Worship

Will The Real Church Stand Up?

Posted on November 5, 2011 by mcalmond

There is truly only one universal church. This universal church is, in spirit and in truth, The True Church or The Body of Christ Jesus. It is made up of many and varied members. These members are those found throughout the world in various local church fellowships, missions, organizations and denominations, etc.; a scattering of salt throughout the world. They may not be fully aware of their place strategically within the Body of Christ Jesus, but as genuine believers in Christ Jesus they should be aware that they are indeed a part of the Body of Christ Jesus. It is in so many ways a church without boundaries, for it is a church of the Spirit. For me, this is the bottom line.

Not everyone who says they are a believer is a believer in spirit and in truth. This is also true of the church, not everyone or every church, mission, organization, etc. is actually a genuine part of the Body of Christ Jesus just because they claimed to be. Having said all of this I am aware of a very real danger. This danger is that one would leap into trying to discern that which is the true church and that which isn’t? I am saying that this is a danger in that we are not exactly called to this. We could say as scripture says, that we shall know them by their fruit and this would also be true for the church or churches as it is for individuals or even nations, etc.

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Categories: A Genuine Heart Cry, Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Anointing, Authenticity, Awakening, Being Built Up, Belief System, Believer, Body of Christ, Boundaries, Breaking Forth, Calling, Character, Christian Maturity, Church, Death, Dependency, Disobedience, Dying to Self Will, Empowerment, Family, Fear of God, Finding the Right Church, Flesh, Genuineness, God's Righteousness, Grace, In Spirit and In Truth, Last Days, Loving One Another, Ministry Motivation, Now Word, Open Ears, Open Eyes, Presumptions, Priorities, Process, Prophetic, Readiness, Repentance, Simplicity, Spirit, Standing in Faith, Steadfastness, Surrender, Teaching, The Power of God, Training, Truth, Word, Word of God, Work of God, Worship | 2 Comments

The Great Falling Away

Posted on October 29, 2011 by mcalmond

The Lord Jesus Christ one day while he was teaching asked a vitally important question. This question is almost too easily overlooked because of the way that it came forth. His question arose at the end of his teaching. He was telling a parable of the importance of persevering in faith, in earnest prayer, of how we need to be those who learn the power of and value of our praying through until we have what we are seeking the Lord.  For in Spirit and Truth, He is willing, just and ready to answer our prayers. As the Lord was finished sharing his brief parable, suddenly, almost as a passing thought Jesus says, “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8 ESV)

Will we as believers persevere in faithful prayer, in genuine faith, while waiting for the Lord’s return? Or will we give up and walk away, throwing in the towel, turning around and no longer walking in the faith, hope and love of the Lord Jesus Christ?

We live in crucial times with rapidly accelerating darkness and sin all around us. We live in a time that all too quickly approaches, what the Word of God refers to as the time of The Rebellion, The Apostasy, The Great Falling Away.

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Categories: Anointing, Apostasy, Awakening, Being Built Up, Belief System, Believer, Body of Christ, Boundaries, Breaking Forth, Calling, Darkness, Dependency, Disobedience, Dying to Self Will, Edification, Empowerment, Encouragement, Exhortation, Faith, Fear of God, Flesh, Following Through, Genuineness, God Faith, God's Faithfulness, Grace, Growing in Faith, His Chosen, Holy Spirit, Hope, Knowledge, Last Days, Mercy, Ministry, Noise and Distractions, Now Word, Obedience, Open Ears, Open Eyes, Openness, Paradigm Shift, Persecution, Perseverance, Prayer, Presumptions, Priorities, Process, Profession, Promises, Readiness, Relationship, Rest, Righteousness, Rock, Salvation, Saving Faith, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Source, Spirit, Spirit of Truth, Spiritual Warfare, Standing in Faith, Steadfastness, Teacher, Teaching, Tenaciousness, Thankfulness, Thanksgiving, The Lord Jesus, Victory, Vulnerability, Waiting on the Lord, Witness, Word, Word of God, Work, Worship | Leave a comment

Awaken To His Praise, His Worship, For Now!

Posted on October 22, 2011 by mcalmond

In 2007, the Lord gave me this word and I wrote out what follows below. I ran across it again this evening and realized that this is already beginning to take place. There is, however, a very real concern, no, a very real growing burden that there will be, as there always seems to be, those who will stubbornly or even defiantly remain in what they know and have known for however long and won’t be open to nor respond appropriately to His, our Lord and Saviors call.

I pray the Lord will rise up and once again confirm His Word for His People to Awake and Arise in His Worship. May He continue to break forth His Anointing for His Worship, His Prophetic Worship Within and Through His Church. May we all by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit surrender to all that He is saying and bless the Lord, doing today! May we once again so deeply hunger and thirst for the Lord Jesus Christ to have His Way With Us All, that we indeed not only cry out but yield, surrender in eyes wide open genuine and authentic saving faith. Blessed be the Lord Jesus Christ!

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Categories: Anointing, Authenticity, Awakening, Body of Christ, Breaking Forth, Calling, Church, Churches, Communion, Dependency, Dying to Self Will, Edification, Empowerment, Exhortation, Father, Genuineness, God Faith, Grace, His Gift of Love, His Praise, His Worship, Holy Ghost Burdens, Hope, Humility, illumination, In Spirit and In Truth, Intimacy, Mercy, Ministry, Now Word, Obedience, Open Ears, Open Eyes, Openness, Paradigm Shift, Pastor, Prayer, Presumptions, Priorities, Prophetic, Prophetic Actions, Prophetic Revelation, Prophetic Worship, Relationship, Spiritual Hunger and Thirst, Spiritual Warfare, Steadfastness, Stirrings, Surrender, Thanksgiving, The Lord Jesus, The Power of God, Timing, Transcendence, Word of God, Work of God, Worship | Leave a comment

The Vitalness of His Manifest Presence

Posted on October 1, 2011 by mcalmond

Exodus 33:14-16 (ESV) And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”

Here in Exodus we see that the presence of the Lord was so vital to Moses that he said to the Lord that if the Lord was not going to come with them, then don’t send Israel up to the Promise Land. The Lord offered earlier to send up an Angel who would assure them of the fulfillment of the Lord’s promise in providing them the Promise Land. For Moses this was not enough. He wanted the Lord’s presence, not simply the presence of an Angel no matter how great the Angel was.

I find this so very significant for us today as well. The evidence of Gods manifest presence with and amongst His people is both that which confirms the favor of God concerning His people and that which makes them distinct from the rest of the World. This distinction is vital for us as the people of God. We’re to be in, yet not of the world. The question remains however, how far shall we go without His manifest, evident, or tangible presence?

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Categories: A Genuine Heart Cry, A Simple Reminder, Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Angels, Anointing, Authenticity, Belief System, Benefits, Body of Christ, Boundaries, Breaking Forth, Calling, Church, Church Forms, Churches, Communion, Confidence, Core Values, Covering, Dependency, Edification, Empowerment, Encouragement, Exhortation, Family, Father, Genuineness, God's Faithfulness, God's Love, Grace, Healing, His Chosen, Holiness, Holy Spirit, Hope, Humility, In Spirit and In Truth, Intimacy, Mercy, Ministry, Prayer, Presumptions, Relationship, Rest, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Signs & Wonders, Simplicity, Spirit, Spiritual Hunger and Thirst, Stirrings, Surrender, Teaching, Thanksgiving, The Lord Jesus, The Power of God, Transcendence, Truth, Waiting on the Lord, Witness, Word of God, Work of God, Worship | 2 Comments

Are We Really Ready For His New Wind?

Posted on July 17, 2011 by mcalmond

I believe there is hope for the church and the people of God. I also believe that we need very real change. Could it be that in spirit and in truth we need a reformation, a rebuilding from the foundation (1 Cor 3) of Christ Jesus and up?

Reformation: 1) improvement (or an intended improvement) in the existing form or condition of institutions or practices etc.; intended to make a striking change for the better in social or political or religious affairs 2) rescuing from error and returning to a rightful course.

There is something stirring out there and I pray that what is stirring is the breath of HIS change that we need. Will we see it when it comes or will our hurts, frustrations and disappointments and dissatisfaction’s with the church and the people of God keep us from seeing the changes that are coming or even that are needed? Will our being blinded by what we want or expect to see or have occur, keep us from seeing what really will be happening in the Lord Jesus and his church/body as happened so many times before?

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Categories: Believer, Body of Christ, Breaking Forth, Calling, Church, Communion, Confidence, Dependency, Exhortation, Holy Ghost Burdens, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit Hearing, Holy Spirit Seeing, Hope, Humility, illumination, In Spirit and In Truth, Mercy, Ministry, Ministry Motivation, Now Word, Open Ears, Open Eyes, Openness, Priorities, Prophetic, Prophetic Revelation, Readiness, Repent, Repentance, Rhema, Rock, Simplicity, Son and Holy Spirit, Spirit, Surrender, The Lord Jesus, The Power of God, Transcendence, Transformation, Truth, Vulnerability, Waiting on the Lord, Wind of the Spirit, Word of God, Work of God, Worship | Leave a comment

Reflections Of An Earlier Season

Posted on July 10, 2011 by mcalmond

Genesis 12:1 (NKJV) Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.

I was just reflecting upon our life in the ministry and specifically the very early years. It was in those times, seemingly so long ago, that my wife and I helped to pioneer several churches and restart a few more. It was interesting because when we began, we had little if any money, resources or support and absolutely no training, at all. I worked in construction and pastored bi-vocationally for many years off and on. Even then, it was still financially very difficult.

As the years went on, pioneering churches seemed to catch on more and more in other denominations and church organizations. It became much more institutionalized and structured. Money became more available for what now was called, planting churches, as did other resources such as training and relational support systems. All that we see today, including the books, conferences, etc. just was not available back then.

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Categories: Abiding, Anointing, Authenticity, Being Built Up, Calling, Christian Maturity, Church Planting Days, Churches, Communion, Confidence, Dependency, Empowerment, Faith, Following Through, Foundations, Grace, History, Holy Ghost Burdens, In Spirit and In Truth, Intimacy, Isolation, Mercy, Obedience, Pioneering, Priorities, Reflections, Remembrances, Righteousness, Sacrifice, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Simplicity, Source, Steadfastness, Surrender, Thankfulness, Thanksgiving, The Lord Jesus, Word, Work of God, Worship | Leave a comment

Where Do We Go From Here?

Posted on June 19, 2011 by mcalmond

Lord Jesus, where do we go from here? You have warned us and continue to do so. You are calling us to awaken to that for which we were chosen for, by your grace and mercy. You are calling us to come up, and behold the greater realities of and the more of your Spirit, to which we have responded by your grace and mercy, with Yes, Lord Jesus, A Thousand Times, Yes! You have warned us of things to come that will stretch us beyond our experience and understanding. You have warned us of the persecution that is yet before us, as your people and we are seeing even on the horizon before us. You have warned us of the significant changes that are going to take place within our nation, to which we said, Lord Jesus have mercy and prepare us as we look and continue to look only unto you, who is our only genuine hope. Still Lord Jesus, where do we go from here?

You have shown us the church, and its condition of deafness and darkness, of light and hope, of its growing apostasy and yet of its calling to grow in the transcendency of your Holy Spirit. You have shown us that which lay behind the presentations in too many professing churches and ministries which is not and are not, of you. We have seen the truth of the lies which are there, of the deceit and deceptions, and of the ease with which too many of your professing believers are being seduced into these falsehoods. Yet, you also have shown us the more of your transcendent promises and of your call to us your people, your children. Oh, again, Lord Jesus, we cry out, where do we go from here?

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Categories: A Genuine Heart Cry, Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Angels, Authenticity, Awakening, Believer, Benefits, Body of Christ, Breaking Forth, Calling, Christian Maturity, Church, Communion, Dependency, Dying to Self Will, Empowerment, Faith, Genuineness, God Faith, Grace, Growing in Faith, His Chosen, Holy Ghost Burdens, Holy Spirit, Hope, Humility, illumination, In Spirit and In Truth, Intimacy, Light, Loving One Another, Mercy, Ministry, Now Word, Prayer, Prophetic, Prophetic Actions, Prophetic Revelation, Question, Questions, Quietness, Revelation, Rhema, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Selfishness, Source, Spirit, Spirit Word, Standing in Faith, Steadfastness, Surrender, Thanksgiving, The Lord Jesus, The Power of God, Transformation, True Love, Truth, Visions, Vulnerability, Waiting on the Lord, Word, Word of God, Work of God, Worship | Leave a comment

A Call To Seeing The More

Posted on May 22, 2011 by mcalmond

Acts 22:14-15 (NKJV) Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. 15 For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.

A couple of years ago, we were in another country on a prayer walk. We had left that morning to go on this prayer walk and I was excited because of what the Lord had showed the evening before in prayer. As a result, I was walking rather briskly as we headed out towards the place of prayer that we were going to be at this morning. It was a historical place, an ancient place and a very spiritually strategic place for the area.

We arrived at this high point in the area and we began immediately to engage the Lord in prayer and intercession. As we began to engage the Lord is this place, we sought only to be obedient to Lord, following His leading in how, what and to whatever end the Lord would have us to pray.

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Categories: A Simple Faith, Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Angels, Anointing, Awakening, Baptism of the Holy Spirit, Being Built Up, Benefits, Boundaries, Breaking Forth, Calling, Communion, Confidence, Dependency, Edification, Empowerment, Encouragement, Faith, Gifts of the Holy Spirit, God Faith, Grace, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit Benefits, Holy Spirit Hearing, Holy Spirit Seeing, illumination, In Spirit and In Truth, Intimacy, Metron, Ministry, Ministry Motivation, Obedience, Open Ears, Open Eyes, Prayer, Prophetic, Prophetic Actions, Prophetic Revelation, Protection, Revelation, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Signs & Wonders, Speaking in Tongues, Spirit, Standing in Faith, Surrender, Teaching, Thanksgiving, The Power of God, Training, Transformation, Truth, Victory, Visions, Vulnerability, Waiting on the Lord, Witness, Work of God, Worship | Leave a comment

Worship Plagiarism Part 2

Posted on May 15, 2011 by mcalmond

The Presence vs. Performance  (By Chris Summers)

One thing that truly amazes me about God is that He desires to use us to fulfill His purposes.  He doesn’t need us.  He could do anything He wants without us.  Yet, He loves us so much that He gives us the opportunity to work with Him, to be used by Him, and to be a conduit through which He can flow.  He does this for OUR benefit, out of His infinite love, so that we may mature and grow in our relationship with Him, and in the reality of Christ IN us, the hope of glory!!

He doesn’t need our worship either.  He has angels that do that all day long.  Worship is for us!  It is a way for us to keep God in His rightful place in our lives, to remember that HE is God, and we are NOT.  And, guess what?!  Worship is also an opportunity to be a conduit through which the Holy Spirit can flow.

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Categories: Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Anointing, Awakening, Calling, Church, Communion, Dependency, Empowerment, Exhortation, Flesh, Grace, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit Benefits, Humility, illumination, In Spirit and In Truth, Inspiration, Intimacy, Ministry, Obedience, Open Ears, Open Eyes, Openness, Prayer, Priorities, Prophetic, Prophetic Revelation, Revelation, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Simplicity, Songs, Spirit, Stirrings, Surrender, Teaching, Thanksgiving, The Lord Jesus, The Power of God, Truth, Unrighteous Ambition, Vulnerability, Waiting on the Lord, Witness, Word, Word of God, Work of God, Worship | Leave a comment

Worship Plagiarism, Part One

Posted on May 8, 2011 by mcalmond

Below is Part One of a series on today’s worship. It is written by my son in-law, Chris Summers. He has been on staff with me in the past and has a wonderful revelation, anointing and heart for true worship in, of, and before, the Lord Jesus Christ, under the direction and power of the Holy Spirit. I gladly present him to you and pray that you are challenged and blessed by all that the Lord would write through him in this series.

Worship-plagiarism Part One (by Chris Summers)

Worship music, as we know it today, has come a long way in the last thirty-some years.  What began as simple recordings of worship services mailed out on tapes has spawned into an impressive industry.   It now consists of heavily produced albums from “big name” worship leaders and bands from around the world.  In churches, we also see a much greater level of quality, professionalism and musicianship during the worship services across various denominations.  There are many churches that are putting on very high-quality performances every Sunday morning, introducing the newest songs with impeccable vocals, impressive musical talent, and seamless technical support for sound, lighting, and visual effects.

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Categories: Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Anointing, Awakening, Benefits, Body of Christ, Boundaries, Breaking Forth, Calling, Character, Church, Church Forms, Churches, Communion, Core Values, Dependency, Disobedience, Exhortation, Faith, Fields of Ministry, Foundations, Holiness, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit Benefits, Humility, Intimacy, Lies, Man's Faith, Ministry Motivation, Paradigm Shift, Plagiarism, Priorities, religious idolatry, Repentance, Revelation, Righteousness, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Simplicity, Songs, Source, Spirit, Spirit of Truth, Surrender, The Power of God, Truth, Vulnerability, Waiting on the Lord, Worship | 3 Comments

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