Ascend –  a ministry of Seek God Ministries

What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed, our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete. This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.  – (1 John 1:3-7)

Purpose: Ascend exists to gather people together who are united in their desire to know God and experience His love in increasing light and revelation. Our goal is unity with God and each other.

Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not set his mind on what is false, and who has not sworn deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah. (Psalms 24:3-6 HCSB)

What We Do: – We gather together to:

  • To worship our Father in Heaven, in Spirit and in Truth. We believe the presence of God is a manifestation of His holiness. We desire holiness and reject every thought, word, or action that the mind of Christ reveals as unholy.
  • To create an atmosphere of the presence of God where heaven and earth are joined together.
  • To provide a safe environment where together we can learn, practice, and engage the things of God through the Holy Spirit.
  • To study the Holy scriptures, with increasing revelation and understanding.
  • To establish a culture of honor for one another in an atmosphere of God’s love and peace.
  • To walk in increasing realization of holiness which, produces the fruit of love. (Eph 1:2-10)
  • To encourage each other into holy love and good works. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
  • To walk with Jesus the Christ as our Way, Truth and Life, individually and corporately.

 Ascend Values

  • Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord…. But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. (Hebrews 12:14-24 NKJV)

  • We desire to fully experience the love of God which can only be known though experiencing Him. For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14-19)

  •  We desire to walk in the holiness Jesus purchased on the cross. Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord (Heb 12:14)

  •  We desire to be mature sons of God. For the whole creation hopes for and expects the revelation of the sons of God. (Romans 8:19)

  • We desire that through our lives, the Kingdom of God be established on Earth as it is in Heaven.
  • We desire to fulfill our role on the Earth to rule and reign with Christ as Kings and Priests over His creation.
  • We desire for the knowledge of the glory of the Lord to cover the Earth as the waters cover the sea.
  • We desire greatness in the Kingdom of God by remaining child-like in humility and in the wonder of learning new things and increasing understanding. We want to continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ into full maturity.
  • We remain open to new understanding as revealed by the Holy Spirit and the scriptures of the Holy Bible. We are careful not to become stuck in yesterday’s revelation and make it todays religion.

Culture of Honor Guidelines

A group is a community, and every community has a culture. Culture – The overall values, attitudes, customs, and beliefs that distinguishes one group of people from another. We want the environment of Ascend to be filled with the peace of God. Peace means unity with God and one another.

We recognize each person’s power to choose and believe that is given to them by God.

  • We allow people to disagree on subjects but continue to agree to LOVE each other as we are commanded by the Lord.
  • We recognize that people are at different levels of revelation and understanding and may see things from different perspectives based on their current mindset. We do not allow this to bring division because we acknowledge that everyone is on a journey of growing in understanding. We respect the journey that each person is on.
  • We recognize that God has created each person special and unique with gifts, talents, and abilities. We celebrate the uniqueness of each person and do not allow room for comparison or jealousy. We measure ourselves only with Christ. The way God sees greatness in the Kingdom of God is much different than man’s definition of greatness.
  • We do not judge the people of God. We allow God to judge His people; our focus is to love, encourage, and help each other. “Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.” (Romans 14:4)
  • We show Honor and Meekness towards one another, not only when we are together, but also when we are apart. We honor one another in our conversations, thoughts, and prayers for one another.
  • We respect positions of authority, and we remain open to correction from leaders.
  • We remain in Humility to allow the life of Christ to flow among us freely.
  • We show grace, mercy, patience, and forgiveness to one another. We recognize that each person is a work in progress. As we have freely received, we freely give. The highest form of life we can become is to be Holy Love, fully united with our Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit in Holy Love. (See below 1 Corinthians 13:9-13)
  • We recognize our greatest journey is to become One with God in Holy Love. We encourage and help one another in this journey. When one falls, we do not shoot arrows at them; we help them get back up and continue on the journey. We are members of each other, all divinely connected. Our lives affect each other and the world around us.
  • Our life journey and goals are to: LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND,’ and ‘YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. (Luke 10:27)
  • The price of Holy Love is life. It will cost you, but the reward is so much greater; you will be exchanging one form of life for a much higher form of life; the highest form of life is Holy Love.

Government and Function of Ascend

  • The government of ASCEND will function as a Fellowship (Koinonia), family style government for small group gatherings and will function as (Ekklesia) Kingdom government for larger gatherings and for the overall movement.
  • All things must be done decently and in order. (1st Cor. 14:40)
  • A leader will need to be appointed for each meeting. The leader must be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and to what is happening in each person. The leader will acknowledge a person who wants to share.
  • When people share it must be concise, i.e. two minutes, so that others can also share and have input to revelations received.
  • Aside from the appointed leader, no one person dominates the meeting, but all share, in common fellowship (common-union).

 Definitions

Holiness – the fullness of light and glory of God, revealed in the face of Jesus Christ, in Holy Love. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

Fellowship (n.) – koinōnía; “to share in”, fellowship with, Participation, communion, common-union.”

Church (n.) – ekklēsia (church) literally means “called out ones”. In the Greek it was a legislative body, a form of government. The Church is the entire body of Christ; it can also mean the believers who assemble together in a city, such as the Church at Ephesus.

 

Scriptures that guide us:

“AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”  (Mark 12:30-31)

WHEN ABRAM was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, I am the Almighty God; walk and live habitually before Me and be perfect (blameless, wholehearted, complete). (Genesis 17:1 AMPC)

I have set the LORD always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. (Psalms 16:8-9 NKJV)

Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not set his mind on what is false, and who has not sworn deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah. (Psalms 24:3-6 HCSB)

Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, They make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; Each one appears before God in Zion. (Psalms 84:5-7 NKJV)

A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness… And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away. (Isaiah 35:8-10)

This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. (Jeremiah 6:16 NIV)

For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:12-13 NKJV) Faith and hope are seeing through the mirror dimly, love is clear vision.

Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:16-18 NKJV)

Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord…. But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. (Hebrews 12:14-24 NKJV)