Fourthstream - Finding Hope

            When Jesus appeared on earth He engaged 100% in His mission. He was sent by His Father (Father-Son-Holy Spirit) to buy back the lost souls of mankind and to offer escape to every son of Adam and daughter of Eve. He extends Kingdom partnership to any and all who see the need and live out the same heart of rescue Jesus embraced. This is the nature of deep connectivity with the purposes o...

Knowing Jesus is very personal. Even though millions have and will believe in Him,  every relationship is individual . Unique. Filled with potential for personal honor. Jesus' disciple John watched all of this unfold with his own eyes, and several decades later wrote down his gospel so that we, too, could experience belief that would be able to sustain us in this life and carry us into the life to...

How do you navigate true mysteries? What things are already known? What is becoming known as the story unfolds? While the Word of God is plain concerning most things, there are also aspects of God's will which are filled with unfolding mystery . This occurs on a global scale (no man knows the hour or the day) while throughout time things continue unfolding personally - generation after generation...

What does it mean to see with spiritual eyes? Because we are created in God's image we have body, soul, spirit, heart, mind, and conscience. From this amazing mixture comes our ability to live out His greatness. When Adam and Eve disobeyed the Lord God we dishonored Him. Our inherent greatness would now become a millstone of self-perpetuation and arrogance . We would no longer see the world throug...

For many the image of the word "repent" has negative connotations. Finger pointing. Judgment. Fear. But what if the original word itself is consulted? We then find that repent means a change of  mind . A change of purpose . A new perception . John the Baptist: " Repent , for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."     Matthew 3:2 Jesus the Son:   "From that time Jesus began to preach and say, " Repent...

Probably the best Kingdom example we have from history is found in King David's story from the Bible. David was a "type" of the One Who was to come. This is why his story prepares us not only for the arrival and nature of Jesus - the King of the earth, but also for the Kingdom His followers will share with their king.  We will reign with Him! There are many specific prophecies and words that prepa...

If you look up the meaning of the word  organic you will find "living, animated, and authentic." The word Kingdom means "a realm of influence - both of living organisms or groups of people." Over the last several years we have learned some things we would have preferred to experience in a tech download. It appears, however, this part of our journey was meant to occur in order to acquire deeper wis...

This podcast season may be a stretch for you. It is for many. For context we must keep in the forefront what we learn from Jesus in His gospels about His Kingdom. Church is only mentioned a couple of times in the four gospels while the Kingdom is spoken of over 100 times. So everything Jesus said and did concerning the church flows from this pattern: King First - then Kingdom - then Church. Kingdo...

What am I looking for right now? What is it that is not working? In what ways am I disillusioned? Hungry? Thirsty. Fearful? At peace? THIS IS BIG: How do hope , fear , and faith overlap? √   Where does true hope originate? It is a supernatural gift given by God. √   In what ways does fear kill hope? We are predisposed (our human nature) to choosing fear - which consumes our hope. √   In what ways...

"The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."  (John 3:8) There are reasons Jesus uses this descriptive analogy. If we are to find God we must do so through God's wind - His Holy Spirit. This God Story thread begins in Genesis 1:1,2 and completes in Revelation 22:17. "In the beginn...

Our God IS Shelter! Under Shelter courses you will find five different yet integrated paths for growing in the depth of God's Shelter. There are videos and notes featuring the authors/teachers at Storiesofshelter.com . To join this community click on the join button. 1.  19 Principles: The Heart of What Jesus Taught His Followers Some of the most central teachings of Jesus - both for personal grow...

Jesus instructed His followers (disciples) to make disciples just as He did. Let's break this down a bit. This comes from Matthew 28:16-20. #1. "But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated." It is important to note that Jesus remained on earth 40 days after His resurrection (Acts 1: 3). "To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by...

The entire Bible has been given to us so we may know God , understand a life of God- honor , and live in a manner "worthy" of the One Who created us. Six times in the letters the words "manner worthy" are used to describe the walk of a God follower. It means we honor God (As well as ourselves) by placing honorable weight upon our great God. Let's think through what Paul taught the Philippians in 3...

When Jesus announced His Kingdom He began to select a group of men and women who would follow Him by pursuing the example He had shown them and the Words from His Father He had communicated. This included a number of things reflected in the amazing display of "God coming near" (Immanuel) to save humanity from futility (our lives counting for nothing) and judgment for falling short of the image we...

This diagram tracks the recurring woven threads throughout God's Word (over 62,000 connections!). As you consider your personal strategic plan for spirituality we have considered: √   King First - then Kingdom - then Church/what Jesus taught about spirituality √   Cultivating Deeper/skills for unlocking the Word Today we discuss the big picture on the Word of God, and what we like to call Jesus-Ce...

Finding our first King - then Kingdom - then Church balance is important for our spirituality. Obviously we have given this much thought, but you should investigate this yourself. Our purpose for pursuing this was to make sure we were prioritizing how we invested our time , our talents (gifts), and our treasures (resources).  Having an effective and growing strategic plan for spiritual life it is...

There are many ways of being mentored in spirituality. While this may come from significant people in our lives, books we read or study, favorite music et al, I have found that the Spirit is Jesus' voice inside of me is the most substantial. He is always ready to teach me and shape me and lead me in the direction Jesus wants for me. "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into...

It is one thing to understand the concept of  First King - then Kingdom - then Church , but another to live a life directed toward connection with your King. The first thing is to decide where you stand on Jesus. A great teacher? One of many unremarkable religionists? Someone into whose hands you can place the welfare of your soul? We can talk about what Jesus taught about authentic connectivity,...

God IS shelter. We NEED to be sheltered. We need each other to remind us of what is IMPORTANT. We are surrounded by chaos, turbulence, and are so vulnerable to the weaknesses, pitfalls, and schemes of unprincipled men and women. How do we find our way through? There appears to be a clear path! "Hear my cry, O God, and listen to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is fa...

Because understanding the Kingdom is so critical to our spiritual lives, let's take some time to absorb the core message of Jesus when it comes to building in a manner that is pleasing to Him. We have already mentioned that the Kingdom is mentioned in the Gospels over 100 times and the church only twice. So the  Kingdom message was clear to Jesus and to His disciples. In the book of Acts after the...

A number of years ago we were thinking through Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 13:13  "Now these three powerful things: faith, hope, and love exist among us; but the greatest of these is love." This makes sense in that God IS love and we are made in His image. It would be great if we always loved the way He does - but we do not. We are surrounded by turbulence - from the inside-out. Even evil it...

The levels of turbulence around us are massive. In every corner of our American and world culture we see division and twisted wisdom. There are three great gifts from God: Faith, Hope, and Love (1 Corinthians 13). Each of these may be found by those who choose to enter through the Door of the sheep (John 10). In faith we find a different and substantive present and future. Through love we make our...

There is a basic understanding Jesus tried to communicate to humanity when He came to the earth. When we get this right there is fruitfulness in our lives - when we don't varying degrees of misinformation prevail. Both John the Baptist (Jesus' cousin) and Jesus proclaimed the same thing:  "Turn away and turn toward, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 3:2; Matthew 4:17; Matthew 10:7) T...

I just finished Jordan Peterson's latest book  "We Who Wrestle With God." I like how he reasons, and even though I am not ready to place him in the upper echelon of my spiritual teachers, he is a genuine, thoughtful soul. One premise of his book relates to the relationship between chaos and order , something many philosophers, scientists, and faith reflectors see as key for arriving at a satisfied...

Jesus is our Savior, Healer, and Friend. He alone can  restore the access of honor we need to reconnect with Creator God. Let's follow part of this thread! "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for th...