Two Things, Two Things Only

By Francis Frangipane

There are so many things to occupy our minds: so many books, so many examples, so many good teachings that deserve our attention, that say, "Here is a truth." But as I have been serving the Lord these past years, He has led me to seek for two things and two things only: to know the heart of God in Christ and to know my own heart in Christ's light. 

Knowing the Heart of God
I have been seeking God, searching to know Him and the depth of His love toward His people. I want to know Christ's heart and the compassions that motivate Him. The Scriptures are plain: Jesus loved people. Mark's gospel tells us that after Jesus taught and healed the multitudes, they became hungry. In His compassion, Christ saw them as "sheep without a shepherd" (Mark 6:34). It was not enough for Him to heal and teach them; He personally cared for each of them. Their physical well-being, even concerning food, was important to Him.

Walking in Eternal Life

By Francis Frangipane

God's end time people will "end time."  What I mean is that, as we near the end of the age, we will increasingly learn how to walk in eternal life, abiding above the boundaries, constraints and the pressures of the realm of time.   We"ll see what's coming and either avoid it or announce it, but we won't be limited by it.

Jesus taught that those who come to Him "have everlasting life" (Jn 3:16).  Right now, we have eternal life in our spirits.  Yet, how do we access the timeless place of God's presence?  This is a serious question, for we have become more 'time conscious" than "God conscious."  Schedules, meetings, appointments and deadlines all fuel our anxieties and compel us to live horizontally, instead of vertically in the Presence of God. 

Beware of the Spirit of Strife

By Francis Frangipane

One does not have to do an exhaustive search to become aware of the spirit of strife that is rampant in our world.  Our world is just as Jesus forewarned, "nation [has risen] against nation, and kingdom against kingdom" (Matt. 24:7).  

Yet we need not be familiar with world events to be personally affected by this invasion of strife.  The church itself has had so much conflict that many now identify the ability to create division as a courageous and honorable virtue.  Even the home is not safe, as we see divorce rates in the Western World have skyrocketed over the past 60 years.  And who is unfamiliar with the phenomenal breakdown of families and the recent turmoil in our world?

The Peril of Religious Flesh

By Francis Frangipane

Two Types of Knowledge
There is a type of knowledge that is doctrinal, theological and instructive, and there is a type of knowledge that is born out of a revelation of God. Both are known as "truth," both produce a certain type of person, and both are accepted as "Christianity."

You can be certain that God wants us to have right doctrines, but we must never content ourselves with merely the accumulation of correct knowledge. For this knowledge often remains just a file of religious facts; where the Word of God is viewed more as a museum than a power plant.

Measure Those Who Worship

By Francis Frangipane

"Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, ‘Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations'" (Rev. 11:1-2).

For whatever else this verse ultimately means, it tells us that the Spirit of God is measuring worshipers. He is looking for those whose treasure is in Heaven and who abide in the "inner court" of God's temple.

Consider: in our world of terrors, pressures and trauma, our only refuge exists in the living presence of God. We must not accept a religion about God and assume it is the same as living in the presence of God. If we are to truly dwell in the Divine Presence, one thing perhaps above all others will take us there: we must become true worshipers of God.

At an Inconvenient Time

By Francis Frangipane

The Lord has multitudes who believe in Him, and when I consider that fact I am blessed. At the same time I am aware that, of those numbers, it is but a minority who actually worship Him.

True worshipers find their fulfillment in adoring God. The fragrance of their worship rises, not only during the scheduled times of church services but also during inconvenient times.

A true worshiper will rise early before work or school; they're up before the household so they can be alone with God. Instead of being frustrated by delays, they transform difficulties and setbacks into opportunities to magnify God. You might see one of these worshipers sitting in the car next to you during a traffic jam, singing along with Christian music in their car.

A true worshiper has learned the secret of worshiping God at inconvenient times.

Those Who Make a Covenant With God

By Francis Frangipane

The Covenant-Keeping God
Throughout the history of God's dealings with man, He has revealed Himself as a covenant-making God. The Almighty made major covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses and David; He renewed His Abrahamic covenant in His call to Isaac and Jacob. Each covenant initiated a new wave of redemptive power into the world and forever impacted the human condition.

The word covenant means "to fetter" or chain together. It was the highest form of commitment that two individuals could share. Any of several rituals were employed to express the covenant partners' unity: A sword might be passed, signifying that the two would be united against the enemy as one. They might pass a sandal between themselves, which symbolized they would travel any distance to be at one another's side. Or, they might cut an animal in two and pass between its halves. As the two halves, though separated, were still one animal, so the two covenant partners would become as one individual.

True Revival: Conformity to Christ

By Francis Frangipane

We must have three foundational standards as believers. One is to be people of prayer. That means our hearts are positioned to stand in the gap in prayer between the judgement and the mercy of God. Our earnest goal is to manifest the intercession of Christ Himself, where mercy triumphs over sin rather than divine wrath destroys sinners.

Another of our goals is to attain Christ's meekness. This forever will be a goal because the moment we assume we've attained it; we've actually lost it. Yet, possessing the humility of Christ remains an ever-living passion in our spirits. Without humility, we can't see with clarity what we lack in spiritual substance. Humility enables us to grow in all the other virtues and gifts we see manifest in Jesus.