Why the Father is Particular about What is Done in Secret

“Be careful not to practice your acts of righteousness 

in front of others to be seen by them." 

[Matthew 6.1]

Photo by Jordan Seott on Unsplash.

Don't practice your righteousness "to be seen" in public. No less than Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, urges, emphasizes and COMMANDS it. When we say "righteousness" (that's what it says in the Greek) it includes everything we do for God, like ministry. Ministry, any part of it, is an act of righteousness. It's not just giving alms to the poor. Anyway, the Greek uses "dikaiosynen" which is "righteousness," so it's not just giving to the poor but all we do for God. 

Here's another way Jesus put it:

“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others. [Matthew 23]

Ministry is a collection of services we do for God in righteousness plus the kind of life we live. Ministry is acts of righteousness. Anything we do for GOD should not be done with the intention of being "seen by men." They must be done in secret to get God's attention. When we do something for God and he looks into our hearts, he wants to see nothing but the right motive there--which is NOT "to be seen" in public. 

Done in Secret

Jesus is revealing something about the Father here, especially what he is so particular about when it comes to things we do for him. He likes things to be done in private or in secret. And since God is a jealous God, he wants what we do to be exclusively for his eyes--to please him alone. Remember, our relationship with God is an intimate love relationship, and he is jealous. His name is Jealous [Exodus 34.14].

If we do things "to be seen by men," it triggers his jealousy and he refuses to even glance at what we're doing--since we're doing it not for him alone but for others, too. We're a two-timer, somewhat in love with God but also flirting with our heart idol--which is people we aim to please. Jesus would not have taught about this if this wasn't important. We need to make sure our righteous acts are done in private.

The secret things belong to the Lord our God. 

Deuteronomy 29.29

Jesus never loved standing somewhere he is seen by all and doing ministry. 

He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets. [Isaiah 42.2]

Church people who still love to be seen in public with their righteous acts, who love to be seen standing in street corners or in synagogues praying (or love to be seen leading in prayer in church), and who love to showoff their fasting and sacrifices for God or ministry, do not understand the apostolic teachings of Jesus. Believers in Acts devoted themselves to the apostles' teachings (you see the words, "DEVOTED THEMSELVES"? It means apostolic is serious), and foremost of these were the things Jesus taught in the Gospel, and especially in the Beatitudes. And a big part of that is God's privacy policy. All of the Beatitudes are the foundation of genuine apostolic teachings.

If you are genuinely apostolic and prophetic in the priesthood or order of Melchizedek as Jesus is, you do things for GOD in private, 
foremost of which is privately in your heart.

I don't know where to place the practice of evangelical churches, promoting themselves in public and displaying their good deeds to attract people to up their membership. They say the promotions are "for God's glory." How can that be when the Father wants all our righteous acts to be done in private? How can we oppose God's Word and still glorify him? People pursued after Jesus and made his ministry look public, but he didn't invite them and he never meant to show what he did in public. His ministry was promoted by the Holy Spirit, never by himself. That is among solid apostolic teachings. 

The Sermon on the Mount is the solid and pure apostolic teachings of Jesus the Apostle whom we confess. Sadly, not even "apostolic" churches understand Jesus' apostolic teachings and evangelical churches are worse. For one, you see apostolic churches also displaying their ministry (righteous acts) all over the Net. They promote their conferences and announce their coming. Even before the Net came, they've always been fond of doing churchy things in public to be seen by men. Churches in general love to be seen standing in the synagogue (or their church altars) or at street corners during outdoor ministries. They announce their fasting and prayer meetings. They say they do it "for God's glory." 

They break God's commandments to keep their traditions and programs, like the Pharisees did. They do this because they don't know the apostolic teachings of Jesus. It has not been revealed to them. 

And they love long prayers. They scorn short ones and think you're not spiritual if you just utter quick, simple, unimpressive and prosaic prayers. These are signs they are not apostolic. And if Jesus wants prayers to be in secret and non demonstrative, so with worship, because prayer and worship always go together as seen in the prayer Jesus taught his disciples. Worship should be in secret, too.

Jesus Doing Things in Secret

No wonder we see Jesus going to lonely places while it was still dark to pray. He preached in remote places, hillsides and by the lake where few people frequented. The Sermon on the Mount was given to his disciples on a mountain side, and Jesus didn't mean it for the multitudes. It was meant for his disciples but the multitude followed without being invited. Watch the account:

25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. [Matthew 4]

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them. [Matthew 5]

Imagine--this was his major teaching, his intro to vital and powerful Kingdom principles and interpretation of the Scripture, and yet look at him, simply sitting down with his disciples on a mountainside. We would have done it in a huge, comfortable auditorium with a lot of fanfare, preparations, teams, equipment, programs, money, and whatnot. But not Jesus. He just sat there. He intended it to be a small group meeting alone in the wilds where people were less likely to be found.

But the crowds followed. 

When Jesus saw the crowds he went up the mountainside and sat with his disciples. Clearly, the event was privately for his followers, and he began teaching "them," referring to the disciples, not the crowds. He had no intention of teaching the crowd, but the crowd came anyway to listen. And since Jesus will not cast you away if you come to him [John 6.37], he allowed the crowds to be there. 

But Jesus intended the bible study to be away from the public and exclusively for true followers. When Jesus said, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me," he wasn't addressing the crowd but his disciples only. The multitude didn't have that kind of commitment to Jesus so they were not susceptible to persecutions. It was not applicable to them. From this, we see that Jesus didn't invite them over. 

Here's another:

“You are the light of the world."

This didn't apply to the multitudes but only to Jesus' disciples. You cannot be a mere spectator of Jesus, just waiting for the free meal of bread and fish, and then be "light of the world." The Sermon was meant for the disciples and this meeting was meant to be private and hidden from the populace. But, well, the curious multitudes were nosy and followed, hoping to get some more benefits from Jesus. And we're like that--we follow in hopes of getting answered prayers. Nothing more. We pursue after the blessings, not the radical apostolic teachings of Jesus the Apostle.

Private Meetings

Even during temple scenes, Jesus intended to meet people mostly in private, although there were instances when he did appear and talk in public, but not intentionally. He was mostly doing things in private and not showing off righteous deeds. Jesus didn't preach at the Sheep Gate, for instance, but simply talked with the paralytic who was invalid for 38 years. It was a private meeting and a private conversation. 

One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” [John 5]

It was a private talk. Jesus healed him and simply "slipped away into the crowd that was there." He just left and quietly disappeared from view. There was no great commotion or announcement, and this tells us that everything was done without attracting attention. It was a simple conversation in some corner at the pool. But after some time, the religious leaders saw the man carrying his mat and questioned him. That started the disturbance. Some time after, Jesus again saw him and had a private talk again with him. 

Great miracles can happen in quiet, ordinary private talks.

Man Born Blind

Another healing intended privately was that of a man born blind. This time, only Jesus and his disciples were talking. It was not a big public meeting or crusade. It may have been in a public place but the conversation was just among him and his disciples. The disciples had a query and Jesus answered with an actual miraculous demonstration. It was done, not to attract attention, but only among themselves, without showing off to the crowds. Here's how it went:

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” [John 9]

The private conversation is clear. It's like, you and two of your friends meet inside a mall where people are strolling or shopping, but the three of you are somewhere a bit private and having an almost quiet conversation. You're not making a scene or calling attention to yourselves or making a grand scenario. Then Jesus, without talking to the blind guy or asking if he wanted healing, just straightway applied mud mixed with his saliva on the blind man's eyes and then said, privately, not in a loud, announcing voice:

“Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

Everything so far was semi-private. Nothing was dramatic. They were in a public place but the conversations were private, just between them, until the neighbors started getting nosy about the healing, after Jesus had left, and brought the man to the Pharisees who made a disturbance on the issue. Later, Jesus met the man once more who had been blind but now was healed and talked with him in private, again. Jesus, as we have seen in both examples above, did things privately. No programs, fanfare, gimmicks, noise, announcements, preparations or what-have-you. That's true apostolic.

We would have been loud about it, making sure people around heard and saw, because we're fond of saying that announcing everything in public is for God's glory (and yet no real miracles happen). We would have made a scene or a well planned programmed for it to make sure we do a great presentation. Again, for God's glory. We don't believe in doing our righteous acts in secret, or that the Father who sees what is done in secret will reward our secret deed. We think nothing will happen to our ministries if we keep things in private. We don't trust what Jesus said. So we glamorize like showbiz.

There are a lot more examples of Jesus doing his righteous acts in secret, but sometimes made "public" only because people rushed to him in droves and made a public spectacle of them. Like Lazarus' coming to life again. Jesus stayed outside town, probably again to avoid publicity and crowds, and went to the tomb with Mary, Martha and some mourners from the funeral. These folks were not invited to see a miracle or create fanfare and attract people to Jesus to add to his membership, but they came to accompany Mary to the tomb, not knowing Jesus would be there.

Jesus performed the miracle despite this crowd because it was God's time for the miracle, not because it was an opportunity to be seen by men and become popular and "glorify God." To be sure, Jesus never did anything "to be seen by people" but did things as private as possible. He will not contradict his teachings. In the instances when crowds began to gather anyway despite his privacy policy, he didn't "perform" to impress people and lure them to his membership. In fact, he seemed to intentionally piss them off each time, to discourage them from following him for the wrong reasons the Father will not approve of. 

At one time, he found himself amid a crowd that liked him a lot. Jesus seemed uncomfortable with crowds that liked him, so he said something to offend them. Watch this:

All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked. [Luke 4]

We would have loved it so much if we got this kind of reaction from people. We crave for public acceptance and applause not knowing it's a demonic stronghold. Anything that feeds the ego is demonic. But pissing off people who are beginning to love us would be the last thing in our agenda. But not Jesus. He said something that irked them so much they wanted to throw him off a cliff. This was probably Jesus' way of doing his righteous acts NOT "to be seen by men" or NOT to impress them, so he pissed them off. He hinted how God had favored some gentiles more than he did the Jews, who were supposed to be people of God. 

“Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

Haha. No pastor today will do this. They'd say it's bad preaching. Or, it's judgmental or legalistic or out of context. They'd even think it's a sin to turn away a crowd that's beginning to like God's Word and turn to him. But Jesus didn't have any second thoughts. He just outright pissed them off. That's another apostolic teaching: If the crowd likes you because of your "gracious" words, try telling them things that irritate their ears and upset their ego and you're going to reveal their true hearts.

And doing that (displeasing the crowd that seems to like us) prevents us from performing our righteous acts "to be seen by men." If you find yourself in a crowd that seems to like you, say something off and that makes you do your righteous acts NOT to be seen by men. That's Jesus' apostolic way.

Continued in the links below:

Private Meeting with Nicodemus 

Triumphal Entry to Jerusalem was Supposed to be Private

Peter and John Went Privately to the Temple Gate Called Beautiful

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SURRENDERING TO JESUS 

Ask for forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through what Jesus Christ did on the cross.

In Jesus alone is salvation. 

Jesus is: 

‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4] 

Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His Word in the bible.

His Body on Earth

His body has tremendous, awesome  powers, and I'm not just guessing, hyping or saying this out of tradition or cliché. God's body is the ultimate spiritual weapon against Satan and his kingdom. Worship and prayer are powerful and can markedly neutralize the enemy, but the body of Christ is something else. Hence, it was specially prepared to meet the specs of God's optimum war machinery. It's what we should get excited about.

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me." [Hebrews 10]

Photo by Andre Taissin on Unsplash.

To better understand this power, let's take the body's arm, for instance. The Lord's arm alone carries power to rule (both the enemy and his people), and included in that rule is reward the faithful and shepherd his people--the kind of "rule" we badly need in ministry. If only we realize the anointing on the body, and use it, the gates of hell shall not prevail against us. This will be fulfilled in the end times. Checkout God's arm here:

“Here is your God!”

10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. 11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:

He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young. [Isaiah 40]

Spiritual Body

Some will disagree and say the passage above is a metaphor or analogy, not literally applicable. God cannot be referring to his literal "arm" because he is spirit. Well, a spirit has no fleshly body but it does have a spiritual body, and that's what he means here. God sees with his "eyes," for instance, and at one time walked in the cool of the day when Adam and Eve heard him walking in the garden while they hid in their guilt. God has spiritual feet humans can hear.

His body on earth is God's flesh. Know more about the e-book by clicking this link.

In fact, a spiritual body is more real than a physical or earthly one. Our fleshly body is temporal, so limited and often has value only in our fantasies and wishful thinking. We need to see more the value of of a spiritual body, the one we will have on rapture day. Anyway, a spiritual body works in both the spiritual and physical worlds. Hence, God gathering "lambs in his arms" is literal in a very true spiritual sense. He really does gather them "in his arms" because he does have spiritual arms. Remember, nothing is impossible to him.

When religious experts say something is literal or figurative in the bible, they judge it by their human intellect, by what their bible schools and seminaries taught them, not the Spirit. The Spirit of God sees everything possible. EVERYTHING. Things figurative can be literal and vice versa. God and his Word have no limit. You cannot set limits on what God means with his Word using your theology, titles or degrees. The infinite cannot be judged or interpreted by the finite. Only the Spirit can interpret God's Word accurately.

...no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
[1 Corinthians 2.11]

Peter tried to interpret with his own understanding what God was saying, particularly using his Jewish tradition. In a vision, a blanket full of unclean animals was lowered and God told him to kill and eat. But he refused. He rejected unclean animals as food as written in the Old Testament. But God showed him HE alone has the correct interpretation of his Word, though it seemed wrong from a human point of view. Peter didn't get it till the third time.

Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” 14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” 15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” 16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. [Acts 10.13-16]

Imagine what could have happened if Peter simply obeyed and ate.

God's Hand

Now, let's take God's hand, for instance. His hand alone measures the total amount of water in the oceans and seas of the earth combined, and probably the exact salinity or pH in the different regions, the increase in amount during rain and decrease during evaporation, etc. The same hand also sustains the universe, making sure each galaxy, solar system, star and planet stay in their proper places as the whole Milky Way spins and moves forward. Nothing crashes against another. The power of his hand does that.

Plus more.

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? [Isaiah 40]

See that authority, rule and power? And that's just God's one hand! Do you realize how big God is? And that big, powerful, almighty God is in you 100 % through Christ in you. God decided that we are his body on earth. More on this later.

God's Finger

Watch how powerful God's finger can frustrate all the devils' plans, as taught and demonstrated by Jesus, the Apostle. The enemy has power over non-believers but believers simply has to use God's finger to flick him out. Jesus did it and he is in us 100 percent.

But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. [Luke 11.20]

God's finger can singlehandedly drive out demons regardless of number, rank or strength. At one time, Jesus drove out a legion of demons begging him permission to enter 2,000 pigs instead of being kicked out of their territory for good. That may mean 2,000 demons or more. One demon represented the 2,000---the one named Legion and who talked with Jesus---which may indicate the rank of this spirit. Probably the leader of a principality, territory or region. That's big-time.

But all it took was God's finger to put him and his minions out of commission. The demonic leader recognized Jesus at once as being the higher Authority because Jesus knew what he had from the Father, which is the Father's NAME, and which protects his disciples from Satan. Demons bow to those who have that NAME and know how to actually use it. Evil spirits can identify who does and who doesn't.

Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. [John 17. 11-12]

What the Body Can Do

Jesus demonstrated what his body could do. He healed diseases on the spot and rebuked demons. He performed awesome signs and wonders, controlling nature and spiritual elements. These served as samples, giving the church a good idea of what believers could do as his body on earth after he ascended to heaven. To ensure the church can operate supernaturally as he did, being his body, he asked the Father to send the Holy Spirit in his name to empower and enable them as the Holy Spirit did him.

Specifically, Jesus showed how God's mere finger was enough to demolish enemy territorial strongholds. What more his whole body? What more his body wearing God's full armor? Yup, God not only decided the church to be his body on earth, he even gave the church his own full spiritual armor. Are we using all these supernatural equipment in ministry as Jesus did? Or are we limiting ourselves to what we can do? To our own efforts and understanding?

Earlier, God had demonstrated in the Old Testament what his arm and hand could do. His eyes could survey the earth all at once to see everything, see in the spirit realms, know accurately what the enemy is planning or doing. Or search, monitor or discern certain individuals supernaturally. His mouth could speak to dry bones and fit them with muscles and then blow on them the breath of life, transforming them into a mighty army.

We, the body, have all these supernatural capabilities in Christ!

Through Christ in us, we are that body now. God chose to reveal himself through us as he did through Jesus, because Jesus lives fully in us 100 percent. What we see God's body doing in the bible, we can do now, if first we genuinely believe this with all our hearts. Second, if we truly unite as one body of Christ. This calls for a thorough understanding of what the body of Christ really is.

Crucified Body

Jesus' sufferings and crucifixion triggered God's power to crush death and its sting. His own body was prepared for this when he was here, and the church, as his body on earth, is likewise being prepared for this. Church persecution and sufferings because of the Word will pave the way to glory and more souls saved. Here's another awesome Kingdom reversal--the church (body of Christ) wields the power and authority of God in Christ, as it also suffers persecutions and trials in increasing measure in these ends times. The cross brings power to those who believe.

No wonder the sole individual who had the power and authority to open the 7 seals of the scroll in the book of Revelation was the lamb that was slain. It's a picture of meekness and severe persecution and yet powerful and authoritative to unleash the great power and wrath of God almighty.

Grave Misconception

The common mistake today is to refer to a local church or denomination as the "body of Christ." I often hear it and just shake my head in disappointment. They still don't get it. A local church is just a small, minuscule dot on the body, and so is a denomination. Or perhaps a tiny, tiny cell among trillions in the body. The true body of Christ consists of all Jesus believers both living and dead (though the dead in Christ are really alive). 

And this body is a temple. We're all parts or members of it. Jesus was clear when he referred to his body as the temple when he was asked for a sign to explain his ire against money changers in the temple. When he did so, declaring the challenge to "Destroy this temple," he also ended the era of religious buildings as God's temple. Jesus ended the use of any material structure for worshipping God in John 2.19:

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body."

This is so important, you have got to get this. Jesus referred to his body as the temple and vice versa. It signaled from then on that the temple will be his body. No more physical temple buildings. There's no more use for them. Zero, Nada. Pfft! Sadly, Christians today still can't get it. They can't imagine ministry without a church building. They waste a lot of money improving or enhancing how their buildings look. They still think like Jesus' detractors who thought he wanted their temple building demolished, missing his point altogether. Lots of believers today are stuck to that time some 2,000 years ago.

It's Not an Alliance

When several church denominations get together for a cause, like a crusade, conference or national prayer meeting, they often refer to themselves as the body. They're not. I don't care how big the alliance is, an alliance or temporary assembly is NOT the body. Again, they're just tiny, tiny cells among trillions that clustered somewhere in the body, and let's hope they don't clog up the vascular system. I mean, free radical cells are also body cells, and they often unite to wreck body systems. 

As long as these denominations and independent churches all have different doctrines, chopping off portions of the Holy Scriptures which their doctrines have no use for, they're not part of the body--yet. They're just religious organizations or clubs until they finally succumb to the will of the Spirit and meekly accept everything in God's Word and how the Holy Spirit (alone) interprets it. Genuine body parts are 100% organic, not artificial or man-made. 

It's Not a Membership

Being a member of the body is different from "membership." Membership smells of man's organization and system. You join something. But being part of the body comes solely from God. God puts you in the body. You cannot "join" Jesus' body, fill up and sign some forms, swear allegiance and then have voting rights 😆. The apostles didn't do any of that. Jesus called them and they followed him. Well, the crowds did join and later crucified him.

I just laugh when I hear about so-called "apostles" and "prophets" today who claim their church network alone is legit in the Kingdom and others should join them. If you have to "join" them or anything, chances are it's not "legit" in the Kingdom. It's probably just another religious fan club or exclusive society calling itself "apostolic" or "prophetic." Nonetheless, it's almost there. It has great potential to become part of the body if it aligns itself with Jesus--demolish its organization and fully yield to the one body of Christ, which is without spot or wrinkle or any other blemish, holy and pure. 

You become part of (not join) the body of Christ when you're genuinely born again, and it's the only thing you have to be part of, the body. Nothing else. Especially not a denomination, though you may linger there for a while. Meanwhile, you need to be nourished spiritually by someone--a genuine man of God--and see you grow up from being a baby in Christ to a mature believer. Then you, in turn, share the Gospel and disciple others. This naturally forms a group of believers which can be aptly called "local church." It is not concerned about membership increase but the multiplication of serious Jesus believers.

Again, local church is not a membership. It should be a gathering or meeting of believers in a locality for spiritual nourishment and ministry and it's God who brings people to this gathering. Today, they promote and advertise their local churches in communities and often grab people to their church membership. Jesus did not promote any local church. He preached and discipled. Period. There was no church name or membership. 

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day." [John 6.44]

See? Jesus didn't bother promoting himself because it was solely the Father who did the promotion and brought or "drew" people to him. We should never change or discard this ministry principle. Yeah, promotions, advertising and gimmicks can increase membership dramatically, but that's all you'll have, membership of spoiled people with rights and privileges, believing they can meddle with (or control) the pastor. 

Surrendering to Jesus

Ask forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through Jesus Christ. In Jesus alone is salvation. 

Jesus is: “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4] 

Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His words in the bible.

Understandable Only by Doing God's Will

By this you know you're on the right track.

The crowd marveled at his words. How could he have come up with teachings like that without having studied in legit learning institutions? Their religious leaders graduated from the finest seminaries of the time, but none (not even their topnotch scholars) could produce anything close to what Jesus had. Jesus demonstrated how wisdom coming supernaturally straight from the Holy Spirit was unique and radical.

Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash.

It was not something their religious and theology authorities recognized or accepted. His teaching was rejected, deemed unsound, even if his detractors were solid bible believers. They believed the same God and eagerly waited for the Messiah, but rejected Jesus.

But Jesus didn't bother to explain or enlighten the authorities to earn their acceptance or respect. He didn't care. He ignored them and said the teaching was actually not his. It was the Father's. So if they had any questions, ask the Father. And anyway, no explication or theologizing could clarify the teaching except that a true seeker actually do God's will. Doing it will reveal everything and confirm Jesus' Word.

17 Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. [John 7]

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Doers of God's will get sharp spiritual discernment. They easily distinguish between genuine Word from God and men's word. They won't look at your religious educational background or titles or degrees to see if what you say comes from God. They don't weigh your words with their theology. They discern things by doing God's will. 

And I don't mean being active in church or doing what we call "church ministries" today. Coming from Jesus and seeing what things he did to do God's will, he surely meant God's supernatural will--preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom with signs and wonders, healing and miracles, and discipling believers using his discipleship model.

That's what "God's will" is to Jesus.

Do God's will as Jesus did and you'll see what Jesus' teaching is all about. You will find out that it comes supernaturally from God, not from men or their institutions or theology. Not from their religious traditions. In fact, Jesus, as model Servant, made sure his teaching was also not his own, though he could've done so because he is the Truth. But his teaching was from the Father. He did this to demonstrate his total obedience and submission to the Father and serve as an example we should follow. 

"...what I have heard from him I tell the world.” [John 8.26]

We should teach or preach as we hear from the Father through Christ in us. This happens when we rely totally on the Holy Spirit as Jesus did. Men's theologies and philosophies had not use for him. Everything was supernaturally from the Father so that the Son was in perfect harmony with the Father, doing things as One. 

28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” [John 8]

Personal Glory

Everybody in church claims everything done in ministry is "for God's glory," but Jesus thought otherwise. Some "speak on their own" because their teaching does not come straight from God's mouth. It comes from their human theology and sermon outline. It's precast material, everything decided by the mind trained in human methods, though prayed for. Jesus never used them. He never prepared an outline and prayed for it. Neither did the apostles in Acts. Jesus spoke as he heard from the Father. 

I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. [John 12.49 NLT]

And if you speak on your own, you're after personal glory, not God's, said Jesus--even if you keep claiming it's for God's glory. Saying only what God tells you makes you a man of truth, he said. And this is how you keep yourself truthful because, Jesus pointed out, nothing will be false about you. So you need to be able to really hear God's voice.

18 Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. [7.18]

It all starts with the desire to do God's will, not man's will, in church or ministry. And this means doing the very things that Jesus did. It's HIS church and ministry, after all, and we should continue exactly as he did, as he modelled, and not do our own version of things. 

Surrendering to Jesus 

Ask forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through Jesus Christ. In Jesus alone is salvation. 

Jesus is:

“‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4] 

Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His words in the bible.

God's Finger--and Armors and Plunders

This continues my previous discussion of Jesus' use of God's finger. Jesus drove out a mute demon and some smart Alecks attributed the power to some devil. These smart Alecks had a lot to say about what they didn't understand even if they had never driven out a demon in their lives. But Jesus did, just like that, like a simple snap of his fingers. So he likened it to God's finger. They were amazed at his power to command demons, and yet that was just God's finger he demonstrated.

Photo by Elia Pellegrini on Unsplash.

What about if he used God's whole body? I mean the body of Christ.

But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. [Luke 11.20]

The main thing here is, make sure it's really God in you doing the ministry, not you, not your own efforts or understanding, not your knowhow from bible school or seminary, especially not your human theology or denominational doctrine. Make sure it's Christ in you doing everything. CHRIST in you the hope of glory. And if it's God doing everything (and you're just resting in Him), then simply using His finger would solve everything.

Just His finger will release God's tremendous supernatural power.

MORE ON HOW TO BE GOD's FINGER.

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Problem is, church doesn't use even God's finger for ministry today, so on-the-spot supernatural signs and wonders are nowhere in church. It uses what it understands through human theology. So it doesn't know anything about God's finger or His supernatural power. Jesus' critics then thought it was demonic. The same with church today--anything it does not understand or doesn't agree with its denominational doctrine is demonic, or at least it keeps a safe distance from.

The Lord's Hand and Arm

In the Old Testament, we see passages referring to God's use of his hand and arm that worked supernatural things. Often we just read past them and take for granted. But they're powerful Kingdom concepts. We should look at them closer.

Or has a god tried to go to take for himself a nation from within another nation by trials, by signs and wonders and by war and by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm and by great terrors, as the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?

[Deuteronomy 4.34]

 A mighty and hand and outstretched arm. Why did the bible describe what God did this way? Why did Jesus have to mention about the finger of God? These were all for a vital reason. God does not just say things out of whim or fancy. Every word of God from his mouth teaches a powerful Kingdom principle. It's "bread" meant for us to live on.

When God did signs and wonders to redeem a nation within another nation, fought wars and used great terrors, he did it himself, but he also used his servants. Often, he refers to this as the work of his hands and outstretched arms. For instance, he split the Red Sea himself, but used Moses with his raised hand holding his wooden staff, the "staff of God." 

Specifically, the bible says:

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. [Exodus 15]

You see how it works?

When you understand and take faith in how it is God who does everything but he does it in you and through you, you become part of God, being his finger or arm. More so in Christ because we are in him. Thus, Jesus often says "Your faith has healed you." It means you believed the supernatural faith process. You ate it and swallowed it. God did a mighty work, and it was through you. 

Often, our attitude is to pray and see what happens--if something happens. If nothing happens, we say it's not God's will, to save face. Jesus never said that. He never prayed and said "it's not God's will." Everything in Jesus is a YES [2 Corinthians 1.20]. He often said "Your faith has healed you," emphasizing that, yes it's God who does it but it's also you how does it--especially now that you are in Christ.

You have to believe you are that finger or arm, or at least believe you're using God's finger or arm. And God's finger or hand or arm cannot fail! It cannot come up with a NO answer from God. Jesus always got a YES. He believed he was using God's finger to work a miracle. Jesus did that to teach and show us how to operate in the supernatural and the miraculous. Any believer in Christ (a radical believer) can be God's finger or arm (or use God's finger and arm) to perform signs and wonders and display God's power and splendor.

How much more if all believers do this as one body? If the hand or arm can defeat devils, how much more the entire body? That is, if the body unites as one in believing they can do supernatural things I Jesus did them.

Take Away the Enemy's Armor

This is exactly how we take away or confiscate the enemy's armor. The enemy has an armor or defense or protection he trusts in, just like we have God's spiritual armor. When the Israelites were afraid to attack Canaan, Joshua and Caleb revealed how the enemy had lost his "protection" and this made him vulnerable to Israel's attack. 

"Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” [Numbers 14]

Israel had a physical enemy then, but this shows us what happens during spiritual warfare in our time. The things in the Old Testament (OT) are shadows of the realities in Christ (Colossians 2.17]. Things in the OT teach us principles about spiritual warfare, among other things. They're not just stories and history. We can extract powerful Kingdom principles from them that serve relevantly today.

Before you attempt to plunge headlong into rebuking devils or doing signs and wonders, understand the spiritual workings of using God's finger and arm. Then you confiscate the enemy's armor and take plunder from him.

Taking Plunder from the Enemy

What's the enemy's plunder? These are spiritual things that should be yours but which the devil stole from you. He plundered you when you were in sin. It doesn't matter if you're active in church, support it and participate in all the ministries (or worship with tears, say Amen as loud as you can, or post nothing on your FB wall but bible verses). The enemy can still plunder you if you refuse to believe and surrender to everything God says in His Word. I mean EVERYTHING. This is the reason why Christians pray or claim bible promises but have nothing happen. The devil has plundered them and taken the armor they trust in.

You have to take them all back. It's yours. You have to plunder the enemy. You cannot plunder the enemy of anything else except what he stole from you, because the devil owns nothing but what he steals. And you cannot plunder him except with the finger of God (or his hand or arm), NOT your human theology or title or degree. They are garbage in the spiritual realms.

And anything you plunder from the enemy, the Lord will double. The Lord will multiply it by two. That's powerful!

Instead of your shame (when you lived in sin)
you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
and everlasting joy will be yours. [Isaiah 61.7]

Taking plunder is often spiritual, though it can be physical, material or financial because nothing is impossible with God. It can mean physical healing or financial blessings but often it's added revelation of God's Word because knowing God and his Word more deeply means access to His spiritual riches that mightily sustain you even in your spiritual wilderness and give you abundant spiritual supplies in dry and barren places--in "wastelands." It means more spiritual power that nonbelievers and the enemy have not yet seen or known.

“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him—" [1 Corinthians 2.9]

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland. [Isaiah 43.19]

But everything starts with total surrender to Jesus. 

Surrendering to Jesus 

Ask forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through Jesus Christ. 

In Jesus alone is salvation. Jesus is:

“‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4] 

Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His words in the bible.

HE Used the Finger of God

As I've said in a previous article, Jesus didn't say or do anything that was optional for his followers. Everything he said and did must be taken seriously--and applied in real life and ministry. Like his use of God's finger in ministry. According to him, it's one proof that you are a genuine Kingdom person and what you bring people is God's Kingdom, not man's. 

So, if you're in ministry, are you using "the finger of God"?

But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. [Luke 11.20]

Photo by Pars Sahin on Unsplash. 

Proof of Kingdom Citizenship

One proof that someone is really from God's Kingdom is his use of God's finger in ministry. That's clear in the passage above. You may try to hide or deny the fact with your theological manipulation, but if you're honest you'd easily see it. Because Jesus drove out demons by God's finger, "then the Kingdom of God has come..." he concluded. Unless ministries use God's finger, it cannot represent God's true kingdom. Man's "Christian" empire probably, but not God's kingdom.  

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The Pharisees and their followers could not drive out demons. They didn't know how. They could not represent God's kingdom and yet had the temerity to say that Jesus (because he drove out demons) was using Satan's power in ministry. A true ministry from God knows the difference between God's finger and Satan's tricks. Most churches today cannot discern what is of the kingdom. Anything they cannot understand or does not agree with their doctrines they label as demonic. 

Proof of Authenticity

A lot of religions and churches preach the Gospel, but is it the genuine Gospel of the Kingdom? Or is it bible passages filtered to the designs of their denominations? There's one proof that it's the true (unadulterated) Kingdom of God that has been brought to people--if it's through the finger of God. If it's through God's supernatural move.

Traits of God's Finger

How do you use God's finger in ministry? First, know how to identify it and it's solely through the Word and revelation of the Holy Spirit. If you do not have the spiritual gift of discernment to differentiate what is and what's not of God, you cannot use God's finger in ministry. 

The apostle Paul was highly commended as a servant "of the most high God!" by a slave girl in Acts 16 but he wasn't flattered one bit. Paul knew it was the demon in the girl giving the commendation. He rebuked the demon using the finger of God. Then the Kingdom of God came in the midst of the jail where he and Silas were thrown.

The slave girls' praise seemed okay. It appreciated the evangelism efforts of Paul and company. We often get commendations like that and we think that as long as it's about God's work we're being appreciated, it's good. Anything that sounds spiritual and tickles the flesh is good to us. If so, you cannot use the finger of God because you lack discernment. 

Even Jesus turned away from the crowd when people appreciated his ministry and "believed" in him. Physically, having crowds join you looks good. But Jesus had spiritual discernment. And this enabled him to use God's finger when needed. 

24But Jesus did not entrust Himself to them, for He knew them all. 25 He did not need any testimony about man, for He knew what was in a man. [John 2]

Genuine spiritual discernment is a requisite to using the finger of God in ministry, as reflected from the context of Luke 11. Remember, the Pharisees and their followers could not drive out demons (the finger of God alone can) because they could not discern what spiritual power Jesus was operating in.

Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.

In other words, if the Pharisees claimed they derived power from God when driving out demons (but they couldn't), are they saying that Satan's power was better, since Jesus was able to drive out demons and they say he was using Satan's power? You see how lost the Pharisees were? 

Second is seeing Satan defeated. People see with their very eyes how the kingdom of darkness is defeated. It's not just a hyped claim of a bible verse or whatnot, but supernatural things happen right before their eyes. 

"I drive out demons by the finger of God," said Jesus.

It's not just "I teach you how demons are shooed off by the finger of God." An actual demo happens. Church today has had too much of seminars and lectures on philosophies, formulas, strategies and theologies but no demonstration of supernatural power.

4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. [1 Corinthians 2]

When God's supernatural power is displayed, it means his finger is at work, and his Kingdom is brought in people's midst, It's not the presence of a denominational church with its nice programs that is brought to the people but God's Kingdom with supernatural power. Satan is defeated.

17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”

18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” [Luke 10]

Surrendering to Jesus 

Ask forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through Jesus Christ. In Jesus alone is salvation. 

Jesus is: “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4] 

Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His words in the bible.

He Didn't Invite People to His Bible Studies

No one outside the discipleship was invited. 
Outsiders had to make effort to pursue him.

His Sermon on the Mount was well attended by "multitudes," says the KJV, numbering some 5,000 men, probably 20K if we include the women and children. Yet none of them were invited to this famous "bible study." These multitudes went after Jesus on their own. The Beatitudes and his other "bible studies" were intended only for his disciples.

Photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash.

That element of pursuit is vital in a real Jesus ministry. People should pursue Jesus and His Word, not be invited to bible studies, especially if they're obviously reluctant. You never see Jesus doing that--asking or inviting people to attend his "church" or come back next Sunday. Why? It will break a Kingdom principle:

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them. [John 6.44]

Drawn Not Invited

Here's the principle: people should be drawn to you by the Father. The words "no one can come to me," means it will not work any other way. The Father should draw people to you. It's useless to think of clever things to lure or encourage people to attend your church or bible study because in the passage, Jesus said the LIFE will be given only to those the Father Himself draws. 

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up (give them life) at the last day. "

Yes, you can do gimmicks and nice programs to fill up your church and up your membership, but they will all be carnal church attenders if they're not the people the Father is drawing to you. They'll never really grow and mature spiritually because only those with life can grow. They may become so active in ministry, "faithful" tithers and supporters, doing grand works for the Lord, saying nice testimonies and all, but still immature in the spiritual realms. 

They remain carnal, not understanding the things of the Holy Spirit.

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Zacchaeus was Invited to Dinner

When Jesus fed the 5,000 and the 4,000, Jesus did not invite anybody to them. The disciples didn't need invitation because they were personally chosen by Jesus to follow him and they desperately pursued him everyday. The rest were just curious audience. Everybody was welcome but they were mere attenders. There were no "members" in Jesus' ministry. To be inside the Jesus discipleship circle, they had to radically give up all and follow him. 

Many are called but few are chosen.

When Jesus healed the paralytic lowered from the roof, there were no ads or promotions or door-to-door invitations for people to come. A big crowd gathered the moment they heard that Jesus was around. No gimmicks, lures, giveaways, dole outs, or free this and that just to make people come. People were excited to go and see. Here's what happened.

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. [Mark 2]

One day, while passing by Jericho, Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus' house, not for bible study, but for a place to stay. That is clear in Scriptures. And I can imagine how Jesus and Zacchaeus and company were in the house talking lightly and informally (not really a bible study) with Jesus inserting the Gospel casually now and then. That's when the topic on giving up possessions to follow Jesus came up, and Zacchaeus did not just say Amen. He was radically transformed. Why? Because he was drawn to Jesus by the Father. Here's the hint:

He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him.

Can you imagine a rich guy climbing up a tree just to see Jesus? And then giving up half of his possessions and paying back 4 times what he owed anyone? That cannot happen unless the guy was touched by the Father and drawn to Jesus. What we see in church today are active members, most of whom want to be seen performing on stage and being applauded.

But no radical transformation and giving up possessions. If ever they give money, they expect something in return--like influence over the pastor or expecting the pastor to fulfill their expectations. Why? Because they were lured to the church as members. The Father never drew them there. This is why a lot of churches are carnal.

Rat Race

Nobody will follow Jesus' example today because of the rat race the church is in. The mad scramble to get as many people in. They invite, visit and follow up--things Jesus never did. Neither did the apostles. Because truth is, even ministry should be done by faith, not by works. We should believe what Jesus taught about doing ministry. Otherwise, we will be growing plants the Father has not planted.

“Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots." [Matthew 15.13]

Surrendering to Jesus 

Ask forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through Jesus Christ. In Jesus alone is salvation. 

Jesus is: 

“‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4]

Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His words in the bible.

What is God Doing While Covid Variants Mutate?

The mu variant started in Colombia but WHO says it's now in 39 other countries. While variants keep spreading around the world, what has God been doing so far? 

Photo by Benjamin Thomas on Unsplash.

It's probably everybody's secret inquiry--what's God doing in all this? What does he plan to do about it? Honestly, sometimes it looks like God isn't up to anything about it because it just keeps getting worse. It seems the more we pray the more nothing happens. Worse, even Christian ministers are affected and some have even died of Covid. 

Why GOD seems Silent

Even in Scriptures, God sometimes seems too silent while evil or hopelessness reigns, until just before the end comes when he starts judgment and rescue. In fact, even amid his "silence," God has surely been doing things--particularly preparing people for his next move. Some are being prepared for judgment, others for rescue.

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In another sense, he allows commitment of sins to reach its peak. Or, until the total number of repented people is completed. Why? To give us all a chance to repent. 

16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” [Genesis 15]

I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, [Romans 11.25]

During the "lull" is when he actively (though quietly) convicts the world of sin through the Holy Spirit and through messages he sends via angels as believers preach the Gospel or pray for the situation, as in the case of Daniel the prophet. When the right time comes, he judges the unrepentant and unsurrendered and rescues believers.

Raising Up Servants

Basing on what God did in the bible, he always has something in store in his plan. Always. Often, it has to do with extending his grace and mercy to everyone. It also has to do with preparing his remnant for action. During times when God seems too quiet, he equips saints and helps them go deep into His Word and in the Spirit. I liken it to how army special forces are trained secretly and then released for powerful action at the right moment. In the case of believers, they're trained for God's Next supernatural move.

At present, Covid variants cause havoc in unmitigated persistence around the world, more speedily spreading the infection. It seems unstoppable. Medical science merely watches the development helplessly. Vaccines help a lot, but talks go around about the mu variant being resistant to any vaccine, but which still needs confirmation. Churches pray but nothing seems to be happening. Even church people suffer deadly infection.

It seems God is not planning to do anything.

But don't let the seeming "silence" mislead you. He is presently at work, though his work has all been done and perfected since the 7th day when he rested after creation. The work he finished then has been activated to implementation through history according to his "time table." And this pandemic is no exception. He has his plans set in position at each phase, ready to "go off" at the right moment. All we have to do is trust him and wait.

The Real Question Is..

Yes, God is doing something powerful now though we see nothing (but which becomes visibly obvious in the spirit realm), and he's up to something grand and dramatic, both for judgment and rescue. No question about it--GOD is active today. Don't worry. Rescue is coming soon. Just wait, trust and obey. In the meantime, the real question is, what actions are you doing while waiting for God's next move? Are you for him or against him? If you are for him, then you must totally surrendered to him. How? Read below.

Surrendering to Jesus 

Ask forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through Jesus Christ. In Jesus alone is salvation. 

Jesus is: “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4] 

Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His words in the bible.