Volume 29 / No.11

November 2019

LIGHT OF THE WORLD:DISCERNING DECEIVING SPIRITS

BY JOE SHREWSBURY

DIOTREPHES: THE SPIRIT THAT REQUIRES PREEMINENCE, PART TWO

BY LLOYD PHILLIPS

A WORD FROM RICK JOYNER

THE OFFERINGBY JOHN BONECK

NOVEMBER 2019 THE MORNINGSTAR JOURNAL 2

A W O R D F R O M

RICK JOYNER

Because we are told that “in everything give thanks” (see I Thessalonians 5:18), it is impor-tant to thank Him for trials or hardships. He promises that all things will work for our good, so this is a way that we demonstrate faith in Him, even in our trials. He promises to “always lead us in His triumph” (see II Corinthians 2:14). Thus, we can be sure that if we follow Him, we will see victory, regardless of how difficult the trial. So those who are walking in truth will not just give thanks for their trials, but be thankful for them.

The Apostle Paul stated in Acts 14:22 that “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” This means that in every tribulation, or trial, there is a gateway for us to enter the kingdom. So, our first response to a new

A WORD FROM RICK JOYNER

HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE COMING SECOND AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY/ CIVIL WAR PART VIII PAGE 2

DIOTREPHES: THE SPIRIT THAT REQUIRES PREEMINENCE PART II By Lloyd Phillips PAGE 5

LIGHT OF THE WORLD: DISCERNING DECEIVING SPIRITSBy Joe ShrewsberryPAGE 8

THE OFFERINGBy John Boneck PAGE 11

PARTNERS FROM THE DESK OF DAVE YARNESPAGE 13

PARTNERS SPOTLIGHTPAGE 14

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT MORNINGSTARPAGE 14

VISIONBy Beth LaneyPAGE 15

We are told that “in His presence is fullness of joy” (see Psalm 16:11). This is one way that we maintain the joy of The Lord that is our strength. We know by this that if there is darkness or depression creeping into our life, we must have drifted from His presence. Returning to Him is the remedy.

Jesus does not just have the answer to every human problem—He is the Answer! In His presence, we see people, events, and the world differently and more accurately. In His presence, we see the path of life and also discern the distrac-tions from it. Abiding in His presence is abiding in Him, and this is the key to bearing fruit, as we are told in John 15.

B ecause we “enter His presence with thanksgiving” (see Psalm 100:4), I try

to wake up each morning thanking The Lord. This way, I can enter right

into His presence, and I am better able to abide in Him all day. Not that

I do this perfectly, but it is one of my primary spiritual goals to do better at this.

How to Prepare for the Coming Second American Revolutionary/Civil War PART VIII

3THE MORNINGSTAR JOURNAL VOLUME 29 • NO 11

trial should be to start looking for the door it provides to His kingdom. The sooner we see it, the faster we can move through it, which likely means the quicker the trial will be over.

In light of a recent study that declared that America has now become the most negative country in the world, it is especially important for American Chris-tians to demonstrate the opposite spirit—the spirit of faith, hope, love, and thanksgiving that will counter this devastating trend. America used to be known as the most positive nation, so how did we fall so far so fast? How can it be that Christians are now so prone to see, and believe, the worst in others? Jesus warned us clearly that we will be judged by the same standard by which we judge others. Could it be that the backbiting and slander that follows us is the judgement for what we’ve released against others?

Galatians 6:7 states, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.” If we want to reap grace in our life, we should learn to sow grace every chance we get. If we want to reap mercy, we should learn to sow mercy every chance we get. If we sow criticism and condemnation, we will get the same in return. What kind of harvest do we want?

This does not mean that we overlook serious flaws, mistakes, or sin in others. Jesus taught in Matthew 18 that if a person is in sin we should go to them in private, but we don’t go to them seeking to condemn or criticize. Rather, we should seek to redeem them by helping them to turn from the sin. Only if they do not hear us should we go to another person about it, and that too is done for the sake of helping the person in error turn from their sin. We also do this with a redemptive heart. If they repent, we take it no further. Only if they do not repent should we take it before the church, and never should it be taken before the public or unbelievers.

The Scriptures are also clear that we do not con-tinue to fellowship with a person if it reaches a point where they fail to repent after these steps. However, if at any point they do repent, we are instructed to receive them back.

Jesus said that as we treat even the least of His, He will take it as the way we treat Him. For this reason, we should treat everyone the way we would want to be treated, and the way we would want our own children to be treated as these are His children.

When Jesus saw the fallen world, He did not criticize or condemn it—it was already condemned. Rather, He laid down His life for it. If we are true followers of Him, we too will have this same nature, seeking to bring redemption and restoration. Even so, both redemption and restoration require repentance. That being understood, has anyone ever repented perfectly? I think probably not, but The Lord is gracious, as we see in even extreme cases such like that of King Ahab.

Jezebel, King Ahab’s wife, was one of the most evil people in Scripture. Yet in Revelation 2:21, one of the most remarkable Scriptures, The Lord said that He gave Jezebel “time to repent.” When evil gets such a

“This does not mean that we overlook serious flaws, mistakes, or sin in others. Jesus taught in Matthew 18 that if a person is in sin we should go to them in private, but we don’t go to them seeking to condemn or criticize. Rather, we should seek to redeem them by helping them to turn from the sin. Only if they do not hear us should we go to another person about it, and that too is done for the sake of helping the person in error turn from their sin.”

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“America has a serious problem with the critical, condemning spirit. Listening to our government leaders is worse than watching parents who argue all the time. The discourse has gone far beyond arguing to the most extreme condemnation and criticism of each other. The other side is no longer just called ‘wrong’ if they disagree—they are called ‘evil.’ Then some go on to use some of the most evil examples in history as a comparison. This is over the top bizarre coming from one of the greatest nations on earth.”

deep grip on us, it often takes time to repent and then more time to get free of all the evil tentacles in our life. With just a little humility and repentance, The Lord will often be abundant in grace with His response and accep-tance of us, helping us through it. However, some inter-pret this grace as His acceptance of the in-roads the evil may still have in our life, and it is not. Our goal must be the breaking of every yoke and the removal of all evil in-roads into our life.

In Revelation 2:20, The Lord also chastises the church that tolerated Jezebel. To be redemptive in nature—genu-inely trying to help brothers or sisters who stumble—does not mean that we tolerate the evil. We must challenge it, going through the steps that may even mean removing the person from the fellowship. Yet, we do it with a redemp-tive heart, not a critical or condemning one.

America has a serious problem with the critical, condemning spirit. Listening to our government leaders is worse than watching parents who argue all the time. The discourse has gone far beyond arguing to the most extreme condemnation and criticism of each other. The other side is no longer just called “wrong” if they dis-agree—they are called “evil.” Then some go on to use some of the most evil examples in history as a compari-son. This is over the top bizarre coming from one of the greatest nations on earth.

How did this happen to such a positive country? Could it be that it is just copying what it has seen in the church? The Lord said that what we released in heaven (the spiritual) will get released on the earth. Is all this the fruit of our critical, condemning, non-redemptive hearts?

So, what do we do? We repent of our critical spirit and pray for The Holy Spirit to convict us of this anytime we fall into it. We then humble ourselves and repent again, as often as needed until we are free. We also obey the exhor-tation of Ephesians 4:29-32:

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

What does this have to do with preparing for the coming Second American Revolutionary/Civil War? We want to win this war by overcoming evil with good.

In His Service,

Rick Joyner I Corinthians 15:58

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Unless noted, all Scripture from New King James Version.

B Y L L O Y D P H I L L I P S

Diotrephes: The Spirit that Requires Preeminence PART II

In the first article in this series, we began looking at Diotrephes, the spirit that requires preeminence and in so doing keeps the church of Jesus Christ from receiving The Shepherd, Jesus.

It was the Apostle Paul who first warned the elders in the church of Ephesus to beware of wolves rising up from within the church leadership, and Jesus later commended them for taking the apostle’s warning to heart. Paul seemingly had to deal with this issue in other churches as he warned the churches of Galatia also: “Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may have zeal for them” (Galatians 4:17, NIV).

When Jesus, through John, addressed the church in Ephesus, He commended them for discerning false leaders in the church, but also warned them about losing their “first love” in doing so:

To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, “These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands:

‘I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have

tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars;

and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.

Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love’” (Revelation 2:1-4).

Jesus warned His followers that this would be a danger when dealing with false leaders (see Matthew 24:12, 24-25). I do not believe the Lord is saying that those who are lawless or false ministers are in danger of having their love grow cold; they are lawless and false already. It is those of us who must deal with

Editor’s Note: This is Part Two of a three part series on the Spirit of Diotrephes and strate-gies for dealing with it. To read Part One, visit The MorningStar Journal archive online at publications.morningstarministries.org/morningstar-journal.

“It is those of us who must deal with lawless people and false authority who are in danger of having our love grow cold, just like the church in Ephesus.”

NOVEMBER 2019 THE MORNINGSTAR JOURNAL 6

lawless people and false authority who are in danger of having our love grow cold, just like the church in Ephe-sus. So, the first lesson is to remain in faith and guard your love so that it does not grow cold. Rejoice with the Lord in each situation and you will do well. It is impor-tant to understand that when dealing with this spirit.

Demetrius is the third person mentioned in this third epistle of John. His name means “blessed of the harvest.” In looking at this name, the Spirit brought to my remem-brance the words of Jesus concerning the harvest: “Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest’” (Matthew 9:37).

Next:

And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease (Matthew 10:1).

After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.

Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.

“Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.

“Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road.

“But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’

“And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you.

“And remain in the same house, eating and drink-ing such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house.

“Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.

“And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you’” (Luke 10:1-9).

In applying what Jesus said about the harvest in the context of dealing with the spirit of Diotrephes in the church (see Part One of this series for discussion of this spirit), I think a major point is to concentrate on raising up laborers for the harvest. You see this in the Apostle John’s use of the word “fellow workers” in verse 8 of Third John: “We therefore are to receive such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth.”

The Greek word translated as “fellow workers” here is the word sunergos, which is also translated “fellow help-ers,” “fellow laborers.” or “work fellows” in other Scrip-tures. I believe John is implicitly saying to us that raising up laborers for the harvest is a key to overcoming this spirit of Diotrephes in the church.

Diotrephes is not interested in raising up laborers, receiving the brethren sent to him, or discipling fellow workers for the harvest or even the truth. This spirit wants total control and preeminence. This is the opposite spirit of that working in the five ministries sent from the Lord Jesus, as listed in Ephesians 4:12-13: “For the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

I think it is apparent that when dealing with this spirit in the church, our defense is to stay in faith, avoid imitat-ing his evil, fellowship with like-minded brethren, and continue to raise up laborers for the harvest. Don’t allow this spirit to sidetrack you from doing the work of your Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ.

In verse 6, John encouraged Gaius to send the brethren he was discipling forward in the manner in which Jesus had sent the disciples out in Luke 10. It is an important point that Diotrephes would not receive those sent to him in the name of the Lord. This is one of the reasons we do not see more of the literal manifesting of Christ in the church today. Jesus told us that He would come to those who follow Him (see John 14:18). He also said that we would not see Him if we do not receive those sent in His name (see Matthew 23:39).

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LLOYD PHILLIPS, Director of Fellow Laborers’ International Network (FLInt Net), travels extensively as a prophetic teacher, ministering the Word of God with prophetic insight, apostolic application, and the winsome love of Christ. For more than thirty years, he has ministered the mystery and majesty of the glory of God through the message of intimacy with the Lord and preparing a glorious bride for Christ, a bride who demonstrates kingdom authority and living. Lloyd has authored a number of books and articles.

While the church is often preoccupied with His ulti-mate return, they have often missed His coming. This is not His will, but certainly is a work of Satan to hinder the Lord from appearing to His church and manifesting Himself. The spirit of Diotrephes has robbed the church of too much of this blessing.

It is also important to note that when dealing with this spirit in the church, the Apostle John said that if he comes, he will deal directly with Diotrephes. Again, we should note the humility of John versus the arrogance of Diotrephes. The humility of John takes an aggressive approach against the arrogance of Diotrephes.

I think humility is an essential counter measure in dealing with this spirit (see I Peter 5:5). John’s humility is expressed throughout the New Testament in how he served others—most notably watching over Peter after the events in the Garden on the night Jesus was betrayed and continuing through the resurrection events at the tomb, on to the Ascension and Pentecost, and the several events acknowledg-ing him in the book of Acts.

Not everyone is called to directly confront this spirit, but God will give grace for dealing with it to those who are called. Likewise, it is important to remain positive and in faith. It is

necessary to guard our hearts with all diligence and protect the love of God when doing so. We all can be involved in the harvest, discipling and receiving those sent in the name of the Lord, despite the spirit of Diotrephes. Just as Jesus has angels to gather out of His kingdom those who practice lawlessness, He has those, like the Apostle John, who have the anointing and calling to directly confront the spirit of Diotrephes. I believe we can intercede and pray forth “Johns” who have the unction to confront the Diotrephes in the spirit. The Lord is jealous over His church and desires to be the Shepherd of His flock.

Over my years in ministry, I have witnessed the effects of this spirit of Diotrephes. There is a constant effort to separate part of the flock from the whole, to separate the flock from The Shepherd, to disparage leaders that are sent by the Lord to bring encouragement and understanding, and to instead raise themselves into a seat of preeminence. By understand-ing this spirit and what the Word of God has to say about its operation, we are better prepared to bring enlightenment, correction, and faith to move forward with those who have been influenced by this spiritual darkness.

Operate your faith with humility, seek the Lord with songs and hymns and spiritual songs, pursue the flow of rejoicing in your inner man, and keep His love in first place. Be involved in the harvest. Pray for and raise up laborers who will hear the voice of Jesus the Shepherd and follow Him. Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.

And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted (Matthew 23:12).

“Diotrephes is not interested in raising up laborers, receiving the brethren sent to him, or discipling fellow workers for the harvest or even the truth. This spirit wants total control and preeminence. This is the opposite spirit of that working in the five ministries sent from the Lord Jesus, as listed in Ephesians 4:12-13.”

B Y J O E S H R E W S B E R R Y

Light of the World: Discerning Deceiving Spirits

NOVEMBER 2019 THE MORNINGSTAR JOURNAL 8

Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.

For behold, darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness the peoples; But the LORD will rise upon you And His glory will appear upon you.

Nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising (Isaiah 60:1-3).

If we are to be the ones who bring light to darkness and who bring transformation in troubled times and draw nations to the light of Jesus, then we must walk in His light. Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world” in John 8:12 and again in John 9:5. In Matthew 5:14, He told those who follow Him, “You are the light of the world.” We are to be His light in dark times. How can we do this? How can we be light in a dark world?

The answer lies in understanding more about Jesus’ nature. In John 14:6, Jesus told Thomas, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” The light that Jesus brings into the world, and that shines through us, comes from pursuing Him as the way (how we do it), the truth (why we do it), and the life (the source or spark within us that

We are in an important time in history. As we are getting closer to the time of the harvest and the end of the age, the stakes are higher than ever before. As you watch the news and monitor social media, the world appears to be spinning out of con-

trol. Yet today can be the most exciting time to be alive for believers. We have been given a prom-ise for the church in this age that was first spoken to Jerusalem:

“There are many in the church today who are in danger of going the way of the four hundred prophets of Ahab. There are too many who have a place of calling and a prophetic voice but have allowed their destinies to be muted, and in some cases thwarted, because they are listening to the wrong voices.”

empowers us to do it). Each of us has a place where we are to shine His light by showing Him as The Way, holding fast to Him as The Truth, and living in Him as The Life—the eternal life.

The Lord is raising up prophets today who are faithful to this task—not just those in the office of the prophet but prophets who testify of the transformation that Jesus brings by living and being and releasing Christ who is in us. But as prophets who represent Jesus, who speak for Him, we have a responsibility to steward and guard our words. We must be discerning and careful to speak what we hear from the Lord and not what may be popular or even what other others are saying if we have not also heard it from the Lord ourselves.

I Kings 22 tells the story of the interaction between King Ahab, four hundred prophets to the king, and Micaiah. In the story, King Ahab and King Jehoshaphat were discussing whether to go into battle. Ahab wanted to go into battle, and he wanted to be victorious. He asked the prophets what he should do, and they resoundingly counselled him to go into battle, assuring him that he would be victorious. But Ahab and Jehoshaphat were still not certain and called for Micaiah to come and speak to them. Ahab did not like Micaiah, because he tended to tell Ahab the truth from God rather than what Ahab wanted to hear. Nevertheless, Ahab called for him.

When Micaiah arrived, he also told Ahab that he should go to battle and that he would be victorious, but Ahab knew immediately that Micaiah was not telling him the truth. So Micaiah finally told Ahab what he had actually witnessed from God.

God was sitting on His throne, surrounded by the hosts of heaven, and God asked who would be willing to go and entice Ahab to go into battle so that he may be killed. After some discussion, one spirit spoke up and volunteered to be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of the prophets. Micaiah told Ahab that God had put a deceiving spirit into the mouth of the prophets and had proclaimed disaster against Ahab.

Ahab was angry at the words and imprisoned Micaiah. Ahab went into battle, despite the message from the prophet, where he was killed, just as Micaiah had prophesied. What set Micaiah apart from the four prophets who had proph-esied victory for Ahab? The most apparent difference from

that passage is that the four hundred prophets were allow-ing themselves to prophesy from what they heard from a spirit, but Micaiah prophesied from what he saw and heard directly from God. Micaiah wasn’t interested in what everyone else was saying, and he did not put himself into a position to be susceptible to being deceived by a spirit. Instead, he maintained a relationship with God, and he had a love for the Truth that gave him a higher understanding of what was really happening.

There are many in the church today who are in danger of going the way of the four hundred prophets of Ahab. There are too many who have a place of calling and a prophetic voice but have allowed their destinies to be muted, and in some cases thwarted, because they are listening to the wrong voices.

There is one voice today that is particularly dangerous because it has captured many believers in its propaganda. This deceiving spirit is operating through social media under the name “Q-Anon” or usually just “Q.” My first introduction to Q was about a year ago when a believer friend of mine told me that I should be following Q-anon because he is a secret source of intel inside the Trump administration. I spent a couple of hours reading the “drops” from Q and it seemed to be incoherent ramblings.

Q-Anon began as anonymous postings on a dubious online site that were not widely read until a couple of other

9THE MORNINGSTAR JOURNAL VOLUME 29 • NO 11

JOE SHREWSBURY is an elder in the gate of the prophetic.

He has been instrumental in opening the realm of practical,

hands-on prophetic ministry to hundreds of people for over

twenty years through equipping classes and seminars,

coaching, and mentoring. Joe is the author of The Cave:

Preparation for Transformation, which is a narrative teaching

on prophetic and spiritual maturity. As founder of The

Obadiah Fellowship and Cutting Edge Prophets, Joe is raising

up prophets for this generation. He and his wife, Nancy, live

in Charlotte, NC.

NOVEMBER 2019 THE MORNINGSTAR JOURNAL 1 0

anonymous posters decided that they wanted to promote Q

in order to increase their own following (and money).

The Q posts are generally very vague and can be

interpreted many ways. When they are not vague, they

have a high rate of inaccuracy, about the same as random

guesses. The vague nature of the posts has led to a subcul-

ture of Q analysts that call themselves “bakers” who follow

the “breadcrumbs” to make sense of them. They invite

followers to join them as they go “down the rabbit hole”

where they decode the posts to form a message of hope,

patriotism, good prevailing over evil, and many other

characteristics of a good religion.

That brings us to the real danger. The Q-Anon subculture

has become very much like a religion with its own prophet

(Q), a messiah (Trump), emissaries of evil (Clintons, Obama,

and many more), and a master plan where good will triumph

over evil through the workings of the messiah and those close

to him. More importantly is that many Christian believers

have become enamored with Q and are seeking his posts for

understanding of what is happening rather than spending time

in the presence of God and observing from the heavenly

perspective. Because Q is “prophesying” what many want to

hear, which is that President Trump has everything under

control and there is no real danger, there are too many who are

embracing the Q posts as accurate revelation. Following Q

may cause us to relax our prayers and declarations and to lose

congruence with each other and with the Lord. Christian

followers of Q are certainly expending time and effort toward

fruitless matters rather than accomplishing what God is doing.

These Q postings are conspiracy theories, not true

prophecies, and we must guard against the lure and hype of

conspiracies, even if they are what we want to hear. These

are some common things that may make you more vulner-

able to conspiracy theories or other deceiving spirits.

• Irrational fear—You end up fearing what others are

plotting against you and society.

• Feeling of helplessness—Because everything is under

the control of a select few, you feel that you have

decreased control over your own life.

• Suspicion leading to accusation—We should discern evil where it exists, but we shouldn’t find a demon behind every President Bush (Pun intended)

• Pseudo-Elite (You know the inside story that others don’t)—This gives you a sense of control, and it allows you to be elevated as one of the few who really under-stand what is happening.

The way to combat each of these and avoid being led in the wrong direction is to cultivate a deeper relationship with the Lord. Pursue truth from the throne of God. Don’t rely on others to tell you what God is doing, though you may find it helpful to hear from others who have a credible history of speaking accurate prophecy.

• God is Love and perfect love casts out all fear.

• Turn helplessness into to hope inspired from the throne of God.

• Do not participate with the accuser of the brethren, but be discerning from a heavenly perspective.

• Set aside pride and selfish ambition, and steward the mysteries of God, who exalts the humble.

You do not need to seek answers from an anonymous source. You have access to the throne of God, and God is not anonymous. He does not post on shady internet message boards. He writes His words on your heart to allow you to express the way, the truth, and the life.

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The OfferingB Y J O H N B O N E C K

I sat in church listening to yet another request for us to give a generous offering. I can usually handle requests for offerings pretty well, but something was different this time.

As part of his plea, the speaker quoted Barna Group findings, stating that less than 10% of those who call themselves Christians tithe and about 25% of Charis-matic/Pentecostal Christians tithe. “Imagine,” he continued, “what impact the church could have around the world if all Spirit-filled Christians tithed?”

I imagine we could do great things. That would be wonderful, but something else stirred in me.

The speaker wasn’t trying to manipulate us—I was stirred up inside because it was abundantly clear that we Spirit-filled Christians don’t really know who we are. Of the 25% of Spirit-filled Christians, I imagine some tithe because they believe it’s the right thing to do, some give because they feel it’s their Christian responsibility, and some give because they follow Christian “laws.” I wonder, however, how many of the 25% tithe because they know who they are as sons and daughters of the Father?

In the Book of Acts, Spirit-filled Christians turned the world upside down. Now we’re lucky if we can cough up a good offering. Why aren’t people running to us like they ran to Jesus, the Son of the Father? Maybe it’s because we only carry a title rather than living in our identity as a son or daughter of the Father.

We are to have more than a “Spirit-filled Christian” title. If our Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills—and we have access to all that—should we quibble about whether or not we should tithe? Are we

Spirit-filled Christians like the prodigal from Jesus’ story who squanders the great inheritance his father has given him? Yet the father waits, looking to the horizon for a glimpse of his confused, destitute child to return to him.

The way Jesus tells the story, the prodigal returns and the father throws him a party, celebrating his return. What Jesus doesn’t mention is that after the prodigal repents, he most likely goes to his bedroom and cries, overcome by his father’s great love. He probably tears off his dirty garments and takes a cleansing shower to remove the smell of the pig farm from his body. He probably opens the closet door and puts on the clothes that reflect that he is a son of this loving father who, though he owns everything, allows his children to choose for themselves whether or not to live in his love, in his kingdom.

The prodigal stepped back into his identity. Christ came to earth to reconcile us to the Father, not to

NOVEMBER 2019 THE MORNINGSTAR JOURNAL 1 2

JOHN BONECK pastors the 50+ Blessing Generation at MorningStar Fellowship Church in Fort Mill, SC. He also oversees the yearly 50+ Gatherings at MorningStar Ministries. John’s passion is to call and activate his generation to walk in their powerful purpose at this critical time in their lives. His varied background includes being a business advisor in Chicago (MBA in Entrepreneurial Leadership) and the editor of Christian publications. In his earlier life, John taught English and journalism in high school (MA in English). He and his wife Sandy have five children and six grandchildren.

make us Spirit-filled Christians whose goal is to learn about how to function more in the gifts. As our elder brother, Jesus demonstrated what sonship looks like. His message was about the kingdom of His Father, and telling us how to communicate with Him and be reunited with His great love. He wants us to “seek the kingdom” above all things, living as sons and daughters of our Father.

The early church understood the message. They did what Jesus did and “turned the world upside down.” That’s because they knew who they were. They didn’t have a title. Others gave them the title as Christians to identify this unique kingdom-living group.

Any reading of the Epistles will show you that the writers knew the Father and not just a message about Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and spiritual gifts. Paul begins most of his Epistles by recognizing the Father. He opens his letter to the Ephesians saying:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:2-3).

The God of creation is not just a title—He’s our Father. He’s not just the God of the Old Testament, as the Jews knew Him and how some Christians still think of Him—He’s our Father.

In Jeremiah 3, the Father speaks to the children He has created. They rejected Him much like the New Testament prodigal does. They wanted their own way and had hard hearts. They wanted to live religious lives on their own terms, preferring other relationships to the relationship with the One who had created them and wanted to provide for them. No wonder they were afraid of Him when He and Moses met on the mountain. Now in the land of Promise, they didn’t know Him or want Him. He was a threat to their religious ways. They would rather worship the work of their own hands (see Jeremiah 1:16). They wanted to have religion on their own terms, reject-ing relationship.

God the Father saw this, and still He beckoned to His children:

How gladly would I treat you like my children and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful inheri-tance of any nation. I thought you would call me “Father”and not turn away from following me (Jeremiah 3:19 NIV).

It is so easy for us, even as Spirit-filled Christians, to miss our true identity as sons and daughters of the Father, living from His kingdom perspective. He gives us gifts and we focus on them rather than on Him. We try to figure out how to use a particular gift and get better at it, but if we don’t know who we are as a son or daughter, we won’t fully understand the Father’s purpose for the gift.

Our Father knows all this. He is calling us back to Himself. In His next move, He’s going to clean us up and purge us so we can live a kingdom identity that will turn our present world upside down. He’s coming to set us on fire again. Watch out for His cleansing fire, turning us to gold, as Revelation 3:18 says. His fire is coming and we will be changed from religious titles to relationship. We will cast off our dirty religious garments and wear His covering.

And the offerings will be unbelievable.

“It is so easy for us, even as Spirit-filled Christians, to miss our true identity as sons and daughters of the Father, living from His kingdom perspective.”

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As we discussed earlier, your internal thought-life moves at an astounding rate of 600–700 words per minute. It is your job to be rigorous in your effort to control the most important conversation of your life—the one you have with yourself. Begin by simply using different language. Instead of saying “I have a problem,” you could restate it as “I have a personal challenge,” or “There are some obstacles to be overcome.” Changing your vocabulary creates a significant adjustment in your thought life.

Throughout history, we can look at extreme cases of individuals who have gone to the depths of ruin and poverty only to recover at their lowest point and become a prolific role model of reaching one’s potential. These have become a source of inspiration for those of us who grew up in environments that did not provide all the opportunities we would have liked. Their lives inspire many who have suffered extreme setbacks and were perceived as failures by others. Many of these setbacks were unavoidable.

However, there are also numerous stories of individuals who were able to avoid setbacks by studying the lives of others and learning from them. It’s a common story—the dramatic recovery from bankruptcy or overcoming other hardship. These are usually inspirational stories, but the less-dramatic stories often remain unnoticed. These are equally as motivating, however.

Suffering setback is part of the human condi-tion. Regardless of the cause, the pain and ripple effect from these setbacks can be overwhelming unless you decide in advance that you will learn something new from every one that comes your way. This advanced preparation allows you to dust yourself off and move ahead without missing a stride.

In His service,

Dave Yarnes Executive Vice President, MorningStar Ministries

F R O M T H E D E S K O F

DAVE YARNES

Adversity and obstacles come to all at one time or another. Sometimes, obstacles that

seem insurmountable block your way. I have come to believe that God has given each

of us the power of choice, and one important choice is how to view moments of defeat.

By programming yourself to see these challenges as stepping stones to success, you will be able to

keep yourself free from the swamp of disillusion, depression, and despair.

The Power of a Playground

P A R T N E R S S P O T L I G H T

Much can be learned in play that will afterwards

be of use when the circumstances demand it.

– John Amos Comenius

School is in full swing at MorningStar’s K-12 school, Come-

nius School for Creative Leadership. We are off to a great

start. Yet, one thing is missing. We do not have an outdoor

playground for our children.

John Amos Comenius believed in the power of play for

developing young minds. Outdoor play areas have been

proven to increase attention, imagination, and motivation in

young children resulting in better retention and grades in

their classes. We need to raise approximately $10,000 to

create a safe place for our children to practice creative play

and use their imagination to build the kingdom of God. Your

gift of any amount can make a difference today.

We are inviting everyone to be a part of making

our school a more attractive, creative,

and life-giving place for our children

through this outdoor play area.

Together we can make a far-

reaching impact in the lives of

our children as they set out to

become the leaders of tomorrow.

You can give today by visiting

MStarPartners.org and specifying “Play-

ground” in the comments section, by

texting “PLAY” to 35-25-800-800, or

simply call us at (803) 547-8495.

Thank YOU for your investment in

the lives of our children!

In September we offered shelter

to over 400 Hurricane Dorian

evacuees from a Hilton Head

retirement community. The Morning-

Star volunteer army showed up in

force, with over 150 offering to

serve. Part of our goal at Morning-

Star is to help honor the fathers and

mothers and to minister to the 50+

population, so this effort was a

perfect fit for us.

It was a diverse group, with many

being in their 90’s, two were over

100, and one was a Holocaust

survivor. This was our third time

hosting this group, so many of

them feel like old friends.

Our guests had many positive

comments, especially about the

consistently kind, humble, and

helpful volunteers that made their

four-day stay with us comfortable

and enjoyable. Tom Conner, one of

the evacuees said, “This is my third

visit here in the last four years, and

it’s always been great. For myself

and my wife, it’s summer camp for

however long it takes.” Conner

continued, “We’re so well taken care

of. There’s not a lot to worry about.”

Several of our guests expressed

their admiration of the young people

who volunteered—students from our

Comenius School for Creative

Leadership (K-12 school) and

MorningStar University.

Because natural disasters create

unique physical and mental health

risks for older populations, we try to

make evacuations less stressful by

caring for our guests in a Christlike

HURRICANE DORIAN EVACUEES AT MORNINGSTAR

W H A T ’ S H A P P E N I N G A T M O R N I N G S T A R

NOVEMBER 2019 THE MORNINGSTAR JOURNAL 1 4

Lately, I have felt the Lord asking, “Where are your stones?” The Israelites set up twelve memorial stones after crossing the Jordan River, and there are multiple instances throughout the Bible where we see God’s

people creating memorials to remind them of His faithfulness. Even the children who didn’t live through the experience would know these places of remembrance because they were told the stories time after time.

In thinking about this, I quickly realized what the Lord was asking me: Where are my memorial stones? Where am I docu-menting the miracles of God in my life? Am I creating a legacy of these miracles for generations to come? There have been so many miracles in our lives, but in the chaos of life, I often neglect to get it all documented.

I recently read a book documenting the hand of God in the lives of Celtic Christians throughout the 4th, 5th, and 6th centuries. I was so stirred by the miracles they experienced that I couldn’t wait to share them with my family. I felt so grateful that someone had carefully documented these stories, and that they had survived across centuries! My faith was increased by their testimony.

As we enter this season of thanksgiving, I encourage you to set up your own memorials. Have you experienced miracles or healings? Have you seen your prayers answered? What are your very own God stories? Let’s take time to remember God’s faithfulness in our lives, and to thank Him for it.

Young Adults Pastor

The Power of a Playground

way that anticipates their needs

and desires.

None of this could have hap-

pened without faithful volun-

teers, and they were celebrated

at a volunteer appreciation

luncheon.

B Y B E T H L A N E Y

V I S I O N

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