"And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: but God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea..." (Ex. 13:17-18).
This is a day of "fast" things: fast foods, fast trains, fast cars, fast planes, fast pleasures, fast communications. But God's way into the life of the Spirit is still the long way around. Many do not think so, and there are many in the Church who deride the thought of exercising "patience" in order to win the race that is set before us. "Let us run WITH PATIENCE..." may sound a little contradictory to a man in a race; but it remains God's way of winning "the race that is set before us" (Heb. 12:1). God's direct route to Canaan life is the long-way-around. There may seem to be a shorter way, a more direct way, and many continue to explore that route, only to end up rolling in the dust. "God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near..." Now the word "Philistine" comes from a word meaning "to roll in the dust, to wallow." And though it is a well-beaten pathway, as it was in the days of Israel, and though it would seem to lead in a more direct route to the land of our inheritance, it will leave the one who travels this road wallowing in the dust. And why? Because there is nothing in common with the way of the Philistines and the way of God. The Philistine spirit is that spirit of the world, of the natural man, that knows nothing of the Spirit of God. But because it is a well-worn pathway, and because it seems to be leading in the general direction of our pursuit for God, it is enticing to the natural mind. It is the logical approach to the things of God. It is the positive, the most direct approach to things spiritual. But it leaves you wallowing in the dust of the old Adamic life, rather than soaring into the heights of the Spirit of God.
"You do not have to take that long, uncharted, entangled way into the things of God... We can show you a simpler way... We can point you to a shortcut... You can know the joy of Canaan living without all the distress of becoming entangled in the wilderness." This is the reasoning and counsel of the natural mind.
But the fact remains, we did not choose the wilderness way. We simply chose to go God's way. It is He who goes before--by day in a pillar of cloud, and by night in a pillar of fire--to give direction and light for the journey. It is by the Light of His Glory that we find ourselves entangled in the wilderness. He leads us this way that He might have all the glory, and that our enemies might be consumed in the very midst of our own perplexity and dismay. For it is only when we find ourselves "hemmed in," with no place to go, that we are inclined to go to God for help. This is why He hems us in... that we might flee into His arms. God knows the Enemy will say,
"They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in" (Ex. 14:3). And so God deliberately sets a trap for the Enemy by bringing us into that place where we have no other recourse, but in God alone. As long as there is room for the heart and mind of man to calculate and plan his own deliverance, God is left out of the picture. We don't really need Him, or so we think. But if we are followers of the Cloud, God will lead us into areas of utter hopelessness and despair, that we might prove Him to be the God who makes a way where there is no way, and a path in the mighty waters...
"Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known" (Ps. 77:19).
"The LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters" (Isa. 43:16).
People of God, beware of the shortcuts. There are many that are offered in this day and age, shortcuts to true spiritual life and progress, but they will not bring you there. You may try to find an easy way into spiritual gift and blessing. You may learn how to get, and how to operate spiritual gifts the easy way, without total commitment, without waiting upon God, but sooner or later they will fade away. You may think you have discovered a secure and safe covering in some church structure or institution, assuring yourself that you are being spared the pangs of finding your own way in the entangled wildernesses of life. You feel that if you trust in certain leaders, in certain apostles and prophets, in a certain "New Testament Church Order," that it is a much safer, much easier pathway. But sooner or later you are going to discover that the rest and comfort you sought in sheltered areas of this nature, are nothing less than the bondage of Babylonish systems; and you will discover that this is far more distressing and more captivating than the way of the Lord from which you sought to escape. When you see the "wars of the Philistines"--the striving for lordship, the striving for power and authority and for a place of preeminence--your hearts will become discouraged, and you will wonder why you ever chose to walk in that kind of a pathway. If we would examine our hearts, we might discover that what we are really looking for is some kind of a religious system that will make it easy for us or for our children. We want to shrug off the heavy burden that is associated with finding God for ourselves by way of total commitment to Him. So when someone offers us a place of rest in some kind of a structure that promises clear direction, we are quick to grasp it. God does want us to have fellowship with one another in Christ; but there is no true fellowship except as "we walk in the Light." And in our searching after God, there is no such thing as immunity to the trials and struggles and heart-searchings and perplexities that have always been the appointed lot of any man or woman who seeks to come into a living, vital relationship with the Lord.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
Materialism/Greed
Here is an email I recently received from a friend in Winnipeg:
A missionary friend from Turkey , sent this to me in the wee hours of the morning.He and his family are living and working in Turkey . He continues to EXORT me to live a life spent for Jesus Christ, and what it means to live out His teachings.
Enjoy a few moments to think about Finances…
Subject: Facing financial woes!? ...the economy!? ---> FINANCIAL ADVICE FOR CHR'STIANS <--- (Surely there is no lack of materials, investment seminars etc... to "bring balance" to these teachings.)
Be Christian
Follow Jesus Christ
A. Don’t save up for yourselves.
B. Liquidate what you have regularly, and give away the money.
C. Loan to all who ask.
D. Give (but without pretense).
E. Rejoice when your money and possessions are taken from you.
F. Don’t be anxious about how you will provide food, clothes, shelter, heat, etc…for your family next month: Trust your Heavenly Father.
G. Give the Government what they want.
H. Help the poor in your town.
I. Labour!...not to ‘earn a living’ but for God’s great purposes!
J. Take all jobs and or positions for the main purpose of making the Gospel known in those circles.
K. Don’t serve any financial agenda (making decisions on a financial basis)…thereby hating Jesus. (Take steps of faith based on obedience to the Lord Jesus.)
L. Beware of:
a. nonsinful, affordable, distracting pleasures.
b. The cares of this life (note: more possessions & investments will require more care and attention!)
c. The deceitfulness of wealth. (these three things paralyze our ability to change our lives in response to God’s Word!)
M. Don’t serve money (i.e any financial agenda). Don’t make decisions on a financial basis,…thereby despising the Lord Jesus. (Live by faith, taking solid steps of faith based on obedience to our Lord Jesus.)
Brothers and sisters,
Take pride in your high position, if you have impoverished yourself/yourselves for Jesus and the Gospel’s sake! Our Master, the Lord Jesus, chose to sink himself into poverty for our sake! Don’t be of want for more things! Things for yourself, things of no eternal value! BE CONTENT with the things you have! You have the very presence of the very precious Lord Jesus Himself! Don’t use any form of credit or loan! The subsequent obligations will unequally yoke and bind you to something or someone other than the Lord Jesus. Jesus Christ himself has purchased us and all these days or our lives for God, His Father, with His own blood.
Precious Brothers and Sisters, Christ will return to Earth! When He returns, let us ‘be found’ taking care of and being “ALL ABOUT” our Father’s Business! Take care of your Father’s business, and HE will take care of yours!
A missionary friend from Turkey , sent this to me in the wee hours of the morning.He and his family are living and working in Turkey . He continues to EXORT me to live a life spent for Jesus Christ, and what it means to live out His teachings.
Enjoy a few moments to think about Finances…
Subject: Facing financial woes!? ...the economy!? ---> FINANCIAL ADVICE FOR CHR'STIANS <--- (Surely there is no lack of materials, investment seminars etc... to "bring balance" to these teachings.)
Be Christian
Follow Jesus Christ
A. Don’t save up for yourselves.
B. Liquidate what you have regularly, and give away the money.
C. Loan to all who ask.
D. Give (but without pretense).
E. Rejoice when your money and possessions are taken from you.
F. Don’t be anxious about how you will provide food, clothes, shelter, heat, etc…for your family next month: Trust your Heavenly Father.
G. Give the Government what they want.
H. Help the poor in your town.
I. Labour!...not to ‘earn a living’ but for God’s great purposes!
J. Take all jobs and or positions for the main purpose of making the Gospel known in those circles.
K. Don’t serve any financial agenda (making decisions on a financial basis)…thereby hating Jesus. (Take steps of faith based on obedience to the Lord Jesus.)
L. Beware of:
a. nonsinful, affordable, distracting pleasures.
b. The cares of this life (note: more possessions & investments will require more care and attention!)
c. The deceitfulness of wealth. (these three things paralyze our ability to change our lives in response to God’s Word!)
M. Don’t serve money (i.e any financial agenda). Don’t make decisions on a financial basis,…thereby despising the Lord Jesus. (Live by faith, taking solid steps of faith based on obedience to our Lord Jesus.)
Brothers and sisters,
Take pride in your high position, if you have impoverished yourself/yourselves for Jesus and the Gospel’s sake! Our Master, the Lord Jesus, chose to sink himself into poverty for our sake! Don’t be of want for more things! Things for yourself, things of no eternal value! BE CONTENT with the things you have! You have the very presence of the very precious Lord Jesus Himself! Don’t use any form of credit or loan! The subsequent obligations will unequally yoke and bind you to something or someone other than the Lord Jesus. Jesus Christ himself has purchased us and all these days or our lives for God, His Father, with His own blood.
Precious Brothers and Sisters, Christ will return to Earth! When He returns, let us ‘be found’ taking care of and being “ALL ABOUT” our Father’s Business! Take care of your Father’s business, and HE will take care of yours!
Thursday, January 24, 2008
The Akedah (Binding of Isaac)
An excerpt from The Jesus Way by Eugene Peterson
The Akedah was a three-day journey for Abraham, but it cannot be understood apart from a hundred years of road-tested faith that comprises the Abraham story. The way of Abraham is the first chapter of the people of God to whom Abraham is father, the one in whom all the people of the earth will be blessed. Abraham furnishes the context that permeates everything that follows. The Akedah is not isolated, not a text without a context; it is a summing up and clarification of a long life of reorientation from the ziggurat of Ur to the altar on Moriah, from self-aggrandizement to God-gifting.
God has tested Abraham’s faith at every turn. To live by faith – better, to live a faith life – means to be tested. Abraham’s faith did not always survive the test: his faith failed the test in Egypt , failed the test in Gerar, failed the test with Hagar. Untested faith does not yet qualify as faith…
The test is the catalyst in which our response to God, the raw material of faith, is formed into a life of faith. Or not. If the test dissolves whatever we were calling faith into romanticized sludge or pietistic ooze, we are blessedly rid of what will dissipate our life in self-deception.
Abraham left Ur and Haran freely obedient to a command of God, a single-syllable imperative, unsupported, unexplained, unadorned: “Go.” He went in what we might call good faith, that is, without calculation, without suppressed motives, without superstitious fear. He wasn’t enticed; he wasn’t bullied. He was commanded, “Go.” He went. His faith was perfectly adequate to keep him going, but it also required repeated testings along the way. By the time of the Akedah, Abraham’s faith had been tested, and tested, and tested. Sometimes (in Egypt with the Pharaoh, at Gerar with Abimelech, in dealing with Hagar and Ismael) the testings had exposed his so-called faith as no faith at all. But, incrementally, across those miles and through those years, his faith deepened and matured.
The Akedah strikes us as outrageous, the God of promises and covenant acting totally out of character. But maybe not to Abraham. Sacrifice was the motif by which he had lived for years, the letting go, the leaving behind, the travelling light. Faith, repeatedly tested by sacrifice, was a way of life for Abraham. Each sacrifice left him with less of self and more of God. Each sacrifice abandoned something of self on an altar from which he travelled onward with more vision, more promise, more Presence. In the command to leave Ur , Abraham had abandoned his past. He has been learning to do that now for thirty-five years or so, losing nothing in the process. Now he is asked to abandon his future.
By now he has a lived history in which God has provided for him in unanticipated ways. Maybe by now he is used to living trustingly in the seemingly absurd, that which he could not anticipate, that which is beyond his imagining. Maybe he is accustomed by now to the operations of providence. If we arrive at Mount Moriah without having prayerfully and imaginatively participated in the decades of Abraham’s testings, God seems to us to behave outrageously out of character. But not to Abraham. He is now a veteran in the way of faith that is at the same time the way of the faithful God. He is not nearly as surprised as we are. Mount Moriah is the centerpiece of a life of faith that is completed in Jesus, who absorbed the Akedah entire in his Gethsemane prayer, “Not my will but thine…”
The Akedah was a three-day journey for Abraham, but it cannot be understood apart from a hundred years of road-tested faith that comprises the Abraham story. The way of Abraham is the first chapter of the people of God to whom Abraham is father, the one in whom all the people of the earth will be blessed. Abraham furnishes the context that permeates everything that follows. The Akedah is not isolated, not a text without a context; it is a summing up and clarification of a long life of reorientation from the ziggurat of Ur to the altar on Moriah, from self-aggrandizement to God-gifting.
God has tested Abraham’s faith at every turn. To live by faith – better, to live a faith life – means to be tested. Abraham’s faith did not always survive the test: his faith failed the test in Egypt , failed the test in Gerar, failed the test with Hagar. Untested faith does not yet qualify as faith…
The test is the catalyst in which our response to God, the raw material of faith, is formed into a life of faith. Or not. If the test dissolves whatever we were calling faith into romanticized sludge or pietistic ooze, we are blessedly rid of what will dissipate our life in self-deception.
Abraham left Ur and Haran freely obedient to a command of God, a single-syllable imperative, unsupported, unexplained, unadorned: “Go.” He went in what we might call good faith, that is, without calculation, without suppressed motives, without superstitious fear. He wasn’t enticed; he wasn’t bullied. He was commanded, “Go.” He went. His faith was perfectly adequate to keep him going, but it also required repeated testings along the way. By the time of the Akedah, Abraham’s faith had been tested, and tested, and tested. Sometimes (in Egypt with the Pharaoh, at Gerar with Abimelech, in dealing with Hagar and Ismael) the testings had exposed his so-called faith as no faith at all. But, incrementally, across those miles and through those years, his faith deepened and matured.
The Akedah strikes us as outrageous, the God of promises and covenant acting totally out of character. But maybe not to Abraham. Sacrifice was the motif by which he had lived for years, the letting go, the leaving behind, the travelling light. Faith, repeatedly tested by sacrifice, was a way of life for Abraham. Each sacrifice left him with less of self and more of God. Each sacrifice abandoned something of self on an altar from which he travelled onward with more vision, more promise, more Presence. In the command to leave Ur , Abraham had abandoned his past. He has been learning to do that now for thirty-five years or so, losing nothing in the process. Now he is asked to abandon his future.
By now he has a lived history in which God has provided for him in unanticipated ways. Maybe by now he is used to living trustingly in the seemingly absurd, that which he could not anticipate, that which is beyond his imagining. Maybe he is accustomed by now to the operations of providence. If we arrive at Mount Moriah without having prayerfully and imaginatively participated in the decades of Abraham’s testings, God seems to us to behave outrageously out of character. But not to Abraham. He is now a veteran in the way of faith that is at the same time the way of the faithful God. He is not nearly as surprised as we are. Mount Moriah is the centerpiece of a life of faith that is completed in Jesus, who absorbed the Akedah entire in his Gethsemane prayer, “Not my will but thine…”
Sunday, January 20, 2008
The Posture of a revivalist - Proclaimation
This post was copied from this link to "Revival Generation"
http://revivalgen.multiply.com/journal/item/18
There are seasons whereby the Revivalist will stay in obscurity and seek the face of God. However in God appointed time, the revivalist comes out of obscurity and began to proclaim the Word of God.
We see this in the life of Elijah.NAS 1 Kings 18:1 Now it came about after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, "Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth."
Elijah came out of obscurity and began to proclaimed the Word of the Lord. He gathered the people at Mount Carmel together with the false prophets of Baal and proclaimed to the people "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people did not answer him a word.(1Kings 18:21)John the Baptist spent many years in the dessert, praying, seeking the face of God and at the appointed moment and began to proclaim the Word of God."the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;"(Luke 3:2-3)The Revivalist is one who will proclaim the Word of God at the appropriate time. The message of the revivalist
1. A message of repentance. The message of the revivalist can be largely unpopular to the masses. He does not preach to please man or to tinkle the ears of the people."Repent and be baptize!" was the hallmark of John's preaching. Peter proclaimed a strong message on the day of pentecost. Many today will accuse him of not being seeker sensitive!
Acts 2:
22 "Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know--
23 this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.
2. A message that brings conviction. While some may get offended by the message of the revivalist, many will be convicted by it. During times of revival, masses of people would run to the altar with loud weeping and cries of repentance.
In 1741, Johnathan Edward preached a message entitled "Sinners in the hands of an angry God." After its initial presentation, the audience was so moved that many attendees were found openly weeping. There were also a number of reports of swooning, outcries and convulsions from audience members.In 1994 shortly after I was married, Lillian and I decided to go to the interior of Sabah. We were there for about three months before God led us back to Singapore to be enrolled in a bible college. The three months which we spent in Sabah was one of the most memorable times of our lives. There, we travelled from village to village to preach the word of God. The message which the Spirit planted in my heart was the message of repentance. From village to village we proclaimed the message of repentance and in many of the villages the whole congregation was gripped with conviction. In one particular village we visited, while I was preaching, the children were sleeping every where. When I gave the altar call, suddenly all of them woke up and they responded. Soon the whole church was weeping and crying including the children. We asked the children why are they crying. They replied that they were convicted of stealing, lying and other sins. It was truly amazing.The message of the revivalist brings conviction.
3. A message of authority and boldness. The revivalist proclaims his message with boldness.
Matthew 7:
28 The result was that when Jesus had finished these words, the multitudes were amazed at His teaching;
29 for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
Jesus spoke with authority.
Acts 13:9 But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze upon him,10 and said, "You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?11 "And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time." And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand.12 Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord.
Paul spoke with authority.
The revivalist understands the delegated authority given unto him. Carlos Annacondia is of the vessels whom God used in the Argentina revival. One notable characteristics of his ministry is the authority he exhibit as he proclaims the Word of God. Demons manifested and were cast out as he preached or prayed. He rebuked sicknesses and commanded tumor to shrink in the name of Jesus.
I pray that that God will raise up more revivalist who will take on the posture of proclamation. Revivalists who are not men pleaser but God fearers who dares to proclaim the truth even when it offends. Let us walk the trails of Elijah, John the Baptist, Jonathan Edwards, Smith Wigglesworth, John Sung, Leonard Ravenhill, all who proclaimed the truth with conviction. Let us not be satisfied with tickling the ears of the congregation....Let us call th church back in repentance
http://revivalgen.multiply.com/journal/item/18
There are seasons whereby the Revivalist will stay in obscurity and seek the face of God. However in God appointed time, the revivalist comes out of obscurity and began to proclaim the Word of God.
We see this in the life of Elijah.NAS 1 Kings 18:1 Now it came about after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, "Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth."
Elijah came out of obscurity and began to proclaimed the Word of the Lord. He gathered the people at Mount Carmel together with the false prophets of Baal and proclaimed to the people "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people did not answer him a word.(1Kings 18:21)John the Baptist spent many years in the dessert, praying, seeking the face of God and at the appointed moment and began to proclaim the Word of God."the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;"(Luke 3:2-3)The Revivalist is one who will proclaim the Word of God at the appropriate time. The message of the revivalist
1. A message of repentance. The message of the revivalist can be largely unpopular to the masses. He does not preach to please man or to tinkle the ears of the people."Repent and be baptize!" was the hallmark of John's preaching. Peter proclaimed a strong message on the day of pentecost. Many today will accuse him of not being seeker sensitive!
Acts 2:
22 "Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know--
23 this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.
2. A message that brings conviction. While some may get offended by the message of the revivalist, many will be convicted by it. During times of revival, masses of people would run to the altar with loud weeping and cries of repentance.
In 1741, Johnathan Edward preached a message entitled "Sinners in the hands of an angry God." After its initial presentation, the audience was so moved that many attendees were found openly weeping. There were also a number of reports of swooning, outcries and convulsions from audience members.In 1994 shortly after I was married, Lillian and I decided to go to the interior of Sabah. We were there for about three months before God led us back to Singapore to be enrolled in a bible college. The three months which we spent in Sabah was one of the most memorable times of our lives. There, we travelled from village to village to preach the word of God. The message which the Spirit planted in my heart was the message of repentance. From village to village we proclaimed the message of repentance and in many of the villages the whole congregation was gripped with conviction. In one particular village we visited, while I was preaching, the children were sleeping every where. When I gave the altar call, suddenly all of them woke up and they responded. Soon the whole church was weeping and crying including the children. We asked the children why are they crying. They replied that they were convicted of stealing, lying and other sins. It was truly amazing.The message of the revivalist brings conviction.
3. A message of authority and boldness. The revivalist proclaims his message with boldness.
Matthew 7:
28 The result was that when Jesus had finished these words, the multitudes were amazed at His teaching;
29 for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
Jesus spoke with authority.
Acts 13:9 But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze upon him,10 and said, "You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?11 "And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time." And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand.12 Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord.
Paul spoke with authority.
The revivalist understands the delegated authority given unto him. Carlos Annacondia is of the vessels whom God used in the Argentina revival. One notable characteristics of his ministry is the authority he exhibit as he proclaims the Word of God. Demons manifested and were cast out as he preached or prayed. He rebuked sicknesses and commanded tumor to shrink in the name of Jesus.
I pray that that God will raise up more revivalist who will take on the posture of proclamation. Revivalists who are not men pleaser but God fearers who dares to proclaim the truth even when it offends. Let us walk the trails of Elijah, John the Baptist, Jonathan Edwards, Smith Wigglesworth, John Sung, Leonard Ravenhill, all who proclaimed the truth with conviction. Let us not be satisfied with tickling the ears of the congregation....Let us call th church back in repentance
Saturday, January 19, 2008
The High Calling
Let not the height of the Vision dismay you, or discourage you as you walk towards it. Remember this.., that the high calling is not too high for you, or God would not have called you to it. And take courage in the fact that the HIGH calling is really an UPWARD call, as the Greek word means, and as it is translated in some versions. It is an UPWARD call! This gives us hope and courage. If it were simply "high," I could very well look up and say, "It is just too high for me." I might gaze at the heights of the call, and flounder in discouragement. But it is an UPWARD call! God is saying to you and to me, "I am calling you UPWARD... I want you to go on... I want you to come higher... I do not want you to stay where you are, frustrated and perplexed and bewildered. The reason you abide in those realms is because you do not see the Vision. And if you see it you think I have set before you a goal that you know you can never reach. You do not understand that I only ask you to take one step at a time, and I only ask you to climb the steps with Me, as you take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me... for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls."
And so we take but one step at a time, and God is pleased. But we must not lag behind or yield to the enticements that come our way from time to time to take a shortcut. For there are many that appear to be good. You can get gifts of the Spirit freely. You might even develop for yourself a ministry, that may satisfy your heart for a season, and from which you might find a certain fulfillment. And certainly you need His gifts! But pray God that He will cause you to sit and learn from ministries that will lead you to His feet... ministries that will encourage you to take His yoke, and follow His ways. Gifts and ministries must not be considered to be in any sense ultimate... they are but means to the end... and the end pursuit of gift and ministry is to come to know Him, to be joined in like spirit unto others in the Family of God who are seeking to come to the "fullness" of Him... so that together you might be able to comprehend, to apprehend, to receive fully... the living Christ, in the full expression of His Being.
And let us not be dismayed when in spite of all our noble efforts to climb higher we feel... we just know... that we are getting lower and lower. For as we travel this way we are going to discover, as men and women of all ages have discovered... that...
The way UP is DOWN...The way OVER is UNDER...The way to SUCCESS is through FAILURE...The way to true PROSPERITY is through spiritual BANKRUPTCY...The way to the true RICHES, is through POVERTY...The way to VICTORY, is through DEFEAT...The way to LIFE, is through DEATH.
And therefore, for the people of the UPWARD WAY God has set before us a very clear pattern and example:
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God (Or, 'He did not consider that equality with God was something He should grasp after'): but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name" (Phil. 2:5-9).
For the Son of God, the Captain of our Salvation, the Author and the Finisher of our faith... for Him the UPWARD CALL was one that brought Him lower, and lower, and lower... even unto the death of the Cross.
And so it must be with you and me. God deliver us from all that striving we see today to excel... striving for highness, for exaltation, for greatness, for bigness... even among many who profess to know the "end-time" message, and who profess to be heirs of the "Kingdom." Let us make no mistake about it... the pathway of SONSHIP leads to none of these. It takes one lower, and lower, and still lower... in order that in the Spirit of Christ we might rise higher... and higher, and still higher...
And so we take but one step at a time, and God is pleased. But we must not lag behind or yield to the enticements that come our way from time to time to take a shortcut. For there are many that appear to be good. You can get gifts of the Spirit freely. You might even develop for yourself a ministry, that may satisfy your heart for a season, and from which you might find a certain fulfillment. And certainly you need His gifts! But pray God that He will cause you to sit and learn from ministries that will lead you to His feet... ministries that will encourage you to take His yoke, and follow His ways. Gifts and ministries must not be considered to be in any sense ultimate... they are but means to the end... and the end pursuit of gift and ministry is to come to know Him, to be joined in like spirit unto others in the Family of God who are seeking to come to the "fullness" of Him... so that together you might be able to comprehend, to apprehend, to receive fully... the living Christ, in the full expression of His Being.
And let us not be dismayed when in spite of all our noble efforts to climb higher we feel... we just know... that we are getting lower and lower. For as we travel this way we are going to discover, as men and women of all ages have discovered... that...
The way UP is DOWN...The way OVER is UNDER...The way to SUCCESS is through FAILURE...The way to true PROSPERITY is through spiritual BANKRUPTCY...The way to the true RICHES, is through POVERTY...The way to VICTORY, is through DEFEAT...The way to LIFE, is through DEATH.
And therefore, for the people of the UPWARD WAY God has set before us a very clear pattern and example:
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God (Or, 'He did not consider that equality with God was something He should grasp after'): but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name" (Phil. 2:5-9).
For the Son of God, the Captain of our Salvation, the Author and the Finisher of our faith... for Him the UPWARD CALL was one that brought Him lower, and lower, and lower... even unto the death of the Cross.
And so it must be with you and me. God deliver us from all that striving we see today to excel... striving for highness, for exaltation, for greatness, for bigness... even among many who profess to know the "end-time" message, and who profess to be heirs of the "Kingdom." Let us make no mistake about it... the pathway of SONSHIP leads to none of these. It takes one lower, and lower, and still lower... in order that in the Spirit of Christ we might rise higher... and higher, and still higher...
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Selflessness..
I'm including part of an article by Randy Thomas. His article is very enlightening in that it strikes at a deep chord as to what is wrong with our "Westernized" form of Chrisitanity..its a call to grow up and become mature sons and daughters. Selflessness must be part of the foundation of our lives - it is the basis of Christ-likeness....
If you want to read the whole article, its excellent - go to: http://randythomas.org/other-writings/ and then click on the article/testimony: "Same-Sex Struggles". So here it is:
I could sit here and write about the importance of going to church, worshiping the Lord, developing a disciplined life, seeking out mentors and accountability partners, and exposing yourself to edifying art and entertainment. I could make a list of all the authors and speakers who have been instruments the Lord has used to speak into my life.
While all of that is important, the theme that I keep coming back to in life is that we were created to know and be known. And if we want to know and be known by God and others in way that is true to who He is and what He wants, we have to do so selflessly.
Much of what I have seen in the Western Church before and after becoming a Christian is geared toward the believer and helping the believer be a more fulfilled Christian. The problem is that we're so distracted in our efforts toward fulfillment that we forget the greatest commandments: to love our God with our whole being and to love each other as we do ourselves. That Christian axiom is the epitome of a selfless expression of knowing and being known. We live in a great time and place to be edified as much as we are, but such knowledge doesn't become wisdom without selfless application in all of our relationships.
It is selflessness that makes me yearn to know a God who has His own opinion, an opinion that might be contrary to my wishes or desires. It is selflessness that makes me want to defer my agenda and be open to His. It's selflessness that moves me to lift up others in prayer when my soul would rather worry about my own circumstance. It's selflessness that refuses to view men as sexual objects and instead see them as Christ does, and to treasure women for how they uniquely reflect God in a way that neither I nor any man ever will. It's selflessness that drives me to forgive and seek forgiveness.
Every time I come to what I see as the end of the road, I give up my self. I hand Him all of me. That is where every single one of my Christian "greeting card" moments have come from. This is what sustains my walk and transforms my life in so many ways. Romans 5:1-5 states
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
That passage provides a template for developing Christ-like selflessness. It helps us to realize that tribulation eventually leads to hope by transforming our very own character, a character expressed in our relationship with God and others.
I want you, dear reader, to walk away encouraged to know that God knows you and all you have done, and He loves you regardless. I want you to discover what I have discovered: that self-sufficiency never works; the only real freedom is a selfless approach to all of our relationships. By living this way, the Lord releases us to live up to our potential for which He created us.
If you want to read the whole article, its excellent - go to: http://randythomas.org/other-writings/ and then click on the article/testimony: "Same-Sex Struggles". So here it is:
I could sit here and write about the importance of going to church, worshiping the Lord, developing a disciplined life, seeking out mentors and accountability partners, and exposing yourself to edifying art and entertainment. I could make a list of all the authors and speakers who have been instruments the Lord has used to speak into my life.
While all of that is important, the theme that I keep coming back to in life is that we were created to know and be known. And if we want to know and be known by God and others in way that is true to who He is and what He wants, we have to do so selflessly.
Much of what I have seen in the Western Church before and after becoming a Christian is geared toward the believer and helping the believer be a more fulfilled Christian. The problem is that we're so distracted in our efforts toward fulfillment that we forget the greatest commandments: to love our God with our whole being and to love each other as we do ourselves. That Christian axiom is the epitome of a selfless expression of knowing and being known. We live in a great time and place to be edified as much as we are, but such knowledge doesn't become wisdom without selfless application in all of our relationships.
It is selflessness that makes me yearn to know a God who has His own opinion, an opinion that might be contrary to my wishes or desires. It is selflessness that makes me want to defer my agenda and be open to His. It's selflessness that moves me to lift up others in prayer when my soul would rather worry about my own circumstance. It's selflessness that refuses to view men as sexual objects and instead see them as Christ does, and to treasure women for how they uniquely reflect God in a way that neither I nor any man ever will. It's selflessness that drives me to forgive and seek forgiveness.
Every time I come to what I see as the end of the road, I give up my self. I hand Him all of me. That is where every single one of my Christian "greeting card" moments have come from. This is what sustains my walk and transforms my life in so many ways. Romans 5:1-5 states
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
That passage provides a template for developing Christ-like selflessness. It helps us to realize that tribulation eventually leads to hope by transforming our very own character, a character expressed in our relationship with God and others.
I want you, dear reader, to walk away encouraged to know that God knows you and all you have done, and He loves you regardless. I want you to discover what I have discovered: that self-sufficiency never works; the only real freedom is a selfless approach to all of our relationships. By living this way, the Lord releases us to live up to our potential for which He created us.
Thanks to Randy for his transparency and honesty. My prayer is that the "church" will become a place of transparency, honesty and healing...much like a spiritual hospital...that means all of us as the "church" need to become whole and fully integrated as persons (body, soul and spirit)one step at a time, one person at a time.
Acceptance of one another as sons and daughters made in the image of our God & yet not afraid to challenge one another to live a life worthy of the true gospel - this is grace and truth in perfect balance.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
WORD of the Lord for 2008 and Beyond--
January 10, 2008
C. Peter Wagner, Cindy Jacobs and many others:
"Released from the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders"
This Word is the compilation of the prophetic words and consensus of the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders (ACPE). Last year, the council met at the beginning of the Jewish calendar, September 12-13, 2007, rather than at the January time period in order to have time to distill and hear the Word of the Lord before the turning of the Gregorian calendar. (Note this in light of several of the prophecies that have already come to pass since this word was given in September of 2007.)
While this is a prophecy for the year 2008, it is difficult at times to put a prophetic word in a certain chronological time structure as the lives of individuals and the choices they make can also have an effect on the timing of what God has shown to us. Some of these prophecies are more appropriately given for the "next season" of our lives rather than simply a one-year timeframe.
2008: The Year to Possess the Gates
"...blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the Heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall 'possess the gate of their enemies.'" Genesis 22:17
"The one who breaks open will come up before them; they will break out, pass through the gate, and go out by it; their king will pass before them, with the LORD at their head." Micah 2:13
This year the Holy Spirit keyed off of the number "8" to us. The number 8 represents new beginnings. God wants us to go through new doors (or gates) to go to a new level in everything we do. The Lord cautioned us that while many want to experience the new wine (i.e., new moves of God), there are some who want to "wear their old robes," or that which is comfortable to them, into this new season of time. This will not work. It is critical that we all are willing to give up old practices, structures, and the influence of relationships that tie us to the old if they refuse to allow us to move into the new things.
As we met as prophets, this was probably one of the most fertile times that we have had in the release of not only the word of the Lord, but spiritual instruction on how to get into the "new things" and "new gates." This includes the shutting of old gates and doors, seeking the Lord for how to move into the new in a proper way, and asking God for wisdom for the move.
Biblical Patterns for the Number 8
Here are some significant aspects we were shown about the number eight for this year from some Biblical patterns:
1. David was the eighth son--new DYNASTY for Israel. (This includes the word ''legacy'' as a key word.)
2. Circumcision takes place on the eighth day--new life through covenant. A new holiness movement that will require personal circumcision or the cutting away of sin issues in our lives, and then the Church will see a national move of holiness.
3. Eight souls on the ark--new beginning of the earth, new revelation of God's judgment and His grace.
4. Eighth note on the piano begins a new octave. Look to God for the release of new sounds and songs.
5. Seven colors in rainbow spectrum--eighth color begins new spectrum.
6. Eighth day is the beginning of a new week.
7. Josiah began his reign at age 8 bringing a new reign in the midst of idolatrous predecessors. He began to seek the Lord for himself in the eighty years of his reign, which later resulted in his purging Israel of the altars of Baal. Look to a new reformation generation arising who will purge their lands of sin and bring Biblical reformation. Solomon also began to purge the idols from Israel in the eighth year of his reign.
8. Jesus appeared to Thomas, the doubter, on the eighth day after his resurrection. Many doubters will convert and be visited by God in special and unique ways.
The Number 8 In "New Beginnings"
Genesis is the book of beginnings in Scripture. Here is a prophetic emphasis from it for us today:
1. The anointing to create
Creative and innovative ideas. God is going to release upon His people many ideas that will lead them to prosper in spirit, soul and mind. This creativity will also help us to "work smarter, not harder." The curse of toiling under heavy burdens with huge moments of frustration has caused delay and exhaustion. Seek the Lord for new ways to do things that will release the finances you need and streamline your life without working to simply get by on a day-to-day basis.
2. The anointing for dominion
This is the anointing needed to fulfill the Biblical mandate found in Genesis 1:28 to "be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion." Seek the Lord for a way to be fruitful in evangelism and fill your cities with the doctrine of Christ (Acts 5:28). New evangelism outreaches will fill our cities along with visitations of God upon young revivalists. Young people will study the lives of Leonard Ravenhill and E.M. Bounds once again--with the fire for winning souls burning in their hearts.
Each sector of society will begin to be touched by the power of God in new fresh ways from government, education, the medical fields, media, the arts and other areas. No longer will the Church bemoan what is going on around them in society but ask themselves the question, "What are we going to do about it?" and "What is my assignment in seeing this happen?"
3. The anointing for creative miracles
The frequency of the miraculous will increase; particularly--unusual creative miracles. In this season, we will see not only churches filled with miracles, but whole cities. "Cancer-free zones" will be the medical talk of the day as some churches and cities have such frequency of seeing cancer healed that it catches the attention of many including the secular news.
The Transfer of Wealth
While many have believed there is going to be a great transfer of wealth, there is a frustration on some that have "believed but not yet seen." In seeking the Lord about this, one revelation came that there has been a demonic "spirit of delay" sent against the Body of Christ; particularly to those in the marketplace. ''Chronos'' under Strong's definition #5550 also can mean "delay."
Therefore, it important to understand that while God means to release the wealth, satan is releasing His strategies to keep the wealth "locked" that we are working to "unlock." God wants to open locked gates in '08. In order to possess the gate of wealth to, among other things, develop plans to eradicate systemic poverty, we need to develop new structures of intercession to do the spiritual warfare necessary to transfer wealth.
Among other things, here are some forms that need to take place:
1. New prayer movements with a focus on marketplace intercession.
2. More businesses hiring intercessors to pray for their workplace.
3. Focused intercession and training for specific targeted sectors of wealth and business. Intercessors need to be trained to understand business so that they can pray intelligently.
New and Greater Emphasis on Intercession
God is going to pour out new wine upon the intercessors and new prayer structures across the face of the earth. Many 24/7 prayer movements will spring up in university campuses. Christians will ask for prayer rooms in their places of employment. It is time for us to "come out of the closet" and let our prayers and voices be heard in society. Teachings that were done in the 80's and 90's on prayer and intercession need to be revisited with a new eye and taught to the Church.
Cyrus Anointing
God is going to anoint in a profound way some of His children with a Cyrus anointing to fulfill Psalm 107:16, "For He has broken 'the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron in two.'"
Spiritual Eldership
God is anointing leaders who will run for political office, become the presidents of corporations and principals of schools, and others who will sit in the gates of influence in society like Boaz did in Biblical times.
Open the Floodgates
"'Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this,' says the LORD almighty, 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of Heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.'" Malachi 3:10
It is time to possess the floodgates that will open the doors of favor and influence and finance. As long as we are obeying the mandate to tithe, God is going to flood us in several areas that will help us open these doors. Ask the Lord how to incorporate the word of the Lord for '08 to open your personal floodgates of blessing and influence.
Key Words for You--Full Circle in '08
Revelation: God wants to pour out new revelation on how you are to function in this season of your life. Be flexible in your life at this moment for God's changes and adjustments to occur in your schedule and way of doing things.
Wisdom: God will give you wisdom not of this world, but of His Heavenly wisdom if you seek Him with all of your heart for it. He will give wisdom for the shift, for new ways for new assignments, and how to apply the revelation to go to new levels in your life.
This is a season for things to come "full circle" in our lives. Things left unfinished in your life will be finished. Relationships that were broken will be restored. Broken dreams will be healed and come to life again. It is time to dream again! Go back and revisit the prophetic words that God gave you in the last season and past years that were not fulfilled, and refuse to let go of them until you see them go into fruition. War over the words and believe them (read I Timothy 1:18, 2 Chronicles 20:20).
President and Upcoming Elections
God spoke to us specifically that we had fallen down in our intercession for President Bush, and God wants us to pray that he will finish as the "Burning Bush," which God showed us was his destiny before the elections. He admonished us to pray for him as the authority God had put in place as our President (read I Timothy 2:1). In seeking God for the next leader, we have failed in our intercession for our current one. God wants President Bush to finish well as He spoke to us two years ago.
An interesting word was released for the meeting in September '07 that is particularly pertinent for the elections of '08:
God has provided a righteous man who will begin to emerge towards the end of '07 and begin to shine in '08. We will not be left scratching our heads or feeling like we are throwing our vote away on someone who cannot win. God will put His very apparent light of favor upon this man, and we will know how to pray and to vote.
The Lord also prophetically admonished us to press through to see the courts shifted and that--we cannot fail in our prayers to see abortion overturned in the United States. (As of now, 49 million babies have been aborted since 1973.) This is a "make it or break it" time, and we must not be weary in our intercession.
Admonition for Prayer Cover
God gave us a specific word that satan will try to bring premature death to the Body of Christ. Please prayerfully cover yourself, your family, pastors, and those of influence specifically in your life.
Philanthropy
A new generation of philanthropists will arise out of the Body of Christ. A focus will be on the poor and needy. There will also be a major emphasis on using wealth to gain influence to be a voice in society for righteousness. This will lead to Christians and Christianity in general to be seen in a new light by those who thought that God and the Church were unfeeling and uncaring.
New Emphasis on the Teaching Gift
The teaching gift will once again arise to the forefront as the Lord brings an emphasis on knowing the foundations of Biblical truths. This will mitigate against the Body of Christ going off course and falling into error.
Holiness Movement
Holiness will come to the Church again. With this will come a great exposure of sin in the pulpit. The Lord warned us that many would come under governmental scrutiny during the last half of '07 and '08, and we need to examine ourselves so we are clean in every area of the ministry, financially as well as spiritually.
New Civil Rights Movement
A new generation of civil rights leaders are going to emerge in the nation who will be a righteous voice. Their anointing will be so strong that they will supersede and be stronger and have more influence than those who are unrighteous that align with unbiblical stances. They will speak against the influence of the unholy side of hip-hop and new prayer movements will also arise in the black community.
Kingdom Government of God
The government of God will become a new wineskin for the future move of God (see Matthew 6:10). Reformation back to the original design of Genesis will be a major focus and God's creative anointing will be on those who move in this direction.
Specific Focus on Nations
There were five international areas that we specifically felt God's spotlight on in the coming hour:
1. China.
2. The "Ring of Fire" (Pacific Rim nations).
3. India.
4. Israel and the Middle East.
5. South America and Venezuela.
We felt there was going to be an extreme battle between light and darkness for a season, with increased persecution of believers. On the other hand, great harvest and advancement for the Kingdom of God will also take place. We all need to pray specifically for these regions of the world.
Submitted by C. Peter Wagner, Cindy Jacobs, and the members of the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders (ACPE)
C. Peter Wagner, Cindy Jacobs and many others:
"Released from the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders"
This Word is the compilation of the prophetic words and consensus of the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders (ACPE). Last year, the council met at the beginning of the Jewish calendar, September 12-13, 2007, rather than at the January time period in order to have time to distill and hear the Word of the Lord before the turning of the Gregorian calendar. (Note this in light of several of the prophecies that have already come to pass since this word was given in September of 2007.)
While this is a prophecy for the year 2008, it is difficult at times to put a prophetic word in a certain chronological time structure as the lives of individuals and the choices they make can also have an effect on the timing of what God has shown to us. Some of these prophecies are more appropriately given for the "next season" of our lives rather than simply a one-year timeframe.
2008: The Year to Possess the Gates
"...blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the Heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall 'possess the gate of their enemies.'" Genesis 22:17
"The one who breaks open will come up before them; they will break out, pass through the gate, and go out by it; their king will pass before them, with the LORD at their head." Micah 2:13
This year the Holy Spirit keyed off of the number "8" to us. The number 8 represents new beginnings. God wants us to go through new doors (or gates) to go to a new level in everything we do. The Lord cautioned us that while many want to experience the new wine (i.e., new moves of God), there are some who want to "wear their old robes," or that which is comfortable to them, into this new season of time. This will not work. It is critical that we all are willing to give up old practices, structures, and the influence of relationships that tie us to the old if they refuse to allow us to move into the new things.
As we met as prophets, this was probably one of the most fertile times that we have had in the release of not only the word of the Lord, but spiritual instruction on how to get into the "new things" and "new gates." This includes the shutting of old gates and doors, seeking the Lord for how to move into the new in a proper way, and asking God for wisdom for the move.
Biblical Patterns for the Number 8
Here are some significant aspects we were shown about the number eight for this year from some Biblical patterns:
1. David was the eighth son--new DYNASTY for Israel. (This includes the word ''legacy'' as a key word.)
2. Circumcision takes place on the eighth day--new life through covenant. A new holiness movement that will require personal circumcision or the cutting away of sin issues in our lives, and then the Church will see a national move of holiness.
3. Eight souls on the ark--new beginning of the earth, new revelation of God's judgment and His grace.
4. Eighth note on the piano begins a new octave. Look to God for the release of new sounds and songs.
5. Seven colors in rainbow spectrum--eighth color begins new spectrum.
6. Eighth day is the beginning of a new week.
7. Josiah began his reign at age 8 bringing a new reign in the midst of idolatrous predecessors. He began to seek the Lord for himself in the eighty years of his reign, which later resulted in his purging Israel of the altars of Baal. Look to a new reformation generation arising who will purge their lands of sin and bring Biblical reformation. Solomon also began to purge the idols from Israel in the eighth year of his reign.
8. Jesus appeared to Thomas, the doubter, on the eighth day after his resurrection. Many doubters will convert and be visited by God in special and unique ways.
The Number 8 In "New Beginnings"
Genesis is the book of beginnings in Scripture. Here is a prophetic emphasis from it for us today:
1. The anointing to create
Creative and innovative ideas. God is going to release upon His people many ideas that will lead them to prosper in spirit, soul and mind. This creativity will also help us to "work smarter, not harder." The curse of toiling under heavy burdens with huge moments of frustration has caused delay and exhaustion. Seek the Lord for new ways to do things that will release the finances you need and streamline your life without working to simply get by on a day-to-day basis.
2. The anointing for dominion
This is the anointing needed to fulfill the Biblical mandate found in Genesis 1:28 to "be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion." Seek the Lord for a way to be fruitful in evangelism and fill your cities with the doctrine of Christ (Acts 5:28). New evangelism outreaches will fill our cities along with visitations of God upon young revivalists. Young people will study the lives of Leonard Ravenhill and E.M. Bounds once again--with the fire for winning souls burning in their hearts.
Each sector of society will begin to be touched by the power of God in new fresh ways from government, education, the medical fields, media, the arts and other areas. No longer will the Church bemoan what is going on around them in society but ask themselves the question, "What are we going to do about it?" and "What is my assignment in seeing this happen?"
3. The anointing for creative miracles
The frequency of the miraculous will increase; particularly--unusual creative miracles. In this season, we will see not only churches filled with miracles, but whole cities. "Cancer-free zones" will be the medical talk of the day as some churches and cities have such frequency of seeing cancer healed that it catches the attention of many including the secular news.
The Transfer of Wealth
While many have believed there is going to be a great transfer of wealth, there is a frustration on some that have "believed but not yet seen." In seeking the Lord about this, one revelation came that there has been a demonic "spirit of delay" sent against the Body of Christ; particularly to those in the marketplace. ''Chronos'' under Strong's definition #5550 also can mean "delay."
Therefore, it important to understand that while God means to release the wealth, satan is releasing His strategies to keep the wealth "locked" that we are working to "unlock." God wants to open locked gates in '08. In order to possess the gate of wealth to, among other things, develop plans to eradicate systemic poverty, we need to develop new structures of intercession to do the spiritual warfare necessary to transfer wealth.
Among other things, here are some forms that need to take place:
1. New prayer movements with a focus on marketplace intercession.
2. More businesses hiring intercessors to pray for their workplace.
3. Focused intercession and training for specific targeted sectors of wealth and business. Intercessors need to be trained to understand business so that they can pray intelligently.
New and Greater Emphasis on Intercession
God is going to pour out new wine upon the intercessors and new prayer structures across the face of the earth. Many 24/7 prayer movements will spring up in university campuses. Christians will ask for prayer rooms in their places of employment. It is time for us to "come out of the closet" and let our prayers and voices be heard in society. Teachings that were done in the 80's and 90's on prayer and intercession need to be revisited with a new eye and taught to the Church.
Cyrus Anointing
God is going to anoint in a profound way some of His children with a Cyrus anointing to fulfill Psalm 107:16, "For He has broken 'the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron in two.'"
Spiritual Eldership
God is anointing leaders who will run for political office, become the presidents of corporations and principals of schools, and others who will sit in the gates of influence in society like Boaz did in Biblical times.
Open the Floodgates
"'Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this,' says the LORD almighty, 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of Heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.'" Malachi 3:10
It is time to possess the floodgates that will open the doors of favor and influence and finance. As long as we are obeying the mandate to tithe, God is going to flood us in several areas that will help us open these doors. Ask the Lord how to incorporate the word of the Lord for '08 to open your personal floodgates of blessing and influence.
Key Words for You--Full Circle in '08
Revelation: God wants to pour out new revelation on how you are to function in this season of your life. Be flexible in your life at this moment for God's changes and adjustments to occur in your schedule and way of doing things.
Wisdom: God will give you wisdom not of this world, but of His Heavenly wisdom if you seek Him with all of your heart for it. He will give wisdom for the shift, for new ways for new assignments, and how to apply the revelation to go to new levels in your life.
This is a season for things to come "full circle" in our lives. Things left unfinished in your life will be finished. Relationships that were broken will be restored. Broken dreams will be healed and come to life again. It is time to dream again! Go back and revisit the prophetic words that God gave you in the last season and past years that were not fulfilled, and refuse to let go of them until you see them go into fruition. War over the words and believe them (read I Timothy 1:18, 2 Chronicles 20:20).
President and Upcoming Elections
God spoke to us specifically that we had fallen down in our intercession for President Bush, and God wants us to pray that he will finish as the "Burning Bush," which God showed us was his destiny before the elections. He admonished us to pray for him as the authority God had put in place as our President (read I Timothy 2:1). In seeking God for the next leader, we have failed in our intercession for our current one. God wants President Bush to finish well as He spoke to us two years ago.
An interesting word was released for the meeting in September '07 that is particularly pertinent for the elections of '08:
God has provided a righteous man who will begin to emerge towards the end of '07 and begin to shine in '08. We will not be left scratching our heads or feeling like we are throwing our vote away on someone who cannot win. God will put His very apparent light of favor upon this man, and we will know how to pray and to vote.
The Lord also prophetically admonished us to press through to see the courts shifted and that--we cannot fail in our prayers to see abortion overturned in the United States. (As of now, 49 million babies have been aborted since 1973.) This is a "make it or break it" time, and we must not be weary in our intercession.
Admonition for Prayer Cover
God gave us a specific word that satan will try to bring premature death to the Body of Christ. Please prayerfully cover yourself, your family, pastors, and those of influence specifically in your life.
Philanthropy
A new generation of philanthropists will arise out of the Body of Christ. A focus will be on the poor and needy. There will also be a major emphasis on using wealth to gain influence to be a voice in society for righteousness. This will lead to Christians and Christianity in general to be seen in a new light by those who thought that God and the Church were unfeeling and uncaring.
New Emphasis on the Teaching Gift
The teaching gift will once again arise to the forefront as the Lord brings an emphasis on knowing the foundations of Biblical truths. This will mitigate against the Body of Christ going off course and falling into error.
Holiness Movement
Holiness will come to the Church again. With this will come a great exposure of sin in the pulpit. The Lord warned us that many would come under governmental scrutiny during the last half of '07 and '08, and we need to examine ourselves so we are clean in every area of the ministry, financially as well as spiritually.
New Civil Rights Movement
A new generation of civil rights leaders are going to emerge in the nation who will be a righteous voice. Their anointing will be so strong that they will supersede and be stronger and have more influence than those who are unrighteous that align with unbiblical stances. They will speak against the influence of the unholy side of hip-hop and new prayer movements will also arise in the black community.
Kingdom Government of God
The government of God will become a new wineskin for the future move of God (see Matthew 6:10). Reformation back to the original design of Genesis will be a major focus and God's creative anointing will be on those who move in this direction.
Specific Focus on Nations
There were five international areas that we specifically felt God's spotlight on in the coming hour:
1. China.
2. The "Ring of Fire" (Pacific Rim nations).
3. India.
4. Israel and the Middle East.
5. South America and Venezuela.
We felt there was going to be an extreme battle between light and darkness for a season, with increased persecution of believers. On the other hand, great harvest and advancement for the Kingdom of God will also take place. We all need to pray specifically for these regions of the world.
Submitted by C. Peter Wagner, Cindy Jacobs, and the members of the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders (ACPE)
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Titus 3:3
Titus 3:3 For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another
Spurgeon once put it...
No man here has any idea of how bad he really is. You do not know how good the grace of God can make you, nor how bad you are by nature, nor how bad you might become if that nature were left to itself.
W E Vine comments that
"the remembrance of the fact that we once manifested some of these characteristics of our unregenerate nature, should in itself be an incentive to us to fulfill the exhortations just given. We ourselves stood in need of kindness, gentleness, meekness, on the part of others, and were so treated by God in His long-suffering. How then can we refuse kindness to those who stand in need of it?" Vine goes on to write that "Foolishness is evidence of a blunted mind; disobedience is evidence of a hardened heart; deception is evidence of a perverted will; bondage to lusts and pleasures is evidence of a carnal mind; malice and envy and hate are proofs of selfishness, pride and grasping ambition. And all are the effects of sin."
Paul has a similar commentary on humanity's state outside of Christ writing that...
We also once "were (spiritually) dead in (our) trespasses and sins, in which (we) formerly walked according to the course of this world (under the sway of the tendency of this present evil age), according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience (unwilling to be persuaded, obstinate, rebellious, unbelieving, striving continually against the purposes of God) Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh (our behavior governed by our corrupt and sensual nature), indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children (born with a sinful nature inherited from Adam) of wrath (objects of God's holy hatred of sin representing His attribute of necessary antagonism to everything evil), even as the rest." (Eph 2:1-3)
Disobedient, deceived, enslaved - Spurgeon comments...
That is what we were once; and if the grace of God has made a change in us, we must not boast, we must not censure others, we must not set up as self-righteous judges of others. Oh, no! our action must be the very reverse of all this.
DISOBEDIENT: apeitheis: (Mt 21:29; Acts 9:1-6; 26:19,20; Eph 2:2; 1Pet 1:14)
Disobedient (545) apeithes from a = without + peÃtho = persuade, literally describes one who refuses to be persuaded (unpersuadable), thus picturing one who willfully disregards authority. Impersuasible, incompliant, contumacious.
In studying apeithes it is important to understand that the stem peith- (pith-, poith-) has the basic meaning of trust (cf. Latin = fido, fides; English = fidelity). Trust can refer to a statement, so that it has the meaning to put faith in, to let oneself be convinced, or to a demand, so that it gets the meaning of obey, be persuaded. The active meaning of the verb stem peith- then is to convince and persuade and is especially characteristic of Greek thought. In secular Greek it interesting to note that "Peitho" (art of persuading) was even regarded as a goddess!
Apeithes pictures a stubborn, stiff-necked attitude and speaks of disbelief manifesting itself in disobedience. Apeithes is opposed to pistis or belief (trust).
TDNT says apeithes...
means “unworthy of belief,” then “disobedient.”
Marvin Vincent in discussing apeitheo in John 3:36 writes that..
Disbelief is regarded in its active manifestation, disobedience. The verb peitho means to persuade, to cause belief, to induce one to do something by persuading, and so runs into the meaning of to obey, properly as the result of persuasion...Obedience, however, includes faith.
From these comments, it should not surprise you to discover that in the New Testament the Greek words translated disobey, disobedience, disobedient (apeitheo apeitheia; apeithes) do not stand in contrast with obedience but in contrast with faith!
In the present context apeithes describes the person who refuses obedience to God, resisting His Word and remains steadfastly rebellious against God's natural laws and those which human society requires.
Paul describes a progression is from an unwillingness to use one's mental faculties (foolish) in order to understand the truth about God and His glorious gospel, in turn and inevitably leading to an unwillingness to be persuaded by the truth. Men do not avoid the gospel of Christ because of insufficient facts but because of proud and unrepentant hearts. Such is the natural character of the human heart, Jeremiah recording that the
heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick. (Jer 17:9)
Solomon wrote that
the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil, and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives (Eccl 9:3).
Apeithes is found 6 times in the NT...
Luke 1:17 "And it is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous; so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
Acts 26:19 "Consequently, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision,
Romans 1:30 (note) slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,
2 Timothy 3:2 (note) For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
Titus 1:16 (note) They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being (continually = their "lifestyle") detestable and disobedient, and worthless for any good deed.
Titus 3:3 (note) For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.
Apeithes is used 5 times in the Septuagint (LXX) ...
Numbers 20:10 and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, "Listen now, you rebels (Hebrew = marah [04784] = be contentious or rebellious; Lxx = apeithes) ; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?"
Deuteronomy 21:18 "If any man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or his mother, and when they chastise him, he will not even listen to them,
Isaiah 30:9 For this is a rebellious (Lxx = apeithes) people, false sons, Sons who refuse to listen To the instruction of the LORD;
Jeremiah 5:23 'But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; They have turned aside and departed.
Zechariah 7:12 "And they made their hearts like flint (Lxx = apeithes = disobedient! Flint is a good metaphor for such a hard heart!) so that they could not hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the LORD of hosts.
Jesus taught that from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. (see note Matthew 7:21; 7:22)
This is who we once were outside of Christ. Paul is saying that this truth should motivate believers to treat others the way God in His grace treated us when we were involved in ungodly activities
"for while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly", God demonstrating "His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Isa 44:20; Ob 1:3; Luke 21:8; Gal 6:3; Js 1:26; Rev 12:9; 13:14)
DECEIVED (4105) (planao from plane which describes "a wandering" and gives us our English word "planet") means literally made to wander and so to be led astray or made to err from the right way, the highway of truth and holiness.
Matthew Henry adds that
"Man in this his degenerate state is of a straying nature, thence compared to a lost sheep; this must be sought and brought back, and guided in the right way, Ps 119:176. (See Spurgeon's Note) He is weak, and ready to be imposed upon by the wiles and subtleties of Satan, and of men lying in wait to seduce and mislead."
Clarke writes that deceived is
"erring - wandering from the right way in consequence of our ignorance, not knowing the right way; and, in consequence of our unbelief and obstinacy, not choosing to know it."
Basically deception refers to a deliberate misrepresentation of the truth, especially in moral and spiritual matters, in order to purposely mislead another person. In this sense, the truth can be misrepresented first of all by our own sinful heart (which is the control center of our character and our moral and spiritual life) (Jer 17:9, Hebrews 3:10 [note], Js 5:19, 1Jn 1:8), by false prophets (Jer 29:8, Mt 24:4-5, Revelation 13:14 [note]), by false teachers (Eph 5:6, 2 Peter 2:14 [note], 1Jn 2:26, 1Jn 3:7, 2Jn 1:7, Jezebel Revelation 2:20 [note]) and of course especially by the ultimate "Deceiver", our old Adversary, the consummate Liar (Jn 8:44), Satan himself (see notes Revelation 12:9, Revelation 20:3, 20:8, 20:10). Satan’s objective is to deceive sinners into ever greater sin and ungodliness.
Note that the verb planao is in the passive voice which indicates an outside force or influence (e.g., the unregenerate heart in unbelievers, the power of sin rendered ineffective but unfortunately still latent in believers, false prophets, false teachers, the Devil) is causing the deception that leads one down the wrong path. The present tense indicates the sad truth that unsaved men and women are continually being led astray from God, even to the point that they refuse to believe that in the end they will be judged by Him (cf notes Revelation 20:11; 20:12; 20:13; 20:14; 20:15).
Expositor's Bible Commentary writes that...
Those who deceive others impair, in so doing, their sense of the distinction between truth and falsehood, and thus weaken their power of resistance to self-deceit and to imposition by others. Peter writes that prior to salvation we "were continually straying (planao - being led astray) like sheep, but now (we) have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of (our) souls." (see note 1 Peter 2:25)
This miraculous transition from walking in darkness to walking in the light, should motivate every believer to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel (submit to and obey the government, do good deeds, don't malign, don't quarrel, be gentle and show meekness to all men, including the foolish, deceived, disobedient, etc!)
Clarke adds that
It is a true saying, “There are none so blind as those who will not see.” Such persons are proof against conviction, they will not be convinced either by God or man.
Although deceived in context describes who we once were (unbelievers), do not be deceived for believers can still fall prey to the wiles of deception! So beware!
James writes
Do not be deceived (literally stop being deceived - indicating that deception was already a fact), my beloved brethren. (James 1:16)
Paul warns the Galatians that when dealing with one caught in any trespass, they must be careful for if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. (Gal 6:3).
James writes that
If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless. (Ja 1:26)
Clearly, the tragic truth is that the one who is deceived does not even know he or she is deceived! Given the "deceptive nature" of deception, it is not surprising that the writer of Hebrews exhorts us to encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (see note Hebrews 3:13)
Sin will deceive you. You are not getting away with that "little sin"...in fact your heart is being gradually hardened by it (and you don't even realize it!) Kill sin or it will kill you.
Paul goes on to warn the Corinthians of the danger of deception writing
Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God (the spiritual sphere of salvation where God rules as King over all who belong to Him by faith)? Do not be deceived (stop being deceived) neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (1Cor 6:9-10)
This list convicts us all...who among us does not covet from time to time? Occasional sins is not what Paul is referring to. Don't be deceived. If an individual habitually and as manner of their lifestyle commits these sins, Paul says they are not saved.
Ryrie agrees writing that
People whose lifestyles exhibit wickedness, not fruit, show they are unsaved and will, therefore, not inherit the kingdom of God.
In a similar warning to the Galatians Paul writes
Do not be deceived (stop this) God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life. (Gal 6:7-8)
Spurgeon once put it...
No man here has any idea of how bad he really is. You do not know how good the grace of God can make you, nor how bad you are by nature, nor how bad you might become if that nature were left to itself.
W E Vine comments that
"the remembrance of the fact that we once manifested some of these characteristics of our unregenerate nature, should in itself be an incentive to us to fulfill the exhortations just given. We ourselves stood in need of kindness, gentleness, meekness, on the part of others, and were so treated by God in His long-suffering. How then can we refuse kindness to those who stand in need of it?" Vine goes on to write that "Foolishness is evidence of a blunted mind; disobedience is evidence of a hardened heart; deception is evidence of a perverted will; bondage to lusts and pleasures is evidence of a carnal mind; malice and envy and hate are proofs of selfishness, pride and grasping ambition. And all are the effects of sin."
Paul has a similar commentary on humanity's state outside of Christ writing that...
We also once "were (spiritually) dead in (our) trespasses and sins, in which (we) formerly walked according to the course of this world (under the sway of the tendency of this present evil age), according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience (unwilling to be persuaded, obstinate, rebellious, unbelieving, striving continually against the purposes of God) Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh (our behavior governed by our corrupt and sensual nature), indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children (born with a sinful nature inherited from Adam) of wrath (objects of God's holy hatred of sin representing His attribute of necessary antagonism to everything evil), even as the rest." (Eph 2:1-3)
Disobedient, deceived, enslaved - Spurgeon comments...
That is what we were once; and if the grace of God has made a change in us, we must not boast, we must not censure others, we must not set up as self-righteous judges of others. Oh, no! our action must be the very reverse of all this.
DISOBEDIENT: apeitheis: (Mt 21:29; Acts 9:1-6; 26:19,20; Eph 2:2; 1Pet 1:14)
Disobedient (545) apeithes from a = without + peÃtho = persuade, literally describes one who refuses to be persuaded (unpersuadable), thus picturing one who willfully disregards authority. Impersuasible, incompliant, contumacious.
In studying apeithes it is important to understand that the stem peith- (pith-, poith-) has the basic meaning of trust (cf. Latin = fido, fides; English = fidelity). Trust can refer to a statement, so that it has the meaning to put faith in, to let oneself be convinced, or to a demand, so that it gets the meaning of obey, be persuaded. The active meaning of the verb stem peith- then is to convince and persuade and is especially characteristic of Greek thought. In secular Greek it interesting to note that "Peitho" (art of persuading) was even regarded as a goddess!
Apeithes pictures a stubborn, stiff-necked attitude and speaks of disbelief manifesting itself in disobedience. Apeithes is opposed to pistis or belief (trust).
TDNT says apeithes...
means “unworthy of belief,” then “disobedient.”
Marvin Vincent in discussing apeitheo in John 3:36 writes that..
Disbelief is regarded in its active manifestation, disobedience. The verb peitho means to persuade, to cause belief, to induce one to do something by persuading, and so runs into the meaning of to obey, properly as the result of persuasion...Obedience, however, includes faith.
From these comments, it should not surprise you to discover that in the New Testament the Greek words translated disobey, disobedience, disobedient (apeitheo apeitheia; apeithes) do not stand in contrast with obedience but in contrast with faith!
In the present context apeithes describes the person who refuses obedience to God, resisting His Word and remains steadfastly rebellious against God's natural laws and those which human society requires.
Paul describes a progression is from an unwillingness to use one's mental faculties (foolish) in order to understand the truth about God and His glorious gospel, in turn and inevitably leading to an unwillingness to be persuaded by the truth. Men do not avoid the gospel of Christ because of insufficient facts but because of proud and unrepentant hearts. Such is the natural character of the human heart, Jeremiah recording that the
heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick. (Jer 17:9)
Solomon wrote that
the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil, and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives (Eccl 9:3).
Apeithes is found 6 times in the NT...
Luke 1:17 "And it is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous; so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
Acts 26:19 "Consequently, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision,
Romans 1:30 (note) slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,
2 Timothy 3:2 (note) For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
Titus 1:16 (note) They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being (continually = their "lifestyle") detestable and disobedient, and worthless for any good deed.
Titus 3:3 (note) For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.
Apeithes is used 5 times in the Septuagint (LXX) ...
Numbers 20:10 and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, "Listen now, you rebels (Hebrew = marah [04784] = be contentious or rebellious; Lxx = apeithes) ; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?"
Deuteronomy 21:18 "If any man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or his mother, and when they chastise him, he will not even listen to them,
Isaiah 30:9 For this is a rebellious (Lxx = apeithes) people, false sons, Sons who refuse to listen To the instruction of the LORD;
Jeremiah 5:23 'But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; They have turned aside and departed.
Zechariah 7:12 "And they made their hearts like flint (Lxx = apeithes = disobedient! Flint is a good metaphor for such a hard heart!) so that they could not hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the LORD of hosts.
Jesus taught that from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. (see note Matthew 7:21; 7:22)
This is who we once were outside of Christ. Paul is saying that this truth should motivate believers to treat others the way God in His grace treated us when we were involved in ungodly activities
"for while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly", God demonstrating "His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Isa 44:20; Ob 1:3; Luke 21:8; Gal 6:3; Js 1:26; Rev 12:9; 13:14)
DECEIVED (4105) (planao from plane which describes "a wandering" and gives us our English word "planet") means literally made to wander and so to be led astray or made to err from the right way, the highway of truth and holiness.
Matthew Henry adds that
"Man in this his degenerate state is of a straying nature, thence compared to a lost sheep; this must be sought and brought back, and guided in the right way, Ps 119:176. (See Spurgeon's Note) He is weak, and ready to be imposed upon by the wiles and subtleties of Satan, and of men lying in wait to seduce and mislead."
Clarke writes that deceived is
"erring - wandering from the right way in consequence of our ignorance, not knowing the right way; and, in consequence of our unbelief and obstinacy, not choosing to know it."
Basically deception refers to a deliberate misrepresentation of the truth, especially in moral and spiritual matters, in order to purposely mislead another person. In this sense, the truth can be misrepresented first of all by our own sinful heart (which is the control center of our character and our moral and spiritual life) (Jer 17:9, Hebrews 3:10 [note], Js 5:19, 1Jn 1:8), by false prophets (Jer 29:8, Mt 24:4-5, Revelation 13:14 [note]), by false teachers (Eph 5:6, 2 Peter 2:14 [note], 1Jn 2:26, 1Jn 3:7, 2Jn 1:7, Jezebel Revelation 2:20 [note]) and of course especially by the ultimate "Deceiver", our old Adversary, the consummate Liar (Jn 8:44), Satan himself (see notes Revelation 12:9, Revelation 20:3, 20:8, 20:10). Satan’s objective is to deceive sinners into ever greater sin and ungodliness.
Note that the verb planao is in the passive voice which indicates an outside force or influence (e.g., the unregenerate heart in unbelievers, the power of sin rendered ineffective but unfortunately still latent in believers, false prophets, false teachers, the Devil) is causing the deception that leads one down the wrong path. The present tense indicates the sad truth that unsaved men and women are continually being led astray from God, even to the point that they refuse to believe that in the end they will be judged by Him (cf notes Revelation 20:11; 20:12; 20:13; 20:14; 20:15).
Expositor's Bible Commentary writes that...
Those who deceive others impair, in so doing, their sense of the distinction between truth and falsehood, and thus weaken their power of resistance to self-deceit and to imposition by others. Peter writes that prior to salvation we "were continually straying (planao - being led astray) like sheep, but now (we) have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of (our) souls." (see note 1 Peter 2:25)
This miraculous transition from walking in darkness to walking in the light, should motivate every believer to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel (submit to and obey the government, do good deeds, don't malign, don't quarrel, be gentle and show meekness to all men, including the foolish, deceived, disobedient, etc!)
Clarke adds that
It is a true saying, “There are none so blind as those who will not see.” Such persons are proof against conviction, they will not be convinced either by God or man.
Although deceived in context describes who we once were (unbelievers), do not be deceived for believers can still fall prey to the wiles of deception! So beware!
James writes
Do not be deceived (literally stop being deceived - indicating that deception was already a fact), my beloved brethren. (James 1:16)
Paul warns the Galatians that when dealing with one caught in any trespass, they must be careful for if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. (Gal 6:3).
James writes that
If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless. (Ja 1:26)
Clearly, the tragic truth is that the one who is deceived does not even know he or she is deceived! Given the "deceptive nature" of deception, it is not surprising that the writer of Hebrews exhorts us to encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (see note Hebrews 3:13)
Sin will deceive you. You are not getting away with that "little sin"...in fact your heart is being gradually hardened by it (and you don't even realize it!) Kill sin or it will kill you.
Paul goes on to warn the Corinthians of the danger of deception writing
Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God (the spiritual sphere of salvation where God rules as King over all who belong to Him by faith)? Do not be deceived (stop being deceived) neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (1Cor 6:9-10)
This list convicts us all...who among us does not covet from time to time? Occasional sins is not what Paul is referring to. Don't be deceived. If an individual habitually and as manner of their lifestyle commits these sins, Paul says they are not saved.
Ryrie agrees writing that
People whose lifestyles exhibit wickedness, not fruit, show they are unsaved and will, therefore, not inherit the kingdom of God.
In a similar warning to the Galatians Paul writes
Do not be deceived (stop this) God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life. (Gal 6:7-8)
Monday, December 31, 2007
The Seed Of Apostasy
"...these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation become offended and fall away (Luke 8:13b)."
Jesus told us instead to expect persecution, excommunication, and tribulation. Since Christians today expect blessing, acceptance, and prosperity, it's easy to see why so many are setting themselves up for a big disappointment when GOD does not meet their expectation. Ultimately, you will apply the same expectations upon God as you do upon people, holding Him personally responsible for what THEY did or did not do to you. The seed for apostasy and falling away is planted in my heart, in your heart, in every Christian heart: that is, the unrealistic and unbiblical perception of how we expect God and other people to treat us.
Jesus knew what was in the heart of men. He could perceive their reasonings and murmerings against Him. This is why He could love unconditionally - He expected nothing in return. Why should He? People were and are intrinsically self-centered, self-serving and self-preserving. It is the nature of Adam, and it is our nature. True, Christians now have a new nature, but most only know of that new nature in theory, not by experience.
Jesus did not expect His disciples to remain faithful to Him simply because He washed their feet. His knowledge of people gave Him the liberty to just love them and not expect anything in return. He could wash the disciples' feet knowing they would all forsake Him. It was not as if He became angry when they left, "after all I've done for them." That's OUR way. We keep a mental ledger of debits and credits and EXPECT others to treat us fairly, or support us, etc. just because we applied the Golden Rule to them. If we were in His place, our line of reasoning would be: I can count on Peter, James and John; the rest I am not as sure of; Judas will likely betray me; but, if I show them unconditional love, wash their feet, and pray for them, surely they will stand with me during my time of suffering.
O Christian, how many times have you reasoned thusly, adding up your debits and credits with others and expecting them to treat you as you have treated them? How many times have you expected the preacher to visit you, the neighbor be kind to you, the friend to listen to you, the husband to love you, the wife to honor you, the children to obey you, the parents to understand you? What did you expect? To be applauded? To be affirmed? To be understood? To be appreciated?
O preacher, what did you expect? The praise of the masses? The universal recognition of your special gift? The outward trappings of a successful ministry, with a one hundred-fold return of luscious fruit? Did you expect to be consulted as a dauntless leader, hailed as a church-growth expert, lauded as God's man or woman of the hour?
Yes, you expected it, I expected it, we all expected just a little something from others - and therein lies the problem: no, not in what others did to you, whether it was just or unjust, or what they failed to do, whether in negligence, forgetfulness, or spite. The crux of the matter, the point of stumbling, is your unrealistic expectation that people will behave in a predictable, godly, Biblical, Christ-like, loving manner. Because more times that not, they don't.
And that upsets us. We expect people to approve of our writings, our music, our "word", our ministry, our insight, our revelation, our values, our doctrinal position. And they expect the same of us, and God help the one who fails to render credit where credit is due! The "I" is always hidden behind such a desire, so it is no wonder that we become upset when we are not afforded the appreciation and respect we think we deserve. If they are not Christians, we could shrug and say, "What do you expect? They don't even know the Lord." Ah, but then, people who claim to know the Lord (maybe some who really do) fail to meet your expectations too. We can align our expectations such that we do not expect compassion from a sinner, but what about when compassion is lacking from a saint? My, what a test this is! We can overlook the insults and offenses and misdeeds of the lost and make excuse for them because they are not saved. How then do you make excuse for those who mistreat you while claiming to be on God's side? I maintain that the "like-minded brethren" are the most difficult to get along with.
Then of course, one of those "well-meaning" preachers will tell you that you can expect to be prosperous, healed, and victorious. Hope rises, and you believe. "Expect a miracle!" they shout. And the prosperity you expected does not materialize; the healing does not "manifest"; and victory seems to be way out on the horizon, well beyond your outstretched hands.
The time it takes varies from individual to individual, but each one of us facing the cumulative effect of unmet expectations reaches the same fork in the road. Eventually the focus of our attention shifts from what people have done, to what God has NOT done. It seems to us in such a place that God seldom, if ever, intervenes on our behalf, defends our cause, or solicits what we want from other people.
We worship God, and expect that He will afford us with some tangible evidence or feeling of joy, peace, strength or nearness of His presence. It is in a sense much like Pavlov's dog, who learned how to press a button in order to get a treat. Is this Spirit and Truth?
We read and study the Bible, expecting that God will grant us revelation into His Word, that we may grow in spiritual knowledge and Christian maturity. Or, preacher, you expect to get your Sunday sermon or midweek lesson out of the text before you. But there comes a time when, as Nee says, the Bible looms before you as a massive rock from which you cannot obtain nourishment. What then?
What do we do when He doesn't answer as we expect Him? What then, O Christian? What will you do? What will you believe? Perhaps you will be like Job's wife. Curse God and die, she spat. Why retain your integrity any longer? Not just die, but CURSE GOD first, then go ahead and die! Don't just roll over, Job! You've got some anger going on in there, don't you? You've got a little bitterness in your heart, huh? God blessed you once, but today you are cursed! God prospered you once, but today you are bankrupt! God healed you once, but today the flesh hangs off your bones! You are a stinking mess. You are a bum, a loser, a has-been. This is the result of your life of faith! This is how God eventually treats all His children, by sending them to a cruel cross and crucifying them on it, naked before the world, helpless before the religious mafia, powerless before the devil! You were mistaken somewhere, Job. You had God all wrong. You messed up somewhere along the line. Give up Job. Curse God and die!
Isn't it interesting? When God behaves as we expect Him to - the raise comes, the transfer goes through, the cancer is healed, the marriage is restored, the storm passes us by - we do not protest that we are unworthy, or argue with God's decision to bless us. Unless it is an unusual display of grace we may scarcely give God the credit. Ah, but let God delay Himself, or "fail" to deliver as expected, and behold how quickly our countenance is darkened against Him!
Are people your problem? No. Is God your problem? No! YOU are your problem, and specifically, your expectation is your downfall. Sure, expect great things of God - but qualify what you mean by great. Don't think great things means likeable things, pleasant things, easy things. I tell you plainly that you can expect the opposite. Since you and I were born with an Adamic nature which makes us inherently selfish, stubborn, and greedy, it behooves God to lead us along a path that of self-denial, foregoing what we "like" in favor of conformity to the image of His Son, who is anything but self-ish.
So when we look at Job we see that he was righteous, but he was ignorant. All he knew was blessing, prosperity, and living in the "hedge." Yes, it's lovely to live there in the hedge. Everything he touched was blessed; he was protected from failure. Did Job worship God as a result? You bet! And like most, thought that the blessing was a result of his own righteousness and servitude. But Satan pointed out that that the hedge of blessing and protection was the very thing that kept Job so faithful.
Therefore the testing of Job was a valid test, a crucial one, and a crucible through which each Christian will be purged, sifted, and tried. To what end? It is summed up in the words of Job himself as he neared the end of his ordeal: "I have heard Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now my eye seeth Thee." BUT NOW! BUT NOW! BUT NOW! Before he heard about Him, but now he sees Him, and falls to the ground. Before he worshipped Him having heard, now he worships having seen, and known. I submit that God set him up for such experiential knowledge by allowing him to be subjected to the assaults of the devil, the harshness of his environment, the misunderstanding of his friends, the loss of his family and material possessions, and his physical infirmity. I submit that if anyone desires to take up the cross and follow Christ such testing is the only realistic expectation His disciple can entertain.
Many quickly point out that Job was blessed more in the end than in the beginning; but if getting doubly blessed is our purpose for enduring such affliction then we have failed the very purpose of such a test, and such an attitude only proves man's capacity for being self-serving, even in the worst of circumstances.
I am writing to you, O Christian, who is so full of expectation of what the spiritual life should be like, you who are so sure that you know God, so acquainted you are with His Word! Have you seen God? Or are you worshipping what you have heard, bowing to an invisible force in the clouds, expecting some blessing or feeling or voice or gift? Where will you be, when there is no "Blessed Assurance", when all the evidence points to your failure as a Christian, when "peace like a river" is no longer "attending" your way?
I am writing to that individual who is on the slippery slope of apostasy, ready to renounce their faith (not openly of course, but inwardly) because of some unrealized dream or hope or wish or expectation that after ALL you've been through, surely God will bless you or compensate you or reward you or answer you! Beware! It is more likely that God wishes to know if you worship Him for His gifts, or for Himself; and of course you know that HE knows, it is YOU that must know. The Lord knew, and Peter thought he knew, but by cock's crow Peter knew he didn't know, and we know he didn't know either. Some of you think you know, but you don't know, not yet. Perhaps you need a lion's den to be brought face to face with God. Perhaps a flaming furnace to encounter the Fourth Man. Perhaps you need a cross of splintery wood instead of shiny gold electroplate.
How easy and grandiose it is to speak of martyrdom and dying for Christ. But anyone can DIE for Him: how many will LIVE for Him? The test is not in the dying, but in the living; not in one ultimate act of sacrifice, but in a million little obediences every day! Yes! If you cannot, if you will not, take up the cross and die in the mundane and hum-drum of Today, in the HERE and NOW, you are not fit to die the martyr's death in the unknown darkness of some future persecution.
People do not turn away from their faith and become apostate when threatened with death. They fall away when they become bitter against people, angry with God, and offended with His manner of dealing with them. It isn't a sudden decision you are confronted with, but an invisible thing which starts from the core of your being and works its way into your soul. It is certainly a clear and present danger, and it is within you now, maybe in an inert, embryonic form, maybe in a full-blown disillusionment and anger against God, but it is THERE, waiting for you to succumb to it, feeding itself on your expectation.
Let us draw near to God, and ask to be reduced to Christ. Let us accept whatever He deems beneficial to us, whether it is according to our expectation or not. Know that by the time the rooster crows you may curse and swear that you don't know the Man. Blessed is the one who finds no occasion for stumbling in Him. Love people, but expect nothing from them. Enjoy God, love Him, obey Him: be content with that.
Jesus told us instead to expect persecution, excommunication, and tribulation. Since Christians today expect blessing, acceptance, and prosperity, it's easy to see why so many are setting themselves up for a big disappointment when GOD does not meet their expectation. Ultimately, you will apply the same expectations upon God as you do upon people, holding Him personally responsible for what THEY did or did not do to you. The seed for apostasy and falling away is planted in my heart, in your heart, in every Christian heart: that is, the unrealistic and unbiblical perception of how we expect God and other people to treat us.
Jesus knew what was in the heart of men. He could perceive their reasonings and murmerings against Him. This is why He could love unconditionally - He expected nothing in return. Why should He? People were and are intrinsically self-centered, self-serving and self-preserving. It is the nature of Adam, and it is our nature. True, Christians now have a new nature, but most only know of that new nature in theory, not by experience.
Jesus did not expect His disciples to remain faithful to Him simply because He washed their feet. His knowledge of people gave Him the liberty to just love them and not expect anything in return. He could wash the disciples' feet knowing they would all forsake Him. It was not as if He became angry when they left, "after all I've done for them." That's OUR way. We keep a mental ledger of debits and credits and EXPECT others to treat us fairly, or support us, etc. just because we applied the Golden Rule to them. If we were in His place, our line of reasoning would be: I can count on Peter, James and John; the rest I am not as sure of; Judas will likely betray me; but, if I show them unconditional love, wash their feet, and pray for them, surely they will stand with me during my time of suffering.
O Christian, how many times have you reasoned thusly, adding up your debits and credits with others and expecting them to treat you as you have treated them? How many times have you expected the preacher to visit you, the neighbor be kind to you, the friend to listen to you, the husband to love you, the wife to honor you, the children to obey you, the parents to understand you? What did you expect? To be applauded? To be affirmed? To be understood? To be appreciated?
O preacher, what did you expect? The praise of the masses? The universal recognition of your special gift? The outward trappings of a successful ministry, with a one hundred-fold return of luscious fruit? Did you expect to be consulted as a dauntless leader, hailed as a church-growth expert, lauded as God's man or woman of the hour?
Yes, you expected it, I expected it, we all expected just a little something from others - and therein lies the problem: no, not in what others did to you, whether it was just or unjust, or what they failed to do, whether in negligence, forgetfulness, or spite. The crux of the matter, the point of stumbling, is your unrealistic expectation that people will behave in a predictable, godly, Biblical, Christ-like, loving manner. Because more times that not, they don't.
And that upsets us. We expect people to approve of our writings, our music, our "word", our ministry, our insight, our revelation, our values, our doctrinal position. And they expect the same of us, and God help the one who fails to render credit where credit is due! The "I" is always hidden behind such a desire, so it is no wonder that we become upset when we are not afforded the appreciation and respect we think we deserve. If they are not Christians, we could shrug and say, "What do you expect? They don't even know the Lord." Ah, but then, people who claim to know the Lord (maybe some who really do) fail to meet your expectations too. We can align our expectations such that we do not expect compassion from a sinner, but what about when compassion is lacking from a saint? My, what a test this is! We can overlook the insults and offenses and misdeeds of the lost and make excuse for them because they are not saved. How then do you make excuse for those who mistreat you while claiming to be on God's side? I maintain that the "like-minded brethren" are the most difficult to get along with.
Then of course, one of those "well-meaning" preachers will tell you that you can expect to be prosperous, healed, and victorious. Hope rises, and you believe. "Expect a miracle!" they shout. And the prosperity you expected does not materialize; the healing does not "manifest"; and victory seems to be way out on the horizon, well beyond your outstretched hands.
The time it takes varies from individual to individual, but each one of us facing the cumulative effect of unmet expectations reaches the same fork in the road. Eventually the focus of our attention shifts from what people have done, to what God has NOT done. It seems to us in such a place that God seldom, if ever, intervenes on our behalf, defends our cause, or solicits what we want from other people.
We worship God, and expect that He will afford us with some tangible evidence or feeling of joy, peace, strength or nearness of His presence. It is in a sense much like Pavlov's dog, who learned how to press a button in order to get a treat. Is this Spirit and Truth?
We read and study the Bible, expecting that God will grant us revelation into His Word, that we may grow in spiritual knowledge and Christian maturity. Or, preacher, you expect to get your Sunday sermon or midweek lesson out of the text before you. But there comes a time when, as Nee says, the Bible looms before you as a massive rock from which you cannot obtain nourishment. What then?
What do we do when He doesn't answer as we expect Him? What then, O Christian? What will you do? What will you believe? Perhaps you will be like Job's wife. Curse God and die, she spat. Why retain your integrity any longer? Not just die, but CURSE GOD first, then go ahead and die! Don't just roll over, Job! You've got some anger going on in there, don't you? You've got a little bitterness in your heart, huh? God blessed you once, but today you are cursed! God prospered you once, but today you are bankrupt! God healed you once, but today the flesh hangs off your bones! You are a stinking mess. You are a bum, a loser, a has-been. This is the result of your life of faith! This is how God eventually treats all His children, by sending them to a cruel cross and crucifying them on it, naked before the world, helpless before the religious mafia, powerless before the devil! You were mistaken somewhere, Job. You had God all wrong. You messed up somewhere along the line. Give up Job. Curse God and die!
Isn't it interesting? When God behaves as we expect Him to - the raise comes, the transfer goes through, the cancer is healed, the marriage is restored, the storm passes us by - we do not protest that we are unworthy, or argue with God's decision to bless us. Unless it is an unusual display of grace we may scarcely give God the credit. Ah, but let God delay Himself, or "fail" to deliver as expected, and behold how quickly our countenance is darkened against Him!
Are people your problem? No. Is God your problem? No! YOU are your problem, and specifically, your expectation is your downfall. Sure, expect great things of God - but qualify what you mean by great. Don't think great things means likeable things, pleasant things, easy things. I tell you plainly that you can expect the opposite. Since you and I were born with an Adamic nature which makes us inherently selfish, stubborn, and greedy, it behooves God to lead us along a path that of self-denial, foregoing what we "like" in favor of conformity to the image of His Son, who is anything but self-ish.
So when we look at Job we see that he was righteous, but he was ignorant. All he knew was blessing, prosperity, and living in the "hedge." Yes, it's lovely to live there in the hedge. Everything he touched was blessed; he was protected from failure. Did Job worship God as a result? You bet! And like most, thought that the blessing was a result of his own righteousness and servitude. But Satan pointed out that that the hedge of blessing and protection was the very thing that kept Job so faithful.
Therefore the testing of Job was a valid test, a crucial one, and a crucible through which each Christian will be purged, sifted, and tried. To what end? It is summed up in the words of Job himself as he neared the end of his ordeal: "I have heard Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now my eye seeth Thee." BUT NOW! BUT NOW! BUT NOW! Before he heard about Him, but now he sees Him, and falls to the ground. Before he worshipped Him having heard, now he worships having seen, and known. I submit that God set him up for such experiential knowledge by allowing him to be subjected to the assaults of the devil, the harshness of his environment, the misunderstanding of his friends, the loss of his family and material possessions, and his physical infirmity. I submit that if anyone desires to take up the cross and follow Christ such testing is the only realistic expectation His disciple can entertain.
Many quickly point out that Job was blessed more in the end than in the beginning; but if getting doubly blessed is our purpose for enduring such affliction then we have failed the very purpose of such a test, and such an attitude only proves man's capacity for being self-serving, even in the worst of circumstances.
I am writing to you, O Christian, who is so full of expectation of what the spiritual life should be like, you who are so sure that you know God, so acquainted you are with His Word! Have you seen God? Or are you worshipping what you have heard, bowing to an invisible force in the clouds, expecting some blessing or feeling or voice or gift? Where will you be, when there is no "Blessed Assurance", when all the evidence points to your failure as a Christian, when "peace like a river" is no longer "attending" your way?
I am writing to that individual who is on the slippery slope of apostasy, ready to renounce their faith (not openly of course, but inwardly) because of some unrealized dream or hope or wish or expectation that after ALL you've been through, surely God will bless you or compensate you or reward you or answer you! Beware! It is more likely that God wishes to know if you worship Him for His gifts, or for Himself; and of course you know that HE knows, it is YOU that must know. The Lord knew, and Peter thought he knew, but by cock's crow Peter knew he didn't know, and we know he didn't know either. Some of you think you know, but you don't know, not yet. Perhaps you need a lion's den to be brought face to face with God. Perhaps a flaming furnace to encounter the Fourth Man. Perhaps you need a cross of splintery wood instead of shiny gold electroplate.
How easy and grandiose it is to speak of martyrdom and dying for Christ. But anyone can DIE for Him: how many will LIVE for Him? The test is not in the dying, but in the living; not in one ultimate act of sacrifice, but in a million little obediences every day! Yes! If you cannot, if you will not, take up the cross and die in the mundane and hum-drum of Today, in the HERE and NOW, you are not fit to die the martyr's death in the unknown darkness of some future persecution.
People do not turn away from their faith and become apostate when threatened with death. They fall away when they become bitter against people, angry with God, and offended with His manner of dealing with them. It isn't a sudden decision you are confronted with, but an invisible thing which starts from the core of your being and works its way into your soul. It is certainly a clear and present danger, and it is within you now, maybe in an inert, embryonic form, maybe in a full-blown disillusionment and anger against God, but it is THERE, waiting for you to succumb to it, feeding itself on your expectation.
Let us draw near to God, and ask to be reduced to Christ. Let us accept whatever He deems beneficial to us, whether it is according to our expectation or not. Know that by the time the rooster crows you may curse and swear that you don't know the Man. Blessed is the one who finds no occasion for stumbling in Him. Love people, but expect nothing from them. Enjoy God, love Him, obey Him: be content with that.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
"I Will Restore the Years" Joel 2:25
In the first chapter of Joel, an invading swarm of locusts had completely devastated the land of Judah. Their blight, accompanied by drought and famine had withered every aspect of their existence.
And I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten..Joel 2:25
What is it that has overwhelmed and ravaged the western church? The locusts of tradition! These hordes are a picture of the idolatrous, humanistic distortion of 2 key dynamics:
1. Another image of Christ - man made ideas present another image of Christ. They present another Jesus.
2. Another gospel is preached - money making, man-centered, comfortable, seeker sensitive "christianity"
This is in stark contrast to Christ centered paradigm. What we need are people who will no longer bow to the god of religion and comfort - who will stand up to the gods of this age - who have the courage to fully surrender and be completely crucified with Christ.
Who is On the Lord's Side?
I have chosen Zion, here will I dwell
And I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten..Joel 2:25
What is it that has overwhelmed and ravaged the western church? The locusts of tradition! These hordes are a picture of the idolatrous, humanistic distortion of 2 key dynamics:
1. Another image of Christ - man made ideas present another image of Christ. They present another Jesus.
2. Another gospel is preached - money making, man-centered, comfortable, seeker sensitive "christianity"
This is in stark contrast to Christ centered paradigm. What we need are people who will no longer bow to the god of religion and comfort - who will stand up to the gods of this age - who have the courage to fully surrender and be completely crucified with Christ.
Who is On the Lord's Side?
I have chosen Zion, here will I dwell
Gather the old men, gather the young men, gather the children,
Let the bridegroom come forth from his chamber,
Let the bride come our of her closet,
I plead with you, O Zion, there is a controversy in Zion
I will plead with you, there's a contoversy in Zion
It is for the corn, the wine and the oil.
Blow the trumpet, blow the trumpet...
I have pierced your ear so that one again you'll fear My name.
I call you to the Feast, I call you to the Harvest Feast.
I will cleanse your blood,
I will remove from you the reproach of Egypt once again,
Let the nations gather,
Let them assemble to the Valley of Jehosophat,
Even the Valley of Decision,
And say with your heart this day, "I CHOOSE THE LORD!"
In My fury I scattered you but for a moment,
But now, with My mercy, I gather you again,
I plead with Zion, to a Priesthood who has wandered from Me,
"WHO AMONG YOU IS ON THE LORD'S SIDE??"
There won't be another season like this, this is serious business,
I am your Judge and jury, I plead with you.
This is the season I am blowing the trumpet, I blow the trumpet!
WHO IS ON THE LORD'S SIDE? WHO WILL BE IN MY ARMY?
Taken from "Sound the Alarm" Kelly Varner
Monday, December 24, 2007
ANNA
"And there was one Anna, a prophetess... a widow eighty-four years old, who never left the Temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day (Luke 2:36,37)."
We know very little about Anna. She was the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, and lived with her husband only seven years before she became a widow. Now she is eighty-four years old. Perhaps the experience of losing her husband after such a brief time together helped forge the character of this prophetess. We have no way of knowing.
We have no record of any prophetic words or visions or dreams. How can you have a prophet who does not prophesy? Quite simply, because the prophetic ministry is something more vast than being able to give out a few "words" from God. The only thing we know about Anna's ministry is that it is primarily devoted to ministering to the Lord with unceasing fastings and prayers. We might consider this monastic, yet the Bible considers this prophetic. We are not suggesting that to minister to the Lord means to neglect people altogether. There is no need to force such an unnecessary dichotomy. But we maintain that there can be no real Spirit-and-Truth ministry to people until and unless we have first ministered to the Lord. For one thing, we cannot be motivated by man's need, but by God's Need, because often the two are in conflict. And, we cannot speak Life except by revelation, and this we can only receive from God. Unless we have invested a great deal of time in our secret ministry to the Lord then the shallowness of our public ministry will be very evident. Today it is abundantly clear that not enough time is spent ministering to the Lord, and way too much time is spent ministering to people; hence, most of what is done in the name of ministry is performed in a fleshly, human way which never bears any lasting fruit.
There in the Temple, Anna ministered to the Lord. She never wrote a book, never had a website, never conducted a meeting that we can tell. All in all it seems to be a very passive existence, the sort of "waste" that makes us want to criticize her for not being more useful. Anna the prophetess should be "doing" something. But how many of us consider prayer and fasting to be serving God? We cannot repeat often enough that for too many people, prayer and fasting is a way to serve THEMSELVES, or to get God involved in THEIR cause. We have a need, so we pray, and if the need is critical and we become desperate, then we will fast. This may be appropriate in some situations, but it is not serving the LORD. It may be done to bring about OUR will, but it is not necessarily motivated by a desire to minister to the Lord, to see His heart satisfied, and to see His Need met.
Now it is no coincidence that, in verse 38, Anna came "in that instant" and met Simeon, Joseph, Mary, and the baby Jesus in the Temple, and recognized Him to be the Christ. In response, she "gave thanks to the Lord and spoke of Him to all that looked for redemption in Jerusalem." Jesus is only a few days old here. There are no angelic choirs singing Hosannas, no shepherds bowing down to worship, no star blazing overhead. All the outward signs have disappeared, and this Baby seems to be no different in outward appearance than the dozens of other Jewish babies being dedicated in the Temple that day. But Anna knew the difference because she devoted her life to ministering to the Lord. What seems like a waste turns out to be the very thing that put her in the right place at the right time, while the more useful busybodies missed the entire event. We find that prophetic things, revelatory things, are inescapably linked to ministering to the Lord. No relationship, no revelation.
We know very little about Anna. She was the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, and lived with her husband only seven years before she became a widow. Now she is eighty-four years old. Perhaps the experience of losing her husband after such a brief time together helped forge the character of this prophetess. We have no way of knowing.
We have no record of any prophetic words or visions or dreams. How can you have a prophet who does not prophesy? Quite simply, because the prophetic ministry is something more vast than being able to give out a few "words" from God. The only thing we know about Anna's ministry is that it is primarily devoted to ministering to the Lord with unceasing fastings and prayers. We might consider this monastic, yet the Bible considers this prophetic. We are not suggesting that to minister to the Lord means to neglect people altogether. There is no need to force such an unnecessary dichotomy. But we maintain that there can be no real Spirit-and-Truth ministry to people until and unless we have first ministered to the Lord. For one thing, we cannot be motivated by man's need, but by God's Need, because often the two are in conflict. And, we cannot speak Life except by revelation, and this we can only receive from God. Unless we have invested a great deal of time in our secret ministry to the Lord then the shallowness of our public ministry will be very evident. Today it is abundantly clear that not enough time is spent ministering to the Lord, and way too much time is spent ministering to people; hence, most of what is done in the name of ministry is performed in a fleshly, human way which never bears any lasting fruit.
There in the Temple, Anna ministered to the Lord. She never wrote a book, never had a website, never conducted a meeting that we can tell. All in all it seems to be a very passive existence, the sort of "waste" that makes us want to criticize her for not being more useful. Anna the prophetess should be "doing" something. But how many of us consider prayer and fasting to be serving God? We cannot repeat often enough that for too many people, prayer and fasting is a way to serve THEMSELVES, or to get God involved in THEIR cause. We have a need, so we pray, and if the need is critical and we become desperate, then we will fast. This may be appropriate in some situations, but it is not serving the LORD. It may be done to bring about OUR will, but it is not necessarily motivated by a desire to minister to the Lord, to see His heart satisfied, and to see His Need met.
Now it is no coincidence that, in verse 38, Anna came "in that instant" and met Simeon, Joseph, Mary, and the baby Jesus in the Temple, and recognized Him to be the Christ. In response, she "gave thanks to the Lord and spoke of Him to all that looked for redemption in Jerusalem." Jesus is only a few days old here. There are no angelic choirs singing Hosannas, no shepherds bowing down to worship, no star blazing overhead. All the outward signs have disappeared, and this Baby seems to be no different in outward appearance than the dozens of other Jewish babies being dedicated in the Temple that day. But Anna knew the difference because she devoted her life to ministering to the Lord. What seems like a waste turns out to be the very thing that put her in the right place at the right time, while the more useful busybodies missed the entire event. We find that prophetic things, revelatory things, are inescapably linked to ministering to the Lord. No relationship, no revelation.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Shattered Dreams - Larry Crabb
Here's a quote from his book :
"It's hard to hear, but it is important to know that God is not committed to supporting our ministries, to preventing our divorces, to preserving our health, to straightening out our kids, to providing a livable income, to ending famine, to protecting us from agonizing problems that generate in our souls an experience that feels like death. We cannot count on God to arrange what happens in our lives in ways that will make us feel good."
"We can count on God to patiently remove all the obstacles to our enjoyment of Him. He is committed to our joy, and we can depend on Him to give us enough of a taste of that joy and enough hope that the best is still ahead to keep us going in spite of how much pain continues to plague our hearts."
.... Maybe this is why some people don't like what he has to say.
"It's hard to hear, but it is important to know that God is not committed to supporting our ministries, to preventing our divorces, to preserving our health, to straightening out our kids, to providing a livable income, to ending famine, to protecting us from agonizing problems that generate in our souls an experience that feels like death. We cannot count on God to arrange what happens in our lives in ways that will make us feel good."
"We can count on God to patiently remove all the obstacles to our enjoyment of Him. He is committed to our joy, and we can depend on Him to give us enough of a taste of that joy and enough hope that the best is still ahead to keep us going in spite of how much pain continues to plague our hearts."
.... Maybe this is why some people don't like what he has to say.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
IT IS THE SPIRIT THAT BEARETH WITNESS BECAUSE THE SPIRIT IS TRUTH."
When God's people, even just a nucleus of them, will come to this kind of commitment: "Lord, I will do what You say--I will go Your Way--as You give me the grace and the power to do it," then we are going to see a "nuclear" spiritual reaction that will set in motion THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE in the Body of Christ, in ways that will exceed our fondest expectations. But where is that passionate longing and desire for the return of His Lordship to our midst? As long as we are content to know that blessed state of justification by His blood--without having a passionate desire for Christ to be Lord of His Church, without knowing that earnest commitment to walk in His way and become identified with His Cross--we are not going to experience that mighty presence of the Spirit in our midst that will bring cleansing and deliverance and holiness to the people of God.
I am confident that the Lord is rising up in His Church in this hour with those burning "eyes of fire" to sweep away the dross from His people, and to bring us back to the Cross from which we have strayed; and that He is going to set in motion the forces of resurrection life in the Body of Christ that we might know and experience in our daily lives the blood of His Cross, and the power of His resurrection. But do we really desire this to happen? Do we really desire to discover our cross?
If we do, this must bring us to the place where we are ready to cancel our plans, desires, pursuits, ambitions--be they base and worldly, or noble and spiritual. THE ONE MOTIVATING PRINCIPLE THAT GUIDED OUR LORD JESUS WAS NOT GOD'S PLAN FOR THE WORLD, OR GOD'S PLAN FOR THE KINGDOM, OR GOD'S PLAN FOR THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL--IT WAS SIMPLY AND ONLY A PASSION AND DESIRE TO WALK IN THE WILL OF THE FATHER. Everything that He did--everything that was good and righteous and beautiful--sprang out from this simple commitment:
"I CAN OF MINE OWN SELF DO NOTHING: AS I HEAR, I JUDGE: AND MY JUDGMENT IS JUST; BECAUSE I SEEK NOT MINE OWN WILL, BUT THE WILL OF THE FATHER WHICH HATH SENT ME" (Jn. 5:30).
I am confident that the heart of God is heavy and grieved as He listens in to the cries of a very zealous, but a very wretched and miserable Laodicean Church, for more preachers, and more church buildings and temples, and more seminars, and more television, and more radio, and more music, and more money, money, money, "to get the job done." If we had ears to hear what He is saying, we would sense the grief of His heart, and His longing for a people who would come to stillness, and hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches...
"My son, give Me thine heart."
"My people, will you not become broken bread in My hands, that I might do as I will?"
"Where is the house that ye build unto Me? and where is the place of My rest? For all those things... have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My Word" (Isa. 66:1-2).
The Accusation Of The Lord Jesus
"And they crucified Him... and set up over His head His accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS" (Matt. 27:35, 37).
Jesus seemed to be a little evasive when Pilate asked Him if He was a king. Not because He was unwilling to tell the truth but because His Kingdom was vastly different from what Pilate understood about kingdoms. But when Pilate insisted, "Art thou the King of the Jews?" Jesus gave a very direct answer: "My Kingdom is not of this world: if My Kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight... Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth..." (Jn. 18:36-37).
Our Lord Jesus never promoted His Kingdom except as it related to proclaiming the Truth, walking in the Truth, living the Truth; for this is the whole character and ultimate essence of the Kingdom of God.
Once again as in the days of Jesus there is a lot of expectation concerning the Kingdom of God; and it is still as greatly distorted and misunderstood by God's people as it was back then. Jesus made it clear that His Kingdom did not relate to eating and drinking, to the economy, to political movements, or to externally getting involved with the kingdoms of this world. On one occasion they even tried to force Him to be their King. BUT WHEN THEY FULLY UNDERSTOOD THAT HE CAME TO CHANGE THEIR HEARTS RATHER THAN THEIR GOVERNMENT, THEY WERE QUICK TO CRUCIFY HIM. The Jewish Sanhedrin understood the nature of His mission much more than most of our Christian leaders do today:
"If we let Him thus alone, all men will believe on Him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation" (Jn .11:48).
And then there was a very remarkable prophecy by the High Priest in which He not only prophesied the death of Jesus, but went on to say things that he himself did not understand: that this One would not only gather together the people of God there in their own nation, but would reach out and gather together the people of God wherever they were in all nations.
THIS PROPHECY BECAME THE CRUX OF THE WHOLE MATTER, for we are told: "Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put Him to death." (See Jn. 11:48-53).
What was the sentence, and what was the accusation of the Lord Jesus? THAT WHICH JESUS CLAIMED TO BE, THAT WHICH HE ACTUALLY WAS--THIS BECAME THE ACCUSATION AGAINST HIM. Pilate wrote it out in bold letters for all men and all nations to read, for it was written "in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin" (Jn. 19:20). I believe the Lord wanted it in the language of all men, for His Cross was to have great implications for the whole world. Pilate would not change the reading of it, even though the Jews pressed him to revise it to read: "This is Jesus who claimed to be the King of the Jews."
"THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS."
This became His accusation.
I emphasize these things, because once again there is great expectation for the Kingdom of God, and rightly so. The truth of God is beginning to shine afresh in the hearts of men. But once again it is shining forth in the darkness. God knows how to sort it all out. He still knows how to divide the light from the darkness, as He did in the beginning. It looks like a polluted mixture-and it is. Nevertheless God is preparing a people for His Glory. He is preparing--
And perhaps we should mention one more, although no one is laying claim to it, But the great apostle Paul used it much--Bondslaves! Jesus Himself took this role, even though He was the firstborn Son, and highly exalted over all creation. Not that we as God's people are called to be "bondslaves." We are called to sonship and to liberty--and foreordained to be conformed to the image of the Firstborn.
But what we are by calling--And how we attain to this high calling--These represent two different things.
For the "calling" is according to God's plan and purpose... But the attainment of it is according as we learn obedience and walk in His ways.
How important it is that we recognize God's WAY. Certainly God wants us to know the "hope of His calling." BUT HE ALSO WANTS US TO KNOW THE WAY INTO THAT CALLING. Our Lord Jesus was KING, but He took the position of a bondslave, and discovered in this pathway of obedience THE HIGHWAY TO THE THRONE. "Wherefore God hath highly exalted Him, and gave Him a Name which is above every name--" Why? Because He emptied Himself, made Himself of no reputation, and came in the form of a BONDSLAVE. (See Phil. 2:8-9).
Getting involved in "the ministry" is not the high calling. This could very well lead to conceit, high-mindedness, and a sense of superiority and achievement--especially if one is successful. But the "high calling" is achieved by seeking out the pathway of God that would identify us with the sufferings of Christ. (See Phil. 3:8-10). In this pathway you might find yourself walking in a very unexciting, very ordinary, very unpretentious, very restrictive, very unfulfilling pathway. If you had to write your biography it could be very boring, as you would talk about working in shops and factories, about tending the children, about washing pots and pans, about tilling the field, or hammering nails, or bending tin. And in it all, of course, experiencing the ordinary joys and sorrows of ordinary people. BUT IF THIS BE GOD'S WILL FOR YOU, IT IS GOING TO BE RIGHT THERE IN THE PATHWAY THAT GOD ORDAINED, THAT YOU WILL COME TO KNOW HIM IN A VERY MEANINGFUL WAY, AND BECOME THAT SPECIAL TREASURE THAT HIS HEART IS LONGING FOR.
On the other hand, you might choose to walk in some kind of a "spiritual ministry," and if you have certain ministerial qualities you might become very successful in that. BUT IF IT IS NOT BY GOD'S APPOINTMENT YOU WILL NOT COME TO KNOW AND EXPERIENCE THE HIGH CALLING OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS. FOR THIS "HIGH CALLING" IS RESERVED FOR HIM THAT IS PREPARED TO LAY DOWN HIS LIFE, IN ORDER THAT HE MAY FIND THE LIFE OF CHRIST THAT PROCEEDS FROM A WALK OF TOTAL OBEDIENCE TO HIS WILL.
But we are talking about the accusation of the Lord Jesus, because it is in this context that we want to speak about our accusation, if we truly walk in identification with Him. What Jesus was, a King of righteousness and truth, this became His accusation at the hands of a world He came to reprove. It was a perverted charge, of course; but it was because of who He was, and who He claimed to be, that He was crucified. Now who are you? Who am I? Part of a glorious and triumphant Church? Members of the Holy Bride of Christ? Overcomers? Sons of God, being prepared and groomed for manifestation? Kings and Priests unto God? I trust we are...
BUT IF YOU AND I ARE ANY OF THESE, NOT IN OUR DOCTRINE ONLY, BUT BECAUSE WE HAVE COME TO VITAL UNION WITH CHRIST, THEN THESE TITLES OF THE HIGH CALLING WILL BE THE CAUSE OF OUR ACCUSATION. AND IF WE WALK IN THE PATHWAY OF OBEDIENCE TO THE WILL OF GOD, THESE TITLES OF HONOR WILL BE NAILED ABOVE OUR HEAD ON OUR CROSS BY MEN WHO SEEK TO PERVERT THE TRUTH IN ORDER TO BRING ABOUT OUR DESTRUCTION.
It is not because we live in a "democracy" that we are free from persecution. It is because we are bringing no vital reproof to the world of darkness about us.
"But we had the SENTENCE OF DEATH in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead" (2 Cor. 1:9). Paul was sentenced to death. He was on death-row. Not by the Roman Government--not yet. But right there in His walk with God--the word he preached, the word he lived, brought him into collision with the world about him; with his brethren in Judaism, and with false brethren in the Church, He was "crucified unto the world." The world was "crucified unto him" (Gal. 6:14).
For men of truth, who not only know the truth but walk in it, are always nailed to the very cross they are constrained to declare. Paul carried his cross around with him wherever he went--NOT BECAUSE HE MINISTERED DEATH, BUT BECAUSE HE MINISTERED LIFE. He didn't carry a gold cross on a chain about his neck; but he was nailed to one wherever he went. It had to be this way because he spoke the truth and walked in it. He didn't try to make a cross so he could boast he was like Jesus. The world made it for him, and nailed him to it, because he walked as Jesus walked.
We might continue on as we are--teaching, preaching, evangelizing, establishing churches, healing the sick, writing books, singing songs--and we could go on and on enumerating the various areas of service that God has committed into the hands of His servants in the House of God--And all this may be bringing joy and blessing and deliverance to many of God's people--BUT BE PREPARED, IF YOU WANT TO BE TOTALLY COMMITTED TO THE WILL AND THE WAY OF GOD--BE PREPARED FOR THE DAY WHEN MEN WILL TAKE DOWN YOUR BANNER OF HONOR, AND NAIL IT ABOVE YOUR HEAD ON YOUR CROSS--Because the truth of God is sterile as long as it remains a teaching or a doctrine; but it becomes offensive to the world about us when we begin to walk in it.
I am confident that the Lord is rising up in His Church in this hour with those burning "eyes of fire" to sweep away the dross from His people, and to bring us back to the Cross from which we have strayed; and that He is going to set in motion the forces of resurrection life in the Body of Christ that we might know and experience in our daily lives the blood of His Cross, and the power of His resurrection. But do we really desire this to happen? Do we really desire to discover our cross?
If we do, this must bring us to the place where we are ready to cancel our plans, desires, pursuits, ambitions--be they base and worldly, or noble and spiritual. THE ONE MOTIVATING PRINCIPLE THAT GUIDED OUR LORD JESUS WAS NOT GOD'S PLAN FOR THE WORLD, OR GOD'S PLAN FOR THE KINGDOM, OR GOD'S PLAN FOR THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL--IT WAS SIMPLY AND ONLY A PASSION AND DESIRE TO WALK IN THE WILL OF THE FATHER. Everything that He did--everything that was good and righteous and beautiful--sprang out from this simple commitment:
"I CAN OF MINE OWN SELF DO NOTHING: AS I HEAR, I JUDGE: AND MY JUDGMENT IS JUST; BECAUSE I SEEK NOT MINE OWN WILL, BUT THE WILL OF THE FATHER WHICH HATH SENT ME" (Jn. 5:30).
I am confident that the heart of God is heavy and grieved as He listens in to the cries of a very zealous, but a very wretched and miserable Laodicean Church, for more preachers, and more church buildings and temples, and more seminars, and more television, and more radio, and more music, and more money, money, money, "to get the job done." If we had ears to hear what He is saying, we would sense the grief of His heart, and His longing for a people who would come to stillness, and hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches...
"My son, give Me thine heart."
"My people, will you not become broken bread in My hands, that I might do as I will?"
"Where is the house that ye build unto Me? and where is the place of My rest? For all those things... have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My Word" (Isa. 66:1-2).
The Accusation Of The Lord Jesus
"And they crucified Him... and set up over His head His accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS" (Matt. 27:35, 37).
Jesus seemed to be a little evasive when Pilate asked Him if He was a king. Not because He was unwilling to tell the truth but because His Kingdom was vastly different from what Pilate understood about kingdoms. But when Pilate insisted, "Art thou the King of the Jews?" Jesus gave a very direct answer: "My Kingdom is not of this world: if My Kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight... Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth..." (Jn. 18:36-37).
Our Lord Jesus never promoted His Kingdom except as it related to proclaiming the Truth, walking in the Truth, living the Truth; for this is the whole character and ultimate essence of the Kingdom of God.
Once again as in the days of Jesus there is a lot of expectation concerning the Kingdom of God; and it is still as greatly distorted and misunderstood by God's people as it was back then. Jesus made it clear that His Kingdom did not relate to eating and drinking, to the economy, to political movements, or to externally getting involved with the kingdoms of this world. On one occasion they even tried to force Him to be their King. BUT WHEN THEY FULLY UNDERSTOOD THAT HE CAME TO CHANGE THEIR HEARTS RATHER THAN THEIR GOVERNMENT, THEY WERE QUICK TO CRUCIFY HIM. The Jewish Sanhedrin understood the nature of His mission much more than most of our Christian leaders do today:
"If we let Him thus alone, all men will believe on Him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation" (Jn .11:48).
And then there was a very remarkable prophecy by the High Priest in which He not only prophesied the death of Jesus, but went on to say things that he himself did not understand: that this One would not only gather together the people of God there in their own nation, but would reach out and gather together the people of God wherever they were in all nations.
THIS PROPHECY BECAME THE CRUX OF THE WHOLE MATTER, for we are told: "Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put Him to death." (See Jn. 11:48-53).
What was the sentence, and what was the accusation of the Lord Jesus? THAT WHICH JESUS CLAIMED TO BE, THAT WHICH HE ACTUALLY WAS--THIS BECAME THE ACCUSATION AGAINST HIM. Pilate wrote it out in bold letters for all men and all nations to read, for it was written "in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin" (Jn. 19:20). I believe the Lord wanted it in the language of all men, for His Cross was to have great implications for the whole world. Pilate would not change the reading of it, even though the Jews pressed him to revise it to read: "This is Jesus who claimed to be the King of the Jews."
For here was One crucified for an apostate but very religious people--the Hebrews.
Here was One crucified for the intellectual and the wise--the Greeks--and by His Cross He would bring all their wisdom to nought.
Here was One crucified for the strong and the mighty--the Romans--but by that Cross He would bring all their power to nought.
For the Hebrews professed to have knowledge and truth, yet walked in darkness.
The Greeks were noted for their quest after wisdom and knowledge, yet they never found God in all of their searching.
The Romans had become that powerful empire that Nebuchadnezzar had seen in his vision--strong as iron--but by the Cross their kingdom would be crushed and scattered like the dust of the threshing floor.
"THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS."
This became His accusation.
I emphasize these things, because once again there is great expectation for the Kingdom of God, and rightly so. The truth of God is beginning to shine afresh in the hearts of men. But once again it is shining forth in the darkness. God knows how to sort it all out. He still knows how to divide the light from the darkness, as He did in the beginning. It looks like a polluted mixture-and it is. Nevertheless God is preparing a people for His Glory. He is preparing--
A Glorious Church.. A Holy & Cleansed Bride.. A Godly Remnant.. A Firstfruits ... Sons of God.. Kings and Priests.. Overcomers..
And perhaps we should mention one more, although no one is laying claim to it, But the great apostle Paul used it much--Bondslaves! Jesus Himself took this role, even though He was the firstborn Son, and highly exalted over all creation. Not that we as God's people are called to be "bondslaves." We are called to sonship and to liberty--and foreordained to be conformed to the image of the Firstborn.
But what we are by calling--And how we attain to this high calling--These represent two different things.
For the "calling" is according to God's plan and purpose... But the attainment of it is according as we learn obedience and walk in His ways.
How important it is that we recognize God's WAY. Certainly God wants us to know the "hope of His calling." BUT HE ALSO WANTS US TO KNOW THE WAY INTO THAT CALLING. Our Lord Jesus was KING, but He took the position of a bondslave, and discovered in this pathway of obedience THE HIGHWAY TO THE THRONE. "Wherefore God hath highly exalted Him, and gave Him a Name which is above every name--" Why? Because He emptied Himself, made Himself of no reputation, and came in the form of a BONDSLAVE. (See Phil. 2:8-9).
Getting involved in "the ministry" is not the high calling. This could very well lead to conceit, high-mindedness, and a sense of superiority and achievement--especially if one is successful. But the "high calling" is achieved by seeking out the pathway of God that would identify us with the sufferings of Christ. (See Phil. 3:8-10). In this pathway you might find yourself walking in a very unexciting, very ordinary, very unpretentious, very restrictive, very unfulfilling pathway. If you had to write your biography it could be very boring, as you would talk about working in shops and factories, about tending the children, about washing pots and pans, about tilling the field, or hammering nails, or bending tin. And in it all, of course, experiencing the ordinary joys and sorrows of ordinary people. BUT IF THIS BE GOD'S WILL FOR YOU, IT IS GOING TO BE RIGHT THERE IN THE PATHWAY THAT GOD ORDAINED, THAT YOU WILL COME TO KNOW HIM IN A VERY MEANINGFUL WAY, AND BECOME THAT SPECIAL TREASURE THAT HIS HEART IS LONGING FOR.
On the other hand, you might choose to walk in some kind of a "spiritual ministry," and if you have certain ministerial qualities you might become very successful in that. BUT IF IT IS NOT BY GOD'S APPOINTMENT YOU WILL NOT COME TO KNOW AND EXPERIENCE THE HIGH CALLING OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS. FOR THIS "HIGH CALLING" IS RESERVED FOR HIM THAT IS PREPARED TO LAY DOWN HIS LIFE, IN ORDER THAT HE MAY FIND THE LIFE OF CHRIST THAT PROCEEDS FROM A WALK OF TOTAL OBEDIENCE TO HIS WILL.
But we are talking about the accusation of the Lord Jesus, because it is in this context that we want to speak about our accusation, if we truly walk in identification with Him. What Jesus was, a King of righteousness and truth, this became His accusation at the hands of a world He came to reprove. It was a perverted charge, of course; but it was because of who He was, and who He claimed to be, that He was crucified. Now who are you? Who am I? Part of a glorious and triumphant Church? Members of the Holy Bride of Christ? Overcomers? Sons of God, being prepared and groomed for manifestation? Kings and Priests unto God? I trust we are...
BUT IF YOU AND I ARE ANY OF THESE, NOT IN OUR DOCTRINE ONLY, BUT BECAUSE WE HAVE COME TO VITAL UNION WITH CHRIST, THEN THESE TITLES OF THE HIGH CALLING WILL BE THE CAUSE OF OUR ACCUSATION. AND IF WE WALK IN THE PATHWAY OF OBEDIENCE TO THE WILL OF GOD, THESE TITLES OF HONOR WILL BE NAILED ABOVE OUR HEAD ON OUR CROSS BY MEN WHO SEEK TO PERVERT THE TRUTH IN ORDER TO BRING ABOUT OUR DESTRUCTION.
It is not because we live in a "democracy" that we are free from persecution. It is because we are bringing no vital reproof to the world of darkness about us.
"But we had the SENTENCE OF DEATH in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead" (2 Cor. 1:9). Paul was sentenced to death. He was on death-row. Not by the Roman Government--not yet. But right there in His walk with God--the word he preached, the word he lived, brought him into collision with the world about him; with his brethren in Judaism, and with false brethren in the Church, He was "crucified unto the world." The world was "crucified unto him" (Gal. 6:14).
For men of truth, who not only know the truth but walk in it, are always nailed to the very cross they are constrained to declare. Paul carried his cross around with him wherever he went--NOT BECAUSE HE MINISTERED DEATH, BUT BECAUSE HE MINISTERED LIFE. He didn't carry a gold cross on a chain about his neck; but he was nailed to one wherever he went. It had to be this way because he spoke the truth and walked in it. He didn't try to make a cross so he could boast he was like Jesus. The world made it for him, and nailed him to it, because he walked as Jesus walked.
We might continue on as we are--teaching, preaching, evangelizing, establishing churches, healing the sick, writing books, singing songs--and we could go on and on enumerating the various areas of service that God has committed into the hands of His servants in the House of God--And all this may be bringing joy and blessing and deliverance to many of God's people--BUT BE PREPARED, IF YOU WANT TO BE TOTALLY COMMITTED TO THE WILL AND THE WAY OF GOD--BE PREPARED FOR THE DAY WHEN MEN WILL TAKE DOWN YOUR BANNER OF HONOR, AND NAIL IT ABOVE YOUR HEAD ON YOUR CROSS--Because the truth of God is sterile as long as it remains a teaching or a doctrine; but it becomes offensive to the world about us when we begin to walk in it.
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