Responding to God

Glory to God!

Yesterday's meeting was very powerful as we encountered God in worship and interceded for others in His presence. The Lord is speaking to us about living the Kingdom life wherever we are and showing us what it means to live a holy life, set apart for God and His purposes.Yesterday the Lord showed us that God's holy people are sanctified by faith in God and His Word.

• Faith is the conviction of both the present and future reality of God and His Kingdom. Heb. 11:1
• Faith is not based on what is seen but on the invisible. Heb. 11:1; 2 Cor.4:18
• True faith is always accompanied by a response to God's presence and His Word. John 14:15

The believer's faith is as real as his response to the presence and will of God!

• Faith without action is dead. James 2:26
• Jesus responded to the present reality of the Father. He did what the He saw the Father doing and spoke what He heard the Father saying. John 5:19,30
• Christ's obedience to the Father set Him apart to become the Author of salvation. Heb. 4:8-10
• Christ sancified Himself to be able to sanctify those who would believe in Him. John 17:19
• Through faith and obedience to God's presence and His Word, the believer lives a holy life. John 17:17; 1 Peter 1:14-16
• As God's holy people we are called to live the Kingdom life - a life set apart by our response to God's presence, His Word and the hope of Christ's return.

We praise God for His revelation to us and for setting us apart for His glory!

This week we are praying for the city of Frankfurt to be protected from the planned "Blockupy" protests that have been accompanied by vanadalism and violence in the past. As God's people we are standing together against the forces of darkness that seek to destroy our city! 

Quote of the week

"I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but hat you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified." John 17:14-19

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Kingdom Authority

Glory to God!

The Lord is teaching us what it means to live the Kingdom Life wherever we are and He has been showing us that to live the Kingdom life is to be holy just as God is holy (1 Peter 1:15). Our Sunday meetings have been very powerful as God has been revealing His holiness to us and helping us understand and experience His holiness so that we know what it is to walk in holiness.

These past two Sundays the Lord has shown us how holiness relates to our relationships with one another and with God. Walking in holiness means aligning ourselves with God's will and purpose on earth as it is in heaven. God is calling His people to return to His Kingdom order so that relationships and families are restored. In particular the Lord is calling the men in the Church to take up their godly roles and responsibilities as the head of the family to restore holiness to the family and society. In a powerful sermon on God's will to restore our families and to heal the brokenness and hurts caused by ungodly fathers and men, Alexander Blair revealed the Father's heart to realign His people to His will for the family and relationships with one another.

Yesterday the Lord spoke to us about what it means to be a holy people and God's purpose for holiness. This is what He showed us:

• God is holy and He calls His people to be holy. 1 Peter 1:15
• As God's holy people we have been purchased with the blood of Jesus to be God's possession. Rev. 5:9; 1 Cor. 6:20; 1 Pet. 2:9
• Living in holiness means living as God's possession. As God's possession, we belong to God and are set apart for Him and His purposes. 2 Cor. 5:15
• God calls His people to live holy lives so that He is revealed to the nations. Ezek. 36:23-32
• Jesus walked in holiness as He walked in complete submission to the Father; therefore revealing the Father and walking in the authority of the Father. Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:21-28; 1 John 3:7-10
• Living as God's possession reveals the believer's absolute submission to God's authority and therefore the believer is able to walk in God's authority to overcome the works of the devil. Mat. 10:1,7,8; Luke 10:9, 17-20; Luke 11:14-28; John 17:14-19
• Unless the believer walks under authority, he cannot walk in authority! Luke 7:1-10
• Disobedience gives Satan a foothold that hinders God's authority and power in the believer's life. Eph. 4:26,27; 1 John 3:21-24
• Living as God's possession is demonstrated by the believer's life -  his attitude toward authority, his use of his body, time, money, and resources. 
• Living as God's possession means every part of the believer's life belongs to God - the believer lives as a steward of what God has entrusted to him.
• God's holy people therefore tithe, fast, abstain, share, give, etc. 1 Cor. 7:5; Mark 9; Isaiah 58
• The purpose of living as God's possession is to reveal God and overcome the kingdom of darkness!

We praise God for showing us what it means to live the Kingdom life so that God's Kingdom is manifested on earth as it is in heaven through His holy people. Hallelujah!

Important dates and events:

  2 June: G.O.D. (Global Outreach Day). Click here for more information

17 June at 3pm: KLF meeting @ EFG Frankfurt-Nordwest (Haeberlinstr.3, F-Eschersheim)

  8 July at 3pm: KLF meeting @ EFG Frankfurt-Nordwest

Quote of the week:

"You are a chosen people, a royal priesthod, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness and into his wonderful light." 1 Peter 2:9

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Dancing with God

Glory to God!

God is among us! People are encountering Him and being touched by Him.  Hallelujah!

The Lord is speaking to us about holiness and is showing us that as His holy people, we are called to be holy. This is what God revealed to us yesterday:

• The believer in Christ is sanctified (made holy) through his union with the Holy One. Eph. 5:3; 1 Cor. 1:2
• Sanctification is not a process. The believer is holy the moment s/he is joined to Christ.
• As God's holy people, set apart for God, believers are commanded to live holy lives. Eph. 4:24; 5:3,8; 1 Peter 1:14-17; 
• The believer who pursues holiness is faced with the battle of desires - the desires of the sinful nature against the desires of the Spirit. Gal. 5:17; Rom. 8:12-14
• Those who try to follow rules, or those who use their freedom in Christ to satisfy their own desires, will not produce the fruit of holiness. Rom. 7; 1 Pet.2:16
• Those who seek to not grieve the Holy Spirit but please Him will live in holiness. Eph. 4:30; 5:10
• Those who follow the Spirit will produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit - holiness. Gal. 5:22-25
• Obeying God means following the Holy Spirit and keeping in step with Him, responding to God's presence and leading. Gal. 5:25; Rom. 8:5-14
• God's mercy and grace give the believer access to fellowship with God. 1 John 1:1-2:6
• Those who remain in fellowship with God become increasingly sensitive to what He desires, and in obedience to God will live holy lives. John 14:15; 1 John 3:6, 24
• The way of the Spirit is like dancing with God!
• Fellowship is the key to holiness. To live in holiness the believer must pursue fellowship with God and remain in Him. John 15; 1 John 3:6,24

Important dates and events:

  2 June: G.O.D. (Global Outreach Day). Click here for more information

17 June at 3pm: KLF meeting @ EFG Frankfurt-Nordwest (Haeberlinstr.3, F-Eschersheim)

  8 July at 3pm: KLF meeting @ EFG Frankfurt-Nordwest

Quote of the week:

"No one who lives in him keeps on sinning." 1 John 3:6

"Ransomed men need no longer to pause in fear to enter the Holy of Holies. God wills that we should push on into His presence and live our whole life there...It is more than a doctrine to be held; it is a life to be enjoyed, every moment of every day." A.W. Tozer

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Called to Holiness

Glory to God!

The Lord is increasingly manifesting His presence in our meetings and yesterday we simply moved with the Holy Spirit as He led us. The Father is showing us what His Kingdom is like so that we understand what it means to live the Kingdom life. Yesterday He revealed His holiness to us and showed us that He and everything that belongs to Him is holy. Consequently, as His holy people, saved by grace, we have been joined to the Holy One and are called to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16). God's Kingdom is a Kingdom of Holiness.

Looking at 2 Cor. 6:14 - 7:1, the Lord showed us that the purpose of His infilling presence is for us to be set apart for God's purposes and for the Church to reveal His holiness. Without the awareness of the presence of God in his or her life, the believer cannot walk in holiness. Those who respond to God's indwelling presence are those who fear God in secret and in public. Holiness is the substance of Heaven that God wants to communicate through His people as they follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. The secrets of the Kingdom are given to those who fear God and walk according to His Holy Spirit (Psalm 25:14; Isa. 45:3; Matt. 13:11; 1 Cor. 2:7; 4:1).

We also saw how every true outpouring of God's Spirit has led to revivals that are marked by holiness - God's people and the unsaved responding to God's holy presence with repentance and obedience. The manifestation of God's presence will always be a revelation of holiness that causes man to worship Him, humble himself and become aware of everything that is unholy in himself and in society (Ex. 34:8,9; Isa. 6:1-5; Acts 2). By grace God has set apart His people to live holy lives. The purpose of God's grace is holiness - His kindness leads to repentance (Rom. 2:4). Grace is not a cover-up for evil (1 Pet. 2:16) but God's enabling power for His people be like Him and to walk in holiness (Eph. 4:24; 2 Pet.1:3).

We praise God for His revelation to us and for manifesting His holy presence among us! Hallelujah!

Important dates and events:

  2 June: G.O.D. (Global Outreach Day). Click here for more information

17 June at 3pm: KLF meeting @ EFG Frankfurt-Nordwest (Haeberlinstr.3, F-Eschersheim)

  8 July at 3pm: KLF meeting @ EFG Frankfurt-Nordwest

Quote of the week

"The consciousness of God's indwelling presence, making and keeping us His very own, works true separation from the world and its spirit, from ourselves and our own will. As we accept this separation and prize and persevere in it, the holiness of God will enter and take possession. Then we shall realise that to be the Lord's property, people of His own, signifies infinitely more than merely to be accounted or acknowledged as His - it means that God, in the power and indwelling of the Holy Ghost, fills our being, our affections, and our will with His own life and holiness." Andrew Murray

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Easter Celebration

Glory to God!

He is risen! Yesterday we celebrated the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and His victory over sin and death. Three of us testified about what Easter means to us personally and this is what was shared:

Empowered

Speaking of honouring and living in what Christ has accomplished for us, Tabea Rowe shared how the believer is empowered to live in resurrection power by applying God's Word to one's life on a daily basis and renewing one's mind to overcome the deception and work of the enemy (Rom. 12:1,2). Having been raised to new life in Christ, the believer is now able to apply Christ's victory over sin and death in his or her life to overcome difficult circumstances, sickness, depression and everything else the enemy throws at us. We praise God for empowering us to overome! Hallelujah!

Entrance

Hannah Schulze spoke to us about the wonderful truth that through Christ's victory, man can now enter in to the very presence of God and live in communion with the Father through faith in Jesus. Through Christ's death and resurrection, we now have access to the Most Holy Place and can experience the presence of the living God every moment of our lives (Heb. 10:19-22). As the temple of the Holy Spirit, the believer is to learn to host the very presence of God in his life on a daily basis. We praise God for giving us entrance into His presence so that we can enjoy intimacy with Him!
Hallelujah!

Expectation

Christ's resurrection was a sign to the world that there is indeed a resurrection of the dead and that just as Jesus predicted His suffering, His burial and His resurrection, He also predicted that He would come again to judge mankind (Luke 17:23-25; 21:33-36; 24:1-12). Christ's resurrection points to the hope of glory every believer has (Col.1:27) as he waits in expectation for Christ's glorious return.

Easter means the believer can live in resurrection power as he enters and lives in God's presence, is empowered by God and lives in expectation of Christ's return. 

Important dates and events:

  2 June: G.O.D. (Global Outreach Day). Click here for more information

17 June at 3pm: KLF meeting @ EFG Frankfurt-Nordwest (Haeberlinstr.3, F-Eschersheim)

  8 July at 3pm: KLF meeting @ EFG Frankfurt-Nordwest

Quote of the week:

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." John 11:25,26

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The Shout of the King

Glory to God!

We are preparing for the Global Outreach Day (G.O.D.) on the 2nd June and yesterday Steve Greenhill presented this exciting venture and inspired us to be part of what is going to be a worldwide day of seeking to save the Lost and reconciling people to the Father. 

The Lord is teaching us about the nature of His Kingdom so that we will live the Kingdom life wherever we are. Yesterday the Lord showed us that His dominion is a Kingdom of blessing.

• Having received the gift of righteousness through faith in Christ, the believer has access to God's abundant grace. Rom. 5:1,2
• As the righteousness of God through Christ, the believer is an object of God's blessing. John 1:16; Gal. 3:13,14
• The believer is called to be an agent of blessing as an ambassador of the Kingdom of blessing. James 3:9-12; Rom. 12:14
• God's people are a blessed people. Numbers 22:12
• To curse someone is to denounce him and dishonour him (not treat as valuable). Numbers 23:8
• When we judge, criticize, and slander others, we curse them because we hold their "sin" against them. However God does not hold our sin against us and expects His people to be just as merciful and gracious as He is. Numbers 23:21; Matthew 6:14,15; John 3:17; 2 Cor. 5:19
• God wants His blessed people to be a people of blessing who live to bless others. 
• Blessing creates a culture of honour!
• The foundation of God's Kingdom is mercy and grace from which His blessing flows! 
• God is calling His people to rise up like a lion with the roar of blessing - the shout of the King. Numbers 23:21-24
• God's people must overcome the spirit of this world with the opposite Spirit of the Kingdom!
• When the believer blesses others, he releases Heaven on earth, bringing God's Kingdom of blessing into this world.

In the evening our team of 17 people ministered God's love and blessing to over 100 homeless and needy people in Frankfurt city. We praise God for His grace upon this ministry and for the salvation, healing and deliverance of people we witness every month. Glory to God!

Important dates and events:

  2 June: G.O.D. (Global Outreach Day). Click here for more information

17 June at 3pm: KLF meeting @ EFG Frankfurt-Nordwest (Haeberlinstr.3, F-Eschersheim)

  8 July at 3pm: KLF meeting @ EFG Frankfurt-Nordwest

Quote of the week:

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit." Gal. 3:13,14

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The Kingdom of Grace

Glory to God!

The Lord is speaking to us about living the Kingdom life wherever we are. For us to live the Kingdom life, we need revelation of the nature of God's Kingdom and yesterday the Lord showed us that His Kingdom is a Kingdom of grace! Looking at Romans chapter 5, this is what He showed us:

1. Adam's sin caused all of mankind to become sinful by nature. Rom. 5:12-14
2. The symptom of the sinful nature is sin which leads to death. Rom. 5:12-14
3. The consequence of man's sinful nature is judgment, condemnation and death. Rom. 5:16
4. God dealt with the root of the problem as well as the symptom - He dealt with man's sinful nature as well as the fruit of that nature by giving us His Son. Rom. 5:8,15
5. Those who trust in Jesus receive a new nature! God replaces the old sinful nature with a righteous nature so that those who are in Christ become righteous by nature. Rom. 5:17; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21
6. The gift of righteousness provides the believer with wonderful privileges! 

The Privileges of Righteousness

1. The believer has access to God's abundant grace. Rom. 5:2; Heb. 4:16
2. The believer can stand in God's abundant grace. Rom. 5:2
3. Grace reigns in the believer's life. Rom. 5:21
4. Grace empowers the believer. Heb. 13:9; 2 Tim. 2:1
5. Grace enables the believer to overcome temptation and sin (Titus 2:11-14; Rom. 2:4) and to reign in life (Rom. 5.17).

• Just as Jesus came full of grace and truth, so the believer is to produce the fruit of the Kingdom of grace. John 1:14, 16, 17
• The key to being gracious like Christ is to live in intimacy with the Father. Just as Jesus came from the Father's heart full of grace, so the believer must stay close to the Father's gracious heart (Gr. kolpos = bosom, heart). John 1:14, 18; 13:23

We become gracious as we are soaked 

in the gracious presence of God!

We praise God for His wonderful revelation to us and for His amazing gift of righteousness and grace! Hallelujah!

Important dates and events:

  2 June: G.O.D. (Global Outreach Day). Click here for more information

17 June at 3pm: KLF meeting @ EFG Frankfurt-Nordwest (Haeberlinstr.3, F-Eschersheim)

  8 July at 3pm: KLF meeting @ EFG Frankfurt-Nordwest

Quote of the week:

"When the king smiles, there is life; his favour refreshes like a spring rain." Proverbs 16:15

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