Archive for January 2014

The Body Church
Courtyard Atlanta Midtown/ Georgia Tech
1132 Techwood Dr NW, Atlanta
GA 30318

1 Corinthians 12:12(NLT) - The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ

Sundays

10:00 AM - Worship With Prayer
11:00 AM - Worship With The Word

You are invited. Since next Sunday falls on Superbowl Sunday we decided to call it Superbowl Sunday Service. That's all. Join us and enjoy free spiritual food. 🙂

The Body Church
Courtyard Atlanta Midtown/ Georgia Tech
1132 Techwood Dr NW, Atlanta
GA 30318

1 Corinthians 12:12(NLT) - The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ

Sundays

10:00 AM - Worship With Prayer
11:00 AM - Worship With The Word

You are invited. Since next Sunday falls on Superbowl Sunday we decided to call it Superbowl Sunday Service. That's all. Join us and enjoy free spiritual food. 🙂

The Body Church
Courtyard Atlanta Midtown/ Georgia Tech
1132 Techwood Dr NW, Atlanta
GA 30318

1 Corinthians 12:12(NLT) - The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ

Sundays

10:00 AM - Worship With Prayer
11:00 AM - Worship With The Word

The Body Church
Courtyard Atlanta Midtown/ Georgia Tech
1132 Techwood Dr NW, Atlanta
GA 30318

1 Corinthians 12:12(NLT) - The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ

Sundays

10:00 AM - Worship With Prayer
11:00 AM - Worship With The Word

We received the following question from Barney;

"Shalom Donnell,

Could you please be so kind as to cite for me any one, or more, specific Scriptures in the Bible that “directly” and “unambiguously” call ANGELS the Sons of God? PLEASE do not cite Gen. 6:2, 6:4, Job 1:6; Job 2:1 and Job 38:7 because each of these noted Passages does not specifically declare ANGELS as SONS of GOD (that is inferred) – the individuals revealed in these Passages are merely called Sons of God. Once again, each of these above referenced Passages has no “direct” or “unambiguous” correlation to ANGELS of GOD specifically described as the SONS of GOD. Your kind response will be most appreciated."

Barney, thanks for reaching out. You do have a very interesting question. It sounds to me like you have a particular point you would like to make about the nature of the sons of God. I can safely assume that you don't believe they are angels. I searched the scriptures for other references to sons of God but outside of those on your list the only references left are in the New Testament and those refer to God's people. Anyway, for the benefit of the other readers, let's take a look at those scriptures you highlighted.

Genesis 6:2-4(NKJV) - Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. 3 And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4 There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

The Bible actually outlines the punishment for these sons of God who stepped out of line with their created purpose and chose to intermingle with human beings in the following reference.

Jude 1:6(KJV) - And angels who did not keep (care for, guard, and hold to) their own first place of power but abandoned their proper dwelling place—these He has reserved in custody in eternal chains (bonds) under the thick gloom of utter darkness until the judgment and doom of the great day.

These fallen angels have a special place in hell for what they did.

Job 1:6-7(AMP) - Now there was a day when the sons (the angels) of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (the adversary and accuser) also came among them. And the Lord said to Satan, From where did you come? Then Satan answered the Lord, From going to and fro on the earth and from walking up and down on it.

Job 2:1-6(AMP) - Again there was a day when the sons of God [the angels] came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (the adversary and the accuser) came also among them to present himself before the Lord. And the Lord said to Satan, From where do you come? And Satan (the adversary and the accuser) answered the Lord, From going to and fro on the earth and from walking up and down on it.

Job 38:6-7(KJV) - Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

The Amplified version of The Bible clearly outlines the reference "sons of God" to mean angels in Job 1:6-7 and Job 2:1-6. That's a little more than an inference, it's a direct quotation from what is actually a widely accepted translation of The Bible. There's really not a whole lot more I can say on this issue. Outside of these Old Testament references to sons of God, here are some references in the New Testament.

Luke 20:34-36(AMP) - And Jesus said to them, The people of this world and present age marry and are given in marriage; But those who are considered worthy to gain that other world and that future age and to attain to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage; For they cannot die again, but they are angel-like and equal to angels. And being sons of and sharers in the resurrection, they are sons of God.

Romans 8:14, 19(KJV) - For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.... For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

Galatians 4:6(KJV) - And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Philippians 2:15(KJV) - That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world

1 John 3:1-2(KJV) - Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

If The Bible calls angels the sons of God in The Old Testament and a select group of people sons of God in the New Testament what's the difference?

In the Old Testament when referring to angels, The Bible uses the Hebrew word "ben" for son. According to The Strong's Concordance, this word actually means sons (as characterisation, i.e. sons of injustice [for un- righteous men] or sons of God [for angels]). In other words when The Bible refers to the angels as sons of God in The Old Testament it's not calling them the offspring of God but it's merely characterizing them as a group. It's like calling them the "team" of God or God's "group".

In the New Testament, the Greek word translated into son of God is "huios". Here's what it means in different references according to the Strong's Concordance;

A. used to describe Adam (Lk. 3:38)

B. used to describe those who are born again (Lk. 20:36) and of angels and of Jesus Christ

C. of those whom God esteems as sons, whom he loves, protects and benefits above others
I. in the OT used of the Jews
ii. in the NT of Christians
iii. those whose character God, as a loving father, shapes by chastisements (Heb. 12:5-8)

D. those who revere God as their father, the pious worshippers of God, those who in character and life resemble God, those who are governed by the Spirit of God, repose the same calm and joyful trust in God which children do in their parents (Rom. 8:14, Gal. 3:26 ), and hereafter in the blessedness and glory of the life eternal will openly wear this dignity of the sons of God. Term used preeminently of Jesus Christ, as enjoying the supreme love of God, united to him in affectionate intimacy, privy to his saving councils, obedient to the Father's will in all his acts.

As you can see, there's a major difference between sons of God who are the "ben" and those who are the "huios". There's nothing wrong with angels being referred to as sons of God. The Amplified Bible and the Strong's Concordance both agree that the references to sons of God do refer to angels in several cases. However, as we've outlined, it's just a figure of speech.

Psalm 78:41(NKJV) - Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israel.

Today is a continuation of yesterday's blog, "Where is your faith?" A few years ago I received a free sticker at a convention with the image posted above. I stuck it at the top of my bedroom mirror so that everyday I would see the simple reminder; "Don't limit God!" In some respects, that statement sounds like an oxymoron. How can a human being put limits on God? Isn't God limitless? On the surface it just doesn't make any sense. Nonetheless, human beings have been limiting God since He created the first one of us in The Garden of Eden. If we could have done it back then we can surely do it now. That's right. The omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God has run into limits over the years and they were not self-imposed. They came from us. So how is that even possible? Here's a simple example.

Mark 6:1-6(NKJV) - Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

Nothing brings the power of God to a screeching halt like unbelief. Jesus had a coming home party that didn't quite turn out the way it was supposed to. After revolutionizing the lives of people in other areas He decided to return to his own country and minister there. With that visit, they would get the opportunity to also benefit from His anointing. However, there was just one minor issue. They didn't believe. They were so familiar with Jesus that they just could not bring themselves to believe in Him. That totally blew Jesus' mind. The Bible says He marveled because of their unbelief. Instantly, Jesus could not do any mighty works there. He was like Superman in the presence of Kryptonite. They had the power to limit God and they used it.

James 1:5-8(NKJV) - If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

If you're going to ask God for something you have to ask in faith. Romans 10:19 says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by The Word of God. So, asking in faith is asking based on The Word of God that you heard. If something didn't come from God's mouth you can't have faith in it. Thankfully, 2 Timothy 3:16 says that all scripture is God-breathed. So if you need a Word from The Lord upon which to base your faith your first step is to find it in The Bible. Everything in God's Kingdom works by faith. If you don't have faith you can't get anything done. The truth is that you really don't have the ability to stop God's power from existing but unbelief puts a cap on its expression in your life. That's why some people can benefit from the power of God while others don't.

One person can access supernatural healing while another person does not. One person might benefit from supernatural protection while another person does not. Even though God is no respecter of persons He is a respecter of faith. That was demonstrated clearly during the life of Jesus on the earth. When people approached Him in faith for help they received it but when there was no faith He could do nothing to help them. As Apostle James put it, let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from The Lord. If you don't believe, don't expect to receive.

Hebrews 11:6(NKJV) - But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

One of the easiest ways to please God is to believe Him. Outside of that it's impossible to please Him. He doesn't need anything from us but He desires that we believe Him. It really matters to Him. When He talks He wants to know that His words matter to us. The Bible says in Jeremiah 1:12 (NKJV); "Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.” When God says something He backs it up. It's not our job to figure out how He will do what He has said we just have to believe Him. If we do our part He will do His part.

Isaiah 55:10-11(KJV) - For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Have you ever heard someone say something like; "I know that's what The Bible says but that doesn't mean God's really going to do that? Let's be realistic here." Why not? He said He would do it so who says He can't? Why do we allow our lack of faith to cause us to rewrite the scriptures and edit out the parts we struggle to believe? Yes, we agree that God can save us and give us eternal life but why can't He heal us too? Why can't He provide all of our needs? Why can't He answer our other prayers that line up with the scriptures? We don't question that He answers our salvation prayer but what about the others? How can we be so sure about salvation? Where do we get our confidence? The Bible! Aren't all of God's other promises in The Bible also? Why is it easy to believe one promise that's supposed to last for eternity but difficult to believe others that are for our short time on the earth? It's time to take the limits off of God.

Mark 9:23(KJV) - Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

Impossible is nothing for someone who believes. Our faith opens the door wide to the supernatural power of God. I've received some wild promises from God that are beyond human explanation and you know what? I BELIEVE! He is God! This universe is nothing but a Word in His mouth. He can do anything. In fact, if He says something, the moment the words leave His mouth it's already done. My faith is the key that opens the portal which acts as a conduit to bring what's been done in the spirit into the natural. I'm not making anything happen with my faith.

God's Word makes things happen. My faith just ensures that I see what's already happened manifest in my life. It works for me and can work for you too. If you can believe, all things are possible for you. Don't worry about how God will do anything He promised. How did He create the universe? Do you know? No you don't but you know He did it. How He does what He does doesn't matter. We just need Him to do it. I'm ready to believe God. Are you? That's all He wants from His people. He's not asking us for much. He just wants us to believe His Word and act on what we believe. Don't limit God! Only believe! He's ready to move so let's get out of His way so He can do what He does best.

Mark 5:36(KJV) - As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.

Luke 8:25a(KJV) - And he said unto them, Where is your faith?.....

I had an interesting conversation with a good friend of mine. We both come from families with legacies in the ministry. We were trying to figure out what happened over the last few decades as signs and wonders dropped off significantly in The Church. What changed? The Bible still says the same thing now as it did then. The Holy Spirit is the same yesterday, today and forever more. God's Will concerning healing, deliverance, supernatural provision and protection has not changed. So what changed?

Our faith. Our capacity for believing God has decreased drastically in our generation. The kinds of things that our forefathers believed God for were astronomically greater than much of what we currently believe. Many of us can barely trust God to heal a headache so we're a long way from believing God for the miraculous. It's easy for us to read The Bible and believe what God did for other people thousands of years ago. It's also easy for us to read books and believe what God did for people generations ago. However, believing that He'll do the same for us is a whole different thing.

Luke 18:8b(KJV) - .... Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

When Jesus finally returns to earth, is He going to find faith? I surely hope so. Let's be honest here. If He returned right now how much faith is He really going to find? Do we even have the faith to believe that His return is imminent or have we stopped believing that too? Many of us have been so scarred by encounters with worldly individuals who claim to base all of their decisions on logic and physical evidence that we've put our faith aside in an effort to fit in. Maybe that's another aspect of the Identity Crisis I wrote about yesterday. In an effort to fit in with the world we have distanced ourselves from our faith. So what could possibly have happened?

1 Corinthians 13:13(AMP) - And so faith, hope, love abide [faith—conviction and belief respecting man’s relation to God and divine things; hope—joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love—true affection for God and man, growing out of God’s love for and in us], these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Apostle Paul outlined faith, hope and love as three abiding characteristics of The Church. When all is said and done these three must be found among us. At the core of our identity as believers are the pillars of faith (our belief in God's Word and the actions which back it up), hope (our expectation that God will do whatever He says) and love. However, of these three, love is the master key, not our human love but God's love for and in us.

Galatians 5:6(KJV) - For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

Our faith can only work if God's love is working through us. Apostle John said in 1 John 4:19; "We love him, because he first loved us." If we can't believe in God's love for us, we'll struggle to love Him back and we'll definitely struggle to love each other. Most importantly, if we can't believe in God's love we can't really believe in God's Word because faith works by love. We have to believe that God loves us enough to keep His Word or else we have nothing to base our faith on. Words alone are not enough because we live in a culture where words can have little to no value and that has affected us.

Yes, we know what God said in The Bible and in some cases we know what The Holy Spirit is saying right now but will He really do it in our lives? The answer is yes and the reason is because He loves us. His love is the reason why He will keep His Word. Believe the love and you'll believe The Word. Faith works by God's love so outside of God's love faith won't work. All we'll have is words and nothing to back them up. This brings up an even bigger point.

Daniel 12:4(KJV) - But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

If faith was such a major building block of The Church how have we survived with such a gaping hole in our infrastructure? What have we patched it with? Knowledge! In our generation, knowledge is king. We have so much information that somehow we've been duped into thinking that knowing stuff alone can fill the gap left behind by our lack of faith. I've never heard or read as much revelation as what is available today. We have churches all over the place, Christian television, radio, books, websites, podcasts, streaming video and smartphone apps. If we want knowledge about God we have it. We pride ourselves in how much we know.

Back in The Bible days, the Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes were exclusive groups of scholars who lorded over people because of their knowledge. Now The Bible is written in every translation imaginable and there are concordances, commentaries, adaptations and Bible dictionaries available to all of us. Hence, Bible scholars are everywhere. We probably spend more time arguing about doctrine than we do believing God's truth and acting on it.

Are the gifts of the spirit for today? Should we speak in tongues in public? Should worship services be boisterous or mellow? Should a preacher be a preacher-teacher or a teacher-preacher? Should Christians prosper, be broke or find a happy medium somewhere? Should The Church expect to walk in divine health or is sickness part of God's plan for our lives? Does The Bible really take a stand against homosexuality or should we translate the words differently to make it acceptable within The Church? Should we keep The Sabbath? Should we tithe? Should The Church get involved in political and social issues?

These are all valid questions but while we debate them sick Christians have more faith in doctors and pharmacists than they do in Jesus. While we argue over the preaching styles of popular televangelists, many people in our churches are demon possessed and we don't even recognize it. Instead of casting out devils, some of us argue about whether or not these people could be demon possessed in the first place.

How much we know about God means nothing if we can't believe God. How much we know about The Bible means nothing if we can't believe what's in The Bible. How much we know about The Holy Spirit means nothing if we don't know The Holy Spirit. It's 2014. It's time for us to do what we know we can do and should be doing. It's time for us to do what Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:7, walk by faith and not by sight. We are Christians. We don't believe what we see, we see what we believe.

Mark 16:15-18(KJV) - And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

The signs don't follow the preaching of the gospel. The signs follow them that believe. Preaching the gospel is not enough. We have to believe it too. Where is your faith?

1 Peter 2:9-10(NLT) - But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”

Pay close attention to this line; "Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God's people." What does that mean? The moment you become a Christian your identity is in God. You are no longer defined by anything or anyone outside of Him. You are who God says you are. You are not who you were before you gave your life to Jesus. You also are not defined by any natural measures. You are not who people think you are based on their worldly, carnal standards.

Galatians 3:27-29(KJV) - For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

You are not your race. You are not your status. You are not your appearance. You are not your socio-economic class. You are not your education. You are not your hair. 🙂 None of these things define you. So why obsess yourself with these things while the things that really matter remain undeveloped? You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. You are the called-out ones who were removed from the darkness of this world and placed into God's wonderful light. You have put on Christ so now you are hidden in Him. He has become your identity.

Romans 12:2(NLT) - Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

If you don't know who you are the world will tell you who you are. If you don't know how to think the world will tell you how to think. My question today is, "Who's influencing who?" Are you influencing the world around you or is the world influencing you? Are people outside of God's Kingdom trying to be like you or are you trying to be like them? Do you have something that they want or do they have something that you want? The moment we take our eyes off Christ we lose ourselves and that's when we lose track of God's Will for our lives.

Colossians 3:1-4(NKJV) - If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

What's your mindset or more importantly where is your mind set? Is your mind set on things above or things on the earth? What's driving you each day? Where is your motivation for living? When you became born again you died and you were born again into Christ. Now your life is hidden inside of Christ. Christ is not just the source of your life, He is your life. That's why The Father sees Jesus when He sees us. We don't resemble Jesus. We are in Him. This means that if Jesus is not controlling our lives we are wasting it because He does not empower us to do anything outside of Himself.

Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:18(KJV) - "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." Apostle John says in 1 John 2:17(NLT) - "And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever." How much time, money, effort, blood, sweat and tears have you invested in earthly pursuits? How much of the same have you invested in Godly pursuits? Which do you think will matter for eternity? If we are really God's children and He lives inside of us what concerns Him should concern us.

Each day I see a vision of the future. I see a throne in heaven and one by one I see each of us standing before it. We will each have to give an account for the time we spent on earth. At that point, all the time we wasted pursuing the things of this world will seem silly. Only what we did for God will count. Whether we like it or not, once we stand before God we're not getting a second chance at life. Jesus said in John 9:4(KJV); "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work."

It's interesting that when it's time to get money or have fun, people are ready and willing to get moving but when it's time to handle God's business many people are too busy. Not unsaved people, Christian people. Too busy doing what? The night is coming. It's time to work. It's time for us to get over the identity crisis. We are Christ followers. We are kingdom people. We live for God. Nothing else matters. We don't do what the world does with their time, money and effort. We're different. We live for Jesus. He is our life. We need to know who we are and what we were born to do. Let's do it and let's do it now!

It's much easier to get money than it is to keep it. I remember hearing stories of the oil boom that hit Trinidad and Tobago in the 70s. Money was flowing like water. Now, what is there to show for it? I remember hearing stories of several different booms that hit the US over the last few decades; the stock market boom, the dot com boom, etc. Now, the economy of the world's richest nation is being propped up by deficit spending. Last Wednesday, January 8th, Reuters published the article, "All Norwegians become crown millionaires, in oil saving landmark" by Alister Doyle. It blew my mind and if you understand economics it will blow yours too. Check it out;

(Reuters) - Everyone in Norway became a theoretical crown millionaire on Wednesday in a milestone for the world's biggest sovereign wealth fund that has ballooned thanks to high oil and gas prices.

Set up in 1990, the fund owns around 1 percent of the world's stocks, as well as bonds and real estate from London to Boston, making the Nordic nation an exception when others are struggling under a mountain of debts.

A preliminary counter on the website of the central bank, which manages the fund, rose to 5.11 trillion crowns ($828.66 billion), fractionally more than a million times Norway's most recent official population estimate of 5,096,300.

It was the first time it reached the equivalent of a million crowns each, central bank spokesman Thomas Sevang said.

Not that Norwegians will be able to access or spend the money, squirreled away for a rainy day for them and future generations. Norway has resisted the temptation to splurge all the windfall since striking oil in the North Sea in 1969.

Finance Minister Siv Jensen told Reuters the fund, called the Government Pension Fund Global, had helped iron out big, unpredictable swings in oil and gas prices. Norway is the world's number seven oil exporter.

"Many countries have found that temporary large revenues from natural resource exploitation produce relatively short-lived booms that are followed by difficult adjustments," she said in an email.

The fund, equivalent to 183 percent of 2013 gross domestic product, is expected to peak at 220 percent around 2030.

"The fund is a success in the sense that parliament has managed to put aside money for the future. There are many examples of countries that have mot managed that," said Oeystein Doerum, chief economist at DNB Markets.

Norway has sought to avoid the boom and bust cycle by investing the cash abroad, rather than at home. Governments can spend 4 percent of the fund in Norway each year, slightly more than the annual return on investment.

Still, in Norway, oil wealth may have made the state reluctant to make reforms or cut subsidies unthinkable elsewhere. Farm subsidies allow farmers, for instance, to keep dairy cows in heated barns in the Arctic.

It may also have made some Norwegians reluctant to work. "One in five people of working age receives some kind of social insurance instead of working," Doerum said, despite an official unemployment rate of 3.3 percent.

Genesis 41:47-57(NLT) - As predicted, for seven years the land produced bumper crops. 48 During those years, Joseph gathered all the crops grown in Egypt and stored the grain from the surrounding fields in the cities. 49 He piled up huge amounts of grain like sand on the seashore. Finally, he stopped keeping records because there was too much to measure. 50 During this time, before the first of the famine years, two sons were born to Joseph and his wife, Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On. 51 Joseph named his older son Manasseh, for he said, “God has made me forget all my troubles and everyone in my father’s family.” 52 Joseph named his second son Ephraim, for he said, “God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief.” 53 At last the seven years of bumper crops throughout the land of Egypt came to an end. 54 Then the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had predicted. The famine also struck all the surrounding countries, but throughout Egypt there was plenty of food. 55 Eventually, however, the famine spread throughout the land of Egypt as well. And when the people cried out to Pharaoh for food, he told them, “Go to Joseph, and do whatever he tells you.” 56 So with severe famine everywhere, Joseph opened up the storehouses and distributed grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout the land of Egypt. 57 And people from all around came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph because the famine was severe throughout the world.

One of my favorite preachers put it like this; "In times of plenty, live lean so that in lean times you can live." When Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dream, they knew exactly what was coming in the future and because they knew the future before it happened they owned the future. As a result, all who found out when the future actually happened had to pay Joseph a premium for it. That's the "Joseph Financial Model".

Norway has followed this model and is now sitting on so much money that each citizen is theoretically a millionaire. They are so comfortable that many people don't even work because they don't have to. When they hit an oil boom they took the surplus money and invested it. Brilliant! Now, by law they have chosen to take out a maximum of 4% annually from that fund for any domestic spending. That is approximately the amount of interest their money is gaining each year while they continue to add to the principal from annual oil sale surpluses. In other words, the fund continues to grow and grow and grow. It worked for Norway it will work for us.

That financial model came from The Bible. We should use it. What do you do when you get any extra money in your hands that you don't immediately need? Does it make you nervous? Do you feel uncomfortable sitting on extra money? Do you have to find somewhere to spend it so you can feel normal again? If that is you, it's time for a change. When God causes surplus to come into our hands we need to store it for a rainy day. One of these days a financial tsunami is going to hit this earth which will make this current recession look like a drizzle.

Have we learned anything from Joseph? Have we learned anything from Norway? When you have extra money it's not the time to spend it all on luxuries. Invest it and if you must spend anything from your surplus use the interest on your investment to do whatever you like. That's financial wisdom from God. It made Egypt the richest nation in the world and caused Norway to thrive in the midst of a global recession. What do you think it will do in your life? Some of us are broke by choice. It's not that we made the choice to be broke but our choices have caused us to be broke. When God gives us more than we need we should put away something because the future is uncertain. It's a new year. It's a new season. If you are fortunate enough to get a surplus. Invest it.

So we're starting an assembly called The Body Church in Midtown Atlanta. If this is your first time hearing so, SURPRISE!!! 🙂 There's allot that goes into this process. At the top of the list is getting the right team together. What would Jesus do?

Matthew 4:18-22(NKJV) - And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him. 21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

Before Jesus officially launched His public ministry with The Sermon on The Mount He started off by Himself. Then He built His core team by selecting brothers Peter and Andrew then brothers James and John. With a four man team at once He immediately started teaching. He also selected Philip according to The Book of John. Great crowds gathered to hear His wisdom and see the miracles.

Luke 6:12-16(NKJV) - Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 13 And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: 14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; 15 Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.

It was only after He taught for some time that out of the many people who followed Him He appointed 12 apostles. He prayed all night and the next morning He picked The Dream Team. They learned by watching Him minister to others in public and by Him expounding to them personally what He taught. He led by His example and with what He poured into their lives. They were able to ask Him questions and get direct answers.

He dealt with them as a group and also as individuals. Before He sent them out to do anything they followed Him for some time and saw the pattern He desired. He was humble and served them. He ended conflicts with a lesson. He led them in service and taught them by serving them.

Jesus didn't need His own temple. He went out to preach in the open air with great wisdom and miracles supporting it. As a result, people followed Him. Jesus only called out five people personally; the rest followed Him because of what He did. Out of those who followed He picked the rest of His dream team. This is a great model to follow.

The Body Church is launching in Midtown Atlanta on Sunday, January 26th. If you're interested in helping out in any way, you're invited to our Interest Meeting.

Location: Starbucks (Midtown) - 867, Peachtree Street Atlanta, GA 30308
Date: Thursday, January 9th, 2014
Time: 7:00PM

To RSVP, email us at TheBodyChurchInc@gmail.com.

Visit our website at www.TheBodyChurchInc.org