The Lamp and Light Post

Obey God’s Voice 5
E. CONCLUSION
The Africans tell a story about a mouse who teamed up with a lonely elephant. The mouse always rode on the elephant’s back, just behind his right ear. There he could sit and chat happily with his friend the elephant, keeping him company as they walked along.
One day they came to [...]

Obey God’s Voice 4
D. THE MESSAGE – NOT THE MORTAR (Part 2)
3. Spread The Message
The New Testament does not have one word to say about building physical church buildings. (Neither does the Old.) Yet that is one of the highest priorities in most Western churches or organizations. In China, they have a better way.
The emphasis [...]

Obey God’s Voice 4
D. THE MESSAGE – NOT THE MORTAR (Part 1)
Church leaders in Western national often compensate for their lack of power and ability to hear the voice of the Lord, by investing millions of dollars in impressive cathedrals and lavish sanctuaries. They think this will impress the world and attract people to their [...]

Obey God’s Voice 3
C. THE REAL THING – NOT SUBSTITUTES
I wish co-workers’ meetings and training materials would place great emphasis in their curriculum on teaching students how to move in the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and how to hear God’s voice.
1. God’s Word And Spirit, Not Academic Knowledge
Thank God for men like Dr. John [...]

Obey God’s Voice 2
B. RELATIONSHIP – NOT FORMULA
We need to realize that God’s life-giving word seldom comes in response to religious forms or formulas. Jesus healed one blind man by mixing dust and spittle, forming mud and applying it to the blind man’s eyes. The blind man was then sent to the pool of Siloam [...]

Obey God’s Voice 1
‘So then faith comes by hearing … the word (rhema) of God” (Rom 10:17).
A. LOGOS AND RHEMA
There are two Greek words translated as “word” in our English Bibles. “LOGOS” and  “RHEMA” (pronounced as ray-mah). Logos often refers to the written or inscriptured “word” Rhema often refers to the living or life-giving “word”.
[Editor's note: [...]

Richard Wurmbrand (March 24, 1909 – February 17, 2001) was a Romanian evangelical Christian minister, author, and educator.
In 1945, when the Communists seized Romania and attempted to control the churches for their purposes, Richard Wurmbrand immediately began an effective “underground” ministry to his enslaved people and the invading Russian soldiers. He was eventually arrested in [...]

HINDRANCES TO HEARING – Part 4
2) God’s Pattern For Your Life.
Our theology (a preconception about God) often comes into conflict with the Spirit’s guidance in our life – and when it does, we face the grave danger of missing the will of God.
When God began to impress me to become an itinerant preacher I resisted [...]

HINDRANCES TO HEARING – Part 3
4. Disobedience Stops God’s Voice
Brother Judson Cornwall said he was fervently praying, asking the Lord to speak to him. The Lord finally said, “Judson, why should I speak to you again, when you haven’t obeyed what I told you the last time I spoke to you?” Brother Cornwall got right [...]

This is old but still gives you something to think about, especially given the situation in the Middle East now.
The historical accounts are, for the most part, accurate.  What is left is the question of what do they mean?  Believers say it means that if the U.S. wants to avoid natural disasters…be nice to Israel.  [...]

HINDRANCES TO HEARING – Part 2
3. An Unregenerate Condition
I have traveled in more than fifty nations preaching the gospel. One of the big problems I encounter as I travel is unregenerate church leaders, clergymen who have never been born again of the Spirit of God. Is it any wonder they do not hear God’s voice?
Over [...]

Our God Is
Love 1Jo 4:16
Spirit Jhn 4:24
The Holy One Psa 16:10
The I Am Jhn 8:58
Yahweh Exd 6:3
The Alpha & Omega, The Beginning & End Rev 1:8
God Almighty Exd 6:3
A Miracle Working God Gal 3:5
The Creator of the World Jhn 1:3
Infinite 1Ki 8:27
All Powerful Jer 32:17, 27
All Knowing 1Jo 3:20
Ever Present Psa 139:1, 13
Unchangeable Num 23:19
Jehovah Psa 83:18
A Covenant Making God Hbr 10:16
The Everlasting Father Isa 9:6
A Father of Lights Jam 1:17
A Father [...]

Read the whole Bible in 2010 with this plan

HINDRANCES TO HEARING – Part 1
1. Hearts Not Perfect Before God
“For the eyes of the Lord search back and forth across the whole earth, looking for people whose hearts are perfect toward him, so that he can show his great power in helping them” (2 Chr 16:9 tlb).
The people in Bible times understood the heart to be [...]

My King
He is the King of the Jews
He is the King of Israel
But He’s also
King of all the Ages;
King of Heaven;
King of Glory;
King of Kings;
..and Lord of Lords.
He is
a prophet before Moses;
a priest after Melchizedek;
a champion like Joshua;
an offering in place of Isaac;
a king from the line of David;
a counselor above Solomon;
beloved, rejected, and exalted
like [...]

The greatest commandment is to Love; love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself. Matt 22:36-40

You cannot love your neighbor unless you love yourself, and you cannot love the Lord unless you love yourself. We cannot love ourselves unless we experience God’s love in the first place and accept what that love reveals about ourselves.

Introduction
Is God still speaking today? Is it possible to hear the voice of God? Christian leaders are confused about this issue.
Some believe that God can guide us and give direction when we need it. Others say God only speaks to us by what we read in the Bible. I believe that God still speaks to [...]

Several evil spirits were cast out of Spock (name changed, obviously). He had voluntarily submitted to Satan and was involved in the worst uncleanness imaginable. The process of deliverance had started well, and he was starting to experience freedom in the name of our risen Lord Jesus.
The severity of the situation demanded that he cut [...]

5. Transfer The Burden
“And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me… the elders of Israel…..that they may stand…with thee. And… they shall bear the burden of the people with thee…” (Num 11:16,17).
If you see a man reaching for responsibility, promote him! That man will be a blessing to the Lord’s work. If you see a [...]

Dodie Osteen, wife of the late John Osteen, was miraculously healed from terminal cancer in 1981.
These are the scriptures she believed in for her healing.
I’ve had them with me for a long time, and they are available for download from the Lakewood Church site.
Healing Scriptures
Exodus 15:26 – He said, “If you listen carefully to the voice [...]

4. Transfer the Anointing
“And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel… and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.
“And… and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall [...]

3. Show Them The Work To Do
“…and show them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do” (Exo 18:20). The Apostle Luke began the Book of Acts with these words: ‘The former treatise have I made… of all that Jesus began both to do and teach” (Acts 1:1).
a. Get Them Involved.
It is [...]

After Sunday service, I was asked about Witness Lee and the “Local Church”. I felt it important that I share what I have found.
Are the teachings of Witness Lee and the Local Church biblical?
Witness Lee became the leader of the “Local Church,” also known as the “Lord’s Recovery Movement,” and the “Living Stream Ministry” using [...]

2. Teach Them the Bible
What training should we give church leaders? “And teach the people God’s ordinances and laws…” (Exo 18:20).
Those familiar with Church Seminaries and Bible Schools are acutely aware that most teach every subject but the Bible. The Theological Seminaries too frequently become “Cemeteries” – where hundreds of potential church leaders’ spiritual life is [...]

There is a pattern between the traditional Jewish Wedding and the relationship Jesus has with his bride. This is taken from http://www.yeshuatyisrael.com/.

40 days till Christmas – Read the whole Bible
Here is a plan I prepared for someone  going on a 40 day fast from Nov 16, to Dec 25, 2009. I’m posting it for those who are interested in following this plan.
I’ve made playlists from this and plan to follow it on my audio bible. That takes about [...]

2,500,000 Israelites followed Moses out of Egypt into the wilderness.
“And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.
“And when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did…. , he said, What is this … Why do you sit [...]

when you try to go on with God, the world will oppose you. When you try to go deeper in God, your fleshly nature will resist you. When you try to go up higher in God, the demonic principalities and powers of the air will fight you.
They that wait upon the Lord will ‘exchange’ strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isa 40:31).

Greetings from Cochin.
Since I got back to India from Bahrain, with the help of God I have started four English services.

Evening worship in Ernakulam, Kerala.  – Wednesday 6 – 7:30 pm
The Father’s House Church, Ooty, Tamil Nadu. – Thursday 7 – 8:30 pm.
Cottage meetings in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu on Fridays.
The Father’s House Church, Ernakulam, Kerala. [...]

“He gives power to the faint, and to those who have no might… he increases strength” (Isa 40:29). The attitude of dependence upon God attracts His attention and draws Him to us, and causes Him to gloriously manifest His power through us.

Are you called to be a church leader but fear your inadequacies will keep you from being successful? Do you believe you are too weak to be a strong leader? Perhaps you have already been thrust into a position of leadership and are facing frustration of even failure. If so, take heart. God has good news for you.

YOU ARE MARRIED TO CHRIST FOREVER!!!

God’s Word says we died in Christ on the cross. It is finished, and we are free! “I am crucified with Christ…” (Gal 2:20 kjv).

Not only are we dead to sin, but alive to God. We have a fresh, new inner resource. We can choose to be married to Christ who gives us His new nature. By doing so, we can be led (driven, motivated) by God the Holy Spirit.

When we see who we are and where we are in Christ – that’s real victory. It means we have won in our fight with the flesh. The war is over, the victory is ours. With the words of Christ from the cross we can boldly say. “It is finished!”

What might have been would never be. He lived without God or His Spirit. He came under the judgment promised in Romans 8:13, “For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die…”

What a clear but tragic description of our old self-life! there was only one solution to the problem of Abigail’s “old man” – DEATH!

And that, my friend, is the only solution to our old sinful nature. It had to be crucified. It had to die.

There is a war which rages within me and which causes far more trouble than any conflict I face without. My number one problem is not the devil and his demons, but myself. My own sinful nature is my greatest enemy.

We will stand up, speak forth, and deliver ourselves and others with the sure Word of the Lord.

God has opened up a door for me to minister in Bahrain for 2 weeks. I will be leaving today.
I request your prayers.
with love in Jesus
John Kodiyil

The truth is that Jesus is the only way, the only truth and the only access to eternal life with our father in heaven. We can not apply the six degrees of separation theory to this.

How do we deal with this problem of condemnation? How can we face the lies and accusations of our deceiver, the devil?

The point to note here is that we are composed of materials that disintegrate if we choose to change the parameters set by our creator.”

If the devil and his demons have been stripped of their authority by Christ’s victory on the cross, why are there so many defeated Christians? The answer is in one word: deception. The devil tricks or deceives us into believing that a lie is the truth, that something is real when it isn’t; that wrong is right, and right is wrong.

The times we live in are such that there is a dire need for us to be able to “discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:10
As for me, if I heard from God once to go to Bethel from Judah, and come back another way, then I should be 100% sure that if “God changes his mind”, he will tell me of it personally.

Jesus Christ has given us perfect victory over the devil and his demon powers. That was His part. Our part is to enforce and keep the victory and live our lives as victorious Christians. The purpose of this teaching is to help us do this.

E. DEMONS FEAR JESUS
Nowhere in Scripture does it ever say that Jesus faced demonic power with fear and trembling. In fact, it was just the other way around. It was the demons who cried out in fear:
“There was a man in the synagogue with an evil spirit. And he cried out, saying, ‘Let us alone! [...]

C. DEMONS WERE DEFEATED BY JESUS CHRIST
Our victory over demon powers is clearly stated in Scripture. One of the key verses is found in Paul’s Letter to the church at Colossae: “God disarmed and defeated the principalities and powers – ruling demonic spirits. He made a public display of them. God won the victory through [...]

Demons Are Powerless. Part 1 of 3
Introduction
In this chapter I want to show how Christ’s conquest of Satan (which rendered him powerless) also gives us power over demons and freedom from fear of demons.
Most of the problems we have as Christians are not from demons or the devil. They are problems we are dealing with [...]

The Devil Is Destroyed Part two
C. THE POWER OF THE CROSS
The cross has power to redeem man and restore him to his divinely appointed place of authority. This is a wonderful truth that threads its way all through the Holy Scriptures. We already have seen that God’s plan for a sacrificial lamb (as an offering [...]

A friend of mine had this Rober Schuller quote in her office “What would you do if you knew you could not fail?”
It is disheartening to see how many people walk in the fear of failure because of the devil when they already have the victory through Jesus. In Hosea 4: 6 (KJV), the bible says “My [...]

Shalom. This issue brings us to the conclusion of the New Believers Manual. I have taken material from the Shepherd’s Staff and used other sources when I believed its theology to be in error. All sources are marked in the individual letters. My intention remains to make available the basics of Christian faith.
I stand in [...]

WHAT IS THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH
The word “rapture” does not occur in the Bible. The concept of the rapture, though, is clearly taught in Scripture. The rapture of the church is the event in which God removes all believers from the earth in order to make way for His righteous judgment to be poured [...]