Joshua-777

Definitely. There are many people I've met who I can never mention their names or where they minister because of the intensity of persecution.

I went with a ministry called Ignite the World, which goes to persecuted countries and helps connect missionaries together so they are not isolated in their mission to bring the Gospel and they go to Churches training believers in evangelism. It was really humbling to meet some of the people spreading Jesus, one guy led 500 Muslims to the Lord and someone shot him from a few feet away and not a single bullet touched him. Another guy went to Afghanistan and God was using him to heal the sick, cast out demons, and they tried to bomb him but the Lord had him leave the building right before it went off. Others lived through genocides and horrible persecution but are still standing strong in their faith.

Amen!

I visited a handful of Islands training churches in evangelism and also sharing the Gospel with Muslims on some of the Islands. One amazing thing God opened up is we got to teach the Indonesian military on how to share the Gospel on the Island of Pupua.

This is the type of unity that Jesus prayed for. There are many who are falling away, but there is also a bride who makes herself ready (revelation 19:7-8) JOhn 17:20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. There may have been 5 foolish virgins, but there were also 5 wise who had oil ready for their bridegrooms return. There may have been tears, but there were also wheat. There may have been goats, but at His return, there were also sheep. Philippians 2:2 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Ephesians 4:2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. To this end......... Ephesians 4:13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

I have been blessed to minister in many different countries, one thing I've found is that when people are surrendered to the Lord and love Jesus with all their hearts, there is a unity between us. I have sat with people around the world who are ready to die for the Gospel and the intimate truths they hold dear, are similar to the ones I find in scripture and hear in my heart in the secret place. The culture of the Kingdom of Heaven transcends the cultures of this world. But, unity is only in His Spirit. We cannot have true unity in the traditions of man and doctrines that are born out of mans logic rather than surrender and obedience to the Lord.

Actually acts 2 doesn't clearly explain it. It says they heard, not that they spoke in those languages. Think about this, you have 120 people shouting and thousands miraculously heard it in their own language. Acts 2 does not show the practical use of tongues. We see Paul addressing tongues saying when someone speaks in a tongue, NO ONE understands him, in the Spirit he speaks Mysteries. This is important to understand in that Tongues is not just an ability to speak someone elses language but speaking directly to God in the SPirit. 1 Cor 12:2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. In verse 4, you see that tongues does not edify the hearer but the speaker. "He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. " When I went to Indonesia, I had no point of relation for the language they spoke. It sounded like gibberish to me and the way they spoke, my brain couldn't register it. In the same way, tongues isn't for out mind to understand, but our Spirit prays directly to God. I've been speaking in tongues for 18 years, it is not just repeating syllables but a whole language that is distinct. I don't understand what I'm saying unless sometimes the Lord gives interpretation. 1 Corinthians 14:14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. 15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding

The ekklesia is believers who have been called together and set apart from this world to demonstrate the Kingdom. The Church is often called the bride of Christ, signifying a deep intimate relationship with God, and the body of Christ, meaning what God wants to do through in the world, He does through the Church, but also the Temple of God. Just as in the Old testament, the temple was a home for the glory of God in the Holy of Holies, when we gather together, we become a living temple and the very dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Ephesiahs 2:19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

I remember years ago in Bible college I took a class called Ecclesiology and Church polity and the professor asked two questions that had a huge impact on me and I'm curious so see everyone's answers. What is Church? What is the Purpose of the Church?

Amen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuWHXs4tCaE&t=90s In 2018, I was flying back from Indonesia and had a prophetic dream that brought me to tears on the plane. When I woke up, the Lord wrecked me in His Presence and shifted something in my heart. I believe we are stepping into a new era of the Church, He is shifting the culture of the Church from a business to a family.

Amen!

I agree, I got into that more during the full sermon and amen.

I agree. In my city, there have been many efforts to bring unity to the Church, but what ends up happening is people work together like co-workers, but simply getting along is no more unity than the staff at your work place. One thing God was showing me was unity is in Him, it's in His Spirit, outside of Him there is no unity so yes, I agree.

Would love to hear your thoughts on this video.

We need to study it, know it, and become what it says through the power of the Holy Spirit

He came forward saying he wanted to repent from marijuana, but I think there was other stuff too.

Sunday morning, this man came forward to surrender his life to Jesus and lay down his addiction. As I started praying for Him I commanded the spirit tied to addiction to leave and that demon started manifesting, taking over his body and tried to intimidate us. Watch what Jesus did!

Wow, that's very sad to hear. The vax pass seems to be a precursor to the mark. They did a shut down here for a while but we just met in our living room for church. Portland is interesting because it has had poor leadership and they let antifa and blm riot and destroy the city as they defunded the police while they were putting the police forward in dangerous situations. Now, Portland's crime rate skyrocketed and they don't have enough police to help. Because of that, the mandates aren't holding much weight. We can have church freely and haven't had any problems.

I'm actually pastoring a church now, but still involved in a lot of street ministry and missions. In once sense, its getting harder because offenses and triggers, but on the other end there are a lot of people looking for hope. When everything is shaking, people start looking for something unshakable. In Portland, OR the homeless camps are taking over and I'm working with ministries that as soon as someone come to Jesus, they can get off the streets into a discipleship home and better their lives. I think my church has seen well over a hundred saved this year.

Hi angels4u, The first few clips were a mix, I've seen believers tormented by demons but mostly it's non-believers who come under full blown possession. A few of the people in the video, the lady outside had been a church goer for years, loved Jesus, but had a voice in her head blaspheming the Holy Spirit, When I commanded it to go she coughed and fell on the ground and got free from it. The other girl with the mask on was a believer who heard we did deliverance at our church so she came to get free because she was tormented. Her parents were deep into witchcraft and when she came to the Lord, she had a lot of bondage from that she needed to get free from. The two when I go over demon possession were in Pakistan, I believe they were cultural christians but not born again yet. The guy in the first clip claimed to be a believer but had a lot of occult and new age background. The spirit he thought was the Holy Spirit was actually a spirit guide he let in from his past. He got free and now there is transformation happening in his whole family. For your friend, I would say keep praying let fruit speak louder than words. I know when I was lost in drugs and alcohol, my mom kept bringing me to Jesus in prayer and intercession, she started sharing Jesus with my friends as well. When I encountered the Lord, I received deliverance and He changed me from the inside out. After that, I realized the peace I was searching for in drugs could only be found in Him. I noticed that the devil is on an agenda to get people bound, out here new age/witchcraft, sexual perversion, and drug use is rampant which all can open a door to the demonic. At my church we get a lot of new converts and a lot of time, they need deliverance because of doors they opened when they were in the world. I know Jesus is coming back soon, but as this world gets darker, we get to shine even brighter.

A biblical study of temptation, torment, and demonization.

This is an area that I believe the Lord is highlighting. Recently we have been seeing many come to the Lord out of new age, sexual perversion, etc and those areas of sin become open doors for demons. In the bible, they cast out demons. It was a common practice in the Gospels and the book of acts. As these people come to Jesus, they often need deliverance.