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Church Life Discipleship Jesus Preaching Kingdom of God Prayer Presence of God Worship

Ekklesia – What is it?

A Gathering of Disciples can be an Ekklesia – Photo from Unsplash, by Shane Rounce

In the New Testament, the word most translated into English as “church” is most often Ekklesia.

An Ekklesia is a special kind of gathering of disciples of Jesus Christ, disciples being learners and doers – students who act on what they are learning.

In Roman culture, an Ekklesia was an important part of government, much like a town council, but with a special duty: to teach people to be like and to become – Romans. So much so that if the Emperor came, he would feel comfortably welcome if he should visit.

Jesus used the term to mean:

  • Disciples gathered to bring heaven to earth
  • Disciples to rule on earth so earth will be like heaven
  • Disciples who rule for the Kingdom of Heaven, and
  • Disciples who help the surrounding peoples become Christians – little Christ’s.

They met in public space – the Temple, and they met in people’s homes.

An Ekklesia didn’t have its own building (with the expense of building it and maintaining the building) or single leaders like a Pastor who was the only person active until Constantine, who forbade meetings in homes and other public spaces, and whose patterns of worship leading were like the pagans. With a single leader in a robe, who led, rather than having several leaders whose job was to prepare the people for ministry, as taught in scripture.

The main purpose of an Ekklesia is to influence the culture surrounding it, so Jesus served these people through Christian Disciples. And so that people surrounding became Christians.

Through the preaching of the Kingdom of God that Jesus preached and taught, including the healing of the sick and the freeing of people bound by unclean spirits, raising the dead and cleansing lepers.

Ekklesia’s prayed for people, ministered to them, announced the Good News of the Kingdom to them, helped them become Christians and Disciples. Who made more Disciples. Who planted more Ekklesias. Often through local businesses – the marketplace. The Message that Jesus preached and taught spread with wonderful and amazing speed.

And you can learn to take part and be a part of this today. What a great way to live!

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Angels Faith Glory Jesus

Gabriel and an Angel of the Lord Announced

Gabriel and an Angel of the Lord announced the birth of Jesus Christ.

Angels are messengers. Gabriel is an Archangel. An Angel of the Lord is a very special Angel representing God – who some believe actually is God.

Clearly these are very special messengers who announce the birth of Jesus Christ.

Common reactions to angels in scripture include great weakness, fear, and often an inclination to worship.

So to receive such announcements is no small thing. Angels make a strong impression and can even be terrifying to those who experience such messengers.

And to receive such a message from the Archangel Gabriel or an Angel of the Lord — must only multiply and make even much stronger an inclination to worship, to be filled with terror, or both.

Powerful messengers give powerful messages and powerful experiences.

Take a moment and imagine what it may be like to receive such a message. A message actually announcing the birth of Jesus Christ.

We’ve heard or read the story so many times that we probably have forgotten, even if we had some idea, forgotten what it must have been like to receive such a message.

And the message itself, delivered by angels: announcing the birth of the Savior of our world! To people who probably had heard prophecies of this, but who had not lived their whole lives like we have with this birth being an established fact.

Powerful messages, by powerful angels. The experience of a lifetime. Provoking awe, possibly fear, and probably a desire to worship.

The mere idea of this as I consider the importance and value of such an announcement brings tears to my eyes as I write this. No doubt a very weak reaction compared to the people who received such messages.

And only a hint of the glory of the delivery of such messages, as to the birth of Jesus Christ – the Savior or our world.

And for Gabriel, a high honor to give such a message. And for the Angel of the Lord — I cannot begin to understand what it was like for the Angel of the Lord to give such a message.

I do know this: considering what it may have been like to receive such a message, and considering what it may have been like to deliver such a message — deepens my appreciation for such events. And brings to me a bit more awe and a bit more sense of the holy, and the Holy One who is Jesus the Christ.

And I pray the same blessing for you. Take a moment to pause in the Presence of God, of Immanuel, God with us — and give thanks.

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Gospel Jesus Preaching Kingdom of God Ministry Presence of God

Bad News & Good News

Bad News.
Good News!

First, the bad news. We live in a busted up, broken world, full of problems. Many problems to many people. It’s the world we find ourselves in: sickness, poverty, troubled relationships, corrupt governing, and lots more junk.

The Good News that Jesus preaches is that Paradise is available to us all, now. Paradise is within reach, it’s “at hand”. We get to live in Paradise!

Contrast that with the Bad News of a busted up, broken world that is full of all kinds or horrible problems – and the Good News becomes obvious.

There is literally a process that allows us to change our world, and experience Paradise – complete with healing, wholeness, restoration and joy – instead of a broken world full of pain.

It’s sort of like science fiction – beaming to a new place, a better place – only this isn’t fiction, it’s real. And it can be real for you. Not to just visit, but to live in.

Ever need a miracle? There’s a process for this, too; and a kind of time and place where miracles are much more frequent than otherwise.

There really is bad news in this world. And there is Good News. And the amazing thing is, you get to choose! (If you have not already done so, visit and see The Gospel Process.)

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Conversation with God Friendship Hearing God Holy Spirit Jesus Jesus's Communication Ministry Prayer

Hearing and Seeing What God has to Say with a Spiritual Director

Help Hearing God

A Spiritual Director or spiritual friend has a simple job: to help you hear God for yourself, with greater confidence and clarity, joining in a conversation that God is already having with you.

When you want to receive what God has to “say” (it’s not always in words), a spiritual director can sometimes be mighty helpful. I know, because I’ve been helped this way. Often.

Why and how can this be? What goes on? I’m still figuring this out, but my current understanding is something like this:

“Hearing” God can be hard, because:

-Our own opinions, beliefs, personal history and other “stuff” can sometimes make it harder to hear God by ourselves.

-A lot of us still need a lot more practice trying to hear from God. (Hearing is a metaphor that can include words, still knowing that is pre-verbal, seeing or feeling something, noticing thoughts in our mind that might be from God, and lots more. Whew! No wonder we can use help!)

-There are many ways God “speaks” to us, and the methods God uses have useful side effects to help us. For more on this, see: https://ministermorelikejesus.com/voices-of-god/

A Spiritual Director or spiritual friend can sometimes help:

-Your issues are not felt so deeply by another person, are not so personal, making hearing easier.

-Someone with practice hearing from God, and whose abilities complement yours can be a wonderful partner. Especially when

-They care. When you and they have a “heart connection”, connect well.

-Having someone who listens deeply and well, with their heart, helps us all clarify issues and be clearer and more ready for fresh insight.

A Spiritual Director of spiritual friend has a Helper, Holy Spirit, who

-Is the same Helper and Comforter who is helping you! We have Someone in common.

-The two humans can have a conversation, which is private and aimed at helping, and both of us have the same Holy Spirit who is communicating with you.

A Spiritual Director or spiritual friend has had lots of experience receiving such help. Knows what it’s like. Can be sensitive to issues about spiritual direction and to what may matter to you.

A Spiritual Director or spiritual friend has a simple job: to help you hear God for yourself, with greater confidence and clarity, joining in a conversation that God is already having with you.

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Hearing God

Hearing God can be Hard

A man listens to the sounds from above with a tin can.

“Hearing” God can be hard, because: 

-Our own opinions, beliefs, personal history and other “stuff” can sometimes make it harder to hear God by ourselves.

-A lot of us still need a lot more practice trying to hear from God. (Hearing is a metaphor that can include words, still knowing that is pre-verbal, seeing or feeling something, noticing thoughts in our mind that might be from God, and lots more. Whew! No wonder we can use help!) 

-There are many ways God “speaks” to us, and the methods God uses have useful side effects to help us. For more on this, see: https://ministermorelikejesus.com/voices-of-god/

A Spiritual Director or spiritual friend can sometimes help:

-Your issues are not felt so deeply by another person, are not so personal, making hearing easier.

-Someone with practice hearing from God, and whose abilities complement yours can be a wonderful partner. Especially when

-They care. When you and they have a “heart connection”, connect well.

-Having someone who listens deeply and well, with their heart, helps us all clarify issues and be clearer and more ready for fresh insight.

A Spiritual Director of spiritual friend has a Helper, Holy Spirit, who

-Is the same Helper and Comforter who is helping you! We have Someone in common.

-The two humans can have a conversation, which is private and aimed at helping, and both of us have the same Holy Spirit who is communicating with you.

A Spiritual Director or spiritual friend has had lots of experience receiving such help. Knows what it’s like. Can be sensitive to issues about spiritual direction and to what may matter to you. 

A Spiritual Director or spiritual friend has a simple job: to help you hear God for yourself, with greater confidence and clarity, joining in a conversation that God is already having with you. 

Learn more about Spiritual Direction and meet some directors at HolyListening.com

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Conversation with God Discipleship Hearing God Prayer Worship

A New Way to Pray

aliane-schwartzhaupt-raeSgX3u3ZA-unsplash

For many of us, this will be a new way to pray. If not, good for you! You get to be reminded, anyway.

Jesus was asked how to pray.

11 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Our[a] Father [b]in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
[c]Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
[d]But deliver us from the evil one.”

Luke 11:2-4, NKJV

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+11&version=NKJV

While most of us think of prayer as first being petition, this prayer is not so much petition as it is a series of declarations of what is true. It’s a series of important and true statements that are already true, that we are being taught to affirm and declare.

Now, let us be ready to not only declare or ask, but also be ready to pause and listen, pause and hear, after each declaration. (Always a good idea, is to pause and listen for a response from God. And this also allows what we declare and say to sink in more deeply. While also giving Holy Spirit a better opportunity to work in us and through us.)

The whole prayer, made clearer as a series of declarations might be read like this:

Our Father is in heaven. (We have the same father, he is not on earth so much as he is in heaven. We are speaking this to Father. Just as Jesus prayed – to our Father; and just as Jesus taught us to pray.)

Your Name is holy. (The nature of who you are, is holiness.)

Your Kingdom is coming.

Your will is being done.

It (your will) is being done on earth as it already is in heaven.

You give us this day our daily bread. (You meet our needs each day.)

You forgive our sins in the same way that we forgive others.

You never lead us into temptation.

You deliver us from evil.

Now for the next step in learning to pray this prayer.

After you declare each idea, each line, one at a time, pause and be silent, be still in the Presence of God. Listen and pay attention.

You might not hear words, but I believe you will find it is different when you do this, and that you are transformed, so that you are different.

This can be a wonderful way to pray. After all, Jesus teaches us this. With Holy Spirit.

Let Jesus teach you, and you – you be responsive to Holy Spirit.

Let it all sink in deeply.

You will be blessed, greatly blessed.

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Gifts Spiritual Gift

Activate Spiritual Gifts More Easily

Heart-shaped candle in her hands.

Activating Spiritual Gifts may be much more easy than you expect. And there are keys that help, keys that help hugely!

This key will make sense by hindsight. The key is service, or actually seeking to use your gifts. And there is another key that successful users of Spiritual Gifts do more than the rest of us – they ask questions.

The error I long made, and maybe you have, too, is to try to discover or use a gift without actually applying it in service or asking questions.

A useful way of thinking about this is to Follow Jesus. Model your ministry after what Jesus does.

Jesus ministers as he sees or hears from Father.

You can do this, too.

But how do we start, and get results? Simple: respond to a need. Bring the Kingdom of God to what is needed. Restoration is what Jesus did again and again. And, he destroys the work of the devil, the adversary.

You can do the same. How?

Look for needs, look for a need in someone’s life. Ask questions, such as:

  • How do I help or minister to this need?
  • What do you want me to do about this?
  • How do I pray for this situation, this person?

Then simply pay attention to what comes to your attention next. Being careful not to let thoughts, associations, ideas, images, or any experience pass by without assuming and accepting that this is an answer to your question.

And, because, as Dan Pendergrass once told me when I was asking about why replies from God are so often surprising, he said simply that God knows more than we do.

What we miss, in activating our gifts, too often or easily, are things like this:

  • Forgetting to bring God’s agape love to a person with a need.
  • Neglecting to ask how to minister.
  • Forgetting to ask how to pray for the person you are loving and for their need.
  • Not realizing that what comes to your attention next is actually an answer and reply from God. It’s unexpected, seems too easy, seems too ordinary.

How do you get started, if you don’t see where or how to get started? Ask Jesus to point out to you or bring to your attention people who need ministry or service or restoration (of health or well being).

Ask and serve. Ask and minister. In serving or ministering, you are applying and using your Spiritual Gift where needed. A great way to be living.

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Church Life Disciple Making Glory Holy Spirit Kingdom of God Worship

Simon Xing on Worship

Worship – aliane-schwartzhaupt-raeSgX3u3ZA-unsplash

I once asked a good friend, Simon Xing, who lives in China, about worship. He’s a fine worship leader, with wonderful experience to share. What follows is an edited version (for readability) of our conversation.

D: Simon – I have a question…I can use your help. How might you describe different levels of worship?

S: Thanks for your questions. Personally, I would divide it into four levels.

D: Tell me!

S: The first is surface level. Just singing.

D: Makes sense. Please go on.

S: The second is when you are infected by another person’s spirit to worship.

D: Good. Go on….

S: The third is when you can worship anytime in any place.

D: Tell me more about this.

S: Just feel like God is on your side.

(D: That sounds so simple; it’s useful and profound.)

D: Wow! Tell me more.

S: The fourth, also the deepest, for me, I think is when you are the performer standing in front of God. (D: This is what your attention is full of. Nothing else.)

D: Please go on. More!

S: And angels are your audience. They are listening, and maybe even join in.

D: Ahh…I love this!

S: This is a moment of holiness. You don’t care about anything but God. You may cry. You may dance. You may sing in tongues.

D: Ahh….

S: Nothing but holiness.

D: Wonderful!

S: You will not care, in such moments, about timing. No concern or worry. Your focus is single and complete.

D: I never thought of that….

S: You just want to continue and go on – in that environment. This is just my experience.

D: Your experience in such things as this – is valuable.

S: I experienced four levels. Maybe there is a fifth. It may take time….

D: Go on…think out loud.

S: Now I don’t know…. I just hope there would be a fifth one. (D: Simon is getting ready to speak and put into words a deep intuition of his understanding, so far. Holy Spirit whispering to his spirit.)

S: Which may be that God only wants me to worship.

S: He cares about my worship most at such a moment.

D: Go on….

S: And I can feel his holy touch.

S: Not by saints, but by him.

S: (Simon spoke briefly of some Internet difficulties.) He blessed me, sent his deep love.

We said goodbye for now.

D: (This was a fascinating and lovely conversation, with thoughts from an experienced worship leader.)

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Conversation with God Hearing God Holy Spirit Jesus Learning Prayer

How I hear God More Easily – Not Buying Another Book.

Holy Spirit – from Unsplash.com

I’ve learned that when I think I need to buy another book about hearing God well, what it really means for me is that I am not full enough of Holy Spirit.

I have not asked to be more full of Holy Spirit and received by faith. It’s easy to do. I may not feel Holy Spirit, but the results are easy to notice.

Hearing from God is lots and lots easier for me when I am full of Holy Spirit. And all I have to do is ask, and receive by faith. No drama needed. I rarely notice more of Holy Spirit, except for the side effects, which are extremely obvious. Such as hearing God better.

(I mention that twice because it’s so important, and too easy to miss.)

When I follow Holy Spirit, Fruit of the Spirit is easy, and just flows. Love, patience, self-control, and other good Fruit.

I am operating out of my New Self instead of my Old self. New Self has no wounds or over-reactions. No traumas. No lack of access to wisdom and love and…other wonderful things.

Best of all, I am hearing from God more easily.

And I didn’t even distract myself by buying yet another book on the subject – because that wasn’t my issue. I just need to pay attention and ask for and receive more of Holy Spirit by faith.

Which is really easy. Even when I don’t feel it; but the results are easy to notice.

How does being more full of Holy Spirit help you with hearing from God better?

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Conversation with God Discipleship Father Hearing God Holy Spirit Jesus Lessons

Use All Your Senses

Hearing God

When God speaks to you, be alert with all of your senses. “Speak” is a metaphor for anything God “says”.

You might see something, sometimes quickly and when it’s surprising, its too easy to ignore. So pay close attention to what comes next after you ask a question or pause to listen and “hear”.

You might hear something. Still Small Voice may speak to you silently, before words.

A memory may come. An association – an idea. It can come in any good way.

And more. Events, people, book covers, songs, billboards, birds, forests, seas, lakes and rivers. Flowers. (Can you tell I love hearing God through nature?)

To get more used to this, learn to pay attention to the many kinds of “Voices of God“.