"In The Image of God"

Paul and Timothy

"In the Image of God"

"But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and

follow after righteousness, godliness, faith,

love, patience, meekness."

(I Timothy 6:11)

MEN!  Just the mention of that word, today, conjures up images of muscular, tan, powerful looking, glistening hunks who grace the covers of magazines, show off their mighty bulging physiques in commercials, movies and everywhere else Hollywood gains their entrance, but this is not exactly the image God looks for in a man.  What about WOMEN?  Billboards can't seem to advertise any product whatsoever without a scantily clad female staring down into your vehicles on your innocent way to work.  Our world has lost touch with what "godly" means.  And, all of the marriages everywhere would endure a lot better if gals could find guys, and guys could find gals, who are living and walking "In The Image of God." 

Why?  Girl, if you've ever been married; you know what I'm talkin' about.  It's a matter of the heart; men, according to scripture, are supposed to love their wives as Christ loves the Church.  It's great to look like a "hunk," but there should be something substantial underneath those biceps, and it's about treating you right, honoring you, and "I'm sorry" are two words of continual marriage vocabulary!  But, hey Girl, you gotta' treat him right too; it's a reciprocal agreement  ...  God must be in the middle, and if He is, it's not a hunk and a fox on either side, it's an "image of the heart of God" on either side  ...

Paul designated Timothy as a "Man of God."  By the way, it should be noted that the attitude and posture of "meekness" is not at all weakness.  Meek means 'mild' or 'slow to anger,' and what lady doesn't want that in a man?

                                             

Moses was considered a "man of God."  Why?  He spent time with His Maker.  He sat on a mountain in the misty lonely altitude of cold untempered winds to hear from God.  And, when He did; it was a life changing experience  ...  the finger of God writing the commandments on tablets of stone as Moses sat spellbound in utter awe watching the lightning striking strokes penetrating into the depths of rock with expert accuracy and precision.  It's no wonder when Moses descended the mountain, his countenance was on fire and changed, his spirit was moved to its core, his heart was profoundly humbled, and he was in no mood to burst into a lascivious spactacle of nudity, idolatry, and unimaginable sin!  That would be like stepping out of the Holy of Holies into an XXXX film live before your eyes.  Sin is sickening to the Holy man or woman of God, especially so when you've been in His Holy presence for a period of time  ...  

                                                               

David, being anointed



 O, David, the man after God's own heart.  He was a man who was brave, who trusted in His God, who loved His Creator with the descriptive adoring words of his very soul, who sang his melodic tunes in the light of the moon, and the wispy breezes carried them on angels' wings straight to the throne room of God.  No man in earth is perfect, and he made his mistakes, but what made David a giant, himself, is that he humbled himself and acknowledged his sin.  It's something we all must do: men, women, teens, children  ...  we all come to God the same way, through repentance, sorrowful and sincere repentance, and this is the way we remain in God's favor and blessing  ...  our daily lives must be repentant as long as we are mortals in earth.  The purity of the covering of grace does not lie upon a bed of sin  ...

Elijah

Another "Man of God;" there is no doubt that Almighty God was with Elijah.  Miracles, prophecy, and power overshadowed him.  The prophets of Baal found out what the God of the universe thought of Elijah, because God answered him by "fire."  

God will answer YOU by fire, as well, after repentance; he will fill you with the Holy Ghost and fire, and you will speak in a language you never learned, feel the glory of a God you've never felt, experience joy such you can't even imagine, step into a dimension you never dreamed possible, and it's the kind of thing the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ our Savior loves to do.  He ever lives to "live in YOU!"

Elisha receiving the mantle when

Elijah was taken up

Ah, then there was that mighty, but persistent, Elisha, who was no dummy; he observed all that God did through Elijah, so he purposed to be like him and His God, in fact, "double" like him.  Elisha wanted a double portion of the power Elijah had and so he followed him around like white on rice.  Why?  Because Elijah told him that if he, Elisha, saw him go away, he would receive the mantle of a double portion of his power in God.  Elisha saw it, and Elisha caught the mantle, and he had a double portion. 

The call to be holy is for men, women, teens, children, all of us.  Imagine what it would be like to live in a world of people who patterned themselves "in the image of God."  We will not be perfect until we reach heaven, but we could walk in love, rid ourselves of hatred, jealousy, envy, strife, drunkenness, sin, lust, murders, fornication, evil, and seek to be "like" our God in all of His ways.  What is God like?  The Holy Bible is who God IS; He will never say anything different than what is in His Word; all of the sought after answers to life's questions are in His Word; all admonitions to live in His image are in His Word.  If we don't read His Word, or know His Word, we will have much trouble being like Him.

To be "In The Image of God" is to take up our cross and follow Him.

(Visit promiseland church.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

          

"Fabulous February & Magnificent March!"

"Fabulous February & Magnificent March"

Phillips, Craig and Dean on February 29th; Dr. Raymond Larson on March 1st, and Rick Pino on March 2nd through March 4th with 50 hours of Worship!  

PROMISELAND CHURCH ON FIRE!

                                                                       

                                                                          

What is it all about?  It's about WORSHIP, Power, Glory, and FIRE on the altar of God!  It is the single most spectacular week and weekend of PromiseLand's history!  It starts with a concert on February 29th with Phillips, Craig and Dean, who won the Inspirational Album of the Year award on 4/26/10.  
  

      

41st Annual GMA Dove Awards

Then, on March 1st, we welcome Dr. Raymond Larson, who brings truth to the New Church Order at 10:00 am.  He's a Pastor, Entrepreneur, and Marketplace Influencer.

 

Are you excited yet?  Here it comes:  March 2nd through March 4th, we will go up in the smoke of the Holy Ghost with awesome worship and leading us into the Holy of Holies with Rick Pino.

"Rick Pino is the Founder of Fire Rain Ministries, a "voice crying out" ministry who for the past 7 years has been calling people to lives of radical love, radical holiness, and radical devotion to Jesus.  His music is known for being militant, joyful, intimate and prophetic.  Rick is also the co-founder of "Fire on the Altar" regional worship events, which are 50-hour gatherings of non-stop worship in the heart of the tabernacle of David.  During these gatherings there is only one agenda: to bring the Lord an offering of unbroken love."  (rickpino.com) 

   



Dynamic, earthshaking, incredible heaven moving, human stirring, soul moving, AWAKENING!  What can you expect?  Expect to come out totally different than when you arrived; expect to overflow with the Holy Ghost and fire; expect to have a move of your spirit such as you have never known; expect your soul to explode in power and wonder; expect the presence of Almighty God, Jesus Christ our Lord; expect signs, miracles, and wonders; expect the greatest move of the Spirit of God that you have ever seen or experienced; expect the unexpected  ...

                                          

We can already feel the soon influx of the heavenly hosts' arrival in anticipation of our mortal Holy, Holy, Holy's.  Day by day the thrill in our souls rises, as does the thrill in the soul of our mighty King of Kings.  It will be a Holy completed circle  ...  Holy, Holy, Holy's in heaven and Holy, Holy, Holy's in earth  ...  "in earth as it is in heaven;" and the rain will fall; the glory will be manifested; the Spirit will move; humans will step into another dimension for 50 hours!  Just imagine 50 hours of nonstop, Holy, glorious, and powerful WORSHIP! 

 

Come join us through Live Streaming!

"Fabulous February & Magnificent March!"

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

"Shepherds 101"

"Shepherds 101"

"And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it.  And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods."

(Ezekiel 34:24-25)

Ah, David, an example of "Shepherds 101!"  He was the shepherd, next only to the Main Shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord.  David is mentioned 1,127 times in the Bible, more than any other person.  David was a man after God's own heart, and as a young shepherd boy, his trust in God was such that he expected God to help him slay the lions and bears that came to attack his sheep.  If you want to sleep in the woods, it's best to have little ole David around  ...  even as a young lad, he was fierce and fearless.  

David, being anointed by Samuel

David was anointed three times, the first time in Bethlehem by Saul; the second time was for part of Israel; and the third time was for all of Israel, the latter anointings in Hebron.  Why is this important?  "Anointing," anytime, anywhere, anyhow IS of utmost importance.  God had His eye on David, and no doubt, the holy love songs in the dark moonlit pastures with the tinkling lilting of the harp, moved God to select him from an early age.  David had this fearless edge, even though his heart was full of melodies and psalms, that intricacy of phrases and soul-stirring wording, which still moves the coldest of hearts today.

David and Goliath

David had his exploits, and so do our shepherds in this hour.  Our "godly" Shepherds, Pastors and Prophets, over the sheep in our Churches today, spend their time weeping between the porch and the altar, fighting the wolves in sheep's clothing, warring with devils and demons, protecting their flocks by night, hearing the distant thunder, discerning the face of the skies, testing and gauging the winds, following the cloud by day and the fire by night, and moving with the directional unction of God  ...  They are Shepherds in need of our constant prayers of protection, for if the Shepherd is destroyed, the sheep will scatter  ...  

Everett Fox of jhom.com explains nuances of David's life as a shepherd, and when he was king, exquisitely:  "As a youngest son and a shepherd, he rises from powerless beginnings; his youth is marked by unparalleled success as soldier and incipient leader; he is loved by women and by Jonathan, the crown prince (who should be his rival); he miraculously escapes death on numerous occasions in his flight from Saul; his path to the throne is enabled by overzealous subordinates, whose bloody deeds on his behalf somehow do not reach as far as their master; and ultimately he is able to unify a tribal society, secure lasting peace, and create a new order based on a triad of dynasty, royal city, and temple."

Further, Fox states, "No one in the Bible gets away with anything, not Jacob, the ancestor of Israel, not Moses, the liberator and lawgiver himself, and not even the charismatic and beloved David, as much as he is said to 'strengthen himself in YHWH his God,' as noted in I Samuel 30:6, and despite the fact that he is credited in biblical tradition with writing some of the world's great religious poetry in Psalms."

David, in shame, after Nathan,

the Prophet, reveals his sin

The most Anointed ones of all are the most vulnerable of all.  The power and greatness, that God grants to His chosen, should be taken with great trepidation.  Those who watch for our souls, who stand guard in the moonlight, who beat the wolves away from the helpless sheep, who carry the torch of truth, who lead the march with authority  ...  who drip with anointing  ...  They are the stalwart David's of our day, and we can never pray too much for them  ...  God will always have One who is a Moses, a Joseph, a Jeremiah, a Paul, a David  ... a Shepherd, as He is  ...

  

There are not many David's, those nighttime lonely moon gazers, those lovers of God with new worship phrases always on their minds, those dreamy-eyed far off thinkers who never seem to be "here," the humans who appear to not inhabit mortality, those that don't fit in with the unholy mundane surroundings of earth, those visionaries who are years ahead plotting the route from years ago, those with eyes ablaze with the two that don't seem to go together: love and prophecy, those who would rather meditate and cogitate than relate, those who look into your eyes and know what you're about before you say even a word, those who live an ethereal eagle existence  ...  those who are ever far "away" with God  ...

"Shepherds 101" teaches us that David's are 'pasture people;' and, I know, that may sound rather out of touch to you, and not socially acceptable, but they actually socialize very well, because they know that they know  ...  You feel uncomfortable around them at times, because they seem to be way ahead  ...  and they are  ...  They dwell in a realm beyond the borders; they expand with God's universal vision; they see what others don't see; they feel what we wish we could feel  ...  They dance to music we can't hear  ... 

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

        

"REVIVAL!"

"REVIVAL!"

"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour

out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters

shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams,

your young men shall see visions."

(Joel 2:28)

It's REVIVAL in February!  Where?  In Austin, for sure; at the PromiseLand Church; through the Live Streaming for sure; and the fire is spreading to other Churches, other Nations, other kindreds, other tongues, and all around the world.  "What's happening?" you ask.  It's simple; somebody prayed, somebody fasted, somebody bowed low to climb high, somebody moved HIM!  Moved Who?  Our Almighty God!  When God is moved, things happen, Spirit falls, people are stirred, winds blow, dreams come, visions are seen, angels appear, chains are broken, the bound are loosed, tongues speak, hearts are changed, souls are revived  ...  It's called "REVIVAL!"

"And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,

and all mankind together will see it.  For the

mouth of the LORD has spoken."

(Isaiah 40:5)

Barnes' notes on the Bible says it like this: "And the glory of the Lord - The phrase here means evidently the majesty, power or honor of Yahweh.  He would display his power, and show himself to be a covenant-keeping God, by delivering his people from their bondage, and reconducting them to their own land.  This glory and faithfulness would be shown in his delivering them from their captivity in Babylon; and it would be still more illustriously shown in his sending the Messiah to accomplish the deliverance of his people in later days."  

Hallelujah!  I said, "Hallelujah!"  The Messiah has come!  The Lord Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, lived, died upon a rugged splintered cross, and rose the third day  ...  He's Alive!  And, we know it, because we feel His Spirit in our hands, in our feet, in our souls day by day.  People all over the world know it, 580 million of them and it's growing minute by minute.  Why?  REVIVAL!  It's happening here, there, everywhere.  Why?  It's "all flesh" time; there's a rustling in the treetops; the ground trembles and moves at the anticipation of His coming; even the animals are restless; lots of people are looking up; the Lord God's Church is exploding with power and Spirit  ...  Why?  "In earth as it is in heaven." 

The word "Revival" means in one definition: a New Production!  Earth is in the middle of a "New Production."  Heaven is coming down, spirits are reaching up, angels are descending, hearts are rising, 'reign'  is falling, glory is emanating, power is flowing, tongues are erupting  ...  REVIVAL!

"The heavens proclaim his righteousness,

and all the peoples see his glory."

(Psalm 97:6)

Get in it, or get run over!  The magnificent fire of the Holy Ghost is a consuming element; it falls upon whosoever will receive it.  All it takes is a hungry heart, a sincere humbled repentant soul, a desperate human  ...  someone who is ready to give it up, ready to let the Lord fight the battles, ready to feel forgiven, sanctified, innocent, delivered, and "revived."  It's Yours  ...  for the asking  ...

The price is being paid by many; the altar is drenched with tears and ready for the fire; the voices are sounding their calls as a trumpet; humanity is crying aloud for its Creator; the lines have been drawn in the sand  ...  The righteous will hear from their God; the hungry will be filled; the weary will be joyful; the lame shall dance; the deaf will hear; the blind shall see; the lost will be found  ... The ready will be "caught up"  ...

Ah, "REVIVAL;" what is it all about?  It's about serious sorrowful repentance; it's about the SPIRIT of the living God taking up residence in worshipful "dust;" it's about being filled with the Holy Ghost and speaking with tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance ; it's about being baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins  ...  It's about water and fire  ...

We can wrap it up in one word, "REVIVAL!"

                                                                     

   

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

The Truth Will Set You Free!

The Truth Will Set You Free!

Is the Bible True?

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful

for teaching, rebuking, correcting and

training in righteousness."

(2 Timothy 3:16)



"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the 

scripture is of any private interpretation.  

For the prophecy came not in old time by the

will of man: but holy men of God spake as they

were moved by the Holy Ghost."

(2 Peter 1:20-21)

In the Holy Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ stated in John 10:35, "Scripture cannot be broken," and "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."  (Matthew 5:18)  And, Jesus Christ used the authority of the Bible against satan, when He said, "It is written," seventy times.  

Martin Luther, the father of the

Protestant Churches in the 1500's

Luther said, "My conscience has been taken

captive by the Word of God."

We realize the anointing and profundity of the Holy Bible only after we have received the infilling of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues.  The Book of 2 Corinthians 3:6 says, "Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life."  When I read the Bible before I had received the Holy Ghost, it was just words that didn't seem to prick my heart, and it was somewhat difficult to understand, as well as the fact that I didn't know where to begin, but then, after having received the Spirit of God, the Bible came alive!  The Spirit gave the Word "life." 

The Bible is composed of 66 Books, written over a period of approximatley 1,500 years from about 1450 BC to about 90 AD by over 40 different people.  The writers were from many different backgrounds and some were rich, some were poor, some young and some were old.  Some were priests, some were prophets; Matthew was a tax collector; Luke was a doctor; Paul was a tentmaker, and Peter was a fisherman.  Yet, they all wrote about the same man who was God in the flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord.  

The Bible is historically accurate; Luke's writings have been confirmed by ancient Roman historical records and archeology.  Even unbelieving scholars agree that King David, King Solomon, and the philistines existed, as well as the cities in the Bible: Ephesus, Philippi and Thessalonica.  A Canaanite bronze calf was discovered a couple of years ago and featured in Time Magazine, which gave proof of the Bible's account that pagan nations worshipped calves.  

Old testament prophecies, which were given several hundred years before the Lord Jesus Christ, foretold the exact time of Jesus' coming, the exact place of His birth, the family of which He would be born, the status of His family at the time of His birth, how He would be received by the people, the method and details of His death, how He would be buried, and His resurrection.  All of the predictions in the Bible were fulfilled with exact detail in the Lord Jesus Christ.  (Isaiah 53, Micah 5:2, Daniel 9: 25-27, Jeremiah 23:5-6, Psalm 16:8-11)  

  

Apostle Peter, being crucified upside down

The new testament writers of, and the eyewitnesses to, the Lord Jesus' existence and His resurrection suffered extreme horrific persecution.  Who, in his right mind, would willingly be tortured to uphold a lie, if the events of the Holy Bible were false?  Matthew was killed with a sword in Ethiopia; Mark died as a result of being dragged through the streets of Alexandria; Luke was hanged on an olive tree; John was boiled in oil and banished to the Isle of Patmos where he wrote the Book of Revelation, while he was "in the Spirit on the Lord's day;" Peter was crucified upside down, because he counted himself unworthy to die like His Lord; Jude was shot to death with arrows; and Paul was beheaded at Rome by Emperor Nero.

Noah's Ark, and Rainbow

Have you seen a rainbow lately, or for that matter, any time in your life?  If you have, stamp it true!  Stamp what?  The Bible!  "And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth."  This is recorded in Genesis 9:12-13; God told Noah He would never again destroy the earth by flood, and as a sign of His promise, He set the rainbow in the sky.  So, now, in times of torrential rains, we can look up and we are comforted with a beautiful "rainbow" directly from the hand of God.  Every time you see the arching cascade of mingled heavenly colors, you know the Bible is true!

According to the Bible, the first Israel had to be reborn and this would reveal we had entered the latter years of the last days.  This happened May 14, 1948, when Israel became a Nation.  Then, approximatley 365 prophecies would be fulfilled within that generation; 364 are now fulfilled.  Here are some questions (from Amazingbible.org) which are predictions from the Bible for the hour in which we are living:

 

    Will strange weather patterns begin to happen and increase? Yes

Will earthquakes, wind storms, and even tidal waves increase? Yes

Will alternate lifestyles increase and become acceptable? Yes

Will false prophets arise and deceive many? Yes

Will there be a one-world system or global economy? Yes

Will Russia, Iran, and some Arab nations invade Israel, and the USA become involved? Yes

Will all these things and many more begin happening "after" the rebirth of Israel? Yes

Were these things happening 75 or 100 years ago?  NO

The "Truth" will set You Free!

Rainbow over Bethlehem

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)