The document discusses a lack of belief in the supernatural within the modern church. It argues that true faith in God requires a belief in angels, demons, miracles, and prophecy. It claims many Christians no longer believe the supernatural acts described in the Bible could happen today. This has led to a powerless church more focused on worldly matters than spiritual things. It calls readers to honestly examine their own faith and whether they truly believe in an active, powerful God.
This is a study of Jesus being worth the loss of all things. If you lose all but find Christ you have gained. He is the greatest treasure you can ever find, and Paul found Christ and rejoiced.
Jesus was outsmarting the jewish leadersGLENN PEASE
This is a study of Jesus outsmarting the Jewish leaders. They questioned His authority, and He asked them a question that put them in a bind, and He then did not have to respond to their question.
The power proofs of christ's resurrectionGLENN PEASE
" That I may know Him and the power of His resur-
rection."— phil. 3 : 10.
IT is a striking fact that we do not find in
the New Testament any argument, any
attempt at logical proof with reference to
the resurrection of Jesus. Paul in his ear-
liest epistle takes it already for granted as a
simple fact which the Thessalonians already
knew from his previous preaching. That is to
say it is assumed as a piece of history well
known as far away as Macedonia, less than
twenty-five years after Jesus was crucified in
Palestine. And on that basis Paul argues for
the resurrection of all who have fallen asleep
in Jesus. Similarly in writing to the Corin-
thians, he draws the deduction that ' ' if Christ
be not raised, then is our preaching vain and
your faith is also vain, ye are yet in your sins. ' '
And the well-known fact that Christ had been
raised, which he had taught them before when
he was at Corinth, involved of a necessity the
raising of all men in Him. And we find that
in every epistle in the New Testament, except
the three short private letters, the Epistle to
Philemon, and the Second and Third Epistle
of John, Christ 's resurrection is either explic-
itly assumed as a fact, or is implied in state-
ments about His second coming from heaven.
As Paul contemplates Christ a propitiation
in his blood, the first question prompted by
the sight is, Where is boasting then ? And he
answers in a word. Excluded. Standing by
Mount Calvary, and realizing that there is no
way to God but that way, we become con-
scious of an infinite obligation to Christ. The
deepest, strongest, most omnipresent of all
Christian feelings is the feeling of debt. The
one thing a man can not do, who has taken
home to his heart the significance of the cross,
is to make claims as of right against God.
He feels that he is debtor to Christ for what
he can never repay. Christ has done for him
what he could not do for himself, and what
no effort could ever enable him to do ; He
has made atonement for his sins; and as this
truth, on which all his hope depends, sinks
into his mind and masters it, his soul is
flooded with a sense of obligation to Christ
in which all other feelings are swallowed up.
Boasting is excluded; it is peremptorily and
finally excluded; the Christian's whole life is
a life of debt to God.
C
This is a collection of writings dealing with the reality that we can reject the counsel of the Holy Spirit and suffer the consequences. In this case it has to do with sexual conduct.
This is a study of Jesus being worth the loss of all things. If you lose all but find Christ you have gained. He is the greatest treasure you can ever find, and Paul found Christ and rejoiced.
Jesus was outsmarting the jewish leadersGLENN PEASE
This is a study of Jesus outsmarting the Jewish leaders. They questioned His authority, and He asked them a question that put them in a bind, and He then did not have to respond to their question.
The power proofs of christ's resurrectionGLENN PEASE
" That I may know Him and the power of His resur-
rection."— phil. 3 : 10.
IT is a striking fact that we do not find in
the New Testament any argument, any
attempt at logical proof with reference to
the resurrection of Jesus. Paul in his ear-
liest epistle takes it already for granted as a
simple fact which the Thessalonians already
knew from his previous preaching. That is to
say it is assumed as a piece of history well
known as far away as Macedonia, less than
twenty-five years after Jesus was crucified in
Palestine. And on that basis Paul argues for
the resurrection of all who have fallen asleep
in Jesus. Similarly in writing to the Corin-
thians, he draws the deduction that ' ' if Christ
be not raised, then is our preaching vain and
your faith is also vain, ye are yet in your sins. ' '
And the well-known fact that Christ had been
raised, which he had taught them before when
he was at Corinth, involved of a necessity the
raising of all men in Him. And we find that
in every epistle in the New Testament, except
the three short private letters, the Epistle to
Philemon, and the Second and Third Epistle
of John, Christ 's resurrection is either explic-
itly assumed as a fact, or is implied in state-
ments about His second coming from heaven.
As Paul contemplates Christ a propitiation
in his blood, the first question prompted by
the sight is, Where is boasting then ? And he
answers in a word. Excluded. Standing by
Mount Calvary, and realizing that there is no
way to God but that way, we become con-
scious of an infinite obligation to Christ. The
deepest, strongest, most omnipresent of all
Christian feelings is the feeling of debt. The
one thing a man can not do, who has taken
home to his heart the significance of the cross,
is to make claims as of right against God.
He feels that he is debtor to Christ for what
he can never repay. Christ has done for him
what he could not do for himself, and what
no effort could ever enable him to do ; He
has made atonement for his sins; and as this
truth, on which all his hope depends, sinks
into his mind and masters it, his soul is
flooded with a sense of obligation to Christ
in which all other feelings are swallowed up.
Boasting is excluded; it is peremptorily and
finally excluded; the Christian's whole life is
a life of debt to God.
C
This is a collection of writings dealing with the reality that we can reject the counsel of the Holy Spirit and suffer the consequences. In this case it has to do with sexual conduct.
The holy spirit in the colossian churchGLENN PEASE
This is a collection of wrings on the Holy Spirit in the Colossian church. It is the only text that is specifically referring to the Holy Spirit, but it deals with the greatest fruit of all which is love.
This is a collection of some of the best writings on the unforgivable sin, or the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. It is frightening to be ignorant of this subject for it can mean endless judgment.
*' I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot
hear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of
truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth.'*
—John 16 : 12-13.
Without haste and without rest the great
Teacher is urging us on. Learn we must, for
some day we are to see God. But for anyone
to whom spiritual education is no longer the
unwilling task of a slave, but to whom truth
is the glad sunlight of the soul, this saying of
Jesus opens an endless vista of truth, an ever-
expanding horizon, mystery after mystery
coming out of the grayness of the dawn and
breaking into glory.
Jesus was saying one thing can hold you backGLENN PEASE
This is a study of Jesus saying that one thing can hold you back. He loved the rich young ruler, but He knew he was in bondage to riches he would not give up and that was his downfall.
This is a study of Jesus being seen by the Apostle Paul. There are a number of possible ways Paul had an encounter with Jesus, and most of them are dealt with here.
Jesus was exposing the religious crooksGLENN PEASE
This is a study of Jesus exposing the religious crooks. They figured out a way to rob mothers and fathers by a religious rule, and it was wrong Jesus said for it was God's will that they honor their mother and father.
This is a study of how Jesus is our lawyer in the court of heaven, and because he has paid for our sin we gain through Him the freedom only He can provide.
This is a collection of writings dealing with the Holy Spirit coming upon the gentiles just as He did upon the Jews, and this has led to many questions about the church.
This is vol. 2 of Jesus exalting a woman whose act of loving devotion was so pleasant to Him that He said it would be an act of love spoken about for all time.
Jesus was saying god hates what people loveGLENN PEASE
This is a study of Jesus saying God hates what people love. The love of money is the root of all evil, and the Pharisees were great lovers of money, and God detested them for this, and they faced His judgment for it.
This is a study of Jesus refusing to answer the Jewish leaders who were trying to trap him. He asked them a question they refused to answer and so He refused to answer their question.
This is a study of the extreme requirements of Jesus on some points. They sound shocking and we wonder how we can obey, but they represent the loving grace of Jesus Himself.
This is a study of Jesus demanding hatred of family to be a follower of Him. Parents, wife, children and siblings are to be hated in comparison to love for Him to be one of His disciples.
Getting Past "Good:" Critiquing Audio Workgenerationprx
We’ve all been there: You listen to a friend’s audio piece, or your own, and… you just don’t know what to say about it. In this interactive session, we’ll develop tools for giving meaningful feedback that get beyond “it was, um, good.” From listening for technique, to understanding how to make a story sing, participants will develop an ear for bringing out the best in an audio piece. We’ll also look at ways to share your story to get as much feedback as you can.
Presented at the 2011 NYC Digital Waves Youth Media Festival
The holy spirit in the colossian churchGLENN PEASE
This is a collection of wrings on the Holy Spirit in the Colossian church. It is the only text that is specifically referring to the Holy Spirit, but it deals with the greatest fruit of all which is love.
This is a collection of some of the best writings on the unforgivable sin, or the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. It is frightening to be ignorant of this subject for it can mean endless judgment.
*' I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot
hear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of
truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth.'*
—John 16 : 12-13.
Without haste and without rest the great
Teacher is urging us on. Learn we must, for
some day we are to see God. But for anyone
to whom spiritual education is no longer the
unwilling task of a slave, but to whom truth
is the glad sunlight of the soul, this saying of
Jesus opens an endless vista of truth, an ever-
expanding horizon, mystery after mystery
coming out of the grayness of the dawn and
breaking into glory.
Jesus was saying one thing can hold you backGLENN PEASE
This is a study of Jesus saying that one thing can hold you back. He loved the rich young ruler, but He knew he was in bondage to riches he would not give up and that was his downfall.
This is a study of Jesus being seen by the Apostle Paul. There are a number of possible ways Paul had an encounter with Jesus, and most of them are dealt with here.
Jesus was exposing the religious crooksGLENN PEASE
This is a study of Jesus exposing the religious crooks. They figured out a way to rob mothers and fathers by a religious rule, and it was wrong Jesus said for it was God's will that they honor their mother and father.
This is a study of how Jesus is our lawyer in the court of heaven, and because he has paid for our sin we gain through Him the freedom only He can provide.
This is a collection of writings dealing with the Holy Spirit coming upon the gentiles just as He did upon the Jews, and this has led to many questions about the church.
This is vol. 2 of Jesus exalting a woman whose act of loving devotion was so pleasant to Him that He said it would be an act of love spoken about for all time.
Jesus was saying god hates what people loveGLENN PEASE
This is a study of Jesus saying God hates what people love. The love of money is the root of all evil, and the Pharisees were great lovers of money, and God detested them for this, and they faced His judgment for it.
This is a study of Jesus refusing to answer the Jewish leaders who were trying to trap him. He asked them a question they refused to answer and so He refused to answer their question.
This is a study of the extreme requirements of Jesus on some points. They sound shocking and we wonder how we can obey, but they represent the loving grace of Jesus Himself.
This is a study of Jesus demanding hatred of family to be a follower of Him. Parents, wife, children and siblings are to be hated in comparison to love for Him to be one of His disciples.
Getting Past "Good:" Critiquing Audio Workgenerationprx
We’ve all been there: You listen to a friend’s audio piece, or your own, and… you just don’t know what to say about it. In this interactive session, we’ll develop tools for giving meaningful feedback that get beyond “it was, um, good.” From listening for technique, to understanding how to make a story sing, participants will develop an ear for bringing out the best in an audio piece. We’ll also look at ways to share your story to get as much feedback as you can.
Presented at the 2011 NYC Digital Waves Youth Media Festival
The Collective Mind of the Obama AdministrationMatt Bonham
PowerPoint presentation made at the annual meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology in Istanbul. [with Daniel Heradstveit and Victor Sergeev]
My slides from my breakout session at Echo Conference 2011 titled "I Am Not a Trend." I spoke about my journey as an artist/designer and how I've come to find my identity apart from the internet and other people around me.
"Telling A Good Story: Getting from Idea, to Pitch, to Public," was presented by Generation PRX Director Jones Franzel at the 2012 NYC Digital Waves Youth Media Festival. Learn more at htttp://generation.prx.org
The church is the mother of believers--the God-ordained school of virtue in which Christian disciples learn how to desire the good and to reject what is false. Romans 12:9ff outlines covenant life in the congregation.
GoldenLight Ministries presents the companion writing to the LampLight production, "Manifesto - Prophets and Seers". This is a message from God Almighty to His prophets, seers, and watchmen - here in America and around the world.
The time has come for the Army of the Living God to rise up from the ashes of this lukewarm generation - with her apostles, prophets, evangelists, preachers, and teachers firmly in the lead. This word is a manifesto addressing one of the corps of His mighty Army - but the message within is instructive for every true member of the Body of Christ.
To see the seven-part video presentation, visit www.YeshuasArmy.com
Your brother and servant in Christ Jesus our Lord,
Mark Scott Grimmett
GoldenLight Ministries
Jesus was rejected in his sound instructionGLENN PEASE
This is a study of Jesus being rejected in HIs sound instruction. Teachers begin to ignore what Jesus taught and come up with their own ideas in hopes of making money with their ideas.
This is a collection of writings dealing with losing the Holy Spirit because of falling away from the faith. Rejecting Christ looses your salvation and also the Holy Spirit.
The Apostle Paul warned: Strong delusion is coming before the appearance of the man of lawlessness, i.e., the antichrist.
A great of falling away will arise from the midst of the church, the apostate church. ...
This is a study of Jesus being incompatible with the devil. He is an example of how believers in Jesus are to be incompatible with those who are not believers. Good and evil just do not mix.
This is a study of Jesus being not divided. The church of Corinth was divided but it was contrary to the nature and will of Jesus and Paul fights for Christian unity to glorify Christ.
The PBHP DYC ~ Reflections on The Dhamma (English).pptxOH TEIK BIN
A PowerPoint Presentation based on the Dhamma Reflections for the PBHP DYC for the years 1993 – 2012. To motivate and inspire DYC members to keep on practicing the Dhamma and to do the meritorious deed of Dhammaduta work.
The texts are in English.
For the Video with audio narration, comments and texts in English, please check out the Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF2g_43NEa0
The Good News, newsletter for June 2024 is hereNoHo FUMC
Our monthly newsletter is available to read online. We hope you will join us each Sunday in person for our worship service. Make sure to subscribe and follow us on YouTube and social media.
The Chakra System in our body - A Portal to Interdimensional Consciousness.pptxBharat Technology
each chakra is studied in greater detail, several steps have been included to
strengthen your personal intention to open each chakra more fully. These are designed
to draw forth the highest benefit for your spiritual growth.
Exploring the Mindfulness Understanding Its Benefits.pptxMartaLoveguard
Slide 1: Title: Exploring the Mindfulness: Understanding Its Benefits
Slide 2: Introduction to Mindfulness
Mindfulness, defined as the conscious, non-judgmental observation of the present moment, has deep roots in Buddhist meditation practice but has gained significant popularity in the Western world in recent years. In today's society, filled with distractions and constant stimuli, mindfulness offers a valuable tool for regaining inner peace and reconnecting with our true selves. By cultivating mindfulness, we can develop a heightened awareness of our thoughts, feelings, and surroundings, leading to a greater sense of clarity and presence in our daily lives.
Slide 3: Benefits of Mindfulness for Mental Well-being
Practicing mindfulness can help reduce stress and anxiety levels, improving overall quality of life.
Mindfulness increases awareness of our emotions and teaches us to manage them better, leading to improved mood.
Regular mindfulness practice can improve our ability to concentrate and focus our attention on the present moment.
Slide 4: Benefits of Mindfulness for Physical Health
Research has shown that practicing mindfulness can contribute to lowering blood pressure, which is beneficial for heart health.
Regular meditation and mindfulness practice can strengthen the immune system, aiding the body in fighting infections.
Mindfulness may help reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and obesity by reducing stress and improving overall lifestyle habits.
Slide 5: Impact of Mindfulness on Relationships
Mindfulness can help us better understand others and improve communication, leading to healthier relationships.
By focusing on the present moment and being fully attentive, mindfulness helps build stronger and more authentic connections with others.
Mindfulness teaches us how to be present for others in difficult times, leading to increased compassion and understanding.
Slide 6: Mindfulness Techniques and Practices
Focusing on the breath and mindful breathing can be a simple way to enter a state of mindfulness.
Body scan meditation involves focusing on different parts of the body, paying attention to any sensations and feelings.
Practicing mindful walking and eating involves consciously focusing on each step or bite, with full attention to sensory experiences.
Slide 7: Incorporating Mindfulness into Daily Life
You can practice mindfulness in everyday activities such as washing dishes or taking a walk in the park.
Adding mindfulness practice to daily routines can help increase awareness and presence.
Mindfulness helps us become more aware of our needs and better manage our time, leading to balance and harmony in life.
Slide 8: Summary: Embracing Mindfulness for Full Living
Mindfulness can bring numerous benefits for physical and mental health.
Regular mindfulness practice can help achieve a fuller and more satisfying life.
Mindfulness has the power to change our perspective and way of perceiving the world, leading to deeper se
What Should be the Christian View of Anime?Joe Muraguri
We will learn what Anime is and see what a Christian should consider before watching anime movies? We will also learn a little bit of Shintoism religion and hentai (the craze of internet pornography today).
Lesson 9 - Resisting Temptation Along the Way.pptxCelso Napoleon
Lesson 9 - Resisting Temptation Along the Way
SBs – Sunday Bible School
Adult Bible Lessons 2nd quarter 2024 CPAD
MAGAZINE: THE CAREER THAT IS PROPOSED TO US: The Path of Salvation, Holiness and Perseverance to Reach Heaven
Commentator: Pastor Osiel Gomes
Presentation: Missionary Celso Napoleon
Renewed in Grace
HANUMAN STORIES: TIMELESS TEACHINGS FOR TODAY’S WORLDLearnyoga
Hanuman Stories: Timeless Teachings for Today’s World" delves into the inspiring tales of Hanuman, highlighting lessons of devotion, strength, and selfless service that resonate in modern life. These stories illustrate how Hanuman's unwavering faith and courage can guide us through challenges and foster resilience. Through these timeless narratives, readers can find profound wisdom to apply in their daily lives.
In Jude 17-23 Jude shifts from piling up examples of false teachers from the Old Testament to a series of practical exhortations that flow from apostolic instruction. He preserves for us what may well have been part of the apostolic catechism for the first generation of Christ-followers. In these instructions Jude exhorts the believer to deal with 3 different groups of people: scoffers who are "devoid of the Spirit", believers who have come under the influence of scoffers and believers who are so entrenched in false teaching that they need rescue and pose some real spiritual risk for the rescuer. In all of this Jude emphasizes Jesus' call to rescue straying sheep, leaving the 99 safely behind and pursuing the 1.
The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament, and is the first book of the Deuteronomistic history, the story of Israel from the conquest of Canaan to the Babylonian exile.
2. Where is your Faith?
by M. Scott Grimmett
We all have pet peeves - intrinsic little "catches" of circumstance that drive us mad and
set our moods afire. When these things occur the affect is tantamount to the running of
jagged fingernail over chalkboard – only felt on a deeper, more instinctual level. This
study touches on one of my biggest pet peeves, for to my way of thinking our subject has
no legitimate place in the Body of Christ.
The vexation of which I speak is that of unbelief – a sad and comprehensive lack of
belief in the supernatural from within the church today. Yes, you read that correctly - a
grotesque lack of substantial belief in the supernatural from within the Body of Christ.
If this declaration is no cause of concern to you, it may be time for honest self-
examination; for the absence of this seminal building block within the church should be
a major concern to us all.
It’s a widely accepted axiom that faith has become a sickly apparition of its former self
throughout western culture. You may have encountered this in your own walk and
wound up scratching your head in wonder that such a condition could have so deeply
permeated our ranks. The trend is maddening – perhaps constituting the most
confounding paradox ever recorded. But how was this allowed to come to pass?
First let’s prime the pump as follows:
a. Is not belief in God in itself an acknowledgement of belief in the supernatural?
b. If one’s belief in God is genuine, should it not (by extension) equate to belief of
His Kingdom in the heavenly realms? If one can accept the paradigm of a
Heavenly realm (Paul reported being taken to the 3rd Heaven), does this not
extend also to the devil and his demonic realm residing in what is commonly
called 2nd Heaven?
c. When did Angels stop ministering among us as recorded throughout scripture
(and specifically in Hebrews 1:14)? If this activity never stopped, why should it
be incredible for a mortal to encounter one on occasion? Did not the writer of
Hebrews say we might?
d. Where is the scripture foretelling the forfeiture (or halting of) miraculous signs
throughout the Body of Christ? If we believe that these things were common in
the first three centuries (because of meticulous accounts of supernatural events),
what is the base logic supporting the notion that the Holy Spirit was of a mindset
to change directions and recant His powerful works on Earth? Find this directive
in scripture and I shall immediately repent of everything that is to follow.
e. There is a painful disparity that has yawned between God’s promises of a
powerful movement in His Body and the current reality of a church that is
3. woefully bereft of said activity. Those who love the Lord (and care to honestly
examine the issue) explain the phenomenon by purporting a “change of tactics”
due to a saturation of the Holy Spirit over the past 2000 years. This theory states
that there is no longer a want or “need” for God to manifest in the old
“miraculous” ways, since all who love the Lord receive the Holy Spirit from the
moment that we take Jesus into our hearts. This theory goes on to suggest that
the Holy Spirit is contented to work quietly among His children – rarely seen in
power so that faith may result from a lack of supernatural movement. This well-
intended yet wrong-minded theorem is the most compelling of the arguments
that I will address in the assertions to follow.
f. Even prophesy – which Christendom teaches was real in the days of scripture
(and was even reported to be common in the first churches), is now considered to
be a debunked practice by many in the Body of Christ. Those who propagate this
notion insist that the practice of sending “word” (or “Rhema word”) to an
individual through prophetic utterance was abandoned by the Holy Spirit
because of the aforementioned Holy Spirit “saturation”. This theorem states that
God is now of the mindset to speak directly to individuals in His Body, negating
entirely the need for a delivered Rhema word. Though this theory contains
elements of truth (the Holy Spirit does indeed speak to us in this common
manner), it is short-sighted and ultimately unscriptural.
The net result is a Body that is sadly lacking in power; self absorbed, carnal-minded, and
attention-deficient. We are governed by clock-watchers who are anxious to “move
services along” so that we can get on with OUR lives - relegating our “beloved” Savior to
little moments of devotion to which He has been carefully assigned. A church
comprised as such will never see anything beyond the scope of the provincial, thereby
reducing claims of supernatural activity to the ridiculous – the domain of disturbed and
delusional Christians attempting to re-ignite fires that have long gone out.
The Apostle Paul prophesied the coming of this sad condition in 2 Timothy 3:1-5:
“1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of
themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents,
ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control,
brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather
than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have
nothing to do with such people.”
One would naturally expect the ungodly to have little or no faith in beings that flitter
unseen about us bathed in golden-light. It strains credulity, however, that the very
group of individuals which call themselves by the name of the one and only God would
have so little belief in such things. How could have our faith become so thin? Could this
be the age of the apostate church after all?
Jesus prophesied about this time in Matthew 24:12:
“Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold…”
4. By citing “the love of most”, it’s vital to understand that our Lord was not referring the
world, whose love is not all expected. He is referring to those from whom love should be
the norm. He was talking about us, dear ones. If in your heart there is produced a knee-
jerk reaction to recoil from this truth, consider carefully the state of affairs around us.
Look closely and you will see that the love to which Jesus was referring isn’t only the
love that should be directed toward Him, but to love in general.
The family unit is failing all around us as the institution of marriage is assaulted by luke-
warmness and depravity. Divorce has become so common that many are opting to forgo
marriage entirely. It is starting to ring true (for those who are cognizant of this sad state
of affairs) that we’ve raised up whole generations of individuals who know little (or
nothing) about self-sacrifice or the love of others – ignorant of what true love really is.
How can one who is ignorant of undiluted love claim to love anyone other than
themselves? By extension, how can people in such a condition ever make a pretense at
truly loving God?
We see no power in our churches because we have so little faith. We have so little faith
because we lack devotion to the One from whom our faith is derived. We lack devotion
because our love has grown cold toward anyone beyond the scope of that which touches
us directly. Thus has arrived the age of the pipe-dream – of 15 minute-fame and fortune
unencumbered by responsibility toward our fellow man. Meanwhile many of our
churches combat this worldliness by injecting copious helpings of glam-tested
programming into their local body, cleverly designed to attract the masses. They
promulgate programs promoting love and mercy (appropriately), while ignoring almost
completely God’s other (equally important) virtues of justice, purity of heart, and
holiness – without which none will see His face.
Hell is rarely mentioned.
Many of our books and programs are focused on things of this earth. They teach us how
to make our lives more prosperous and meaningful here; even though God instructed us
to train our sights into the next world where true riches await those who run a good
race. These charlatans want us to forget that we only have a few quick years on this
globe, and this in an attempt to turn our gaze from the epiphany that initially drew us
from the impermanence of this realm. We start our journey with Jesus seeking God’s
salvation from the unwise practice of building sand castles that dissolve the moment a
strong tide rushes in. This clarity is then stolen by many ministers who use slick
marketing and insidious scripture-twisting catch-phrases like “name it and claim it!”
The end result is an infrastructure infected with narcissism and profiteering. We find
our minds drifting to the football game even before the pastor has finished his opening
remarks – or to the restaurant and how terrible the lines are likely to be. We become
impatient if worship lingers beyond a few excited minutes of vibrant clapping that might
dare to rouse us from slumber; and even this rarely results in actual “worship” as our
gaze wanders around the crowd to case our surroundings and take stock of others in
attendance.
5. Woe to us, my fellow little ones – we are imperiled.
When pressed on the matter, it is startling to find how little we truly believe. Want
proof? You need only turn within and answer the following questions with an honest
heart:
a. If one was tell you that there are confirmed reports of blind receiving their
sight, the lame walking again, removed organs restored, and limbs re-grown,
would you believe them?
b. If one was to report that one had seen the Lord Jesus – and that the Lord had
given him/her a message to tell others; would your brows rise in bald disbelief?
c. If one were to report that a dead man had risen from his coffin three days after
death with a message of repentance on his decaying lips – would you smirk
knowingly?
All of these statements are true and even commonplace for those whose eyes and ears
are open to what the Great Rhema of God is doing today. And yet a vast majority of
those who might answer those questions would have to admit to, (a.) “no”, (b.) “yes”,
and (c.) “yes”.
Once again, children – we are gravely imperiled.
Depend upon it – we live in amazing times. Prophesy is being fulfilled at an alarming
rate and our Savior's return is eminent; though not by the manner in which most have
been taught. Many eye-witness accounts of supernatural experiences are being reported
from all over the world. The blind are indeed seeing, the lame are indeed walking, and
even the dead are rising. Yet we of the west nod condescendingly at these stories and (if
in a magnanimous mood) toss a pebble’s-worth of belief at the phenomenon before
allowing Sports Center or Nick-at-Night to put the matter out of our minds.
Our Bible tells us that miracles were once commonplace and for centuries at a time -
and yet now we act as though miracles have been invariably confined to antiquity. My
answer to this ridiculous notion is thus: If such is the extent of your belief in God, why
do you bother with the faith at all? If you truly espouse this thinking, then you have
either (a) been deluded into following a religion that exhibits no more actual power than
the nearest Elks Club, or (b) you have fallen for the great lie that our God has somehow
changed; or has lost interest in interacting with His children as He did for millennia.
Thus the million-dollar question: Where is your faith?
Belief in God is an acknowledgement of belief in the supernatural.
It remains a strange irony of life that seminal truths are usually the simplest and most
obvious before us. We search and seek and strive for answers only to find that the
greatest are found under our very noses and in broad daylight. Such is the nature of
restoring a deeper and more tactile faith within the Body of Christ. For that is what we
6. are truly seeking – a faith that is nearer than the reach of your finest concordance, richer
than the most esoteric of Man’s cleverest axioms, and far deeper than the hour and a
half to which many Christians restrict our Lord each week.
Here you must pause and honestly ask yourself: If the power of your faith begins and
ends among the annuls of ancient writings, how then does it differ from other faiths that
are forever buried in the silt of mythology? If you have nothing more to show for your
faith than a belief system that seems to have no immediate impact on your life, how does
your God differ from the statues around which the ancients once prostituted
themselves?
A very real God watches this apathetic behavior in His children and wonders the same
thing.
So here is the undiluted truth…
Theology (the scientific study of God) is a worthy tool for learning, but it is never to be
mistaken as the substance of our Faith. To truly believe in our Holy Father is a far cry
from the yeast-laden cranial comfort food that many have espoused in an effort to suave
a guilty conscience and give meaning to life’s unanswerable questions. Many have
marooned God in the dominion of the mind – among dusty manuals and philosophical
blathering to be plucked from the desk when one is restless or bored. Philosophies of
man, even when packaged as theology, fare little better than wax candles exposed to the
heat of a blistering sun when compared against the light of The Way.
Therein lies the rub. Our Father isn’t a “subject” to which we may become enamored –
He is the consuming fire to be sought and worshipped. Though it remains true that we
must study the Word of God, the question (like so many others) becomes one of motive.
Are you studying to truly seek His face and know Him more intimately, or do you have
other motives for study? Seek Him with all your heart and you will invariably be drawn
into Godly wisdom as you study the Word. But if you pursue wisdom by including the
Bible as one of your material resources, the end result will be frustration and
disillusionment as you obtain a base knowledge about God while forever missing His
Glory. He wants to be known, not studied – and there’s more beauty in the tiniest
gesture of brotherly love than in the most gorgeous twist of poetic prose that has ever
been constructed.
Get out of the head and return to the heart, and you will find your King.
To believe in God is a return to the child-like wonder that we knew in the first years of
discovery. To the Sunday school classroom where we sat in little chairs open-mouthed
and awe-struck, learning for the first time that God once parted the sea and rained fire
down on Mount Carmel. This is true belief – to know that we serve the One who sees
all, knows all, and loves all (but wickedness) with an undying passion. To truly believe
is to expose oneself to the God of Heaven, the inexorable and eternal – Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit – who gives us our every breath and powers every heartbeat. There is
nothing detached or esoteric about Him – He is with us, in us, and around us. To
7. believe in God while ignoring His supernatural nature is asinine detachment – delusion
of the highest order.
We are in the habit of quoting the Bible by stating, “With God, all things are possible”.
It is high time we start living like we believe it.
It’s a package deal
If you’re inclined to embrace the point that was made in the previous section, then we
can take the next logical step without delay. True belief in God is to strip away the
worldly view and know that He is real and powerful beyond our ability to imagine. With
such knowledge comes all that He told us about His Kingdom – as well as all that we
were warned against concerning the enemy.
Heaven is real. Hell is real. Angels fill the air around us, as do the devils and demons
that are bent on our destruction as well as their own. The war of the heavens is an
absolute and you are one of the objects of that fight.
Too many are playing with the notion of the supernatural as though it is a hobby in
which we are free to indulge on a whim. We see this in the movies we watch, the
television we consume, and the books that we read. Pop-culture today is inundated with
the occult. Our children and young are daily assaulted by the darkness of mythology as
authors and screenwriters flood the market with wickedness. At first blush this would
indicate an elevated level of faith in the supernatural, even if unwisely focused on the
wrong side. Alas, even this is wishful thinking. The reason so many are consumed with
objects of the occult is because so few believe in anything that cannot be seen. Thus (in
their minds) it stands to reason that the supernatural world is a tapestry of fantasy
which cannot constitute an actual threat.
They read about and watch programs that feature abominable myths like vampires and
werewolves – creatures that heretofore were fictional objects of scorn and evil to be
repelled and killed by virtuous means. The paradigm has long-since shifted so that
these foul and twisted beings are handsome magical creatures that are “good at heart”
and forever conflicted by their condition. They must have human flesh or blood to
consume, but are torn with that momentous plight and have therefore become new
incarnations of the “good-hearted-rebel” to which so many of our foolish young seem to
flock. If you have ever known a girl (or woman) who is explicitly drawn to “the bad boy”
(despite the horrible ruin such a man will doubtless bring into her life) then you
understand the mentality that the enemy espouses in order to fuel this newest craze in
pop culture.
Melodramatic blathering, you say? You need only visit your nearest bookstore and
peruse the section dedicated to teens and young adults to see this for yourselves. What
you will find is that a majority of the titles concern angst-riddled love stories about
vampires, witches, werewolves, ghosts, dragons, wizards, and even zombies. In each
case the objects concerned are sanitized versions of previous mythological creatures
8. bearing the same name. Handsome and beautiful, cloaked in darkness and seducing our
young with expressions that are just as misunderstood as a teenager is likely to feel. It is
a minefield of danger, brothers and sisters – accepted by far too many placating parents
as “no big deal” or “harmless fantasy”. Flee from this genre at all costs, for it is the spirit
of death – a demonic principality spat right out of hell.
There is much evidence in God’s Word to support what I am telling you, and one need
only appeal to the basest logic to see it. At several points throughout the Bible our
Father strictly forbids the practicing of the magic arts, including spiritists (today’s
psychics), mediums, magicians, and all other forms of witchcraft. The penalty in Israel
for indulging any of these was death without exception. So you believe that God is truth
and always speaks it? Then ask yourself why He would mandate such a fate if the
practice isn’t (or wasn’t) “real”?
There are only two sources of power in the supernatural, and one is a mutated,
corrupted, and diminished version of its former self. The first (of course) is God – who
alone holds the power of creation and all that billows forth from His magnificence. The
second is the devil – who once being a Godly creature of significant power, allowed
himself to be corrupted by pride and hatred into the abomination that he has since
become. Please don’t be deceived – there is no comparing these powers. God towers
over satan as we do the amoebae, and even this is a crude and unworthy comparison.
Our God has the advantage of having created satan, whereas most humans aren’t even
sure what an amoebae is. God is true power and the enemy must console himself with
parlor tricks and lies in order to maintain his foundering kingdom. Ruined by a snare of
his own device, satan fooled himself into thinking that his power was original – only to
find that it was actually derivative. Once unplugged from the only source of true power
(and this of his own doing), he found that he was ill-equipped to even contend with
other arch angels, far less the King of Glory.
And as it pertains to this discussion, here is the bottom line: For a human to work in the
supernatural (or exhibit power derived thereof) he or she must appeal to one of these
two sources – there is no third party or exclusive alternative. There is no skirting the
issue or walking the fence that divides these juxtaposed kingdoms. To appeal to one is
to hate the other – our King has made that clear.
The Lord cares far too much about our spiritual development (and eternal destiny) to
ladle out cheap thrills in an undignified attempt to garner worship. He is thus
disinclined to distribute such power except when necessary and with great care, for our
walk with God is by faith and by faith alone. By contrast, the enemy is all too happy to
give the little that he has to a human if doing so means damning that soul to hell in the
process. You may be asking, “Do you mean to say that you believe in black magic in this
enlightened scientific age?” My answer to such a question would be, “You bet your life I
do, and I can prove it in scripture.”
Exodus 7
10
So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron
threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a
9. snake. 11 Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian
magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: 12 Each one threw
down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Yet
Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had
said.
22
But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and
Pharaoh’s heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as
the Lord had said.
Exodus 8
7
But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made
frogs come up on the land of Egypt.
Numbers 24
Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not resort to
divination as at other times, but turned his face toward the wilderness.
Revelation 21
7
Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be
my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually
immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars —they will be
consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Anyone who has ever read the words of God (as well as those who have the great honor
of speaking to Him personally) can attest to the fact that our Lord does not waste a
single syllable. Even when joking (or indulging sarcasm), He speaks complete truth
with absolute transparency. If He does not want you to know something, do not be
surprised when He says as such – very matter-of-factly. Thus an exclamation mark is
applied to the last of the scriptures that are listed above. In that scripture, Father
articulates the things that will (if indulged) get a person thrown into the lake of fire.
As you can see for yourself, the underlined portion speaks of those who practice magic
arts – those who have appealed to the enemy for a few measly parlor tricks in an effort
to work “wonders” and seem important among his/her fellow man. Don’t kid yourself –
such individuals are indeed given certain supernatural abilities, though the cost is
higher than these poor souls can realize. Nowadays we mock the notion of someone
“selling their soul” to the devil in exchange for “this or that” – but this is only because
most of us (including Christians) no longer believe deeply enough to take the demonic
realm seriously.
All of this (when summarized) can be extrapolated to a single salient truth. To believe in
God means that we must believe what He has told us concerning His kingdom and about
the filth that rules the underworld. You cannot accept parts of that universe while
randomly omitting others, although many make the attempt to their own peril. You
cannot embrace the palatable portions while weeding out the less savory aspects of the
10. supernatural realm. It is all a part of the same saga – and the fight that rages in the
heavens impacts far more than just we humans.
Angels are still on the Job
We now proceed under the assumption that you have accepted the truths that were
stated in the previous two points: That (a) to believe in God is to believe and embrace
the reality of a supernatural realm, and that (b) to embrace such knowledge means to
accept all that we have been told in God’s Holy Word concerning those kingdoms. The
question then becomes – how are these forces comprised and how do they interact with
us?
The answer to this portentous question is actually one of utmost simplicity. Nothing has
changed.
Angels still serve our Holy Father and are therefore assigned to minister to His children
until such time that those children are extracted from the world (usually in the process
of death). These ministering and guardian angels are then re-assigned to new arrivals
(babies) and the process repeats – over and over until our Lord returns to bring the final
curtain down on this world.
After years of researching the matter, it is safe to assert that there is a heavenly creature
assigned to nearly every task imaginable. There are angels who (as stated in Revelation)
collect the prayers of the saints so that those prayers can be waved before our Father as
fragrant incense. There are angels who collect our tears, scribe angels who are
meticulously gathering every word that is uttered upon the earth, and angels who are
assigned to forces of nature that modern science would have you believe run “on their
own”. The list goes on and on – angels who specialize in healing, who minister in times
of grief, who deliver messages, dispense justice, and angels whose specialty is the praise
of our God and the ministry of music.
Then there are the great warriors of God comprising “The Host”. Listed throughout the
bible as “The Army of the Lord (Joshua 5:14), its arch angel is Michael, who was also
listed in Daniel as “the prince who protects your people (Israel)”. According to Enoch
(whose apocryphal writings are quoted in scripture), there are seven arch angels who
have been given the administration of the entire angelic realm – all in perfect
submission to our Holy Father and to our King Yeshua, forever praised.
Then there’s the enemy…
According to Isaiah and Revelation, a third of these beings joined the devil in his
rebellion and were cast out of heaven by those who remained true to their God. These
twisted and mutated beings are called demons and thus comprise the brood that works
tirelessly against the children of light. For mankind to ignore them is a grave error, for
they flourish in the lives of those who thumb their noses at the existence of the demonic
realm. They have but one overreaching purpose – to serve their master by enticing
11. God’s children to join him in rebellion, thus sealing their souls to an eternity of horrors
that were never created for them. Consumed in hatred and loathing the light, they are a
gruesome horde whose damnation is sealed and whose time is short. Doubt not that
their greatest wish is to find you sealed with them in death – writhing in agony as they
exhaust themselves torturing you. This will come to pass for any who reject the merciful
salvation of our God, which was provided at great cost on a rocky hill called Golgotha.
Miracles are real and still happen
Today’s westernized Christian has contented himself with the notion that miracles are
part of the faith, provided they remain within “acceptable” theological parameters. A
lump vanishes or a rash disappears, and we are rightly exultant to have witnessed a
miracle of God. But surely you can see where the disconnect sets in as we attempt to
justify this sort of provision against the miraculous signs and wonders that were listed in
the pages of the Bible.
Please don’t misunderstand – I am not diminishing the aforementioned healing
scenarios, for they are indeed a manifest movement of the Great Rhema of God. The
point I am making is that these scenarios are but one of many miraculous things that
our God wishes to perform among us – things that are even now occurring around the
world in broad daylight for those who believe.
Were I of the mindset to indulge the urge, I could easily fill many pages detailing first-
hand accounts of miraculous signs that are being witnessed around the globe. For the
sake of brevity, however, I will instead refer you to any decent internet search engine –
which if cleverly employed will produce these witnesses en mass. Dead men are indeed
rising, limbs are indeed being restored, and wombs that were removed are returned and
have produced healthy children. People are being taken into Heaven to witness all that
our gracious Father has prepared for those who believe in His only Son, and there are
also those who have drawn the assignment of reporting the horrors of Hell. These
examples barely scratch the surface of this surge in the supernatural, which will only
continue to increase in the coming years.
And now it is about to get serious.
The great outpouring of God’s Mighty Holy Spirit is at last upon us. Abba will soon
stand and send Rhema forth in power, and the impact is going to shake the Earth to its
very foundations. If despite its scriptural roots you have never heard of this outpouring,
you shouldn’t be surprised. The enemy wants nobody to receive it and has done
yeoman’s work building an opposing consensus within the Body of Christ. No matter –
this anointing is going to happen whether the enemy likes it or not, and not even it’s
most ardent detractors will be able to ignore it.
The best way to describe this outpouring was perfectly framed by Bob Jones in 2011:
It is the 2nd Pentecost.
12. Our Father is releasing to His children the gifts of healing, signs, wonders, and
languages. All of these and much more will abound in the outpouring, for all that
occurred in the book of Acts will now return on a much larger scale and with far greater
power. The Body of Christ will be renewed and millions who are now sleep-walking will
be awakened from their slumber. Holiness, righteousness, justice, and purity are now
returning to take their place next to other virtues on which the church has been
singularly focused these past 45 years. The days of “grace without consequence” and
“eternal security” (as framed by Calvinists) are over - Jesus is raising the standard in His
Body.
Much scripture bears witness to this time, but none is greater than John 14:12 where
Jesus’ words are recorded as such; “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me
will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things
than these, because I am going to the Father.”
Scour your historical memory banks and answer honestly – has anyone arisen on the
earth since our Lord’s ascension who worked in miracles, signs, and wonders even
greater than what Jesus did? This is, of course, a ridiculous exercise in rhetoric; for the
answer is a resounding no. Taking our Savior at His word, we must therefore conclude
that the time of which He was speaking is a time yet to come; when a great anointing
will burst forth from our Holy Father as never before.
That time, brothers and sisters, is now.
You may asking yourself, why? What is the larger point? Doubtless, God is able to do
all things and could accomplish his ends without our help. But don’t you see that this
assertion walks headlong into the answer of the questions that precede it? It is true that
Jesus could (with a snap of a finger) annihilate the universe and all life within it. On a
lesser scale, He could easily accomplish the things that were promised in the Great
Outpouring without our help. Simply put, He doesn’t want to. He desires to do this
through His children – to act in keeping with his magnanimous and gracious nature,
which has always been to cultivate in His babies the Godly virtues and accompanying
power that we were created to exhibit.
It was mankind who, having received the gracious gift of Earthly dominion in the
garden, betrayed our Heavenly Father by giving that authority over to the father of lies.
Most of us can recount with little difficulty the horror that this betrayal has given us –
poverty, sorrow, selfishness, pride, sexual immorality, a myriad of death, and the agony
of grief that accompanies each of these. As such, it must be mankind who (through a
total surrender of self-will combined with God’s astounding power of sanctifying
transformation) will finally correct that error and see this world restored to its one true
King. The result of this surrender will be the manifest presence of Jesus Christ in His
Children – working in signs and wonders as we engage the enemy in a battle of the ages
that was foretold by the prophet Joel and will culminate in the coronation of our
Messiah Yeshua.
13. He will conquer the world and take His throne in Jerusalem as foretold. It is our great
honor to participate in this historic crescendo, the net result of which will be the greatest
harvest of souls since the world began.
Don’t believe it? Hang around – you will see these things for yourself soon enough.
Prophets
The organized church has been impugning, slandering, persecuting, and murdering the
prophets of God since the dawn of time. It was thus during the millennia that preceded
the birth of Christ, and the practice has continued in the millennia since. One might
have thought that such a thing would cease with the advent of the Kingdom of God, but
empirical evidence makes an iron-clad case to the contrary.
Name a prophet in the bible and there’s a very good chance that the individual in
question was likely persecuted or martyred. Fact is, the column of prophets who died
natural deaths is a razor-thin pancake of a line next to the towering colossus that is the
juxtaposed column representing those who left this world via the instrument of murder.
And here is the rub, Beloved – with very few exceptions, the murderers were those who
called themselves worshippers of God. Jesus characterized the trend thus:
Luke 11:47-48
New International Version (NIV)
47
“Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors
who killed them.48 So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they
killed the prophets, and you build their tombs.
Are there any words to adequately describe the bravery and self-sacrifice of God’s
prophets? Knowing that their message would likely be ridiculed and rejected, they still
brought forth the Word of the Lord at great personal cost. Those who were calling poor
Jeremiah a liar and heretic were the very ones accepting the words of Isaiah as true
Word of God – forgetting that poor Isaiah ended his tenure on earth stuffed into a log
and sawed in half for the words he brought during the wicked reign of Manasseh. The
same was true for Jeremiah – who after death suddenly found acceptance among the
descendants of the very ones who persecuted him.
It is the highest of callings, and contrary to popular belief within the Body of Christ, is a
vocation that God has never halted.
The book of Acts list many brothers and sisters in Christ who were working in the full
gift of prophesy. Although there are theologians who purport that these post-atonement
prophets differed somehow from those who worked in the Old Testament era, the facts
say otherwise. These men and women manifested God’s gift of seeing and prophesying
14. with great consistency to what was common before Jesus was born. Paul spoke of the
gift often in his epistles, going so far as to list it with four other groups which have since
been labeled “The Five-Fold” (Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Preachers, and
Teachers). Moreover, the granddaddy of all prophetic works was written by the Apostle
John at the end of the first century on the isle of Patmos – a book called “Revelation”.
In this book John reported the following utterance:
Revelation 19:10
New International Version (NIV)
10
…Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”
And now history is repeating itself. The church is doing the same thing to its prophets
and seers that the pre-Christ church did to their prophets.
There are brothers and sisters all over the world who have been handed this sacred
torch. Some see the Lord’s form and hear His words – others are given messages in
dreams as was foretold of this time in scripture. Some are permitted to hear His voice,
catch His fragrance, and many have been called up into Heaven (or taken into Hell) in
order to receive revelation for God’s children.
Don’t believe it? Upon what do you base your skepticism? A mountain of evidence can
be brought forth from God’s word to support the assertion that The Holy Spirit still
operates in this manner. These Christian prophets meticulously confirm their messages
in the Word of God, since no true Rhema-Word will ever contradict the Bible. Do you
actually have evidence that these individuals are false, or are you refusing them (as
many do) without the common decency of actually reading what they were given?
There are countless examples of uncanny accuracy pertaining to these prophets as they
are vindicated by the fulfillment of the Word that God gives them. Yet they continue to
be persecuted – not only by the world, but by the very church in which they came to
know Jesus as Savior. They are subjected to public ridicule, unceremoniously removed
from pastoral duties, and are constantly impugned as unbalanced charlatans. Surely
men like Jeremiah and Ezekiel would watch these trials from Heaven and nod
knowingly, as it is an eerie replay of their own plight thousands of years ago.
Galling though it is, we must here give credit where credit is due – for the enemy has
struck a masterful blow over the past few decades by sending throughout the flock a
sufficient number of false prophets and opportunistic thieves (masquerading as faith-
healers) in order to foment in the Body of Christ an epidemic of “soft apostasy”. Let us
be clear: It remains true that we are under orders to test every spirit and vet a prophet
(through the Holy Spirit) to be sure that the Word that we are given is true Word from
God (usually by the agreement of two or three witnesses). What we have in the church
today, however, is a total shutdown on the matter of prophesy (in many quarters)
throughout the Body of Christ. This is a grievous evil and must be immediately rectified.
15. Wisdom is proven right by her actions, and she is about to vindicate her children in the
2nd Pentecost. For in this day when “seeing is believing”, many who have suspended
belief regarding the gifts of the Holy Spirit are about to have their eyes opened in a most
alarming manner. They will bear witness to the Glory of God and to the restoration of
His prophets as they take their rightful place in the church. This will happen before
their very eyes, and sooner than they think.
Repent
Though there are many pitfalls that can lead Christians into dangerous water and
shipwreck them on the rocks of apostasy, I would like to address two in particular. The
first pitfall is somehow convincing oneself that one can evolve to a point where a
repentant spirit is no longer necessary. Many who live under the influence of Calvinism
fall prey to this falsehood. The second pitfall is becoming “so knowledgeable” that the
thirst for His knowledge is replaced by the pride of teaching others. In such a state,
many a good teacher has become that hard-headed ideologue who can tolerate nobody’s
dogma but their own – personally affronted at the notion of being taught on the smallest
matter. Avoid this at all costs – for when the head hardens the heart is sure to follow.
Heaven isn’t big enough for you and your pride, and long after we are glorified the
learning will continue. Even after a trillion years with our Father, we will be no closer to
achieving His greatness than we are right now. Even if we were to study with the finest
minds or discourse with Yeshua Himself on the deeper mysteries of God, those trillion
years would still find us woefully short of the silly goal of knowing all that He knows. It
is beyond us, Children. By extension, if a trillion years are insufficient to learn all He
knows, how could we possibly hope to make the tiniest dent in His vast array of wisdom
over the trial of a single lifetime? How dare we ever get to the point when we have cut
ourselves off from the childlike wonder that once captivated us when studying His Holy
Word? Brothers and sisters, we must retain (at all costs) our unquenchable thirst for
His revelation – the joy of new discovery as Father unveils hidden manna from the Bible
that was somehow “not there” the most recent time we read the passage at hand.
Does this not apply to you? I certainly hope that it doesn’t. But ask yourself honestly as
you reflect before your God: When is the last time you sat in simple company truly
ingesting a word of knowledge as it was shared from the beaming face of a brother or
sister enraptured by revelation? When is the last time you felt this way yourself?
Chances are, you were probably sent there to be taught by means of their utterance, but
even if their revelation was wrong-minded (or scripturally unsound), did you not love
the passion in their eyes? Even if they needed guidance, did you not (after gently
correcting them) love them for digging hungrily for the mysteries of God? Did you not
encourage them to continue along that path of discovery? Surely you recall bible studies
as a young one – sitting over coffee or pastries caught up in the joy of discussing God’s
marvelous love until the wee hours of night? Do you recall how seamless was the jump
from the study of His word into the rapture of worship? Did worship and study not
constantly overlap?
16. When is the last time you felt the beat of a euphoric heart because of the tiniest morsel
of discovery that shattered a preconceived notion or thumbed its nose at your trusted
concordance? When is the last time you sought His face and found eternal truths more
precious than the sum of earth’s wealth; plucked from an obscure passage and handed
to you by a loving Father? Do you recall that beautiful time? Before the scourge of
opinion set up like hardened concrete in your heart, forever sealing into place pet
theorem that was never meant to be more than stepping stones to the next discovery as
you went further up and further in with your God?
Brothers and sisters, it is impossible to learn enough – we never “arrive”. The Word of
God is living and breathing – sharper than a double-edged sword. When is the last time
it breathed into your life?
In your heart of hearts and in the wee hours of the morning, would you not sell all that
you have to experience that joy again? You can, you know; for He awaits you. The true
Master – the one and only Rabbi. In his arms is love itself, in his hand is your provision,
and in His eyes is the light of truth. If you return to Him you will find what you seek,
and not only from scripture but by direct revelation of our Father’s Great Rhema. If,
however, you only seek to learn about Him, even this pursuit will elude you. We have
but one teacher and you are not He. We are His “tahl meed” (disciples) learning
together – ever evolving as we seek Him with all our hearts.
Repent, Dear one – return to your first love.
Repent of your opinions – repent of your agendas. Cast them out as you would a filthy
rag so you can receive the actual Glory of God. He is coming to us in power and not as
in times past. Please do not miss out on what He wants to give you because your hands
are too full. Release your grip on the arrogant notion of understanding all that “God can
or will do”. If your fists are clinched around pet doctrines, then by definition you are ill
equipped to receive. To receive, your hands must be open and they must be empty.
Rediscover that God is infinitely higher than we, and that our best laid plans are rubbish
in His sight. Cast your agendas away and all your cares on Him. Die to yourself –
crucify your own will and cry out for His. Empty your heart of foolish worldliness and
the silly desire for man’s approval. Resolve to be an empty vessel for His Glory and that
is precisely what you shall receive.
Repent.
Repent for abandoning the joy of discovery in exchange for the mirage of prestige. Take
up with a sincere heart the cry of the Apostle Paul, whose staggering wisdom would
doubtless outstrip the wisest among us:
1 Corinthians 2:2
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and
him crucified.
17. In another scripture, Paul warned that “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.”
Understand that the Holy Bible was not written to make men wise, but to draw mankind
into an intimate relationship with its author. Seek to know Him with all your heart and
Wisdom will come along for the ride.
Take heart, Brother and Sisters – if you are feeling the sting of conviction, I know
precisely where you are and how you feel. I too spent years reading the Bible “lid to lid”,
over and over – and with each pass felt increasingly confident in my own knowledge of
the things of God. I consulted (like you) “great minds” in order to galvanize my opinions
for what cannot be nailed down through scripture in black and white. Instead of
contenting myself with “this could be what the Lord was saying here,” I was all too
happy to finally declare, “I’m absolutely certain He was saying this”. For some of these
things I was doubtless correct, for His word does not breed confusion. I have since
learned, however (by the Grace of the Author), that I was horribly mistaken on several
topics about which I once spoke with cringe-worthy certainty. With this beautiful and
terrible discovery came one clear directive:
Repent.
There is coming a day when we will all be translated. Many of us will meet this happy
moment through death – eternally sealed into our Father’s great abundance and forever
freed from the curse of carnality. Some of us will find this translation in “the twinkling
of an eye”, but the effect will be the same. Forever sealed; never again to be tarnished by
human nature or the curse of sin. Until then, the most “holy” among us must be
prepared to repent of the tiniest thing that may still be lingering within your heart.
Thinking that there is nothing within you in need of repentance is a sure-fire way to
know that there most definitely is.
Sadly, we find that the teaching which many in the Body of Christ have received
concerning repentance is completely wrong. We are taught that within the
sanctification process (spiritual maturing) the need to repent should lesson as we draw
closer to God. Like all of the enemy’s great deceptions, this one is masterful because it
contains elements of truth. For it is true that a Christian should need to repent less and
less about sinful behavior with the onset of spiritual maturity. We should not be
chronically falling into the same snares or traps (sin), but learning and growing and
developing into the creature that He saved us to become.
If our repentance is sincere, He picks us up and brushes us off – forgives us by His
grace. And here is where many Christians foolishly close their minds. Grace isn’t only
for salvation, but to provide His children the ability to walk straight paths before Him.
Grace saved us out of that sin and through that grace we repent of sins which ensnare us
along the way – but this is only the beginning of Grace, not the sum total.
His Grace is sufficient to help us remain above sin – to train us so that we can detect
these traps before they ensnare us again, and to teach us how to avoid them in the
future. Rest assured that the enemy will meet victories of willpower by introducing new
snares that may also trip us up – but the process repeats and His Grace comes to the
18. rescue. This is the patient love of our God and one of the marvels of His Grace, for this
occurs until we are matured and are finally translated beyond the enemy’s taunts. But
know this - receiving God’s forgiveness while contenting oneself to remain a spiritual
infant (embracing what I call “Fall-down theology”) is an insult His Grace. If His Grace
does nothing for your behavior to distinguish you from the world, it doesn’t say much
about His power does it?
It’s time we stopped shaming our King and profaning His Holy name by using His Grace
as a shield for wicked behavior. Grow up in Christ – Repent!
Romans 2:3-4
So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things,
do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches
of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is
intended to lead you to repentance?
A repentant heart is the key to walking humbly with our God. The truth of repentance
(that very few are taught) is that growing closer to God allows Him to start the beautiful
process of refinement – the great and terrible crucible in which we are heated like metal
to be purified. This can be a wholly unpleasant experience, for it feels like it sounds and
is often quite painful. Yet it is through refinement that we find metal producing
impurities that standard cleaning cannot bring to the surface. He refines us to bring
forth these deeply hidden flaws, and it is our act of willful obedience and repentance
that gives Him the authority to remove those things. This painful and wonderful
experience repeats until death (or translation) if one is sincere in drawing closer to God
– for He is holy, and to walk with Him is to become more and more like Him. Therefore
we find that drawing closer to God produces more repentance, not less – and it is a
miraculous thing to behold.
Repent, Dear Ones – come to your God and seek His refinement in your life. Let him
fire up the crucible and put you through the flame; and what He will produce in your life
will stun and amaze you down the line. It matters not how long you have known the
Lord or how knowledgeable you may have become in the Word of God. If you are truly
seeking His face with a humble heart you will find things coming before you (through
refinement) which reveal His holiness and your need to become more like Him. When
He shows you these things, rejoice – and repent!
Our Lord Jesus Christ is coming soon through His children in the aforementioned
Outpouring of Abba’s Awesome Holy Spirit. Those who are walking with Him
(submitting to the crucible) will be delivered from the world and the trial to follow.
With this outpouring will also come a great renewal in the Body of Christ – a profound
paradigm shift with which many of its leaders will not be pleased. Then will come the
discovery that should have been common knowledge all along – that it is not their
church at all, but that they are only shepherd servants entrusted with tending His flock.
The church belongs to our Holy Father, who is forever praised, Amen!
19. Here I’m reminded of the childhood game “hide and seek”, where the seeker calls out a
countdown as other children hide. In due course the counting child cries, “Ready or not
– here I come!”, which is what I feel the Lord saying to His people at this time. The
moment has arrived for His long-awaited return and many are not ready to receive Him.
Do not doubt that His will shall be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Ready or not, children, our King is coming and sooner than you think.
Please be ready.