Last week, New Creation Ministries International (NCMI) hosted a conference focused on “Christ and the Kingdom in Psalms and Proverbs” in Temecula, California. Mr. Ward Fenley, was the host speaker and there was a variety of other speakers such as Mrs. Kari Birks, Pastor Tony Gallop, Mr. Todd Williams, Pastor Michael Miano, Pastor Steve Salomon, and Ms. Wendy Birks. A blessed and insightful time it was.
In this blog, I desire to not only share links and pictures to help you be blessed and edified, but also to share some of the notes I took during the conference.
TODD WILLIAMS, Ps. 102; 22; 89; 145
(A New People) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXiOsLT5ioA
Kingdom – a realm associated with or regarded as being under the control of a particular person or thing. We are discussing the reign or authority of God. A reign that knows “no end” (cf. Luke 1:33; Ephesians 3:21). A king or kingdom must have servants.
Our kingdom talk is about the house-temple-kingdom of God and its transition from old to new. When we study through the transitions we find an old and new – temple, stones, city, Jerusalem, and mountain. “One promised life, one is life; one came with observation, one comes without”.
Psalm 102:18; Psalm 22:30-31; Psalm 89:3-4; Psalm 102:28
Old = Exodus 19:6 New = 1 Peter 2:19
Psalm 90 declares the Lord is our dwelling place.
WARD FENLEY, Ps. 69 (Pt. 1)
(The Thoughts of Jesus in the Psalms) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvodDNl11ac
Two cautions – be aware of the “unfulfilled Kingdom approach” when reading Scriptures and keeping us waiting or expecting things we already have (ex., praying the Lord’s Prayer) and the approach of discarding things that have been provided for us in the Kingdom (ex., “Israel-Only view).
Social action needs sound theology.
The goal of our theology: joy, gratitude, developing a heart of study, to love more
Thy Kingdom came – Matthew 3:2; 4:17; Colossians 1:13
Luke 24:25-27, 44-17 – “God has the best hermeneutics”; “God is a God who reveals”.
Romans 15:8-12; Acts 13:32-35
When we examine Psalms we are looking for who He is and what He does. In relation to the anticipated Kingdom:
– Pharasaic motifs (wicked, enemies)
– Kingdom prophetic elements and motifs
– Tongues motifs
– The humanity of Christ (“We must acknowledge Christ’s humanity to better express His kingdom on earth”)
Psalm 69 (and other correlating Psalms) – Ward mentioned “reading with a new paradigm”.
v. 4 cf. John 15:25
v. 21 cf. Matthew 27:34
v. 22-23 cf. Romans 11:9-10
cf. Jeremiah 30:9; Ezekiel 34:23-24
“We are in a beautiful place (Kingdom of God), but it doesn’t always feel like it”.
TONY GALLOP, Ps. 63 (Pt. 1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzXhmm3CTTg
We must discern “things that are seen” (types and shadows) with things that are “not seen” (Spiritual).
Proverbs 2 – “searching for Wisdom”; “Through our searching He reveals Wisdom to us”.
Romans 1:18; 2 Corinthians 4:8 – We learn and discern and “covenant creation”; the Scriptures detail the beginning and the end of the Old Covenant tabernacle system; the Levitical priesthood to be a type and shadow of Christ in us.
Psalm 63
v. 2 – – Tony challenged us, “What did he (David) see in the Sanctuary?”
– Brief review of Levitical priesthood in Leviticus chapters 8-9.
– “wilderness talk”; When was the Lord in the wilderness of Judea? Satan wanted to see a sign. Who in that generation wanted to see a sign? Who is this Satan being destroyed?
– David saw, “the fire and sacrifice consumed” (accepted!)
MICHAEL MIANO, Ps. 37
(The Perfect Man) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHY5mCIh7N0
(No notes available; Please write and share your own)
STEVE SALOMON, Ps. 23
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clPpSjKXTOs
“Learning to rest and just be”.
Matthew 11:28-30
“Nothing refreshed my soul more than growing in my understanding of God’s kingdom established by grace…and resting in it with no but’s attached”.
Colossians 2:8-10
“…you have been given fullness in Christ”.
Cf. 1 Corinthians 2:2; Hebrews 13:9; 1 John 4:10-13; 1 Corinthians 15:54-57
“Sometimes I feel like an afterlife agnostic”.
KARI BIRKS, Ps. 21
(Life NOW in His Kingdom) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9jn6c250VY
Kari provided the written outline for her presentation which you can read through at the following link, https://www.facebook.com/notes/kari-birks/life-now-in-his-kingdom-ncmi-conference-talk/2793706774035323/
Psalm 21:2 cf. Psalm 16:11
Kari mentioned being blessed by Jeff McCormack’s message at Berean Bible Church this past April on humility and insights from Margaret Barker on John 17:19. “Margaret Barker, Hebrew & Greek scholar, has suggested that v. 19 is better translated as Jesus saying, “For their (the disciples) sake, I make myself holy, that they themselves also may become divine.” Participation in the divine. What did Peter mean when he said, “For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.?” What does it look like for us to be partakers in the divine nature? Brothers & sisters, we are so much more than we perceive ourselves to be. We need to meditate upon these things and see Christ’s prayer answered in our individual lives where He asked the Father to “sanctify them and us in the truth.” Who are you in truth? This thread of thought explodes with even more clarity as Jesus continues His requests to the Father.”
“I submit to you, we are where He is”.
Psalm 21:3 cf. Hebrews 9:11
Inaccurate Eschatology causes us to: Wait for a King, who already reigns, Wait for a kingdom, we’re already in, Wait to become, what we already are, Wait for power, that we already have, Wait for an Age, that we’re already in, Wait for victory, that has already been won, Wait to do, what we should already be doing.” – Nathan Edward Camacho
WENDY BIRKS, Ps. 110
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcPcnYWdYP0
Wendy focused us in on the various ways to approach the text – divine (prophetic text), David’s struggles, and personal. She highlighted correlations to Eve in the Garden of Eden and the Melchizedek priesthood.
She created a contrast between the ways the ancients viewed the gods (angry) and their necessary appeasement versus the Biblical view of God, a loving, welcoming, fellowship based God.
Wendy mentioned a resource, Kingdom of Priests by Eugene Merill. Here is a link to that resource, https://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Priests-History-Testament-Israel/dp/0801031990
In Scripture, “God seems to do something better than He did before”.
Wendy gave ideas pertaining to the ‘bene Elohim’ in regards to other gods. Seems to be in line with the Divine Heavenly Council view – “little g gods”.
Wendy seemed to believe some can claim “Jewish heritage” today, and highlighted that the “nations coming in is speaking to us”. This seemed to be a Dispensational view and future discussions should be had in that regard.
Hebrews 1:8 – “upright”
– make just
– to do or accomplish something without delay
TONY GALLOP, Ps. 63 continued
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mCIsgRWab8
- Our God is a consuming fire.
4:24/ John 4:24
Throughout the Biblical story, God worked through wicked men to accomplish His purpose.
Remember Leviticus chapters 8-9 (from previous message), “The fire on the altar was to burn continually”. In Solomon’s temple the fire was re-ignited. Today, in an application manner, we are involved in keeping that fire burning. “The 1st century was the beginning of offering up Spiritual sacrifices”.
Jesus was to baptize with “fire and Spirit”. The burning up of the wheat and the chaff was Jesus’s work in His people. Cf. Romans 15:16; Acts 2:1; Malachi 3:2; Jeremiah 3:29. Christ is the High Priest always keeping the fire lit.
“We are nothing (chaff) all good (wheat) comes from Him!”
MICHAEL MIANO, Proverbs 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Dj5XKBu-7E&t=29s
(No notes available; Please write and share your own)
WARD FENLEY, Ps. 69 continued
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DHxIBT8nTQ
Define text, context, and intertext
Psalms 69:1-3 cf. Psalms 40:1-3; 6:6-8; 109:25: 51; 102; 147:12-13; 90:16-17; 91:14; 22:6-8; 31:11; 41:9; 55:12-14; 27:9; 31:5; 71:23; 142:4; 40:17; 14:34; 109:22; 38:8-9; 96:11; 98:7-8;
“Christ first experienced whatever you have in Him”.
“Personification and Solidarity”
Hebrews 10; Lamentations 1
Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:15; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Isaiah 53:3
“Be acquainted with His humanity because He was very much acquainted with yours”.
Isaiah 32:17-18 – “The work of righteousness”.
Quietness and confidence; nature should remind of us the beauty we possess in Christ.
“When I am grateful I am less anxious”.
Our sacrifice in Him – Hosea 14:2; Hebrews 13:15; Psalm 69:30-31
Further study – go through the Psalms and mark out studies on “enemies”, “reproach”, “wait for the Lord”. And read these with a Messianic focus.
