Righteousness, Peace and Joy!

The City Current... "speaking a word in season"

ARISE SHINE IN 2009

Isa 60:1  Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.

The Lord had begun to speak in my heart in December 2008 for the upcoming 2009 season, and in our Sunday morning meeting on December 21^st I was led by the Lord to speak a prelude message to the 2009 prophetic theme that we would conclude the following Sunday, the 28^th of December. The title of the word on the 21^st was “THE PEOPLE THAT WALKED IN DARKNESS HAVE SEEN A GREAT LIGHT”. Now on the following Sunday morning the 28^th we arrived at our church building to find it completely dark, for the night before there had been a great wind that had caused damage to the local area electrical grids and many homes and businesses were without power. Nevertheless we all persevered and conducted our meeting anyways, huddling together in our café. We had all found the irony funny and yet we realised right away that the Lord had used those circumstances as a platform to direct our attention upon His Word to us for 2009.

Isa 9:2  The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

Acts 22:1  Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you.

Acts 22:2  (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)

Acts 22:3  I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.

Acts 22:4  And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.

Acts 22:5  As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.

Acts 22:6  And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.

Acts 22:7  And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

Acts 22:8  And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

Acts 22:9  And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.

Acts 26:13  At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.

Acts 26:14  And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

Acts 26:15  And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.

Acts 26:16  But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;

Acts 26:17  Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,

Acts 26:18  To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Paul was the one sent by Jesus as the Apostle to the Gentiles and therefore today, unless we were born a natural Jew, he remains our Apostle also. That being the truth, then none of us have any right to just make up our own doctrines and religions and call it of God. For it was Paul to whom our Lord Jesus spoke, and it is noteworthy that the others travelling with him indeed saw the light but they heard not the voice of Him that spoke with Paul. It is also true today that many have seen the Light but have not yet really heard the Voice of Him Who speaks, because the Voice speaking today is the same Voice that spoke with Paul then. What the Voice of Jesus spoke then is the same word He speaks today. Nothing has changed. So if we are truly going to hear His Voice today then we must hear the word that our Lord Jesus personally revealed to the Apostle Whom He had sent, and that is Paul.

We all need to go back to the foundation of the Word of God. We all need to hear the Voice that Apostle Paul heard. To do so we need to go back to the foundation of the church, that being the Apostles and Prophets with Jesus Christ Himself as the chief cornerstone. We need to go back to our future to be able to hear and to see clearly, to be able to follow our predetermined path and to find our destiny that is already laid before us in Christ.

1 Cor 3:10  According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

1 Cor 3:11  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Eph 2:20  And are built upon the foundation of the (12) apostles (of the Lamb) and (the old covenant) prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

Look at these verses that Apostle Paul wrote of himself declaring that he was made a minister and the purpose to why he was.

Col 1:25  Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;

Col 1:26  Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Col 1:28  Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

He affirmed that he was made a minister (by Jesus), and given a dispensation (the stewardship) of the gospel to give to us to fulfill the word of God, even the mystery, which is the preaching of Christ in you the hope of glory that every man may be presented perfect in Christ Jesus. That was the word revealed to Paul by Jesus and is the only word to preach today if we are going to preach and teach the gospel of Christ in its fullness and according to apostolic tradition.

Apostle Paul further substantiates this word in these verses…

2 Cor 4:6  For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

2 Cor 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

Is it not wonderful to understand that God has commanded the light to shine out of us? It really is Christ in us the hope of glory. The light of the glory of God (the explanation and the exhibition of the life of Christ) will shine forth out of His sons and daughters, for we have this treasure within these earthen vessels of ours.

Remember that Jesus had said that, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world”? Well, He is no longer in the world, but we are. We are, and His church now is, the light of the world!

Apostle Paul wrote…

Eph 5:8  For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

And again, our Lord Jesus said…

Mat 5:14  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Mat 5:15  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

Mat 5:16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. Now we are the light of the world and His church is that Holy city that has come down from God out of heaven and is situated on a great and high mountain, even the mountain of the Lord, and she is the Lamb’s wife, she has the glory of God and her light is most precious. So “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven”.

THE PROPHETIC WORD FOR 2009: 

Isa 60:1  Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.

Isa 60:2  For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

Isa 60:3  And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

Isa 60:4  Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.

Isa 60:5  Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance (many) of the sea (of humanity) shall be converted unto thee, the forces (resources) of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

Isa 60:6  The multitude of camels (servants) shall cover thee, the dromedaries (young camels; servants) of Midian (come out of contention, discord and strife) and Ephah (born of Midian; those born under the system of religious law and legalism which is the cause of contention, discord and strife in their lives); all they from Sheba (people of covenant) shall come: they shall bring gold (gold of the Spirit; the nature of Christ) and incense (an intercessory and king/priestly presence); and they shall show forth the praises of the LORD.

Isa 60:7  All the flocks of Kedar (those marked by the Lord, who mourn over their own condition and of Zion’s) shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams (mighty men of strength and support) of Nebaioth (of the word; causing fruit, flourishing, increase and cheer) shall minister (wait on, and contribute) unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory.

ARISE, SHINE IN 2009!

Hag 1:2 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD'S house should be built.

Hag 1:3 Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,

Hag 1:4 Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste?

Hag 1:5 Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.

Hag 1:6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.

Hag 1:7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.

Hag 1:8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.

It is time to build up the House of the Lord in the Spirit and also in the natural that He may be glorified. Let nothing or no one restrain you, not even this world's recession, for there is no recession in the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom is not subject to this world's system, but the world is subject to the Kingdom. We are in this world but yet not of this world and therefore neither we nor our finances are subject to this world's recession. My God shall supply all of your need according to His riches in glory, by Christ Jesus. Do not hold back from sowing your seed. Honour the Lord with all of your tithes and offerings. Do not let your hearts be afraid, but be full of faith and good works. Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice!

Walking in the Light with you,

Apostle Gary S. Brooks