Five-Fold Today - The Power of Intercession - Consumed With Ourselves - The Zone - Searching For the Man Christ Jesus - Oregon On the Threshhold - Let Me Love You My Precious Gems - The Peril of Religious Flesh - Revival: A Purified Church
THE POWER OF INTERCESSION
Don McIntyre
We look upon this particular text as the all time greatest pattern for
revival in a community. And so it is. The one word in this passage that
should point you and me to the reason for Jerusalem experiencing what they
were about to experience is in fact the very same word that should also
point out to us the very reason why our community is not experiencing what
Jerusalem did.
That one word is "accord". If we would take the time to define it, in the
depth and degree that God defines it, we would see that with it He is in
their midst "wherever two or three are gathered.." But were they just
assembled?? NO!! They were assembled in "one accord.." With it, with "one
accord" Jesus Christ IS there. Without it, He will NOT be there. Why?
Because "where envy and strife are there is every evil work.." One accord...
"Father I pray that they ALL may be one as we are one, that the world may
believe that you have sent me. And my glory have I given them that they may
be one as we are..."
If we could point to just one giant cause of His absence in our communities
(not to mention His absence from our church gatherings) we would all have to
admit that this lack of "one accord" is the most obvious. Search the
scriptures, search the record of revival and you will see a universal
pattern. When God's people repent of their divisions and come together in
true humility and heart unity, confessing their faults one to another,
forgiving and asking forgiveness, AND then pray to Him for help... guess
what He does?? HE COMES !!!
If you take just a moment to think about it from His fatherly point of view,
which of you parents would want to be in a room full of your own children if
they could not so much as eat together at your table without bickering and
back biting and name calling each other. Would you inhabit their praises?
would you inhabit their attempts at worshipping you? Would you hear their
requests? when in the same day that they come into your presence they have
failed to be one family? Your family? Should not the children of one father
dwell together here in unity??
We see in the holy record and the repeated history of revival a process by
which God has made a way for us to come into that place where He will hear
our plea for healing in our communities. 2 Chronicles 7:14 & 15 If my
people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and
seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now my eyes shall be
open, and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place.
We find in this passage a process by which God has ordained for man to come
into His presence and favor. We also find in this a most sobering fact. If
we see the land, our community, desolate of God, desolate of holiness and
godly example in the lives of believers, desolate of the things pertaining
to true christian character, desolate of even basic decency and moral
propriety, this passage places the entire fault upon the shoulders of the
"people who are called by my name".
We christians, called by the name of the Christ, are the very ones whom God
is blaming for the state of affairs. We cannot blame the politicians, we
cannot blame the unsaved, we cannot blame even the devil. God places the
entire responsibility for the lack of His healing presence in our land
squarely upon the shoulders of the "people who are called by my name". If we
ever hope to see even a glimpse of His gracious mercy poured out upon our
community, our first and foremost duty demands that we take hold of God's
all knowing word and using it like a bright light searching our own hearts
for the cause of the problem.
God has promised, and cannot lie, that if we will follow through and:
1. humble ourselves....
2 pray...
3. seek My face....
I remember during my own time of seeking I would cry out from the depth of
my heart "OH LORD LOOK UPON ME!!! KNOW ME!!! SEE ME!!! SEARCH ME!!! TURN
YOUR EYES TOWARD ME THAT I MIGHT KNOW THAT YOU KNOW WHO I AM AND THAT YOU
KNOW ME THROUGH AND THROUGH THAT I MIGHT HAVE A RELATIONSHIP AS INTIMATE AS
JESUS HAS WITH YOU!! LOOK AT ME LORD!!! and...
4. turn from their wicked ways....
5. then...
The eyes of God are upon any one of us just as soon as we get to that place
in our lives where we will abandon ourselves to follow His requirements to
their depth. If we will follow his requirements He has bound himself with an
oath to:
The only question left unanswered is this... Will you??? The truth is that
no mighty work of God has ever occurred in the area of revival without first
there was a concerted persistent concert of prayer offered in "one accord"
from the hearts of His people who had taken themselves to task and walked
out the process described in both Acts and 2Chronicles above.
In this time leading up to revival we see an ever clear pattern that prayer,
true deep intercessory prayer, is the first fruit of God's hand
upon His people and the first blows against the powers of darkness.
Don MacIntyre
Submitted by the Diggers
CONSUMED WITH OURSELVES
So here goes. About a week ago, I was asking the LORD questions about
the church/body and was mulling about in my mind how we each have our
own relationship with Him with our different gifts. I heard Him say,
"Come on up here." Immediately, I was sitting beside him on a small
bench looking down on the earth.
It was beautiful. It was like sitting on a park bench on a bright sunny
day. The only difference was that we were looking down at the earth and in
particular, Canada and the United States. (As the earth turned, you knew
inside of you what the saints were going through in the different nations
and how much they loved Him.)
I asked Jesus, "Is this what you see when you look down on the body?" He
simply replied, "Look." I looked down and saw North America and I became
keenly aware of how we are different from the rest of the
body of Christ, in that of all the nations in the world, we are the ones
who are most consumed with ourselves.
This is not to say that other brothers and sisters in other countries,
don't struggle with this weakness, but it's just that we were the most
predominant. Or have the lion's share so to speak of being proud and needy
of affirmation.
I can't tell you how I felt inside. In a flash, I could see brothers and
sisters running around, promoting ministry, church programs, etc. and that
their main motivation was to make them feel good about themselves.
Honoring God was a part of it, but it wasn't the main thrust. They thought
it was, but they were wrong.
It was embarrassing and humbling. Embarrassing because I saw how foolish
we are that we don't see the true motivation of why we do our "ministry
things." I also saw how proud we are and we don't even know it. Humbled,
because His incredible love for us is simply amazing.
As I sat quietly by his side, I realized how full of ourselves we can be.
With love and compassion in His voice, Jesus said, "Many of them would not
serve Me if their ministry or affirmation from the Body was removed. They
would become bitter."
There was no condemnation on His part, just a stating of the facts. I felt
pricked inside because of the pain this causes Him. I just wanted to
worship and praise him forever. To throw my arms around him and tell him
how sorry we are, that we don't realize how we have so cheaply sold out to
self.
I wanted to comfort Him because I know that His heart's desire is true
fellowship and intimacy with us. He wants us to be passionately in love
with the Father, the Holy Spirit and Himself - even if it means that we
are not recognized by man or the church.
And I felt badly that in many cases, we are not offering up true praise,
but instead we are giving Jesus what makes us feel good. He is worth so,
so much more. Once more as I sat in His presence, I realized how little
man is and how we are truly honored that the LORD loves us and cares for
us. All our best cannot compare to the glory and the praise that belongs
to Him.
I then told Jesus that I was sorry that we were doing this to
Him. I asked Him, "How do we break free of this? We don't even know what
we're doing. Some of us actually think we're doing God a favour."
Jesus said, "The key is intimacy with Me. When you spend time with Me, all
desires that are not of God and are of the flesh, will disappear. There
will be times when you will need to spend more time with Me than usual. It
will depend on the trial or how strong your will is in an area."
As He spoke those words, I recalled how true that is. When I am in His
presence, I can forgive anything and the things of this world mean nothing
to me.
POSTED FROM THE A/P LIST
THE ZONE
"The steadfast of mind Thou wilt keep in perfect peace, because he trusts
in Thee (Isaiah 26:3).
A few months ago I was on a retreat with several dozen NFL and NBA
players. Many of them were All-Stars or All-Pros, and some were sure to be
in the Hall of Fame. For years I have studied leadership and tried to
understand what enables some to excel when others with seemingly more
talent do not do as well. Just sitting around talking with some of these
players led to some of the best answers I have received yet to this
question.
One term that you will often hear around sports is "the zone." It is a
state when the mind and body seem to be in perfect harmony, and it allows
a player to rise to a level of performance that is beyond his or her usual
level. When a player is in "the zone" they seem unstoppable. I started
questioning some of these players about the zone and they all used the
same terms to describe it. To them it was basically a state of mind where
they were able to tune out all of the usual distractions and focus
completely on their task. When they could maintain this focus they would
have the feeling that no one could stop them, and usually they were right.
I then happened upon a magazine article written by a psychologist who had
spent his professional life studying sports, and he too was especially
interested in "the zone." He described it as basically "the ability to
focus under pressure." The factors that he felt most affected players
negatively were interestingly anger and fear. Studies have shown how just
a moment of rage could sap the strength of many hours of hard labor.
Likewise, just a moment of terror could do the same. In the same way just
thirty minutes of a more subtle anger, or general worry, can sap us of the
same amount of strength as many hours of hard labor. Therefore, for
athletes to enter "the zone" they must stay completely focused on their
task without giving way to anger or fear. To the degree that they can do
this they will be able to rise to even greater heights of performance.
This is not just true for athletes. Anger and fear are two of the
deadliest enemies of any purpose or task. How much of our energy is being
sapped by anger, or anxiety? How many potentially great accomplishments
were derailed by unforgiveness or bitterness? How many great works of
faith were derailed by fear?
Just as an athlete becomes a "superstar" when they perform their best in
the biggest games, the greatest acts of faith are the result of being able
to focus on the Lord in times of greatest pressure. This is the result of
learning to focus on Him more and more each day. If we do not see Him in
the little things, we will not be able to see Him in the great ones. We
should not only do everything that we do for Him, but also with Him. When
we live by beholding the One who is above all rule and authority and
dominion, and when we live our lives focused on the One who is so
all-powerful that He upholds the universe with the word of His power, we
too will rise above the usual to live in the realm of miracles.
Copyright - Rick Joyner Morningstar Ministries 2000
SEARCHING FOR THE MAN CHRIST JESUS
We just returned from Texas, where I had the pleasure of attending
Christ as Life Christian Center, founded by Dr. Bill and Nadine
Smith. During the service, the Lord spoke a prophetic word through
me that was based upon 2Chron.16:9. The word spoke of how the
eyes of the Lord are searching to and fro throughout the earth
in search of a people through whom He can show Himself mightily...
He spoke of those who had forsaken the self-life and were consumed
IN Him. The prophecy ended with this question, "My eyes are searching
to and fro even in your HEART, and what shall I find?... shall
I find the MAN Christ Jesus?"
Those words surprised me as they came out of my mouth, as I had
never spoken them or even thought them. As I pondered this, the
Scripture came to mind as Paul says in Gal. 4:19, "My little
children, for whom I am AGAIN suffering birth pangs until Christ
is COMPLETELY and permanently FORMED WITHIN YOU!". Then someone
in the service read Ezek.11:19, "And I will give them ONE HEART,
a NEW HEART, and I will put a NEW SPIRIT within them..."; that
word for heart in Hebrew means 'the intellect, emotions, and
will', in other words the SOUL. Now we know that at our conversion
to Jesus Christ we receive a NEW spirit, His Spirit, according
to 1Cor.6:17, "...He who is joined to the Lord is ONE SPIRIT
with Him.". I believe that our SOUL, just like our spirit, has
the opportunity to become "...ONE heart (soul), a NEW heart (soul)...",
HIS SOUL... in other words, the mind, will and emotions of Christ
WITHIN US! This is what Paul was speaking of; Christ completely
formed WITHIN us... or as the prophetic word I delivered said,
'the MAN (manhood speaks of completeness or maturity) Christ
Jesus in our heart'. (Keep in mind that when I say MAN, that
is NOT a reference to gender... in Christ there is neither male
nor female!)
I believe that God is searching for a people through whom He
can manifest His fullness, and He is searching hearts (SOULS)
to see what He finds... will He find the man Adam living the
self-life OR will He find the MAN Christ Jesus? This is how Paul
could say "...for me, to live IS Christ..."(Phil.1:21). Romans
8:19 tells us that all of creation is waiting expectantly for
the manifestation of the sons (huios in Greek, meaning mature
sons, MEN) of God. I believe that the eyes of the Lord are searching
to and fro looking NOT for giftedness or talent or even sincerity
in service (although these are good things), but looking for
the MEASURE of Christ formed within us. The measure of maturity
is not service or obedience or gifting (these are a result of
maturity, not the measure), but rather ONENESS of purpose and
destiny... our SOUL being consummated IN Christ. Religion has
told us that we DO things, certain disciplines like Bible study
and memorization, fasting, serving, prayer, etc. that bring maturity.
Certainly these are good habits, and good habits are a whole
lot better than bad habits, but they don't necessarily always
translate to maturity. Maturity is having the resurrection LIFE
of the MAN Christ Jesus being lived THROUGH us... and in order
to have a resurrection, you must first have a DEATH.
The Messianic prophecy of Is.53:10 speaks of "...His SOUL an
offering for sin..." and verse 12 says "...He hath poured out
His SOUL unto death..." (remember, His SPIRIT was committed into
the Father's hands). Now Rom.6:6 tells us that "...our old unrenewed
self WAS (past tense!) nailed to the cross WITH HIM..."; and
Jesus confirmed this saying that if He was lifted up on the cross,
He would draw ALL men unto Him. We MUST see that our SOUL was
(past tense) crucified, poured out unto DEATH in Christ on the
cross, He has already accomplished it... it is the FINISHED work!
Unless we see this FINISHED work in Christ, we can fall into
a deadly trap of the false humility of 'dying daily'; we are
ALREADY dead IN Christ, and we must APPROPRIATE by faith what
He has already accomplished... it's all about HIM, not about
us! The Father will SHARE His glory with no one, but He clothes
the MAN Christ Jesus within us with His glory... and His glory
is the hiding place of His power!(Hab.3:4)
As the Father searches these earthen vessels and finds the MAN
Christ Jesus maturely formed within the heart (SOUL), then we
can expect to see Him manifest His fullness in His huios SONS
(I believe this will also someday eventually manifest in our
bodies as this mortality puts on immortality)... all creation
is travailing for this (Rom.8:22), even as Paul travailed, and
as are multitudes of intercessors across the globe even now.
Truly, the eyes of the Lord ARE searching to and fro throughout
our hearts... will He find the MAN Christ Jesus?
OREGON ON THE THRESHOLD
Chad Taylor
"No one having put his hand to the plow, and looking back,
is fit for
the Kingdom of God..." (Luke 9:62).
I had a vision of Oregon. I saw a man in farmer's clothing
standing at a vast field of harvest as far as the eye could
see.
Stretching as far as the East was from the West this great
field
spanned. The man stood at the threshold of this great field
with a
plow in his hands. One foot stood on the rich soil of
harvest, and
the other stood on the stones and fallow ground that
bordered the
field. The blade of the plow was already buried inches in
the dark
rich soil, the beginning of a furrow could be seen.
Then I saw behind this man. Behind him was a sharp sheer
wall of
rock. Huge cliffs that reached into the clouds above, there
was no
way back. The man looked at the field in front of him and
sighed.
Then I heard the Lord begin to say,
SEEDS OF REVIVAL ABOUT TO SPRING UP
'The seeds of revival are about to spring up amongst you.
The seeds
of harvest and revival. You have called for the rain and I
have
brought it. You have cried out for the wind and I have sent
it, you
have called out for the fire and I have kindled it. But now
you cry
out for harvest, prepare yourself O Oregon for it is upon
you. And it
will suddenly spring up around you. To the East, it will
spring up,
to the West, it will spring up, to the North, it will spring
up, and
to the South it will spring up. Pressed down and
overflowing it will
come. Your baskets will not be able to contain it. Your
churches
will not be able to bridle it, it will come with violence
and force as
they press into the Kingdom of God.
THE DERELICT AND THE DESTITUTE
The derelict and the destitute shall swell your ranks. I
will give
them a new heart. I will renew their minds. I will set
them free. I
will give you an army not of your choosing. But like
Gideon, of My
choosing. You will not fight with conventional means, but
like Joshua
and Jericho, you will engage the enemy My way. For only
there will
you see the victory. Only there will you take the city.
You will
find allies in the strangest circumstance, like Rahab to the
spies,
you will find friends in low places. I will make the high
places low
and the low places high in this hour says the Lord.'
"Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out
the curtains
of your dwellings; Do not spare! Lengthen you cords, and
strengthen
your stakes, for you shall expand to the right and to the
left..."
(Is. 54:2-3).
Suddenly I looked to the left and right of this man, and to
my
surprise their were thousands times a thousand standing with
their
plows. Men, women and children were positioned in a stance
to
harvest. They stood at the brink of harvest as one great
army. Every
color and creed could be seen. Each gripping the handles of
his or
her plow, poised for the transition from the fallow ground
into the
rich soil of harvest, and then I hear the Lord say,
THIS IS THE HOUR
'This is the hour of harvest. This is the hour to plow and
to break
up the fallow ground, this is the time to break up the
fountains of
the deep. To take in a great catch. This is the hour that
harvest
will demand unity. A unity that they have never
experienced, never
seen. A unity that yokes together all races and faces as
they plow
the ground of revival. Even as they did when I walked the
earth and
My disciples gathered up all the bread and fishes. They
filled up
twelve baskets full, when they did not even have one before!
The
unity that caused the masses to sit in ranks and companies
to be fed.
This is the unity that harvest will bring.'
"Behold, the days are coming says the Lord, when the plowman
shall
overtake the reaper. And the treader of grapes him who sows
seed.
The mountains shall drip with sweet rain, and all the hills
shall flow
with it..." (Amos 9:13).
I AM GIVING YOU THE LAND
A great company of both men and women moved across this
great field,
and as fast as they plowed they began to reap. As the
plowman moved
out the reapers were already returning with their sheaves.
The
threshing floors were full. Their garners will be
overflowing says
the Lord, the garners will be overflowing. I am giving you
the land
says the Lord, I am giving you the land. Look to the
mountains, as
far as the eye can see, I am giving you the land, I am
giving you the
land. "And your descendants will inherit the nations, and
make the
desolate cities inhabited..." (Is. 54:3).
"That our barns may be full, supplying all kinds of produce,
that our
sheep may bring forth thousands, and ten thousands in our
fields.
That our oxen may be well laden, that there be no breaking
in or
breaking out, that there be no outcry in our streets. Happy
are the
people that are in such a state, Happy are the people whose
God is the
Lord!" (Psalm 144:13-15).
Chad Taylor
Let Me Love You My Precious Gems
Carylann Hartley
My love is greater than your expectations. It is greater than the vast
oceans. Yes, you say you know this but do you really believe that I love you
- personally - that much? If you did your life would be changed. You would
not be concerned about the circumstances around you but know it is in My
control. When you are looking at the circumstances you can not see Me. You
allow the enemy of your soul to torment you. If I did not love you would I
have been willing to not only die for you but to take all your sins upon
myself.
Trust Me! Have that faith the size of a mustard seed and see what I will
do. "Let not your hearts be troubled" but believe that My love is for you
and you alone, each one of you a so special precious gem being cut and
fashioned into the most beautiful gem imaginable. I know it is hard for you
as the cutting is being done but without that you could not shine as
brightly. With each cut you reflect more of Me and My love. Let Me cut away
that part that is rough and clouded so that, not only can you see Me more
clearly but others will be able to see Me in you. Trust Me and know that I
only cut where it is needed. During those times of cutting let My love be
like a soft polishing cloth to protect and cover you.
My love is like none on earth. Learn of My love so that you can love
others as I have loved you. You think that is impossible but with My help it
can be done. I will help you yield yourself completely to Me and let Me
fashion you into what you were created to be a reflection and carrier of My
love. But first, you must let Me love you until you know what that love is.
Do not hold back or be afraid. I will not hurt you or reject you or discard
you but will be there for you always. I will never refuse your love. Come,
draw closer to Me, let Me love you and teach you of My everlasting, all
encompassing love for you. I have chosen each of you and will not forsake
you. Draw closer, ever closer to Me. I love you!
Chart4God@aol.com
THE PERIL OF RELIGIOUS FLESH
Pastor Francis Frangipane
There is a type of knowledge that is doctrinal,
theological and instructive, and there is a type of
knowledge that is born out of a revelation of God. Both
are known as "truth," both produce a certain type of
person, and both are accepted as "Christianity."
You can be certain that God wants us to have right
doctrines, but we must never content ourselves with
merely the accumulation of correct knowledge. For this
knowledge often remains just a file of religious facts;
where the Word of God is viewed more as a museum than a
power plant.
When we halt our spiritual ascent toward God at the
plateau of doctrinal knowledge, we become people who
never really change. Instead, our old nature simply
pretends to be new. The longer we settle for just head
knowledge, our Christianity begins to degenerate into a
religious spirit.
It takes God to change our stubborn, rebellious
natures. And our mighty God does not want us to fake our
Christianity. He wants you to be real, where the
knowledge of your head becomes the reality of your heart.
You see, truth, in God's view, is more than doctrines.
It is reality.
The difference between mere doctrinal truth and
revelation truth is that, with doctrinal truth the heart
of a man may be deceitful, lustful and arrogant yet still
maintain a theologically true opinion of God.
The Pharisees had, more or less, a theologically true
opinion of God, but Jesus said inwardly they were full of
"robbery and self-indulgence" (Matt. 23:25). Outwardly,
they looked holy, but all they had was religious flesh.
Inwardly, they were false.
David knew God. He visited the tent of God, where he
worshiped and prayed. In fact, even after he sinned with
Bathesheba he continued the outer form of his
relationship, but his heart was from far from God. When
he repented, he reverently acknowledged of God, "Thou
dost desire truth in the innermost being" (Psalms 51:6).
Doctrinal truth has an illusion about itself: the
illusion is that knowledge is the same thing as
righteousness. It is not. We all know people who are
fault-finders, critical and gossips, yet they are capable
of maintaining all the proper doctrines about love. When
they speak ill of people they do so with boldness,
feeling like they are serving God.
What these people have, is called "religious flesh."
On the other hand, truth that comes by revelation always
produces change; it always leaves us less sure of our
selves, more dependant upon God, and more loving toward
others.
To topple the old ways of thinking, God must
penetrate and remove the arrogance that guards our
ignorance. We must be broken of self-confidence and
become God-confident. To break us, God must confront us.
The Sword of God
The primary way we change is through the
Spirit-empowered word of God. Again, there are two ways
to view the Bible: doctrinally or, as it really is, a
two-edged sword. When we read the Bible merely on an
intellectual level, we may gain knowledge, which is good,
but such knowledge by itself still leaves us intact. If
we are not convicted, challenged or more perfectly
conformed to Christ when we read the Scriptures, it may
be because we have a religious spirit that is limiting
the penetration of God's word to our minds.
When the Lord appeared to the Apostle John on Pathos,
Christ revealed Himself with a "...sharp, two-edged
sword" coming out His mouth; His eyes were two flames of
fire. We need to picture this, for God's word is a
sword. To whatever degree we fail to see it as such, we
are probably serving a religious spirit rather than the
Holy Spirit.
Consider also Simeon's prophecy to Mary, Jesus'
mother. He said, "...and a sword will pierce even your
own soul--to the end that thoughts from many hearts may
be revealed" (Lk 2:35). Notice, He did not say, "...and
you will learn a lot of handy facts about the Bible so
you can win at Bible Trivia." He said that a sword will
pierce your heart, and even your thoughts will be
revealed.
You see, when you came to Christ, you did not come to
a religion, you came to a Person--a Person who knows us
as well as He knows His own body. He exposes our hearts:
He illuminates those dark, secret areas within us -- not
to condemn us but to liberate us from the bondages of sin
and deception.
You may say, "Well, I need to hear that the Lord
loves me." Yes, that is the most life changing, central
truth in the Bible. However, Jesus says that those whom
He loves, He reproves and disciplines. He then tells us
to be zealous and repent (Rev 3). His love is not on a
shelf somewhere, removed from us until we get hurt. No.
His love is what motivates His word as He speaks to our
hearts to deliver us.
Consider how the Word describes itself: "The word of
God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged
sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and
spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the
thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Heb 4:12).
It should be normal for you to be discovering areas
God wants to change. It is typical of true Christianity
to suddenly see that you have had wrong thoughts or that
the intentions of your heart have been carnal. The voice
probing into your heart is not the devil; it is God. He
wants to set you free from religious flesh.
Sustained By The Revelation Of Christ
When God called Abraham, He called him to a promise
that was staggering. Although Abraham was old and
childless, God told him he was going to be the 'father of
many nations'. Twenty-six years elapsed from Abraham's
first encounter with God until his son was born, and
throughout the entire process of many ups and downs, the
Scripture says, "...and Abraham believed God."
Let me make this very clear: Abraham did not merely
believe there was a God; no, Abraham believed what God
had said, personally, to him. He had an encounter with
God's living word which, like a sword, pierced into his
heart. Abraham did not just have a religion about God, he
received a promise upon which he built his life.
The faith that saves us is a living response to the word
which God speaks to us. Whatever the word says about
God's kingdom, His power, His grace and ability to change
us, we must accept and believe!
Religious flesh is occupied with pretending to be (or
look) good. The spiritual soul has its focus upon the
greatness of God, believing that what God has promised,
He is able also to perform (Rom 4:21).
Your experience with Christianity will never be
sustained by something less than an unfolding
relationship with Jesus Christ! The strength of
Christianity is Christ! When you are weary, He says come
to Him (Matt. 11:28). When you are hungry, come to Him.
Thirsty? Come to Him. For every thing we need, He is
the way, the truth and the life.
If I don't succeed in inspiring you to draw closer to
the Lord, where you hear from Him and are sustained by
Him, I have failed in my ministry. Religious flesh is
convinced that growth is measured in religious facts.
True spirituality, however, is measured in the depth of
our hunger for God, where our soul pants "for the Living
God" like the deer pants after water.
Religious flesh will never inherit the kingdom of
God, but a heart set on being real with God will find
God's fullness awaiting him.
Let's pray:
Lord, go deep within us. Help us to hear Your word
speaking to us when you come to excavate our soul of
unrighteous thoughts and attitudes. Deliver us from
religious flesh and lead us into the fulness of Your
Spirit. In Jesus' name.
http://www.inchristsimage.org/
Revival: A Purified Church
A. W. Tozer
But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the
knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss
of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.
-Philippians 3:7-8
Our most pressing obligation today is to do all in our power to obtain
a revival that will result in a reformed, revitalized, purified
church. It is of far greater importance that we have better Christians
than that we have more of them. Each generation of Christians is the
seed of the next, and degenerate seed is sure to produce a degenerate
harvest not a little better than but a little worse than the seed
from which it sprang. Thus the direction will be down until vigorous,
effective means are taken to improve the seed....
To carry on these activities [evangelism, missions] scripturally the
church should be walking in fullness of power, separated, purified and
ready at any moment to give up everything, even life itself, for the
greater glory of Christ. For a worldly, weak, decadent church to make
converts is but to bring forth after her own kind and extend her
weakness and decadence a bit further out....
So vitally important is spiritual quality that it is hardly too much
to suggest that attempts to grow larger might well be suspended until
we have become better. The Set of the Sail, 154-156.
"Lord, I don't hear much today of the 'greater importance that we
have better Christians than that we have more of them.' Help us in
our seeker-orientation not to water down the message and make the
teaching so shallow that we don't challenge our people to holy
living. Amen."
_______________________________________________________________
September 2, 2000
Acts 1:12-14
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from
Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey. And when they had come in, they went into
an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew,
Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and
Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one
accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of
Jesus, and with his brethren..... and that day about three thousand souls
were added to them.
Confessing to each other before God and publicly before man that we are not
what we claim to be. Exposing the sin, exposing the hypocrisy, exposing the
whitewashed lies, exposing the hidden things of darkness, exposing the love
affairs with this worlds allurements, and ways, and means, ambition,
manipulation (both of our fellows and God), pride, reputation, status, money
loving, spiritual laziness, and the sin of division and division building
among God's people... uncovering everything that has been kept hidden, and
then,
Praying toward God's throne of grace, asking forgiveness, and begging to be
cleansed from all unrighteousness, thanking Him for bringing His truth to
bear upon the sin we have kept hidden, thanking Him for granting us mercy
and space to repent, and the privilege to make restitution, thanking Him for
not dealing with us according to what our iniquities deserve but rather
granting us a time of reprieve to get things right with Him and each other,
thanking Him for not snuffing out our lives, thanking Him for the sacrifice
of His holy Son Jesus Messiah through whom we can have forgiveness and
cleansing from our sin, and..
Seeking His face is not the same thing as prayer. Prayer is communication to
God. Seeking His face is searching for Him to look upon you. Seeking His
grace, seeking first His kingdom and his righteousness. If we believe the
scripture we must know that God will not defile His eyes by looking upon
sin. "but your sins have hid my face from you" (Isaiah) We must seek his
face to turn toward us.
It does no good at all to ask God's divine forgiveness if down in our heart
we have no intention of quitting our sin or letting him remove the sin we so
enjoy. If we come to Him asking forgiveness we had better do so with the
iron grit determination to seek Him until we no longer have any desire for
that sin at all and stay seeking Him until we have that assurance that we
are not only forgiven but CLEANSED from all that filth and the desire of it,
and the sympathy with it, and the power of it! And from this day onward we
have the faith to believe that we shall never fall to that temptation again.
Not through our own strength but through His power to save us to the
uttermost. "For if these things be in you and abound you shall never
fall..."
(and only then) will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and
will heal their land. Now my eyes shall be open, and my ears attentive to
the prayer that is made in this place.
a) hear us
b) forgive us
c) come to us!! and
d) heal our land!!
by Anita Green
by Rick Joyner
FROM RICK JOYNER'S WORD OF THE WEEK
http://www.morningstarministries.org/Articles/word/aug21_2000.htm
by Doug Fortune
Webpage: www.consumingfire.com
Email: lionheart@gci.net
Lamentations 2:19
Read "Insight for Leaders" online at:
http://www.litmin.org/tozer.php3Five-Fold Today Archives
The Lord has given us the grace to reconcile the children to their Fathers
As One Body
Issue Oriented Discussion Newsletter
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