Wednesday, September 7, 2011

"He Hath Known My Name"


"He Hath Known My Name"


"Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name."  (Psalm 91:14)  There's only One name we need to know in times of trouble  ...  Jesus!  It's easy to say for all languages; it's The name for SOS; when we need mercy, He comes quickly; He is a very present help in times of trouble; He IS our rescuer, our Savior, our Lord and we need only whisper "Jesus," and He is lifting us in His arms and carrying us through the storm.  Whom does He do this for?  Anyone, for whom He can say: "He Hath Known My Name!"

Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria, Germany
"Er hath bekannt mein Name"

The name of Jesus Christ is a mighty strong tower, even for a stately castle in beautiful Germany.  Jesus Christ our Lord was God in the flesh; He came to earth, was beaten and nailed to a cross; He died a tormenting death and rose again the third day!  He is alive forevermore for You, Germany; He loves You.  He loves the whole world and He wants every soul alive to know His Name!

People gathering at a Church in Bergen, Norway
"Han hath kjent mitt navn"

Norway, Jesus loves you!  There are no walls, dividing lines or boundaries with Jesus Christ; He holds the Nations in the palm of His hand.  Every Nation, kindred, and tongue are welcome in His sight.  He loves all people with the same extravagant love, and He knows all languages! 

Turin, Italy
"Egli ha conosciuto il mio nome"

Italy, we're coming!  The Lord Jesus Christ has a date with you, and He says, "Come and Dine!"  He will give you the bread of life, and out of your bellies shall flow rivers of living water!  It's not just "bread and water;" it is the bread of eternal life and water that you will never thirst again!  Lodate il Signore!

National Festival Parade, Riga, Latvia
"Vins ir zinams mans vards"

The name of the Lord shall be praised!  "My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun.  In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD Almighty." (Malachi 1:11) Latvia, you are beautiful to the Lord.  He dances with you in Spirit in your festivals; The name of Jesus hovers over you to give you strength.  Jesus! ...  just the mention of His name  ...  He longs for you and reaches for you!


                                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                  French"ll connait mon nom"  Haitian Creole - "Li fe li te ye non wen"
                                 Lithuanian  - "On zinoma mano varda"   Polish - "On Znany moje imie"
                            Swahili - "Yeye awezaye kuifahamu jina langu"  Welsh  "Efe a elwir fy enw"
                                                           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                               
The Lord Jesus Christ speaks LOVE in every language.  He IS the Savior of the world, the lover of our souls, the instigator of our triumphs, the lifter of our heads, the strength of our days, and the Spirit eternal!  His love was signed in blood and nailed to an old rugged cross.  His tears are for the world!  To know Him is to love him and worship Him in Spirit and in truth  ...  He longs to say of every human, in the most intimate of meaning and salvation for all of eternity: "He Hath Known My Name!" 


                                                

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.
PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Lord, Keep Our Eyes On the Prize!

"Lord, Keep Our Eyes On The Prize"


Then, we which are alive and remain  ...  The Prize!  The Prize lies beyond the blue; the Prize is UP!  The closer we get to the Rapture, the more we will need to look Up, because earth is NOT the Prize!  Have mercy on us, O Lord, let our faith be strong; help us "endure" to the end; let Your Word keep our feet from falling; and "Lord, Keep Our Eyes On The Prize." 

"The Prize!"

"This" is not all there is!  We have a home beyond the stars; our time in earth is short compared to all eternity with the Lord.  We must be alert and diligent, for the soon coming Rapture of the Church to meet the Lord in the air is the prize!  (I Corinthians 15:52 and I Thessalonians 4:15-17)  "Things" will fade away, be destroyed, be taken, but the love of the Lord no one can take away!  People suffer; all around the world people are suffering today for the cause of Jesus Christ our Lord.  And  ...  their "faith" sustains them!  We must be strong in the Lord and the power of His might!  He carries us through the storms, the floods, the fires, the torments, the trials, and the fears.  "The Lord is nigh unto them of a broken heart and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." (Psalm 34:18)

You never walk alone!

Our Shepherd carries us through our darkest hours; we are always on His mind; we are never alone.  The song says, "Nobody told me that the road would be easy; I don't believe He brought me this far; I don't believe He brought me this far  ... to leave me!"  Our faith is our anchor that says "Peace be still," when waves are crashing all around us.  Sing, weary one!  You say, "What? Sing? Are you kidding, with all I'm going through?"  Sing!  Grab a song in the Lord, and sing with all your might!  Why?  Worship will bring the release!

A song in the night will bring light to your fight!

The times of our trouble have only just begun.  We are on the Home stretch.  We must pack our bags with truth  ...  Acts 2:38 says to Repent, be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and be filled with the Holy Ghost and speak with tongues as the Spirit of the Lord gives utterance  ...  You say, "I have His Spirit, but I've never spoken in tongues."  There is more for you!  All of the Apostles and Mary the mother of Jesus spoke with tongues, and hundreds of millions of people all over the world today speak with tongues!  It is Joy Unspeakable and full of Glory!  Oh, dear one, we must seek the Lord for all He has for us; I want everything He has for me, and for you  ... Lord, pour out Your Spirit upon all flesh!  (Joel 2:28) 

                                    "FOR OUR LIGHT AFFLICTION, WHICH IS BUT FOR A MOMENT,
WORKETH FOR US A FAR MORE EXCEEDING AND ETERNAL
WEIGHT OF GLORY."
(2 Corinthians 4:17)

Our Faith keeps us; our doctrine preserves us; God's Word prepares us and sustains us; the love of Jesus Christ holds us; the Church keeps and frees us; the Holy Ghost warns and protects us; the body of Christ unifies us; and Jesus Christ is coming back  ... "For Us!"  We sing as an offering; sacrifice keeps our eyes on the prize; nothing can defeat us with God's impetus  ... We have read the back of the Book, and We Win!

                             "Lord, Keep Our Eyes On The Prize!"


(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.
PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

"O GOD"


"O GOD"

Psalm 61

Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.

From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee,
when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the
rock that is higher than I.

For thou has been a shelter for me, and a strong
tower from the enemy.



I will abide in thy tabernacle forever: I will
trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.


For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou
hast given me the heritage of those that fear
thy name.

Thou wilt prolong the king's life: and his years
as many generations.



He shall abide before God forever: O prepare
mercy and truth, which may preserve him.


So will I sing praise unto thy name forever,
that I may daily perform my vows.


(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.
PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

Monday, September 5, 2011

Who Is Jesus Christ?

WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?

In Genesis  -  Jesus Christ is the seed of the woman
In Exodus  -  He is the passover lamb
In Leviticus  -  He is our High Priest
In Numbers  -  He is the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night
In Deuteronomy  -  He is the prophet like unto Moses
In Joshua  -  He is the captain of our salvation
In Judges -  He is our judge and lawgiver
In Ruth  -  He is our kinsman redeemer
In 1st and 2nd Samuel -  He is our trusted prophet
In Kings and Chronicles  -  He is our reigning king
In Ezra  -  He is the rebuilder of broken down walls of human life
In Esther  -  He is our Mordecai
In Job  -  He is our ever-living redeemer
In Psalms  -  He is our shepherd
In Proverbs and Ecclesiastes  -  He is our wisdom
In the Song of Solomon  -  He is the loving bridegroom
In Isaiah  -  He is the prince of peace
In Jeremiah  -  He is the righteous branch
In Lamentations  -  He is our weeping prophet
In Ezekiel  -  He is the wonderful four-faced man
In Daniel  -  He is the fourth man in life's "fiery furnace"
In Hosea  -  He is the faithful husband forever married to the backslider
In Joel  -  He is the baptizer with the Holy Ghost and fire
In Amos  -  He is our burden-bearer
In Obadiah  -  He is the mighty to save
In Jonah  -  He is our great foreign missionary
In Micah  -  He is the messenger of beautiful feet
In Nahum  -  He is the avenger of God's elect
In Habakkuk  -  He is God's evangelist crying, "revive thy work in the midst of the years"
In Jephaniah  -  He is our Savior
In Haggai  -  He is the restorer of God's lost heritage
In Zechariah  -  He is the fountain opened up in the house of David for sin and uncleanness
In Malachi  -  He is the Sun of Righteousness, rising with healing in His wings
In Matthew  -  He is King of the Jews
In Mark  -  He is the servant
In Luke  -  He is the Son of man, feeling what you feel
In John  -  He is the Son of God
In Acts  -  He is the Savior of the world
In Romans  -  He is the righteousness of God
In I Corinthians  -  He is the rock that followed Israel
In II Corinthians  -  He is the triumphant One, giving victory
In Galatians  -  He is your liberty; He sets you free
In Ephesians  -  He is Head of the Church 
In Philippians  -  He is your Joy
In Colossians  -  He is your completeness
In I and II Thessalonians  -  He is your hope
In I Timothy  -  He is your faith
In II Timothy  -  He is your stability
In Philemon  -  He is your benefactor
In Titus  -  He is truth
In Hebrews  -  He is your perfection
In James  -  He is the power behind your faith
In I Peter  -  He is your example
In II Peter  -  He is your purity
In I John  -  He is your life
In II John  -  He is your pattern
In III John  -  He is your motivation
In Jude  -  He is the foundation of your faith
In Revelation  -  He is your coming King!


He "IS!"

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.
PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

"Blessed, Broken and Given"

"Blessed, Broken and Given"

The Christian is an amalgam of God's meal
prepared for the world
Dust formed into man, raised up, forgiven,
his troubles unfurled
Then, the blessings are bestowed, so great is
God's love for His child
The Lord watches him grow, enriched by His
Word, clean now, and undefiled
But, time moves to destiny, and the rose
must give forth its scent
The aroma comes from his Maker, and must
be allowed to ferment
The growth is a process, like clay humbled,
broken, and molded
So is the vessel in the hands of the Potter,
honor being unfolded
The time on the wheel brings beauty, from
the gnarls of the ash heap
And now the vessel is ready; and is no longer
his own to keep
He has become like the Bread of God, come
down from heaven
The vessel has arrived to his final purpose, of
"Blessed, Broken and Given."


(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.
PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

Saturday, September 3, 2011

"FACE TO FACE"

"Face To Face"

"And there arose not a Prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face." (Deuteronomy 34:10) 

Who can know Him?  To whom does the God of the universe go to speak His soul?  When can the omnipotent One unburden His heart?  Is there anyone today whom the King of Kings, Lord God Almighty, can know in a profound encounter that is akin to "Face To Face?"

"As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were
winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the
Amalekites were winning.  When Moses' hands grew tired,
they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it.
Aaron and Hur held his hands up, one on one side, one on
the other, so that his hands remained steady till sunset."
(Exodus 17:10-13)

The power of Moses' upraised hands!  Moses was anointed, chosen, called, sent, empowered, and he was "humble" about it.  God would use more people, in more incredible ways, if He could trust them with the "power."  Power only comes when one spends time sitting at the Master's feet, listening for hours, alone, apart, and in seclusion with Him  ...  waiting  ...  You say, "Waiting for what?"  Waiting for an "encounter!"  Encounters don't come in noisy dins of distraction.  Some have to have music blaring, however spiritual or soothing it might be; it's still a distraction.  Some find it difficult to sit alone, in utter quiet, with the maker of their soul.
            

                                             In the stillness of the night, I seek Your Face O LORD;
                                                          sitting at Your feet in ponderings of power                                    
                                                 Tell me Your secrets in the quietness of morn' and I'll
                                                        wait for Your glories, and intimacies to devour
                                          
                                                                

Moses was unique; remember he's the one who, when he came down from the mountain, after having received the commandments written by the finger of God; he was furious, seeing the Israelites had gone wild, dancing naked, in worship of a golden calf, and participating in all manner of debauchery and depravity of sin.  He threw down the sacred tablets of God, breaking them into pieces.  Then, Moses, in despair of soul, fell on his face and asked forgiveness of the people, " ... if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written."  O, Moses!  And then the Lord said unto Moses, "Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book." (Exodus 32:32-33)  No wonder God knew Moses face to face; he was willing to go to Hell for other peoples' sins.  

"Moses and the Burning Bush"

God can speak to us anywhere, anytime, anyhow, through any means  ...  He's God!  Are we looking for, expecting, and anticipating a "burning bush" encounter?  You say, "God doesn't do that anymore!"   Who says?  Maybe He doesn't, because we don't spend enough time in the "desert!"  If you're alone and you're sad about it; turn that sadness, that aloneness, that "solitary confinement" into an "encounter," a "face to face" that you will never forget  ... Away with God  ...

"Moses and Joshua bowing before the Ark in the Tabernacle"


The Ark of the Covenant, also known as the Ark of the Testimony, represented the presence, or Glory, of God.  The Ark contained several things, the Tablets of stone on which were written the Ten Commandments, Aaron's rod, and a jar of manna.  It was said, when the Ark was stolen, "Where is the Glory?"  The Ark was located in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle, and when Jesus Christ our Lord died on the cross, the veil of the temple was rent from top to bottom, thus signifying that because of the price Jesus paid, we all now have access to the presence of God through the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Jesus Christ. (Acts 2:38, Acts 10, Acts 19)  We now can receive the Holy Ghost, speak in tongues, and have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living within us!  Praise Be To The Holy One of Israel, and Glory to God in the Highest!

We, today, have communion with, and sit at the feet of Jesus Christ our Lord through His Spirit; the Ark of the Covenant can live within us.  The more we dwell with Him in the Spirit, the more we come to know Him, sense Him, feel Him, hear Him, "And," He loves it!  We cannot get too much of Him; we cannot overload on our Lord!  

The Lord is looking for some "desert dwellers," some lonely pasture singers, a few lonely heaven gazers, some moon watchers, a few "can'tgetenoughofHim" people, and some who will give their all to see His Glory, some whom God trusts to give His deepest thoughts and secrets, some who will sit with Him   ... "Face To Face"   ...  Are you a Moses?  

                                                        


(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.
PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

Friday, September 2, 2011

"Rise and Shine"

"Rise And Shine"

"In the morning, as the sun comes up, my head goes down in contrition to God.  In the evening, when the sun goes down, my hands goes up in adoration to Him.  The morning and the evening dictate to the day."  (a quote of Pastor Kenneth Phillips)  (Genesis 1:5)  It's a thing called worship; it is the "changing of the shifts" for the angels of God; and it is a God induced paradox:  we bow to climb; we raise to lower   ... you'll see   ... it is "Rise And Shine!"


"For from the rising of the sun even unto its setting,
my name shall be great among the nations; and in every
place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a
pure oblation: for my name shall be great among the 
nations, saith Jehovah of hosts." 
(Malachi 1:11)


Sunrise ~ Sunset, The name of the Lord shall be praised.  The sun comes up, and our heads bow to the Holy One of Israel.  It is in "bowing" that we RISE;  it is the humility that takes us to flight; we are never as "high" as when we kneel low; the treasures are not one step above the other, but they are one step below the other (Pastor Kenneth Phillips); the mindset of God is puzzlingly mysterious and an unfathomable paradox to the so called rational human mind.  But, the Bible states that we should have the mind of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (Philippians 2:5)  How is that possible?  Yes, through the power of the Holy Ghost!  When we are filled with the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost; we can grow to think like Him, see like Him, walk like Him, talk like Him  ...  LOVE like Him; we desire to be with Him, sunrise and sunset  ... And, up is down  ...  down is up, becomes very sane, indeed!

"God called unto him out of the midst of the bush,
and said, Moses, Moses.  And he said, Here am I.
And he said, Draw not hither: put off thy shoes from
off thy feet, for the place where thou standest is
   holy ground."
(Exodus 3:4-5)

The bush was a flaming fire, but it was not destroyed; it was illuminated.  The  Spirit of the Lord is referred to as "The Holy Ghost and fire," and it is all consuming, and all illuminating!  Moses bowed before the Lord in the midst of the burning bush and was told to take off his shoes.  The lower we bow in the posture of obeisance, the more we realize the utter and complete holiness of Almighty God, and the higher we climb into His realm of wisdom.  The burning bush was a flaming example of the covenant maker and the covenant keeper, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and his intention to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian bondage.  On our knees, bowing low, we are more able to see a compassionate God, a promising God; and we readily have reverence and fear (ultimate respect) for Him.  When we are prostrate before the Creator of the universe, we RISE to behold Him!

"The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down,
and hasteth to his place where he arose."
(Ecclesiastes 1:5)

Even the sun, going down, can't wait until it rises again!  But, what happens when it goes down?  Darkness!  Herein, we come to the "Shine" part of Rise and Shine.  One definition of 'shine' is to "appear clearly; to be obvious."  "But it shall be one day which is known unto Jehovah; not day and not night; but it shall come to pass, that at evening time there shall be light." (Zechariah 14:7)  The world is in an "evening time" in terms of disasters, trouble, wars, threats, upheaval, torment, terror, and economic woes such as we've never seen.  One definition of light is: "GOD."  In the evening time, there shall be light  ... or "God will be clearly seen or obvious!" 

There is every reason to rejoice because, when the sun comes up, we bow to "Rise," and the "flame," the Holy Ghost gives us our orders for the day; then when the sun goes down, we raise our arms in adoration, worship and praise, which brings down the blessing; it lowers the "shine," or God becomes obvious! 

We bowed to rise and we raised our arms to lower His light!  It's a paradoxical Sunrise ~ Sunset  ...  "Rise and Shine!"

                                                       

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.
ProomiseLand Chruch, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)
{Thank You, Pastor, for sunrise/sunset Wisdom!}