Synopsis:

Why did God create creation (and stick us here with a fierce and determined enemy)? Who are we in God’s eyes, and how does He want us to view Him? What purpose on earth does God intend for us? What divine resources, power and privileges are available to us here and now, and how do we access them? How is it all going to end, and what happens to us after that?

Every human being on earth has a deep hunger for these answers, and this hunger has driven mankind to invent and embrace all sorts of crazy philosophies and religions.

Thankfully, God desires for us to know these answers, so that His truth will inspire and empower our lives. As a result, He took great care over many millenia to communicate these answers, over and over again, to His people, and they are clearly recorded in the Bible – in stories, examples, and teachings even a child could understand.

Sadly, the false comfort of religious traditionalism and the mass marketing of our faith in recent generations have turned Christianity into a mish-mash of watered down messages. As a Body, we have lost sight of God’s original vision for mankind, and as a result we are no longer able to grasp or articulate the answers to these vital questions.

Popular, modern teachings such as the “prosperity gospel” and the “pre-tribulation rapture” – which tell us that we’re not active agents of the establishment of God’s Kingdom on earth, we’ll be “rescued” any day now, and we might as well just live it up till then – have lulled many of today’s believers into an institutionalized religion that is increasingly irrelevant and marginalized in the world.

The Christian church today is, by and large, not meeting the most fundamental needs of its own members, much less those of the lost people whom we called to serve

Are we experiencing all that God intends for His children? Not by a long shot! We have lost sight of His original vision for mankind, and as a result we are perishing. (Proverbs 29:18)

Jesus Christ didn’t come to earth to start another religion. And He didn’t come to preach a gospel of weakness, escape or comfortable living. He came to teach, equip and model for us how to be the salt and light of the world; how to continually advance His dominion in every sphere; and, underlying all that, how to have a deep, personal, real relationship with the Creator of the Universe.

From God’s mandate to Adam to “go and establish dominion” in Genesis 1, to His statement that “He who (conquers, gains the victory) will inherit all things” in Revelation 21, and all points in between, God’s Word paints a picture of His sons and daughters, empowered by His Spirit, victoriously establishing His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

Our loving Father has so much more in store for us than most Christians currently experience! When we finally see and embrace our true, victorious identity, purpose and destiny in Christ, start functioning as His Body on earth – and stop trying to play “church” and live it up in the here and now while we’re waiting to be rescued – our lives, our ministries, and the entire world will never be the same.

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Select quotations from UPRISING: Time for Christians to Stop Waiting and Start Winning, copyright 2011 by Mike Arnold. Feel free to use them with proper attribution.

 

Chapter 1 – It’s about winning

“Just like Peter hacking off that fellow’s ear in the Garden of Gethsemane in an effort to ‘save’ Jesus, well-intentioned Christians have long been trying to do things their way, for God, and that never works. Before we can seize our victorious destiny, there are quite a few things we need to re-learn about who we are in Christ, how He desires to work through us, what victory looks like in God’s eyes, and how we are all to function as a Body. Only then can we objectively see what we’ve been doing and thinking wrong, and embrace the battle plan God has given us for victory.”

 

 

Chapter 2 – What does it mean to win?

“A determined man never tries. He trains and he does. Attempts that come short are considered lessons to build upon towards ultimate success.”

 

“A champion knows he is a champion. A winner wins and will not accept losing. Determination combined with natural giftedness, where identity meets destiny, is an unstoppable force.”

 

“The tortoise with a winner’s heart will beat the lazy and prideful hare every time. More than anything else, this is what we, as a Body, must reclaim.”

 

 

Chapter 3 – What is the objective?

“Let’s look at the facts. The word BASILEIA (royal power, kingship, dominion and rule) of God or of Heaven appears 120 times in the Gospels. By contrast, the phrase ‘born again’ appears only once, when Jesus was talking in private to the Pharisee Nicodemas, when He said, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again.’ A few verses later He said, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.’ God’s objective is clearly not just to get people ‘born again,’ it’s to get them to live under His royal power, kingship, dominion and rule. These are indeed very different objectives.”

 

“God’s promise to provide for our needs is tied directly to our seeking first His Kingdom – if we don’t single-mindedly seek His royal power, kingship, dominion and rule, then He’s not obligated to provide for our needs; if we do, He must.”

 

“It’s crystal clear and plain to see – no slicing and dicing needed, no seminary degree required: The full establishment of God’s royal power, kingship, dominion and rule on earth was the primary message and objective of Christ. Bringing the Kingdom from Heaven to earth is the reason Christ came – not rescuing people from earth to Heaven.”

 

 

Chapter 4 – The Big Picture

“God desires sons and daughters who truly love Him, so He gives us free will. He desires sons and daughters who trust Him completely, so He wraps us in blindfolds of flesh and requires we walk by faith. He wants sons and daughters who are hungry for His ways, so He buries His wisdom so only the diligent will find it. He wants sons and daughters who are fully dedicated, so He reserves His promises for those who are all-in. He wants sons and daughters who are strong, so He gives us a formidable enemy to vanquish, tribulation to press through, and a wild world to conquer. God wants sons and daughters who are capable and wise in wielding His power, so He releases it to us gradually as we mature in His ways. The Father wants sons and daughters who are passionate for their eternal inheritance – His Kingdom – so He gives us the mandate to seek this first, and assigns us the task of establishing it on earth as it is in Heaven. God wants sons and daughters who are winners, so He reserves His inheritance for those who bring the victory!”

 

“When I began to understand that those who cling to Jesus Christ are fully embraced as eternal offspring by the Creator and King of the Universe, with a destiny to inherit all that is His and rule over it for eternity, it kicked my faith and passion for God into overdrive.”

 

“Relationship with God, a victorious identity, a victorious purpose and a victorious destiny. It’s what Genesis starts with, it’s what Jesus was all about, and it’s what the Revelation ends with – God’s sons and daughters walking in a real relationship with Him and bringing victory over the world. From start to finish, and all points in between, it’s what the Bible is all about: relationship with God and victory over the world.”

 

“I’ve heard this metaphor in ministry (maybe you’ve heard it too): People are in the water, drowning in sin. Sharing the message of salvation is like throwing them a life preserver and pulling them onto the beach. Fantastic, truly. Now let me continue this metaphor in light of the complete Gospel message that Jesus was sent to preach… Lots of congregations and denominations seem to stop there, pitch a tent and have a party. (I call them ‘Beach Party Christians.’) Combined with modern ‘end times’ teachings – that say we are passive participants in the ultimate establishment of the Kingdom, and ‘the end is near’ – this is a dangerous place to leave a newborn spiritual infant! At the very least they are going to have a tough time, and they may well be killed. Because the beach we’re pulling them onto is Normandy, and it’s D-Day. Not a place for a beach party! We’re a conquering army, and the enemy is shooting at us with everything he’s got. We have a job to do! It doesn’t stop there – because when we are able to hook up a communication link to our Commander, find the path He marked out for us, and access the spiritual reinforcements that are ours for the asking, we will make it through the battle, over the cliffs and trounce the enemy. Victory is our destiny! Then, after we bring the victory, we’ll find a palace prepared for the victors, where the King is waiting to lavish us with His splendor and make us co-rulers over His whole dominion.“

 

 

Chapter 5 – The rules

“The conflict between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness is not an all-out free-for-all. If that were the case there’d be no conflict to begin with – God would have simply done away with satan and his demons the moment they rebelled, and that would be that. Or do you think satan has any power that threatens God’s? Satan is a defeated, cast-down, created being. On the other hand, Christ, through whom all things were created, is seated ‘far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.’ The only reason satan is still in existence is that God is keeping him around to advance His divine purpose of raising up sons and daughters.”

 

“When God made Adam the master of creation, He was specifically constraining Himself not to directly intervene without the partnership of a human. This fully makes sense only when we accept our identity as His sons and daughters, and our destiny to bring His Kingdom.  Of course He holds ultimate dominion, but on earth He has chosen to exercise that dominion through us.”

 

“When we give in to the enemy’s tricks and temptations, we are serving as agents of his purposes, and he can use even the smallest foothold in our heart or mind to cause terrible damage to God’s work on earth.”

 

“From our perspective the cross is a means of salvation. From God’s perspective, it is a means of invasion.”

 

“Our first battle is internal, it is flesh versus spirit. There is a battle raging inside us, and the first place we must establish God’s BASILEIA (Kingdom; royal power, kingship, dominion and rule) is in our own heart and mind.”

 

“Everything that everyone in the history of the world has ever searched for, longed for, or pursued can only be found one place, and that is in the middle of the will of God. I don’t care whether they’ve been chasing sex, drugs, rock and roll, or anything else under the sun – God wants them to find what they’re looking for, because what they’re really looking for is the fruit of the Spirit.”

 

“Satan is very good at counterfeiting every good thing of God, but his counterfeits never fully satisfy.”

 

“The pathway to fellowship with God is narrow and difficult, and we must search for it – like salmon swimming upstream. On the other hand, if we choose an easy, go-with-the-flow approach to life, we’ll get washed downstream with all the garbage. God wants sons and daughters who are not at the mercy of their surroundings like spiritual plankton, but instead who rise above circumstance to deliver victory.”

 

“Throughout the Bible, God makes it perfectly clear that if we choose Him, we must be all-in; we can’t hedge our bets.”

 

“If you think you’re on the sidelines, you’re really behind enemy lines.”

 

“Of course it is not our work that makes us righteous in God’s sight, but it is indeed our tested and proven obedience and commitment that makes us mature and trustworthy in His sight.”

 

“It’s really no big deal in the big picture that the King of Kings and Lord of Lords defeated a created, fallen angel – that’s less dramatic than an elephant stepping on a doodle bug. What is a big deal is that Jesus defeated satan while walking the earth as a full-blooded human being, bound by the exact same limitations and rules that apply to us.”

 

 

Chapter 6 – A vision of victory

“In Christ, winning is our identity, purpose and destiny. Some generation, someday, will get this – we’ll stop playing church and start playing to win – and then it will all be over. Why not us?”

 

“History shows when we pursue our own vision of God’s Kingdom, instead of His original intent, the results are disastrous.”

 

“The Jewish leaders of the day rejected Jesus because they expected the Messiah to be a political figure, leading them to throw off the shackles of Roman oppression and re-establish the nation of Israel – and they crucified Him because they thought He was blasphemous in claiming otherwise.”

 

“Very often we think the advancement of our own preferences, denomination or organization is the answer, and we work aggressively toward that end. While we may boost attendance or the number of ‘church’ buildings, generally the thing we’re really advancing is a man-made system and, ultimately, division.”

 

“Yes, the coming of God’s Kingdom will be accompanied by sweeping political, institutional, cultural and societal changes. It is not wrong to deeply desire these things. Yet these are just like any other reward this world has to offer – if you seek ‘it’ first, you may get ‘it’ but you won’t ever find what you’re really looking for. What we really want is God’s royal power, kingship, dominion and rule to come! Sure we have free will, and can pursue political change, or build another ‘church’ building, for example, that we think will glorify God, and we may achieve some measure of earthly ‘success’ – but the Kingdom won’t come through that effort. Instead, like everything else, when we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, then all the things we desire will be added to us as well.”

 

“God’s Kingdom is spiritual, not physical. Its establishment will be fully reflected by the physical, but it cannot start there. Our man-made structures, organizations and governments will willingly come under His authority when we allow Him to establish His BASILEIA through us, as men cast their crowns before the King of Kings. No guns, marketing, peer pressure or electoral majority can do it; instead, people must freely opt-in to His Kingdom, because if they are forced or ‘sold,’ then it is not built on love. “

 

“I’ve come to see it this way: In the final analysis, seeking first God’s Kingdom and walking the walk as a Christian really boils down to just three things: First, cultivate the seed of Christ in us such that He’s the only one people see when they look at us. Second, help others accomplish the same thing. And third, connect it all together in a community of love. When we finally do this, God’s Kingdom will shine over the face of the earth.”

 

“Want to tear down the stronghold of illegal drugs? Just like every other cultural stronghold, attacking the demand is the winning strategy. When former drug addicts would rather get ‘drunk on the Holy Spirit’ than high on dope, the illicit drug trade will disappear! Instead, we’ve spent oceans of money and manpower fighting the supply … and how’s it working for us?”

 

“I’ve heard Christian leaders rationalize away the fact that they don’t personally see miracles today by simply saying ‘those things don’t happen anymore.’ They believe our current legalistic, ritualistic, Sunday-only “church” system is the best we can ever hope for, and the very concept of the Kingdom of God coming to earth today as it is in Heaven is as far-fetched as Santa Claus sliding down their chimney on Christmas eve. This is worse than tragic, because when they communicate this defeatism to their followers, it lowers their expectations, diminishes the validity of God’s promises, robs them of their victorious identity, purpose and destiny and, ultimately, guts their faith. The reason those leaders – and most of the ‘church’ in the industrialized world today – don’t encounter God’s miraculous power today is the same reason that Jesus Himself couldn’t do many miracles in His hometown: because the people lack faith!”

 

 

Chapter 7 – War

“There are many today who seem to view Jesus as a bearded, robe-wearing, ancient-times version of Mr. Rogers. Like the old children’s television show host who was always warm and fuzzy, soft-spoken and seemingly couldn’t harm a fly, they picture Jesus as nothing more than a sweet, passive, peaceful little lamb, who just wants everyone to hold hands and skip happily down a primrose path while singing Kumbaya. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

 

“There is no disputing we are at war and our divine design is to be men of war, just like Jesus. We have a God-given fighting nature within us, bursting to come out. Just step into the average church council meeting when they’re debating the color of carpet or what to name the upcoming Vacation Bible School and you’ll see what I mean!”

 

“We fight each other over the stupidest things, and yet we look the other way when there is blatant sin in our midst, our ‘church’ leaders lower the bar and water down God’s message, our Lord is blasphemed in public, our faith is increasingly marginalized, and, in many places, ‘the house of God has become a den of thieves.’ We often scorn the very ‘sinners’ we are called to love and serve, and consider those who view things differently as ‘the enemy’ – and all the while, the real enemy has free reign to steal, kill and destroy in our midst.”

 

 

Chapter 8 – Out Commander-in-Chief

“In a body, all senses are processed in the head, all understanding is in the head, all nourishment is received through the head and all the signals that control the body originate in the head. The head is in real-time, absolute control of every single function of the entire body. This is exactly the role Christ must play in our lives – and in the fellowship of believers – for us to finally grow into the victorious sons and daughters God is longing for.”

 

“Living with Christ as our head is not some sophisticated thing we must aspire to after years of studying and ritualistic observance. It is not the top rung of the ladder of religion. Instead, the opposite is true: it is how we should start our walk with the Lord, how our lifetime relationship with Him must be founded.”

 

“If we occupy ourselves, fully and without any other concern, in pursuing His original intent – the establishment of His royal power, kingship, dominion and rule on earth as it is in Heaven – and do it according to the steps He gives us, then He promises to give us everything we need, every day.”

 

“Bottom line, we must do what Jesus told the rich young ruler: We must go all-in. We must stop merely trusting Him with our death; we must instead trust Him with our life, and everything in it. We must stop doing things our own way, relying on our own senses and understanding and worrying about the things of this world. We cannot hold anything back. Only then, when we go all in, is God obligated to guide our steps and provide for our needs.”

 

“This is a key point to understand: God does not work for us, and He will not help us with our work. Rather, we are to work for Him, and our job is to help Him with His work.”

 

“When we are connected to Christ the Head, the task of wiping out the kingdom of darkness is not a heavy burden! We are each – and all – implored to stop trying, stop doing and start becoming the victorious sons and daughters He longs for us to be. All direction, provision, power and authority we need to conquer the world flow freely from a place of absolute devotion and simple obedience. Everything we are looking for, everything we need and desire, is found only one place, and that is right in the center of His will.“

 

 

Chapter 9 – Firepower

“Thankfully, in our mission to implement a regime change against the kingdom of darkness – the fiercest and most important war of all time – we are given access to the most awesome force in the universe: the very power of God Himself. The enemy’s weapons are no match against what is available to us. When we learn to access and properly employ God’s promised firepower, nothing can stand in our way.”

 

“I’ve actually had a pastor, a dear friend and a fine man, tell me point blank he believes, and his denomination teaches, that the acts in Acts don’t happen anymore. ‘There was a burst of spiritual energy back then because Jesus was around,’ he said. ‘But it’s fizzled out over time.’ That poor, poor man. By his own admission – that he believes God doesn’t give us His power anymore – he is trying to lead a group of believers on his own strength. And he wonders why his congregation is dysfunctional, fragmented and lacking any real community impact.”

 

“Of course a good father wouldn’t turn loose an immature son with a loaded .357 Magnum, and God is the same way. He releases His power to us gradually, as we mature.”

 

“The GRAPHE (written word) – what most Christians assume is the entirety of God’s Word – is but a fraction of a fraction of all that God desires to communicate to us.”

 

“Only a Living God can utter a living Word, and no other faith offers this.”

 

“Jesus didn’t come to start another religion. He came, ultimately, to reconcile us to a real relationship with our Father. All the other things He accomplished – destroying the works of the devil, reclaiming that which was lost in the garden, setting the coming of the Kingdom in motion – all spring from this one thing: We now, through Him, have open access to a personal relationship with the Living God, and all the benefits that come with it. “

 

“When it comes to understanding and walking in God’s power, it’s vital to remember what’s going on here: God is raising up a Body of sons and daughters whom He can trust to rule His Kingdom in eternity. God doesn’t give us supernatural power to build our own kingdoms. He doesn’t give us supernatural power to hurt people, or to lord over anyone. We’re quite proficient at doing that in our own strength, thank you. Instead, God gives us His power to build His Kingdom, raise up sons and daughters and unite the Body.”

 

“The release of God’s full power – delegated, superhuman, jurisdiction and mastery over the enemy – in our lives requires that we continually listen, submit and live in simple obedience to Him. When our will, words and actions are conformed perfectly to His, nothing is impossible for us – not even the absolute annihilation of the kingdom of darkness as we bring God’s Kingdom to earth as it is in Heaven.”

 

 

Chapter 10 – Our army

“Finding our specific calling means learning who we are in Christ. For me to know who I am is for me to know my specific purpose, where I belong and my destiny. Your unique identity in Christ is your calling.”

 

“The distinction between the ‘full time ministers’ and ‘all the other Christians’ is artificial and manmade, and a sure-fire formula for the Body to continue to languish.”

 

“Paul spelled out a key principle in his letter to the believers in Ephesus when he said that God is giving some to be apostles, prophets, pastors, evangelists and teachers, ‘for the equipping of the saints for works of ministry.’ According to this, whose job is it to do the works of ministry? The saints! Who are the saints? Everyone who has faith in Jesus! In fact, this passage makes it clear that our ‘full time ministers’ are not intended by God to be the front-line foot soldiers of His Kingdom army; instead, they are to equip the average believer to serve that role.”

 

“In the Body, there are no higher or lower callings. Where you are called, the position in the Body that God made you to fill, is your highest calling.”

 

“When we finally embrace God’s vision of the unified Body of Christ, in which we are all called to full-time ministry regardless of how we make a living, we will overwhelm the enemy, and victory will be near.”

 

“In my experience, it seems many of the various denominations can be known by the parts of Scripture they choose to skip over.”

 

 

Chapter 11 – Muslims and Liberals and Atheists, oh my!

“We’ve lost sight of God’s original intent for us, His vision of victory, and instead we have aimed for mere survival. In refusing to claim the victory that is rightfully ours, we are giving the other side that opportunity. By our failure to manifest Christ’s victory, we have given those who oppose us false hope their causes will not only survive, but can in fact conquer the world.”

 

 

Chapter 12 – Why on earth are we losing?

“I can recall way too many times I’ve sat in a pew, listened to a powerful word from the pastor and thought to myself, ‘Man, I hope that guy over there is listening to this one!’ God finally slapped me upside the head one day and convicted me of this prideful attitude. It is my first and foremost responsibility to get myself right with God and fix the issues in my own life. Concern about whether ‘that guy over there’ is listening should be way, way down on my list of priorities.”

 

“The Bible provides the bones – examples, underlying principles, historical facts and much more. The Holy Spirit exists to put meat on those bones so we can function every day, in every way, in the current will of the Living God.”

 

“It’s the boring basics of ministry – day-by-day, personal relationships – that will win it for us. Seeking highlights, awards and worldly recognition will never bring victory.”

 

“Fact is all creation points to God. Every single scientific discovery that can ever be made can only point to Him, and will never contradict His Word. We need to take a more proactive, aggressive posture.”

 

“Our civilization suffers from a continual erosion of values, and our faith suffers from increasingly brazen, public derision. All the while, it seems we’ve been conditioned to simply ‘turn the other cheek.’ When it comes to flesh and blood, as we model love, grace, mercy and forgiveness, this is great. But we are worse than fools when we apply this to evil. We are hiding our light under a bushel; we are failing to serve as the salt of this world.”

 

“Is the advance of evil inevitable? We seem to act like it, even though the opposite is true: The advance of God’s Kingdom is what’s inevitable, and we absolutely can stop the advance of the kingdom of darkness.”

 

“Our position in Christ as sons and daughters of the King, in the power He gives us, grants us absolute authority over the enemy. “

 

“Trials and fires are part of the Christian walk, as God is working to grow our faith. Yet all too often we perceive some of God’s greatest gifts to be ‘attacks’ of the enemy.”

 

“(Satan) is a defeated, belly-crawling serpent. He was not put here to beat us up – he’s here so the sons and daughters of the King can learn to beat him up and humiliate him on our march to manifest Christ’s total victory on earth as it is in Heaven.”

 

“Let me make this perfectly clear: God did not cause, will, or desire that the 9/11 terrorists fly those planes into the World Trade Center. He created an environment that allowed it, and afterwards He caused it to work ‘for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose,” but those attacks were an act of the terrorists’ free will, not God’s will.”

 

“What does it mean to be a Christian? What is our role and responsibility on this earth? Sit through most ‘altar calls’ these days – and heck, sit in every sermon thereafter at way too many churches – and you’ll think it’s quite easy. ‘Just say these words, sit in this pew, try to believe what we teach, and you’re set. If you’re really devout, you can come to our Bible study, listen to the right radio station and put a bumper sticker on your car. See you next Sunday!’ Nobody wants to quote Paul’s injunction to the Philippians to ‘work out your salvation with fear and trembling.’”

 

“Observe most youth ministries these days and you’ll see the primary focus is on entertaining the kids, and the youth ministers will degrade themselves to no end so they can be ‘accepted.’ Discipleship is a class to take and not an overriding lifestyle. Worship is singing a song when the lights are dimmed. Obedience is putting more money in the plate. The most holy are the ones who can win at Bible trivia – who cares if it’s all trivial to them? We seem often to gear our ministries to the lowest common denominator, and not to cultivating the perfect seed of Christ.”

 

“In spite of our ‘conventional wisdom,’ let me tell you what I’ve found to be true: People today crave high standards, especially our youth. They are drawn to Christ in part because He offers a sharp contrast to the mushy, spineless, meaningless, superficial, entertainment-based world we live in. We need to embrace the high standards to which Christ calls us!”

 

“People are hungry for meat, and yet we are so self-conscious about God that we give them cotton candy instead. We must start eating solid food and feeding it to those who come to us looking for an alternative to the pointless life this world offers.”

 

“We need to start calling people out of the fake, and stop trying to fake them out.”

 

“Too many churches and ministries seem to be all about ‘the numbers.’ How many raised their hand for the altar call? How many came on Sunday? How many congregations are affiliated with our program? How much money did we raise? How’s our budget growing? When we focus on numbers, we are conformed to the patterns of this world. When we focus on numbers, they ultimately drive our strategies and actions. And in the end, the real work of building people and connecting the Body suffers.”

 

“No organization or budget is big enough to beat the enemy and deliver victory – only mature sons and daughters of the King fighting as a unified army. We need to be more passionate about God’s Kingdom and less about our own. As a Body, we need to focus properly on producing fruit that pleases God – mature spiritual sons and daughters – and let Him handle the rest.“

 

“I don’t know what’s worse, walls of division or false unity. Neither will bring victory. Instead, we need to let the Holy Spirit guide us in the hard work of foundational unity, while respecting various applications and expressions of it.  This is the path to establishing God’s Kingdom on earth.”

 

“Democracy is a great form of civil government but a terribly non-biblical way of running a church or ministry. Try as I might, I cannot find one good example of it in the Bible. The five prominent examples I can find of ‘democratic’ decision making – to throw Joseph in the pit, to make the golden calf idol, not to enter the Promised Land the first time, to crucify Jesus and to stone Stephen – don’t paint a very good picture of this leadership model.”

 

 

Chapter 13 – Why on earth are we losing? Part Two: The 800 Pound Gorilla

“I’ve come to realize there is one big, hairy theological block holding people back from truly embracing their full potential in Christ, and that is the modern, escapist, ‘end times’ teachings which have become so prevalent. This stands in such stark contrast to God’s vision of victory, and so completely undermines our true identity, it simply must be addressed.”

 

“We must remain vigilant, as our mortal enemy, the devil, is the most cunning deceiver of all. He is a master of propaganda and will work to demoralize our army every chance he gets. The same spirit that animated Tokyo Rose is alive and well in our world today.”

 

“The word ‘Rapture’ doesn’t show up in the Bible at all. The words ‘The Great Tribulation,’ except for one brief mention in Revelation 7:14, only show up in a section heading added many centuries after the Bible was written. The words ‘The Antichrist’ only show up in brief mentions in the books of 1 and 2 John, and every reference talks about a spirit that was currently active on the planet (nearly 2,000 years ago), and clearly do not apply to an individual person or entity. Do a keyword Search and you’ll see for yourself.^”

 

“History shows clearly the modern ‘end times’ view has its tap root in an Inquisition-era Catholic effort to undermine the work of the great Reformers.”

 

“Modern ‘end times’ theology can only come about through inductive reasoning, and is impossible to deduce from Scripture alone. And the original inducement was an effort to derail the Reformation.”

 

“While they don’t admit it, in reality what Futurists are really looking forward to is Jesus’ third coming. Count them. First He came to live and die and rise again. Second, they believe He’s coming back to rescue us in the Rapture. Then He’s coming back a third time to finish the job. I can’t find any reference to Christ’s ‘third coming’ in the Bible, can you?”

 

“You want to witness something really sad? Try telling a Futurist the antichrist is definitely not going to rule the world, and you are certainly not afraid of him. In my experience, they will go to great lengths to passionately defend their belief in the inevitability of satan’s spawn rising to international prominence, and at the same time call you a heretic for embracing the inevitability of God’s sons and daughters arising victorious…. Think about this for a moment — whose side are they really on?”

 

“Yes, the Body of Christ is in a sorry state of affairs today. It is easy to feel like Noah, Joseph, Job, Moses, Joshua, David or Elijah on their darkest days, and there are many reasons to feel that way. But the worst thing we can do is try to explain away God’s promises as impossible in the here and now. The worst thing we can do is resign to the assumption we cannot win, those promises must be for the next life, we are powerless and must wait on God to do it for us as we sit passively by. The worst thing we can do is slice and dice Scripture to torture out an escapist theology that supports our deep-seated hopelessness. This is the worst thing we can do, yet this is the fruit of today’s ‘end times’ mythology.”

 

“The Bible says, ‘Just as it was in the days of Noah, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.’ Noah had a building project: the ark. So do we: the Kingdom. When he was done, the flood came and washed the wicked away. When we are done, the wicked will be similarly washed away. He was left to rule and reign, and so will we.  This is the Gospel of the Kingdom that Jesus came to proclaim.”

 

“Simply put, the Body of Christ won’t languish here till we’re rescued; we’re going to successfully advance the Kingdom until Christ returns to celebrate the victory with His risen-up Bride. You don’t have to be a seminary-trained, academic theologian to cobble this truth together from random bits and pieces of Scripture. It’s clear as crystal! (Maybe you have to be a seminary-trained, academic theologian to miss it!)”

 

“Would you rather be ‘caught’ operating under the headship of Christ and in His power, working to achieve total victory for the Kingdom of God … or operating under the belief the antichrist will rise and there’s nothing we can do about it?”

 

 

Chapter 14 – The price of victory

“Those who look at biblical prophecies that paint a picture of extreme trials and tribulations, and interpret them as a doom-and-gloom future for the Body of Christ – seeing Christians as helpless victims of it all – are missing a huge point: We have a choice! We are the agents of God who will trigger this tribulation! Yes, the battle will be bloody. Yes, it may cost us everything, including our earthly lives. And yes, it will be worth it, because ‘He who NIKAO (conquers, carries off the victory) will inherit all things.’”

 

“It is not my job to choose my destiny, God already chose it for me: a glorious, victorious, eternal inheritance, surpassing anything I can scrape together on my own here on earth. It is my job to walk into it, along the path of His choosing.”

 

“If tribulation scares you, realize this: When we face hardships, God is training us in authority and power. At the same time, satan is throwing everything he has at us because we are now a threat. Which one of those do you want to avoid? Being trained by God, or being a threat to the enemy? You can opt out any time you want.”

 

“I have seen in my mind’s eye an image of Paul as he shuffled, in chains, into his eventual audience with Caesar. What a sight he must have been! Think of his back. One lash leaves a scar. From the literally hundreds of marks from Roman rods and Jewish lashes, Paul’s back must have been an inch-thick mass of scar tissue, which no doubt greatly restricted his arm movement and caused him to walk with an extreme hunch.  Then there’d be the disfigurement from broken bones and facial fractures caused by being stoned (till his attackers thought he was dead) and other beatings. His skin must have been crusty, cracked and calloused from all the extreme exposure. No matter how much he dressed up and prepared himself, standing before Caesar he must have appeared like a mangled junkyard tomcat that had been through a wringer. But oh, the glimmer in his eyes! He was not a man defeated! All through his troubles, he knew he could have quit any time, returned to Tarsus and lived a prosperous life as a highly-educated tentmaker. But no, Paul knew the reason for his hope – His God-given identity, purpose and destiny – and quitting was never a viable option in his heart. In (his) letter to the Corinthians he wrote, ‘Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” He tackled the hardships, embraced the trials and tribulations, because he knew every step, every breath, every word of obedience inflicted even more damage on the enemy. Paul was a mighty warrior! He jumped off the landing craft, fought his way through enemy fire, and helped start the Body of Christ up the path toward ultimate victory. Poor pompous, pampered Caesar was no match for that old, decrepit, abused, physically-broken prisoner in chains!”

 

“A major paradigm shift is needed today, because the idea of counting the cost – willful self-sacrifice, going all-in, deferring gratification till the next life – is not particularly popular today, either in the pew or the pulpit.”

 

“The tribulation of D-Day wasn’t something to be feared, it was something to be faced, even embraced. The tides didn’t blow us into Normandy – we willingly sped there on landing crafts!  We knew the price and paid it on purpose, because we had our eyes fixed on the finish line. The men who died on those French beaches weren’t victims, they were part of a victorious, conquering army. When you’re facing a brutal, entrenched enemy, winning doesn’t come cheap.”

 

“The victory-hearted warrior considers it pure joy when he faces the trials of battle, because he knows he is growing stronger, and that his suffering is an investment that will ultimately result in a glorious, purposeful victory.”

 

“Had Jesus faced the cross unwillingly, as a passive victim, His death would not have led to our salvation. He had a choice and He chose obedience, fully knowing the cost. And because He faced the cross as a victor and not a passive victim, He delivered victory over death, hell and the devil. It is up to us now to walk in His footsteps.”

 

“Kingdom victory will be close at hand when the Body of Christ has the faith and maturity to rise up as one and say, ‘I don’t care what it costs! The worst ‘end times’ prophesy, the worst the enemy can dish out – bring it on! We are willing, Lord, to allow you to train us up as victorious sons and daughters, whatever that looks like, whatever the price. We are all in!’”

 

 

Chapter 15 – Endgame

“We need to wake up and realize the world’s best strategies, tools and wisdom are insignificant compared to God’s! Where the world has led us to go wide, God wants us to go deep. We’ve focused on quantity of members, whereas God wants us to focus on quality of relationships. We’ve worked to broadcast the seeds, but God wants us instead to cultivate each seed with care and attention. We’ve built buildings instead of disciples and programs instead of people.”

 

“If the Body of Christ would wake up, stop conforming to the patterns of this world, stop seeking to indulge our senses, stop leaning on our own understanding, stop worrying about what other people think about us, and instead start seeking first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness, victory will be ours, in our lifetime! We can choose to be the Last Generation!”

 

 

Chapter 16 – Can we really do this?

“I’ve read the end of The Book and we win.”

 

 

Chapter 17 – The end is near … or is it?

“There are many people today who believe ‘the end is near’ and could come any time now. Whether they believe we will be snatched away at any moment in the ‘Rapture,’ or just ‘the world will end’ in one way or another, this belief is misguided and, ultimately, harmful to the individual and the Body.”

 

“As much as it pains me to say it, in light of the current condition of Christianity today, the end is not near; it could not come at any moment. We still have a lot of work to do, and the end won’t come until we’re done!”

 

“I think God said ‘no one knows the day or the hour’ because He does not want us wasting our time trying to figure it out. Where’s the fruit in that? Had one of Noah’s sons stopped building the ark, and instead focused his time on trying to predict when the flood would come, Noah would have rightly kicked him in the pants – ‘stop looking up at the clouds, get off your rear end and help us build this darn thing!’”

 

“Eventually I came to realize that rationalizing God’s Word is dangerous, because the enemy can take that train of thought and lead it straight to explaining away miracles, justifying the rejection of portions of Scripture, and ultimately questioning the deity of Christ. I can tell you this: When I finally went all-in and started taking the Word of God at face value – when I let God be God, and stopped trying to do His job – my whole life changed for the better, and my relationship with Him launched into levels I never thought possible.”

 

“So when is the end coming? Is it another 2,000 years away? I don’t think so. Once the Body of Christ catches on to God’s original intent and the role He created for us, learns how to walk under His headship, and rises up in our true identity as sons and daughters of the King of Kings, the devil can’t stand long.”

 

 

Chapter 18 – The Big Question: What happens when the Body of Christ catches this vision?

“Jesus will not return to rescue losers – He will return to rule with winners.”

 

“Noah could have refused to build the ark, and God would have raised up another man, and another, until He got His ark built. The first generation of Israelites, after leaving Egypt, could have chosen to cross the Jordan River and conquer the Promised Land, but they refused. The second generation could have turned around like the first … and God would have raised up another generation, and another, until He finally got His people where He wanted them. In the same way, God is calling our generation to rise up and make the sacrifices and embrace the obedience necessary to finally bring His Kingdom to earth as it is in Heaven. We can choose to be the Last Generation!”

 

 

Chapter 19 – Marching Orders

“We each must decide: Will I go through the motions, do it my way, wait to be rescued, and simply trust God with my death? Or will I put my money where my mouth is, trust Jesus with my life, take Him up on His promises – and help carry off the victory? Just as the Promised Land was to the Israelites, this whole world is ours for the taking! When we are obedient to God, no giants, no warlords, no walled strongholds – nothing the enemy can throw at us – nothing can stand in our way!”