Worship

“Hey Jesus” by Elyssa Smith, featuring Steffany Gretzinger

Scripture

“… and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.” -Revelation 1:13-16, ESV

“‘Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

“‘Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

“‘I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.’

“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. … He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.” -Revelation 22:12-17, 20-21, ESV

Drawing Near to Christ Through Scripture and Prayer

He’s coming into view. There is a Light at the end of this tunnel in history, and we are running to the Light. What we always thought about Him (right and wrong), He’s beginning to course correct. Our vision, our paradigms, our perspectives are changing in the very light of His presence. We are going to see Him one day how He really is—in all of His beauty. But until then, He’s committed to showing us who He really is, in all truth, and it’s beautiful! We get there by communing with Him and pressing in, in greater longing and deeper passion. I believe the Church’s worship is deepening as we come face-to-face with Jesus in this era.

“Take a moment to ponder this. We were designed by God with the capacity to not simply commune with Him through conversation but be one with God—to share His thoughts and perceptions, to know His mind through His Spirit.” -Shawn Bolz, “Encounter”

The Deep Communion Christ Desires with His Church

This is the kind of communion He longs to have with us. A communion that is so deep, even our groanings don’t have human words. It’s the language of our heart to Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit—the cries and desperation to take us deeper than we’ve ever gone. It’s the cry in the midst of redemption that says, “Show me Your face,” because there is nothing else we long to possibly see. It’s the times when we feel less connected and more distracted that we stop what we are doing to grab the hand of our First Love and come close.

Living in Light of Christ’s Return

When you look at history, He is closer than He’s ever been to His return. Our hearts are crying, “Come, Lord Jesus, come.” But on the flip side of this truth is the fact that when we begin to long for Him in new and fresh ways, He just seems closer than He’s ever been. Maybe it’s that our desires are changing. He’s living in us, so He couldn’t get closer. But do we really tap into this longing that lives inside of us? Jesus, who takes up residence in our lives, desires that we give Him more and more permission to make His life known in us and through us. The entire world is longing for us to find ourselves consumed with Christ in us, the hope of glory!

“For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” -Romans 8:19-23, ESV

A Heart Check About Worldly Affections

I was on a walk one evening, and my mom texted me out of the blue with a question: “Do you love the world?” I felt like I needed to have a strong biblical response but wanted to answer her honestly. I thought about how John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world … .” And in 1 John 2:15, it says, “Do not love the world or anything in the world.” So which is it? Jesus had to love the world to bankrupt Heaven and come on an ultimate rescue mission for humanity. This can be the love that lives inside of us for a lost world. But a love for the things of the world that excludes Jesus is a misplaced affection. Our hearts have attached to things other than Jesus and need a course correction. The cords of loving kindness pull on our heartstrings, and repentance woos us back home.

Preparing for Christ’s Return

We are getting ready! We are getting ready for history to shift when the Father hands Jesus His Bride. It’s going to be a battle to the finish line—let’s just all count on that. The enemy will pull out every tactic and throw every fiery dart. So I implore you to gaze upon His beauty, let your heart become enraptured in His goodness, create space to commune and hear His voice, and avail yourself to His sanctifying and redemptive work in your life. I declare that your life has been purposed for this time in history. As my friend Jordan Gaudet said to me the other day, “Julie, I am so excited to be alive in this time!”

I want to tie this all together with a portion of a prophetic word from Patricia King that the Lord placed on her heart to share in her book, “A Prophetic Manifesto For the New Era.”

“This is an hour when hearts and the intents of the hearts will be revealed. It is an hour when I will separate good and evil, the holy and the profane, the flesh and the Spirit, the world and My Kingdom. It is a time of harvest when both the wheat and the tares will become evident. It is time to consecrate yourself afresh unto Me and My purposes, for you are in the world as My salt and light but you are not of the world—you do not partake of its dark mindsets and deeds because you are My light and you represent My light. I am about to display a great wave of My authority and My great power and I am looking for a people whose hearts are completely Mine. I am looking for those who are completely consecrated unto Me, for they shall partner with Me to display great moves of My power and presence in this era. They shall be humble, not looking for their own glory and renown but Mine alone. They are My consecrated ones. They shall perform My exploits so that the world may know that I AM. All My children are invited to walk with Me in this way. Many are called, but only those who consecrate themselves will be chosen for what I am about to do in the earth.”

He’s closer than He’s ever been. Can He look at you eye to eye and say the same of you? Let’s go. There’s no time to waste; the world is standing on tiptoe waiting for us to get there!

A Few Key Notes

• Explore how God is speaking to you in your dreams, discover how much the Scriptures talk about dreams, and model how we can decipher God’s messages to us in our dreams. Sign up for the Biblical Dream Interpretation Class in Plano beginning October 25.
• Love your neighbor and join us in sharing about Jesus during Dallas Harvest Day! We will teach you how to share the gospel and then go and evangelize together. Join us on the first Saturday of each month. Meet at La Victoria, 1605 N. Haskell Ave., Dallas, TX 75204, at 9 a.m. for the next Harvest Day on November 4. Tell us you’re coming by emailing [email protected].
• Sign up for the Holy Fire Study to learn who the Holy Spirit is; His role in God’s plan; how He operates; and His work to transform, empower, and activate Christ followers to fulfill the hope of God globally and individually. The study will be led by me and Tracy Edwards, and it happens at 7 p.m. on Mondays (in person and over Zoom) from November 6-December 11 at The Hope Center, 2001 W. Plano Parkway, Ste. 3000, Plano, TX 75075. Email me at [email protected] to register.
• Register for the Arise Christmas Luncheon at The Hope Center in Plano. Join us on December 12 as we hear from Safeeya Schnaufer, who will share stories of women who risk it all. Pricing for early bird tickets and table sponsorships ends this week!