So, God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Genesis 1: 27-28)   I have made you for one purpose alone: to be in my image. That purpose remains no matter what people choose to do with their lives, and that purpose will be fulfilled in every person willing to embrace and follow Jesus, my living image and my living presence upon…

“When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 8:15-17)   There are many today who have believed and have been baptized but have not received (in humble submission) my Holy Spirit. This missing ingredient accounts for so much that is wrong with my church today. Even those who proclaim the need for a baptism of the Spirit have substituted emotionalism and…

The Pharisees asked Jesus when God’s kingdom would come. He answered them, “People can’t observe the coming of God’s kingdom. They can’t say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ You see, God’s kingdom is within you.” (Luke 17:20-21)   My Kingdom will not come – it has come – and it spreads throughout whatever kingdom man has established. It is not a place or an institution, but a lifestyle that must be lived. When you declare, “God’s kingdom is within you” you are declaring that every human being has the opportunity to turn from the lifestyle of the old kingdom and completely embrace the new. Repentance is much more…

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (II Corinthians 3:18)   Come and uncover your face and simply look upon me this morning! Transformation requires nothing more than this! Take heart in the fact that this road you are on requires less effort than any road you have ever known. You don’t have to anticipate things and you don’t have to prove anything to me or to people … just gaze upon me with an uncovered face and my image will come in with ever-increasing glory. I am right here…

“God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life.” (II Corinthians 2:14-15 MSG)   It is through you that I bring people a knowledge of Jesus. Not through churches or programs, but through the lives of individual people, interacting with individual people, is the knowledge of Jesus spread throughout a nation and a generation. The fragrance of my presence is what draws those willing to be…

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow…

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2)     Offering yourself as a living sacrifice must be at the core of our relationship together. I ask this, not because you have no value, but for just the opposite reason: I want to increase your value and refine the precious…

“There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides across the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty. The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemies before you, saying, ‘Destroy them!’ So, Israel will live in safety; Jacob will dwell secure in a land of grain and new wine, where the heavens drop dew. Blessed are you, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will tread on their heights.” (Deuteronomy 33:26-29)  …

‘You have declared this day that the LORD is your God and that you will walk in obedience to him, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws—that you will listen to him. And the LORD has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands. He has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the LORD your God, as he promised.” (Deuteronomy 26:17-19)     When my people declare that they will walk…