Monday, April 18, 2016

Going After the Lost Sheep: My Passion for the Lukewarm & Prophetic Kingdom Keys

Seeking the Lukewarm


Hey everyone, it's Conrad here from ConradRocks.net! You know, I've been feeling this fire in my spirit lately, and it's just bursting to get out. I've gotten addicted to sharing on Facebook live, and today, I want to dive into something that’s been weighing heavily on my heart: the importance of actively seeking out the lost sheep, not just within the church walls, but out in the highways and byways where the real spiritual battles are being fought.

I’m fired up to share some thoughts, revelations, and experiences with you that I believe are crucial for anyone who's serious about their faith. I've watched too many people recently fall away, and it’s fueled a renewed passion in me. I’m not here just for those who are already "in the fold." My heart breaks for the lukewarm. I'm compelled to share this because I believe it's a key aspect of our spiritual walk as followers of Jesus. We are not meant to stay comfortable within our church buildings, we are meant to be the hands and feet of Jesus out in the world.

The Urgency of Seeking the Lost

I was particularly moved this morning after watching a video from Gary Nesbitt where he was ministering in the streets and saw a man get healed! It just clicked for me: this is what it’s all about! We're not here to sit on the sidelines; we're here to be active participants in God's kingdom. When you actually minister to someone and they experience a genuine, supernatural shift – a healing, a prophetic word, something that removes the "rocks" of past hurts and disappointments – you realize that it's a sin not to. It’s not a chore, it's a calling. It’s where the supernatural power of Jesus is shown.

When we step out in faith and sow the word, God gives the seed the ear, and it takes root. When miracles follow, that is when those ‘rocks’ of doubt, church hurt, and unforgiveness start to crumble. The lost recognize that Jesus is way more than just rules! It's real, it's tangible, and it's transformative. I remember when we went to the VA hospital, the power of God was so present that two people were instantly healed! This is the Jesus I want to share with the world. This isn’t a stagnant religion, it’s a living, breathing relationship with the Lord.

Time To Let God Out Of The Box

This all started brewing in my spirit when I heard a sermon by David Smithey, who talked about how we focus on the veil being ripped so we have access to God, but it’s time to flip the script, it's time to let God out of the box. Let Him move out of the church building, let him go into the streets and change lives. That’s what the Holy Spirit said to me: "Time to go from call to commission!” We need to take Jesus to the streets and go after the lost sheep of the house of Israel!

Ministering to the Lukewarm: More Than Just Words

The reality is, many people say they’re Christians. We hear "Jesus is Lord" a lot. But there’s a difference between lip service and a genuine heart for Jesus. My passion is for the lukewarm. These are the folks who have a passing knowledge of Jesus but are not truly living for Him. When we meet people out on the streets, many will say they’re Christian, but they need the truth, they need to go back to that first love! Then they discover that God isn't just a set of rules or a church service they check off each week. It’s a genuine relationship. This is how revival happens, by showing people a real, dynamic, and miraculous God.

The Call, the Commission and the Disciplined Few

Many are called, but few are chosen. What does that mean? Many feel the call to greatness, to do something for God, but then they get lost in the noise. Many feel a 'call' – a tug on their heart towards something meaningful. But answering that call also requires receiving a 'commission,' a specific charge or task. And to truly fulfill that call and commission, there needs to be a period of discipleship. You need to be trained and equipped to reach the end goal.  

We can be like someone feeling the call to be a Super Bowl winning quarterback at age five, but only a few put in the work, and that’s what it means to be chosen. You need to have mentors who have done it, not someone who has been watching from the sidelines. To be a disciple is to learn from those who have been successful.

Dealing with the Fallen Away

Recently, I’ve seen many people I know fall away from their faith. It breaks my heart, and I refuse to be a hypocrite about it. I make a point of contacting these people directly, you know, I’ll reach out with a message on Facebook to see how their relationship with Jesus is doing. It's essential to actively pursue the lost sheep; ignoring those who have fallen away is not an option. Too often, I hear stories of people going through tough times—divorce, for example—and feeling abandoned by the church because they’re not seen inside the four walls. We have to break the paradigm that people need to be inside a building to reach them. They need the body of Christ outside on the streets just as much, if not more, than they do inside.

More Than Just Sunday Service

Sometimes, I will be gone for a few weeks ministering, and people are like “oh I haven’t seen you in church”. I find that funny, since they haven’t seen me out ministering either. Going to church on Sunday is important, but it's not the whole picture. We’re called to be the body of Christ and to glue that body together, not just on Sundays, but every single day of the week, and every opportunity that we have.

The Importance of a Biblical Foundation

There’s a lot of teaching out there from books about the Bible, not the Bible itself. I’m convinced that 95% of our spiritual input should come directly from scripture, not just the comfortable parts. When we only take the "icing off the cake," we miss the whole point, we miss the core of the matter. Reading and immersing yourself in God's word is the best form of self-defense against false doctrine. I mean, we can't just focus on the New Testament and forget the Old. It's the same God; we have a better covenant, yes, but we need to understand who He is in His fullness.

Kingdom Keys for the Lukewarm

When we go out to minister, it’s interesting: everyone claims to be a Christian! But then we need to start using kingdom keys. We start with the basics and then see what they are missing: Are they harboring unforgiveness? Is there sexual sin? Are they dishonoring their parents? We need to seek first the Kingdom of Heaven, and it’s ways, His righteousness, before we can move on to the rest. Many people are in their carnal mind so we ask the Holy Spirit to show them and when that happens, their face changes. They understand: God is Spirit, and those that worship Him must do so in spirit and in truth. It's more than just a set of rules. It's about abiding in the vine.

The Word and the Spirit

I often ask myself, what are we supposed to do when someone stops going to church? At the very least, send them a message! But I’ve also seen some people just completely go right back into the world. How does that happen with this “once saved always saved” doctrine? We need to start going deeper! We need to understand that when we’re truly in the presence of Jesus, we are meant to chew on His word. In the same way that the multitudes came to Jesus but were not “hearing” him, he spoke to them in parables, leaving it to those closest to him to understand what was being said. You know, that's how the relationship with the Spirit works. When you're serious about seeking God, you're on your knees, and the word becomes alive! That’s when the Spirit touches it and you "get it!" It’s when the Spirit and the Word agree. And the Sword of the Spirit is the word. When the Spirit wields it, you have true power. That’s why you need a relationship with the Spirit of God! Jesus says those who worship Him must do so in Spirit and truth!

This is the power of combining the Spirit and the Word! You know, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. He spoke, and Jesus is the Word. We read that Jesus created everything! Without Him, nothing was created. Everything was created by the Word! So, when Jesus spoke parables, it's God speaking through the Word. In the same way, when God spoke, that came from His Spirit, it was pneuma. It was like the wind of life which animated Adam from dead clay! We need to have the word and the Spirit to come into agreement for creation! And when you meditate on the word, it’s like the salmon swimming back to God, we are going up! When we take God seriously and we are diligently seeking Him, then we understand that God rewards those who are seeking Him!

Kingdom Keys and Snare of the Devil

We’ve got kingdom keys. We can minister to those who know the word but need to feel the Spirit. There’s a great passage in 2 Timothy 2.25 where we are called to instruct those who oppose themselves in meekness, and if God will grant them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth. God will show them the kingdom key that they are missing in their lives! He will show them how their vertical alignment with God is off and how their horizontal relationship with others needs to be fixed through forgiveness! They must be shown how they are in prison from their own doing.

They are taken captive by the devil at his will. But once they have the key, they are able to open the gate and walk out of prison, themselves. We all know the verse, they overcome by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony! We stand on the Word of God during trials and that turns into our testimony, and then we can defeat the devil! And because of that fact, the gates of hell shall not prevail, because Jesus is the Christ.

The Process of Sin and Sanctification

So let’s talk about that for a second: how do we get into that prison in the first place? It happens through our sins, you see, when you first do a sin, you develop what’s called an iniquity. You don't like the first taste of a beer, you didn’t like the first cigarette you had. But when you start doing that thing over and over, the sin turns to an iniquity which grants permission for demons to mess with you. This is where peer pressure comes into play, and that’s when you callous yourself to the truth. Then someone has to come along with a Kingdom key and a revelation for you to get out of that snare of the devil! Submit yourself therefore to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you!

But there’s a process. The author of James also spoke of this in James 4.7 where you submit yourself to God then you resist the devil. Submit means to come under the mission of God. If you’re not doing God things, then you’re not submitting to Him! What is the Spirit leading you to do? I’m sure it’s not watching 150 hours of TV a week, or a month which is what the average American is doing.

And James 4.8 says, “Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you.” It's like the prodigal son, he knew the truth! He knew that it was better at the Father's house! He was heading back to the Father and when he turned from his wicked ways, the Father drew closer to him.

Then we see an echo from Psalms which asks, “who shall ascend to the mountain of the Most High God?” And the answer is, those with clean hands and a pure heart! And then in James, he echoes, cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded. This double mindedness is exactly like the scripture in Timothy talking about those that oppose themselves, of two minds, serving two masters! When we marry these scriptures together and we meditate on them, then the Lord will do a mighty work in our life.

Practical Application

So, what do we do? How do we live this? We have to go after the lost sheep. When we give a kingdom key to a lost sheep, and once they have it, they’ll know the truth and the truth will set them free. But they’ll also have to cleanse their hands and purify their hearts. As Jesus talks about it, in the sermon on the mount where we are to pluck our eyes out if they cause us to sin, or cut our hands off, we must realize this as a physical example of the spiritual principle where sin starts with the eye, moves to the mind, down to the heart, and then the hand follows suit.

We are meant to do this! We are not meant to look at those things that cause us to sin. We need to come into submission with God and then He will do a mighty work in our life. We need to take back the streets for the kingdom of God. America is going to hell!

Remember today, go after the lost sheep of the House of Israel! Go after them! I've realized that if I don't do it, there’s a high chance no one else will. We can take back America one street at a time. That is why PrayIsOne.org is so important. Pray for your neighbors, pray with your neighbors, and sow the Spirit of God over your streets!

If this has helped you, please be sure to rate, comment and share this. That really helps me in the rankings.

God bless you all! Until we meet again, dig deeper and go higher!


Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Curtis Petrey - Eternity in Their Hearts


Curtis went to be with Jesus on April 7th, 2016.  Susan converted many of his sermons to mp3.

They are available for download at:

http://curtispetrey.blogspot.com

I am posting a few as a tribute.
This is one of Nancy Petrey's Favorites
"Eternity in Their Hearts"


Listen to my podcast

Monday, April 11, 2016

Remembering Curtis Petrey: A Legacy of Supernatural Faith and the Power of Jesus

Curtis Petrey: Supernatural Legacy of Faith


Hey everyone, Conrad here from ConradRocks.Net! It's with a mix of sadness and immense gratitude that I'm writing this post today. We recently lost a truly remarkable man, Curtis Petrey, who went to be with Jesus on April 7th. Curtis wasn't just a preacher; he was a force of nature, a powerful voice for the Gospel, and a dear friend. I've had the privilege of knowing him, and it was an absolute honor to be part of his extended family. His passion for the supernatural power of God and his unwavering faith in Jesus have left an indelible mark on my life, and I know, on countless others. Today, I want to share a little about Curtis' legacy and one of his powerful sermons, "No Such Thing as a Hopeless Case." It’s a message that speaks to the very heart of faith and the transformative power of spiritual encounters with the divine.

The Legacy of Curtis Petrey

Curtis was a man who understood the prophetic call of God on his life. He wasn’t just relaying scripture; he was living it. Susan has been working tirelessly to convert his massive collection of audio cassette sermons into MP3 format. I’ve been helping her with the process, and we now have over 300 of his sermons available for download at Words of Wisdom. I urge you to check them out; you can find the link wherever you hear this podcast. They are an incredible resource of faith, packed with wisdom and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. To honor Curtis, I want to dive into one of my favorites: “No Such Thing as a Hopeless Case.”

"No Such Thing as a Hopeless Case": Exploring Mark 5

Let's open our Bibles together, friends, to Mark chapter 5. This powerful story is the foundation of Curtis’s message, and it truly encapsulates the supernatural power of Jesus. We begin with verse 1: “Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him a man out of the tombs with an unclean spirit..." (Mark 5:1-2)

This is where Curtis begins to paint a vivid picture of a man totally out of control. The man in this story was demon-possessed, dwelling among the tombs, and so strong that chains couldn’t restrain him. Curtis emphasizes the man's utter hopelessness, "totally completely out of his mind...demon possessed." He points out, “Nobody went near that mountain when that guy was out ranting and raving and hollering and carrying on.” The man's situation was bleak. Yet, in the midst of his brokenness, something remarkable happens.

The Power of Encountering Jesus

Here’s a key point Curtis makes that stuck with me: "When he saw Jesus from a distance, he didn't have to wait for Jesus to get that of where he was." Even in his chaotic state, something within him recognized Jesus. The demonic forces, with all their strength, couldn’t stop the man from running to Jesus. This is such a powerful picture of the drawing power of Jesus. As Curtis eloquently puts it, "There's nothing in this universe powerful enough to keep anybody from Jesus."

What does the man do when he gets to Jesus? He falls on his knees and worships. Curtis highlights that the "spirit in him knew the spirit of Jesus, and the spirit in him connected with the spirit in Jesus." There’s an instant recognition, a deep spiritual connection. It’s an incredible reminder that no matter how far someone might stray, that deep part of them, their spirit, still recognizes its Creator. It’s in that moment that we witness the transformative power of Jesus, an encounter that is not just religious but profoundly supernatural.

Jesus Meets the Need

Curtis often said, “When Jesus shows up, He shows up to meet the need.” And that is exactly what happens here. Jesus doesn’t hesitate; He meets the man right where he is. The man's most obvious need is for deliverance, but Curtis points out that "the people came out, and they found the man who had been demon-possessed, clothed and in his right mind." Jesus met the immediate and long-term needs of the demoniac, providing both deliverance and restoration.

Curtis then says “Every time Jesus showed up, miracles happened, and needs were met.” He emphasizes, "Never once in the Bible will you show me a verse where Jesus went to any situation and to any person and said, ‘I can't handle this.’" This statement is so important for us to grasp; Jesus never fails, and there is nothing impossible for him to handle. It’s a message of hope that transcends circumstances.

Reaction to the Supernatural

Curtis does not shy away from reactions of those who witnessed the miracle. Instead of celebrating the man’s healing, they became fearful and asked Jesus to leave! Curtis remarks, "If you ever really have an encounter with Jesus, you've got two choices: you can get excited or get upset, but you're going to do one or the other.” It’s a very insightful comment and it reminds us that sometimes people will reject the work of God because they don’t understand it or fear the change.

The Power of Testimony

Despite being asked to leave, Jesus commissioned the healed man to stay and share his testimony, “Go home to your friends, and tell them the great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had compassion on you." (Mark 5:19) This is a powerful model for us as Christians. It wasn’t a fancy sermon, or a complex theological debate; it was a genuine account of what Jesus had done for him.

Curtis beautifully explains, "I want you to go to this whole area, and tell everyone. Don’t preach, don’t teach, just tell them what I did for you. Go and give your testimony to my power to change a life." And the Bible tells us the man did it. He went to the ten cities and shared what Jesus had done, and "everywhere he went, it said men marvelled." Curtis highlights, "who would have picked the gadarene demoniac to be the evangelist for the ten cities? Only Jesus!" It highlights the point that God uses anyone. The message is clear: God can use anybody.

Personal Reflections and Modern Miracles

What resonated with me when listening to this was the simplicity of faith and the power of a genuine encounter with God. Curtis lived this. He shared real-life stories of incredible transformations, such as the Muslim man who was radically converted. He gave his testimony, and then he became a pastor. He also recounted the story of a man who was healed of a severely broken foot after prayer, a situation that doctors said had no hope of recovery. Both are incredible displays of God's supernatural power at work.

These weren’t just Bible stories; these were real-life examples of the spiritual power of God in our world today. And Curtis himself is proof that miracles happen. He shared a very personal story about being given only a couple of months to live by doctors. He said, "in February two of the best cardiologists in this state gave me two months to live...I went back to my doctor in May, and when walking in his office, he said, you're not supposed to be doing as good as you are... I said, 'one word answer, Jesus.'" He then stated that, “God is still in the human business, and God is still Lord."

The Testimony of George Marsh

Curtis went on to share the story of George Marsh, who had a profound impact on his life. George’s father was an atheist doctor who abandoned his family. However, a new preacher in town made it his mission to reach Mr. Marsh. After countless rejections, Mr. Marsh eventually experienced a life-altering encounter with Jesus. He walked into church one day, and “walked down to the altar,” Curtis explained. George was not only converted but later became a powerful pastor, who had a huge impact on Curtis.

Curtis' sharing of George Marsh’s story emphasizes that you should “never give up on anybody...greater is He! Don’t give up on them, you pray... God’s amazing grace is not stopped! God help us! It's not just be a hymn we sing but a life we live." Curtis’ testimony reinforces that with God, there's always hope, no matter how dire the situation might seem. It’s a lesson I hold dear to my heart, and something I always want to remember to tell others. It reiterates the prophetic truth that God’s power is boundless.

Biblical Basis: The Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever

Curtis frequently referred to Hebrews 13:8, reminding us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. This foundational verse emphasizes that the supernatural power of God displayed in the Bible is still available to us today. It is not history, but present reality. Curtis wasn't just talking about religious concepts; he was talking about lived experiences. He stressed that when two or more are gathered, Jesus is there in the midst, emphasizing “I mean Jesus is here, and he's got a miracle for you right here." This is a beautiful reminder of the very real presence of God in our lives.

The passing of Curtis Petrey has left a hole in the hearts of many, me included. However, his sermons continue to be a source of encouragement and faith. His powerful messages on spiritual transformation, the supernatural, and the transformative power of Jesus remain timeless. His life was a testament to the truth that there is no hopeless case, and that God can use any of us, no matter our past.

I want to encourage you to explore Curtis’s sermons. Visit Words of Wisdom , where you can find over 300 of his messages available for download. Please, take some time and listen; it’s an investment that will change your life. It’s a beautiful way to honor his memory and his amazing contribution to the Kingdom of God. As Curtis would often say, "dig deeper and go higher!" Keep pressing into the things of the spiritual, friend.

 Thank you for joining me today as we celebrate the life and ministry of Curtis Petrey. Your comments are always appreciated. Please consider subscribing to the newsletter for more content, follow me on social media, and feel free to leave a comment below. Let’s continue this journey of faith together! God Bless!