This quote of Oswald Chambers created in me a hunger to know and experience more about atmosphere in the Biblical sense: “Spiritual truths are not learned by intellectual studies but rather in the atmosphere of God’s grace and presence”. The word ‘atmos’ in the Greek means the vapor that envelops the earth or other planets. Life on earth is only possible because of this God-ordained design.

Jesus did not look for gifted men and women to be His disciples; those with personality or natural skills that could be used to promote His cause. Jesus looked for those that would obey His word and follow Him wherever He led them. They experienced miracles and growth in the atmosphere of His presence. Later, when they stood before the council in Jerusalem, we are told in Acts 4: “When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished and they recognized that they (the disciples) had been with Jesus”.

True destiny depends on hearing God and living in an atmosphere of intimacy with Him. Jesus’ presence is to be a reality that can only manifest when we spend time with Him. As we walk in the Spirit daily – He will reveal Himself to us as He did to those who walked with Him on the Emmaus Road.

Like Paul we can pray, “I want to know Him”. Let us seek His Kingdom first, and then the Spirit will help us to relinquish our own personal terms and conditions as well as ambitions, and be passionate for His presence.

Our destiny is to live as a new creation, for His glory, as the song goes: “in all I do…..I honor You!”

In the Gospel of Mark Chapter 6, Jesus arrived at Nazareth, His home town. He would have loved to see Nazareth touched by God’s power and grace, instead, His own people scoffed at Him and they finally rejected Him. In verse 5, we read: “He could not do any mighty miracles among them”. What had gone wrong? The attitude of the people had closed the heavens for them. The atmosphere of unbelief and rejection did not allow the Son of Man to bring God’s presence and power.

The body of Christ should be a live gateway to heaven, a place where God’s presence and awareness creates an atmosphere of expectation. Jesus’ home town could have been the most favoured of all places had it not been for the wrong attitude of people’s hearts.

The same applies to us – we can see God’s glory and grace manifested in the most wonderful ways – except for our attitudes that can block the grace of heaven to touch earth.

It is noteworthy when the day of Pentecost had fully come they were all in one accord in one place. Paul reminded the Church of Philippi to fulfill his joy by, ”being likeminded having the same love being of one accord of one mind, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit but of lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (Phil 2:2-3).

The unity of the body is the very attitude that opens the heavens where God commands a blessing (Ps 133). It is because of our unity we can be fulfilled and in the attitude of humility God will be glorified.

Humility is needed for spiritual seed to produce a harvest. The following examples are mentioned in scripture:

- When Joseph saw the sun, moon and stars bowing to him, he first had to become a slave and prisoner before he became prime minister.

- When we come to the last son of Israel, Benjamin, his mother died in childbirth.  In her death she calls him Benoni - Son of my Sorrows.  But Jacob changes his name to Benjamin - Son of my Right Hand. Notice how Joseph, a type of Christ, treated Benjamin: “He gave portions to his brothers from his own table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs”. Genesis 43:34

- David was anointed to be king over Israel, but for the next decade or so he was a fugitive. 

- The apostle Peter denied his Lord before he became one of the most effective witnesses.

“Often the way God chooses is not the way that we would do it - we tend to be inclined toward themes of prophesy or revelation that seem profound, whereas God’s curriculum is found on what is humble and down to earth.  For those who submit to God, there is a wonderful reward”, says Derek Prince.

God is not looking for great or famous people; He is looking for sons who will gather in the harvest.

Expect great things from God…attempt great things for Him.  

At the recent NamEquip, Tom Tapping gave a word to us as a congregation about refreshing:
“You are in a new season – it’s like the freshness after the rain, a season to give away not keep for yourselves. It is like the freshness of a river in full flow. It’s a fresh day enabling you to give out at a new level like you will be doing with the forthcoming outreach to Angola.”

Paul mentions refreshing twice in his shortest apostolic letter to Philemon and his community. We read in verse 7: “You brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints”, and again in verse 20, “refresh my heart in Christ”. Philemon could do this by showing kindness to his runaway slave, Onesimus. The cost in this case was to forgive him and be reconciled in Christ. Onesimus means useful but he had been useless to Philemon but now through the refreshing that Paul called for, he became more than a slave… a dear brother and useful.

The word refreshing is used in the context of having been weary and then having been refreshed as in 1 Cor 16:17-18: “For what was lacking on your part they supplied for they refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore acknowledge such men.” Proverbs 25:13 says “Coolness in harvest is like a faithful messenger to those who sent him for he refreshes the soul of his masters.”

When we are weary and the going is tough, it is a wonderful comfort to be refreshed. God’s will for us as a community is that we will be a refreshing not just to ourselves but to others. It will affect nations – let us not get tired in refreshing others.

We are in a new season of refreshing.

The All Nations Church family is going through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians – you would do well to do some personal study of this book. It is so refreshing to discover anew our riches in Jesus. To walk worthy of our Lord as Christians can never be achieved, only received. The first three chapters are the basis: our wealth in Christ. Our walk in Christ is the focus of Chapter 4 to 5 and Chapter 6 teaches on our warfare in Christ.

Many want to skip Chapters 1 to 3 to get to the practical application of walking out the grace we received through faith. In chapter 4 we are urged to live a life of worthy of the calling we have received – first we need to know that we have received in Christ before we can know how to behave. That is why Paul’s request that the Spirit of wisdom and revelation will enlighten the eyes of our heart in order that as believers we may know the hope, the inheritance, the power of God. Whatever we hope to be can only be received by faith – our salvation, our sonship, the forgiveness of our sins. It is all about receiving because of the immeasurable favour of God in Christ Jesus.

The walk – being humble, gentle, patient and bearing with one another, is not self-effort but an outflow of what we have received n Christ. We are not only seated with Christ in heavenly places but live with Him, His nature in us at a new level of life.

As mentioned in Chapter 4, we cannot produce unity in the body of Christ, we are to keep it. We need to walk in the light as He is in the light – the immeasurably great power of God that raised Jesus from the dead is now at work in us to make us partakers of His divine nature.

At a recent Tuesday prayer meeting, Manfred drew a picture of a huge water reservoir and a pipe to a home. When the tap is closed, the huge water supply has no effect on the home. When we open the tap which is our faith in what Jesus has done, there will be a greater supply to each one of us. All we have to do is receive, praise to His name.

The five-fold ministry is coming to equip us – don’t miss NamEquip!

When Jesus calls us to be His friends, He reveals the Father’s heart – He wants us to have a relationship of intimacy and significance in order to reflect His character. In these days, many think they have revelation but it is only second hand, not through personal relationship.

It was through personal prayer that Abraham became a friend of God. Abraham’s prayer in Genesis 18 and the Lord’s response is amazing: the effect of a mercy-motivated intercessor on the heart of God. It was not God’s intention to destroy Sodom no matter what. Abraham appealed to the mercy of God. Even if there had been ten righteous, He would not have destroyed the city. He was looking for reasons to reveal His mercy. God’s character on the basis of revelation is expressed in: “….will not the judge of all the earth do justly?”

The Lord revealed His nature again to Moses when He said He was “….slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness”. (Ex 34:6) Jesus is the express image of God and could say “God makes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the just and the unjust”. (Matt 5:45).

It is in our praying that we become salt and light. It is amazing what a few righteous people can do in an otherwise evil society. You and I always wanted to make a difference. Here it comes: one righteous person in an evil city can turn the tide – mercy triumphs over judgment! Are you one that cares for a city, a school, a neighborhood? Remember the future of your neighborhood is not determined by how evil it is, but by the godliness of the righteous.

This is a good time to start praying individually and as a church: ‘Forgive us Lord, for underestimating how passionately You desire to reveal Your mercy through us. Grant us a fresh revelation of Yourself’.