WAIT I SAY! LET PATIENCE HAVE IT'S PERFECT WORK IN YOU.
THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS But, until then, Selah... Think about it!
How good are you at waiting upon the Lord?
"By faith and patience we inherit the promises."
Wonderful Counselor Announcement
Rev. John McFarland
Confirming The Saints Mission Statement
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
WHAT LED THE WAY TO YOU?
God maintains the ultimate Lost & Found department. He even told the Jews, "If you find something along the way, no matter how valuable, leave it right where you found it, because the owner will eventually come back looking for it." It seems the French are the only ones to take Him seriously, and even improved on the idea. However the tradition might have developed with them, it seems the French will logically move what they find to the nearest eye level location, and leave it there for you, now making it easier to find; often with a note, just to follow up, make a new friend, or in case there might be a reward; but it is the thought of not surreptitiously stealing from you that counts. Viva La France! Of course, there might be times when taking it to the police department is a better option, as the place we are most accustomed nowadays to look for lost valuables. If we are willing to do this for one another despite the inconvenience, then take a moment and ask yourselves, "How much more will God, Our Father, be involved in every detail of helping you find what is yours, and also help what is yours to find you?" When you were lost, even from yourself, "What led the way to you?"
I'm Rev. John McFarland, and I'm excited to welcome you once again to the Wonderful Counselor experience of prophetic outreach ministry and apostolic empowerment for your life, which is in modern terms, your "spiritual life coach".
WORK IN PROGRESS But until then, Selah... "Think about it!"
Q&A - What do you have to say?
I'm Rev. John McFarland, and I'm excited to welcome you once again to the Wonderful Counselor experience of prophetic outreach ministry and apostolic empowerment for your life, which is in modern terms, your "spiritual life coach".
“I Am Here To Call You Forth Into God’s Kairos Time:
To Confirm And Accelerate Your Heavenly Vision,
To Declare And Reveal Your Windows Of Opportunity;
To Open Doors To Your Future,
Which Can Never Again Be Closed;
And Close Doors To Your Past,
Which Can Never Again Be Opened."
WORK IN PROGRESS But until then, Selah... "Think about it!"
Q&A - What do you have to say?
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
CHILDREN IN WHOM IS NO FAITH
"Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Faith has nothing to do with a nice feeling you have about a seemingly good idea you dreamed up on your own, or heard from someone else, who seemed like a really sincere person. It also has nothing to do with what you think you used to know about the word of God, but you eventually let slip away from you. You might have some sort of belief, but not necessarily have the faith of God
Deuteronomy 32:18-20
Of the Rock that birthed you, you are unmindful, and you have forgotten God that formed you.And when the LORD saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters. And he said, I will hide my face from them; I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.
The very first use of a word translated as faith in the Old Testament is here presented to us in what is called the Via Negativa, which is a Latin term, meaning “The Negative Way”. It is the use of a negative statement as a teaching device to demonstrate a positive truth by showing the difference through dramatic contrast. A positive statement would simply tell us the benefits of having, exercising, and maintaining faith in our lives, but the negative statement used in this passage shows us the dark side of what happens to those who neglect or abandon faith. It is equally important to recognize the consequences of doubt and unbelief, which then makes the pursuit, not only of faith, but of sound faith, a thing to be desired. In the Garden of Eden, there was no active faith being required of Adam and Eve to believe God for what they had never experienced before, but rather simply to maintain a passive trust, in lieu of faith, concerning what was forbidden to them. Adam and Eve were already abiding in the full benefit of God’s blessings, never having experienced less, and therefore had no “knowledge of good and evil”. In the scriptures leading into our subject, Israel has experienced God’s miraculous blessings in the Wilderness for forty years, while transitioning into a completely new generation, also not being required to exercise personal faith for any of their blessings. So God now calls Israel by the endearment Jeshurun, meaning “one expected to go straight on”: as continuing in the reality of that blessedness, fully recognizing the source; only they become a disappointment, and forget the true source of their blessings. It is not enough for us to espouse some nebulous and personally contrived beliefs, but our faith must be “rooted and grounded” in the specific promises of a definitive source, which is to say (Romans 10:17), “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”, or we really have nothing more than presumption. Jeshurun, or Israel, is still at this point under the original blessing of Jehovah God, but have redirected what ought to be an abiding faith, into the worship of other completely false and strange gods. Are you giving credit for any of your own blessings to the wrong source?
15But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: you are waxen fat, you have grown thick, you are covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. 16They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominations they provoked him to anger. 17They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.
There are two problems being set forth and addressed here. They have not only forsaken the God who created them, but also the Rock of their salvation. We are all created and initially blessed by God, “who makes the rain to fall upon the just and the unjust”, but God has also chosen Israel for his redemption. They are being blessed apart from the other nations, no longer under the curse of the law. Romans tells us, concerning all men, In the day of their visitation, when they knew God, the Creator, they did not glorify Him as God, but rather became vain in their imaginations, worshipping false gods, fashioned after created things.
In the wilderness they left behind the Egyptian gods, but no sooner do they enter Canaan, the Promised Land, than they begin to adopt and worship those new gods.
WORK IN PROGRESS Sleep Deprived Blogger
Deuteronomy 32:18-20
Of the Rock that birthed you, you are unmindful, and you have forgotten God that formed you.And when the LORD saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters. And he said, I will hide my face from them; I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.
The very first use of a word translated as faith in the Old Testament is here presented to us in what is called the Via Negativa, which is a Latin term, meaning “The Negative Way”. It is the use of a negative statement as a teaching device to demonstrate a positive truth by showing the difference through dramatic contrast. A positive statement would simply tell us the benefits of having, exercising, and maintaining faith in our lives, but the negative statement used in this passage shows us the dark side of what happens to those who neglect or abandon faith. It is equally important to recognize the consequences of doubt and unbelief, which then makes the pursuit, not only of faith, but of sound faith, a thing to be desired. In the Garden of Eden, there was no active faith being required of Adam and Eve to believe God for what they had never experienced before, but rather simply to maintain a passive trust, in lieu of faith, concerning what was forbidden to them. Adam and Eve were already abiding in the full benefit of God’s blessings, never having experienced less, and therefore had no “knowledge of good and evil”. In the scriptures leading into our subject, Israel has experienced God’s miraculous blessings in the Wilderness for forty years, while transitioning into a completely new generation, also not being required to exercise personal faith for any of their blessings. So God now calls Israel by the endearment Jeshurun, meaning “one expected to go straight on”: as continuing in the reality of that blessedness, fully recognizing the source; only they become a disappointment, and forget the true source of their blessings. It is not enough for us to espouse some nebulous and personally contrived beliefs, but our faith must be “rooted and grounded” in the specific promises of a definitive source, which is to say (Romans 10:17), “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”, or we really have nothing more than presumption. Jeshurun, or Israel, is still at this point under the original blessing of Jehovah God, but have redirected what ought to be an abiding faith, into the worship of other completely false and strange gods. Are you giving credit for any of your own blessings to the wrong source?
15But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: you are waxen fat, you have grown thick, you are covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. 16They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominations they provoked him to anger. 17They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.
There are two problems being set forth and addressed here. They have not only forsaken the God who created them, but also the Rock of their salvation. We are all created and initially blessed by God, “who makes the rain to fall upon the just and the unjust”, but God has also chosen Israel for his redemption. They are being blessed apart from the other nations, no longer under the curse of the law. Romans tells us, concerning all men, In the day of their visitation, when they knew God, the Creator, they did not glorify Him as God, but rather became vain in their imaginations, worshipping false gods, fashioned after created things.
In the wilderness they left behind the Egyptian gods, but no sooner do they enter Canaan, the Promised Land, than they begin to adopt and worship those new gods.
WORK IN PROGRESS Sleep Deprived Blogger
Monday, January 10, 2011
THE PRINCIPLES OF THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST
Building Your House Upon The Rock, as Followers Of Christ, first of all requires a blueprint approved by the three member Planning Board: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Since the Church has been "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets", we have a long tradition of proven architecture and expertise from which to draw. But those fundamental requirements of our foundation always remain the same. We also need to employ a "wise master builder" to organize the project, along with a "master of assemblies" to oversee every detail of the construction, so we can guarantee our complete success. Do you have your Permits? Will you be ready for your Inspections?
Greetings Beloved, In the Precious Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I'm Rev. John McFarland, and I'm excited to welcome you once again to the Wonderful Counselor experience of prophetic outreach ministry and apostolic empowerment for your life, which is in modern terms, your "spiritual life coach".
When Nehemiah was called by God to restore Jerusalem, the first thing he did was seek and obtain written permission from the King, not only for lawful passage to survey the problems and undertake the work, but also to engage others for the resources necessary to build and restore the Holy City. We also have our marching orders from the King!
Hebrews 6
Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us then go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit.
The foundation of our Christian faith has been directly set forth in Hebrews 6:1-3, and plainly declared to be “the principles of the doctrine of Christ.” If we really need a systematic theology, as others advocate and develop, then let us make use of God’s system, presented here, as being those proper designations, or necessary assignments, of the Holy Spirit. Whether articulated as rudimental proposition, fundamental requirement, elemental criterion, prototypical guide, touchstone, benchmark, or just the basic ideas, I am persuaded any doctrinal issues may be readily subsumed within the context of their simple outline, which is further confirmed to be the foundation, by the perfectly clear admonition and instruction, about “not laying again the foundation”, these principles comprise.
Repentance From Dead Works
Faith Towards God
The Doctrine Of Baptisms
The Laying On Of Hands
Resurrection Of The Dead
Eternal Judgment
But, before we begin to examine the scriptures, which explain and develop these principles, we need to consider exactly what is meant by “the doctrine of Christ”. It is something more specific than the standardized definitions we might find in dictionaries, as this rendering from The American Heritage Dictionary will help us to understand by comparison, as we search out a uniquely spiritual definition.
Doctrine (noun):
1. A religious, political, scientific, or philosophic group; dogma.
2. A rule or principle of law, especially when established by precedent.
3. A statement of official government policy, especially in foreign affairs.
4. Archaic - Something taught, a teaching.
What you just read is a rather simplistic and sterile definition. But Moses had a completely different take on doctrine, because he had encountered the Living Word. During the upcoming year, I pray your eyes will be opened to see what Moses saw in every blade of grass crowned with a dewdrop of glory, declaring the real doctrine of Christ, as "the hidden things of God, are revealed in the things which are made"..
Deuteronomy 32
Q&A - What do you have to say?
Greetings Beloved, In the Precious Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I'm Rev. John McFarland, and I'm excited to welcome you once again to the Wonderful Counselor experience of prophetic outreach ministry and apostolic empowerment for your life, which is in modern terms, your "spiritual life coach".
“I Am Here To Call You Forth Into God’s Kairos Time:
To Confirm And Accelerate Your Heavenly Vision,
To Declare And Reveal Your Windows Of Opportunity;
To Open Doors To Your Future,
Which Can Never Again Be Closed;
And Close Doors To Your Past,
Which Can Never Again Be Opened."
When Nehemiah was called by God to restore Jerusalem, the first thing he did was seek and obtain written permission from the King, not only for lawful passage to survey the problems and undertake the work, but also to engage others for the resources necessary to build and restore the Holy City. We also have our marching orders from the King!
Hebrews 6
Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us then go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit.
The foundation of our Christian faith has been directly set forth in Hebrews 6:1-3, and plainly declared to be “the principles of the doctrine of Christ.” If we really need a systematic theology, as others advocate and develop, then let us make use of God’s system, presented here, as being those proper designations, or necessary assignments, of the Holy Spirit. Whether articulated as rudimental proposition, fundamental requirement, elemental criterion, prototypical guide, touchstone, benchmark, or just the basic ideas, I am persuaded any doctrinal issues may be readily subsumed within the context of their simple outline, which is further confirmed to be the foundation, by the perfectly clear admonition and instruction, about “not laying again the foundation”, these principles comprise.
Repentance From Dead Works
Faith Towards God
The Doctrine Of Baptisms
The Laying On Of Hands
Resurrection Of The Dead
Eternal Judgment
But, before we begin to examine the scriptures, which explain and develop these principles, we need to consider exactly what is meant by “the doctrine of Christ”. It is something more specific than the standardized definitions we might find in dictionaries, as this rendering from The American Heritage Dictionary will help us to understand by comparison, as we search out a uniquely spiritual definition.
Doctrine (noun):
1. A religious, political, scientific, or philosophic group; dogma.
2. A rule or principle of law, especially when established by precedent.
3. A statement of official government policy, especially in foreign affairs.
4. Archaic - Something taught, a teaching.
What you just read is a rather simplistic and sterile definition. But Moses had a completely different take on doctrine, because he had encountered the Living Word. During the upcoming year, I pray your eyes will be opened to see what Moses saw in every blade of grass crowned with a dewdrop of glory, declaring the real doctrine of Christ, as "the hidden things of God, are revealed in the things which are made"..
Deuteronomy 32
Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers bestow upon the grass. Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
Q&A - What do you have to say?
Sunday, January 9, 2011
OUR WONDERFUL COUNSELOR APOSTOLIC MANIFESTO
Following an unprecedented evening of spontaneous prophetic ministry at a certain church, I returned home still caught up in the afterglow of the anointing. As I began to journal the events; including the prophecies, which were as fresh in my mind as the moment I received and gave them; I was led of the Holy Spirit to look more definitively into a certain scripture, which I had always believed in the past was spiritually descriptive of an apostolic experience of such events. I had not simply prophesied, but my prophesying had by direct declaration released others to prophesy, most of whom had never prophesied before. There seemed to be a hidden reservoir of anointing from which I was drawing upon to disperse to others, which was now about to be explained.
Greetings Beloved, In the Precious Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I'm Rev. John McFarland, and I'm excited to welcome you once again to the Wonderful Counselor experience of prophetic outreach ministry and apostolic empowerment for your life, which is in modern terms, your "spiritual life coach".
Greetings Beloved, In the Precious Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I'm Rev. John McFarland, and I'm excited to welcome you once again to the Wonderful Counselor experience of prophetic outreach ministry and apostolic empowerment for your life, which is in modern terms, your "spiritual life coach".
“I Am Here To Call You Forth Into God’s Kairos Time:
To Confirm And Accelerate Your Heavenly Vision,
To Declare And Reveal Your Windows Of Opportunity;
To Open Doors To Your Future,
Which Can Never Again Be Closed;
And Close Doors To Your Past,
Which Can Never Again Be Opened."
During the course of this upcoming year, as I edit the book inspired by this experience, we will begin posting excerpts of the principles gleaned here, which you can already begin to meditate upon for yourself; since the Holy Spirit is no respecter of persons, when we "ask for wisdom, and doubt not." What does it mean for us to "dote upon", and "earnestly desire", in a biblical context? What is "lawful entitlement", and what is not? Are you presently experiencing "servant gaurdianship" in your life, or is someone usurping false authority over you? We hope to soon answer all the questions inspired by the words of our Apostolic Manifesto. Of course, these are things apostles have been doing for generations, even without having a definitive explanation; so we have no desire to steal anyone's thunder, but rather increase the flash of your lightenings.
The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:11, “For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end you may be established”. I was led by the Holy Spirit to do a Greek word study of all these words and their associated roots in this passage of scripture in order to develop a working understanding of the entire scope of what the apostle was conveying to the hearers by this declaration of his intention toward them. Every word has a denotation, which is the most commonly applied meaning, or interpretation, as we translate from one language to another; but every word also has, more or less numerous, connotations based upon their emerging application and correspondence to other words when used in the comparative descriptions of ongoing generative experiences. So while the denotations appear at first to be a simple declaration, the connotations open up a vast horizen of expectation to the hearer in the original language, as paraphrased here. The Holy Spirit was now about to release my full understanding into a new dimension, as I submitted to doing this word study. This was to become an Apostolic Manifesto to introduce our ministry to others. “Manifesto” is defined as “a public declaration of one’s principles, policies, and intentions, especially of a political nature”. There is most definitely a politic of the Kingdom of God, however unique, which declares in Isaiah 9:6,7 that “the government shall be upon His shoulder”, and “of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end", both "to order it and to establish it with justice and judgment.” There needs to be an apostolic accountability of "principles, policies, and intentions" by which we can measure ourselves and set a standard to judge the integrity of others. As my father used to proclaim, "I say what I mean, and I do what I say". This is what our Wonderful Counselor ministry offers you...
APOSTOLIC MANIFESTO
"I Dote Upon, And Earnestly
Desire, Lawful Entitlement And
Servant Guardianship Of You,
In A Relationship Of Both
Direction And Distribution;
Accompanying You, By Close
Proximity And Participation,
From The Point Of Origin
Forward To The Destination;
Allowing Me To Impart,
Give Over, And Share My Gift
With You; Until I Fully Transfer,
Sequence, And Set In Order
A Divinely Supernatural
Regenerate Endowment
Of The Holy Spirit,
Sufficient To Replenish You
To The Point Of Jubilation;
By Being Resolutely Turned,
Redirected, And Confirmed:
Fully Established, And
Steadfastly Settled.”
During the course of this upcoming year, as I edit the book inspired by this experience, we will begin posting excerpts of the principles gleaned here, which you can already begin to meditate upon for yourself; since the Holy Spirit is no respecter of persons, when we "ask for wisdom, and doubt not." What does it mean for us to "dote upon", and "earnestly desire", in a biblical context? What is "lawful entitlement", and what is not? Are you presently experiencing "servant gaurdianship" in your life, or is someone usurping false authority over you? We hope to soon answer all the questions inspired by the words of our Apostolic Manifesto. Of course, these are things apostles have been doing for generations, even without having a definitive explanation; so we have no desire to steal anyone's thunder, but rather increase the flash of your lightenings.
Q&A - What do you have to say?
Saturday, January 8, 2011
BUILDING YOUR HOUSE UPON THE ROCK
Whenever we consider the concept, and the reality, of laying a foundation in our lives, there is always one parable, which immediately comes to mind. It is known by almost everyone who has ever heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ, if only in passing, as the most common and now almost euphemistic teaching; since it has become a universal, cultural, and literary byword for the fact and claim of the gospel story upon history, especially by those hoping to relegate the claim of the gospel upon their lives. But, nevertheless, it still equates, and forever establishes, Jesus as the actual Rock, or bedrock, of our salvation.
Greetings Beloved, In the Precious Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I'm Rev. John McFarland, and I'm excited to welcome you once again to the Wonderful Counselor experience of prophetic outreach ministry and apostolic empowerment for your life, which is in modern terms, your "spiritual life coach".“I Am Here To Call You Forth Into God’s Kairos Time:
To Confirm And Accelerate Your Heavenly Vision,
To Declare And Reveal Your Windows Of Opportunity;
To Open Doors To Your Future,
Which Can Never Again Be Closed;
And Close Doors To Your Past,
Which Can Never Again Be Opened."
MATTHEW 7
24 Therefore whosoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that hears these sayings of mine, and does them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. 28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: 29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
This instruction is given, first of all, to every one of us individually, concerning our own souls, but must then be further applied to our collective relationship into the Church, symbolized by the extended house, and household of God, metaphor.
Jesus makes authoritative claims for his sayings by presenting them to us simply as matter of fact statements. These sayings were immediately recognized by the people, as being authoritative in comparison to the vain philosophical debate of the scribes. We’re told the people were astonished at his doctrine. All the sayings of Jesus, as the Living Word, are now indisputable sound doctrine of the Church.
This teaching in paraphrase tells us the following things:
1. The wise man will build his house upon the solid rock of Jesus’ sayings.
2. The foolish man builds his house upon the shifting sand of his own ideas.
3. Times of testing are going to come upon every one of us, sooner or later.
4. A house built upon the rock will stand, but those built upon sand will not.
What sayings of Jesus, or other scriptures, do we then need to hear and obey to build our house; and household of faith, the Church; upon the Rock of his truth, rather than the sand of our own ideologies and imaginations, no matter how well intentioned? That is going to be one of the recurring themes we explore together during this upcoming year, as we learn how to "Be Followers Of Christ".
Q&A - What do you have to say?
Friday, January 7, 2011
NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION - BE FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST
Since our blogs are designed to have followers, there is an absolutely perfect correlation between having faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and his first instruction to us..."Follow me!" Thereafter, the most important reaffirmation of our faith in Him, and our relationships to one another, are the words of the apostle Paul, saying, "Be ye followers of me, as I am also of Christ". My own father used to say to me, "Do as I say, not as I do". Fortunately for me, his actions most often spoke even louder than his words, and made all the difference in my life for the good. Who are you following? How are you following? And, more importantly, who is following after you?
Jesus called disciples to follow him in a great many different ways, always appropriate to their own present circumstances. The most familiar are Peter and Andrew, James and John, two sets of brothers, who were already working the family business as fishermen. "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men!" We are further told, "they immediately left their nets and followed Him". Have you heard God's call upon your own life, and what are you doing to follow Christ? You might be surprised to learn the ongoing answer, since the Holy Spirit, who "leads us into all truth", shall also "gently lead those that are with young". Are you pregnant with a thought you have never brought to birth, and yet you have always carried the seed within you? Like a mother knitting booties, and doing a myriad other things to prepare the nursery as she awaits her due date, so our natural lives also reflect the nature of our spiritual calling.
I have a friend, Janne Chambers Etz, who became my BFF, “Best Friend Forever”, before they ever created the term, who is also quite naturally the first follower of my blog, at least to admit by posting it openly. I’m the second follower of my blog, since you really ought to reread what you have written, take it to heart, and put it into practice. The reason Janne became my friend, as she has always explained, “You remembered my name right from the start”. That was a really interesting surprise to me, because I never remember names without asking two or three times. Of course, Janne was immediately my friend, because she made more practical sense than anyone else around me. She is a complete barometer for any humidity of pretension in her presence, and immediately taught me to get over myself, simply with a smile, and some gently lilting and disarming laughter. If you walk away from her, then you are definitely not a candidate for any immediate change in your life: toward becoming more open, honest, and transparent.
Janne is a designer of wire jewelry, and has her own business, Contemporary Concepts, located at the Cocoa Village in Cocoa, Florida, also available to you online. She works with gold and silver, the same way Jesus works with us. Of course, the Holy Spirit does the refining part in our lives, turning up the heat until all the dross is purged, and then draws out the purified substance; but He uses us to twist and turn those wire threads of one another’s issues, as impressions and eventualities, into an intricate adornment helping reveal who we really are; since “a man is known by his friends”, and the affect they have on you. If Janne were to ask me, and now she doesn’t have to, then I’d tell her prophetically, God has called you to be an “artificer” and facilitator of expressions of personal inner beauty: by not only creating, but also bestowing those “ornaments of grace” into the lives of others.
Women often adorn themselves with jewelry to make more than a simple fashion statement. Their choices become icons to reveal themselves to others, and Janne's aesthetic designs can definitely help any woman realize and subtly present her heart. Of course, we are told biblically that less is more; only we need to not only allow for, and not criticize, what we personally might regard as excess; but also celebrate with them, what someone might need to garner for themselves in order to reveal themselves to themselves, and us, as they transition from "glory to glory" in their life experience. "Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves."
A worthwhile question to always ask is... "Are you wearing your jewelry, or is your jewelry wearing you?" Otherwise, Janne has not only made some rings for me, but also provided bracelets, necklaces, and earrings for the women I have known during different seasons of my life, all commemorating stories we still share from time to time; when we laugh together, or she helps me commiserate, over my still being single. I said all that to say this. If our New Year's Resolution is to be even more serious Followers of Christ, then we need to have our eyes opened to see how we have already been following Him, even before we realize his full calling upon our lives. The apostle Paul said some interesting things about this process. "When it pleased God to reveal Himself in me." "Know you not how it is that Christ is at work in you?" "I stretch myself beyond myself to apprehend that for which I have been apprehended by God, not as if I had already apprehended, but I press on for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Right now, you might not clearly know how Christ is at work in you, or has been in the past, but there is a specific time when He will completely reveal the fulfillment of the preparations of your heart and perhaps even a redirection in your life, both to you and others around you. So, until then, feel free to get on out there and buy yourself some new "bling" to help commemorate this moment in your life. I'm sure Janne will be really happy to see you! More importantly. Who do you know who also might need an "ornament of grace" bestowed upon them by you to speak a blessing into their lives?
Hey, Mom... "I just called to say I love you. I just called to say how much I care. I just called to say I love you, and I mean it from the bottom of my heart." That's the song I always used to sing to her when I called, and I still sing it whenever my heart stirs me. Somehow, when she passed away, our family decided to give me her jewelry box; and upon opening it, I realized why. The music played, and the tiny ballerina began to dance, spinning gracefully above her treasure trove of memories, and mine. There was every little trinket and token I had given to her during our lives together. I can imagine Mom, and every other mother, pausing every time they open their jewelry box in search of something to wear, also fondly touching upon and renewing those "ornaments of grace" to her heart. That's why she's always late for your night out. So stop all your complaining, and let's make some special memories right from the outset, during New Year 2011. Call your Mom, and your Dad, or just give a "shout out" to your BFF. Hey, Janne!
Q&A - What do you have to say?
Greetings Beloved, In the Precious Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I'm Rev. John McFarland, and I'm excited to welcome you once again to the Wonderful Counselor experience of prophetic outreach ministry and apostolic empowerment for your life, which is in modern terms, your "spiritual life coach".
“I Am Here To Call You Forth Into God’s Kairos Time:
To Confirm And Accelerate Your Heavenly Vision,
To Declare And Reveal Your Windows Of Opportunity;
To Open Doors To Your Future,
Which Can Never Again Be Closed;
And Close Doors To Your Past,
Which Can Never Again Be Opened."
Jesus called disciples to follow him in a great many different ways, always appropriate to their own present circumstances. The most familiar are Peter and Andrew, James and John, two sets of brothers, who were already working the family business as fishermen. "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men!" We are further told, "they immediately left their nets and followed Him". Have you heard God's call upon your own life, and what are you doing to follow Christ? You might be surprised to learn the ongoing answer, since the Holy Spirit, who "leads us into all truth", shall also "gently lead those that are with young". Are you pregnant with a thought you have never brought to birth, and yet you have always carried the seed within you? Like a mother knitting booties, and doing a myriad other things to prepare the nursery as she awaits her due date, so our natural lives also reflect the nature of our spiritual calling.
I have a friend, Janne Chambers Etz, who became my BFF, “Best Friend Forever”, before they ever created the term, who is also quite naturally the first follower of my blog, at least to admit by posting it openly. I’m the second follower of my blog, since you really ought to reread what you have written, take it to heart, and put it into practice. The reason Janne became my friend, as she has always explained, “You remembered my name right from the start”. That was a really interesting surprise to me, because I never remember names without asking two or three times. Of course, Janne was immediately my friend, because she made more practical sense than anyone else around me. She is a complete barometer for any humidity of pretension in her presence, and immediately taught me to get over myself, simply with a smile, and some gently lilting and disarming laughter. If you walk away from her, then you are definitely not a candidate for any immediate change in your life: toward becoming more open, honest, and transparent.
Janne is a designer of wire jewelry, and has her own business, Contemporary Concepts, located at the Cocoa Village in Cocoa, Florida, also available to you online. She works with gold and silver, the same way Jesus works with us. Of course, the Holy Spirit does the refining part in our lives, turning up the heat until all the dross is purged, and then draws out the purified substance; but He uses us to twist and turn those wire threads of one another’s issues, as impressions and eventualities, into an intricate adornment helping reveal who we really are; since “a man is known by his friends”, and the affect they have on you. If Janne were to ask me, and now she doesn’t have to, then I’d tell her prophetically, God has called you to be an “artificer” and facilitator of expressions of personal inner beauty: by not only creating, but also bestowing those “ornaments of grace” into the lives of others.
Women often adorn themselves with jewelry to make more than a simple fashion statement. Their choices become icons to reveal themselves to others, and Janne's aesthetic designs can definitely help any woman realize and subtly present her heart. Of course, we are told biblically that less is more; only we need to not only allow for, and not criticize, what we personally might regard as excess; but also celebrate with them, what someone might need to garner for themselves in order to reveal themselves to themselves, and us, as they transition from "glory to glory" in their life experience. "Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves."
A worthwhile question to always ask is... "Are you wearing your jewelry, or is your jewelry wearing you?" Otherwise, Janne has not only made some rings for me, but also provided bracelets, necklaces, and earrings for the women I have known during different seasons of my life, all commemorating stories we still share from time to time; when we laugh together, or she helps me commiserate, over my still being single. I said all that to say this. If our New Year's Resolution is to be even more serious Followers of Christ, then we need to have our eyes opened to see how we have already been following Him, even before we realize his full calling upon our lives. The apostle Paul said some interesting things about this process. "When it pleased God to reveal Himself in me." "Know you not how it is that Christ is at work in you?" "I stretch myself beyond myself to apprehend that for which I have been apprehended by God, not as if I had already apprehended, but I press on for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Right now, you might not clearly know how Christ is at work in you, or has been in the past, but there is a specific time when He will completely reveal the fulfillment of the preparations of your heart and perhaps even a redirection in your life, both to you and others around you. So, until then, feel free to get on out there and buy yourself some new "bling" to help commemorate this moment in your life. I'm sure Janne will be really happy to see you! More importantly. Who do you know who also might need an "ornament of grace" bestowed upon them by you to speak a blessing into their lives?
Hey, Mom... "I just called to say I love you. I just called to say how much I care. I just called to say I love you, and I mean it from the bottom of my heart." That's the song I always used to sing to her when I called, and I still sing it whenever my heart stirs me. Somehow, when she passed away, our family decided to give me her jewelry box; and upon opening it, I realized why. The music played, and the tiny ballerina began to dance, spinning gracefully above her treasure trove of memories, and mine. There was every little trinket and token I had given to her during our lives together. I can imagine Mom, and every other mother, pausing every time they open their jewelry box in search of something to wear, also fondly touching upon and renewing those "ornaments of grace" to her heart. That's why she's always late for your night out. So stop all your complaining, and let's make some special memories right from the outset, during New Year 2011. Call your Mom, and your Dad, or just give a "shout out" to your BFF. Hey, Janne!
Q&A - What do you have to say?
Thursday, January 6, 2011
NEW YEAR 2011 – BEWARE THE WRONG LEAVEN
Having written what I did the other day, nevertheless, I recognize it is a great literary device, especially in our contemporary times, to create a sound-byte to capture the readers attention; which we also called a “blurb”, when I worked as a newspaper reporter, although I obviously prefer to freelance.
Greetings Beloved, In the Precious Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
I’m Rev. John McFarland, and I’m excited to welcome you to our new blog, and invite you to a further experience of Wonderful Counselor’s prophetic outreach ministry and apostolic empowerment, as we enlarge our borders to be able to effectually meet your needs during this upcoming year.
It was never my intention to disparage any of those other ministers, who are already inclined to aphorize their pronouncements, but simply to challenge and set in order the misconception that our New Year rises, or falls, based upon a solitary singsong thought. There are indeed microcosms of what we will all experience in our lives, always popping up to speak to us by God’s renewing design. “There will be a voice behind you in the way, saying, this the way, come back here and walk in it, again.” But I am frustrated with the temptation to those other voices, who might then, howbeit unwittingly, usurp ownership of the concept for their own purposes, or make merchandise of us, surreptitiously. If there is a common thread for us to share in hearing God’s voice, it is still subject to the apostolic injunction, that we do these things, “Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy, for by faith you stand”. Our God is interested in both “the thought and the intent of the heart”, so we should also use our best discernment concerning these things. Do we seek after the convenient rhyme, along with those who twist the scripture every which a way until some explanation finally fits, since there are only limited possibilities in our vocabulary? Remember! “There are some who wrestle scripture out of context to their own destruction.” Let us diligently pursue God for the full measure of His own answers, and only then create a mnemonic device, simply to remind us?
This morning, as I pondered over what I had already written in my last blog, I also wondered if there might not actually be some appropriate "tag line" for what we need to remember and always consider first throughout this New Year: as relates to my previous explanation of the symbolism of the number "eleven" in Biblical Numerology. Scarcely having taken thought, I heard the Holy Spirit say, “Beware the wrong leaven!” "Leaven" most definitely rhymes with "eleven". In fact I cannot think of another recourse than to use the word “heaven”, as if one might only say, “In 2011… We’re Closer To Heaven.” That doesn’t really work for me, since we are ever closer to heaven on one level or another. So, casting about in my mind for a scripture confirmation, I was immediately quickened to remember those most obvious words of Jesus, already warning us, “Beware the leaven of the Pharisees.” This immediately answers for what I have written above concerning “the thought and intent of the heart”, not only in others, but also ourselves. As William Shakespeare wrote, “the fault lies not in our stars, but rather within ourselves”. We are not controlled by some usurping destiny, but suffer most often based upon the bad decisions of our own willfulness. I pray you will not be deceived into accepting even the right "thought", if it comes along with or from the wrong "intention", during this New Year 2011, since even the subtle wrong "intention", as the wrong leaven, will still defile the "thought", as risen bread, in some unexpected way, shape, or form. It really does make a difference, as dramatic to the “Bread of Life” we commonly share, as is the effect of the least little bit of leaven to the formulary increase of any natural dough into it’s final composite. "Know you not that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."
New Year 2011? Beware the wrong leaven! Whether this year finds you adding 10+1=11, or subtracting 12-1=11, you still need to do the math for yourself. Reduce the leaven, or increase the leaven, but beware the wrong leaven. We are here, "Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy, for by faith you stand". This is our leaven. So feel free to contact us for prophetic ministry with confidence.
Q&A - What do you have to say?
Greetings Beloved, In the Precious Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
I’m Rev. John McFarland, and I’m excited to welcome you to our new blog, and invite you to a further experience of Wonderful Counselor’s prophetic outreach ministry and apostolic empowerment, as we enlarge our borders to be able to effectually meet your needs during this upcoming year.
“I Am Here To Call You Forth Into God’s Kairos Time:
To Confirm And Accelerate Your Heavenly Vision,
To Declare And Reveal Your Windows Of Opportunity;
To Open Doors To Your Future,
Which Can Never Again Be Closed;
And Close Doors To Your Past,
Which Can Never Again Be Opened."
It was never my intention to disparage any of those other ministers, who are already inclined to aphorize their pronouncements, but simply to challenge and set in order the misconception that our New Year rises, or falls, based upon a solitary singsong thought. There are indeed microcosms of what we will all experience in our lives, always popping up to speak to us by God’s renewing design. “There will be a voice behind you in the way, saying, this the way, come back here and walk in it, again.” But I am frustrated with the temptation to those other voices, who might then, howbeit unwittingly, usurp ownership of the concept for their own purposes, or make merchandise of us, surreptitiously. If there is a common thread for us to share in hearing God’s voice, it is still subject to the apostolic injunction, that we do these things, “Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy, for by faith you stand”. Our God is interested in both “the thought and the intent of the heart”, so we should also use our best discernment concerning these things. Do we seek after the convenient rhyme, along with those who twist the scripture every which a way until some explanation finally fits, since there are only limited possibilities in our vocabulary? Remember! “There are some who wrestle scripture out of context to their own destruction.” Let us diligently pursue God for the full measure of His own answers, and only then create a mnemonic device, simply to remind us?
This morning, as I pondered over what I had already written in my last blog, I also wondered if there might not actually be some appropriate "tag line" for what we need to remember and always consider first throughout this New Year: as relates to my previous explanation of the symbolism of the number "eleven" in Biblical Numerology. Scarcely having taken thought, I heard the Holy Spirit say, “Beware the wrong leaven!” "Leaven" most definitely rhymes with "eleven". In fact I cannot think of another recourse than to use the word “heaven”, as if one might only say, “In 2011… We’re Closer To Heaven.” That doesn’t really work for me, since we are ever closer to heaven on one level or another. So, casting about in my mind for a scripture confirmation, I was immediately quickened to remember those most obvious words of Jesus, already warning us, “Beware the leaven of the Pharisees.” This immediately answers for what I have written above concerning “the thought and intent of the heart”, not only in others, but also ourselves. As William Shakespeare wrote, “the fault lies not in our stars, but rather within ourselves”. We are not controlled by some usurping destiny, but suffer most often based upon the bad decisions of our own willfulness. I pray you will not be deceived into accepting even the right "thought", if it comes along with or from the wrong "intention", during this New Year 2011, since even the subtle wrong "intention", as the wrong leaven, will still defile the "thought", as risen bread, in some unexpected way, shape, or form. It really does make a difference, as dramatic to the “Bread of Life” we commonly share, as is the effect of the least little bit of leaven to the formulary increase of any natural dough into it’s final composite. "Know you not that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."
What do you know about the Pharisees, and their Scribes? The Scribes always seemed to be there taking notes, and even asking some of the questions, like a newspaper reporter, just in case a Pharisee said anything that actually sounded as if it might be spiritual, or at least spiritual sounding enough for the Sanhedrin to spin later on? Doctors, or spin doctors? How do we tell the difference? They were all once upstaged by a twelve year old boy. Forget about it. We’re only dealing with them trying to be religiously profound to enlarge their phylacteries, which becomes like covering yourself in “post-it notes” with each one of them containing a scripture verse you memorized for all to now see. Jesus describes everything they did as simply “creating vain traditions of men that make the commandments of God of no effect”. Sounding good, and looking good, but only becoming like “whited sepulchers, filled with dead men’s bones". "They place heavy burdens on others, but will not lift a single finger to help anyone bear them.” "These are no shepherds, who not only do not feed the sheep, but also kill the ones who are fed (by God)." Definitely something wrong with this picture. Imagine suddenly realizing exactly how many things you’ve been carrying around with you that are completely ineffectual in your life when finally put to the test, because you were unwittingly following after the cult of personality, rather than receiving the simplicity of the truth of God’s word. “Awake, all of you who still sleep, and put on Christ.”
New Year 2011? Beware the wrong leaven! Whether this year finds you adding 10+1=11, or subtracting 12-1=11, you still need to do the math for yourself. Reduce the leaven, or increase the leaven, but beware the wrong leaven. We are here, "Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy, for by faith you stand". This is our leaven. So feel free to contact us for prophetic ministry with confidence.
Q&A - What do you have to say?
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011 - SIGNS OF THE TIMES
Greetings Beloved, In the Precious Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I’m Rev. John McFarland, and I’m excited to welcome you to our new blog, and invite you to a further experience of Wonderful Counselor’s prophetic outreach ministry and apostolic empowerment, as we enlarge our borders to be able to effectually meet your needs during New Year 2011.
During this coming year, our vision is to help you understand what is involved in entering into a relationship with Christ, that enlarges your own expectation, to eventually hear Him also declare, “You can say what you will have, and it shall be done unto you”. That always amazes me, no matter how often I hear it, and then forget it, probably when I most need it. Then I find myself swimming up stream again, trying to lay hold upon the reality of it in my life. In younger days, along the Kangamangus Highway, below her namesake mountains in New Hampshire, there were waterfalls and rapids where I put this to the test. I had been training to be an Olympic swimmer, but here I was held to a complete standstill by the raw elements. I needed to have something else inside of me that I didn’t already possess; whether focus, knowledge, or fundamental strength. Again those words echoed through my heart and mind, “Without me you can do nothing!” He is the Vine, and we are the branches. We need to remember, there is a Written Word, that leads us to The Living Word, but between these two focal points we find an experience that leads us to understand, “It is the engrafted Word that saves your soul”. What are you willing to allow God to graft into your life in this coming year. That means He needs to first cut something away, making a wound, to allow the life-giving sap to begin to flow. It never hurts to become a little less “sappy” from the outset. Then He places the new graft, which is the branch of the specific fruit and fruitfulness you want to produce in your life, and binds it in the place of your loss; binding it tightly, so you cannot pick at the scab, no matter how much you are itching to see the result. You must patiently endure the process, since “It is by faith and patience we inherit the promises of God”. If you will faithfully follow our blog throughout the upcoming year, I am certain you will receive something new and lasting in your life, not only to benefit you, but also share with others.
Now, approaching the New Year, there are usually pop-prognosticators, whether considered right or wrong, by the reasonableness of their pronouncements to fit the signs of the times. But, somehow, I’ve missed their singsong sound-bytes during this past season, and so I have no idea what the sense and sensibility of their rhymes might be. For those of you unfamiliar with the process, it seems you need to rhyme the number of the year with a one or two word encapsulation of what God intends to do during that upcoming year. Of course, there is a scriptural mandate for understanding the signs of the times, but not for judging the accuracy of any inclination by this limitation as an explanation. Try saying that five times fast. "That, that, that, that, that!" Not as bad as you initially thought? Rev. Jesse Jackson would have been proud of me for the syncopation of my alliteration, "inclination, limitation, explanation"; so you certainly will not forget my point anytime soon, and actually had a momentary fun break in the offing. Now, when studying screenwriting, you learn that the writer is depending on your imagination to supply the “back-story” about the lives of the characters: filling in your own details about their past, and anything else not being said. When we accept the singsong sound-byte, there is nothing necessarily new being ventured by the prophet, or gained by the people, as simply attaching all of our old assumptions, without any real ongoing and developing explanation. Whatever happened to the declaration, “Behold, the Lord is doing something new in the earth!” God is always doing something new, ever moving toward an expected end, and building on a firm foundation. What can we expect from the New Year 2011? I’m not going to give you static self-justifying answers, that will allow you to become lazy, presumptuous, and dependent upon what you think a "buzz-word" might mean to your life, or make it easy for you to submit, without "proving all things", to a pseudo-spiritual collective unconscious, with the emphasis on unconscious. Instead, I’m going to provide you with an optical lens, a looking glass, to help you see the issues in your own life, and understand your way as changes come and go. We always quote “without an open vision the people perish”, but neglect what follows, which I always paraphrase as “if you put one foot in front of the other, doing what you know to do, you will arrive at your intended destination all the same”; although it might be a longer journey. So you should be looking forward to face and understand the New Year 2011 through the following looking glass, as refracted by Biblical Numerology.
Happy New Year 2011… What about the number “eleven”? If ten is the number that references the perfection of divine order, then eleven adds something to it. Only, what it adds, actually subverts and takes away from that perfection, by creating an imbalance. It is an odd number, rather than even, and there is always something left over, or left out, to distract us. So then, if twelve is the number of divine government, then eleven falls short of it. Whether we regard it as being 10+1=11 or 12-1=11, we are faced with a number which is marked by disorder, imperfection, disorganization, and disintegration. When Judas betrayed Christ, we are told the remaining eleven apostles immediately cast lots to replace him and restore their governance, from those 500 other disciples who had also been with them from the beginning, as witnesses to the full testimony of the Divine Incarnation. In New Year 2011, you are going to need a backup plan for people and provisions coming and going in your lives, as you wrestle between the issues of divine order and divine government, since you can maintain order in your lives, businesses, and ministries, without exercising the full powers or receiving the full benefits of your proper government. This is going to be a year of both planned and unexpected transitions for us all. Make sure you maintain the quality and quantity of those replacements, despite any added cost for the moment, so you are not found to fall short inopportunely. Also, looking to prosper and increase, you will be tempted to add one to your ten to make up eleven, just for the increase, not realizing the spiritual disparity. Take your time to be sure the one is the right one, or you will suffer more lack from the one distracting, than you can redeem through a little more self-effort on your own part. For some, there will be a different temptation to cut corners financially by eliminating one from their eleven, hoping to return to the divine order signified by ten, rather than realize the divine government of twelve just might be your next best move. This year, what you already have established in your lives is a more sure way to prosperity; at least in the sense of maintaining continuity, despite any temporary setbacks, or stagnation; as we are all faced with this threat of disorder and divestment. "The adversary of our souls still comes for nothing but to steal, kill, and destroy." Of course, all these things are in a "type and shadow", not referring to the exact numbers in your experience, but to your circumstance and expectation of addition or loss. You will need to allow the Holy Spirit to instruct you in how to use His spiritual "slide-rule" to equate your own unique position and circumstances. So now you have the lens of your new focus for 2011, “study to show yourself approved” for everything else you need; and feel free to contact us, either to reveal or confirm your “open vision”.
When I began my Wonderful Counselor radio program a few years ago, the station manager told me I needed a tag-line for the broadcast: something that explains what the ministry is all about. That night when I was working on the next show, I simply asked the Holy Spirit, “What are we doing here?” He replied…
“I Am Here To Call You Forth Into God’s Kairos Time:
To Confirm And Accelerate Your Heavenly Vision,
To Declare And Reveal Your Windows Of Opportunity;
To Open Doors To Your Future,
Which Can Never Again Be Closed;
And Close Doors To Your Past,
Which Can Never Again Be Opened."
Yea, and Amen.
Q&A - What do you have to say?
Sunday, January 2, 2011
OUR WONDERFUL COUNSELOR DECLARATION OF FAITH
As Isaiah 9:6,7 declares, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice; from henceforth, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this."
Wonderful and Counselor are actually two distinctive names given to our Lord Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. They are not simply an adjective and a noun, which men then presume to combine into a limited descriptive name. These two names testify instead to the ever-lively dynamic of the Godhead, best expressed as, “He that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit.”
Wonderful is the ultimate superlative in defining Jesus as the “miracle”. It comes from a root word, meaning to separate, as if from everything and anything else you might normally consider as a reasonable source for comparison. It’s like saying, “God’s thoughts are as high above our thoughts as the heavens are above the earth”, or “God can do exceedingly abundantly above all you can hope, think, or ask.” This is the source and expectation of our ministry outreach to you. Everything about Christ Jesus is so miraculous, even His name is Wonderful.
Counselor is drawn from a word meaning to advise, but reflexively to deliberate and resolve all the issues involved in the problem, and then devise a purpose and plan to guide us into the future. Our confidence rests in the fact “God knows the end of the matter from the beginning” and “predetermines all things according to the counsel of His own knowledge”, rather than ours. This takes us beyond the limited ideologies of secular counseling into the prophetic revelation of God’s will concerning the past, present, and future of your life, since He is the Counselor.
Now the most important consideration concerning the ongoing “increase of his government” and the “peace of his kingdom”, is to effectually include you in both the process and benefit, based on our ability to “order” and “establish”. The word used for order means “to erect, or initially set up”, while the word translated as establish means “to support, or continue to hold up”. We set into order by the apostolic and establish through the prophetic, as the Book of Acts says, “the prophets confirmed the churches, and the saints with a great many words”.
“Wonderful Counselor, Inc.” is our Prophetic Outreach And Symposium Ministry to the Body of Christ: to confirm you individually concerning the gifts, calling, and direction of your life; disciple you into a more perfect understanding of prophetic ministry; and confirm the vision of your local assembly: whether established church, church plant, fellowship, or para-church group.
Q&A - What do you have to say?
Wonderful and Counselor are actually two distinctive names given to our Lord Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. They are not simply an adjective and a noun, which men then presume to combine into a limited descriptive name. These two names testify instead to the ever-lively dynamic of the Godhead, best expressed as, “He that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit.”
Wonderful is the ultimate superlative in defining Jesus as the “miracle”. It comes from a root word, meaning to separate, as if from everything and anything else you might normally consider as a reasonable source for comparison. It’s like saying, “God’s thoughts are as high above our thoughts as the heavens are above the earth”, or “God can do exceedingly abundantly above all you can hope, think, or ask.” This is the source and expectation of our ministry outreach to you. Everything about Christ Jesus is so miraculous, even His name is Wonderful.
Counselor is drawn from a word meaning to advise, but reflexively to deliberate and resolve all the issues involved in the problem, and then devise a purpose and plan to guide us into the future. Our confidence rests in the fact “God knows the end of the matter from the beginning” and “predetermines all things according to the counsel of His own knowledge”, rather than ours. This takes us beyond the limited ideologies of secular counseling into the prophetic revelation of God’s will concerning the past, present, and future of your life, since He is the Counselor.
Now the most important consideration concerning the ongoing “increase of his government” and the “peace of his kingdom”, is to effectually include you in both the process and benefit, based on our ability to “order” and “establish”. The word used for order means “to erect, or initially set up”, while the word translated as establish means “to support, or continue to hold up”. We set into order by the apostolic and establish through the prophetic, as the Book of Acts says, “the prophets confirmed the churches, and the saints with a great many words”.
“Wonderful Counselor, Inc.” is our Prophetic Outreach And Symposium Ministry to the Body of Christ: to confirm you individually concerning the gifts, calling, and direction of your life; disciple you into a more perfect understanding of prophetic ministry; and confirm the vision of your local assembly: whether established church, church plant, fellowship, or para-church group.
Q&A - What do you have to say?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)