Great Commission or Great Omission?

By Francis Frangipane

Jesus warned that there would be great deception in the end times. Humility, therefore, tells us that we should not presume our personal expression of Christianity is aligned perfectly with God's heart. How can we examine ourselves? We can measure the focus of our lives with the last great command of the Lord, called by Bible scholars the "Great Commission."

What is the Great Commission? These were the "marching orders" Jesus gave His apostles just before He ascended. In other words, this is what He desired His church to be focused on until He returned. He said,

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you"(Matthew 28:19-20).

One Purpose: Reveal the Fullness of Christ

By Francis Frangipane

The virtue of any institution is not so much in its doctrines or organization; rather, its virtue resides in the quality of person it produces.

A New and Fresh Anointing
Some of you have been struggling, not knowing what God has for you. You have been through a season in which the Lord has revealed your need of Him in very dramatic ways. Jesus Himself has been near to you; however, His closeness was not merely in the way of external blessings but in the way of His cross. Yet you have delighted in this, for the way of the cross has increasingly become the way of your life.

At the same time, many of your ideas and programs that once seemed compelling now seem weak and ineffectual. Even some of your favorite Christian themes, as well as church government in general, have been reduced to a simpler, purer definition of Christianity. You just want to know Jesus. Because this breaking has been God working in you, you are uplifted.

The Heartbeat of Destiny

By Francis Frangipane

The prophet Jeremiah had warned that, unless Israel repented, Jerusalem itself would be destroyed. And so it happened: King Nebuchadnezzar’s armies laid siege against Jerusalem. No food or supplies entered the city; Jerusalem eventually was utterly devastated. As the Lamentations of Jeremiah declare, the surviving Jews were carried off to captivity. It was one of the bleakest times in Israel’s history.

Yet, it is written that the Lord "does not take away life, but plans ways so that the banished one will not be cast out from him" (2 Sam. 14:14). Thus, even though the Jews went into exile, the Lord had already purposed to restore Israel. He said,

"'When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope’" (Jer. 29:10-11).

Is Your God Too Small?

By Francis Frangipane

Too many Christians serve a little, prepackaged god who, along with a hymnal and bulletin, was given to them at church years ago. Today, "little god" still sits in their minds, blocking their capacity to see the true God for who He is. "Little god" asks nothing of his followers except they try to be good, and he promises that everyone will go to heaven regardless of what they believe. Little god is harmless, nice and safe. Unfortunately, he is also an idol that dwells in the church and needs to be cleansed from our thought life.

The true God is bigger, more wonderful than all that we could possibly ask or think. He is quite likely to surprise us with His power and interrupt us with His plans. The real God is not satisfied that we have doctrines about Him; He desires we actually, personally know Him as He is.