subscribe to this Newsletter Loving God From the Heart (See Chapter 18 in Releasing Kings) "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart...  Matt 22:36-37 NIV   The Schoolmaster - One of the themes that undergird a Kingly lifestyle is a willingness to pursue your heart’s desire. Most of us have been raised in a system that emphasized obedience without even suggesting that our heart’s desire could line up with the will of God. Obedience can be the school master that leads us to Christ as part of our maturing process. You just have to graduate to relationship someday. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith Gal 3:24  KJV I used to have it in my head that my willingness to obey God and override my own desires was the essence of spiritual maturity and love for God. I even had a verse to prove my obedience demonstrated love for God. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me… John 14:21  NIV I prided myself in shutting down the desires of my own heart and obeying God. Now, I’m pretty hard-headed so it took the Lord some time to get me straightened out. Let me share two more examples. #1 - I received a newsletter this morning noting that people get more excited at football games than they do at church… Why aren’t people more excited about church? Often obedience is an obligation we feel pleases God; something we don’t really enjoy. Worse yet, we have no expectation that we can or should enjoy our relationship with God or the things we're called to do. Sadly, obedience often defines the way we relate to God. (I’m not blanketing all churches with this analogy; many people love their churches and go because they want to). #2 - One congregation in our area was getting large and somewhat impersonal although it was growing and people loved the pastor. They decided to emphasize home groups and made them a requirement for membership. Now the church is still growing and the members attend home groups. However, when they took a recent poll about whether the people wanted home groups, 90% said they would prefer not to go. Instead they just wanted the Sunday service. Here’s my point – On the surface everyone is going to home groups and the church is growing; but the foundation is based on a steady diet of obedience to the rule; “membership requires attendance.” Think there might be a turnover tendency? Serving Lovers, not Loving Servants - Here’s the essence of spiritual maturity. Kings are serving lovers, not loving servants. Nobody can make themselves stay on the treadmill of obedience forever. If you don’t arrive at something that touches your heart’s desire, you’ll eventually quit. Here’s the exciting truth. God himself really is the fulfillment of our deepest heart’s desire. Most of us still strain that statement through our servant theology to love God out of obedience – after all it’s the first commandment! Exploring the depths of Jesus is the “life” best described as finding joy and pleasures forevermore. Listen to David. You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Ps 16:11  NKJV God, A Hard Man? - David went on to describe his relationship with God as drinking from “your river of delights.” (Ps 36:7-9) The servant / poverty mentality tends to paint God as a hard task master who exacts a fear-induced compliance with his written code. Listen to the theology of the servant that buried his talent. 24 "Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'  Matt 25:24-25  NIV God "Relates" through our Hearts - It’s one thing to bury your talent. Many do. What’s more tragic is why people choose to bury their initiative; it’s because they believe God is a hard man that takes instead of gives. The truth is that God delights in relationship, not just obedience. And, he “relates” to us through the desires of our heart not through a list of rules. He delights in blessing His children and the natural result is that we delight in blessing others. It’s such a good thing, who could help but want to share it and get excited about it? Here’s what the servant missed. God wants to delight your heart. He really is that “personal,” that “fatherly,” and that "generous." His goal is to raise up an army of believers that are not afraid to ask… not afraid to multiply…not afraid to experience the joy of answered prayer. 23 "And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.  24 Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.  John 16:23-24 NKJV These are the last words of David… Will he not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire?  NIV  2 Sam 23:1-5 Living words that continually proceed - God is graduating servants to lovers in this hour. Don't despise your tour of "duty" through the obedience phase. That's how we learn to get to the real thing. Those static rules never did bring life to anyone. It's "living words" that bring life to our hearts. 3 He put you through hard times. He made you go hungry. Then he fed you with manna, something neither you nor your parents knew anything about, so you would learn that men and women don't live by bread only; we live by every word that comes from GOD's mouth. 4 Your clothes didn't wear out and your feet didn't blister those forty years. 5 You learned deep in your heart that GOD disciplines you in the same ways a father disciplines his child. Deut 8:3-5  Message 4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' Matt 4:4 NIV 38 He was in the assembly in the desert, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers; and he received living words to pass on to us. Acts 7:38  NIV Want to Fall in Love? - Approach God as someone who loves you and wants to talk to you. He's not a hard man with a list of rules. The Holy Spirit will thrill your heart with living words and it will become an exciting way of "life"... an adventure that starts with love and carries you on to ministry, prosperity, and a cup that runs over enough to contribute your part to blessing the nations.    Life is an adventure. People are a blessing. God is amazing. We're winning.   Love, John & Harold     (are dancing - Join us) New Book - Our goal in Releasing Kings was to articulate theological basis for Marketplace ministry such that people naturally mature toward being more entrepreneurial and more generous. Harold has continued that theme in a new book that I really enjoyed. This book is a brief explanation of Resurrection-based Christianity entitled Jesus Came Out of the Tomb, So Can You. It also appears on our Recommendations Page. There are four other books that tie closely to the chapters in Part 2 of Releasing Kings that are all worth while. 4 No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married. 5 As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.  Isa 62:4-5 www.releasing-kings.com Conferences - The Last trip to the Netherlands was a real eye-opener! I greatly underestimated the value of our book, the impact of the message on individual lives, and the value of live conferences. I witnessed the power of God being unleashed in the hearts of men and women by simply explaining the theology and experience behind releasing their heart's desire to expand the Kingdom. Seeing the lights come up in the hearts of God's people feels like sponsoring a jailbreak. One of my goals is to equip others to help us share the message in conference formats before we get overwhelmed with the momentum of what God is about to do. If your church or organization is ready, we can help you start a fire... a big one! Send us your feedback! johnsue@clearwire.com We get blessed by your emails at "You Wrote Back"  Past newsletters are now Indexed to Chapters in Releasing Kings! Newsletters associated with chapter 12 relate to this week's theme    _____________________________________________________________________ Interested in your own WEB? We've posted information on the software we use to create this web site. If you survive the learning curve without losing your sanctification (mine is barely intact), it really is easy to use and the cost is $299 a year - much less expensive than hiring someone. The primary benefit is the ease of making your own changes. Additional info is at: http://www.releasing-kings.com/releasing-websites.html     Progress - Kingly Bio's are Up We've completed the first round of interviews with Kings.  These are real people that have been blessed by God in the Market Place and have hearts for ministry.  Check it out at http://www.releasing-kings.com/Interviewing-Kings.html.  If you have a success story, we'd like to post it by giving you a web page on our site.     Progress - A Teacher's Guide We've completed the first version of a study guide that targets those teaching the material in Releasing Kings.  It includes a page of notes on each chapter, all the graphics suitable to make overheads, and a PDF file of the book with the key points highlighted that includes marginal notes, comments, and questions.  This material is available for purchase on the teacher's guide page of the web. johnsue@clearwire.com 509-308-6873     Friends Tell Friends God has given us a great tool to communicate a message that sets people free in an amazing, contagious, life-changing way.  If you haven't read it - get it.  If you have read it - give it.  http://www.releasing-kings.com/Ordernow.html   We've gotten a ton of positive feedback on the newsletter too... get it, give it.  Reloading Seniors was powerful.  Pass the link on. http://www.releasing-kings.com/Newsletter.html   PS: don't forget to look at the free reports - show your pastor the article on marketplace ministry from the pastor's perspective.  You can simply email him this link or print a copy to give him. http://releasing-kings.com/pastors-perspective.html     ____________________________________________________________________ You can get your copy of Releasing Kings for Ministry in the Marketplace at 1-800-308-5837 (or) http://www.releasing-kings.com/Ordernow.html