Tag Archives: Authority

Three Nails

Posted on by under Bible, Christian, Christianity, Commitment, Covenant, Disciple, Discipleship, Excellence, Faithful, Hard Work, LifeGiving, Mandate, Mature, maturity, Message, Mission, Movement, Revolution, Righteousness, School Of The Spirit, Training, Transformation

Jesus, the carpenter by vocation before His river and Spirit baptism, was crucified on a Cross [Paul in Galatians called it a tree, maybe because at one time it had been a tree], is believed to have been secured on that tree by three nails!

The nails did not secure Jesus any more than Pilate had authority on his own to have Him killed.

“So Pilate said to Him, ‘You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?'”

Jesus shot back, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above [My Father]; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

So what kept Jesus on the Cross [tree]? Of course, it was not the nails that kept Jesus on that tree. For if He decided He was done with that plan He could have disintegrated the nails and the tree.

“Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”

What kept Jesus on that tree was His willingness to surrender to His [the] Father’s will – to the bitter [sweet] and bloody end!

“1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Letting His example of surrender to His Father’s will encourages us in our will to stay steady and strong throughout our entire race!

In the Garden, Jesus was feeling the pressure of what He had agreed to in eternity past. “All who dwell on the earth will worship Him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.”

The KJV says it this way, “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship Him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

The pressure in the olive or wine press became so great He experienced what is known as hematidrosis. Some say hematidrosis, or hematohidrosis, is caused when a person’s fight or flight response kicks into high gear. Others say when a person is in great duress, or distress, it can happen.

Whatever triggered it in Jesus He was in a real war for the salvation of the world!

“For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.” Jesus is man’s only Savior but not all men will do the Father’s will to be saved by Him. Those who will, will be saved by Him.

“Father, is there another way to do what we agreed to?” Jesus was willing to die for the sins of all mankind but at that moment He was looking for a different process of pain than the Cross.

Finally, after three sessions of anguished prayer, He surrendered. “[Father] Not My will but Your will be done!”

Jesus had told His disciples, “I will build My church!” “I will!”

No one could fully understand what the Carpenter meant when He said that. Many still do not understand to this day.

“I will” must be understood in the context of “Your will!”

Even today, as the resurrected Jesus continues to build His church, He is operating out of His Father’s will functioning through His surrendered will. Jesus’ full surrender in the Garden of Gethsemane [oil press, or where olives or grapes are crushed so oil or juice for making wine is extracted] was not a momentary blip on histories radar screen. No, it is an eternal commitment to do His Father’s will.

His church is securely and ultimately built on the Father’s will being executed by Jesus, and everyone else who surrenders to the Father’s will.

“10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of [the will of] God.”

God is NOT every person’s Father. God is ONLY the Father to those who do His will!

So, God’s church is being built by Jesus, the Head, doing His Father’s will and as people surrender to that same will.

Have you said, “Not my will but Yours Father be done?”

If not, you are not part of His church His will is building!

Selah

Let’s look at some verses that talk about the Father’s will. These are not exclusive!

“Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”

  • This is being said about those who overemphasize their relationship with Christ, “Who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord.'”
  • This is being said about those who bragged to Jesus what they had done “in My name” but did not have an authentic relationship with Him – “I never knew you.”

“For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

  • This was in response to His natural family showing up to one of His meetings wanting to see Him. He asked the assembled crowd, “Who is my mother and my brothers?” Before they could answer He answered His own question with the above text.
“For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
  • This was in response to the grumbling of the Jews who could not accept His testimony of who He is.
  • “31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.“

When we take these and the many other texts together we get the whole picture of what it means to be His people, His church!

Attending Christian services does make a person a part of His church!

Giving money or time to a Christian church or ministry does make a person a part of His church!

Amending your ways does not make you a part of His church!

What makes a person part of His church? Doing His and the Father’s will is the only way to be part of His church.

Take the time to read all of John 6 where Jesus really hammers the religious people and His own disciples with what His Father’s will is. In fact, take the time to read all four gospels, and read them slowly as if you have never read them or heard any teachings on them before. You will be shocked at what you will see, find, and learn.

I promise!

Receive and steward God’s passion, power, presence, priority, process, promises, protection, provision, pruning, purging, purity, and purpose!

Dr. Kevin M. Drury, DMin
A radical spiritual revolutionary
Revolution Movement Co-Founder
http://www.revolutionmovement.org
kdrury@revolutionmovement.org

You say you want a revolution! Join our movement and turn your world upside down so God can turn His world right side up!

Authenticity!

Posted on by under Bible, Christian, Disciple, Discipleship, Excellence, Faithful, LifeGiving, Mandate, Mature, Maturing, Message, Mission, Movement, Revolution, Righteousness, School Of The Spirit, Teamwork, Training, Transformation

This Blog is the first of three in the series I am calling authenticity, authority and anointing.

These three attributes, or characteristics, are core values that I look for when looking for relationships generally in my life, specifically in the kingdom of God, and especially in those to whom I choose to submit my spiritual well-being.

A lot is being said and written again about women in ministry. I wrote a Blog called Women Ministers on October 26 of this year where I did not delve deeply into the contrived controversy. Instead, I asked a series of logical [to me] questions that I hope will create a hunger to know the truth about this issue.

While this series is not specifically about women, or women ministers, it does involve that vital subject. I would rather sit under the ministry of a woman who is authentic, under God’s authority, and anointed by the Holy Spirit than any man who is not authentic, under God’s authority, and or not anointed by the Holy Spirit.

In fact, a man could be under authority and anointed but if he was not authentic I would never submit my life to him!

Authenticity is such an important virtue! Unfortunately it is becoming more rare, even in the body of Christ. When ministers refuse to preach and teach what they say they believe because of how the people they lead or the people they lead with would respond, they are not being authentic.

According to the Dictionary app on my MacBook Pro, the first definition of authentic is “of undisputed origin.” I love that that is the initial view into the meaning of the word.

Dictionary.com defines authentic thus:

  • Not false or copied; genuine; real
  • Having an origin supported by unquestionable evidence; authenticated; verified
  • Representing one’s true nature or beliefs; true to oneself or to the person identified
  • Entitled to acceptance or belief because of agreement with known facts or experience; reliable; trustworthy

Confusion is not from the Father so if a person is unwilling to authentically represent Him in their life and or ministry then they are causing the origin [Author] of their life, and or ministry to be disputed. Additionally, it is absolutely acceptable to call into question that person and their stated beliefs.

God does not call people to represent Him and then to deny the very things He has revealed to them, in them and through them. PERIOD!

Galatians 3 – “1 You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? 2 This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?”

Apparently the Galatians had fallen prey to preachers who brought another gospel, one that according to Paul was not the authentic gospel. In part, part of the deception was the denial of the supernatural ministry of the Spirit of God.

“2 This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? 5 So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?” Working miracles is one of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Do you realize you can admit [not deny] the existence of God and daily deny Him in your life? Jesus said, “Deny me before men, and I will deny you before My Father.”

Are you denying God in your life and or ministry?

How are you denying God in your life?

What has God revealed to you that you have accepted as His truth?

Are you wholeheartedly revealing those things to the people God has called you to lead, or to lead with? This begins in the home by the way!

What is going on in your heart if you are fearful of being authentic with the people you are in community with?

I am not talking about the typical recognized sinful behavior [denying Christ is a sin]. I am talking about authentic encounters with the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, whether directly or in His Word.

Where are you going? Who are you leading? Where are you leading them?

Are you going into Authenti-City [authentic community]?

Or, are you leading people into confusion, compromise, chaos, and dispute – because that is where you currently reside in your compromise?

Donna and I founded and led a vibrant church for 16 years. We lost count of the times members of other churches would seek our counsel [ministry] because they could not trust the leaders they were in community with. We would ask, “Why are you submitting your soul to someone you do not trust?” Their answer, almost to a person, had to do with non Kingdom matters. We knew that what they received would not be received where they attended church – and that they would remain in the community where compromise was a core-value. Sad!

Authenti City – a rare commodity and community – for sure!

Receive and steward God’s passion, power, presence, priority, process, promises, protection, provision, pruning, purging, purity and purpose!

Dr. Kevin M. Drury, DMin
A radical spiritual revolutionary
Revolution Movement Co-Founder
http://www.revolutionmovement.org
kdrury@revolutionmovement.org

It IS Possible To Not Sin!

Posted on by under Bible, Christian, Excellence, LifeGiving, Righteousness, School Of The Spirit, Training
It is possible to not sin! In fact, repentance means “I won’t do that again!”
Luke 24 ~
 
“46 and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”
 
1. Jesus said the proclamation of repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name.
 
To proclaim means to publicly cry out with urgency and with an urgency for those hearing to accept what is proclaimed or face the consequences of rejecting it. This word carries the authority of Jesus to proclaim, warn, and reveal the consequences. That is why it is “in His name”. He gave His disciples power of attorney to re-present Him.
 
In order for repentance for forgiveness of sins to be proclaimed there has to be the proclamation that there are sinners and there is sin. 
 
In our modern, or post-modern or whatever we are calling our world right now it is not in vogue to confront a person in sin and their sinning lifestyle.
 
Jesus said proclaim repentance which means to stop it, drop it, and turn to God and start living like Christ.
 
It IS possible to not sin! 
 
John said this in 1 John 2:1,2 – “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”
 
A. John writes to “little children”. This word is teknon and is the 3rd level of spiritual maturity for the believer in the childhood [first] stage of growth. He states to these little children –
1. “You MAY not sin” 
a. Means permission is not granted to sin
2. “And IF anyone sins” not “And WHEN anyone sins”
a. John reiterates sin is not permissible nor normal behavior. Sin should be a rare exception not the norm.
b. “We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
1. Our Advocate is more than someone who stands next to us in front of the Father. He is the One who lives on the inside of us and want to live His life through us. In fact, Christianity is not believers living for God. Christianity is God living through believers.
2. This Advocate paid the price that paid for our sin but that price includes His power to live free of sin.
 
2. Jesus said “Christ must suffer and rise again from the dead the third day.”
 
This separates Christianity from all the religions of the world. Christ is alive and is inviting everyone to come to Him and to get to know Him – personally.
 
3. This proclamation would begin “from Jerusalem.”
 
Jerusalem was the launching pad! Jesus said “from” not “in” Jerusalem. The world is the focus not Jerusalem! “God so loved the world . . . .”, not God so loved Jerusalem! The church would be well served to understand this major point! [I have a teaching series and future book titled – JESUS AND JERUSALEM. You can find the series on YouTube].
 
4. This proclamation was to go into “all the nations.”
 
Every ethnic group and every person in every national boundary is to hear this eternally exciting message.
I say eternal because John said this about the gospel – “6 And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; 7 and he said with a loud voice, “Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.” [Revelation 14]
 
The eternal gospel includes the true worship of the One true God, who is the Creator!
And that is why I said exciting. It doesn’t get any more exciting than meeting, getting to know, growing in the knowledge of Him, and getting to spend eternity with the Creator of the heavens and the earth.
Do you know Him?
Keep HIS Faith! Keep HIS Passion! Keep HIS Purposes!
Dr. Kevin M. Drury, DMin
A Hisstorymaker

I’m A Dominionist! Are you?

Posted on by under Bible, Christian, Excellence, LifeGiving, Righteousness, School Of The Spirit, Teamwork, Training

I am a dominionist who believes wholeheartedly in dominionism!

To the Christian critic of dominionism and its dominionist proponents, I have some questions?

Are you a defeatist who believes in defeatism?

  • Do you believe the prince of darkness will extinguish the Light of the world?
  • Do you believe the prince of the power of the air will defeat the One who created air?
  • And do you believe the prince of darkness will chase the citizens of light off the planet?

Are you an escapist who believes in escapism?

  • Are you looking for Jesus to come rescue you off the planet He loves?
  • Are you willing to relinquish the planet you are to inherit?
  • And are you resigning yourself to one day go to a place called heaven instead of every day being a vessel through which God wants to reveal and release heaven in earth?

Genesis 1:28 KJV

“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.'”

Did you notice the writer of Genesis said God said, “Have dominion?”

What is the purpose in having something you have been given if you are not going to use what you have that was given to you?

Jesus said, “Freely you have received, freely give.” [Matthew 10:8] The context of that command was the preaching [revealing, declaring] of the present tense reality of the arrival and expansion of God’s kingdom on earth.

The manifestation of God’s kingdom of light materializes in the undoing of everything the prince of darkness has done, is doing or will ever do.

Original man’s original sin does not alter God’s original mission for men!

The failure of men does not cause God to fail nor does it cause the commission of man to partner with God to fail.

Jesus came along and along with many commands said this ~ “18 “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” [Matthew 28]

Jesus literally said to His disciples [apostles] to go evangelize the world. Somehow through the corridors of time His command has been corrupted and His design has been diminished.

He said “Go and make disciples of all nations” and that has been reduced to hopefully get some converts in the nations.

I believe this is the same commission His first disciples [Adam and Eve] were given in Genesis 1 – “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it.”

Fruitfulness speaks of successful productivity as well as successful reproduction in having children.

Multiply speaks of having children but more importantly their reproduction was to reproduce children who would love and serve God and His purposes for the planet.

Replenish speaks of cultivating a culture where the earth would constantly be filled with the fulness of what God intended when He commissioned His “man” to take Paradise to the planet.

Subdue speaks of using the authority God gave them to bring anything and everything not in subjection to God under the rule of God.

And then the command to ‘rule’ or ‘have dominion’ speaks of being the head, not the tail; being leaders not followers; being givers not borrowers; being those blessed by God to be a blessing for God in the earth He created for His people to inhabit.

The question then arises on how are we to rule or have dominion.

The how is through servant leadership, not physical force!

It is through leading people to the Lordship of Jesus Christ!

It is through leading them out of the land of their limitations into the land of plenty!

John said this, “When the seventh angel blew his trumpet, there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will rule forever and ever.” [Revelation 11:15 ISV]

People have placed this verse, and many others like it, into a future time. I believe Jesus began His rule on the earth when He ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God and received His kingdom!

29 “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne,  31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.” [Acts 2]

Luke writes that Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost that David prophesied the resurrection of the Christ included His being seated on David’s throne. That smacks down any doctrine that has Jesus returning to earth to sit on a physical throne.

And ~~~~

“41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 saying, ‘What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?’ They said to Him, ‘The Son of David.’ 43 He said to them, ‘How then does David in the Spirit call Him “Lord,” saying:44 “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘ Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool’ “?” [Matthew 22]

Jesus is quoting David in Psalm 110:1, which by the way can be found numerous times in the New Testament.

Jesus is on David’s throne as you read this blog and He began ruling the moment He sat down next to His Dad!

And He will continue to sit there and rule with His Dad until His enemies surrender and submit! However looooooooong that takes!

That knocks the “imminent return” theology out of contention in my mind!

And ~~~~

“9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,  10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” [Philippians 2]

And finally, look at what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15 ~ “ 20 But, in reality, Christ has risen from among the dead, being the first to do so of those who are asleep. 21 For seeing that death came through man, through man comes also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For just as through Adam all die, so also through Christ all will be made alive again. 23 But this will happen to each in the right order—Christ having been the first to rise, and afterwards Christ’s people rising at His return. 24 Later on, comes the End, when He is to surrender the Kingship to God, the Father, when He shall have overthrown all other government and all other authority and power. 25 For He must continue King until He shall have put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that is to be overthrown is Death; 27 for He will have put all things in subjection under His feet. And when He shall have declared that “All things are in subjection,” it will be with the manifest exception of Him who has reduced them all to subjection to Him. 28 But when the whole universe has been made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also become subject to Him who has made the universe subject to Him, in order that GOD may be all in all.” {Weymouth Translation]

So, I am a proud card carrying domionist, and I believe in the total dominion, rule, and eventual subjection of the world to the Lordship of Christ Jesus, and then THE END will come!

And not a day before!

Keep HIS Faith! Keep HIS Passion! Keep HIS Purpose!

Dr. Kevin. M. Drury, DMin

His Hisstorymaker!

Grace Works!

Posted on by under Bible, Christian, Excellence, LifeGiving, Righteousness, School Of The Spirit, Training

This is what we find in Genesis 6:8 KJV.

“But Noah found grace in the eyes of God!”

This is such an interesting statement. What makes it so interesting and profound is the context in which Noah found what he found when he finally looked into God’s eyes. Actually, Noah was able to see all the way into God’s heart when he looked into His eyes. God’s grace does not originate in the eyes of God but the heart of God.

The context is God was sorry that He had made mankind. The reason for God’s feeling the way He did was that His prized production became vile and violent.

“Then the Lord  saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” [Verse 5]

To understand the veracity of this scene you must understand that Noah was included in God’s description of the condition of mankind.

Grace Is

What caused Noah to look into God’s eyes when he and every other person were only interested in living their life so loosely?

I believe that we find the answer in verse 3. “But My Spirit will not strive with man forever.”

God, by His Spirit was striving with every man, but only Noah responded to God’s striving. The word striving has to do with contending with, working with, judging in the sense of acting as an umpire. An umpire oversees sports events letting the participants know what is safe and what is out, what is fair and what is foul. Striving also means to plead with and to vindicate.

What we discover in this verse is that God will, after every effort is exhausted, cease to work with man to get him to change the direction he is heading in that is contrary to God’s heart for him. Noah must have submitted to God’s dealings with him, and by submitting to God he discovered and accessed the part of God’s character [grace] that empowered him to live totally for God.

Noah’s name means rest. Noah finally stopped his striving against God and rested in the nature of God. When we find the rest of God we will discover the rest of God.

What was the evidence that Noah found grace in God’s eyes? He began working with God! Noah cooperated with God and as a result of his submitting to God, God was able to co-mission him in the primary mission to save mankind from themselves.

God’s grace enabled Noah to work for and with God, not against God! Somehow work has become a four letter word in some ‘grace’ circles. Well meaning people, I am sure, reduce grace to the ability to decide they don’t have to work, or to be productive. In other words, they have deduced that God is a-okay with their laziness and or sinfulness.

Noah [rest] worked! Noah [rest] performed a task! Noah [rest] performed his task to the standard God required of him! That is what grace does. It enables us to get God’s work done God’s way.

We must realize that work is not a part of the curse that resulted from Adam and Eve’s sin. Unproductive work is a result of the curse.

Work is a part of creation and God’s redemptive purposes for the earth!

In Genesis 3 we find two very interesting verses:

Verse 8 – “The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.”

Verse 15 – “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.”

Verse 8 reveals that God gave man access to the Garden and verse 15 reveals that God gave man responsibility for the Garden. There are a lot of people who have been given access but refuse responsibility. If you will not be responsible for something then you cannot be given authority over something.

That’s something isn’t it?

Friends, grace works and grace works very hard. Grace is not lazy and those who accept God’s grace also work very hard. Otherwise, it is not God’s grace.

For HIS Glory!

Dr. Kevin M. Drury, DMin