Author: swimmingmonk1980

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. -Psalm 23:5

The word of the Lord is “I’m preparing Tables to host my Manifest Presence all over the Earth. First, I am restoring First Love, the devotion marked by freedom from other loves. I am knocking at the door of the hearts of My people. Are they willing to open this door and let me in , to correct, to commune with them at the table of the heart, to cleanse them and transition them to a new wineskin, ready for the outpouring of My Spirit of power and love (Rev. 3:19, 20)? I have greater works for you to do, but you must allow your heart, your homes, your churches to be extubated. You have been intubated with the mechanical patterns and methodoligies of the world ventilator. My people need to recover the breath of foreknowledge, predestination and adoption by My Spirit (Rom.8:15,29; Eph.1:3-4) to pray in the Spirit, sing in the Spirit, speak the oracles of God and serve with the strength supplied only by My Spirit (1 Pet.4:10-11). My Spirit blows and breathes as it wills with resurrection life and peace. You need to learn again to pray, sing and worship afresh on your own, not by the programs and liturgy of your inadequate services. Your conferences and stadium approach is a fading glory, only to be replaced with the glory of God mediated by My Spirit in your heart, your homes and all places you gather to wait on me for power and love to reap the harvest that is ready.  My people will neither travel to Bethel or Gilgal or Beersheba to find me and return to a former glory (Amos 5:5). I am tipping over the tables for profit in the house of My people. No longer will ministry be a business venture but a holy adventure led by My Spirit and provisioned in My way (James 4:13-17). I have new instruments of music to play, new sermons to release, and I am releasing a fresh oil of anointing upon those who love righteousness and hate wickedness (Amos 5:21-25). The bread in my house is stale and leavened. Now is time to sanctify your hearts in truth and grace and behold My glory. Like the home of Obed-edom who hosted the Ark of the Covenant for 3 months before it was brought to rest in the Tabernacle of David, so I will bless those who have searched Me out and My ways to restore My glory to the people of God (2 Sam.6:7) I have sequestered Myself to the homes of My people to bring them back in their hearts to Me and Me alone. I require My people to remove all forms of idolatry. Some of you have adopted the ways of the Philistines to usher in My Presence, you must learn how to carry my Presence upon your shoulders in priestly teams not individual anointings. I belong in the temple of My People not the Temple of Dagon. My people must fall before Me in this hour. Do not crossover to find success in the world system and stage, rather seek to be hid in Me in humility and I will lift you up in due season and My reward is with Me. Wake up and smell the incense of the prayers of My Spirit and be quickened into the Holy of Holies.  The greatness and glory of this next awakening will be release in silent obedience not sizzling pompous sacrifices. I am the Lord who heals you. I am healing your heart, your lungs and your loins that you might sit, walk, and stand in this evil day that will will be triumphed over by goodness. I am getting ready to shout, but first I require rest, repentance, quietness and trust, are you willing (Isaiah 30:15; Amos 5:13)” (Submitted to be judged for truth and accuracy by the standard of Scripture and leaders of the church)

During the pandemic, the centrality of the family  “table” has come back into focus. The Lost Ark of the Covenant, may have  been carried back into the kitchen or dining room for you…maybe not. Perhaps,  the kitchen table, typically either a dumping ground or a neglected piece of furniture,  has been cleared of mail, projects, bills, homework and random stuff. Perhaps, the “table” has once again become an unhurried  regular place to gather FACE to FACE to eat and spend time with our families….I mean where do we have to be? Rarely told or never heard of Old stories laced with humor, some with sorrow and a bit of exaggeration are being  spun daily under Covid-19 “house arrest”. For many of us, we have had to face each other again in a cloistered environment , but maybe we have discovered how much we truly care and value one another…For some, you never Lost the Ark, the family altar, or your personal altar, we need you to train us in this lost art of Holy Communion with the Saints and the Savior!

Like Israel in Egypt, we gather under the blood of the Lamb to eat a meal together and prepare for our departure from this world to worship and serve  Him alone who is worthy for all eternity!

I believe one of many things that the Lord is doing in this season of being captive, under “house-arrest” if you will…the importance of the Table is being reintroduced to many of us who have neglected this crucial piece of furniture in our homes, in our churches and in our hearts. 

As we sit at the Tables of the Lord, are we truly going “face-to-face” with the awesome Presence of God in Jesus Christ? Are we having “eye-to-eye” conversations that penetrate our heart and soul by allowing the Holy Spirit to search us and know us?  Or are we flipping through the pages of Scripture with flippancy, to simply get “our readings” in for the day? Are we plugged-in to the heart of Father or more plugged-in to Netflix, Apple TV, Hulu, Amazon etc.? Are we face-timing or are we FACE-timing?  Are we all sitting at the dinner table with Smart-phones in hand or next to our fork and knife, rather than fully engaging with healthy conversation with our loved ones? Our pre-service start clocks tick away and we rush to sit in the pew to participate in another total predictable service, followed by fast food Holy Communion with options for Gluten Free wafers? Before we know it we will have a choice for “oregano” flavored communion!

Maybe if we knew, after this Covid-19 “house rest”, like Paul , beheading was scheduled by Ceasear…our time would be more well spent in view of the judgement seat of Christ being a “stone’s throw away”? Maybe this time is our Garden of  Gethsemane before all hell breaks loose against the followers of Jesus? Maybe Now is the time to fill extra jars of oil to be prepared for the delay of His promises?

Look Friends…I’m not trying to be a total Kill-joy, but the truth is this opportunity, this extended version of the “the Table of the Lord” is set before us!  Jesus endured the cross for the “joy” set before Him! This is the time to prepare ourselves for our ‘departure’ is soon at hand. This is great time to be a Christian as we move toward unprecedented revival in the church and harvest in the world all mingled together with extreme difficulty.

This week is Holy Week for the Christian and Passover/Pesach for the Jew.  We are both celebrating in our homes our deliverances. The blood of the Lamb is our shelter from the wrath to come!

Four areas the Tables of the Lord are being brought back to prominence…

The Scripture is filled with activity around “the table”. The table can be a place of healthy human or divine interaction or a den of iniquity or the formation of conspiracy plots for evil purposes.  In fact, a quick survey reveals approximately twenty-five different tables mentioned  throughout the inspired word of God. One thing is clear, “the table” is perhaps one of the central gathering places of God and His people to fellowship and learn who He is and what He requires!

{Currently, I am working on a Spread-sheet for the Tables of the Lord found in the Scripture…I will post this resource in the near future!}

This devotional teaching will reorient us to the central place of “the table” in our walk with the Lord. Additionally, it will train us how to “recognize” the tables the Lord has prepared for us to discover His presence. Finally, we will discuss the crucial place of “hospitality” in our day and age as we “wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come” (1 Thess.1:10). 

I have whittled down this list of twenty-five to a handful of some of the most important tables that we must “recline” at to advance ourselves in ways and the heart of God.

Let me first establish  a few “table-manners” or “table-etiquette” :

• God’s Tables are a ‘safe-place’ for ALL to participate and speak up…no judgement!

• God’s Tables are an ‘unhurried’ arena to recline and rest…Don’t eat and run…wait for everyone to arrive and sit-down!

• God’s Tables require ‘face-to-face’ communication…time for truth, no masks allowed…you must be fully “present” …eliminate distractions!

• God’s Tables are ‘mobile’, you can unfold them anywhere! 

• God works from the “inside-out rule”! He washes the inside of the cup first!

• “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they will be satisfied”!

The order of this list is not in order of importance.  Each TABLE has a unique intensity and atmosphere. 

• The Table of Warfare

        Psalm 23: You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.

Recently, I have experienced multiple surgeries in a 10-year ongoing battle with cancer. Last November, the day before we gathered at our Thanksgiving Table, I was wheeled in to what would be a 12 hour surgery to deconstruct my urinary  and reproductive system and reconstruct a new way of living! Cancer had proven a tough ‘enemy’ and was tenaciously spreading and the only answer was radical surgery.  I will never forget the personal words of Jesus the Great Shepherd, whispered into my ear as they moved from my soft pre-op bed to the hard stainless steel surgical table. 

 “Son, I have prepared a TABLE for you in the presence of your enemies.” 

Good Shepherd (Lead On) song by David Ruis. (CLICK)

My dear brothers and sisters, be assured this table of the Lord is a battle-field table.  However, it is marked with a peculiar anointing with healing and fullness of joy and peace!  The enemy may be raging in anger around you like a pack of hungry lions smelling blood, but the Lord, the Great Shepherd, surrounds you with such an overwhelming, even unexpected spirit of victory.  This table is spread in the shadow’s of death. The cup of suffering goes down often in bitterness and pain but then fills the soul with “goodness and mercy”, stability and strength for others (1 Peter 5:10-11).

• The Table of Friendship/Fellowship/Koinonia

• Marked by Loving Correction (Rev.3:20)

 Those whom I love (philos), I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

• Fostered in Selfless Service & Battle (1 Sam.18:3-4; 2 Sam.1)

Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. 4 Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, including his sword and his bow and his belt. 

• Fertilized  in Open Disclosure of Desires, Freedom & Unconditional Love (John 15:14)

 You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

This Table is set only among friends who love each other enough to speak the corrective truth face-to-face.  Jesus, the Friend, shows up at the door of the Laodicean Church and rings the doorbell to gain entrance to sit at a table to dine. He does not kick the door down in forced fellowship, but makes himself available.  This passage in Revelation is so powerful because Jesus actually says, “those whom I love”…Love here is from PHILOS, from which we get the understanding of ‘friendship’. A friend may love us at all times, but a true friend will come to us and convince us with compelling evidence that we need to own up to our actions and repent.  A long time ago, I found myself and family cut-off from all my close friends due to some poor choices on my part. About 3 years into this wilderness and isolation, a single-friend showed up at my door in Palo Alto, CA. I remember looking through the peep-hole of my door of shame and was surprised to see this dear friend in sun-glasses. I opened the door and greeted Brian. He simply said, “Jeff, I want you to know you have handled yourself correctly through all this stuff.”  I told him thank-you and he left. He had know idea we were moving to Colorado that week after decades in California. The chances of ever seeing him again were slim to none. Even though Brian did not come into my living room and sit down to catch up, he set the table for a reconciliation and restoration nearly 16 years later! Today, we are fighting the good fight together and are in ministry side-by-side…correcting, encouraging, laughing uncontrollably , weeping, building beach fires and planning ministry trips around the world…all it took was to drive to my house, knock on the door and give a simple word of encouragement!

Another relevant  ‘friend’ story I have is not so much a bro-mance…hahahaha!  This friend is one of my best all-time friends over the past 36 years.  We had a falling out for many years, mostly on grounds that we were just being led in different directions. After 10 years, I picked up the phone and called Clint and said, “Hey Clint, this is Jeff…I’ve been meaning to call you for 10 years.  Wonderfully, we reconnected and I ended up on his farm in Illinois. We spent time together for nearly a year and honestly we were both in a pretty bad place. I was despondent and he lacked joy…at least we were in agreement, “ life sucks and I’m mad”…hahaha.   In any case, our last conversations took place in front of a dumpster at one of the farm houses. I said, “I don’t see any joy from the Lord in you?” he said to me, “Jeff, if you do not get back into prayer and the word…you will not fulfill your ministry.” It was so difficult to hear this from  a dear brother and friend whom I judged was not in a very good place himself. Nonetheless, his Clint’s words were loving, and a warning that haunted me for the next five years. We have since reconnected again and now are joined in battle and friendship for the things of God!

Finally, the last friendship story, I want to share happened during a meal together. Doug and I actually lived together with our families and shared a common table many times together. During a season of doubt about ministry and my effectiveness, Doug said, “Jeff, I’m glad you did not become a dentist.”  Only someone who knew me very closely could know EXACTLY what I needed to hear to burn the fog of doubt out of my heart and mind. You see….Doug knew before I came to Jesus Christ and decided to prepare for the ministry, I was pre-med in college because I wanted to be a dentist.

The door must be opened to feast at the  Table of Friendship. This table of Friendship is mobile like the Table of Showbread.  The battle is waging and we must stand face-to-face first…THEN back-to-back in battle! This is a CORRECTIVE moment in the life of the End-time Church we must Repent and stand corrected in the Presence of the Friend, Jesus Christ! 

• The Table of Revelation

• The Table of Showbread, The Glory of God released in Corporate Gatherings (Exodus 25:30)

 You shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.

The Table of Showbread was also known as “The Bread of Presence”.  It was constructed with Acacia Wood (known for its durability) and overlaid with pure gold.  Upon this table was placed every Sabbath 12 Unleavened wafers of bread representing the 12 Tribes of Israel.  Jesus ultimately fulfilled this Holy Place furnishing, as He proclaimed Himself the Bread of Life without sin, who was fully God (the gold) and fully Man (the Wood).  

The truth I wish to focus on is the Twelve Unleavened Loaves of Bread. This table represents God’s desire to be in corporate union with us so we can know His presence, further, be led into the Revelation of His Transformational glory. He longs for the gathering of His all His people in Holiness, free from power of sin and reconciled together in Him to access the Father’s Presence in the Spirit (Eph.2:18). Around this table,  In Christ we are unleavened, that is, holy and blameless in His sight. We are gloriously individual but corporately one partaking of the Bread of His Presence.

• The Scripture Opened on a Table of Study in Small Groups and/or Home Churches (Luke 24:30)

 When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. 32 They said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?”

I call this table Bibles-Brauts-Brothers or Scriptures-Salad-Sisters!  This table is akin to the Table of Friendship but it brings to the center an earnest devotion to the study of Scripture together.  The patron saints of this table of Revelation are the Emmaus Disciples in Luke 24. Iron sharpening iron causes sparks to fly and fires to burn in the hearts of students of the word of God, intensely living life together under the Lordship of the Resurrected Son of God.  This table can be seasonal, but the more regular it is the greater the revelation, transformation and mission is released. This table is where despair, depression and brokenness is held in check by honest conversation, intense study and meals together in the presence of Jesus Christ.  The Revelation of Jesus that can unfold at this table can be highly contagious and release revival fire among God’s people in a powerful dimension (Luke 24:33-36)…

33 And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them, 34 saying, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 They began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.

36 While they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst and*said to them, “Peace be to you.” 

• Tables of Sensuality 

• Jezebel’s Table (1 Kings 18:19; Rev.2:20)

 Now then send and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, together with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table….But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.

The spirit of Jezebel is not necessarily anti-prophetic but rather opposed to the true spirit of prophecy which is the testimony of Jesus.  “Toleration” of Jezebel in the Church does serious damage to the servants of God. I have witnessed some of the greatest passionate prophetic people become compromised by this spirit of sensuality or carnality. Jezebel’s table can bring fame, fortune, and power over the lives of people. The great prophet Elijah himself was fearful of the reach, deception and influence of this false prophet. This spirit of sensuality is so strong it can lead astray the “bond-servants” of God into immorality and idolatry.  How many great men of God have been allured by her delicacies and pulled up to her table to fellowship with demons? The good news is this sensuality can be slain with REPENTANCE, FAITH, SERVICE and PERSEVERANCE. I myself have pulled up to this table, but thanks be to Jesus Christ who came to me and drew me out of this banquet of demons and into the table of His Presence, His Purity, His Purpose and His Power. God has mercy on us as we fellowship only at the Table of the Lord! SEEK GOD AND LIVE!

• Folly’s Table (Prov.9:13)

Folly’s table is juxtaposed to the Table of Wisdom in the first half of Proverbs 9. Wisdom is marked by trust in the Lord which leads to understanding, knowledge and wise choices built on the fear and love of God. Folly’s table is drenched with ignorance, naiveness, and uncontrolled appetites that leads to death and release of hell in one’s life. The world has set this table up with social media, entertrainment, and the allure of riches, power and fame.  This table is like the table of Xerxes who partied for 180 days to display his glory. The maxim of Folly’s Table is “Let’s eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.”

• The Table of the Lord Jesus

The Lord’s Table is the Table of Table’s!  This is the Table that we gather around as frequently as we can to “Remember” Jesus!  This is the Lord’s Supper which He Himself longs to enjoy with us. Jesus began Passover by removing His teaching robes and girding Himself with a slaves apron to wash the disciples feet. Perhaps, the question of night and the QUOTE  OF OUR DAY is found in this face-to-face exchange between the ignorance and pride of Peter and the Humility and Love of Yeshuah (John 13:5-7)…

Then He *poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 So He *came to Simon Peter. He *said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.”

Jesus has prepared Himself and a Unique Table for us this Passover/Holy Week…we may NOT understand everything that is going on, but this we can be confident of …Jesus, the High Priest is washing the feet of His people. Secondly, we will understand the purpose as things unfold in the not too distant future…be of Good Cheer, Jesus has overcome the world!

  This table is where we celebrate the New Covenant ratified by His broken flesh and sacrificial blood. This Passover meal became the table wherein Yeshuah fulfilled all the Law and the Prophets longed for and searched for. This table was charged with pride, arguing, lust for power, and spiritual blindness. Satan was an invisible guest who slithered in undetected and coiled up in the corner. The friend and apostle Judas, who had already taken payment to betray Jesus, dipped his bread in the bowl with Jesus and opened his heart to be filled with Satan.  This table is the hinge of human history that opens the door for Jesus to walk voluntarily into the hands of sinners to redeem us. 

This table is a table where transformation at the deepest levels can happen in the Presence of God in Jesus Christ!  As we “remember” Jesus may we exchange the following for His gifts of grace to us:

• Servanthood for Rulership & Control

• Humility for Pride

• Friendship for Slavehood

• Grace for Wrath

• Faith for Works

• Forgiveness for Unforgiveness

• A Future of Hope for Condemnation & Despair

• Health for Sickness

• Unity for Disunity

• Praise for a spirit of heaviness

• Mission for Avocation

All of these dynamics above  are present at the Table of the Lord and can be reversed by His blessing! Ultimately we will be brought to this Table of the Lord in His Kingdom and celebrate with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  The Bride of Christ will be perfect without spot, blemish or wrinkle…adorned as Pure Virgin for Her Bridegroom!

• The Table of Matthew (Matthew 9:9-13)

 This Table found in the Gospel narratives is where Jesus hangs out with “tax collectors, sinners and drunkards”. I love the conversion story of Matthew the despised tax collector who became “the collector of the oracles of Yeshua!” This table is for disciples who pull up at the table of marginalized people who need a healing, who need a physician and who need forgiveness built on true justice and unshakeable peaceful reconciliation with God through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Imagine a church who pulls out the “china” for the world to dine with her in the most unlikely yet strategic places. Compassion is much more bold than sacrifice. Hospitality is the birth room of the kingdom of God!

Maranatha…the Spirit and the Bride say, “Come quickly Lord Jesus!”

2020 Passover Celebration in Taipei, Taiwan

Levite’s Ministry, Naoith School

“There is a time to embrace, and a time to shun embracing”- Ecclesiastes 3:5

Are you gripping or griping? Are you grasping what is going on or gasping for fresh air?

This is not a season to be slipping and sliding around on the deck of the ship in unbelief, fear and anxiety. This is a season to saddle-up, buckle-up and lift your head-up for our redemption draweth nigh. Don’t be the hockey-puck slapped around by all the social media platforms , talking news heads and fear-mongers! Time to buy some sure-grip deck shoes for this boat ride!

Grab your Bible and let’s go for a walk through Scripture to determine what we need to be firmly gripping, intimately embracing and strategically avoiding!

Covid-19 has taught us what we “touch” can kill us!  We all have the capacity to be exposed to life-threatening deadly invisible viruses. We can even be a “spreader”  unaware we may be spreading sickness and death to those around us. 

This season has pressed an uncomfortable question into my heart, “What am I spreading with my spiritual  touch, my attitude, my words, my deeds?” IS IT…Fear? Love? Healing? Sickness? Good news or bad news? Encouragement or discouragement? Strength? Griping and whining? Grumbling or Gratefulness? Joy or inordinate depression? 

I KNOW this for a fact….Whatever has Gripped me will grip others!

Is it not interesting the Apostles of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, describe their intimate experience or exposure to the Word of Life , the Incarnation of God Himself as Son, with sensory  words like see, hear and touch!

The same Greek word is used on all three passages…psélaphaó (psay-laf-ah’-o). This word means to “feel something” with an investigative or light  touch.  The Apostles “touched” God in the Incarnation of Jesus, Yeshuah. The impression  is a light or careful touch to learn the features and facts of what is being “handled”.  Therefore, John the Apostle, was simply saying , “We touched God!” 

May we NOT lose our sense of the touch of the sacred in these days of social distancing.  We need to learn to develop to a higher level of efficiency our spiritual faculties to “fellowship” with the Father and the Son and each other to deepen Christian love, joy and mission. 

The gentle touch of Jesus is both profound and weighty, transforming our lives from glorious touch to glorious touch! (2 Cor.3:16-17)

However, the New Testament  word I discovered is incredibly rich in texture and context.  The word breathed into the hearts of the Apostles was KATALAMBANO.  It describes a variety of actions by which a person is not only ‘exposed’ to the influence of another person or an environment, but “apprehended” by that person or force of nature. The idea is akin to “possessed” for noble or ignoble purposes. 

KATALAMBANO is a more aggressive or forceful word than psélaphaó.  In Christ we  experience both the affable  and the arresting touch of God!  I think the way we process the touch of God in our lives is based on His custom-tailored love and our personality. Paul had to be knocked off his high horse and blinded and man-handled to get to the place God wanted him to be. Peter had to be strongly rebuked for his Satanic pride to put in place.  Matthew, the tax-collector, on the other hand, was simply “included” and the spirit of rejection melted as he opened the door to Jesus to have a meal at his house. There is no doubt Jesus’ gentle dealing with Matthew caused a bit of stir among the blue-collar tax paying Galillean’s. 

Basically, katalambano is to grasp something or someone to hold it closely and forcefully for a desired end or purpose.  This grip can usher you into a different sphere or plane of experience.

KATALAMBANO is found in the New Testament fifteen times. The word is used in both negative and positive scenarios.  Physical, mental, moral and spiritual contexts surround the use of this powerful word.  This word is employed to describe an intense spiritual battle between the forces of darkness and the kingdom of God revealed in the personal presence of Jesus Christ by His Spirit. 

I believe this devotion and reflection and application can help us navigate these days of determining what we need to “avoid” and what we need to “intensely grasp” to pursue with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.

Today…is not a time to “shrink back” but lunge forward in loving faith to walk with our Lord Jesus into battle, to hold each other’s hands in purity and to embrace  the sick, the despairing, the timid and the double-minded with compassion and humility. 

Endurance is a precious commodity in the End-times and Endurance is fed by FOCUSED-FAITH in God-himself and His word…endurance requires KATALAMBANO!

Below is listed the three arenas KATALAMBANO is used in the New Testament:

1. In the  Realm of Evil & Sin

• Ambushed By the Demonic

“Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute; 18 and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.”

Jesus had just been descended from the Mountain of Transfiguration. He cast the “the unclean spirit” out of the boy. He told the disciples, “this kind” (genome; DNA) does not come out but by prayer (some manuscripts add “fasting”). This particular demon had such force it physically harmed this teenager and closed down his auditory and speech centers. 

• Ambushed By Sensuality, Sin & Trespass

The context reveals that the conflict is with the overwhelming power of the sin nature that can ambush the sinner or the saint and propel them to cross lines of morality. The sinner in this arena is “caught in the act of sin” (John 8:4). Or “the trespass” has been revealed by confession or witnesses (Gal.6:1).  For example, David was “caught” in his adultery and murder by the prophet Nathan. David then confessed his sin to God to begin the path of restoration. These two texts are wonderful parallel passages that reveal the gentleness of Jesus to forgive, reconcile and restore the sinner to wholeness and a prescribed path of holiness…”Go and sin no more.” 

The counter-attack of Jesus against this kind of aggressive sin is the power of grace manifested in forgiveness and healing!

The New Testament advocates (CLICK LINK),  “NO MAN LEFT BEHIND”!  The word of God commands us to go behind enemy lines and lay hold of a brother and sister and bring them back to safety and place of healing and restoration. 

2.  In the Realm of the Intellect

KATALAMBANO is experienced in the  arena of the mind to comprehend what is normally incomprehensible. This “comprehension” is like connecting the dots between the action and the purpose. The invigoration of the mind by the Holy Spirit always leads the ignition  of the will unto obedience to the Gospel and Cause of Jesus Christ. 

Each couplet below has an Action and a Purpose.

• The act of Preaching is where men & women  can KATALAMBANO/comprehend God’s Authority and experience or witness His justice in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It dawned on the chief priests,  elders of Israel and Festus (in Paul’s trial) that John Peter and Paul  had authority from Jesus Christ to proclaim and to perform miracles. Their intellectual and educational arrogance prevented them initially from taking seriously what the young apostles were teaching. In Acts 4, with such force this realization captured their minds and they let Peter and John out of prison with a warning to not preach about the resurrection of Yeshuah. After Festus investigated, Paul was found innocent in this lower court  but sent to Nero for a further trial in accordance with the will of God to preach the Gospel in Rome.

• By Vision from the Holy Spirit we can KATALAMBANO/comprehend the Inclusive Grace of God toward All Gentiles

Incredible synergy develops between Peter’s personal presence among the Gentile and his previous vision in Joppa. The dot’s are connected between obedience,  the vision, the man, the Gentiles and preaching. Like seeing the Aurora Borealis for the first time Peter comprehends the inclusion by grace of the Gentiles into the covenant and promises of God to Israel. God the Father through the propitiation in the blood of Jesus has reconciled all men to Himself  and thus all are welcome through repentance and faith. Without this comprehension Chrisitianity would have remained a sect within Judaism and the early church would have likely ceased to grow or totally die out.

KATALAMBANO shatters barriers between different peoples and groups.  KATALAMBANO overcomes estrangement based on culture, creed and customs, fusing a common center of gathering around the grace and truth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Be prepared to go where you NEVER thought you would go because of the inherent propulsionary power of comprehending the radical reconciling power of Jesus Christ’s blood.  Like a Tennessee blood-hound we follow the unprejudiced blood of the Lamb of God into all peoples, tribes, kingdoms and nations of the world. 

• By Prayer & Fellowship We can KATALAMBANO/Comprehend the Immeasurable Nature of God’s Love

Divinely bestowed KATALAMBANO by the Father is what launches into the immeasurable continent of Christ to behold the wonder of His divine nature and eternal attributes.  Like Lewis & Clark we strike out to map the wilderness of His unexplored grace. KATALAMBANO begs us to move past the breakers of doubt and double-mindedness to catch the winds of vision and mission for the cause of Christ.  Together, and only together can we harness the wind of the Spirit that plunges into arenas only survivable by God’s holy protection promised to those who “GO” into all the world to preach the gospel, teaching and making disciples of all men (Matt.28:19-20). 

Don’t be a Shire-bound hobbit like Bilbo, Frodo or Sam-wise ….get out of your Shire, your comfort zone….Adventure out!!!!

Bilbo Baggins experiences KATALAMBANO (Open Link)  https://youtu.be/G0k3kHtyoqc

3. In the Realm of the  Christian Spirituality

Clearly, the grasp of God has transferred from the power  of darkness into the kingdom of His beloved Son in whom is the redemption the forgiveness of sins (Col.1:13-14).  The hand of God precedes our grip on the things of God.  Ezra, the restoration priest, was very aware of the “hand of God” that had gripped him to rebuild the Temple.  Ezra reveals several way the sure grip of God works in our lives to save us, heal us and rebuild our lives:

• Ezra 8:31- To deliver His people from the world, the flesh and the devil (Babylon) 
• Ezra 7:28- To raise up leadership among the people of God to do His work
• Ezra 7:6- To release provision and protection for the work of God
• Ezekiel 8:1-3- To give vision of God and reveal idolatry in the midst of God’s people
• 2 Kings 6:1-7- To recover from a fall and be restored to our calling in ministry. The prophetic disciple lost his “iron axe head” and was instructed by Elisha to re-GRIP it with an outstretched hand….Hallelujah!!!!

My favorite New Testament story about the saving clutch of Jesus is when Peter was walking on the water and he was overcome with fear and he began to sink…”he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and *said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matt.14:30-31).

His grip upon us transfers His strength in to us by the impartation of the Holy Spirit who becomes our strength to grab a hold of the things of God.

The graph below suggests 4 realms or arenas the Christian can practice the discipline of KATALAMBANO!  We know God in Christ has KATALAMBANO’D us!  

Therefore, our calculated and only appropriate reciprocal response is to KATALAMBANO Jesus…EMBRACE the following with ardent HOPE, sober-watchful Readiness, FAITH-filled self-mastery and LOVE with endurance!

The fruit will be power, victory, readiness and godly pleasure!  May we grasp each area like the disciple who clutches the “plow” of the kingdom and never looks back!

Father, we are so thankful and indebted to walk worthy of our calling in Jesus Christ. Help us firmly grasp, as we have been firmly grasped, the resurrection of Your Son Jesus, self-control of the Holy Spirit, and faith-righteousness.  Wake us up, sober us up so we will be prepared to hold fast the promises of the coming day of the Lord. We firmly take hold of our stewardship to be faithful in the little things as we await your return and Your reward. Amen

In view of the recent Pandemic surrounding COVID 19 Virus, I have been stirred to put together a basic outlook for the Christian on the End-times. Jesus clearly taught “pestilence” or “plagues” would be one sign among many pointing to the coming wrath and salvation of God. There is so much ignorance and fear-mongering, I thought this exercise would help ground the Christian in a culture of readiness and preparation.

We got this!

This is certainly not an exhaustive study. I purposefully did not address the different eschatological views (parousia (rapture), pre/mid/post tribulation, a-millennialism, post or pre millennialism etc.). I believe it is critical for Christian communities to diligently search the Scripture to determine their view of how the end-times will unfold. Personally, I am a follower of Jesus who embraces a literal millennial reign of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem. There will be 7-year tribulation or Jacob’s Trouble. I embrace the rapture as the “blessed hope.” However, I am fully convinced that extremely difficult times are ahead for the global church as we approach the coming of Jesus Christ. Persecution and suffering will be on the rise for followers of Yeshua.

Regardless of your eschatology, we should all be able to agree on a “lifestyle” of the Christian in the end-times which is clearly taught by both Jesus and the Apostles. I believe if we embrace the Spirit of Jesus and the word of God we will be “in the right place at the right time and not the wrong place at the wrong time.”

The Apostle Peter taught we are living in the End-times (1 Peter 4:1-7). His teaching was based on the Mount of Olives Discourse found in the Gospels.

Peter (1 Peter 4:1-7) advocates several essential disciplines for the Christian and the church to foster while living with vitals relevance in the End-times:

1) Sober Minded Awareness & Prayer (v7)

2) Love & Forgiveness (v8)

3) Hospitality & Gratefulness (v9)

4) Stewardship of Speaking & Serving Gifts (v10-11)

5) Commitment to Glorify God (v 11)

I have chosen to focus on Mark 13 to create “a cheat sheet” for a quick reference how to cultivate a lifestyle of readiness for the events surrounding the last days and the glorious Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus teaches 12 Lifestyle attributes to prepare oneself for these difficult days and His Second Coming. Each “lifestyle” pattern is the response to a “trap” which needs to be avoided.

[Note: The Alliteration of “P” for each Lifestyle focus]

Use this “cheat sheet” to pray through on a regular basis. Click Below…

end-times-lifestyle.docx

If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed. Maranatha. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen. (1 Cor.16:22-23)