Simple, Blue-Jean, Daily, JESUS LIFE... LIVE BONES!!!!!

5/26/2011

In a minute, we’ll describe this photograph below, the kind of LIFE in Jesus’ BODY that He intends as HIS CHURCH that the Gates of Hell can no longer prevail against. This is about HIS Heart and Mind, and YOUR Calling in every city where Jesus’ Name is called upon! As David said about Father’s House, be BOLD to beseech and act, for it is HIS DECLARED WILL! So, don’t back off or be blackmailed by “the builders who have rejected the Cornerstone” or allow anything less than HIS Declared Desire light YOUR Path for Him.

But, before this “typical daily spontaneous snapshot of Life” is described a bit, let’s restate the Biblical background.

Setting Captives Free was never meant to be done at “meetings on a calendar” based on “a good teaching” from an appointed person, and some pre-practiced music. Not if the Bible and the Life of Jesus are to be taken seriously.

95-98% of all Good in the Kingdom of Jesus is daily “as you rise up, sit down, and walk along the way” and “in the midst as one who serves” “from house to house with tears” as “a hundred mothers, brothers, sisters” who “come to be WITH them, that He might send them out,” “joined and knit together by every supporting ligament,” a holy nation and kingdom of priests.

Daily. : ) Which means “priority Change” for most folks who have been rocked to sleep by religion, rather than ignited by Jesus Christ. But, WOW is the Pearl WORTH it all. : )

Here is “just a day, any ole day” in this photograph. It was maybe 3 days ago, actually. : )

A young lady in her early twenties had been sick with terrible migraines daily and even hourly for a number of months, with no relief.

Her mother had said four days ago (make a note of the timing) about her daughter’s illness: “This just seems way over the top painful and debilitating, without any ability for her to function anywhere near “normal”—really, for months now. She hasn’t been able to read for more than 2 minutes since October, eight months now. She hasn’t been able to be outside in daylight for over a month as an example. She can’t ride in the car anywhere without major migraine head pain coming on.”

In response to the young one’s pain, there was (as mom said) a daily outpouring and revolving door of checking on her, dropping off things that could be helpful, texting with thoughts and prayers and ideas, researching, energy, losing sleep, much sacrificial prayer, and the weaving of lives and love, culminating in His Hand touching—“though He is not far away.”

Through the process, she had seen a neurologist and optometrist and others, and no one (notice the lower case “one”) could help her—though they plied their trade with their technology and scans and chemistry kits as best they could, as humans. Nothing helped.

After knowing of the sweet one’s struggles, and recently getting mom’s note, the aforementioned avalanche of daily compassion and faith and service were amazing, as would be anticipated. And then there was the responsiveness to the Spirit (it seemed) led to someone stopping by their house on the way past, a few doors down, to pray for the young lady. Faith and obedience to be there, to pray, on the part of the one stopping unobtrusively and un-religiously and unceremoniously, without a meeting (as is Jesus’ Way generally), to pray. “Just stopping by” as so many so often have and do and will, daily, all over the ekklesia Life. “Daily in public and from house to house.”

And then, before that Mountain was to be moved, there was required…the battle for “Faith to be healed” on the part of the young lady, who had to mine the depths of her own heart and will and character. And then there was her necessary and subsequent repentance, to Know Him in her spirit, and to then believe that God WANTED her to be healed. “Do you WANT to be healed?”

And for both the one praying and the one being prayed for…the courage and “ENDURANCE” to “call things that are not as though they are” and to be “fully persuaded”—when, almost predictably, the next few hours her migraine got WORSE. WORSE! : )

But, here in her words, after a few hours of battling in her heart to grasp JESUS rather than self:

“Well, my migraine after all of these months is completely gone now and I’m doing things right now that I haven’t done for weeks : ) : ) HE IS GOOD!!!”

She pranced around in the bright sunlight, lifted all the blinds in the living room of her home, went on car rides sitting in the front seat, read and read her Bible, and anything she could think to do that she had been unable to do for many months.

And the next day:

“Howdy : ) Wow, reading Hebrews 11 with New eyes and a New head today was amazing. I did that! I choose to ‘see things that aren’t as though they are’ and He has done and is doing great things for me. And the Bartimaeus’ Song has been more meaningful than ever before. ‘Jesus, Son of David have mercy on me! I won’t stop crying out to you, until you bless me!’ And to put this into practice in other areas of my life, putting away sin and giving my life away for others will have spectacular Results. I know—basic Christianity. : ) But, I can’t wait! I just couldn’t help but say what’s been cascading through my heart and mind, and of course telling everyone I run into : ).”

And then there was this from a friend and neighbor, a few years younger than her in Christ:

“I was telling her mom last night that it is as if we ‘got her back’ : )—it is like she has been missing and we’ve had a different person around the past months, simply because she’s been a basket case physically for so long. I had forgotten what a bright, radiant, etc person that she had been, and now she’s back, with her Faith expanded as well! And I have been so grateful and praising God for how he Taught her to have Faith, and her belief in Him, which I could see from the moment she told me about what Jesus did for her, that day CHOOSING to come outside in dazzling sunshine to tell mom and me. Wow.

“And her story led to a very good discussion with more people and helping Maria, who is also very much in my life…”

From a Registered Nurse, two years later:

“Before she started having migraines she was a very vibrant, caring, active young woman consistently part of my daily life. She enjoyed, studying, cooking, playing with children, helping in whatever ways she could. As her migraines progressed, she became more and more incapacitated. She spent a lot more time in her room, trying to find ‘quiet places’, having to lay down, be in the dark, trying numerous migraine medications, and many doctor appointments. When she came over to my house she would ask to have all the blinds shut, she couldn’t study or read anymore. She became very limited in the activities she could do. It was almost like knowing a different person, because she couldn’t/didn’t function as the person we used to know. We had learned to behave differently around her too, in order to help her not get a headache or get through a headache. A few weeks before she was healed she asked if we could go to the fabric store. She had to ride the whole way there with her seat reclined, with a washcloth over her eyes, and everyone in the van had to be totally silent so she could attempt to get to the store without becoming too incapacitated.

“Since she has been healed she has never asked me again to shut my blinds to protect her eyes from the light, she rides in the car as a normal passenger, and without everyone having to be silent, she has gone back to doing ALL the activities she did. I have witnessed her ability to read and study for hours, something she had totally had to give up. She has been open and honest about choosing to believe and have Faith in the fact that Father did heal her. She used to put her hand on her forehead when she felt a headache coming on, but she told us she doesn’t want to even come close to reinforcing those old ‘habits’ associated with the migraines, so she has made conscious efforts to turn away from any thoughts or habits that were associated with having migraines and Choosing to Believe and Thank Father for what He has done.

“It has been almost two years since she was healed. I am a witness to this very specific, deliberate, non-hyped, Complete and still continuous Healing from God’s Hand via a servant of His. I am continually Grateful for what He has done for her, and for His demonstration of His Intimate care for us. For me seeing this whole situation with my own eyes, is equal to being in the crowd as a witness when Jesus healed the woman who had been bleeding for years and years.” —D.O.

God does GREAT things! Yes : ) very GREAT things : ) How Worthy He is of Our Praise!!

There’s still always more Work to do, in our hearts, in our lives, things to learn, things to purge, things to embrace as we should have years ago. All of that. Of course. Always. For her still on all of this, and for all. But that’s GOOD! We’ll hold on and look continually into His Face (2Cor. 3:18, 4:18. Heb. 12:2). : ) It’s the synergy of many Gifts and cities and countries and experiences that makes us all, in every place and every generation, and every home…“have need of one another.” He leaves that empty spot in me, so that you can help fill it with what He’s done in you. And so on, and so on, and so on. It’s His Plan. (Eph.3:8-21)

We will only ever be a “Work in progress”—though of course He insists we be responsive to Him in that process. : )

“He’s still working on me

to make me what I ought to be.

It took Him just a WEEK to make the moon and the stars,

the sun and earth and Jupiter and Mars.

How loving and patient He must be

cause He’s still working on me.”

And now, for the photo—though even on this one topic, her mom estimated a dozen such impromptu scenarios could have been photographed. : )

THIS is just everyday stuff, “as you rise up, sit down, and walk along the Way”—LITERALLY daily giving Opportunity for Divine Appointments of the Life and Love and Power of God. Let Jesus LIVE, instead of be orchestrated into a sermon and meeting as if we are HIS puppet masters, between 9:00am and 11:00am sharp on a holy day, plus a program or two and a home group!

“THIS is HOW all men will know you are My disciples—by the love they see you have for one another.” THAT will never never never EVER happen in a calendar and attendance-based, meeting-based religion that isn’t what JESUS ever did, or taught, or started on this round rocket we call “Earth”!

This little powerful un-arranged Time amongst saints—from age 50 down to a baby sticking her legs out of the stroller, and at least two dogs : )—with mostly young ones aged 10-25—happened spontaneously. It was simply as the one who had been Healed by Jesus’ mercy was telling her story to a few, and a crowd gathered as it always does when the Light of the World is lifted up in the City set on a Holy Hill. One of the young teens there is a yet-unSaved person who had her heart laid bare by the simple blue-jean spontaneous clarity of “God is Alive.” : ) Is the photo anything? No big deal, but THAT is where lives are CHANGED FOREVER. If you could never take a photo like that virtually daily in your life and church, for HIS sake, bring down the idols and clear out the rubble that hinders. HIS church is: “The Word becomes flesh and dwells amongst us.” “The Treasure in earthen vessels.” No ceremony or grandstanding or meeting or clergy. Just Jesus. Notice, no one’s notes (and there were more) even MENTIONED the person who prayed for the young lady who was healed! Who CARES about that! : ) As cousin John said, for Jesus to “increase”—mere men and pseudo-superheroes must “decrease!” : ) Maranatha!

JESUS’ LIFE—”ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES” !!!

He came to our little planet out of Love to forgive our sins, and, AND in a world full of selfishness, ambition, superstition, and lovelessness…to ESTABLISH HIS LIFE HERE! A toe-hold, a River watering the parched desert.

Though, unfortunately, not all who claim His Name…WANT what He wants, still…

He Says to us, LIVE BONES!

1 The hand of the LORD was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Sovereign LORD, you alone know.”

4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the Wind; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

11 Then He said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to Myself. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’”

• 
  A History Lesson for All of Us