One New Man

"One New Man"

Eph 2: 14-19
14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

You have to brand yourself by the Word of God and not let other people define you
- know who you are, know what you do, and be comfortable
- just be what God made you

Without Jesus you were dead in the quickness of sin

God started with one man: Adam
- Two types of people: Covenant or Non
- Abraham covenant
-- Gentiles
-- Hebrews
- God said "Let my people go that they might worship me"
--It's dangerous to try to stop a worshipper, because God will release all kinds of stuff
--Gentiles are going downhill- don't know who to worship do crazy things

Separated from the common wealth of Israel
- Israel had the covenant
- But now in Christ Jesus - he is our peace who had made both one
--God taking the Gentiles and the Jews and raising them up together

We don't want to come out of our comfort zone to be interconnected

Gen 37
1 And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. 2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. 4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

You can't see love - they saw the coat - and when they saw the coat they were jealous
- There was something about the coat that interconnected with love
-- They copped a 'tude

26 And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?
Judah doesn't want to kill Joseph
-Praise will never let you kill Jesus

27 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content. 28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.
All these cultures are in on this thing together

29 And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. 30 And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?
31 And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood; 32 And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no.
What is is about this coat? The coat of many colors.
- Joseph's coat was different fabrics, different colors that were stiched together- like a quilt
-- brought to unity
- This is what God is after- bringing different people together, different cultures, and bring them all together
- The beloved son wore the coat of many colors as a sign of diversity- and they hated him
- They dipped it in the blood of an animal, and brought it to the father, and Israel couldn't see the different colors becuase it was covered by the blood
-- Something's about to happen
- God is stiching together a coat of many colors
--This is the Church of the Living God

The miracle that God wants is to tear down the walls
- The mayor, the govenor, the marches will not be able to do it
-- The preaching of God's word will be able to do it
- He said in the last days, I'll pour out my spirit on the people
-- We are coming into the last days
-- God's about to put the coat of many colors back on the beloved son
-- And still you're not saved?

Message From the House - 10.21.07

"Show Me What You're Working With"

1 Cor 12:
1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. 2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. 3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: ^F41 and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are differences of administrations, ^F42 but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

One Spirit but many manifestations
- Every person in this room is gifted

8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

The Gifts of the Spirit
- Speaking Gifts: Prophecy - foretelling the future, Tongues
- Miracle Gifts: Healing, Alchemy (water to wine)
- Interpretation of Tongues
- Discernment
- Wisdom: Settle what you're going through, Knowledge
- Not meant to make you peculiar, meant as tools
- For helping the person, not to hurt, or belittle the person

Beyond the Nine
- Your gift making room for you
- A part of that gift ought to be used in the kingdom
- Administration (order), Helps (support, behind the scenes, Acts: ropes undergirding the boat), Giving, Mercy (forgiving, compassionate, reason to balance self-righteousness), Singleness (Paul: It is better for them to marry than to burn, you don't want no husband and if one comes up to you he'll get his feelings hurt),
Giving doesn't come from how big your check is, it comes from how big your heart is
When you were giving, God blessed you. You get more out of giving than the receiver enjoys
- You have to identify your gift. As a Christian, you're supposed to die empty
You may have more than one gift
You need to be around somebody who will encourage your gifts and release your creativity
"There's something else in you."
"I am gifted."
"Your mind is a gift."

"I said it, I meant it, and I'm here to represent it."

Gal 5 Fruit of the Spirit
- Nine descriptions of one fruit
Nine sections of one fruit
Fruit of the Spirit grows in you
- Priests wore bells: Silence beyond the veil meant the priest had died and the blood had not hit the mercy seat. If the priest died, there would be no year of atonement.
In between the bells were pomegranates: bell - fruit - bell...
The gifts are tempered by the fruit. When you're gifted but don't have mercy, temperance become arrogant
Balance between the fruit and the gift
- We have this treasure wrapped in earthen vessels that the excellency of God
The treasure is in you: Clay envelops, had to break the envelope to get the gift
"It's in me."
You are gifted in your youth. Before I formed thee in the womb, I knew thee.
- Your spouse is given as a spouse

The enemy attacks you when you're really gifted
- When God is ready to used you, your gift has been corrupted and you have trouble getting it out
- Gifts passed down generationally through the faith of your predecessors
Stir up the gift - so much trash on top of the treasure that you must get rid of the trash
Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world
- The enemy loves to hide your treasure in your trash
In all likelihood, the more you've been through, the more gifts you have

Bishop T.D. Jakes - Divine Connections

Divine Connections

1 Corinthians 12 (KJV)

14 For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? 18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

- Positionally placed in the body of Christ; baptized by the Holy Spirit

- Condition does not determine position

- Prodigal Son

o Conditions: like swine; in the pit

o “He came to himself” – he remembered who he was; his position

- God has placed us in the body that we might collectively we become the Body of Christ in the world

o We are many members of the body i.e. all the bones in the body, the organs, etc- distinctive, and differential in purpose

o Work together to get things done (function) effectively

- The church building is not the place where the work is done, it is a gas station where refueling is done

o Come in hungry to get someone to pour into you like you are pouring into someone else

o The only number that doesn’t add to the sum total is zero

o You were not saved to sit and watch and listen and be entertained

o “Are you a zero?”

- The church is a corporate body of believers

o Should be interconnected and interdependent; concerted effort

o Many people that come to church never worked well with others

§ They’re spirit is reborn, but their mind has not been renewed

§ They don’t seek how they fit in the body, they want to see how the body can fit them

o You have to conceive your own agenda for corporate use

- House: all stones have individual shapes, colors

o The mason must cut them down so they will fit together

o In the church: individualism, egoism, self-indulgency, cut down to fit on the wall of corporate ministry

o People who can’t get along could not be used: Can sing the paint off the wall, but just as hateful as a pregnant gorilla

- Dysfunctional because they can’t fit in a team

o Personality that refuses to change

§ A cause for marriages to end in divorce – goes real good until they try to be a team; no one is willing to cut off some of their past behavior for corporate results

o Have to willing to be interconnected: fitting means you are going to have to give up something

- You did not come to church to watch; not here to entertain

o You came to get your marching orders, to fill your tank with gas

o You have gone as far as you can go by yourself

o We are better together than we are apart

o You have great facts, but I have the charisma

- Divine connections are important

o “Hook me up, Lord”

- Ezekiel 37 – The Valley of the Dry Bones

o Dysfunctional ßà disconnected

o You cannot function as a wall when you are thinking like a bag of rocks

37:7 - So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.

o You got to make some noise – you’re not a politician, say something

o You don’t need me to save somebody. God saved you.

§ You save them then you can bring them to church to be trained and taught

o “The ministry is in the pews – it’s not in the pulpit”

o We need a shaking- we need to stir something up

§ You keep waiting for someone to do something. You are the somebody now.

§ “You the man!”

- Connectivity through relativity

o Bone to his bone – natural flow

o You cannot connect to something you can’t relate to

o You cannot withdrawal where there has been no deposit

§ God will not ask you to deliver something that he has not put in you

o Adam said he didn’t see anything that was meant for him to hook up with, so God put him to sleep and reached into him and drew out

§ “That’s my bone”

- When something is out of place, it produces pain

o Dislocation – you were designed to fit a spot

o The reason you are struggling with your weakness is because you are focused on your weakness. If you find your correct place/purpose, you will focus on something else – that which you were called to do.

- Jesus called busy people – everyone was doing something

o If you are really a Christian, you can’t prove you are a Christian by going to church. You have to function.

o Your gift makes room for you

- God did not send you for me – he sent me for you

- Eph 4

4:11 - And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

o He gave pastors to the people

§ That makes you more important than me, because I am sent to serve you

4:12 - For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

o My role is to build you up and get you better and stronger, growing

§ It doesn’t matter whether I sweat, spit, jump

§ I don’t have to connect with you culturally to connect with you spiritually

o I wonder who you are that God would give me to you. He took what I had and made it a gift to what you had.

o There are many member in one body: You don’t see them, but they are functioning.

- Your faith is not lived out in this room (the church)

- The enemy knows that we are better together than we are apart

o One can chase a thousand, but two can chase ten thousand

§ He promises exponential growth

- Psalms 133

o “Something’s about to happen in here”

133:1 - Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together ^F364 in unity!

133:2 - It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;

o When Aaron was anointed, the oil was poured over him. Linen garments did not absorb the oil.

o God fixed the body like a linen garment because that which fell upon the head would slide onto the body

§ “Let it slide!”

o If you get in your place, everything that God has in store for you is coming your way

133:3 - As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

o God commands a blessing where there is unity; two or three touching and agreeing, God will command a blessing

- It’s not that they don’t have the strength – it’s that the body does not have agreement

o If you don’t commit, you won’t connect

- For all that God has done for you, what have you given back?