Toward A Creative Ekklesia*

The Ekklesia (the called out assembly of God's people), also known as the church, is missing something of our destiny and purpose in the earth. This missing piece of the puzzle is essential in these current times, which are also the end times. That missing piece is the creative calling in our identity. Where does this creative piece of the Ekklesia come from, and how do we apply it? In Genesis 1, it is revealed that, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." The word "created" used here is the Hebrew word bara, which means to shape, to create, to form. Out of nothing, God made something. In the verses that follow, Gen. 1 also says, "And God made...". The word "made" is the Hebrew word asah, meaning to make, to do, to produce, to bring about. As we can see, in the things being made, doing is required. Finally, in the act of creating, God said, "...Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion...So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." (Gen. 1:26-27). So we have our answer as to where our creative force comes from. It was given to us when God created us in His image and likeness, and when He gave us dominion over all creation in the earth. So, how did God do the making or creating? He created by speaking: "And God said...". The Hebrew word translated as "said" is the word amar, which means to say, to speak, to utter in one's heart. Even the utterances in your heart have creative authority. Having been created in God's image and likeness, there is then something we must be doing. Daniel wrote that in the midst of the act of the greatest abomination and defiling of the holy that will occur in the end times, "...but the people that do know their God shall be strong and do ("exploits" was added to the originl text). And they that understand among the people shall instruct many...and some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed." (Dan. 11:31-35). While the earth is foundering, the end time Church should be doing, creating, not holding conferences. As Moses' life was coming to an end, he had these words for Israel: "See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;...I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments...that thou mayest live and multiply...I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore, choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live." (Deut. 30:15-19). In our creative calling given to us by God, we choose life or death, blessing or cursing: "A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." (Prov. 18:20-21). We have experienced this many times both personally, and in ministry. When medical professionals have scorned and mocked creative words of life spoken over those who were declared to be near death, we kept speaking the creative words of life in the scriptures. We have seen miracle recoveries. Are creative miracles coming out of your mouth? God told us through His prophet Isaiah, that if the wicked will forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and return to the LORD, then He will have mercy upon them. As surely as the flowers and fruit follow the rain from heaven, God creates, saves and delivers by the words that go forth from His mouth: "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish (asah from the above Genesis verses, meaning to make, do, produce, bring about) that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." (Isa. 55:7-11). Moses told us that a choice was being made for life or death based upon our obedience to the commandments of God. Here again in Isaiah, the choice between righteousness and unrighteousness creates or produces a result. What are we creating in our choices? Jeremiah also said that the way of life, or the way of death has been set before us (Jer. 21:8). That choice, and the creative words spoken are clearly found in scripture. Jesus strongly attested to His creative Word of resurrection: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live." (Jn. 5:24-25). The creative Word has been given to us from Christ, the Creator of all things. We must choose to believe it, to do it. Even our entry into Christ's salvation comes as a result of belief and confession (Rom. 10:9-10). Abraham received the promises of God before the Law. He believed that when God spoke, it was accomplished. Our creative call is based upon the same faith. The greatest grace of God is the assurance that He will do what He says, so we can have faith and hope. Abraham is the father of us all in this type of faith: "He (Abraham) staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore, it was imputed to him for righteousness." (Rom. 4:13-25). Here is our righteousness also: that same kind of faith in the creative Word of God. What is the Ekklesia creating? What are we believing in the middle of these trying circumstances around us, and what are we speaking regarding them? Now is the time for the Ekklesia to step forward in creativity. As Moses spoke: I set before you life and death: choose life! I pray that the Ekklesia would be able to bring forth, to produce, by the Word of God in their mouths. *Based upon Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 1/24/21 message to the Church. To contact: Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com, or PO Box 154221, Waco, TX 76705 Find us also on Facebook, Twitter, and at endtimesschool.com

The Shema and the Ekklesia*

The term, "Church" is widely misused. Church is not a building, or a set of doctrines. What is referred to as the Church in scripture is the Greek word ekklesia. The meaning of ekklesia is the called out assembly of God's people: called out of darkness into His marvelous light, called out of this world into His kingdom. There is an additional characteristic associated with being the Ekklesia, and that is unity. This characteristic seems to be in very short supply. The church is divided along many lines, including politics, but the Word of God makes clear that the same unity that is expressed in the Godhead, is the same unity expected in the Ekklesia. The unity of God is expressed in a declaration called the Shema: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one (echad) LORD." (Deut. 6:4). The Hebrew word "echad" used in this verse means a unity in plurality, like one bunch of grapes. Not only is the Ekklesia to be in spiritual unity, but in physical unity as well: "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth...hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation." (Acts 17:24-26). All men are descendants of the eight souls who were saved on the ark, who were themselves descendants from one man, Noah. Racial and ethnic divisions are unacceptable before God, especially in the Ekklesia. Jesus pointed out that unity is necessary for any kingdom or any house to stand saying, "...every city or house divided against itself shall not stand." (Mt. 12:25). How can the church stand if it is divided within itself? In this example from Jesus, the religious people had created division about the miracles that Jesus had performed. This same division exists in the church today, with many rejecting the idea that miracles happen, and should happen in the church. We have seen many miracles in this ministry which we will be publishing in a book as a memorial to our murdered son, Sean. Division is a sign of the times in which we live. Jesus said that His coming would cause divisions in the world: "Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division. For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided...The father shall be divided aginst the son, and the son against the father; the mother aginst the daughter; and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law." (Lk. 12:51-53). Jesus spoke of the division created between those who accept Him, and those who do not, which we see in the world today also, but within the church, this division should not exist. The unity of God is also expressed to us in these verses: "For these are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spiirit, the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one." (1 Jn. 5:7-8). In the Spirit, the water of our baptism unites us in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. The blood of the Passover Lamb is painted on the doorposts and lintels of our hearts, uniting us with Him, and with each other in faith. Paul wrote of the essential quality of unity and oneness in the Ekklesia. "...walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye were called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." (Eph. 4:1-6). One reason that the church finds it so difficult to achieve the oneness and unity required of us, is because of the absence of lowliness, meekness, longsuffering and forbearance towards one another. Instead, we exclude each other in pride and impatience from the unity of the faith by denomination, and docrtine. The giftings from God to the Ekklesia, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, are for the purpose of unity: "for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." (Eph. 4:11-13). The stature of Christ to which we have been called must include the unity of the fatih. Those things that bring divisions in the body of Christ are for the purpose of bringing deception (v. 14). The body of Christ cannot be what it is purposed to be without the unity that joins all of the differing parts together, so that they may function and supply the body effectively (v. 15-16). As Paul heard that the church of Corinth had become divided based upon personal loyalties and preferences to certain ministers of the church, Paul rebuked them saying, "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and tht there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment...Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?...For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." (1 Cor. 1:1-18). Especially for this time of violent contention that sometimes even engulfs the church, the Aposlte Peter said: "Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not redering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise, blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing...For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil." (1 Pet. 3:8-12). The Apostle Paul also wrote: "Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not...be of the same mind one towards another...Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." (Rom. 12:14-18). In beseeching the character of Christ for the Ekklesia, Paul wrote: "If there be therefore, any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves." (Phil. 2:1-3). While the world may become more and more violently divided in every way, we are called to be the Ekklesia: called out in character of the oneness, or echad, of God, called out into the unity of the faith of the Son of God, called out into the fulness of Christ. *Based on Dr. Stevenson's 1/17/21 message to the Ekklesia. To contact: PO Box 154221, Waco, TX 76705, or by email: Everlstingcovenant@ymail.com Find Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson Jr on Facebook and Twitter, and at Endtimesschool.com

Are You Ready?*

The title of this message is the spiritual question of our time. It seems for much of the Church that we're not ready for the days ahead, and the return of Christ. The people of Jesus' time kept asking Him for a sign from heaven. Jesus remarked on their lack of spiritual discernment telling them that although they could discern the coming weather by observing the signs in the sky, they couldn't discern the signs of God: "O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?" (Mt. 16:1-4). Jesus told them that only the sign of Jonah, a resurrection from the dead confirming God's Word and authority, would be given to such an evil and wicked generation that seeks after a sign, when they have already refused to discern the sign that had been given to them, which was Christ Himself. Jesus also pointed out that others who HAD discerned the signs of the times in the past, even strangers to Israel like the Ninevites who received the prophetic warning of Jonah, or the Queen of the South who sought out Solomon for his wisdom, would rise up and judge this generation who refused to discern the signs of the times (Lk. 11:29-32). Because of his faith in God, Noah acted when he was warned of the coming judgment: "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he cndemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith."(Heb. 11:7). The fact that Noah heard, believed, and acted, not only saved his own house, but condemned the rest of the world for not hearing, believing and acting on the warning signs given to Noah. Are we receiving these warnings from the things written in scripture? Will we stand condemned also as we ignore the servants of God who are bringing us the warning signs of judgment? Jesus said that we can understand the sign of the fig tree, that when its leaves turn green it tells us that summer is coming. "So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things (the signs detailed in Mt. 24), know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." (Mt. 24:32-34). Jesus was speaking of the signs of wars, famine, pestilence, earthquakes, persecution of believers, false prophets and false Christs, which would signal the beginning of tribulation and the coming end of the age. All we will be given are these signs, by which we will know the time draws near. We will not be given the day nor the hour of its approach: "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only (Mt. 24:36-39, Mk. 13:28-32). Because of this, Jesus warns us of what we need to do: "Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh...lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.(Mk. 13:35-37). Will Christ find us sleeping? Will He find us so taken up with the cares of this world, even after He has told us to seek His kingdom first? Jesus warned that this is the very snare that will come to all who dwell on the earth. The moment we look away by the distractions and cares of life is the very moment when He may come. So again, He says, "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Lk. 21:34-36). In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the parable of ten virgins who were appointed to go with the bridegroom when he appears, yet all fell asleep. However, there were five wise out of the ten, who had extra oil for their lamps, and were well prepared for the sudden appearance of the bridegroom. Five were foolish, and did not have on hand the extra oil that would be needed. The five foolish misjudged the times, and had to rush out to buy more oil when the bridegroom suddenly appeared. They missed his coming, and were not able to go into the bridal chamber with him. The door was shut against them, as the door of the ark had been shut by God, closing Noah and his family in the ark, and the wicked outside the ark (see Gen. 7:11-16). As in the case in Noah's time, once the door had shut them out, it is irreversible. When the five foolish virgins came to the shut door saying, "Lord, Lord, open to us", he answered and said, "Verily I say unto you, I know you not." Jesus concluded the parable again saying, "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." (Mt. 25:1-13). Although the five foolish virgins had been part of the ten appointed for the wedding, their lack of preparedness, their lacking of the oil of light or the oil of the Holy Spirit identified them as ones whom Christ does not know. Like the virgins, we have been called to discern and be prepared for his sudden coming. We have been called to discern the signs of the times and be prepared. Will He find us sleeping? Watch, pray, heed the signs and be prepared. *Based on Dr. Stevenson's 1/9/21 message to the Church. To contact Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson, email Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com or PO Box 154221, Waco, TX 76705 Look for us on Facebook and Twitter also.

Starting Back at One*

As we put 2020 behind us, there are two songs that put me in mind of the message for today. One song is by Andre Crouch and is titled, "Take Me Back to the Place Where I First Received You". The second song is by Brian McKnight, and part of the lyrics say, "...If ever I believe my work is done, I'll start back at one...". This past year was a year of testing, and it's possible that we might have failed the test badly. The Christian walk does not finish where it starts, at the moment we receive Christ as our salvation, but it is a progressive walk: "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 3:12-14). It is time to "go back to one", and examine the truth that we believe, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and go forward from that critical point. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, "goes back to one" to describe not only his calling as an apostle, but the Gospel to which he was separated in order to bring it to others. He first pointed out that the priciples of the Gospel had been given by God as a promise through the prophets in scripture before. The Old Testament, as we call it, is not irrelevant to our Christian faith, but is the foundation for it. Christ said that those scriptures testify of Him. The coming of Jesus the Messiah, and His return, are prophesied throughout those scriptures, as we will see. This is how Paul described Jesus: "...Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection of the dead." (Rom. 1:1-6). It is both His birth from the natural seed of David as well as His resurrection from the dead in the power of the Spirit that identifies Jesus as the Son of God. Not only was Paul called to be an apostle through this grace, but we also were called to Christ by the same grace. ("For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast", Eph. 2:8-9). The Gospel, Paul wrote, is the power of God: "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." (Rom. 1:16-17). Many in the Church do not accept that apostles and prophets are still part of the government of the Body of Christ, but by definition of their purpose, they are as much still present in the Body as are pastors, teachers, and evangelists: "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evngelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ..." (Eph. 4:11-13). Until we have attained those spiritual perfections mentioned, apostles and prophets are still given and functioning as gifts from God to the Body. Do we perhaps wish to disregard these gifts to the Body because they come in the power of the Word of God to the Church and the nations? Paul the Apostle wrote and preached that the resurrection of Christ from the dead is an essential part of the Gospel by which we are saved: "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures (see Isa. 53); and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures (see Jonah 1:17, Ps. 16:10, etc.): ...Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection from the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain." (1 Cor. 15:1-14). Paul also noted that many saw Jesus after His death and resurrection, including at a later time, himself. It is essential to salvation, to believe in the resurrection, otherwise, we believe the rest of the Godpel uselessly. The resurrection was a stumbling block to faith in Paul's time, and it is still a stubling block for many. Evidence of the resurrection, like the Shroud of Turin, is rejected out of hand because it bears witness to the truth of resurrection. The Shroud of Turin, which contains a reversed or mirror image of a crucified man, is also referred to in scripture: Isa. 52:13-15, Zech. 12:9-10, 1 Cor. 13:12, Jn. 20:8, Gal. 3:1 and the following: "But we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Cor. 3:18). The Shroud is not the basis for our faith, nor should it be. It is not to be made an idol to be worshipped. However, it is a visual image of the price that was paid by Christ for our sins. The image acurately portrays the wounds of Christ exactly as recorded in the Gospels. The Shroud's image cannot be reproduced successfully using any known method. Scientiifically, scripturally, and spiritually, it testifies to our spirits as a gift of witness that still speaks thousands of years later. According to the prophet Zechariah (12:9-10), Judah will come to faith "seeing" Him whom they have pierced, and will mourn for Him as an only son. The Shroud, bearing the image of the One pierced, could very well play a key role in bringing the Gospel "to the Jew first". Paul wrote that it is necessary for the dead to be raised and changed, because we cannot enter into the presence of God as corrupted flesh: "As we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption...but we shall all be changed...and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed..." (1 Cor. 15:49-52). In this way, Christ prepared the way of resurrection for us, by being the firstfruits of resurrection. Paul wrote that even as a seed doesn't look like the full plant that it will become, and must die first in the earth to become that full plant, we also in our present earthly form do not look like what we shall become, but we shall be like Him, our Firstfruit of the resurrection. While many Christians believe that we are saved and then "out of here" in a rapture, according to scripture there is more to consider. The rapture is promised but Jesus told His disciples, "Watch ye, therefore, and pray always, that ye may be acounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." (Lk. 21:36). There is a warning spoken by Jesus to those who, like the scribes and Pharisees, refuse to receive Him or, in this case, the truth of the resurrection (or evidence for the resurrection of Christ, such as the Shroud of Turin), and speak against it: "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in." (Mt. 23:13). With our spoken unbelief, have we blocked the way of others who have been seeking the resurrected Christ, and the kingdom of God? Are you ready to start back at one? Are you ready to press toward the mark of the high calling in Christ? Are you ready to take the Gospel truth to the Jews, who should be the first to receive the message and the evidence? *Based on Dr. Stevenson's 1/3/21 message to the Church. Look for us on Facebook and Twitter as well. To contact this ministry: PO Box 154221, Waco, TX 76705 or email: Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com