A New Mind for a New Year

Matthew 9: 14-17                                                                     

This passage contextually is dealing with fasting but beyond the surface I believe there is so much more. Part of the more I believe is in there is a teaching on paradigms.

Jesus says, “You can’t put new wine in an old bottle”. New wine is going to go through changes, it is going to aerate, ferment, within the skin it will develop pressure and because the old wine skin is no longer malleable, it is no longer flexible the pressure causes a problems, it will bust and both are wasted. New wine has to be placed in something flexible, malleable, something that can handle the changes and pressures that will take place through the stages, something that has the ability to make adjustments.

Jesus is telling them that the problem they were having with Him is that He came to bring new wine but their religious framework of thinking is so antiquated and outdated that it would burst them to receive what He was getting ready to say and do. There is no pouring without a new paradigm. The only way to experience new wine and not burst is to change the wineskin, or to change the way you think.

Every year during this time there are always lots of decrees and proclamations made. I remember that I was suppose to “Get more in 04”, “Come alive in 05”, “Get it fixed in 06”, “Manifesting heaven in 07”, Go through the gate in 08”, etc...

 What happens is that many people gather together, they talk, they even pray the new things being said, they are hungry, ready to receive a new slogan in hopes that this year will truly be different than the one they just went through yet 1 month, 2 months into the new year they discover that they still needed more in 04, nothing came alive in 05, it didn’t get fixed in 06 and we look bewildered and disappointed that these things did not come to pass as we had thought.

 For many it is because they have faith in the wrong thing. Faith cannot be in a watch night service, stroke of the clock, or the latest slogan it has to be in the Lord whom the bible says, “daily loadeth us with benefits”, every day is an opportunity from the Lord if we would sieze it, if we would maximize the moment and stop waiting for a certain day, time always placing in our future that which God has for us today by the renewing of our mind!

There is no need of us having a new year, with a new slogan if were going to go into it with an old mindset. If it is going to change its not because of a calendar day or a clock, if your going to come out from where you have been and experience something new, you have to come out head first! True Resolve will come from true repentance which is a change of mind. If He can get our heads out everything else will follow!

Momentum: keep the fire burning

Recently there was a prophetic word released at our church, the word "momentum," nothing more, nothing less but "momentum."  As I pondered this word and all found within such as "spiritual inheritance," What God starts continues forever," and many other thoughts worthy of study each on there own but for now I want to look at momentum as it applies specifically to our personal lives and how we live for God for He has begun great things in our lives but it is our job to take it furthe, He starts the fire, we keep it burning.

Hebrews 6:12 - "That ye be not slothful but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises." 

When we read this verse most of us as I did naturally equates "slothfulness" with laziness but this is not the case, according to the Greek text this has nothing to do with laziness. The word "slothful" is taken from the Greek word "Nothros" and describes something that is slow or sluggish. By slow or sluggish I don't suggest or mean lazy but something that has lost it's speed or momentum. It is something that is still moving but not at the same speed or velocity it once did. 

The word "Nothros" could be typifiedby a candle that once burned brightly but now, though still burning doesn't burned like it once did. In life it could be viewed as a person who felt very strongly toward somthing and was very committed but now that committment is wearing off. The word "Nothros" describes the lack of momentum that was originally there. Outwardly we can be busier than ever but inwardly(spiritually) be at a place of "Nothros", a place of neutrality. It is going through the motions of life, ministry, family, etc.. without the passion, zeal and convictions we started with. When spiritually in this place of "Nothros" it may look like were going somewhere on the outside but going nowhere on the inside. 

I believe God has been an is up to some great things in our midst and across our nation but people stuck in "Nothros' can't see the positive or don't really care one way or the other. God tells us here, commands us not to be "nothros" but to get into the momentum of His spirit, move as He is moving. God is visiting us in (momentum) to break any and all sluggishness in our souls and to ignite fresh fire to be burn brighter and go further in this hour(by His Spirit). 

How? The Lord tells in the rest of the verse. "but be followers of them." The word Followers is taken from the word "mimetes"  where we get our english word "imitate,' the best translation for this word is "actor."  An "actor" is somone who skillfully and convincingly acts like someone else. You could actually translate this phrase, "but skillfully and convincingly act like those who through faith and patience inherit the promise.' 

The writer of Hebrews gives us a powerful principle for defeating neutrality and moving with momentum. You could say it like this, "If you have become nuetral, then find somonewho is on fire and watch what they say, how they act, how they live and act like them. Do what they do, say what they say, be imitators of them who through faith and patience have inherited the promise." To often we associate ourselves only with those who do not strecth or challenge us.

By commanding us to be "followers," Actors if you will the writer is not telling us to start personality cults. It is not the personality we are called to imitate but their faith. The charge is to connect with somone who is burning, tackled the odds, been through opposition and is standing, perhaps even made major mistakes but is still fighting the fight and pursuing the dream. It isn't so much their actions as it is their attitude were called to "mimik." 

Simply put if you want to kill giants you need to hang out with giant killers. As an awakening is happening all around, as there is a real sense of momentum, get in on itand move with passion and zeal and if need be connect with somone who can help stoke the fire. 

Again there is much to be said about momentum and this is only one thought from one verse but prayerfully it is encouraging and equipping.

Ransom becomes Elevation

By now you should have heard that we have changed the name of First Assemblies youth ministry from Ransom to Elevation. I know some of you are wondering why or might have missed the night we gave explanation so I write my first blog to give you the Why of the name change.


1. Pastor's Heart

It was and is my desire to change the name of the youth ministry to something that resonated with the heart and vision of the Lead Pastor (Pastor Patrick). Somewhere down the road the church will transition and I am trying to positions us now ( a little early) for that transition. The name was discussed and approved by Pastor and many other adults and students.

2. Change of name brings Change of direction


Biblically we see that when God changed someones name it came with a change of direction in life. Janette and I are thankful for all those who labored in this field before us each adding their DNA to the youth ministry at first assembly but we cannot function and take the ministry were God is calling us in a vein or DNA that is not our own. In light of this we are changing the name as a natural way of speaking a spiritual truth, change of name, change of direction or DNA.

3. Why Elevation?

There were a couple different logo ideas, the two above are just two of many that were considered but in the end it was elevation.

We believe that as the Lord opened a door in the heavens and ask John to "come up here" that the Lord is calling this generation to higher heights in His love, grace...His Presence where everything changes. Elevation  speaks of a gradual accent upward, and we are growing in grace and moving upward. It represents are calling to grow and experience more.

One of the Synonyms for elevation is rise and surely there is a generation rising. We are not look at where they have been or even where they are but lifting (elevating) our vision to see what He see's because we become what we behold. To often we focus only on were we have been or even our present condition and it keeps us stuck in old cycles. One example is the paradigm that we are just "sinners saved by Grace," this mentality is one of the primary reasons for cycles of sin. In reality that's who we were but now we are sons, daughters, the bible calls us saints and this is God's view on your worst day! When we allow our vision to drop to a natural level, we become what we behold this is why our vision must be elevated!

The message of Jesus was and is the message of the Kingdom and in order to have a kingdom mindset and vision we must learn to live from a different reality, the same way Jesus was here and there (heaven at the same time (John 3) so we must learn to live elevated above circumstances, situations, life, failures and live from the reality of the kingdom!


I am excited for this new year and for elevation!!

Blessings,

Pastor Chris