Sunday, 30 November 2008
Friday, 28 November 2008
Wahoo-a-zowie! I get Myself Back!
Norman Grubb - Yes I am- Chapter25 "I Get Myself Back"
Now we move on to the surprising and glorious effects on us of this total relationship of replacement-union. The chief one is the paradox.A person might think that this inner consciousness of Christ in me, as me, would give me an enlarged consciousness of Him and an increased glorying in Him. It does... even though He has already been, for years, my precious Christ in the love relationship of the Song of Songs. But what becomes paradoxically new to me is a totally new self-acceptance. And here, at once, we move onto "dangerous ground" — not dangerous to us, but to onlookers like the daughters of Jerusalem in the Song! Because it seems to produce a newly inflated ego —I! It does. But of course, we who have entered in and are now in on the secret know the whole key — that it is a Satan-expressing ego which has first disappeared forever in His cross, before reappearing as our new Christ-expressing ego. But it is a total reappearing of the "I"! Why? Because it has been God's fixed plan of grace from before the foundation of the world that He was going to have a vast company of fully liberated sons — liberated fully to be themselves — by whom He would fully be Himself embodied in human forms. Yet in that paradoxical relationship, unintelligible to those not initiated into it, the human "I" is its full spontaneous self, and acting as such. That is why I often say there is no egoist in history equal to our Lord Jesus Christ! He was always, I.
I—"I am the door," "I am the living bread," "I am the light," "I am the way." Emphatic self. Yet we who know Him are also aware— look within Him! — that He was always saying "I do nothing by Myself, but only what I see My Father do," and "If you see Me, you see the Father."That is precisely what happens to us. Before we know our exchanged life, while still in the struggles and self-condemnation of Romans 7, we dislike and downgrade ourselves — "0 wretched man that I am!" We are compulsively negative about ourselves and deeply suspicious of what we think are our dangerous tendencies. So now it is an altogether new thing, and may take a little time to sink into us, that so far from downgrading ourselves, because He now accepts us, wenow accept ourselves as His precious vessel, branch, body member, bride. Every part of us — our physical appetites, our soulish emotions and reasoning powers — are beautiful and wholly valuable as His outer means of manifestation. It usually takes a little time to realize this, just because we've been so used to thinking the opposite about ourselves.So now we're free to be ourselves, because we now know weare wholly His human forms. We live with raised, not lowered heads! Sure, we're not unaware of the subtle misuse today bypsychologists and many others of a false "self-acceptance" and"self-liberation to be ourselves." Indeed, this is universal,because the deceived natural man assumes he has no self except himself, and his only remedy for his self problems is the fraudulent build-up of himself as "inherently good." But just because there is a wave of modern, false emphasis on the build-up of self, that must not inhibit us from boldly accepting and affirming ourselves — we who truly know who we truly are!One notable effect of this is also another kind of paradox —in that in our normal daily living, for most of the time, we forget who we are, and just function as ourselves. It is the same principle as in our professional lives. Once we are competent in our particular profession, as we've said before, whether a cook,teacher, carpenter, engineer, or whatever, we do not spend our hours reminding ourselves or others that we are this or that,but we just go ahead being it. We don't keep saying "I'm a teacher, I'm a teacher," but we just teach! So in precisely the same way, when we know that we are really He in us, we don't keep running around reminding ourselves or telling that to others. We just do our daily job. enter into our daily conversations, etc., totally forgetting that it is He in us by us —but it is only He, all the time. So we don't have to have special prayer times to "remind ourselves," though we love any chances we have for our secret inner-love tryst with Him. Nor do we have to come to the end of a busy day and condemn ourselves for not having thought more of Him. If we do that,He tells us not to be so foolish ... for our doings and talkings were His all the time.
Can I just interject here (Chris). In the mid to late 70s a lot of the London leaders were preaching similar stuff...under the banner of "being naturally Jesus". There was something not right about it in practice...and maybe I'll do more in another post. People were calling "Jesus in them" things that definitely weren't. So what's the safeguard? Well, in the end it's living it!
You've got the Galations 5:19-21 list of the works of the flesh as a checklist for a start. You've got behaviours listed in Matthew's Gospel(5:21ff.... 6:1-27 and 23:1-36 )basically we know in our spirits what isn't Jesus...and for our blind spots we have others alongside who are also living in the Spirit.The Body of Christ...which isn't quite the same as the church structure ,by the way! In meetings we learn how to live and move as Jesus as us. All we are doing now is taking the same inner believing outside of the meeting room walls. We are checking ourselves all the time...is this Christ doing stuff through me?..am I in faith?Am I defined who is living my life right now? Cos if there is any fuzzyness...we're already slipping back into "independant just me living again" And it is this stuff that Gerald Coates,George Tarleton, Dave Mansell,John Noble and the early 70's Maurice Smith were not preaching.They were not defined. And some horrible things happened.
You have to understand...3rd level is as real as 2nd level stuff in meetings. It's not pie in the sky. After a while of living this way, you're nolonger verbalizing stuff so much...the 3rd level realities have taken hold of you...you are not holding them!!! Then when you go back into 2nd level meetings...your praise...your authority ....your naturalness with Jesus is just in another place, because you have been living there.
Think about it. David always wrote psalms. From the time he was a shepherd lad!. But having had Saul chase him around in the wilderness, then fall in adultery, then crumple broken before the Lord in Psalm 51.After all this...when he then established Temple worship ....well it was so fantastic...the very glory of God filled the place!!!! And that's where we're going folks...as hundreds of thousands start to learn about the realities of 3rd level living.(Unfortunately Norman didn't live to see it)
He continues.....
I don't think my friend, Gloria, sister of former-President Carter, will mind me telling this story about her. About eight or more years ago we were together at a Faith at Workconference in Georgia, and during the weekend the Lord revealed to her the secret that she was really Christ in her formWhen she returned home to Plains, she found a card in the mail asking her to speak on herbs at her garden club. But she told me that she knew little about herbs, so she spent the next day or two studying up on them. Then, after having given her lecture and returned home, she talked to the Lord in her room and asked His forgiveness because she had forgotten about Him those days because of her herb preparations. The answer He gave her: "What are you apologizing to Me for? I was co-herbing with you. That was My lecture, not yours!"So we actually are free persons and learn to recognize ourselves as such — free to express our opinions, to make our judgments, to do our jobs, make our choices. Dangerous? It surely looks like that, and others would tell us it is—who don't know the spontaneity of the union. But no danger to us who know our unchangeable oneness. We know that all we do is He, and we live the "dangerous life" of believing .. .which is knowing and thus recognizing that it is all He. We live spontaneously. If we cook, it is He doing the cooking. If we do our job, it is He doing it. If we have conversation, it is He conversing. Union in the Spirit is actual, factual. Where He is,we are. Where we are. He is. No hairbreadth separation between us can ever be possible.
Now we move on to the surprising and glorious effects on us of this total relationship of replacement-union. The chief one is the paradox.A person might think that this inner consciousness of Christ in me, as me, would give me an enlarged consciousness of Him and an increased glorying in Him. It does... even though He has already been, for years, my precious Christ in the love relationship of the Song of Songs. But what becomes paradoxically new to me is a totally new self-acceptance. And here, at once, we move onto "dangerous ground" — not dangerous to us, but to onlookers like the daughters of Jerusalem in the Song! Because it seems to produce a newly inflated ego —I! It does. But of course, we who have entered in and are now in on the secret know the whole key — that it is a Satan-expressing ego which has first disappeared forever in His cross, before reappearing as our new Christ-expressing ego. But it is a total reappearing of the "I"! Why? Because it has been God's fixed plan of grace from before the foundation of the world that He was going to have a vast company of fully liberated sons — liberated fully to be themselves — by whom He would fully be Himself embodied in human forms. Yet in that paradoxical relationship, unintelligible to those not initiated into it, the human "I" is its full spontaneous self, and acting as such. That is why I often say there is no egoist in history equal to our Lord Jesus Christ! He was always, I.
I—"I am the door," "I am the living bread," "I am the light," "I am the way." Emphatic self. Yet we who know Him are also aware— look within Him! — that He was always saying "I do nothing by Myself, but only what I see My Father do," and "If you see Me, you see the Father."That is precisely what happens to us. Before we know our exchanged life, while still in the struggles and self-condemnation of Romans 7, we dislike and downgrade ourselves — "0 wretched man that I am!" We are compulsively negative about ourselves and deeply suspicious of what we think are our dangerous tendencies. So now it is an altogether new thing, and may take a little time to sink into us, that so far from downgrading ourselves, because He now accepts us, wenow accept ourselves as His precious vessel, branch, body member, bride. Every part of us — our physical appetites, our soulish emotions and reasoning powers — are beautiful and wholly valuable as His outer means of manifestation. It usually takes a little time to realize this, just because we've been so used to thinking the opposite about ourselves.So now we're free to be ourselves, because we now know weare wholly His human forms. We live with raised, not lowered heads! Sure, we're not unaware of the subtle misuse today bypsychologists and many others of a false "self-acceptance" and"self-liberation to be ourselves." Indeed, this is universal,because the deceived natural man assumes he has no self except himself, and his only remedy for his self problems is the fraudulent build-up of himself as "inherently good." But just because there is a wave of modern, false emphasis on the build-up of self, that must not inhibit us from boldly accepting and affirming ourselves — we who truly know who we truly are!One notable effect of this is also another kind of paradox —in that in our normal daily living, for most of the time, we forget who we are, and just function as ourselves. It is the same principle as in our professional lives. Once we are competent in our particular profession, as we've said before, whether a cook,teacher, carpenter, engineer, or whatever, we do not spend our hours reminding ourselves or others that we are this or that,but we just go ahead being it. We don't keep saying "I'm a teacher, I'm a teacher," but we just teach! So in precisely the same way, when we know that we are really He in us, we don't keep running around reminding ourselves or telling that to others. We just do our daily job. enter into our daily conversations, etc., totally forgetting that it is He in us by us —but it is only He, all the time. So we don't have to have special prayer times to "remind ourselves," though we love any chances we have for our secret inner-love tryst with Him. Nor do we have to come to the end of a busy day and condemn ourselves for not having thought more of Him. If we do that,He tells us not to be so foolish ... for our doings and talkings were His all the time.
Can I just interject here (Chris). In the mid to late 70s a lot of the London leaders were preaching similar stuff...under the banner of "being naturally Jesus". There was something not right about it in practice...and maybe I'll do more in another post. People were calling "Jesus in them" things that definitely weren't. So what's the safeguard? Well, in the end it's living it!
You've got the Galations 5:19-21 list of the works of the flesh as a checklist for a start. You've got behaviours listed in Matthew's Gospel(5:21ff.... 6:1-27 and 23:1-36 )basically we know in our spirits what isn't Jesus...and for our blind spots we have others alongside who are also living in the Spirit.The Body of Christ...which isn't quite the same as the church structure ,by the way! In meetings we learn how to live and move as Jesus as us. All we are doing now is taking the same inner believing outside of the meeting room walls. We are checking ourselves all the time...is this Christ doing stuff through me?..am I in faith?Am I defined who is living my life right now? Cos if there is any fuzzyness...we're already slipping back into "independant just me living again" And it is this stuff that Gerald Coates,George Tarleton, Dave Mansell,John Noble and the early 70's Maurice Smith were not preaching.They were not defined. And some horrible things happened.
You have to understand...3rd level is as real as 2nd level stuff in meetings. It's not pie in the sky. After a while of living this way, you're nolonger verbalizing stuff so much...the 3rd level realities have taken hold of you...you are not holding them!!! Then when you go back into 2nd level meetings...your praise...your authority ....your naturalness with Jesus is just in another place, because you have been living there.
Think about it. David always wrote psalms. From the time he was a shepherd lad!. But having had Saul chase him around in the wilderness, then fall in adultery, then crumple broken before the Lord in Psalm 51.After all this...when he then established Temple worship ....well it was so fantastic...the very glory of God filled the place!!!! And that's where we're going folks...as hundreds of thousands start to learn about the realities of 3rd level living.(Unfortunately Norman didn't live to see it)
He continues.....
I don't think my friend, Gloria, sister of former-President Carter, will mind me telling this story about her. About eight or more years ago we were together at a Faith at Workconference in Georgia, and during the weekend the Lord revealed to her the secret that she was really Christ in her formWhen she returned home to Plains, she found a card in the mail asking her to speak on herbs at her garden club. But she told me that she knew little about herbs, so she spent the next day or two studying up on them. Then, after having given her lecture and returned home, she talked to the Lord in her room and asked His forgiveness because she had forgotten about Him those days because of her herb preparations. The answer He gave her: "What are you apologizing to Me for? I was co-herbing with you. That was My lecture, not yours!"So we actually are free persons and learn to recognize ourselves as such — free to express our opinions, to make our judgments, to do our jobs, make our choices. Dangerous? It surely looks like that, and others would tell us it is—who don't know the spontaneity of the union. But no danger to us who know our unchangeable oneness. We know that all we do is He, and we live the "dangerous life" of believing .. .which is knowing and thus recognizing that it is all He. We live spontaneously. If we cook, it is He doing the cooking. If we do our job, it is He doing it. If we have conversation, it is He conversing. Union in the Spirit is actual, factual. Where He is,we are. Where we are. He is. No hairbreadth separation between us can ever be possible.
Thursday, 27 November 2008
One of the Greatest 3rd Level mysteries of all time
is how come Wallace and Gromit : Project Zoo has been totally overlooked.
We have gameCube...but whatever the format...these can often be picked up in the bargain bins for £5 or $5. May I say, that if any of you are into Nick Park's creativity....he reminds me so much of the unrivalled creativity of the Christian children's authors Nick Butterworth and Mick Inkpen...who used to do great illustrations and design on the late 70s Fulness magazine.
We have gameCube...but whatever the format...these can often be picked up in the bargain bins for £5 or $5. May I say, that if any of you are into Nick Park's creativity....he reminds me so much of the unrivalled creativity of the Christian children's authors Nick Butterworth and Mick Inkpen...who used to do great illustrations and design on the late 70s Fulness magazine.
Well if anyone illustrates God's creativity...then Nick Park does also. The best £5 we ever spent on family entertainment was this game. There are so many hidden features. It is a mixture of light and dark humor, like the films...in fact it is virtually a film in its own right. Why all the ever so cool games review magazines completely overlook this one...well that's just one of the big 3rd level mysteries of the universe.
Or perhaps people have a life.
Monday, 24 November 2008
Speakers on Al-Jazeera Channel
One of the Christian speakers John and Wendy heard in Chorleywood talked about an interesting programme on Al-Jazeera. Some Muslims were reporting happily on the advances into all the nations in the world.....except they kept avoiding Africa. The interviewer pressed for an answer 3 or 4 times. At last, and reluctantly it was announced that the fight for Africa was being lost, because Christians had found out how to raise people from the dead. !!!!
"Can't see the join"- email from John Stevens
Got this email from John - ex Exeter Uni
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Heaven's a wild place - like it.
Today's bread: was running with a friend this morning getting shockingly cold but he's inspired to use Sun a.m. runs to share his life and interrogate me about a statement I'd made about having 1 and a half encounters with angels. Anyway I started to remember what it was like as a child listening to NT stories about Jesus at school and at church and yet not knowing anyone who could point to the reality on earth until I met a fellow under age drinker who knew the Lord. No-one in my family ever spoke about Jesus so it was all a bit bewildering. Then into a charismatic church at home and Uni tentatively teaching and exploring, as you say, salvation/baptism in the Spirit. And then wanting to reproduce the teaching in my life in greater reality receiving more through the Wimber years and at Roffey. But at Roffey having another big jigsaw piece falling into place all about being crucified with Christ not I etc Gal 2v20 Prob said all this before.
The point is that telling my friend all this reawakened that initial thirst from childhood and I realised afresh this morning that I have a chance in this life to live the very life of Jesus and just how amazing that is. In fact there is no other life to live.
Eric Morecombe (a third Level comic!) got it about right looking closely at Ernie Wise through those oversize glasses 'Can't see the join'
John
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Heaven's a wild place - like it.
Today's bread: was running with a friend this morning getting shockingly cold but he's inspired to use Sun a.m. runs to share his life and interrogate me about a statement I'd made about having 1 and a half encounters with angels. Anyway I started to remember what it was like as a child listening to NT stories about Jesus at school and at church and yet not knowing anyone who could point to the reality on earth until I met a fellow under age drinker who knew the Lord. No-one in my family ever spoke about Jesus so it was all a bit bewildering. Then into a charismatic church at home and Uni tentatively teaching and exploring, as you say, salvation/baptism in the Spirit. And then wanting to reproduce the teaching in my life in greater reality receiving more through the Wimber years and at Roffey. But at Roffey having another big jigsaw piece falling into place all about being crucified with Christ not I etc Gal 2v20 Prob said all this before.
The point is that telling my friend all this reawakened that initial thirst from childhood and I realised afresh this morning that I have a chance in this life to live the very life of Jesus and just how amazing that is. In fact there is no other life to live.
Eric Morecombe (a third Level comic!) got it about right looking closely at Ernie Wise through those oversize glasses 'Can't see the join'
John
Sunday, 23 November 2008
Time for Testimony
Not just mine.Anybody's.
A few weeks ago I brought a prophetic word about God opening up a well of Testimony. And I mean a word too!. I mean it was short. One of these short type of prophecies with only one word or phrase in, that I mentioned in a previous post.
Today the worship team took a prophetic line with songs about Jesus being a strong tower or fortress. God spoke to me. What I thought was great was it was before we'd really got going on the fortress theme...so I knew it was all part of today's package.
In 1971 Jean Darnall and other prophets called Christians together to celebrate a Festival of Light. From the coast throughout the land the old fire beacons (for messaging)were lit on every hill top. Then later Christians gathered in London. The promise given was that a great light would come in London then scatter to all the towns and villages, where the light would grow in all these regions.
Through the awakening of Christians through the fresh experience of the Holy Spirit, both old denominational churches and new churches have been growing stronger and stronger in their relationship with the Living God. I felt God saying...along the lines of various coastal prophecies given many years ago, but now featuring just about every town in Britain....
That now the fortresses had been formed. They were bases of God's power. They were strongholds of the Name of Jesus. And as fortresses now was the time "for the righteous to run in and be safe/ saved." as the song and the scripture says. So this also dovetails in with the promise of Wells of Testimony. What God has done in believer's lives ,we can still in our incompleteness, confidently declare that He can do again...myriadfold for anyone in the same kind of fixes. The power of testimony being that it reproduces the anointing for the same thing to occur again.
Some weeks ago we had a seabaptism of most of our Havant youth group, and ex-drug addict recommitting his life properly, and two of our dear friends Jed and Yvette.
Unlike other more evangelistic souls, Christine and I are generally more cautious about pushing people into praying the commitment prayer. But on this Sunday, Christine felt this so strongly from the time we got up. So at an appropriate time in the meeting we encouraged our friend Jed to do the deal, and ask Jesus into his heart. He and Yvette were baptised the same day. You can make out from the stills the glory on their faces as they came out. Jed looked 10 years younger. Forget Botox. We need Jesus!!!.
Thing is, unbelievers have no clue about how things can change the very day that you just submit your life to Christ. See, it's Jesus that does it ! If He wasn't real...what a burden to appear all happy and "Christian" with those gleamy teethy smiles.....but the thing is He is real. All we have to do is submit to Him, accept Him as Lord, and ask Him to come in and take over. He does the rest. Yvette told me today that Jed has been a very different man from this day. When he gets in from work, he nolonger has the whole world on his shoulders. People have greater respect for his role at work. He speaks with more assurance and authority. And this is in little more than a month already. The other guy baptised went the very next day to a drug rehab near Birmingham, where early reports say he is doing very well.
You can see how brave everyone was in the cold English seas. Peter Stott's opening words are "I think we should do a risk assessment of this". Many fine stills were taken by Wendy Wilbraham, but this is the internet...and sadly we cannot show them. I hope these clips that remain are sufficiently vague concerning the actual kids. The film was on my Sony Cybershot and it nolonger seems compatible with Windows programmes...I've spent ages finding edit programmes that bridge the gap. The music is Phil Keaggy : It's Personal-The Poetry of Keith Moore. Track 7 The Blood.
A few weeks ago I brought a prophetic word about God opening up a well of Testimony. And I mean a word too!. I mean it was short. One of these short type of prophecies with only one word or phrase in, that I mentioned in a previous post.
Today the worship team took a prophetic line with songs about Jesus being a strong tower or fortress. God spoke to me. What I thought was great was it was before we'd really got going on the fortress theme...so I knew it was all part of today's package.
In 1971 Jean Darnall and other prophets called Christians together to celebrate a Festival of Light. From the coast throughout the land the old fire beacons (for messaging)were lit on every hill top. Then later Christians gathered in London. The promise given was that a great light would come in London then scatter to all the towns and villages, where the light would grow in all these regions.
Through the awakening of Christians through the fresh experience of the Holy Spirit, both old denominational churches and new churches have been growing stronger and stronger in their relationship with the Living God. I felt God saying...along the lines of various coastal prophecies given many years ago, but now featuring just about every town in Britain....
That now the fortresses had been formed. They were bases of God's power. They were strongholds of the Name of Jesus. And as fortresses now was the time "for the righteous to run in and be safe/ saved." as the song and the scripture says. So this also dovetails in with the promise of Wells of Testimony. What God has done in believer's lives ,we can still in our incompleteness, confidently declare that He can do again...myriadfold for anyone in the same kind of fixes. The power of testimony being that it reproduces the anointing for the same thing to occur again.
Some weeks ago we had a seabaptism of most of our Havant youth group, and ex-drug addict recommitting his life properly, and two of our dear friends Jed and Yvette.
Unlike other more evangelistic souls, Christine and I are generally more cautious about pushing people into praying the commitment prayer. But on this Sunday, Christine felt this so strongly from the time we got up. So at an appropriate time in the meeting we encouraged our friend Jed to do the deal, and ask Jesus into his heart. He and Yvette were baptised the same day. You can make out from the stills the glory on their faces as they came out. Jed looked 10 years younger. Forget Botox. We need Jesus!!!.
Thing is, unbelievers have no clue about how things can change the very day that you just submit your life to Christ. See, it's Jesus that does it ! If He wasn't real...what a burden to appear all happy and "Christian" with those gleamy teethy smiles.....but the thing is He is real. All we have to do is submit to Him, accept Him as Lord, and ask Him to come in and take over. He does the rest. Yvette told me today that Jed has been a very different man from this day. When he gets in from work, he nolonger has the whole world on his shoulders. People have greater respect for his role at work. He speaks with more assurance and authority. And this is in little more than a month already. The other guy baptised went the very next day to a drug rehab near Birmingham, where early reports say he is doing very well.
You can see how brave everyone was in the cold English seas. Peter Stott's opening words are "I think we should do a risk assessment of this". Many fine stills were taken by Wendy Wilbraham, but this is the internet...and sadly we cannot show them. I hope these clips that remain are sufficiently vague concerning the actual kids. The film was on my Sony Cybershot and it nolonger seems compatible with Windows programmes...I've spent ages finding edit programmes that bridge the gap. The music is Phil Keaggy : It's Personal-The Poetry of Keith Moore. Track 7 The Blood.
Saturday, 22 November 2008
Preach it Dan!
Preach it Dan!
- yes it does matter what we sing!
- we sing ourselves into things
- or out of things
- what we believe in our heart and confess with our lips happens!
- if you don't believe me look at the whole of Genesis chapter 1.
- How amazing that Spurgeon wrote all that!!
Friday, 21 November 2008
The Weller's and me, and praying with folk
In case I get lost with this one, the general gist is this. Yesterday I felt very strongly to pray with an older man for his healing . I met him in the course of hunting down pianos to sell.Like so many of you out there reading this, I am at that tantalising stage of having experienced the electricity of God's anointing upon me and seeing people instantly healed, or subsequently healed thoroughly some time later. eg 10th April comment 21:32
Or at other times to feel absolutely nothing...and still see the power of God move, as in the 90 year old in a coma in France. I think this is also somewhere in Dan's Vaults.
But the rest of the time...it's like Todd Bentley's debut, or Bill Johnson. You pray.....and nothing appears to happen. These two guys prayed for a gazillion people each before they saw any flow in it all.
So like a lot of you in secular jobs, you see all these sick around and you are faced with a challenge. Dan Bowen (see link to Life on Wings)who works in a hospice for children is up against the cliff face continually. Before you experienced the anointing, things were simple. You adopted the standard UK position.....God doesn't heal today...leave it to the NHS (that's National Health Service). It's very simple in denominational Christianity. You're immature if you expect God to heal today. He probably wants to teach you something through you being sick. It's very Que Sera Sera in English church services. You bring the requests of the people to God and , if in 10% of cases some improvement occurs...well that's God blessing folk. If nothing happens or people get worse, well that's just the sovereign will of God. Quite simple really. And if challenged in their position, the vicar/priest/minister will simply adopt that patronising glare, and quietly assure you that it takes a lot more maturity to bear with the sick and see their skin waste away.
From a patience/people skills/loving service point of view they know this is almost impossible to challenge...and so for the last 100 years since the anointing for healing really became commonplace again in a worldwide if not sparsely scattered sense in the Body of Christ, there has been this Goliath versus Israel army stand-off. The Goliath in this case is the firm unyielding position that true maturity is to expect nothing...so you will never be disappointed. Just get on with mopping up the mess until the inevitable occurs.
The Israel army position in this example is to believe that healing is out there somewhere, but that Goliath Denominational traditional position does seem to have a point...and we just don't know how to get round him.
Then a David comes along armed with 5 stones! Just 5 stones. Something like....well my grandmother was virtually dead and she immediately got well. Or those three men I prayed for lost their symptoms immediately..... and armed with nothing more than the promise that God is a good God and has been faithful before....David tears down the Goliath arguments of non-faith which have been around for thousands of years. (Please understand I am not talking about me or any particular ministry , but a position we must adopt if we are to see any headway)
I don't know if I will ever know if the man I prayed with yesterday got healed. But I felt a definite inward prompt to pray. They were Jehovah's witnesses, but unlike many that I meet...they did not seem 100% locked in left-brain teachings. There was some love...some spiritual life there that went beyond treating the Bible as a textbook. And based on that , they warmly received my offer.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
If you are a piano tuner, and if you are any good...one part of your job is going to take you into stage work, or into the homes of famous musicians. You soon lose the starry eyed tendencies that celeb culture encourages. Because, other than serving these individuals to the best of your abilities.....the celeb bit means absolutely nothing. You're like a butler in somewhere like Chequers (the PMs UK Country home). You're there to do a job....and that's it. My website lists some of those I have tuned for.
From 1978 until around 1985 I lived exclusively in Christian Community. Our generation threw many many things aside to explore how this seeking of God thing worked. One thing we threw aside was TV and secular music. The good thing about that was that we experienced a clean break. We knew we were not dependant on any of the hooks that secular media plays your insides with!!! The bad thing about that was when I was called to Paul Weller's house, or more particularly his parents John and Ann's house....I had really no clue as to how important a guy he was. I discounted the whole punk thing as of the devil anyway. Listen....I wasn't even sure about Cliff Richard!!!! he used drums!!!! .......So forget Paul Weller!!
On the floor of the lounge was a mountain of letters. It was only where Paul's sister dealt with the entire Jam or Style Council fan club! Sometimes Paul was there visiting when I was tuning, but being pretty reclusive, I never saw him until one occasion. On that tuning, I chatted with him about the merits of his Dad's Yamaha Grand.
So here is some background to me and the Wellers.
I'm assuming I am the last to know....but if not, can I just say that Paul Weller has survived about 3 incarnations as a Jam band member, as part of a duo in Style Council, then since the late 80s out on his own....a total of 30+ years as a successful performing artist. Since my total ignorance of punk I have been catching up. I have also been listening attentively to Paul's stuff. While I was tuning for them he won the Ivor Novello award for Songwriting. If you've not heard his stuff you must listen to "WildWood","You Do Something To Me", and the rougher "A Town Called Malice" and "That's Entertainment". Also "Standing Out in The Universe"...well so many really..
His Dad was a rock. A manager with a lot of flair...but also a lot of will to succeed. see more here
and also here.
He reminded me of a shrewd London market trader. He had more faith for money in his little finger than I probably do now after having immersed myself in the Prosperity blessings of the Word. He was ALWAYS generous. He never once paid me what I charged him. It was always more. I enraged him once when he was looking to sell a little upright to me, and I wanted everything secure on my side of the deal. The point of business is that the one taking the risk should stand to make the greatest profit. As I've mentioned before in the episode with Rory and Wendy Alec....I can have the vision and faith of a gnat, sometimes. This intellectual UK approach to life, born out of a great education, that then as soon as possible plunges itself into the greatest possible security of a reasonably paid job in a bank, or the council, or an accountants'......well it's just the sort of middle-class narrow existence that Paul rails against in his songs. And pretty darned right! If we spend our life trying to avoid extending in faith and opportunity...all we're doing is burying our "talents" in the earth in case anything happens to them. And this aspect of Paul and his Dad ,being ones who are all about extension..... comes straight out of Kingdom thinking.....but they never knew that, because they'd all adopted the fixed atheist posture. And probably because any Christians they've ever met....have been pretty naff.
On the last occasion I tuned for them, his mum was pretty distressed. John was in hospital and was not doing well. I guess Paul was either in London or with John. I felt suddenly to go for it, so I asked Ann if we could pray. I felt to be really specific, and I looked at my watch and prayed that from that moment at 1 pm, John would get better.
I saw John and Ann a few weeks later in Bosham Walk near Chichester. John clearly did not want to know. I was ofcourse pleased because he was up and about. But without speaking how is anyone to know? You are all left with silly game-playing. He's probably thinking: that Christian twit probably thinks I am well again because he prayed for it.....when really the doctors managed to pull me through. Perhaps that is actually what happened. Or his improvement really was remarkable...but because God doesn't exist...he certainly doesn't want to do anything to fuel the mad beliefs of that twit Christian.
Who knows????????Perhaps someone who knows Paul can ask him.
John and Ann moved nearer to Paul after this, so I never did their piano again.
One thing is interesting. Paul has put some sort of track about God on his latest CD.
I hope that this post has expressed something else too. How much I hate Christianity in the UK.
Does it make it clearer in a larger size and with big letters?
How many other leading artists are to be condemned to a life of near atheism because you Oh England actually choose to run a Christianity that stinks..... want a verse for that ??? Rev 3:1"you have the name of being alive but you are dead"
Wednesday, 19 November 2008
The War Room : Salt Into Sugar
Christine has just returned from a Havant Church meeting. Sunday's evening meeting is called the War Room. This week they felt to pray at one of the natural Havant springs. There was a sense that they should take some salt. (Like when the prophet prayed over bitter water at Jericho,was it? to makethe waters sweet again) One member brought a whacking great salt container, so they agreed to empty some out and take a smaller quantity in a tupperware tub.
When they arrived and opened the pot, one of them thought the salt looked a little odd...so he tasted it...it was sweet. It was sugar. He went to the other member and said "You brought sugar by mistake". But when they were back at the church......on inspecting the great salt container...it was indeed salt.
The salt had been turned into sugar!!!! We're not that used to these sort of things yet. I think everyone's flabber was ghasted.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
My friend Michael cautioned me to clarify what I feel God is saying here. There are local resonances going on as described in Havant,Parchment ,Signing the Register.
I wrote to him"I think it is God saying...indeed I will bring sweetness to the streams...both natural and spiritual which nourish Havant."
My friend John wrote:
Interesting. The salt/sugar passage summarises my sketchy understanding of my role in preaching at my church. That's not to say that my church is bitter or that they re crying out to me as a miracle man. Just a private conviction and helps bring some shape to my role. I've only felt at liberty to mention this to one or two as it could cause offence! Lovely miracle you guys experienced - prob thinking about the salt is good. And just great to experience the sweet! I always find this - certainly up to now. When God speaks to me and I hear his word almost invariably it is sweet and reduces pressure and kicks anything like guilt or fear into touch. I still find the goodness and grace of God an unexpected thing. The normal christian life seems so abnormal until it 'happens' again then it is so obviously true and right and 'sweet'.
When they arrived and opened the pot, one of them thought the salt looked a little odd...so he tasted it...it was sweet. It was sugar. He went to the other member and said "You brought sugar by mistake". But when they were back at the church......on inspecting the great salt container...it was indeed salt.
The salt had been turned into sugar!!!! We're not that used to these sort of things yet. I think everyone's flabber was ghasted.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
My friend Michael cautioned me to clarify what I feel God is saying here. There are local resonances going on as described in Havant,Parchment ,Signing the Register.
I wrote to him"I think it is God saying...indeed I will bring sweetness to the streams...both natural and spiritual which nourish Havant."
My friend John wrote:
Interesting. The salt/sugar passage summarises my sketchy understanding of my role in preaching at my church. That's not to say that my church is bitter or that they re crying out to me as a miracle man. Just a private conviction and helps bring some shape to my role. I've only felt at liberty to mention this to one or two as it could cause offence! Lovely miracle you guys experienced - prob thinking about the salt is good. And just great to experience the sweet! I always find this - certainly up to now. When God speaks to me and I hear his word almost invariably it is sweet and reduces pressure and kicks anything like guilt or fear into touch. I still find the goodness and grace of God an unexpected thing. The normal christian life seems so abnormal until it 'happens' again then it is so obviously true and right and 'sweet'.
It's this simple...........Expansion pack.
In Thy Kingdom Come and The Land series of messages by Ern Baxter this is what we learned....
At the moment that Adam reached out for the fruit and Satan's spirit of falsehood entered, God reached down his hand and took from His chosen delegated authority of the Earth
the keys of the Kingdom
until One came that could handle God's authority in a space-time world....
His Name was Jesus.
Until that time how did God handle things? Ern said : Through His designated authorities in the earth
Prophets............. until Christ came.
Hebrews 3:1-6 tells us that ..... Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And in Revelation 5:5
we learn there is only One who is worthy throughout the whole of heaven...the Lion/Lamb Jesus.
So back to Genesis 3:5 then. What exactly happened?
Psalm 24:1 tells us that
The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
Yet, nevertheless something happened.....as we see in verse 7.
Some gates were erected....some doors slammed shut.
God could nolonger just come and go among the people He had made.
Beginning with Adam and Eve hiding...through the Israelites hiding in terror at the bottom of Sinai.....there are now doors in the Earth that should not be there. Should never have been there.
Westerners have no concept of spiritual doors. In large part because of one large erected door. The door of the left-brain...the step by step understanding...the adherence to believing only what I can see,touch and intellectually get my head round. The advantage is a tremendous resistance to wide pursuit of the occult. The disadvantage is ignorance of the Kingdom of God and how it operates.
From whirling dervishes, to clearing your mind and creating passivity in Eastern meditation, to the practice of persistantly calling for your god of choice to come
whether as an African witch doctor
South American Shaman
Northern territorial Shamen in the Arctic circle
or spiritist mediums,
or the use of mind altering drugs.....there is always a calling on spiritual powers.
This is counterfeit. But it is a door opening!!!
We on the other hand as lovers of God, are invited to call upon the Name of the Lord,
to enter His Courts with praise, to lift up and bless the Name of the Lord Jesus.And He too comes amongst us by His Spirit. Sometimes with miraculous signs and wonders. Sometimes with a strong sense of His supernatural Presence. But this is all the same thing. Door opening!!! Only He is Holy. Anything else we may call upon as humans...we are told is not Holy. Even though it may appear to be holy. (The devil loves to manifest as a seducing angel of Light.)
That's why the Kingdom is near us...even in our mouths. We believe in our hearts. We confess with our mouths. and we are saved.
We believed the gospel of Darkness and accepted the Devil into our hearts...and were eternally lost...in the Garden. His gospel was you shall not die if you disobey God...but instead you will be like God able to be free...independent beings...able to choose between right and wrong....not telling us that instead the Kingdom Gates would close on us....and that at the same time we were accepting a virus spirit...an operating programme that was absolutely irremovable...and its death effects on us would continue even after we received the new gospel of Jesus Kingdom, 2000 years ago.
But Jesus'declaration was that we can drive out this spirit of Darkness, by accepting Jesus new Spirit of the Kingdom. By confessing it with our mouths. By praying this prayer right into every last molecule of our beings...into every recess of our spirits.
Our Father, our Eternal true Daddy...not like the false one who operated us before,
Holy oh so Holy is Your Name....make Your Name even more Holy through even me,
Your Kingdom Come....Your will be done...through me, as even now throughout heaven it is being done already.
Forgive my sins even as I forgive the things that are the fruit of my fellow humans' wrong believing....fruits of their belief in an independant self...which is really the devil expressing his own seducing lusts and desires through them. ( "Hereafter we see no man after the flesh")
Lead me not into testing and temptations....pulling on my "independant desires and whims" but deliver me from evil. Deliver me from my own "landing places". As Jesus Himself was described as after being tested in all things, by the end of John's gospel the devil could find nothing in Him...no landing places.John 14:30 AMP I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.]
By using the tools of the Kingdom....our heart believing...our mouth confession
that it is Christ living in us as us
We are literally opening up the Ancient Doors of Psalm 24...that the King of Glory may come in.
Adam was made a Living soul. Dust...powered by the spirit of God's own Life.
But now in 1 Cor 15 :45 the Christ in us becomes a Life giving Spirit.The Body of Christ a fit vessel of glory...anointing...heavenly blessing and natural earthly fulness. Blessing means "heavy packed to the rafters fulness" more than we can ask or think.
Beloved......the reason God had to give us the gift of tongues was so that we can speak into being the mysteries of heaven. But these mysteries...like for instance that
Christ wants to live out His Life in us as us....are concepts so high...so fraught with potential to divide Christians....so absolutely wonderful or plain freaky to a western world which lives almost entirely in the left-brain.....that God had to get us speaking all this out without us understanding a blooming word...so it stood a chance of ever being uttered at all...and not being filtered out by "us clever clogs".
SAY AMEN!!!!
At the moment that Adam reached out for the fruit and Satan's spirit of falsehood entered, God reached down his hand and took from His chosen delegated authority of the Earth
the keys of the Kingdom
until One came that could handle God's authority in a space-time world....
His Name was Jesus.
Until that time how did God handle things? Ern said : Through His designated authorities in the earth
Prophets............. until Christ came.
Hebrews 3:1-6 tells us that ..... Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And in Revelation 5:5
we learn there is only One who is worthy throughout the whole of heaven...the Lion/Lamb Jesus.
So back to Genesis 3:5 then. What exactly happened?
Psalm 24:1 tells us that
The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
Yet, nevertheless something happened.....as we see in verse 7.
Some gates were erected....some doors slammed shut.
God could nolonger just come and go among the people He had made.
Beginning with Adam and Eve hiding...through the Israelites hiding in terror at the bottom of Sinai.....there are now doors in the Earth that should not be there. Should never have been there.
Westerners have no concept of spiritual doors. In large part because of one large erected door. The door of the left-brain...the step by step understanding...the adherence to believing only what I can see,touch and intellectually get my head round. The advantage is a tremendous resistance to wide pursuit of the occult. The disadvantage is ignorance of the Kingdom of God and how it operates.
From whirling dervishes, to clearing your mind and creating passivity in Eastern meditation, to the practice of persistantly calling for your god of choice to come
whether as an African witch doctor
South American Shaman
Northern territorial Shamen in the Arctic circle
or spiritist mediums,
or the use of mind altering drugs.....there is always a calling on spiritual powers.
This is counterfeit. But it is a door opening!!!
We on the other hand as lovers of God, are invited to call upon the Name of the Lord,
to enter His Courts with praise, to lift up and bless the Name of the Lord Jesus.And He too comes amongst us by His Spirit. Sometimes with miraculous signs and wonders. Sometimes with a strong sense of His supernatural Presence. But this is all the same thing. Door opening!!! Only He is Holy. Anything else we may call upon as humans...we are told is not Holy. Even though it may appear to be holy. (The devil loves to manifest as a seducing angel of Light.)
- A prophetic declaration has been made by Jesus.
- We have been taught a principle by Jesus.
- We have been given a prayer by Jesus.
He declared prophetically that "The Kingdom of God is at hand!". This message was passed onto his disciples and through them to us. The principle was that the Kingdom of God is near us...even in our mouth. The prayer is the "Our Father"
All these things are door opening things. Psalm 24 :7-10
Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! 8Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle. 9Lift up your heads, O gates, And lift them up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! 10Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.
So we are all under the delusion that the Kingdom is far far away. But Jesus says: you lost it in the Garden. But you can have it back now! Legitimately. By calling on My Name. By making Me your King. In your hearts.The kingdom that you thought you were living in...the kingdom of you ,was never just you. It was the kingdom of Darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness. How big the deception. But now by making Me your King...You let Me live my Life through you. Just as before, in Darkness, you could not live independantly...though you thought you did, so now, you cannot live independantly...It is Me living through you.That's why the Kingdom is near us...even in our mouths. We believe in our hearts. We confess with our mouths. and we are saved.
We believed the gospel of Darkness and accepted the Devil into our hearts...and were eternally lost...in the Garden. His gospel was you shall not die if you disobey God...but instead you will be like God able to be free...independent beings...able to choose between right and wrong....not telling us that instead the Kingdom Gates would close on us....and that at the same time we were accepting a virus spirit...an operating programme that was absolutely irremovable...and its death effects on us would continue even after we received the new gospel of Jesus Kingdom, 2000 years ago.
But Jesus'declaration was that we can drive out this spirit of Darkness, by accepting Jesus new Spirit of the Kingdom. By confessing it with our mouths. By praying this prayer right into every last molecule of our beings...into every recess of our spirits.
Our Father, our Eternal true Daddy...not like the false one who operated us before,
Holy oh so Holy is Your Name....make Your Name even more Holy through even me,
Your Kingdom Come....Your will be done...through me, as even now throughout heaven it is being done already.
Forgive my sins even as I forgive the things that are the fruit of my fellow humans' wrong believing....fruits of their belief in an independant self...which is really the devil expressing his own seducing lusts and desires through them. ( "Hereafter we see no man after the flesh")
Lead me not into testing and temptations....pulling on my "independant desires and whims" but deliver me from evil. Deliver me from my own "landing places". As Jesus Himself was described as after being tested in all things, by the end of John's gospel the devil could find nothing in Him...no landing places.John 14:30 AMP I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.]
By using the tools of the Kingdom....our heart believing...our mouth confession
that it is Christ living in us as us
We are literally opening up the Ancient Doors of Psalm 24...that the King of Glory may come in.
Adam was made a Living soul. Dust...powered by the spirit of God's own Life.
But now in 1 Cor 15 :45 the Christ in us becomes a Life giving Spirit.The Body of Christ a fit vessel of glory...anointing...heavenly blessing and natural earthly fulness. Blessing means "heavy packed to the rafters fulness" more than we can ask or think.
Beloved......the reason God had to give us the gift of tongues was so that we can speak into being the mysteries of heaven. But these mysteries...like for instance that
Christ wants to live out His Life in us as us....are concepts so high...so fraught with potential to divide Christians....so absolutely wonderful or plain freaky to a western world which lives almost entirely in the left-brain.....that God had to get us speaking all this out without us understanding a blooming word...so it stood a chance of ever being uttered at all...and not being filtered out by "us clever clogs".
SAY AMEN!!!!
It's this simple..........PERIOD.
ADAM reached out an arm and grabbed a fruit.
As he did so a false spirit entered his spirit chamber.
Permanently.
At the Cross, this false spirit was ejected from our spirit chamber.Permanently. Now we reach out an arm, leg,.....anything....believing it is Christ as me...in my form. PERIOD.
As he did so a false spirit entered his spirit chamber.
Permanently.
At the Cross, this false spirit was ejected from our spirit chamber.Permanently. Now we reach out an arm, leg,.....anything....believing it is Christ as me...in my form. PERIOD.
Friday, 14 November 2008
Life In the Order Of Melchizedek III : Arthur Blessitt
I never knew that Arthur had begun his journey already when I saw him at the 1972 London Festival For Jesus....with his bus....and wife and kids....all handing out tracts and preaching in Trafalgar Square to some 25000 people.
Hovis kindly donated bread for a massive communion.
But during the 80s, being also aware of Steve Lightle being ahead of time preparing the way for what God had spoken to him,
and also Lydia Prince....who went by the Word of God to Jerusalem...
Well I began to see a pattern...and I felt that ArthurBlessitt's 1969 commissioning was of the same order....He was literally a walking intercession around the globe into all the countries to prepare the way in the Spirit for a global move of God.
I am currently just finishing Jessie Penn Lewis's book on the Welsh Revival....and the lead up to this was a series of fragmented (seemingly) obedience steps...often simultaneous yet unknown to the other parties. Well...the scale is now global...and I believe one piece of the jigsaw was Arthur, downing tools as a great evangelist and just going with Jesus for some 30 years into every corner of the planet!! I really believe in this Melchizedek Order that defies human explanation and organisation!!
Hovis kindly donated bread for a massive communion.
But during the 80s, being also aware of Steve Lightle being ahead of time preparing the way for what God had spoken to him,
and also Lydia Prince....who went by the Word of God to Jerusalem...
Well I began to see a pattern...and I felt that ArthurBlessitt's 1969 commissioning was of the same order....He was literally a walking intercession around the globe into all the countries to prepare the way in the Spirit for a global move of God.
I am currently just finishing Jessie Penn Lewis's book on the Welsh Revival....and the lead up to this was a series of fragmented (seemingly) obedience steps...often simultaneous yet unknown to the other parties. Well...the scale is now global...and I believe one piece of the jigsaw was Arthur, downing tools as a great evangelist and just going with Jesus for some 30 years into every corner of the planet!! I really believe in this Melchizedek Order that defies human explanation and organisation!!
Thursday, 13 November 2008
Bill Johnson at Maidenhead
I am so encouraged by the drift of what Bill Johnson is saying in Maidenhead on God TV tonight.Many new things...or emphasises - but also lots dovetailing in with the material on this site.
Bill doesn't use "3rd level" as a phrase(not many of us do)....but what he is sharing is what the Spirit is now saying to the churches.......
Do you remember I've been emphasizing about Jesus nailing people with the teachings on "You must eat my flesh"...and nearly everyone appearing to leave...save for the disciples...this is what Bill was on tonight.
It is really vital for England that the cross be applied to adherence to our understanding in this country.....
Also that we nolonger hide behind the attitude that the faith life is not for us....
My anger about this was expressed the other night about God having to use South Africans instead of us for his faith operations. Bill was releasing a word about faith for great projects here in GB.
He was also starting to unpick the Lord's Prayer....this is so on my heart at the moment, as many of you know.
His emphasis on the Body moving in healing ministry with each other.
He was talking about learning about how the anointing can rest on us wherever we go...so instead of answering questions no one is asking......we are taking creative solutions with us to unbelievers at their point of need. This sort of thing was also being described by Rob Rufus as they were going on their "extreme treasure hunts"....evangelism with words of knowledge. You can download the recent mp3s from Hong Kong City Church....see links.
Wednesday, 12 November 2008
This Stibbe guy! He has it all??!!
This Mark Stibbe is amazing! I've been thinking about it today.
He has a Phd.
Actually, just about the time that the secular theologians thought they had it all...now that CS Lewis is dead.....
up pops this man Stibbe with a critically acclaimed appraisal of the Gospel of John.And that was his Phd thesis.
Secondly, he has quite an anointing. Obviously there is no anointing-ometer...so I cannot compare him with Rob Rufus...especially only seeing him at one event...RiverCAMP.
Thirdly, like Rolland and Heidi Baker he is setting up a ministry to orphans.
Fourthly, he is ministering this precise message (the Father) into the Body of Christ at this time,
and this surely is at the heart of the third level message in 1 John 2 " Fathers.....because you know Him who is from the beginning.
Fifthly, he has the vital pre-requisite of any prophet,( see Elijah with the prophets of Baal if you don't believe me).....that is ofcourse.....toilet humour. There are few funnier things I've heard this year than a quarter of an hour spiel on "a mobile toilet facility". You get this included if you order his amazing talks on the Father at RiverCAMP 2008.
So, I've been chatting it over with Jesus...and asking whether the rest of us can go home to heaven early while Mark Stibbe uses the now empty God TV studio to reach the rest of the world. But apparently Jesus says no......
Monday, 10 November 2008
A Third Level approach to ministry I
"God doesn't call ANYONE INTO MINISTRY! Its a lie! Its a fake! It's also a detrimental saying...that is simply that...but gives misconceptions.
You see...if you read Matthew 10:1....He CALLED the disciples TO Him." So reads Ursula Kuba's post today...you must read it.
For different reasons Zerubbabel (see links section) would agree with her.
I don't quite....but almost. What is making me a bit speechless is that I've found myself groaning inwardly about this precise subject most of the weekend. Is it not also incredible that at 2 key UK conferences...RiverCAMP through Mark Stibbe and other leaders in Shaftsbury have felt to address this head on this very summer. It is part of the substance also of "Orphans and Heirs".
These Conference messages, from different people were talking about:
"Inward
Upward
and Outward."
Morris Cerullo would say unless you have an experience of God's Power and love...how are you going to minister it out? Inward then is this experience.
Upward is our corresponding relationship and gratefulness back to God...our God....
which leads to an outward that is God-driven not man-driven. An exact set of instructions that we KNOW we are going to be empowered to carry out. Kind of takes the striving out of it all.
We are called to ministry I believe, but like all things third level......it completely re-writes the rule book. And rule 1 can almost stand on its own like Ursula says.
Rule 1. Get called to a relationship. With Jesus. We don't have to initiate this. His arms are already open. He loves us. He loves us so so much. Unconditionally.
People know that although I love evangelical people...after 36 years I am losing patience with the evangelical systems. Last year I addressed 2 particular clients after years of serving them....because I felt as important as my job is...it may well be that no one has ever dared to break into their world and challenge them. One was quite old...so I was sensing the time to be short. The other was an ex-pastor with an invalid son. The pastor was so locked into his Calvinism....Que sera sera...that there was no way he'd ever see changes happen without being challenged about his beliefs. These situations are still ongoing...but the difference was...I nolonger remained silent!!! That at least had changed.
The same thing is happening right now with me and the second level. Again not the people...the system.
Once you see the 3rd level clearly...you will never go back. People think it's so odd,because they are still delighted with meetings with spiritual gifts......but at no point is THE PROBLEM...the ONE PROBLEM, the Genesis 3:5 problem ever addressed. People get back to Deuteronomy 28, the very real promises of God...but no further. And if you don't get to the root and you go into ministry this is what it looks like.
-----------------------------------
Parable by Graham Pulkingham and the Fisherfolk as vaguely remembered from their 1973 visit to Amersham Old Town Baptist Church.
One day in the wild wild west a town sheriff died. He had been effective,but wise,and had carried out his duties well. It was clear to the towns people who should be his successor. Why, it was clear! It should be young Tom the sharp-shooter. Boy was he good!. He could hit a can shooting from the the other end of town. So everyone felt that to be safe as a town, Tom was the obvious guardian.
He had some funny ways...like the way he wore his badge. He was particularly proud of his badge, the one inherited from his predecessor. But there was one thing wrong with it he felt. It could be easily missed. So he got the silversmith to make him one that everyone could see.
This one was about 9 inches in diameter. He strutted around with it and made sure that everyone could see it clearly. I'm only doing this he thought to himself...as a matter of safety. Because if everyone can see it, they will be less likely to try anything on.
But one day he noticed that there were some people laughing at him over the other side of the street. He wondered what they could find so funny. Perhaps they did not realise that he was a man of importance, there to protect the townsfolk. Perhaps they could not see his badge.
So he went to the silversmith and ordered a huge badge. A badge that was so big it covered the whole of his upper body down to his knees. This will promote safety, he thought. But I need everyone to see it so they can feel safe. So they can know that something is being done hereabouts with all the badlands nearby an' all !!
One day, a bad mean looking guy walked directly into town with a fully loaded shot-gun!
I'm in charge here he hollered.
Tom, the sheriff, came out of the jail house. He motioned to everyone to stay calm! He was here. The man with the big badge of the law. The authority!
The mean guy just eyed him, and facing him from a way off just raised his gun.
Tom, raised his gun in response, confident in his skills and speed. Before the other man had time to pull the trigger, Tom let a bullet fly! But unfortunately it ricocheted off his enormous badge and entered Tom's heart immediately. Tom sunk to his knees as the awful truth hit him too late.
He'd made a huge error of judgement!
You see...if you read Matthew 10:1....He CALLED the disciples TO Him." So reads Ursula Kuba's post today...you must read it.
For different reasons Zerubbabel (see links section) would agree with her.
I don't quite....but almost. What is making me a bit speechless is that I've found myself groaning inwardly about this precise subject most of the weekend. Is it not also incredible that at 2 key UK conferences...RiverCAMP through Mark Stibbe and other leaders in Shaftsbury have felt to address this head on this very summer. It is part of the substance also of "Orphans and Heirs".
These Conference messages, from different people were talking about:
"Inward
Upward
and Outward."
Morris Cerullo would say unless you have an experience of God's Power and love...how are you going to minister it out? Inward then is this experience.
Upward is our corresponding relationship and gratefulness back to God...our God....
which leads to an outward that is God-driven not man-driven. An exact set of instructions that we KNOW we are going to be empowered to carry out. Kind of takes the striving out of it all.
We are called to ministry I believe, but like all things third level......it completely re-writes the rule book. And rule 1 can almost stand on its own like Ursula says.
Rule 1. Get called to a relationship. With Jesus. We don't have to initiate this. His arms are already open. He loves us. He loves us so so much. Unconditionally.
People know that although I love evangelical people...after 36 years I am losing patience with the evangelical systems. Last year I addressed 2 particular clients after years of serving them....because I felt as important as my job is...it may well be that no one has ever dared to break into their world and challenge them. One was quite old...so I was sensing the time to be short. The other was an ex-pastor with an invalid son. The pastor was so locked into his Calvinism....Que sera sera...that there was no way he'd ever see changes happen without being challenged about his beliefs. These situations are still ongoing...but the difference was...I nolonger remained silent!!! That at least had changed.
The same thing is happening right now with me and the second level. Again not the people...the system.
Once you see the 3rd level clearly...you will never go back. People think it's so odd,because they are still delighted with meetings with spiritual gifts......but at no point is THE PROBLEM...the ONE PROBLEM, the Genesis 3:5 problem ever addressed. People get back to Deuteronomy 28, the very real promises of God...but no further. And if you don't get to the root and you go into ministry this is what it looks like.
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Parable by Graham Pulkingham and the Fisherfolk as vaguely remembered from their 1973 visit to Amersham Old Town Baptist Church.
One day in the wild wild west a town sheriff died. He had been effective,but wise,and had carried out his duties well. It was clear to the towns people who should be his successor. Why, it was clear! It should be young Tom the sharp-shooter. Boy was he good!. He could hit a can shooting from the the other end of town. So everyone felt that to be safe as a town, Tom was the obvious guardian.
He had some funny ways...like the way he wore his badge. He was particularly proud of his badge, the one inherited from his predecessor. But there was one thing wrong with it he felt. It could be easily missed. So he got the silversmith to make him one that everyone could see.
This one was about 9 inches in diameter. He strutted around with it and made sure that everyone could see it clearly. I'm only doing this he thought to himself...as a matter of safety. Because if everyone can see it, they will be less likely to try anything on.
But one day he noticed that there were some people laughing at him over the other side of the street. He wondered what they could find so funny. Perhaps they did not realise that he was a man of importance, there to protect the townsfolk. Perhaps they could not see his badge.
So he went to the silversmith and ordered a huge badge. A badge that was so big it covered the whole of his upper body down to his knees. This will promote safety, he thought. But I need everyone to see it so they can feel safe. So they can know that something is being done hereabouts with all the badlands nearby an' all !!
One day, a bad mean looking guy walked directly into town with a fully loaded shot-gun!
I'm in charge here he hollered.
Tom, the sheriff, came out of the jail house. He motioned to everyone to stay calm! He was here. The man with the big badge of the law. The authority!
The mean guy just eyed him, and facing him from a way off just raised his gun.
Tom, raised his gun in response, confident in his skills and speed. Before the other man had time to pull the trigger, Tom let a bullet fly! But unfortunately it ricocheted off his enormous badge and entered Tom's heart immediately. Tom sunk to his knees as the awful truth hit him too late.
He'd made a huge error of judgement!
The Definition of Persistence
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i know that
i just asked you a simple question that do u know about Malala yousaf karzai?
?
that was written before your question came through. What do you say about her?
she is a muslim girl...right
yes
she was on BBC just now
why american are sppourting to her?
does she did anything for the america?
are Americans supporting her?
She is in Britain
she is in america my sweet brother
well brother she fired some terriest
terrorist
and now she getting awards from all the christians countries
and every one is saying that she is doing for the childrens education in pakistan
well who is right?
did she shoot a terrorist or did she get shot in the head because she wanted freedom of education?
noooo that is wrong
both things, one thing? I am confused
The story is thatshe arrived in Britain because she was shot in the head by the Taliban because she wanted the right to education for girls
she was just going back to her home after her school by walk sundden some terrorist came on the road...because police was behind them and they were fighting with eachother in that case some kids were passing from that road and they got shooted by them
They helped her in a British hospital I think
so you are saying it was a stray bullet
many girls were there those were shooted there by the talban why they dont permote
her father was alredy in Brtain and he was doing some kind of job there
that wil be the connection
he got help from bartain government and permote his daughter that my daughter was fighting for the girls education in pakistan
the West hate Taliban for banning education for girls and for being against rights for women
ita all are laid
i m the right person who is doing struggle for the kids education and have jesus in my heart without any afraid
i m not afraid from any kind of talban because i know that my jesus is with me...
I will have to write out your sentence as i understand it.
he got help from Britain and promoted or told the story that my daughter was fighting for the girls education in Pakistan.
Why your daughter? Did they know each other?
i m proud on myself that i m true person...and no one believe on the right person
as we did not believe on jesus christ when he came for our salvation
permote his daughter that my daughter was fighting for the girls education in pakistan...don't understand this sentence
i m proud on myself that i m true person...and no one believe on the right person
I am proud of myself that I am a true (faithful and true person) and no one believes in the right person.....you mean when Jesus came the Jews did not recognise Him?
why you dont understand it brother i write it very clear
It's not quite English
nearly...but not very clear
brother thanks alot for ur time...
i dont think so that you will ever believe on me
i don't understand a word of Urdu
i didnt say anything in urdu
no i am saying at least you are writing in English I cannot write anything in Urdu
well brother thank you....Good night
i have no idea what you are saying about your daughter and the shooting
ohhhh my God
i have no daughter
i think you will make me mad
i m didnt get marry yet
how i could have daughter
he got help from bartain government and permote his daughter that my daughter was fighting for the girls education in pakistan
you said you had a daughter right here
My Summary
This is my summary of what you said the other day
You cannot understand why such a fuss is being made of Malala because she just happened to get caught in a cross fire of police and terrorists. And instead, the father who happened to be posted in Britain used our hospital system by creating an exaggerated lie that the girl was standing up to the whole of the Taliban , and was trying to go to school and because she refused to back down the Taliban shot her. Next thing we are told in the West is that our hospitals agree to treat her and she gets a Nobel Peace prize
Friday, 7 November 2008
Life In the Order of Melchizedek II - Chris Welch's 90s Testimony
You can read in my post which catalogues Dan's Vaults about some of the things that have happened to me in the 70s and 80s while following Jesus.
In one of Amy's associated blogs I believe someone was sharing about the" ekklesia" - the called out church. In Hebrews13: 12-14 it says:
12Therefore Jesus also, (W)that He might sanctify the people (X)through His own blood, suffered (Y)outside the gate. 13So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, (Z)bearing His reproach. 14For here (AA)we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking (AB)the city which is to come.
I believe in the States you have the traditional churches and the Emerging churches. Is that correct? In England we have the emerging churches emerging from the Emerging churches which 30 years ago emerged from the traditional churches.
Perhaps this is now the same in the States. You see we have to keep emerging!!! But instead of creating new churches...here's a radical concept....why not have a structure that keeps re-positioning itself?.... That is constantly in the Spirit at least...going outside the camp....being the intercession for new believers, for new breakthroughs as we see God's Kingdom coming to earth. In Acts, after the initial breakthrough and wave of persecution, they re-positioned themselves afresh.....bracing themselves for fresh breakthroughs but also fresh persecution, and the Lord confirmed their boldness by shaking the place they were in and sending fresh anointing.
Some people have been sharing the reception they get after leaving a church. Some have been thrown out. Some felt to leave. But however they left they have been experiencing "those knowing eyes" from brothers and sisters who judge.
That was what I experienced in the late 80s. If they were looking at me. Many did not look. Many crossed the road.......But the most healing thing for me was to get on with what was laid on my heart to do. As I said to Dan, it was the time of Michael W Smith: Eye 2 Eye, Amy Grant: Lead Me On, and Whiteheart:Freedom. Talk about strength in a desert.
Apart from the Bible, what was there at this time? This music was real food. I had no one, but a gentle couple round the corner. I had left my hometown, my university...to position myself to learn more. For 10 years(1978-88), I had thrown my lot into a Christian charismatic community, where I had learned tons, including accompanying someone in New Testament style to help build a church from nearly scratch in France near Paris.
So, as many of you ex SGM-ers or whatever are experiencing.....you leave at your peril. All your existential roots are with a group you thought you'd be with or moving out in the gospel with forever! And there it is. All gone!
The only material root I still had, of any importance, was my job. Piano tuning. Oh and a mortgage on a house.
But I was finding out how to articulate what God was doing in me. No one would listen and you can see even today it is tough. How do you think George Warnock got on when he discovered it all in the early 1950s!!! I bet he had tons of set tos with Ern Baxter, when he was his personal secretary.
Some day I'll explain more about what I did during this time :the music double CD on the 3 levels, and the making of the 1989 3rd level Christianity message tape, then the writing of the "Letter to the Charismatic Movement" and how I hired a fantastic huge self-catering house to share my findings with my University friends....one of which is now my wife......so all was not lost! This was me putting my flag in the ground at this time in raw faith. Apart from a softening on the part of two other close friends....that has been it for 20 whole years.
It's just been me...living it. Slipping. Falling. Carrying on. Each time with slightly more confidence. Then getting married at the ripe age of 40...and having to learn it all again in the context of family life....oh and with stepdaughters suitably embittered by their mother not putting up with the stuff her first husband wanted to do. Normally at this stage a marriage counsellor chips in with "there are two sides"...but are there always? Sometimes there is a stand to be made and it is a tough call. I was a distant friend, right out of the picture. And slowly the Holy Spirit graciously began re-building her amongst covenant relationship type life-joints that were in her region. We don't talk like this anymore...people are so hurt by a Covenant Church vision that splintered on the rocks of time. But, I tell you friends, Covenant is coming back! In the 3rd level there is a foundation!!! His Name is the Lover of our souls...Jesus. More in a later post.
So explained in a few paragraphs, that is the external shell to my life during the 90s. But what I learned from Hebrews 13:13 was that we keep having to go outside. I will do a post about 3rd level Intercession later, but in a nutshell:
2nd level intercession is about corporately praying together as led by the Spirit...whether in prayer, praise, faith proclamations, use of tongues in warfare....maybe even prayer walks.
3rd level intercession involves you. The whole of you. No holds barred. There is no escape.
Forerunners include ofcourse Paul, who every time he was thrown into prison...another gazillion were born again...somewhere. Or in recent history Lydia Prince, explicitly obeying the Spirit to move to Jerusalem and being open to raising orphans. Or Watchman Nee willingly, but as commanded by the Spirit...re-entering a Chinese prison of his own accord in 1966.And dying there. And so on and so on.
In 1988, I received my commissioning about what became the 3rd Level message . It was in a car up the cold wintry mountains in the Welsh Snowdon range. I had absolutely no idea how you go about doing anything with that information amongst a people still drunk with the powers and possibilities of building 2nd level churches. (Churches preaching salvation by faith and baptism in the Holy Spirit...but decidedly cagey about a whole host of the rest of New Testament doctrine. - For example Paul's simple acid test....."I came to see if I could find Christ crucified amongst you." " What, is that an experience? I thought it was a Matt Redman song!")
I love Matt Redman's songs, by the way. I love my songs too! But just singing was not what St Paul was asking.
So by around 1990 I had begun an intercessory path. But while the big project of the last 20 years has been going on, I became aware that I was on a little 4 year one from 1990 - 4.
Christian Media - Whether the paucity in the Uk of Christian media and music was impressed upon me so heavily, because all my friends had scarpered...and there was little in the way of input? Most was coming from the American Contemporary Christian Music scene as I have already mentioned. Then we learned that United Christian Broadcasters Northern Ireland had been given a MW radio frequency from an old, now defunct Moscow propaganda radio station and was blanketing the UK with the gospel, and Christian programming. You should know that the UK had developed strong misgivings over Christian TV and radio media as practiced by Americans. This had been in no way helped through the various scandals that had just come to light concerning 2 American evangelists.
So, in their wisdom, the UK Government banned UK wide Christian programming, whether by radio or TV. They would argue that various ITV and BBC religious programmes would supply those interested in these type of things. There is a fundamental difference however between the histories of the USA and England to this point. England effectively pushed out of this land adherents to a Christian faith that included an internal confirmation of second birth...or being born again. For the sake of acquiring freedom to take the Bible at its Word, huge numbers left our land in the early years of pioneering the new nation across the pond. Various freedoms are enshrined in USA Law that are not included in our laws. Nevertheless we enjoy great freedom here until the State get involved with religious matters. The Anglican Church with both its good and bad points, are effectively de facto the foundation of religious life here. Unlike the Catholic influence in history in European nations, we have enjoyed the reading of the whole Bible in our own tongue . This has only recently been the case in the Catholic Church since the ruling of Vatican II in the 60s.
But many of the encrustations of centuries of what is actually Biblical rebellion have passed into the Anglican Church. Religious heirarchies are not Biblical. Geographical heirarchies are not Biblical. One man ministry is not Biblical . Infant baptism is not Biblical. A church that neither recognises rebirth, nor Baptism of the Spirit with miraculous giftings as the normative behaviour of a Christian is not Biblical.Ministries that do not emerge over time by recognising the Holy Spirit anointing on a believer...are not Biblical.....indeed so much is sick about the Anglican Church from its internal structure, to its non-Biblical systems of running services...is it any wonder that God has begun the other way round with churches such as Chorleywood and Holy Trinity Brompton, by first giving the members a proper Christian experience, then working out from this point to discovering how to run church life? Yet, up to this week at least they still remain successful Anglican Churches.
Back to media. UCB,the broadcasters mentioned above, soon had their mediumwave frequency, which had been given them by the Russians, taken by the UK Government. This was then sold on to the highest bidder. This raises questions like...when somebody overseas gives you their frequency...does any Government own the right to that frequency...by virtue of the frequency being broadcast across their airspace. Under that rule...how does the BBC get away with broadcasting the World Service across closed nations? Is this a case where the UK is acting like the USA does in claiming the higher ground. On whose authority? It is certainly not the unanimous verdict from all the other nations..... This is where questions regarding democracy come into play. Does anybody out there understand radio licensing law?
Anyway,the Kingdom is not democratic. The clue is in the name. (More another day perhaps.)
So having UCB removed as a Life source was a big thing for me...and I felt it very keenly. This moved from being a niggle to a Spirit burden regarding the Christian message in Britain. I used to belabour my tuning clients, Christian and non-Christian. Sometimes it slipped into a petty anger, but overall I felt the full force of what was going on....or rather what wasn't going on in Britain. In the USA there was a whole raft of Christian media. A full selection of Christian contemporary musicians. What was it like in England? Well the musician who worked with me on my double CD was one of only a handful of full-time Christian musicians...and after producing with me, tried his hand in America, helped by the fact that his wife was American.
UCB sent out regular newsletters detailing their efforts with media lawyers. On a couple of occasions I organised fasting and prayer weekends with the handful that were talking to me, in Bucks and Hants. We prayed. We read the newsletter. The news got worse. We prayed.
It was like a lead weight in my stomach. Romans 8:26"groaning too deep for words".On and off this continued for around 4 years.
The first major breakthrough was the setting up of PremierChristian Radio around London. There was a legal doorway left open in the 1990s UK media laws. Nationwide coverage was prohibited, but certain cities could apply for local licences.
The most 3rd level material on Premier comes through Colin Urquart, and also recorded messages of Witness Lee (a Watchman Nee contemporary). Can you imagine the frustration of living in a country where the most 3rd level stuff you will ever here in Britain cuts out at Guildford, halfway to the south coast?
In case I forget later I want to highlight the main point in this post: there are 2 levels at which intercession occurs.
Here I am using "levels" in simple English usage. The surface level means we see a problem and we do whatever lies to hand to address this problem. This is according to our means, where we live and our general level of vision. I am a Brit, and we suffer with a little and insular vision. Thankfully, I as most reading this blog are Christians or maybe about to be Christians. And Christians have the Spirit of Christ on their insides...which gets fully released in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
And the Spirit of Christ thinks and groans through us on a very much larger scale...Global scale...Kingdom scale.
So the point of this post ,which is the same as this whole blog is
not to make me look good
nor is it for me to be self-effacingly nauseating and say "Oh it's nothing really!"
no...it is to say, this is how the Kingdom works...like it or lump it...and the same Jesus that is in me or Rob Rufus or Mark Stibbe, or a born-again 5 year-old...is the same Jesus in you.
So at the surface level...we do what is in our hands to do. But in our spirit the Almighty power of God that knows no limits is labouring to achieve "the greater than we can ask or think".
Watch this!
So, at the surface level, the great Chris Welch with the British vision of a gnat says...there's no Christian TV, no Christian radio...I know, I'll create a video library of teaching . People will join for the fee of one video (VHS days) then pay a modicum £1 or so for each borrowed tape to maintain and extend the library. Because Morris Cerullo's events contain at any time 15 or so of the top current anointed teachers, I bought whole sets of his events. I bought Roberts Liardon's great Generals series. And so on. I think about 5 people ever joined. But I enjoyed the messages anyway.
This is what God did.
This has to be the weirdest Christian meeting in history. Neither party knew what it was about,
perhaps they still don't. I know what I believe.
I have, in 26 years, only advertised pianos in a national paper about twice. This was before Google and web business! A young couple in Bromley saw my ad for a grand, visited my house and arranged to buy it 3 months later in September. This was going to be after one final concert tour in South Africa playing keyboard with Blondie. This would provide the money.
September came. The piano stood there. They had lost my details. They never bought the piano.The whole thing was a non-event.
Except it wasn't
I know all the details...because I met them again...at a Kenneth Copeland Believer'sConference in Bournemouth. On the stage.
In my house, we'd ascertained we were all Christians. We spent an hour together sharing stuff...walking down to Emsworth beach(See picture above). I played them the Joel 2 track on my CD. The lady said"Sounds just like Dad's prophecies". I explained a bit about what I was doing and my discoveries to do with the 3rd Level. They, like most, thought it was strange I was shut away on my own restoring pianos. They'd just arrived in Britain. They didn't really know why. God had told them to sell everything and they'd just come from South Africa. They just had some sort of feeling about reaching young people in Britain. They'd attached themselves as youth evangelists to a lively church in Bromley. They didn't know what I'd been carrying for 4 years. Neither they, nor I knew of their future...so I ofcourse never felt it relevant to share my past 4 years.
The weirdest meeting in history.
At least God told Simeon that it was Jesus the Messiah Luke 2:25
We just all gawped at one another....and anyway they were supposedly buying a piano!
So I see them a few months later and they are the first people in England, let alone Europe to set up a Christian TV Station. (The UK had not included Sattellite channels in their legislation)
And the couple.... they are Rory and Wendy Alec of God TV. And the rest is in Wendy's book.
Notice God never commissioned English saints for this task. He knows better!
Notice , apart from Jackie Pullinger....God never commissioned an Englishman to pioneer a great church in Hong Kong. He's using Rob Rufus. God knows better! They're all South African!
This a shame England! How long have you had the gospel? Only 2000 years! What kind of Christianity do you specialise in? First-level or sub zero level Christianity! At least the States specialises in 1st and 2nd level Christianity!
And you can see why God used Rory and Wendy and not the great Chris Welch video library! He has a world to win! It's a close call...eh!
But laughing aside, while I don't trust my petty-minded British small faith vision....I do trust the mighty Spirit within me to keep me connected to the Melchizedek order!
Think about it! I was in exile. I was not in a church during this period. Apart from tuning customers who did I see?A few close friends who had softened to me. And God brought Rory and Wendy...before even they knew what they were doing in England to MY little house...to show me what I'd been connecting to in the Spirit!
There's only 70 million others who could have responded to that grandpiano ad! And the whole piano thing turned out bogus anyway!!! I mean, saints...come on!!! This stuff's real isn't it?
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Life in the Order of Melchizedek I can be found here
Thursday, 6 November 2008
Tuesday, 4 November 2008
Google versus Creativity - Is how you title things important?
Calling All Bloggers - Fellow Bloggers of all persuasions and interests , have I got this correct? If you want to be found on Google, you have to title your piece with something that clearly explains and encapsulates your post!
I picked this up in passing from Lydia Joy the other day.
The literary device of creating a conundrum, which you later unravel, hopefully creating a greater satisfaction in the reader is not encouraged then.
By that I mean I tend to create headings out of puzzling statements which have little or no meaning until you have read the article.
Am I shooting myself in the foot?
Replies please!
I picked this up in passing from Lydia Joy the other day.
The literary device of creating a conundrum, which you later unravel, hopefully creating a greater satisfaction in the reader is not encouraged then.
By that I mean I tend to create headings out of puzzling statements which have little or no meaning until you have read the article.
Am I shooting myself in the foot?
Replies please!
Monday, 3 November 2008
Albert Camus speaks - a great one for artists and prophets
This is nicked from here.
It's an ideal quotable quote for one of Dan's sites.
Some of you know I studied German and French at Exeter University.
One of the spinoffs was getting intimate with Franz Kafka, Goethe, and many of the francais.
Like Albert Camus who said:
“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that our very act of existence is an act of rebellion.”
It's an ideal quotable quote for one of Dan's sites.
Some of you know I studied German and French at Exeter University.
One of the spinoffs was getting intimate with Franz Kafka, Goethe, and many of the francais.
Like Albert Camus who said:
“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that our very act of existence is an act of rebellion.”
Sunday, 2 November 2008
Havant,Parchment,Signing the register
Pictures and impressions that have both local and international resonance.
The purpose of this blog as a whole is not to share my own life , nor share details about my local church.
Its specific purpose is to share prophetically and by means of Bible teaching and revelation where the Body is heading. In my first post I said I needed room, more room than Dan's comment section, to systematically explore every thread and basis for a "third level" of growth.
Both corporately and individually.
You have seen that I am building off decades of revelation in the lives of many notable saints and forerunners. The Norman Grubbs, the Ern Baxters, the Ed Millers. You have also seen that from an intellectual, left-brain approach, I have not been that systematic. So, think of this a bit like the gospel of John, or some of St Paul's stuff....where the system is more thematic. Also, please respect that the most systematic description so far has been written down for us already in "Yes,Iam",Norman Grubb's last book.
I neither have permission to copy this out verbatim, nor would I wish to take away from Zerubbabel's bookstore, mentioned in the links section.
Today,however, I want to speak about some more personal and local stuff because I believe at least some of it will be relevant on a larger scale.
I refer to the Key of David meetings.
The church I attend was formed under Peter and Mariette Stott nearly 30 years ago. As they both were used farther afield, in Europe, especially Spain, also South America and America, the day to day church runnings were then managed by a good team ministry under the pastors John and Wendy Wilbraham.
A while ago, Peter felt to run "Key of David" meetings to which anybody could come. These sort of meetings are appearing the world over as the Holy Spirit directs. Locally, they are known as Key of David meetings...but many around the world would use lots of other titles. Peter has been in many. It was in such a meeting in the UK, known as "the Well" that he first met Todd Bentley.
Key of David meetings have no agenda. They come from King David's phrase "One thing I seek, to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life." The meetings centre on this seeking of God. With or without music,with or without teaching,maybe in total stillness prostrate on the floor, maybe dancing your socks off in violent praise.....in whatever form..waiting on God.
In 1973, when God led a few of us in Amersham into something similar...ostensibly to train up a local prophet...the teaching God used was from Psalm123:32
Behold, as the eyes of (C)servants look to the hand of their master,
As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
So our (D)eyes look to the LORD our God,
Until He is gracious to us.
ie unless you are ready, willing and concentrated on the slightest flick of your master's hand, you will have no clue as to what he wants you to do.
ie unless you are ready, willing and concentrated on the slightest flick of your master's hand, you will have no clue as to what he wants you to do.
And just as for us in the early 70s during these little meetings God was revealing huge swathes of revelation concerning
The Release of the Spirit
Discipleship
The Vision of the Triumphant Church
which then came out internationally 2-3 years later as taught by people such as Juan Carlos Ortiz and Ern Baxter;
So now, in these Key of David meetings, many of the bigger themes on an international scale are coming first as a "cloud no bigger than a man's hand" in these sessions.
One of these things was the 3-fold nature of Revelation 3:20 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door,
1.I will come in to him and
2.will dine with him,
3.and he with Me. "
I had never noticed this before and certainly not in a 1st level 2nd level 3rd level context.
I felt this applicable to us all in the charismatic movement....but I really felt it for a couple I shall not name. Here was a couple...(incidentally the same man who refused to take the 3rd level message tape into his hand 16 years ago....he reached out for it...then at the last minute withdrew his hand quickly. It was a really odd moment. He'd just prophesied over me that just as I was restoring a grand piano project, I would be a concert instrument before many people. So on the one hand prophecying, on the other, destroying any chance of it taking place. Torture.)
Anyhow this couple is representative of a generation that have asked Jesus in, that have let Him eat them out of house and home, and to whom God was now saying "Right. How would you like to come back to My place?"
This changed in the May Conference to the Father saying it. "Come back to My Place for tea."
And sure enough...that was also the burden of RiverCAMP through Mark Stibbe's messages.
Also through a ministry later in Shaftsbury, John and Wendy told me.
Another two of the Key of David themes , also taken up in Peter and Mariette's recent ministry...for example in Paduka, Kentucky....is one of legitimacy. Peter preached on this in the May Conference here...and more recently "shame" taken from Adam and Eve hiding.
I want to explore this because of last night's Key of David meeting.
It was outwardly quite a subdued meeting, but this was strongly contrasted by the deep sense of the Lord's Presence. And the worship and adoration. And the sense of looking into the face of Jesus.
Just about the time I was getting impressions that were the Kingdom equivalent of Dr Who's tardis....and science fiction portals and worm-holes....
translated, that is the sense of Jacob thinking he was in the middle of nowhere, with a stone for a pillow ...next he is having a dream as inGenesis28:12(S)He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, (T)the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.Then in verse 17 "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."
translated, that is the sense of Jacob thinking he was in the middle of nowhere, with a stone for a pillow ...next he is having a dream as inGenesis28:12(S)He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, (T)the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.Then in verse 17 "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."
And I was feeling all this about our little Havant. Just at that moment...I think at a point of high praise...Peter blurted out verse 17 as above.
And how often is that true of us in our little anonymous places all over the world. Like Ruth, (as in Book of Ruth)we literally sell all in various ways, only to find ourselves being woven into God's history of the world.
This is particularly true of Havant. Only notable as the former centre for Kenwood, Vogue Butterick patterns, Goodmans speakers,Scalextric, and Tam Brands (Tampax).
You know, not many in the Kingdom have Phd's like Mark Stibbe and Brad Jersak. But many move from humble surroundings to achieve doctorate status later. One such local lady pastor researched Havant's history and saw prophetic parallels. Havant's history revolves around it having the largest amount of naturally occurring artesian wells in the UK...22 or so.
The water is old water as in old and deep water so pure that Havant developed into a centre for extremely pure and high quality parchment. Parchment so fine that it was the choice for the writing of the Magna Carta.(1215) and last century for the Treaty of Versailles.
This is all extremely prophetically charged stuff for the nature of the church God is building here. And last night I saw more, which ties these strands together with what God is currently doing worldwide too.
In the more subdued setting of the worship. Subdued in volume...not subdued in Presence..
I felt I was present watching the signing of a wedding Registry Book, in the same way that this generally takes place to a background setting of music.
This registry book was the one officially and legally describing the marriage of Jesus and His Bride. In a local sense, there was an important resonance with it being signed on Havant Parchment....but this is for us locally...and again showing that our little church has a certain position and importance that goes beyond what you would assume for its size.
But opening out in scale....
you can see what the Holy Spirit is doing in the greater Body too right now.
He is setting on parchment for all to see
Our total legitimacy to be heirs of Christ as in Ephesians and Colossians and Romans
Our total legitimacy to be declared a race of co-sons as preached by Rob Rufus, Mark Stibbe, Peter Stott and simultaneous innumerable others
Therefore the total and legal declaration of the Abolition of the Shame we inherited in the Garden
A parchment set out before the principalities and powers, before any other claimants false or real on our lives. (Ruth had to go through this process before legally being able to marry Boaz. Is this not what has been going on with the New Covenant since it began? And it has passed through false claimants hands (the structured man-made church who tried to make it back into an old Covenant concern again)
The Body has never really known its legitimacy. And out of this lack of knowledge has moved in all sorts of falsified versions of legitimacy. But now is the time for this parchment to be brought out, with all the correct signatures, Father, Son and Holy Spirit
saints without number from beyond the grave
angel hosts.
I believe this is the gist of what Lydia Joy is trying to say here. I myself don't have any problem with the phrase "convicted by the Holy Spirit"...but it is more like Rob Rufus described recently when on 080808 Jesus came into his room. The thing is, as Peter shared this morning if shame has been dealt with at our deepest levels....the Holy Spirit's negatives do not have the same sting...in fact they are somehow filled with honour...
because God, the God of the Universe wants to interact with me....He loves me enough to tell me off but also as Lydia would say...point us in the right direction.
If you read the last chapters of Job you can see the same thing going on. God is economical in His acts. He does a whole host of things at many levels simultaneously. With Job, we are often told about how it was the Devil putting up the challenge in the first chapter...totally unseen by the human world...only to be totally proved wrong through Job's refusal to curse God. Actually there was something else going on too. There was some "independent self " thinking going on with Job, and you can read for yourself how God firmly, but graciously, and again in a totally honoring way,
says nevertheless " Job, kid, where were you when I set the whole kit up then!!!"
We need that. We need to know...to really know in our very fibres...that without Him we are nothing..........
But then we need to know as the Parchment tells us
Christ is now our life
Christ in us is the hope of glory
We can now do all things through Christ who strengthens us
It is not I who live , but Christ who lives in me
There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
While we are still hugging our proud and lofty speculations about being
successful or unsuccessful independent "lone " me's in the universe
we are hugging shame to ourselves
the shame, as Peter Stott was sharing, of being either over-projecting selves, to counteract the inner feeling of worthlessness,
or the shame of being the blushing buffoon who lacks confidence in many situations....as Saul first was when Samuel found him hiding in the baggage.
Dan was sharing about his feelings and fighting self-harm.....well if he can also start to withdraw from the fight....and see the Parchment declaration.....he should start to see that it is only
independent thinking that would drive him depressionwards.
Not that depression is not real....it's just that with any of the devil's stuff...(Since by the way, the devil is the Biggest Manic depressive ...he is the one with the biggest Bipolar condition...and really all we are doing is joining him in his condition)
whereas Christ is Hope.
His very Life lived through us is Hope. If by dying, Jesus nailed our manic depressed life to the cross, and plunged us into Him in a real baptism into His death and resurrection....it is accurate that we don't live this independant lie anymore....it's Jesus living His life through me.
Just as believing on Him for forgiveness was a step into the unknown
Just as receiving the Baptism in the Spirit was a step out on scriptures into the unknown, but richly rewarded
So it is into the 3rd Level....
It is cold. It is calculated. From the view of our former manner of life it is brutal. But when we are desperate enough, as I was....we say
OK Jesus. I believe your Word. It was not me that was doing all these things...although it suited my pride to believe that I as an independent being chose it all...like Romans 7 says...it was "never just me".....since I ,as a self-running being, is an impossibility....
I See....at last....it was SIN in me. This god-delusion thing of me running my own life has only led me into darkness, self-hatred and sin.....which is what You wanted me to see
so that now I can choose You. You are my Life. You don't get depressed. You may get aggrieved, as when John the Baptist was beheaded...but You don't drop into depression as a life pattern.
Therefore, coldly, as I chose You for salvation, totally based on Your Word...with not necessarily much feeling, I say now
The life I now live is YOU. And if I am tempted into sin, then it is me slipping back into "Just me" territory, and I will turn around and again begin believing Your Life in me.
I have no independent life, and since the Cross, on the new Marriage Parchment you have legitimately declared that my Life is now You as lived through MY SOUL
as lived through MY BODY.
My soul is OK and being renewed daily by your Spirit battery coming through it.
I do not need to be someone else. I only need to recognise that new SOMEBODY which is Christ living through me. Help me as I learn it, in the same way you taught me how to do Spirit-filled meetings. Do not let me bow to pressure to be someone different. I am me. And what you are currently doing through me is sufficient. As I believe you for more gifting, it is based on your Word, and not on some deluded self-effort thing as "an alone me".
Amen. This stuff works. And later, you may even be allowed to go to meetings and take them over for the glory of God! But for now learn how to pour out muesli into a bowl as Christ as you.
There are many testimonies of people with all manner of psychological stuff making this step in the oldest Intercessor magazines. Unfortunately only Vol 9 is now available - the latest ones containing little or no testimony.
Bring on the Body!