something, but I told them they would not like what I had to say. I told them I would say the church for the last 50 years has miserably failed to answer the great commission call to go and make disciples of all nations as Jesus asked in Matthew 28:20. Only 10% of the missionaries (in the last 50 years) go to where 90% of the people who have not heard of the wondrous name of Jesus. It is either too hard, too dangerous. too expensive, you name it are not going so God said okay fine. I wish none to be lost no not one. So if the church will not go to the people then I will send the people to the church. The question I would ask is what will the church do now? The church (collectively) has failed to do what Jesus has asked so God is taking the initiative and now the masses of people are at the door and now what is the church going to do? You could say God would not do that. Well if you say that you would sound like my second year students at the Mission Bible School when I told them God changes His mind. You would have thought I was teaching heresy. God will do whatsoever he needs to do to get this wonderful message of grace through faith to people who have never heard it. God will stop at nothing and will use anyone who has a heart to share His love. This is why I really admire and honor the students at the Mission Bible School because when they graduate they go to places where Islam is the only religion knowing it may cost them their lives to share the Gospel. Yes my friend times are changing in the world. God is lining up things and closing some things down to keep things moving forward in God. On our trip this year to Bulgaria we found out about the new laws that would close down almost every Christian Church in Bulgaria. You would say God would never allow that to happen, well as of the printing of this article we are waiting for the news. What does the new legislation say? These are the main problems with the new legislation:
- Only Bulgarian citizens will be able to carry out liturgical activity if they have had theological training in Bulgaria or their foreign school is approved.
- Only Eastern Orthodox & Muslim believers will be able to train clergy and run schools.
- A foreigner will only be able to preach if doing so with a Bulgarian ordained minister.
- Foreign donations will only be allowed for building construction or social aid and will need government approval. No salaries of pastors for example could be paid from abroad.
- No religious activities can take place outside of buildings designated for them.
- Only religious groups with +300 people will have legal status.
On our trip to Romania and Bulgaria in every Church we went into we found stacks and stacks of KJV of the Bible. They all came from Greece from an organization that gives away free Bibles. All you have to do is contact them and they will send you (even pay for the shipping) as many Bibles as you want. I believe God is flooding Bibles, now in these days, into places where the freedom to share this wonderful Gospel message will soon be restricted. My friend we cannot get it wrong any more too many lives depend on us getting it right. Written by David Stahl
