A Story of God's Faithfulness

Recently, I have posted many pictures of our church on Facebook. Some may think that I am boasting about our church. Not at all! It is an unfolding story of God's faithfulness.

Last year we went through a lot as a church. At times, our very survival looked bleak in the natural, even though we never had any doubts that God will come through for us.  And He did it again and again!

As spring of 2011 arrived, we found ourselves cornered by many challenges. We had to trust God for all of our needs. Every dollar had to stretched. Our landscaper refused to clean up the edges of the parking lot without extra payments. We have a sizable parking lot and that was a lot of extra monies.

During that season, I would go into our sanctuary every morning and pray alone for a long time seeking God's guidance in all matters. So I decided to pray about this also.

The next day I had a big surprise. An agency called me and asked me if I could use two laborers who could help us with different things. When I told them I had no money to give them, their reply was to use them without any cost to the church! Within a week, we had laborers at church helping us out. They continued to clean the parking lot all spring and summer and helped us with other things. They are still with us helping out , without any cost to us. Praise God!

Then I realized we needed to rework our finances to move on. Again I went to the sanctuary and cried and prayed over this need.  God put an idea in my mind. It was like a light bulb turning on in my head. I followed it and God made sure it came through and we moved on.

Then came hurricane Sandy. The day after the hurricane, when I went to see if there was any damage to our church,my heart sank. Our parking lot was covered with debris. The roof our fellowship hall was totally peeled off by the wind. Our front door was pulled out of its hinges and thrown into the street. At first look, I estimated it will cost us $100,000 to fix the place.

We had insurance. But I did not know what would be the hindrances I will have to overcome and how long it would take.  On top of that we had a snow storm a few days later. (The only snow storm of the winter in New York so far).  The snow that accumulated on the roof came through as water the next day. The next morning when I went to church, I wanted to sit down and wail. It was waterfalls everywhere in our fellowship hall. Now the cost of repairs would be much more. I did not even know how much more.

Hearing this, our insurance company sent a consultant. He was going to be the liaison between us and the insurance company. He was a believer. When I explained things to him, he agreed to work with us. I got permission to use the funds allocated for repair in creative ways. We prayed about it and followed the ideas God gave us. What we have now is the result of it. The photos convey this story of God's faithfulness.

In the end, we have a 400 seat sanctuary fully finished and a banquet hall that is better than many of the hotel banquet halls.


Dear friends, don't be discouraged by the challenges in your life. Trust in God and He will rise up for your defense and show in unimaginable ways that He is with you.

'  Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!' Romans 11:33.

Prophecies Fulfilled in Christmas

1. Seed of a woman.

•          Genesis 3:15. "And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
• New testament fulfillment: Mathew 1:18.  Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.

2. Promised Through the Seed of Abraham:

• Old Testament Prophecy: Genesis 12:7. And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there built he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.
• New Testament Fulfillment: Matthew 1:1. The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

2. Promised Through Isaac:

• Old Testament Prophecy: Genesis 21:12. But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called.
• New Testament Fulfillment: Luke 3:34. ' the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor.'

3. Out of the Tribe of Judah:

• Old Testament Prophecy: Micah 5:2. “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”
• New Testament Fulfillment: Luke 3:33. 'the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah'

4. Born in the Family of Jesse:

• Old Testament Prophecy: Isaiah 11:1. There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,
  And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
• New Testament Fulfillment: Luke 3:32. 'the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon'

5. Born in the House of David (King):

• Old Testament Prophecy: Jeremiah 23:5-6. “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,
  “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper,
  And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth."
• New Testament Fulfillment: Luke 3:31. 'the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David'

6. Born in Bethlehem:

• Old Testament Prophecy: Micah 5:2. “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me, The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”
• New Testament Fulfillment: Luke 2:4-7. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife,^[a] who was with child. ⁶ So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. ⁷ And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

7. Born of a virgin:

• Old Testament Prophecy: Isaiah 7:14. Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
• New Testament Fulfillment: Luke 1:34-37. Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” ³⁵ And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. ³⁷ For with God nothing will be impossible.”
  

8. Worshipped and Presented gifts by Kings:

• Old Testament Prophecy: Psalm 72:10. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles will bring presents;
  The kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts.
• New Testament Fulfillment: Matthew 2:9-11. When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. ¹¹ And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

9. Worshipped by Shepherds:

• Old Testament Prophecy: Psalm 72:9. 'Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him.'
• New Testament Fulfillment: Luke 2:9-12. And behold,^[a] an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. ¹⁰ Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. ¹¹ For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

10. Weeping for the Children

• Old Testament Prophecy: Jeremiah 31:15.
  “A voice was heard in Ramah,
  Lamentation and bitter weeping,
  Rachel weeping for her children,
  Refusing to be comforted for her children,
  Because they are no more.”
• New Testament Fulfillment: Matthew 2:16. Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.

11. Flight to Egypt

• Old Testament Prophecy: Hosea 11:1. “When Israel was a child, I loved him,
  And out of Egypt I called My son."
• New Testament Fulfillment: Matthew 2:13-14. Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”¹⁴ When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, ¹⁵ and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

There are over 50 prophecies already fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ. Professor Peter Stoner of Westmont College, did a statistical analysis of the probability of all of these being fulfilled in one person. His conclusion was that 1/10^17! (or 1 followed by 17 zeros).

The Spirit of Jezebel

When Jesus required his followers to fast, it was as a means to have victory in their spiritual warfare. He told them that 'this kind will not go away, except by fasting and praying.'

In the next few blogs, I will write about spiritual warfare and how fasting can be used as a tool for victory in this battle. I have much to share from my experience in this area.

The worst of the spiritual battles we see in The Bible is the Spirit of Jezebel. Let me start there.

Jezebel of history was the wife of King Ahab in ancient Israel. She was the daughter of Ethbaal. Ethbaal means 'being with Baal.' So it is possible that her father was a Sidonian priest king, which was common then. The word Jezebel means 'without dwelling or habitation.' Was she a habitation for a wandering spirit? We do not know. But when one study the depth of evil that possessed her, there is room to think so.

King Ahab had already decided to follow the path of his forefather Jeroboam. He was already exposed to pagan worship. But when he decided to marry Jezebel, that ushered the northern kingdom of Israel into a tail spin.

What Ahab brought to the camp of Israel was not just a person, but a spiritual influence. She is the one who established Baal worship in Israel. What she did was to erect a counter altar to the altar of God almighty. Even the ministry of spiritual giants like Elijah and Elisha could not wipe out that evil influence from the land. It ultimately decimated the northern kingdom. To this day the ten tribes that comprised the northern kingdom of Israel are scattered around the world.

So let me start with a word of caution. If you enter into a treaty with a person who possess a deep seated evil spirit in him or her for temporary gains, you are inviting an influence that will eventually decimate your camp. Watch out with whom you form alliances!

This is what Bible teaches about how the Spirit of Jezebel functions:

1. It will gain upper hand seizing a weakness in a community.
Ahab was a weak king. As soon as Jezebel married him, she realized that and decided to take advantage of it.What she brought to Israel as dowry was 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah. the King made an altar for Baal in Samaria and entrenched this evil spirit in the community.

The parallel to this historic lesson is given to us in Revelation 2:18-29. There we can learn how the Spirit of Jezebel functions in a church or a spiritual community like a denomination.

The church of Thyatira was one of the seven prominent churches in Asia Minor. When Holy Spirit said, 'your works, the last are more than the first,' it means it was a growing church. It was known for their 'works, love, service, faith and patience.' the negative remark about this church was that it allowed  'the Spirit of Jezebel to function' in the church. It talks about a person moving in the prophetic had gained upper hand in the church prior to leading the church into apostasy.

Please realize that prophetic office is not the issue. Jesus is building his church on the foundation of Apostles and Prophets (Eph. 4:11). What kind of spirit moves in the prophet is the issue. 1 Kings 18: 19 talks about the 'prophets of Baal' and 'prophets of Asherah.' Thyatira had a 'prophetess'  who was moving in the Spirit of Jezebel.

What the Bible teaches us is that you will see the true color of a person moving in the Spirit of Jezebel after he or she gains the upper hand. And to gain the upper hand, it will latch on to people already in authority.

2. The servants of God becomes the target.
Once the altar of Baal was established, she started targeting the servants of God. 'Jezebel massacred the prophets of the Lord.' (1 Kings 18:4).

When a person moving in the same spirit is allowed prominence in a church or a in a community, servants of God watch out! You will be hunted. You will be viciously attacked. You will be mercilessly butchered. Nothing brings out the depravity and darkness of the evil side as when it attacks servants of God or entities established to show the goodness of God to others.

It will fight people of God mercilessly.

3. It will not respect limits and will work to gain control at any costs.
Once she gained upper hand, she began to exercise dominion. People had only two choices: obey her edicts or hide! When she screamed threats, even Elijah looked for a hiding place!

The climax came when she killed Naboth when he dared to stand up against the king and her (1 Kings 21).

Even today we see people with the same spirit doing the same things.  They will encroach into your personal affairs. They butt their heads into things that do not concern them. They want to snatch your privacy, your honor, your blessings, your everything- just to show the extend of their influence.

Never forget that Ahab went to Jezebel, not the other way around. She was an invited presence! And she capitalized on it. Pretty soon all the prophets of God who used to boast about their anointing were hiding in caves.

4. It will not back off easily.
This principle becomes clear when you look at what happened on Mount Carmel. The fact that the prophets of Baal and prophets of Asherah were killed by Elijah did not stop her. You would expect her to run back to Sidon. But she did not have to. The person who invited her into Israel was still standing with her. So she dared to declare another threat against Elijah: '"So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time."(1 Kings 19:2).

5. The Spirit of Jezebel operating in a christian community.

There are four specific things mentioned about this in revelation 2.

A. 'A prophetess': Became part of the church through a ministry position.
B. It became a contaminating spirit: The imagery presented in revelation 2 is that 'she seduced My servants to commit sexual immorality.' (As far as we know it is figurative speech, speaking about spiritual adultery.')
C. It will violate the directions of God. The issue in Thyatira was encouraging people 'to eat things sacrificed to idols' which was contrary to the teachings in 1 Corinthians.
D. It will refuse to repent. God says, "I gave her time to repent and she did not." People with Jezebel Spirit think they are the ultimate purveyors of truth. Therefore, they will not repent or change their ways. In the end, God will deal with them violently when he unleashes his fury.

6. They will be successful for a season.
1 Kings 19 shows that they can affect even the very elect for a while. The same Elijah who had a major victory on Mount Carmel found himself running the next day. Robert Morris, the Pastor of Gateway Church in Dallas has pointed out four ways in which the Spirit of Jezebel can affect an anointed servant of God.
A. Fear: he arose and ran for his life.
B. Isolation: he himself went a day's journey.
C. Exhaustion: he prayed that he might die.
D. Depression: he ate and drank, and lay down again.

He talks about a season when such a spirit was functioning in his church. He was often overcome by thoughts of quitting, thoughts of depression and desire to die. As a child of God he overcame that season and now Gateway is one of the largest churches in the USA.

THE ANSWER

God shows both in 1 Kings and in Revelation 2 that fate of people moving in the Spirit of Jezebel is sealed. God will judge them just as mercilessly as they have dealt with the people of God. They are guaranteed a violent end. So people of God will have victory in the end.

But God does not leave the Spirit of Jezebel unopposed until then. An Elijah came on the scene to oppose Jezebel. He was least qualified for the job. He was from Tishba (from the bushes). But he knew the word. And he had a personal relationship with God which strengthened him. When Jezebel had him on the run, he still heard God's voice. God gave him counsel to set things in motion which eventually guaranteed the violent end of Jezebel. When Jezebel had him discouraged, God came with bread and water to strengthen him.

So if you step out to oppose the Spirit of Jezebel, be ready. Prepare yourself. It will be a long and strenuous struggle. The Spirit of Jezebel is an entrenched spirit that has found habitation in a person or a church. It will not depart easily. But with prayer and fasting, you can gain the strength for the long haul.