Tag Archives: Lordship of Christ

FAITH and REVELATION are activated by suffering

And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

Mark 8:31

opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.

Acts 17:3

In a world of Greek philosophical heritage in which we live, where the purpose of life is to seek and achieve personal happiness and well-being, a statement like the one proposed in the title of this chapter would surely offend more than one and could be taken as religious nonsense.

Why should the Christ suffer? Unlike philosophies and religions of higher social projection in history, where their doctrines are based on the realization of man by observing the theosophical rules compiled by their founders, Christianity does not depend on what man does to get his spirituality and eventual salvation. It is widely known that in the Gospel of the Kingdom, salvation is by Grace, Gift of God, and consists in believing in the name of Jesus, precisely to avoid anyone to glory in his deeds.[1]

The Gospel only asks to believe. The apostle Paul summarizes in this unique expression taken from the book of Deuteronomy[2]  the key to salvation:

that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Romans 10:9

Simple. Believe and confess what is believed. Why then the need to suffer?

Man is a being that tends to gather all his knowledge and to reduce it to a systematic knowledge; by nature, he is very given to boasting about what he knows; thence, so that a knowledge that God gives him does not fall in the “library” of his knowledge, and the Revelation is lost, it is necessary for man to process his knowledge through “experiences” that lead him to put aside his tendency to boast about what he knows; in the process, man discovers God speaking to his spirit. The suffering that man faces is of the same degree as his resistance to depose his tendency to boast.

It was necessary for the Christ to suffer because only in this way man could understand the way of the Revelation of salvation, which is why we read in the epistles of the Apostle Paul that the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. [3]   If there were no suffering, the doctrine of Christ would be reduced to theoretical knowledge only.[4]

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

1st. Corinthians 2:14

Thus, suffering makes it possible for the knowledge acquired to be transformed into the Revelation of God’s purposes. It is not that we preach a doctrine of suffering, nor worse, that we exalt it, but it is the form provided by God so that by an attitude of submission to the Lordship of Christ, and by the decision to be participants in His sufferings, a person finds faith as a resource of trust in God; the apostle Paul established among the Gentile communities that it is necessary that through many tribulations we enter the Kingdom of God, note that according to the teaching of the apostle, to remain in the faith means to remain firm in the face of suffering.[5]

In the teaching about the life of the Kingdom set forth by the parable of the sower,[6] Jesus instructed his disciples that unwillingness to tolerate suffering for the sake of the Gospel causes the seed of Revelation and Faith to be lost. The seed that remains superficial on the road, together with the one that is choked by the rocks, and the one that is suffocated by the thorns, are the graphic representation of lives, although interested in developing a life of faith but unwilling to suffer for it; faith and Revelation are not the product of the theory of knowledge, but the experience of being participants in the sufferings of Christ;[7] in the experience of being ‘hidden’ in God is when the things are discovered that eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man.[8] A life based on the theory of knowledge is a life that lags behind and is immersed in religious rituals that only encapsulates its confidence in what it knows theoretically about God.[9]

It is not a matter of seeking and promoting suffering, life in Christ Jesus does not consist of suffering for the sake of suffering; the merit of the life of faith does not lie in pain. God determines which revelation needs to be processed by the experience of suffering, when it comes, not avoided.[10] The life of faith does not consist in reproducing stereotypical models of pietistic, silent, tolerant, medieval Christianity; the life of faith in Jesus Christ consists in activating in our own lives the conviction of Revelation that has been deposited in our spirit.[11]

The Revelation of His Word brings faith, but there are Revelations that need to be processed through suffering.

that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

1st. Peter 1:7

Faith is not a product of human endeavor; it is a spiritual virtue. God Himself subjects us to situations designed by Him to produce in us the Revelation of His Essence, and for us to believe in Him. It is not the logical, rational belief, product of the acquired knowledge, it is the Revelation of His Power, of His Sovereignty, of His Lordship, and through this Revelation the necessary Faith is activated to move us in His Grace.

15 who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; 16 who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;

Deuteronomy 8:15-16

These verses are widely known in the religious media, but they highlight only the end result of God’s action: to do thee good at thy latter end, but they deliberately ignore the way God used to achieve that result. That’s why we have many frustrated, disappointed, bitter, and depressed believers today, denying their faith and blaming God for all their misfortunes.

If the Scriptures themselves testify that it is through suffering that the believer receives and develops faith, why then the tendency to avoid it.

13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.           

Hebrews 11:13-16

How much Revelation does God have for you? Suffer patiently the race that is set before you, seek neither merit nor gain nor recognition; let it not be said of you that it is lighter work to put a camel through the eye of a needle, …

All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.

Pastor Pedro Montoya

Twitter: @pastormontoya

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[1] Ephesians 2:8

[2] Deuteronomy 30:10-14

[3] 1st. Corinthians 1:18

[4] Ditto 1:21-23

[5] Acts 14:22

[6] Mathew 13:1-23

[7] Philippians 1:29: For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

[8] 1st. Corinthians 2:9

[9] Mathew 13:19-23

[10] Ditto 10:38

[11] Jeremy 31:33

How to know the Visitation of God?

The Case of the Visitation in the Time of John the Baptist

The theme of ‘visitation’, פָּקְדִי (ppakedi), is a theme as old as man himself, and is associated with the manifestation of God, in principle, to a community, a people or an entire nation. It should not be related to ‘appearence’, accidental וַיֵּרָא (yera), or deliberate הַנִּרְאֶה (han.nir’eh), for it is not the same thing. The nature of ‘visitation’ is of the group type, while the appearance can be both group and individual.

The apparition brings with it an evident presence, while the ‘visitation’ does not necessarily mean an evident presence of God. Rather, ‘visitation’ is an event that marks the difference in time between one season and another, with the purpose of emphasizing that the change is a decision of God over the community visited.

Although a visitation is determined by the Will of God, and it is He who decides when to provoke it, nevertheless, ‘visitations’ have very similar cause-signs among themselves, so that the manifestation of one of them is evident to those who have understanding in the times. On this occasion we want to study the case of the visitation of God that began with the birth of John the Baptist, referred to by the writer of the Gospel of Luke. Let us begin by studying the prophetic words of the priest Zechariah, precisely the father of John the Baptist:

67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, 68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed His people, 69 and hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

Luke 1:67-69

A ‘visitation’ is intended to establish a time of redemption in the region where the visitation is taking place,

for He hath visited and redeemed His people,

verse 68

And as soon as this time of ‘redemption’ is inaugurated, a series of characteristic ‘evidences’ of the manifestation of God arise as a consequence. The writer describes several of them.

The first and most important being the presence of a ‘liberator’

and hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,

verse 69

God’s work is established through men and women, and even children. This is a fundamental characteristic of the legitimate work of God. In the case where an angel of God has intervened, his participation is only as a messenger to make known about an event, or to give instructions about some action that people should take; but it is men or women who establish the work.

This operational form of God’s action is widely highlighted in the writings of the book of Judges :

18 And when the Lord raised them up judges, then the Lord was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the Lord because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. 19 And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.

Judges 2:18-19

The second characteristic of a ‘visitation’ is the establishment of liberation throughout the land visited.

that we should be saved from our enemies,

verse 71a

The deliverance is not only about people but about places and regions over which a curse has fallen because of the satanic practices and invocations performed by its inhabitants, which means that the land comes to life, and produces as it did in the beginning, before the curse entered the region. The writer of Luke’s gospel, citing the words of the priest Zechariah, establishes this emphasis,

Deliverance is the strong evidence that the Kingdom of God has been established over a place and its inhabitants; the expulsion of demons from a person and from a place, is not an isolated and independent event, it is the visible evidence that the kingdom of darkness came to an end in that region; Jesus himself established it as the strong sign of the establishment of the Kingdom in an area,

But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.

Matthew 12:28 (Luke 11:20)

A time of ‘visitation’ brings with it the exercise of expelling demons from places and liberating the inhabitants of the regions. There cannot be ‘visitation’ without a real manifestation of liberation. It is the very foundation of the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven;

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

1st. John 3:8

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

Hebrews 2:14

9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

Philippians 2:9-10

Another characteristic of a ‘visitation’ from God is the recovery of the worthiness of God’s people in the eyes of the local people.

and from the hand of all that hate us;

verse 71b

As clear examples we have, first, the case of when the people of Israel were delivered from the hand of Pharaoh of Egypt: and the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.(Exodus 12:36); the second example is the case of when the people were delivered from the hand of Haman the son of Amadatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews: And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them. (Exodus 12:36); the second example is the case of when the people were delivered from the hand of Haman the son of Amadatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews: And many of the people of the land became Jews, because the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them. (Esther 8:17); these two examples suffice to show how a manifestation of God causes those who walk according to the Truth and faith of Jesus to acquire a value of honor and respect in the eyes of their own community.

The cases cited are not isolated cases, it is the operating platform on which it operates every time a ‘visitation’ of God is performed.

The ‘visitation’ of God makes participate among those who live under the Lordship of Christ Jesus, the Revelation of the Eternal Covenants by which Israel was founded as God’s chosen nation;

to perform the mercy promised to our fathers,

verse 72a

during this time of ‘visitation’, the Gospel of the Kingdom discovers mysteries of Revelation that had not been seen in normal times, to establish by this form that the life of the Gospel of the Kingdom consists in living on earth by the principles of life in Heaven, as it is written in the epistle to the Ephesians:  that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: (Ephesians 1:17).

A ‘visitation’ from God is a time of discovery of the Father’s mysteries. God validates the mercies given to the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David, and activates them in favor of those who live under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

This means that in a time of ‘visitation’, the mercy dispensed to all who avail themselves of it is a mercy magnified, like the mercy David received when he was in extreme distress; let us see how this applies:

O Lord God, turn not away the face of thine anointed: remember the mercies of David thy servant.

2 Chronicles 6:42

Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

Isaiah 55:3

And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.

Acts 13:34

A time of ‘visitation’ is a time of Revelation of the mysteries of the Almighty.

and to remember His holy covenant;

verse 72b

The holy covenant is the covenant to inherit the land. A time of ‘visitation’ is a time of taking over the places of the earth that God has given in inheritance to his people. It is not about opening churches, it is about establishing the Kingdom of God in the regions, and establishing spiritual government so that the people may walk in the light of the Gospel. Psalm 37 is the psalm that best describes the holy covenant.

Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, (v.3)…  For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. (v.9)…   For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. (v.10)… But the meek shall inherit the earth; (v.11)… The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be forever. (v.18)… But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away….   For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.(v.22)…  He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed (v.26)…  For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. 29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever. (v.28, 29)…  Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it. (v.34)

Psalm 37

A time of ‘visitation’ activates God’s promise to Abraham

the oath which he sware to our father Abraham,

verse 73

God’s oath to Abraham is found in the book of Genesis,

17 that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Genesis 22:17-18

The promise has two emphases. The first is that of possessing the gates of his enemies, a promise that was validated to Peter on the same terms: and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18).

The second emphasis of God’s promise to Abraham is the ordinance to establish and regulate the terms and conditions under which the nations of the earth will live: In your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. It is not just a matter of ‘giving’ an extended benefit, of prosperity and blessing, to the nations of the earth; it is rather a matter of regulating the conditions under which the other nations will receive the blessing that will be dispensed to them in return. The prophet Isaiah presents this same theme but emphasizes that its application consists, above all, in a kind of spiritual covering that Israel imposes on those who walk in her light,  

And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.

Isaiah 4:1

If we carefully review other prophetic texts, such as the blessing of Moses to the twelve tribes, for example, we will see that from ancient times it was prophesied about the regulating character that God’s people would have over the inhabitants of the earth:

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

Genesis 49:10

Therefore, understanding and validating this Word, the cause of the moral, social, economic, and political debacle of any nation in the world does not consist in the multiplication of evil within it, only, but rather, and above all, because of the treatment given to the people of Israel, in the first place, and by extension, the treatment given to the people of faith in Jesus. 

Ignorance of these principles of faith has caused many communities of faith not to exercise the authority they should have in their regions, and therefore, they do not enjoy the life of faith based on the promises given to Abraham, our father in faith.

And now, let us note again the words of Zechariah as he concludes his prophecy. Since the people possess the gates of their enemies, they can now live in peace,

that he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

verse 74 -75

Many men and women of God have been called as liberators, but because they are immersed in religious environments they do not know it; their ministry is not a pulpit ministry to pastor a local congregation, their ministry is a breaking ministry, to bring ‘visitation’ from God to the regions they inhabit, but they have wandered the path and are looking for pulpits and churches to work in, believing that this is the only way to ‘do’ ministry.

There are men and women already chosen in Venezuela, in Mexico, in Spain, in El Salvador, in China, in Iran, in Bolivia, in Europe, in many different places in the world, places that God has disposed to initiate ‘visitation’ on earth. They are men and women without a pulpit, without a church that recognizes them, without much ministerial prestige, some even unknown, some even children … but they are the deliverers who will bring God’s ‘visitation’ on earth in preparation for His coming.

In the last times God is also raising up men and women who are called to finance the ministry of these deliverers.

All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.

Pastor Pedro Montoya

Twitter: @pastormontoya

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The Lordship of Christ and Spiritual Warfare

The Lordship of Christ is the purest expression of spiritual warfare. Only he who understands and submits to the Lordship of Christ can enter into spiritual warfare. The basis of faith in Christ is to recognize that Jesus is God, who has delivered us from the government that Satan imposed on Adam after having dishonored God.

It is not doctrine, it is not dogma; it is a celebration of life, it is the experience of a before and an after, it is the experience of seeing the ransom in order to enjoy again the freedom of one’s own life. It is a motive for proclamation. It is the good news of liberation.

Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Mathew 20:28

For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Mark 10:45

Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: Colossians 1:13

And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. 1st. Thessalonians 1:10

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 1st. John 3:8

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; Hebrew 2:14

However, even though He redeemed us from the law of sin and death,[1] the change is not made by Jesus but by the person himself. This means that it can and does happen that the person who has believed in Jesus still has links with darkness. Jesus is the provision of life.

The Lordship of Christ demands a total and complete liberation from the bonds of darkness.  This is the basis of spiritual warfare. That bond with darkness that the believer still maintains in the way he or she conducts himself or herself are areas over which the person does not have the authority to bend them.

This principle was established as law in Joshua’s defeat before Ai, after they overwhelmed Jericho.

Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you. Joshua 7:10-12

Hence the importance of the declaration of Zacchaeus, to return that entire he had defrauded. It is the way to break ties with darkness:

And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 9And Jesus said unto him, this day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham. Luke 19:8-9

Submission to the Lordship of Christ leads the person to face Satan, being under the Lordship of Christ enables the person to release all that in the past he delivered from his own under alliances with darkness. The Lord of Christ frees the person from all authority that darkness wants to arrogate upon him:

Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. John 14:30

This is the core part of life in Christ, and the demand for commitment that Jesus required of those who followed Him,

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Mathew 6:33

Note that Jesus’ instruction does not end with, it seeks the kingdom of God, instruction includes expression, and His righteousness. The expression is not an addition, it is not a literary appendix to close the prayer; the final expression therefore does not remain as an option at the discretion of the disciple.

This is freedom in Christ. The Lordship of Christ demands, requires, establishes, and imposes righteousness. Spiritual warfare is based on righteousness; unrighteousness is equivalent to Achan’s sin: taking and hiding the anathema.

Every act of injustice gives legal right to Satan. Every act of injustice links the person to the kingdom of darkness. Every act of injustice establishes alliances with the kingdom of darkness.

Spiritual warfare begins with repairing the injustices of the past; restoration is necessary to break every link with darkness. This is the way of establishment of the Lordship of Christ.

Finally, the purpose for which we were reached:

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. 2nd. Corinthians 10:5-6

The expression of Jesus in the house of Zacchaeus, Today salvation has come to this house, it is the point of perfection in a person who has submitted to the Lordship of Christ. He is spiritually enabled and authorized, to destroy counsel and every high thing that rises against the science of God; to captivate every attempt at disobedience and subject it to the obedience of Christ; to punish every disobedience.

To understand and acknowledge about the Lordship of Jesus means to admit that He is Lord and Christ (Messiah). The controversy that so many Pharisees and Sadducees had about Jesus was precisely about His being sent from God, none of them had a problem about His teaching and His ability to teach about the Scriptures, they questioned that He was sent from God (Christ), and that He had a God-like nature, they considered it blasphemous and it was the basic argument for which they took Him to the cross.
The authority that demons respect in a man or woman of faith is their submission and recognition of the Lordship of Jesus.

All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.

 

 

Pastor Pedro Montoya

Twitter: @pastormontoya

https://earthenwarevessels.blog

[1] Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: Romans 5:12

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.  Romans 8:2

The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.1st. Corinthians 15:56

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Colossians 2:13

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, Revelations 1:5

Is it really worth knowing about God and serving Jesus?

When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 9For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: 10And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. 11And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him. Luke 5:8-11

The other days reading in Luke’s treatise addressed to his old friend Theophilus, in the account of when Simon Peter, John and James, and possibly other fishermen not mentioned in the account, witnessed Jesus’ power to cause an impressive miracle, to raise fish where there were none, and as a result, each one’s decision to leave everything to follow Jesus, I couldn’t help but ask, What really led Peter, John and James to make such a decision to follow Jesus?

Although only Peter’s mother-in-law is mentioned in one of the accounts (4:38), all of them had a family to support, the proof of this was their trade; for ancient times the trade that each one exercised was caused by the need to support a family, not by the fact of developing a profession. So, having a family that depended on them for their daily sustenance, how is it possible that they were willing to leave everything to follow Jesus?

Although there was faith conviction resulting from the teachings of Jesus at the seashore that day, and by the miracle of supernatural fishing, how could it weigh more than the commitment of family men to bring sustenance to their respective families? What about the commitment they made to their wives’ parents when they married them? In the Jewish tradition, the father of the bride maintains responsibility for his married daughters.[1]

That day the fishermen left their trade, their families, their responsibility to the community, literally, they left everything. Why? What did the fishermen find in Jesus who were willing to make such a decision?

If they, the fishermen, were willing to give up everything, it means that it is worth knowing God and following Jesus; but what is the benefit?

The story in question describes that that morning, before the miracle took place, people crowded around him to hear the word of God. Is it worth knowing about God and following Jesus?

It is worth it if we want to know what God thinks of us, if we are interested in knowing how He sees our decisions, and how He weighs our actions; people had gathered at the seashore this time not as other times, to buy fish, but to hear God’s voice. Life is not only about who we are and/or what we can become, it is about knowing what God’s purpose is for each one of us; it is about knowing the life plans He has designed.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29:11

The miracle was not only for three fishermen, or the fishermen who had been with them, the miracle was for all the crowds that morning by the sea. Is it worth knowing God and following Jesus?

It is worth it if we accept to live under the knowledge that God cares for those who are willing to trust Him. That morning something different happened to previous mornings, people who came to the place looking to buy fish received the fish for free, they did not pay for them. Luke’s testimony in his narrative describes how so many fish were enclosed in the net that his net was broken, so much so that it was necessary to ask for the help of another boat to come and help them; and even so, they filled both boats so that they flooded.

Supernatural fishing was not the only miracle of supernatural provision that they experienced; later in their walk with Jesus the fishermen lived other experiences of multiplication, one of five loaves among five thousand men,[2] another of seven loaves among four thousand,[3]  and Peter, of provision to pay the Temple tax.[4]

In compiling the doctrine of Jesus, Luke recorded in his writing to Theophilus what would later become the foundation of faith in Jesus and the Kingdom of God on earth,

And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. 23The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. 24Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? 25And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? 26If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? 27Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? 29And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 30For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. (12:22-31)

It is worthwhile to know God and to follow Jesus if we are willing to depend on His provision: seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.

Luke concludes the account of supernatural fishing by describing the fundamental part of the reason for the miracle: When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 9For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: (5:8-9)

No miracles were provoked to show the capacity of Jesus over nature, which is really ostentation; miracles were performed to provoke a reaction in people toward God, to turn toward Him,

But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. John 20:31

And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day. Luke 5:26

Simon Peter knelt down to Jesus, which means that he recognized Jesus’ Lordship over him, and denounced and confessed himself a sinner, which means the first step of repentance to receive the salvation of the Kingdom of God.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1st. John 1:9

But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Romans 10:8-9

Is it worth knowing about God and following Jesus? Yes, it is worth knowing God and following Jesus if we are willing to denounce and confess our sin and turn away from it. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord.[5]

Yes, it is worth knowing about God and following Jesus if we are willing to submit to His Lordship, if we are willing to obey His Voice and walk by His Word.

Yes, it is worth knowing about God and following Jesus if we are willing to give up everything for His sake.

What led Peter, John and James to make the decision to abandon everything by following Jesus was that that morning they had an encounter with God. Everything they abandoned is not to compare with what they found: they found Eternal Life.

Do you want to know about God?

What do you think, is it worth serving Jesus? Of course, what is worth serving Jesus is not based on the benefits we receive in return; it is about understanding the awesomeness of the spiritual experience of communion with the Lord, it is about understanding the Grace of having been deemed worthy to share in His Glory.

 

All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.

 

Pastor Pedro Montoya

1 (407) 764-2699

Twitter: @pastormontoya

https://payhip.com/MinisterioApostolicoyProfeticoCristoRey

https://earthenwarevessels.com

[1] Genesis 34.12; Exodus 22.16-17; 1 Samuel 18.25

[2] Mathew 16:9

[3] Idem 16:10

[4] Idem 17:27

[5] Romans 6:23

Learning to Know God’s Visitation

The Case of the Visitation in the Time of John the Baptist

The theme of “visitation”, ִיְדְדִי (ppakedi), is as old as man himself, and is associated with the manifestation of God, in principle, to a community, a people or an entire nation. It should not be related to “apparition”, accidental וַיְּאּ (yera), or deliberate  ֵרהַנָאְאֶה (han.nir’eh), because it is not the same. The nature of “visitation” is group-type, while the “apparition” can be either group-type or individual.

The apparition entails an evident presence, while the visitation does not necessarily mean an evident presence of God. “Visitation” is rather an event that marks the difference in time between one season and the next, with the purpose of emphasizing that change is God’s decision about the community visited.

Of course, there are several reasons or causes for a “visitation”; in this particular case we want to introduce the theme, and if God allows us to develop in depth on the causes of “visitation” we will do so in a later study; to introduce the theme, we said, by studying the case referred to by the writer of Luke’s Gospel citing the words of the priest Zechariah in relation to the birth of John the Baptist.

And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, 68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, 69And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; Luke 1:67-69

“Visitation” has the meaning of time of redemption (v. 68),

for he hath visited and redeemed his people,

The writer clearly describes the characteristics of a “visitation”, let’s see them. The first and most important characteristic of a “visitation” of God is the presence of a “liberator” (v. 69),

And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

God’s work is established on earth through men and women, and even children. This is a fundamental characteristic of God’s legitimate work. In the case where an angel of God has intervened, his participation is only as a messenger to make known an event, or to give instructions on some action that people should take; but it is men or women who establish the work.

In the writings of the book of Judges this operational way of acting of God is highlighted:

And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. 19And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way. Judges 2:18, 19

The second characteristic of a “visitation” is the establishment of liberation in all the visited land. Liberation is not only about people but also about places and regions on which a curse has fallen because of the satanic practices and invocations made by its inhabitants. The writer of Luke’s Gospel quoting the words of the priest Zechariah, states its emphasis,

That we should be saved from our enemies, (v.71a)

The overwhelming evidence that the Kingdom of God has been established upon a place and its inhabitants is the casting out of demons (deliverance). Jesus Himself established it as the sign of the establishment of the Kingdom,

But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Mathew 12:28 (Luke 11:20)

A time of “visitation” brings with it the exercise of the expulsion of demons from the places and the liberation of the inhabitants of the regions. There can be no “visitation” without a real manifestation of liberation. It is the very foundation of the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven; let us see it,

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 1st. John 3:8

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; Hebrew 2:14

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; Philippians 2:9, 10

and from the hand of all that hate us;  (v.71b)

Another characteristic of a “visitation” of God is the recovery of the value of the people of God before the inhabitants of the localities.

The case of when the people of Israel were delivered out of the hand of Pharaoh of Egypt: And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians. (Exodus 12:36); the case of when the people were delivered out of the hand of Haman the son of Amadatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews: And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them. (Esther 8:17); among many other cases, they illustrate this characteristic of liberation, fruit of a “visitation” of God.

They are not isolated cases; it is the execution platform on which all time of “visitation” of God operates.

To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, (v.72a)

God’s “visitation” establishes among those who live under the Lordship of Christ a spirit of revelation, as the apostle Paul himself points out: That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: (Ephesians 1:17).

It is a time of discovery of the mysteries of the Father. God validates the mercies given to the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David, and activates them on behalf of those who live under the Lordship of Christ.

That is, the above means that in a time of “visitation,” the treatment (mercy) that one who lives under His Lordship receives is the same mercy given to David, for example:

O LORD God, turn not away the face of thine anointed: remember the mercies of David thy servant. 2 Chronicle 6:42

Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Isaiah 55:3

And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. Acts 13:34

A time of “visitation” is a time of Revelation of the mysteries of the Almighty.

and to remember his holy covenant;  (v.72b)

The holy covenant is the covenant to inherit the earth. A time of “visitation” is a time of taking rulership over the places of the earth that God has inherited for His people. Psalm 37 is the psalm that best describes the holy covenant.

Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land,(v.3)… For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.(v.9)… For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.(v.10)… But the meek shall inherit the earth,(v.11)… The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.(v.18)… But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume;(v.20)… For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.(v.22)… He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.(v.26)… but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.(v.28, 29)… Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.(v.34)

The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, (v.73)

God’s oath to Abraham is found in the book of Genesis,

That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. Genesis 22:17, 18

The promise has two emphases. The first, that of possess the gates of his enemies, a promise that was validated to Peter in the same terms: and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18).

The second emphasis, that of establishing and regulating the terms and conditions under which the nations of the earth shall live: in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. This, if we carefully review other prophetic texts, such as the blessing of Moses to the twelve tribes, we will see that from ancient times it was prophesied about the regulating character of God’s people over the inhabitants of the earth:

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Genesis 49:10

Therefore, understanding and validating this Word, the cause of the moral, social, economic and political debacle of a nation does not consist in the multiplication of evil within it, it is not because of what the wicked do, but because of a people of Light that does not exercise its authority over the regions, that gets into four walls and seeks to live isolated from its environment, without realizing that by doing so they are losing ground and invalidating themselves the Promise that God swore to Abraham, the father of faith.

And now comes the conclusion:

That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. (v.74, 75)

Many men and women of God have been called as liberators, to bring “visitation” of God to the regions they inhabit, but they have gone astray and are looking for pulpits and churches where to work, believing that ministry is reduced to pulpit.

There are men and women already chosen in Venezuela, in Mexico, in Spain, in El Salvador, in China, in Iran, in Bolivia, in so many different places of the world, places that God has prepared to initiate “visitation” on earth. They are men and women without a pulpit, without a church that recognizes them, without much ministerial prestige, some even unknown, some children even… but they are the liberators who will bring God’s “visitation” upon the earth in preparation for His Coming.

 

All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.

 

 

Pastor Pedro Montoya

Ph. (407) 764-2699

Twitter: @pastormontoya

https://payhip.com/MinisterioApostolicoyProfeticoCristoRey

https://earthenwarevessels.blog