Category: Ministry

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Conversation with God Jesus's Communication Ministry Presence of God

Manifest Presence is Relational Presence

Jesus Reaches Out to You – photograph is by Jackson David on Unslpash.com

I can ask for more of the Manifest Presence of God for healing. Help. And fellowship! This changes everything, and we know we are not alone.

Manifest Presence is relational Presence

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Do you love to experience the Presence of God as much as I?

Why?

I hunger and want to relate to Jesus. To his Holy Spirit.

To the Presence of God.

When I experience God’s holy Presence, I am comforted. Not alone. I end up being stronger. Better able to hear from God.

It is far easier to have a good two-way conversation with God when I experience and communicate with the Living Presence of God.

How about you?

The truth is that Jesus is reaching out to you, at this very moment: now.

God is talking with you now, and you can relate. It is harder to relate when we are not experiencing the Manifest Presence of God.

There are places where this is easier to experience. Nature, a church, looking at a new-born baby or someone we love. Where is it easier for you?

Because his holy Presence is Manifest, it is easier to relate to him.

It can be hard to relate to the invisible.

Ask and seek to relate to the Manifest Presence of God. Put to use each opportunity experience or intuition opens up to you good possibilities of really relating to God. The Creator of our Universe.

When the Hebrews left Egypt they followed a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud during the day.

You know how to experience a person who is present to you. In a particular place, at a particular time. Our Lord wants to related to you. Right now.

You are loved and we learn to love because we are first loved.

The Manifest Presence of God is also the Loving Presence of God, as our Lord relates to us. This is a gift that is already given.

Receive.

I talk to Jesus and receive a response through Holy Spirit. At a particular place and time. I ask, and I receive in faith. Knowing he is so good to me, so full of love, I can hardly begin to comprehend.

You can do the same.

Ask for and receive the experience of the Manifest Presence of God. Relate to him. Talk with him. Listen to him. Enjoy his holy Presence – which is a way of how he is talking with you, a friend pointed out to me.

It is in the context of experiencing the Manifest Presence of God that conversation is easier. Ministry is easier. Confidence, trust and faith come to us more easily. Miracles happen more often.

All because you choose to relate to our Lord. Our Lord is always eager to relate to you. And his gift of the Manifest Presence of God makes all this easier for us.

Enjoy his Manifest Presence. Give thanks.

Rejoice; our Lord is near. Rejoice!

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Discipleship Getting Help Holy Spirit Kingdom of God Ministry

Changing Life Seasons

Photo by Andreas Dress, on Unsplash.com

In a recent exploration among fellow Spiritual Companions, I described my current cycles of growth where I felt aerated—like ground broken up for planting fresh crops—good and necessary for the long term and a difficult process in the moment.

I’m getting older and am cutting back on taking on new projects. I am getting help to manage the household; all because I’m discovering that I have less energy than before. Having to make such changes is hard.

Yet, making these changes helps me focus more on my calling to share the Good News of the Kingdom of God that Jesus preaches, and help activate people at The Miracle Café in the highlands of Panama, where people learning how to minister are helping others experience miracles of healing and restoration in other areas of their lives.

Earlier, I knew a transition was in progress for me. At first, it was difficult. More recently, I knew through Holy Spirit that my spirit was confident. Even though my soul—my mind—did not consciously know what the transition was towards.

I guess that’s a sign of growth. There was a time I didn’t trust so well, and I would have tried to insist on knowing what was going on and understanding the process before I would choose to trust the process. Now I trust God more completely. (That is good progress, I am sure of it.)

Feeling like ground that was too hard and not yet ready for planting while being plowed—was still difficult though.

There will be more changes. Change is always in progress. For me, spring is not so far away now. Other seasons will follow.

A deep help for me was being asked key questions and seeking to answer Spiritual Companions and Holy Spirit. Being encouraged helped me put this into words, and I understood with greater awareness and consciousness. Support, friendship, and encouragement helped.

Spiritual Companionship is a great and necessary help for me and all of us. We go through transitions easier and better with such help, even when they are challenging.

Transition and change can be painful, difficult, wonderful, and joyous in any combination. 

Transition is much more productive as we seek help through Holy Spirit, which is often easier and faster when we have the encouragement, help, and support of Spiritual Companions.

We all go through transitions and many changes. It is easier and faster, and more joyous for us with excellent help. Yet, seeking help from Holy Spirit is easy and effective with help from Spiritual Companions.

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Discipleship Empath Healing Intercession Ministry Prayer Prophecy

Putin Needs Prayer

Putin Needs Love and Needs Prayer

Look at pictures of President Putin. Something is clearly wrong. He is suffering, and he looks to me like someone who has been under attack.

We are to pray for our enemies.

We are to pray for leaders, that there may be peace in the land.

Ukraine is, as I write this, under attack. Fighters on all sides and families and others – suffer.

Putin is, I believe, the unfortunate target of spiritual warfare, and it has not been going good for him.

And because he is a leader, it is going badly for many, many other people.

Please pray for President Putin. He is in anguish, tortured, and the pain has been spreading.

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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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Disciple Making Evangelize Gospel Healing Hearing God Holy Spirit Jesus Key Article Kingdom of God Ministry Miracles Success

Disciple-Making on Steroids

Miracle of Jesus Healing a Blind Man

Discipling someone, or several people, can can succeed a lot faster than most of us are used to. I call this “Disciple-Making on Steroids” because this approach is so powerful and fast.

Here’s an example to learn from, that, with variations – depending on your situation, can be done more easily and more quickly than perhaps we have ever seen.

On the street or in a supermarket or other store, or maybe a shopping mall, you see someone who obviously needs healing. Their injury or disability or pain is obvious to you.

So you walk up to them and say, “Hello. My name is ____; it looks to me like you have some” pain, difficulty, injury, disability – whatever it is. Make it easy for them to talk to you about it. Make sure you discover what it is that they cannot do or cannot easily do, because of that particular need of healing.

Ask them if it’s okay for you to pray for them. Most people will be glad for such prayer, if by then you are in rapport. If they are not willing, thank them and let them be.

You can pray for them at a distance if you like.

Keep doing this until you discover someone who is willing to be prayed for.

Pray for them, praying to Jesus, maybe something like, “Dear Jesus, help this person with ____” whatever is needed. They expected you to pray for them, and it’s easy for them to say yes to such a request. Then be sure to quietly but with authority – like when you are talking to a child or a pet and you really mean it – tell that need for healing to be healed. Be sensitive to Holy Spirit and do as seems best.

Ask them to test, to do what they could not easily do or could not do. When they succeed, give thanks to Jesus!

When that does not go well, you can be like Jesus healing the blind man who could see a bit more at first, but needed more healing and said something like, “I see men walking, but they are like trees walking”. So, like Jesus, you pray (and command with authority), healing again.

If you want to do it like Jesus did, and was so successful at healing so often (always), you can do it like this:

Keep testing the healing until it is done. Persist.

Now comes the cool part, disciple making on steroids:

Now that they have been healed, ask them something like, “Would you like to give your life to Jesus and have him as your Lord?” When they say yes, lead them in such a prayer. When they say no, just continue as if they had. Because of what happens next, they probably will.

Take the person who has now been healed and who now has Jesus (or not) in them, and go with them. Find someone else who has an obvious need of healing. Instruct them to pray for and command healing, just as they experienced. Have them heal the person in need. Pray for them and their ministry, and their good success while that do that. Help them out loud as called for and needed.

Now you have someone with you who has been healed, who has come to Jesus (or not, yet). If not yet come to Jesus, ask them if they want to make it official now, and help them accept Jesus as Lord. If not, get their contact information, pray for them, and follow up and give them encouragement and help as you are led with Holy Spirit. Just do the best you can and ask for help through Holy Spirit.

I like to ask for more of Holy Spirit before I pray for someone or minister. My prayer and ministry is more effective when I do this, and I hear God better, too.

.

I believe that this is how Jesus wants us to minister in these times. In these days. The time is short: make disciples, with Holy Spirit, on steroids!

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Conversation with God Disciple Making Discipleship Evangelize Faith Friendship Getting Help Gospel Jesus Joy Kingdom of God Ministry Prayer

There are Multiple Biblical Ways to Salvation

John Benitez – Unsplash

Those of us who use even a somewhat Evangelical approach to salvation have a few prayers that we encourage so that someone can experience salvation.

The Bible takes a different approach. So much so that the most frequent method to attain salvation in the bible is one I’ve never seen or heard of being used with a potential convert. By hindsight, this is a bit astounding.

Yet in real life, it makes perfect sense. And the usual prayers are used for several good reasons.

It really is wise and good that we get to know more consciously about Jesus, and Jesus as our Lord. And that this be expressed clearly in our prayer.

So what is this most frequently mentioned method of achieving salvation in scriptures that is so unused for making converts? It’s actually a method frequently used by the rest of us.

A very common prayer, used by many of us when we need help, when we need and want to be saved. Just seldom used to help someone become a convert to Christianity.

What is this frequently used approach for getting help when most needed, but seldom if ever used to help someone become a convert?

It’s simply this: call on the name of the Lord and you will be saved.

Biblical theology is probably wider and more inclusive than our theologies. God is certainly more broad minded than we are.

And this illustrates very well how some things are taught about to us and for us in scripture from many angles, in many ways. And we tend to focus on one way, sometimes proof-texting, yet even so, we tend to focus on one very good way. But God and scriptures offers more options than we often think about and sometimes more options than we even normally trust or believe in.

Thank you, Lord, for being so broad minded, for thinking differently than we do, for being more loving and generous than we yet are able to grasp.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for giving us eternity to continue to get to know you and your love. We need you. And we need eternity to explore and learn about your love and your depth. Thank you, Lord!

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Disciple Making Evangelize Faith Jesus Preaching Kingdom of God Ministry

Jesus Never Said that He Came to Save You

In him was Life, and Life is the Light of men. (See John 1:4.)

Sometimes the assumptions built into our local traditions help us get things wrong.

Jesus repeatedly said that he came to give us Life. The Life of God (in New Testament Greek: Zoe). Nowhere in the New Testament does Jesus say his purpose was to come to get you into heaven.

He repeatedly said that he came to bring you Life, Zoe: the Life of God. Heaven is included.

He came to get Life into you: the Life of God. (Something the first Adam lost.) Relationship restored!

Jesus never said to make converts; he said to make disciples. (Converts are included in making disciples.)

He came so you can start helping to bring heaven to earth – now. Wow! You get to help bring heaven to earth.

Salvation is included, and you will go to heaven. And later in our New Heaven and New Earth, God will literally be our Light that we see by, in the Temple.

Help bring Heaven to earth: preach the Good News of the Kingdom. Heal the sick. Free the bound. Make disciples of all nations, all people groups.

Also, you get to pray for heaven on earth:

8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.

Matthew 6: 8-10, NKJV

So…my thesis here is that Jesus did not say he came here to get us into heaven, even though he does get us into heaven when we respond with faith. What he repeatedly said was that he came here to give us Life. The Life of God, in us, does result in heaven. And later, into the New Heaven and New Earth.

It’s like that he did not say we were to make converts. He said to make disciples – this should be our focus when evangelizing. Which will result in stronger and more effective Christians than by focusing on making converts. Let’s follow Jesus and do what Jesus said.

Let’s do and minister as Jesus showed, taught, and as he still says to us today in Scripture, with Holy Spirit. Doing as Jesus teaches is better than following local traditions.

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Conversation with God Discipleship, Getting Help Ministry Prayer Targets

Intercede for Many

Jesus reaching out to you while in prayer

So a friend updated me about a series of wonderful prayer targets: prayer goals so clear that we can tell when grace happens and God answered those prayers. Which increases faith, wonderfully!

And I have other prayer lists, which have been growing.

So I asked Jesus if I could ask for directions for praying for these many worthy and wonderful Prayer Targets. He answered right away, “Sure! I do it all the time!” And brought to my mind how he intercedes for so many of us – always.


How do you do it, I ask? “Same as always,” Jesus replies. “Father shows or tells me. You can do the same.”

So I asked Jesus if I could ask for directions for praying for these many worthy and wonderful Prayer Targets. He gave me several ways:

  • First, he reminded me of how I used to have index cards with prayer needs and prayer targets, beginning and ending dates; notes on what happened. I got to know them so well I could go through them with prayer intentions that no longer took a lot of time.
  • Second, he reminded me of how I ask for how to pray about something.
  • Then Jesus told me how he can ask for how to pray for many related needs and people – at one time. Father shows him or tells him; Jesus affirms he will tell me such things through Holy Spirit.

So I am exploring this. Holy Spirit groups for me people and needs. And I am following directions, praying as I’m guided.

Continuing to pray until these the prayer Jesus gives me are fully enforced.

And it is very clear to me I have very much to learn. Including things I never thought of, such as praying in the Spirit more, and praying while I dream. And much more, that I do not know about yet.

And I grow to be a bit more like Jesus. And to learn to intercede with much more love and lots more faith (which is much easier when Jesus shows you how to pray through Holy Spirit).

Do this. Intercede for many, and minister more like Jesus.

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Evangelize Jesus Joy Key Article Kingdom of God Ministry Presence of God

Experience Jesus

Jesus Invites – by Sitara

I realized something recently that surprised and delighted me. Some years ago I introduced maybe as many as 75 people to how to experience Jesus for themselves, experiencing Jesus in their heart. It was based on a key decision, which I explained they could undo if they did not like the experience or did not want to continue to experience Jesus. Not a single one chose to not continue to experience Jesus in their hearts. That’s astounding, there is little that we humans do that works so well. But then, this was the work of Holy Spirit….

Most of these people went on to be baptized in water, and then be baptized in Holy Spirit. We met in one of three houses, rotating where we met for about two years. Our weekly meetings lasted 6-8 hours; some people came early, others left early. We didn’t have 75 people at these meetings, but the house was always pretty full.

During that time, discipling happened, helped and led by Holy Spirit.

Regardless, we all learned how to experience Jesus. And everyone liked this so much they wanted to continue.

I was inspired to try this with people by Holy Spirit when reading scripture. It was long ago, and I’m not sure, but I suspect I had been reading 1 John, Chapter 4.

Here’s how it went, helping people to experience Jesus for themselves:

Try out these beliefs, and check your heart: you will be experiencing Jesus in your heart.

If you don’t like it, just decide against those beliefs.

Jesus is fully man, completely human.

Jesus is fully God, he is God.

When you believe both of these things: you can experience Jesus in your heart.

Hallelujah!