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WEEK EIGHTEEN: Friday, March 24—Thursday, March 30, 2006

God has always used a remnant. The living stones (the remnant Christians) are being

brought together by Jesus Christ who is the cornerstone and their Shepherd. This temple is . . . “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” (Eph. 2:20-22 NKJV) [Notice: this scripture says on the foundation of apostles and prophets; not pastors and teachers.]

Do you suppose God is about to draw His core, His remnant, His bride out of the religious system and bring such unity that whatever they set their minds to do through prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit, nothing will be impossible for them to accomplish? It’s glorious to have unity if it lines up with truth—the Word of God. ”s. . . with God, all things are possible.” (Matt. 19:26)

“Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.” (John 17:11)

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” (Rev. 3:22)

(Source: Riding with the King in Unity, by Giles F. Mack, P.O. Box 1761, Branson, MO 65615, pp. 68, 70, 74 adapted)

II. REPENTANCE FOR THE SINS OF THE NATION: HEALING FOR THE HOMOSEXUAL

We close this section of repentance for the sin of homosexuality with the GOOD NEWS that there is HOPE for “homosexual” men and women to find their full and whole identity—male and female—in Christ.

How Jesus Heals us Through His Church

We are a people of desire—desires that can drive us toward noble and true expressions of our humanity, and desires that can reduce us to the animal kingdom—the rat in the wheel.

The only way that transformation can occur is through Christ and His community. As we come broken into the church, His faithful love can transform our desires. This is with the help of the church, not in spite of her. Jesus' body on earth has the authority to convert the rat into a saint. I will use my own story of healing from homosexuality to demonstrate how Jesus, through His community, transforms our desires.

25 years ago, I began this process of transformation. My starting point was as a practicing homosexual. Today I can join with the Psalmist in proclaiming: "You, Father, have satisfied my desires with good things, so that my youth is renewed like the eagle's. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.“(Ps 103:5,6) My oppression had to do with misplaced desire. God's justice involved the realignment of my desire through the power of His transforming love. That love elevated my sight as to who He was, and the higher purposes He intended for my humanity. . .

The church embraced me as a healing community. This occurred at first more in spite of myself than through my obedience. Once I backslid, and went out partying with some friends. Right away I could see that I was in the wrong place&—these people were not my people anymore. I was a Christian, born of the Spirit. So I ran out of the party, and did not stop for a mile or so. I was in a strange city at midnight; I had no idea where I was going.

On the right side of the street, I saw a gathering of people, spilling out onto the pavement. I ran by them and recognized a few. These were people from my church, holding a revival meeting in that downtown area! I joined them, and immediately felt like I was at home. "These are my people," I thought. "This is where I belong, in fellowship with those who worship the same Father, who bear the same Spirit." Church became home—I knew that without the community of Christ, I would be lost, subject to the powerful and perverse "fathers” of my other community.

Gratefully, I found a church that gave people room to be converted—to discover over time who the Father really was so that we could be changed through our devotion to Him. There I grew as a worshipper of the One. That transformation occurred as I experienced the continuous witness of grace and truth through members of that body. . .

The body of Christ must take up that call of transformation. All of us are people of desire. And Jesus wants our desires—the good, bad, and ugly. When we gather in His name, He wants to meet us like He did the Samaritan woman—granting us freedom from shame and sin as we receive His love and give back love to Him. In the process, we enter into the reality of God’s high and holy purposes for our lives.

Without the body of Christ, "living water” will remain merely a good idea. But when we seek to extend that water to one another, we will answer the cries of broken hearts. We will see revival break out, even as the Samaritan did. We will witness Jesus' transformation of our desires, and of many others. We will become the healing community of Christ—His very Presence in the world today, extending living water to those who hunger and thirst for truthful mercy.

[To read Andrew’s entire testimony, go to: http://www.desertstream.org/healing%20homosexuality.htm]

“Father God, we lift up the Church in America, and we ask that You would help us to reach out to those who are bound by the sin and the lies of the homosexual lifestyle. Help us to learn how to “love them to You.” In Your Name we ask this, Amen.”

III. THE BLESSING OF ISRAEL: NATIONAL ELECTIONS NEXT TUESDAY, MAR. 28

(We have received these prayer requests for the elections in Israel from Intercessors for Israel. Please stand in agreement with their requests with us.)

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

The prophetic portion for this Shabbat ends with this verse:

Moreover the prince shall not take of the people's inheritance by oppression, to thrust them out of their possession. (Ezekiel 46:18a)

Lord, give us a government that lines up with this word, a government that will not push for any further disengagements from any part of Israel's land.

Abba, raise up godly leadership as per Jeremiah 23:3-4

"I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,”sdeclares the LORD.

We trust and confess that Israel's future destiny depends only upon You.

LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. (Psalms 33:10-12)

Father, please release the governors of Judah that You prophesied would arise in the last days. (Zechariah 12:6)

A SPECIAL CALL TO PRAYER AND FASTING IN THE U.S. FOR ISRAEL’S ELECTION

If Christians in the USA would launch an emergency call to prayer and fasting for Israel and storm Heaven until the elections on Tuesday, March 28, even as we did before our own elections, and God intervened, God would do the same for Israel. We must pray that God's will be done on earth, even as it is already done in Heaven.

I remind the Body of Christ, that everything that God does, He does through His Body, us, the Church, whether it be directly, or through prayer resulting in Divine intervention. When He says in His Word that He will not abandon Israel, or forget Israel, or that Israel is engraved on the palm of His Hand, I believe He does this through us, His Body, or miraculously as a result of our prayers. God is not abandoning Israel, and He is doing it and showing it through us, His Body, as we pray, fast, speak out, go to Israel, give to the needy there, sign petitions, write to the White House, etc. He is not forgetting Israel, and He is doing it through His Body. He loves Israel, through His Body. We are His channels. God's loyalty to Israel is flowing through us, as we show her our/His loyalty.

When I was in Israel, on my way to Jericho one day, I was amazed to see a highway paved right through the desert. In the spirit, I saw a huge bulldozer tearing through brown, sandy terrain and mountains in order to pave a way for modern traffic that would not be hindered any longer. Elements, sizes, consistencies were not a problem. It had a job to do, and it was going to do it, and it did. You know why? Because the bulldozer doesn't have a mind to rationalize and talk itself out of a job. Someone is controlling it! Someone that has faith in the power, strength, and capacity of the machine.

We are God's "bulldozer." If we surrender our minds to our Lord and Master, we will never be talked out of a "job" because we will refuse to rationalize, doubt, and fear. Someone is controlling us, and that "Someone” is the Holy Spirit, and the job will get done. We should not underestimate the Power of Who dwells in us, but realize and believe that there is absolutely no limit as to what we can do through Him as we exalt Him and give Him all the glory. There is no political party, old or new, powerful or promising; no stubborn, threatening, intimidating leader; no nuclear nation that can stand up against the power of the God of Israel. "The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, He shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: He shall cry, yea, roar; [through His Body] He shall prevail against his enemies.”s(Isaiah 42:13).

We must do the work of a "bulldozer,”sand tear down the high places through prayer.

"Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and [thou shalt] beat them small, and [thou] shalt make the hills as chaff. Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel." (Isaiah 41:15,16).

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations [predispositions], and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God [pride, arrogance, and high-mindedness], and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ [sin]. (II Corinthians 10:4,5).

If we pray fervently, God will answer. (Mark 11:23,24) Let's move the "mountain.”s

Blessings to you from the Beautiful, Holy One of Israel.

"And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.”sI Samuel 15:28;

Rev. Christine A. Tilelli

Elizabeth, New Jersey

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