Jesus’ Perspective Matters
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Our Frontline mission team served in Brazil for 3 weeks in January & February. On February. 8, a 3-stadium worship event called “The SEND” was launched. Over 140,000 people simultaneously worshipped our Lord Jesus Christ. You could actually feel the tangible and incredibly amazing power of God. His contagious and unfathomable love, grace, and mercy was released. Passionate worship to our King, from the heart, flooded the 3 stadiums. No force, no rule, no pressure. It was easy. It was right. All were humbled in His Powerful Presence. We were created to love and worship The King of Glory and not hold back, and that’s what happened. Unbelievers became believers. Believers were mightily strengthened, fortified, and bolstered. Masses were healed, delivered, and baptized in the Holy Spirit because Jesus showed up. The air was pregnant with the mandate to “GO” and spread the Gospel. Unity was rampant. |
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“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” -Matthew 28:18-20
Fast forward to today. Coronavirus is here. The destruction is massive. The atrocious power behind it is our global arch enemy. Jesus Christ was KING over Coronavirus on Feb. 8 in Brazil, and is still. COVID-19 was ramping up elsewhere as we were enjoying the freedom that His Presence brought during that glorious day. No one there knew what was soon to become a worldwide pandemic. Do we believe that Jesus really is KING over Coronavirus? The President of Brazil gave his life to Jesus at the stadium in Brasilia during the event, while we were in another stadium. Interesting timing. The move of God in Brazil (or anywhere) can’t be halted because an enemy is on the scene. Impossible. Jesus is on HIS throne and is alive and active. Through His death, burial, and Resurrection He is our Rescuer, Healer, Deliverer and Empowerer. He is our Solution for COVID-19 and any other force that steals, kills, destroys. Many will pass from this earth as a “frontline” hero in society’s eyes yet miss eternal life with Our Father in Heaven. That’s incredibly grieving and not ok. Jesus clearly states “The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy; I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10-11). He is Abundant Life. That’s His name. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) and to heal all who were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38). And He did. All took place at the Cross. And He lives. |
We are told in Jeremiah 29:11-14 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the places from where I sent you into exile.” Is the Lord speaking this today, in the middle of the pandemic? John the Baptist said in Luke 3:16 “I baptize you with water, but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am unfit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Our Powerful and Mighty Lord and Savior has a plan. He is unfolding His Kingdom strategies and we are to fit into them. It’s time to set our eyes on things above and not on earthly things because we have been raised up with Christ who is seated at the right hand of God. We have died and our life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:1-3). Jesus says, “If you continue in MY word, then you are truly disciples (followers) of Mine; and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). TRUTH has a name. He doesn’t just represent truthful ideas and things. JESUS IS TRUTH. Let that sink in. Believing that demands a response of total trust, commitment, and obedience to Him, His ways, His desires, His strategies, His thoughts. That is His love requirement for all true sons and daughters. He totally draws and enables this heart response, providing Himself as the Empowering One so we can fully walk that out. Full yielding to the Holy Spirit within is to be our norm. He is looking for our willingness to surrender to and depend on Him, and moves accordingly. 2 Chronicles 16:9 states: “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support (show Himself strong to) those whose heart is completely His.” Jesus’ decisions and actions cost Him everything. And we receive the benefits. Every person is called by God to steadfastly focus on Jesus and earnestly live for Him: “Fixing our eyes on Jesus; the author and perfecter of faith, who for the JOY set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). We are His JOY. The kingdom of God in our lives is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17), as we walk in the reality of 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If MY PEOPLE, who are called by My name, will humble themselves, pray, seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, THEN I WILL hear from Heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.” So what does this mean? Jesus says “Behold (look up), I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Revelation 22:12). These are serious times. Jesus is coming back and is getting His Bride ready for His return. He’s waking us up to take our places, running fast and hard after Him. Loving Him wholeheartedly, submitting to and following His ways and purposes, must become our supernatural mission in life. The miraculous will follow. Is your heart stirred? His undying love for us is ferocious. It’s the greatest power there is. His love pursues, protects, and permeates all who will receive Him. His purposes shall prevail. Song of Songs 8:6 (TPT) reads: “Fasten me upon your heart as a seal of fire forevermore. This living, consuming flame will seal you as my prisoner of love. My passion is stronger than the chains of death and the grave, all consuming as the very flashes of fire from the burning heart of God. Place this fierce, unrelenting fire over your entire being.” |
Jesus is THE frontline warrior. The battle for souls is of ultimate concern for Him. That’s on His heart above all else, as He desperately wants to receive all into His family. His desire is for none to perish but all to come to repentance, resulting in the fulfillment of His perfect plan for our existence. The cry of God’s heart is for us to live in eternal union with Him, desiring Him above all else. Nations will bow before Him, as He reveals Himself as Eternal Father and Lord. It will happen. We are all called to embrace authentic frontline living and He (not the world) defines what that really is. Full dependence on, and trust for and in the LORD JESUS CHRIST is frontline living. Counting the cost to wholeheartedly love and follow Jesus is frontline living. Desiring Him above all else is frontline living. Living our lives totally for Him alone is frontline living. Leading others to know and serve Him with their entire hearts and lives is frontline living. His definition matters, not the world’s. His definition will last into eternity, bringing pleasure to Him. All else is burned up. Jesus is to be fully honored, to receive ALL glory for what He is doing in the earth, through His lovers and followers. Believers are designed to be HIS hands and feet on this earth, always working together with others. He alone is worthy of all attention, deference, honor and praise. He deserves all adoration, acknowledgement, and gratitude. He is our Chief Commander, Holy Contagious One, our Kind and Ferocious Lamb and Lion, who accepts no substitutes. A non-negotiable personal embracing of and life commitment to the personal Lordship of Jesus Christ defines an authentic frontline warrior. You are called to be a First Responder. Seek authenticity. You’ll never regret it. We invite all reading this to repent, to give their entire life to the One who gave Himself for us on the Cross, without holding anything back. Ask Jesus to fill you with Holy Spirit power, baptizing you fully in the Holy Spirit. Coronavirus was nailed to (crucified on) the Cross with Jesus, and has no power over us because of Jesus’ blood and the dunamis power that raised Him from the dead. Psalm 91 is powerfully true. Jesus is alive today, proving that. He wants to Holy Spirit baptize ALL people in His mighty power and fire. What a privilege to say yes! Be one of those who says “I’m all in” and run toward Him as though your life depended on it. It does. Embrace our marching orders from the Universal Ruler of all. He who was, who is, and is to come. Jesus is Who and What we need now and beyond this COVID-19 season. Don’t miss Him, especially in this time of social distancing, when we have increased opportunity to be found by Him. You’ll never be the same. Happy Easter!
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Bill and Mary Pat Gokee
Directors, Frontline Ministries International
Pastors, Frontline Worship Center
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