Even When You Don't Understand Why ...

     There are times I think the best blog posts are when you share your experiences, and others can identify with your walk with Jesus.  I received the following email, and was struck with the courage and the obedience that this reader exhibited.  I have received permission to share the following experience, and I hope the story inspires you, too.

     This morning I really struggled with going to a "church", and strongly felt like God guided me to this particular one. [But when] I walked in, it was like a club. Disco lights, fog machine, the drummer was in one of those platform cages that dancers are in at clubs. I struggled the entire time with the desire to get up and leave. 
     There was a clock on the back wall that was a countdown until the service was over. Do you think God wants a countdown clock at His Church?? The sermon was against what I believe, and if I did believe it, I would be in a very bad place. Basically, they believe that when you are at your breaking point you should just wait and eventually Jesus will find you and rescue you. 
     I disagree! Jesus never has to find you, and that's not His job. You should seek Him out! If I had waited for Him at my breaking point I would probably still be waiting. He's always there, you just have to find Him. The point is this was a BAD experience.
     So, at the end there was an altar call. By this point, I was just ready to leave. God spoke to me and told me to go pray over one of the prayer leaders. My response, "But God, this is not comfortable. I don't know her situation and she looks pretty confident up there. How am I supposed to just walk up there and pray for her?!" 
     But I got up, walked down there, and grabbed her hands. I told her, "God told me you needed prayer", and I prayed with her, as He guided me. I have no idea what I said, but after a few minutes she was bawling and I felt like He was done, so I left. 
     I have NO idea what her life is like and I will never know, but God used me to intervene. I think that is why I was sent to this terrible "church" and why He wouldn't let me leave. It's funny how you just never know why you're in a situation. I feel like most of my steps these days are for a purpose I will never understand. But it was pretty exciting to feel like He used me like He did. I feel like my relationship with Him is strengthening more and more every day.

     How many of you identify with this person?  How many struggle with attending Church because you are not being fed?  How many think you have to leave the Church to do His work?  I can tell you that these are questions that I have asked myself, and I want to make sure you understand that I think the answers and solutions to these questions are different for every person, and the key to getting your answer is to listen to the Holy Spirit.
     For me and my husband, we clearly saw the Spirit leading us in a specific direction of spiritual warfare and deliverance.  We wanted to share these revelations with the Church, but they weren't interested. So we were instructed to just go do these acts of service for the Kingdom, and He would bring people to us who needed Him.
     In the case of this person, they were instructed to go into the Church and stay for that one hour, with a specific purpose of reaching that one prayer leader.  Then they were released to leave.  Another person might hear they are to stay for years.  My point is, God has a specific purpose for each of us, and can use us in many different ways -- and in many different places -- to spread His Gospel of the Kingdom.  He has different roles for us to play in the administration of His purposes, and different deeds He wants us to perform.
     We will each have different responsibilities and duties in our walk with Him. And what He has planned for me is probably not going to look like what He has in mind for you.  But the one thing we should all have in common is the willingness to say, "Yes, Lord!" when we are called.  It is fruitless to compare ourselves to each other and how He is using us -- and I mean that word "fruitless" in its most pure spiritual sense.  We do not bare fruit for the Kingdom when we are too busy judging others whose journey with Christ doesn't look like the way we think it should -- which usually means it doesn't mirror our own walk.
     As far as I can tell, once Jesus had finished training up the Twelve Disciples and left them to carry on His work, they each walked a different path from the other Eleven. Yes, they had the advantage of seeing all the various ways that Jesus modeled how the Father wants us to administer His Kingdom on earth, so they weren't trying to conform to a "one-size-fits-all" framework.  But isn't it time that we step outside of the cookie-cutter mold of what "a Christian walk" should look like, and celebrate the unique and extraordinary ways He can use each of us?
     I'd like to finish my commentary by saying that whatever situation we find ourselves in -- whether in the Church building; in a Home Church; in the line at the grocery story -- they are all opportunities to listen for the Holy Spirit's instruction, and then to be willing to act on it.  We were commissioned to go out into the world, with no restrictions on where the Spirit might take us, or how He might use us.  I pray that Christians will be more sensitive to experiencing the unexpected, the uncommon, and the unfamiliar.  You might find it difficult to comprehend ... but Jesus is there, too.

1 Corinthians 3:8-9   "He who plants and he who waters are one [in importance and esteem, working toward the same purpose]; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.  For we are God’s fellow workers [His servants working together]; you are God’s cultivated field [His garden, His vineyard], God’s building".

Answering The Skeptics...

     I would venture that there are many of you who have read the last couple of my posts who have had serious doubt as to their plausibility or veracity.  You have questioned if my presentations have aligned with Scripture, and have perhaps struggled with accepting them as valid for Christians.  That is to be expected in the 21st Century, and is most likely the normal reaction from most Believers.
     In fact, my friends and fellow Christians who have partook in this spiritual exercise have had varied reactions and experiences.  And to be honest, it didn't surprise me, since we are products of the 18th Century Enlightenment and Age of Reason, which was an intellectual movement that emphasized reason (logical justification for an event), rational thought, and skepticism while challenging the traditional religious views of the prior centuries.  Those earlier views readily accepted the supernatural when it came to faith; of experiencing miracles and a spiritual relationship with God. But here we are, with nearly 400 years separating us from the ability to conceive of supernaturally experiencing Jesus and God, and we find it so difficult to do what God made possible ... to be brought near by the blood of Christ.

     So, I'm going to present some of the skepticism and doubt, along with the questions that arose from those who have participated in experiencing the garden of their heart.  I will begin by saying that desiring [or hungering] for intimacy with Jesus is a necessary component for being able to see "the garden" or submitting to any spiritual experience with Him.  And it is not unusual for someone who has been raised up in a rigid religious denomination to find it difficult to "let go" of this carnal world in order to experience the spiritual realm.  Paul explained this dilemma in Romans 8:5-9, For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit... You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.
     That is perhaps the most difficult thing for some Christians to accept -- God created us to abide in Him in the spirit; spirit-to-Spirit, so to speak.  That's why He gave us our imaginations -- so that we can experience Him beyond the physical restraints of this earthly realm; experience Him where He resides, in the heavenly realm.  And that may be hard for other Christians to perceive because they don't truly believe their Scripture that says we can now come boldly and confidently before the throne of God (Hebrews 4:16), or that we are now seated in the heavenly realms with Christ (Ephesians 2:5-6).  We can only do that in our spirit, since our sinful flesh is still delegated to this earth.
     But so much of the teaching of the modern Church [to the Body of Christ] has not emphasized that we are three-part beings: body, soul (mind/emotions/will), and spirit.  Our bodies [or flesh] are limited to this realm. Our souls are subject to our relationship with Jesus. And our spirits have the ability to commune with Him supernaturally.  That last part has been all but purged from our Christian understanding, and the Church only emphasizes our sinful flesh and minds that are subject to temptation.
     Much of the skepticism and doubt about supernaturally interacting with Jesus and God comes from the fear of being deceived.  It is common for Christians to ask, "But can't the devil invade our imaginations, or read our minds? So how can we trust that what we are seeing in the garden of our heart is actually coming from Jesus?"  Here's my answer to that: Satan is not omniscient. He cannot read our minds. Only God is all-knowing of everything, including our thoughts.  If you are able to [in your imagination] go to your garden, that intimate place of meeting with Jesus, and you experience His overwhelming love, joy, and peace; and you hear Him say something that moves you to tears, how in the world could you ever say that was from Satan?  What purpose would Satan have for allowing you to come away from that experience with such an image of a loving Christ?
     Now, what Satan will do is this: He will send a spirit of doubt, or a spirt of unbelief against you so that, out of your own free will, you start discounting or disbelieving what you experienced. And he's always ready to use a spirit of religion to shut down any opportunity for a Believer to come into greater relationship with their Lord.  We have a perfect Biblical model for that in Matthew 23:13, when Jesus says to the religious leaders, But woe (judgment is coming) to you, [self-righteous] scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow those who are [in the process of] entering to do so. 
     That same spirit of religion that was evident in the Pharisees is alive and active in the Body of Christ today.  The rigid religious doctrine that the Pharisees used to stifle and suppress a spirit-to-Spirit relationship among the ancient people of God is still used today to shut down a Believer's access to that heavenly realm where their spirit resides. They are simply unable to conceive of themselves as anything other than flesh and blood.
     But I also wish to remind you that if you are Saved and Redeemed by the blood of Jesus, you are a new creation, wholly sanctified, with a renewed mind.  Satan is going to do everything he can to tempt you to use your free will to corrupt the new you. Can you be deceived?  Only if you come into agreement with the devil.  If you set your heart and your mind upon the things of God, and learn to recognize His voice and see Him in all circumstances, you have nothing to fear.  You will be able to judge the fruit of that tree in your heart's garden and know whether it is a good tree, placed there by the Goodness of God.
     Now, I don't expect that the arguments I have presented here will persuade anyone that has made up their mind that we are not able to supernaturally experience Jesus.  But I would hope that they would search their Bibles and meditate upon the Word day and night (Joshua 1:8) and meditate upon the Lord's precepts and thoughtfully regard His ways (Psalm 119:15).  Because, while on earth, Jesus only acted as a man ... seeing and hearing the Father; in other words communing with Him supernaturally.  He has left us with that model for how the Father wishes to relate with us, too.
     In closing, I would like to say that among the participants of our Home Church who attempted to establish the garden of their heart, the majority of these wonderful people were able to experience some aspect of experiencing Jesus in the garden.  Some openly wept at what He showed them, and what He spoke to them.  Others, who were visiting their garden for a second time, found themselves more open to experiencing it, since their spirits had discerned His presence was real.  They ran and played with Him.  Still others were going to need a little time to process what they had "seen".  It was a new, and frankly, foreign experience for them.  And perhaps you recognize yourself among their varied responses.  That's okay.  I would just like to encourage you to ask God to show you how to have an intimate encounter with Him.  He wants to visit those who seek Him and desire Him. Let Him show you the way.

Update on Molly:  You will recall my post on Molly, the young mother who was in a coma after being in a car accident with her husband and young daughter.  She was unresponsive for weeks, and members of our community have visited the hospital in Austin and laid hands on her for healing.  She is now in Houston in an intensive rehab facility.  Her family has been traveling back and forth to be with her.  Last week, her father walked into her room, and said, "Hey, baby girl, how ya doing today?" She responded, "I love you, Daddy". She is healing! Praise you, Jesus, for You are worthy to be praised!

Jeremiah 33:3   Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. 

"There Is Therefore Now No Condemnation For Those In Jesus Christ"

Two months ago, I wrote a blog post decrying the condemnation coming against popular Bible teacher Beth Moore.  At the time, I wrote that it wasn't quite clear why the fundamentalist, conservative website Pulpit and Pen was coming after Moore so hard.  Their complaints were shrouded in unsubstantiated grievances, and it took a lot of research to uncover the somewhat lukewarm objections that she was a woman who taught before men (which they say violates Paul's command for women to be silent in the church), and she claimed to "hear the voice of God".  But, I instinctively knew there was a deeper objection that infected this angry segment of the Body of Christ.  Now it has come out into the open....  

     Author J. Lee Grady wrote an article on Charisma News applauding the appearance of Beth Moore as a speaker at a Conference of Pentecostal associations and churches.  Grady wrote that Moore's speech was "so convicting and so saturated in the Holy Spirit .... that people wept, prayed, and sobbed uncontrollably".  Grady stated that Moore based her message on Jeremiah 12:5: "If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses?"  He wrote that "Moore lamented the powerless state of the modern church and called us back to the raw authenticity of New Testament faith".
     And then came the statement that has [not surprisingly] set the angry tongues wagging at Pulpit and Pen... "We are settling for woefully less than what Jesus promised us," said Moore. "I read my New Testament over and over. I'm not seeing what He promised. I'm unsettled and unsatisfied." She added: "I want holy fire!" Amen, Sister!   

     Now, it has become clear to me why there is such an ongoing and aggressive attack upon Beth Moore.  She has stepped outside the Church's rigid box of acceptable doctrine concerning the supernatural effects of the Holy Spirit, and is being accused of not following in lock-step with the man-made teachings of the Biblical text.  As she says, when you read the New Testament "over and over" with a mind and heart that seeks God's perspective on what and why He inspired the writings, you get a Kingdom mandate that is different from the stereotypical and formulaic variety of teaching and preaching the Word.  You see that Jesus wants more from us than regular Church attendance and a narrow view of our responsibilities as Christians.  He wants bold and courageous followers who [like the Apostles] dare to walk in His radical footsteps.  He wants a Church walking in His power! And that scares the majority of comfortable Christians.
     Moore is calling for renewed minds that are in step with Jesus and His promises; for Christians who have had the Light of God shine upon His Word so that they see what our Lord has called us to do in living out our faith -- Christians that see with unveiled eyes and understand with pure hearts that God is a consuming fire -- and Believers who desperately seek His Presence and that Holy fire in their own lives!  Beth Moore wants "holy fire", and so do I!
     In the Old Testament, God, Himself, lit the fire on the altar of burnt offering, and charged His priests to keep it continually lit.  As New Testament believers in YHWH, our bodies are living sacrifices upon the altar of God, and His Holy Spirit is to engulf our hearts and remain inextinguishable.  That holy fire within us exhibits God's Presence, His passion for His children and His Kingdom, and His desire to purify us for good works for that Kingdom.
     All of that is our right as Sons and Daughters of God! But that "right" comes with some conditions ... we should be crying out for, embracing, and receiving that Holy Spirit fire.  We must trust in, and rely on, the power of Jesus's Name to continue the works He did for the Father [including healing the sick, casting out demons, and raising the dead]. We must be spiritually transformed, with renewed minds, and sanctified to do these works for the glory of God alone.  But do we see that happening in the Body of Christ today?  That is what Beth Moore is calling our attention to, and those who are satisfied and settled in their complacency are made uncomfortable by that calling.  And, so they condemn and criticize and censure.
     But how many of you can identify with Beth Moore and Jeremiah 12:5? How many of you lament the powerless teachings of the modern Church? There are so many promises given to us in the Bible; promises that we have a right to expect as Sons and Daughters of God.  But, as Beth Moore explicitly states, we are settling for less than the inheritance due us.
     Among those stated promises is this: we have been given authority to trample on demonic spirits, and are able to exercise that authority over all the power of the enemy, with no harm coming to us. We have been promised that whatever we bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever we loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Jesus gave us the promise that if we have only the faith of a mustard seed, nothing will be impossible to us.  We have been given the promise of treasure in heaven. We have been promised persecution -- but it will give us the blessed opportunity to testify of our Lord before the world.  We are promised a kingdom and a place at Jesus's table in His Kingdom.  We are promised that He will do whatever we ask in His Name, so that our Father will be glorified by His Son.  We are promised that He will abide in us and we will bear much fruit.  We are promised that our joy will be full, and we will not stumble.  We are promised that we will be made holy and set apart by God's Truth.  We are promised power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us; and signs will accompany us in that power.
     These are just a few of the more than 200 promises in the New Testament, and these are only the promises we can expect in this present age.  There are many more promises to be fulfilled in the future Kingdom!  But all these promises are due the Children of God who believe them and trust in Him who pledged them -- and who are willing to act out their faith.  Beth Moore and so many others are simply willing to step out in faith and receive those promises, seeking the fire and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to do Christ's bidding.
     But here's how the Enemy blinds the hearts and minds of the Body of Christ ... with headlines that scream, Beth Moore is Unsatisfied With Christ.  They are so twisted in their minds that they cannot see that it is the modern Church that is unsatisfactory to her, not Jesus!  Why are they so afraid to seek after the promises Jesus offers those who trust Him?  How do their unregenerated hearts hear the false whispers of the Enemy who translates her words into conflicting statements such as this:  Jesus promised eternal life to those who would repent and believe in Him. Is she denying that this promise is being fulfilled? Is there something more than this that she wants? Who could make such a claim? Of course, this is one of the deceptive errors of Pentecostalism and charismaticism–that God owes us anything and that His Son Jesus is not enough. And there, we also see their fear of any supernatural relationship with Jesus or the Father. That is why so many of us have also become wearied by the "footmen" of the Church.
     Can you see how Satan has blinded them and twisted her words?  Can you now understand why so many Christians are living powerless and fearful lives?  For those who have ears to hear, and eyes to see, it is not difficult to discern the schemes of the devil and the presence of a religious spirit.  But there is a remnant in this generation that is following Jesus's command to seek the Kingdom first.  We will not be intimidated nor pressured into standing down from our Lord's invitation to walk in His footsteps. I, for one, am thankful that Beth Moore is letting the Light of God guide her as she boldly and confidently walks that narrow path towards Heaven's gates. As long as she faithfully represents Jesus's Kingdom message, I will stand with her.  But it is no wonder that those who choose the easier and more frequently traveled route think themselves the wiser. I'm afraid they will find themselves put to shame by their arrogance and rejection of the Word of the Lord. It is much easier to condemn than to diligently seek the Truth.

Please feel free to click on the following links and read the article by J. Lee Grady on Charisma News, and the opposing viewpoint on Pulpit and Pen.  Then I welcome your prayerful discernment and comments. 

Matthew 15:14   "Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit". 
     

That Which Has Been Is That Which Will Be

     Solomon was correct when he made that statement in Ecclesiastes 1:9.  He's better known for the last sentence in that verse ... So nothing is new under the sun ... and I found that out as I did some personal research into the history of my family's faith.  I hope you will indulge me as I share my discoveries, because I was surprised at how much I recognized in their experiences. What I found out in the life of the Church in my great-great-great grandfather's time is being mirrored in today's Body of Christ.
     I have long been interested in trying to figure out my family's disparate modes of faith.  Unlike many families who can look back on a long line of ancestors whose love of the Lord was passed down through the generations, there was no unified profession of faith in my childhood home. My mother was a Believer and from an early age, I knew about Jesus, as she somehow found a way to introduce Him to me and then send me and my siblings to Vacation Bible School programs.  She was a stay-at-home mom with no car and five young children to care for, so I'm not sure how we were transported, but she got us there.  My father was not a Believer, although he supported our exposure to Church, and, as the oldest of the five, he instructed me to watch out for my brother and sister as he dropped us off at Sunday School.  My Mom stayed home with the babies... not exactly a "family experience".

     My maternal grandmother was a strong and faithful woman, but she lived three states away, so the most influence she could have was giving me a Bible at the age of 12 (which I still have today).  I know she prayed for us. and I'm sure it was those prayers that finally bore fruit when I accepted Jesus as my Savior as an adult.  So, I knew my mother's side was certain of their faith.  But what about my father's side of the family?  And it is that research that led me to my interesting conclusion that Solomon was right.
      You see, my father loved searching our family's genealogy, and before his death, he sent me a copy of a microfiched 1870 article on my four times great-grandfather and his six sons.  The patriarch of the family was a man named John Dodgson, whom the article said "came over in a ship from England with a gang of boys in 1821" to settle on a farm in Illinois.  The article also said "If there is anything peculiar to the Dodgson family than another, it was their uniform piety and strong adherence to churches".  It was John's first son Thomas who would be my direct ancestor; Thomas's daughter Mary would marry a man from whom I received my maiden last name.  But it seems that Mary Dodgson's faith in God did not translate to her new husband's family, nor down the generations to my father.
     So I read, with fascination, about the consistency of faith in John Dodgson's family, and I marveled at the level of their devotion to God.  John was quoted as saying [regarding his conversion experience], "If the house in Old England were yet standing, he could still go and point within six inches of where the Lord, for Christ's sake, pardoned his sins!"  And it was "his great care and prayer" that all six of his sons would come to know and love the Lord as he had. He lived to see those prayers answered. But, it makes me sad that down through the generations, that family devoutness was diminished, and my father, John's great-great-great-grandson, was neither schooled nor encouraged to know Jesus.
     But what was as equally fascinating as my ancestors' piety, was the description of their faith.  Throughout the article there were references to "warm times in Wesleyan Methodism", and after some investigation, I discovered that warm referred to dramatic experiences of conversion, including what today is referred to as "being slain in the Spirit", or instances of fainting as the Holy Spirit comes upon a person.  And not surprisingly, there developed a schism within the Methodist Church, between those who believed this reaction was Biblical and those who accused them of being led astray.
     As I read further in the article that chronicled the faith of the Dodgson family, it was revealed that the religious differences within the local community resulted in a debate between Church leaders, the Rev. J.M. Peck and the Rev. Peter Hobson. Peck took a stance that "a little learning is a dangerous thing" and referred to the Believers who agreed with Hobson as infidels, and he feared that "a great many would be shaken in their faith and never find their way back".
     By the way, my ancestors concurred with Rev. Hobson, whom the article went on to call "a Boston Investigator" man in religion.  What did that mean?  Here's what I found out ... "In religion, it [a Boston Investigator[ is the fearless advocate of open and fair investigation, opposed to every species of coercion for the dissemination of opinions, and rejecting all theories as erroneous, that will not bear the test of reasonable examination, however strongly they may have entrenched themselves under the barriers of antiquated formulas, tributary customs, or a pretended divine revelation . . . . Our object is to call the attention of the public from the visionary dreams of superstition and fanaticism, which has too long infested the moral world, to things of known realities, or facts that may be known, which tend to promote the happiness of man in his present state of being, the only state of which we have any knowledge. We wish to not interfere with religion by any coercive means, or any legal enactments: but to leave it entirely to support itself, and to stand or fall upon its own foundation. Its kingdom is professedly not of this world then it should have nothing to do with worldly affairs; but let it be supported wholly by spiritual means, by argument, by persuasion, and not by law".
     Maybe, I'm misunderstanding what this is telling me, but it seems as if we are seeing the same old struggle in the Church here ... on one side is the group who oppose Believers seeking a greater knowledge of God and who prefer to hold to man's traditions and doctrines over any new revealed understanding of God through His Word -- and on the other side is the group who support the freedom to reasonably examine Scripture by being a good Berean (rejecting anything not backed up by Scripture); and seeking spiritual guidance from the Holy Spirit as to God's revealed Truth.
     Furthermore, my research revealed there was another major division between these two groups: Peck took a stance in favor of strict predestination doctrine, while Hobson believed in God's gift of free will to accept or reject Him.  And it looks like for the better part of a century, my family fully and enthusiastically sought and accepted God. And within the next century, that faith had deteriorated to a rejection based on apathy.
     I don't know what all contributed to the lack of faith in the next three generations of my family.  But I think it is clear that one of satan's favorite schemes is to get the Church involved in endless debates over man's traditions and doctrines instead of truly seeking God.  He gets Christians to focus on each other, rather than our Savior, and encourages us to find fault; each thinking they have found the true path to Heaven's gates. None of that persuades the Unsaved to seek out the Church or to find hope in Jesus.
     I am just thankful and grateful that God never stopped pursuing me.  And it shows me that God can overcome generations of indifference and denial; that there exists in the heart of every man or woman the desire to know our Creator.  My great-great-great grandfather, Thomas Dodgson, didn't accept Jesus until he was 40 years old in 1837, and exactly 150 years later, my faith was established as an adult, too. What is ironic is that the schisms that were occurring in the Church prior to the Civil War are the same ones that the Church is experiencing today.  Satan's playbook never changes.  But he also has not achieved the complete victory he is seeking.  There will always be those in every generation who reject the devil's temptations and answer Jesus's knock at the door.
     But as Solomon expressed in his wisdom, the generations don't seem to remember what has occurred before them, and so are destined to repeat the futility of their struggles.  I thank God that He is patient and compassionate, and willing to wait on those of us who come to Him late. I am also grateful to have this history of my family's faith because it shows me that God truly desires to lose no one ... I am the evidence of that.

Psalm 71:18    "So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim Your might to another generation, Your power to all those to come".

A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand

     This may seem like a trivial matter to some of you, but for the last couple of months I have been noticing a targeted campaign against Biblical teachers such as Beth Moore and Priscilla Shirer.  To be specific, the website Pulpit and Pen, whom I have always found to be passionate about defending our faith, has seemed to put a big old bulls-eye on the forehead of Beth Moore.  For the longest time, I just ignored it as not worthy of my time in reading about some Christian inner-circle spat.  I just wasn't interested in hearsay or theological differences within the Church.  I was much more focused on what the Lord was trying to tell me (or as of late, about pursuing Him because I wasn't hearing from Him). But when the anti-Moore articles began to irritatingly dominate the website, I discerned that maybe this was something I needed to pay attention to.  As it turns out, all the venom directed at Moore, Shirer, and other teachers, coincidentally points a finger at me, too!

     To begin with, it quickly became clear that Pulpit and Pen were actively requesting testimonies from women who had "broken free from Beth Moore".  When looking through several pages of the website (both current and in the recent archives), it was disturbing to find at least one, and sometimes two, such testimonies per page, with the repetitive headline," _____ Breaks Free of Beth Moore: A Testimony".  The site solicited and printed testimonies by Jill, Elizabeth, Pastor Steve, A Pastor's Wife, and many more names that filled in the blank ... all stating that they were breaking free from Beth Moore, and calling her "a false teacher", and sometimes even labeling her a "heretic".
     Since I have encountered several of Moore's studies in various Ladies Bible Study groups that I have been a part of, I was curious about what these people were breaking free from.  The interesting thing was that in most of the testimonies, there were no specifics stated; just a repetition of a mantra-like statement like, "I am finally free of Beth Moore and her dangerous teachings".  In testimony after testimony, I was left asking, Please, tell me what she is teaching that is so false and dangerous?  Is it not spurious to make sure a claim without providing evidence?
     So, I continued with my research, reading more testimonies on Pulpit and Pen, and searching the internet for some clues as to what Beth Moore has done that is causing such an uproar.  And then I found it; it was buried within one long testimony against Beth, which was interwoven with the cruel abuse one woman received at the hands of her mother.  It was verified by a second article on a blog post titled, Two Reasons Why We Do Not Recommend Beth Moore.  Are you ready?
     Reason No. 1:  Beth Moore does not follow the New Testament command for women to be silent in the church.   Reason No. 2:  Beth Moore claims to have extra-Biblical revelations from God.  That is the exact wording of the complaints against this teacher of the Bible.  This second reason was also worded as, "Beth Moore was claiming that God was speaking directly to her outside of the Bible".  All I can say is, I am flabbergasted!  As a woman who takes her service to the Lord very seriously, I am offended that modern-day Christians still think women should be silent in the Church.  I agree with The Christian Bible Reference website, which states: Some of the great leaders and prophets of Israel were women, so God could not have intended to exclude women from spiritual and political leadership. Paul's proclamation of equality and Jesus' willingness to defy convention and accept women into his larger circle of disciples should be the guiding principles rather than the customs of the Roman Empire in the first century. Women took as large a role in the early Church leadership as was allowed by the conventions of that society. 

     By the way, Paul's statement of equality comes from Galatians 3:26-29 ... You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.  We have to look no further than the dynamic spiritual duo of Aquila and Priscilla who, together, "expounded unto him [Apollos] the way of God more accurately".  Her knowledge was equal to that of her husband, and she was not prohibited from presenting Scripture to the young disciple.
     And, of course, we have Phoebe, whom Paul trusts to deliver his epistle to the Roman Church, and  of whom, he writes in Romans 16:1, "I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a ministrant [servant; deaconess] of the church in Cenchreae". It is obvious that she is no second-class member of the Church. I guess I am more than a little surprised that this argument is being used against Beth Moore by my fellow Christians.
     As to the second reason for which Beth Moore is being excoriated, I guess I am guilty of this "heresy", too.  I understand that the Body of Christ wants to be careful about someone who says they "hear from God".  Instantly, you might be leery of anything they say without checking to see if it lines up with God's Word.  But Moore's critics aren't lodging any specific attacks.  They just don't think God reveals Himself outside the Bible; that the only revelation a Believer can receive is through reading the Word.
     So, then how do they explain the following Scriptures?  John 10:27:  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me ... Job 33:14:  For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it ... Jeremiah 33:3:  Call to Me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known ...  John 16:13:  But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.  Whether Old or New Testament, God's character and nature do not change. He speaks to His creation, and we can hear Him if we have that close, personal relationship with Him.
     The Truth is that God speaks to us in many ways .... yes, most assuredly through His Word; but also through prayer, through others, through the Holy Spirit, and through that "still, small voice" that Elijah heard during his darkest hour.  To condemn Beth Moore because she says she has heard "God's voice" is like the Pharisees telling Jesus that He was casting out demons by Satan.  Show me where Beth Moore has taught an un-Biblical Jesus; where she has denied His Deity or distorted His Message.
     Perhaps my fellow Christians who are so ready to condemn her are so scared of being deceived that they don't know how to recognize God's voice.  Perhaps they see God as distant and removed, not wanting to interact with us and only visible through His Word.  That is not the God I have experienced.
     But I think the most tragic aspect of this character assassination of teachers like Beth Moore and Priscilla Shirer is that it seems the perfect ploy by Satan to divide the Body of Christ.  When Christians are so willing to attack each other over things that are not central to the Kingdom Message of Jesus Christ (repentance for forgiveness of sins; Jesus's atoning death at the Cross; our Commission to bring Heaven to Earth), then all we're doing is winning the devil's battle plan for him.
     In an article he wrote, Christian writer Jack Wellman said, "By doing this in full view of non-believers, we shame the reputation of Christ.  We are redeemed, but many times we don’t live like the redeemed and we don’t reflect the Redeemer.  Gandhi once said that 'I love your Christ…it is your Christians that I don’t like very much.' ".  Sadly, at times like these, I agree with him.
     Jesus said that a house divided cannot stand…and Christians are sometimes divided over issues that are not central to the Kingdom and the Cross.  The Body of Christ should not be divided against itself, yet many times we are attacking each other over beliefs, or any belief, that differs from ours.  Remember, we are a "Body" ... the toes differ from the fingers, and have different assignments; the arms and the legs are given different responsibilities -- different tasks but all working together for the good of the body.
     The bottom line is this ... this kind of vitriol and attack is not representative of God's love indwelling the Believer.  We were given the Armor of God to fight off the Enemy -- not each other.  Righteousness and the Word should not become weapons to be used against our fellow Christians.  And the way I see it, this accusation of "false teacher" is so weak that Satan is laughing at how easy it was to get us to start throwing his fiery darts at each other. May the Body of Christ quit listening to the lies of the Enemy, stand in unity, and go forth to battle the real enemy!

Romans 14:10    “You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.”

Romans 15:7          “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”

Why Are We Fighting Each Other?

     There are times when I think that I should just turn this blog over to you readers -- the comments you make are so intelligent, inspired, and perceptive that I wonder if you are getting a download straight from Heaven.  And it becomes obvious that what I am seeing and experiencing within the Body of Christ -- and the renewing of my mind as I discern new understanding in the Bible -- is a shared occurrence with many of you.
      Yet, as I rejoice over this common spiritual direction, I have also offended some who find my mentioning teachers and leaders outside their comfort zone as grounds to quit reading this blog.  That is certainly their choice and we all have to decide for ourselves what we think the Bible is teaching us.  Not every voice out there is going to be 100% accepted by all. In fact, our theology can be both an encouragement and a stumbling block in relating to our fellow Christians.

     On that note, I find it disheartening that our disagreements on theology tend to divide us.  Why should that be so?  It's as if we Christians are forming a circular firing squad and shooting at each other, not realizing that the only one who wins that battle is the devil.  It's as if everybody is trying to prove that their doctrine is the correct one; judging the one who thinks differently as coloring outside the lines.  I get it!  Everybody is trying to defend the Church -- but nobody is looking to see who is bearing fruit for the Kingdom! And it's beginning to look [to me, at least] as if those who have stepped outside those colored lines are the ones producing the most fruit; the ones who are willing to follow the radical commandments of Jesus just the way He taught them -- and not according to the way they have been redefined according to man's traditions.
     And so, I want to share a couple of comments from readers who are expressing this even better than I can.  I don't get too many comments on what I write, so most of you may not even bother to read them, but these were articulated so well, I think you will benefit from their insight ....
     One reader wrote:  This one should ring true for anyone trying to claw their way from organized, weak and mainstream Christianity. I've noticed that there is a very interesting paradigm that happens when someone wishes to push on the boundaries of the box. First, those with common theological views will align quickly against those wanting to search out a matter. Secondly, those from that theological group will not only lose all aspects of "loving Christianity", but they will not stop until you are physically gone or removed! This is scary stuff, because we are warned of brother turning against brother by Jesus, Himself. His reference is to the thing He's ushering in called "Christianity".
     These so called "Believers", acting as they do, seem to me to be something other than Christians. If it walks like persecution [and talks like persecution]... maybe its persecution! We've been conditioned for so long to look for persecution from outside the Church that we aren't ready as Believers when it comes calling from the nice soccer mom or dad whose superficial and basic understanding of the Scriptures is "enough" for them and should be all you need based on their theological views. In their little Christian tribe, your view is deception and eventual damnation! Got it! The frustating part is all this will end up in the Leadership's lap and the primary motivation will be to shut all the disharmony down as quickly as possible. 
     Those with intentions of deep diving or digging in to really find out what kind of God this is we serve are always going to be a problem for the doctrinally weak-minded. I've been wounded by leadership so many times that I'm immune to their venom! Maybe that's what Jesus meant when He said "we will pick up serpents and no poison will harm us".  I say we better start to thicken our skin with these smaller thinkers and learn to hold our ground. Maybe defending the faith is more than meets the eye. Who would have thought we would need to contend for the faith against a tribe of Believers? I, for one, am done being bullied by church believers who are scared of digging into a concept that is a bit beyond the seminary canned view!!
     Another wrote:  On the ride to work this morning, I told my neighbor about my experience over the last few days listening through the Divine Healing Training (DHT) videos from Curry Blake (which I finished last night). I described wrestling through the subject of divine healing [that] I grapple with every few years, and how "a friend" suggested I watch the videos. I described my willingness to rely on the Holy Spirit inside me to guide me through the subject and that I don't need to be afraid of the sacred cows you mentioned. 
     He didn't have much to say except, "My dad is in that camp." Sometimes the Church's camps baffle me, but then I realize our fleshly nature[is] to surround ourselves with other like-minded believers. They can be helpful as we learn to digest new milk, but crippling when we neglect a balanced diet.
     The Church "IS ONE," something I often forget when not looking through spiritual eyes. For those who take on the calling we've all been commanded to do – to go make disciples – it's pure eternal joy to see the spiritual and doctrinal scales fall off believers as their paradigms shift from old to new.
     I'm grateful for teachers like Chuck Missler who've challenged me to be a Berean and a king who seeks out a matter. Thank YOU for your exhortation and encouragement... and the inspiration to move from milk (the study of doctrine) to meat (the doing of our doctrine). May God continue to heal spiritual infirmities through you.
     Just for the record, I am no one special; no different from any other Christian who realizes that there is more of our God than we know, and we want all of Him.  I am just willing to air the questions I have had, and share the struggles in my journey -- they are no different than others' walks with the Lord, as evidenced by the aforementioned comments.  And there is nothing I enjoy more than "iron sharpening iron" when it comes to "searching out a matter" that pertains to our King!  But I do not understand why we constantly fight each other, when we could join forces to fight our common enemy! Can't we see his scheme of trying to convince each of us that the other is deceived?  We get so focused on winning that we get caught in the vortex of that circular (spinning) firing squad that we don't even notice that no one is advancing in the Kingdom! We're only digging a circular grave of wounded Christians!
     Of course, if someone is trying to teach unbiblical doctrine, then we must lovingly reprove them and show them (in Scripture) where they are mistaken.  But if it is a difference in Biblical interpretation of Scripture (and not revision of God's Truth), can we just agree to disagree?  After all,  Peter and Paul had their differences but they ultimately came to agreement so that the Body of Christ could grow and flourish in Truth and Action.  Let us quit condemning each other over doctrine, and seek to understand each others' hearts.  May the Holy Spirit move in the Church as He did in the First Century!

Galatians 5:15   "But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another".




 

The REAL Power Of Your Testimony

     I'm not even sure how to begin this conversation with you. My original thought was to share how frustrated I am with all the finger-pointing that various Christian factions are engaging in towards fellow Believers who are different than them. Accusations of heresy and diabolical practices are tossed back and forth, and unity among the Body is far from evident.  The New Reformation movement thinks anyone involved with the Charismatic or Pentecostal branch of Christianity is practicing outside the boundaries of Scriptural doctrine.  And any Christian who even hints that they believe in Healing or Deliverance is accused of being caught up in "Charismania".
     Have there been self-proclaimed people of God who have been misled, and who are misleading and deceiving Believers?  Yes, on both sides of that spectrum!  Just as in the Bible, men have sought to elevate themselves (rather than God) through signs and wonders -- I think of Simon the Sorcerer.  But I can also think of several prominent pastors and teachers who preach against anything supernatural in our relationship with God, keeping Believers bound in theology that restricts the power of God in their lives.  It goes both ways.  And how does any of that benefit the Church?  The bickering and finger-pointing only serves Satan's purpose, which is to keep us focused on our differences. That contributes to division and takes the focus off the validity of our personal testimonies.
     I think it is safe to say that the world doesn't want to hear the Doctrines of Men; our creeds, our theology, or our dogma. As Christians, we know that God wants a personal relationship with us.  But why do we think that the world will be drawn into our buildings when the people of the world have made it clear that they reject our message?  We must reach the Lost the same way that Jesus instructed His Disciples:   But you shall receive power of the kind which God has [and exerts] after the Holy Spirit has come upon you.  And you shall be those who testify of what they have seen and experienced, my witnesses, both in Jerusalem and Judea, and in Samaria and to the end of the earth (The Greek Translation of the New Testament).  We must share our testimony of how we have experienced Jesus and the Holy Spirit in our lives!
     So, now I'm at the heart of what I want to say in this blog post ... how our personal testimony can both shine the Light of Christ into the Unsaved and strengthen the faith of our fellow Believers by sharing the power of God in our lives.
     Whenever I've got a nugget of knowledge or wisdom that I feel is important for us to consider, but can't quite flesh it out, I always take it to my husband, Mark, who can usually see it with spiritual eyes and help me get the bigger concept.  This time was no different... he actually became quite passionate about what our testimony should accomplish.
     Using himself as an example, he said most Christians think their testimony is boring ... I was raised in a Christian home; attended Church most of my life; and can recall the day I accepted Jesus as my Savior.  I accept that I am a sinner, that Jesus died for my sins, and I have tried to live a life pleasing to God.  He said, "We think how we express our doctrinal beliefs or theology is our testimony.  And if you're one of the lucky ones, perhaps you have a dramatic conversion experience when you realized you needed to change your life, and you found yourself on your knees, and asked Jesus to come into your heart".
     But then he went on to say, "Most of us don't have that. So where is the experience of God's presence being exercised in our testimony? Does it really speak to the needs of the Lost who are hurting, or to the Believers who need confirmation that God/Jesus/Holy Spirit still interact with us today?
     Just a couple of years ago, the Body of Christ was not even able to consider that God still acts supernaturally in this earthly realm.  They could not conceive that He still wants to heal our physical sicknesses and afflictions, or that He still wants His Disciples to cast demons out of oppressed people.  But that is changing, thank the Lord!  I see Christians beginning to renew their minds about what the Scripture actually says, and they are seeing Jesus's commands through new revelation. And, in some instances, the word "demon" is even being accepted as part of the Christian experience; some even going so far as to acknowledge that we can defeat them just as Jesus and His Disciples did! [And for those who are still skeptical that demons can oppress Christians, who do you think is responsible for so many Christians suffering from anxiety, depression, unworthiness, bitterness, inadequacy, fear, etc? Since the Church quit believing in Jesus's command to "do the works" that He did in casting out demons, the devil and his evil spirits have had a heyday with Believers!]

     But there is still a reticence among Christians to share those testimonies with the Church.  Believers who are willing to admit that demons exist are still cautious about sharing their personal, spiritual and supernatural encounters with Jesus and the Holy Spirit in which the demons attacking them have been thoroughly defeated.  Why would we be willing to attribute some of our spiritual attacks to demons, but not be willing to share how Jesus and the Holy Spirit defeated them in our lives?  Isn't that presenting the problem without sharing the solution?  And when that solution was the presence of God, interacting with us in the spiritual realm, doesn't that provide the unmistakable power that our testimonies are missing?
     If we could share that Jesus actually showed up [in the spirit] and comforted us as we dealt with the loss of a parent, or a childhood molestation, or a miscarriage, or a time of profound doubt in ourselves -- and we felt His embrace and heard Him whisper, "I'm here with you; accept my healing in this situation", don't you think that is a more powerful [and persuasive] demonstration of Who we profess to have faith in?  Which do you think the Lost will find it easier to identify with --- your personal testimony that speaks of the power of Jesus to heal your (and their) wounds -- or a sermon that speaks of a theological point that has no relevance to them or their experiences?
     And if Christians could be healed by sermons, then there would be no hurting souls sitting in the pews.  But you and I know that is not the case.  In the end, I see this as really simple ... I just wish the Church would quit denying what our Bible tells us; and quit defining this generation as "too enlightened" to believe in the supernatural character of God.  The truth is that our rational, modern, and self-informed viewpoint has left us impotent when it comes to the attacks of the Enemy.
     As more and more Christians come to believe the literal Word of God regarding our Commission, they will begin to experience the literal power of Jesus in their lives, through healing and deliverance.  And when they can share their personal encounter with the Living Christ, and how He healed the wounds of their lives, then I believe the Lost in the world will be drawn to that message and we will have the opportunity to share the full revelation of God.  (I mean, that's how Jesus presented the Gospel!) Furthermore, the Church needs to hear that testimony of Power as well.  They, too, need to know they can experience those personal and supernatural encounters in order to come into their full identity as images of Christ.  Then the Church will be operating in the Power of Heaven (instead of their own authority); and the REAL POWER behind the word of their testimony will conquer the devil and his schemes.

Psalm 107:2   "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary."   

How The Church Got Off-Track

     This is a topic that has been rattling around in my head and pricking my heart for several weeks now, and I'm not sure that I can adequately unpack it all to my own satisfaction, let alone yours.  But I'm going to try...
     I've been researching just how Jesus's Church went from promoting Healing as a primary component of the Kingdom message in the first few centuries to such a state of denial in our commission to heal in the present century.  Why are we unable to take effective action in healing, which results in a helpless, powerless, and nearly impotent Body of Christ?
     Historically, we can see that members of early Christianity held a warfare worldview... they still held tightly to Jesus's teachings that forces of evil would come against Him and His Church.  During His entire time on earth, the Bible records the efforts of Satan to tempt Jesus, to send lying and deceiving spirits to sabotage His Message, and to defeat the ultimate plan of God to deliver Believers out of the hands of the Enemy.
     Christians, at that time, knew that this spiritual war between Jesus and the devil was at the heart of the sicknesses and demonic bondage that people were experiencing. They understood that Believers were to fight against sickness, disease and demonic oppression through the power of the Holy Spirit. Today, we have the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John which provide historical documentation of countless healings done by Jesus, proving that He came to set the captives free.  Jesus was just doing what He saw His Father do when YHWH proclaimed in Exodus 15:26 that "I am the LORD who heals you." So what happened, and why doesn't Jesus's Church believe that today?

     It is hard for me to pinpoint the exact moment that things changed and the Church got off track, but many theologians point to the writings of Augustine which eventually moved the Church to a different worldview -- one in which the Church came to believe that everything in life happens due to the predetermined will of God.  In fact, it is largely accepted that Augustine was a primary influence on the Reformation and the theologies of Luther and Calvin. (Interested in exploring more about this connection?  Read here and here). I am not interested in dishonoring these important figures of the Reformation, but we need to understand how the Church got from a warfare worldview to what some call a blueprint worldview.  I think you can see how this new idea of God negated the part Satan plays, and would cause a shift in the thinking of the Church regarding healing.
     Augustine's writings (along with the Reformers) began to move the Church in a new direction. Instead of believing that sickness might be brought on by the devil (who the early Church knew should be resisted), people were to believe that God brought on sickness and personal trials for a person's spiritual sanctification.  Put in simple terms, God allowed sickness to purify a Believer, or in other words to prune them for greater faith.  This thinking then led to a belief system that to pray against an illness was to resist God's work He was trying to accomplish in you.  So, instead of praying for healing, the Body of Christ would pray for discernment about why God might have brought sickness or disease into someone's life.  And the truly remarkable aspect of this deception is that it removed Satan's guilt in our suffering, and placed all the blame at God's feet!
     And I can tell you that I have talked to many good Christian friends who see seasons in their life where they have dealt with sickness [or depression or adversity] as proof that God was trying to bring them to their knees in subjection to His will in their life; that somehow they were enduring a purifying fire to rid themselves of some aspect of sin.  I agree that God disciplines those He loves, but if Jesus is truly our model and a picture of how our God loves us, can you find an instance in Scripture where He allowed sickness to sanctify a Believer? Did He ever use sickness as a method to promote His Father's Kingdom? No! He used the miracles of healing to demonstrate what His Father's Kingdom was like and to illustrate the goodness of God!  God is not the author of pain and suffering in a Believer's life!  He is Life and Mercy and Grace!
     For too long, the Church has seen suffering [in its various forms, whether sickness or demonic oppression] as "carrying our cross" and an opportunity to glorify Jesus in our suffering-- almost as a badge of honor to prove that we are approved and acceptable to be called "Christian". But this is just a scheme of the Devil to turn us away from believing in healing and miracles for today! And it has all led to a Church full of people operating in Doubt and Unbelief, which renders the Body powerless to effect the unbelieving world outside the Church doors.
     We have lost the Truth of what Jesus meant when He said, The Kingdom is at hand.  By using the Power that the Father gave Him to perform miracles, healings, signs and wonders, Jesus was able to grab the attention of the people to share the Good News that God's Kingdom [as it is in Heaven] had begun on earth and would continue until it was fully achieved at Christ's Second Coming.  He taught that Truth to His Apostles and to the Disciples that He commissioned to continue His works. They were to persist in miracles of healing and deliverance [from demons] through the ever-present power of the Holy Spirit.
     But along the way, the Enemy seduced men like Augustine to diminish the supernatural character of God, and convince Church leaders of the impossibility of His working through Believers to heal and deliver and work miracles today.  Therefore we have not been equipped to carry on Jesus's work. The Pentecostal and Charismatic movements, which believe in the restoration of miracles, healing and deliverance [as part of the Church's ministry] has been reviled, and any talk of spiritual warfare in these areas is quickly squelched among many mainline denominations.
     But I hope you can see the devil's hand in man's reshaping of the Church.  For me, it is easy to see how the continued work of Jesus could transform our communities, our country, and the world.  Just look around you and see how many people could use the release of Jesus's healing power in their lives -- whether their pain is physical or spiritual.  And do not believe Satan's lie that these miracles are meant only for Believers.  It is my opinion that we have been given this Power [through the Holy Spirit in us] to show the healing power of God which gives us an opportunity to share a message about the Father's love for us and what Jesus did for us.  It's all in accordance to what Jesus did Himself.  For those with Faith, it confirms the power of God.  For those who are Lost, it can be the impetus to become born again.
     It is time that we, the modern Church, become partners with the Divine; and Healing becomes a tool in which we can resist the devil's evil plans and make this world a little more like Heaven.  By partnering with God, we release His purposes into the earth, and the Church begins to be restored to its own purpose. Let's change the Church from a powerless direction to one that is active, formidable,  and on fire with the power of the Holy Spirit!  It happened in that first Century, and God can do it again!

Thanks to the writings and ministry of Randy Clark for challenging me to ask the hard questions and to determine my own theology after searching the Scripture.

Luke 9:2    "And He sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal".

"But This Scares Me"!

     That is probably the most common response I get when I suggest that we, as the Body of Christ, should be doing the things that Jesus commanded His Disciples to do to advance the Kingdom of God.  I realize that the idea of stepping out and laying hands on someone to heal them, or having the confidence that we could stand up to a demon and command it to leave a person are unfamiliar concepts to most of this generation of Christians.  Those activities are usually assigned to "charismatic" movements, which the more traditional (and dare I say) "powerless" denominations oftentimes want to label as being on the fringe of Protestantism.  Combine those deeds with speaking in tongues and, well, the conversation is over.

     And there are lots of reasons to be uncomfortable [or afraid] that seem legitimate to our human minds ...  the fear of being ridiculed or judged; no one wants to look stupid, and we certainly don't want to find ourselves at odds with the generally accepted practices of our fellow Church members.  And then there is the fear of failure -- even if I am bold enough to believe and DO what Jesus commanded, what if I do it wrong? What are the consequences of making mistakes?  But probably the biggest cause for fear is the possibility that we will have to engage the Dark Side.  That's a huge unknown and we don't really know what to expect, or even if we have the courage to find out.  Never mind that it speaks volumes of how we may be elevating Satan's power over the Power of God.
     Believe me, all of these arguments are ones that I have had myself.  But the more that I studied exactly what Jesus said, I could not deny His instructions to us to do "the works that I do" (John 14:12). And a study of that word "works" reveals that it is the Greek word ergon, which means "act or deed".  And if that wasn't enough confirmation that I could move forward [without fear] in healing the sick and setting people free from demonic torment, there is the actual Greek translation of John 14:10-12 ... Do you not believe that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me?  The words which I am speaking to you, not from myself as a source am I speaking.  But the Father who in me is abiding. He is doing the works.  Be believing me, that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me.  But if not, because of the works (acts and deeds) themselves be believing.  Most assuredly, I am saying to you, he who believes in me, the works (acts and deeds) which I am constantly doing, also that one shall do. This Scripture has so convicted my heart, that I can confidently put forth several Biblical premises for you to consider:
     1.  I don't have to be afraid, just obedient as Jesus was.  I don't have to fear doing it wrong, because it's not me doing the works, it is God in me who uses His Power deposited in me when the Holy Spirit came into my heart.  Will we feel awkward at first? Yes, but when we love Jesus and follow His commands, the Bible says that a "doer of the Word" will be "blessed in his doing".  Obedience is the first step.
     2.  There is assurance in the fact that Jesus states all Authority has been given to Him (Matthew 28:18) and He has given us authority to overcome all the power of the enemy, and nothing will harm us (Luke 10:19).  I have given lots of long, hard thought to the big picture that I think Jesus is conveying here.  And it goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden.  God gave mankind (made in His image) dominion over the earth and the authority to subdue it (Genesis 1:26-28). Adam and Eve were tricked into giving over that authority to Satan when they disobeyed God and gave into temptation. Satan actually boasts of this transfer of authority when he tempts Jesus in the wilderness: And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish (Luke 4:5-6).
     But the joke is on the devil!  Jesus defeats him at the Cross and after His resurrection, He appears to the Disciples and tells them, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. He has taken the Authority back, and then tells them "now I am giving you the Authority [back] to overcome all the power of the enemy".  That promise extends to us!  But there is a responsibility that comes with regaining that Authority ... we must teach and do all the works that He commanded the Disciples to do.  So, there should be no fear or doubt that this is what we are to be doing!
     3.  The Bible says that the Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the Devil.  If we stick with God's plan from the beginning in the Garden of Eden, we can see that there was no sickness, no death, no demonic torment or oppression.  But ever since Man's Fall, the works (acts and deeds) of the devil have been to cause sickness and pain, death, and destruction of our souls -- all with the purpose to separate us from a relationship with the Father.  He comes to kill, steal, and destroy that relationship. But Jesus came to destroy the works of the Enemy by doing the works of the Father ... healing the sick, casting out demons, and securing the ultimate victory over Death.
     We were never designed to have cancer or Alzheimer's; or to be tormented in our souls and flesh.  I mean, we were never even supposed to die! But our spiritual parents were tempted and disobedient, and sin entered the Garden. There has been a spiritual battle ever since between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Darkness.  Satan's authority has included sickness and disease and spiritual torment.  Until Jesus came, he also ruled over death.  But Jesus conquered Death, and when He returns, He will wipe out all the remaining works of the devil.  Until then, we are to continue in the spiritual battle, and take back territory with our Authority to heal and deliver.  And since Jesus has given us the opportunity to overcome the greatest fear of all (Death and eternal separation from God), then we can proceed in our duties as Sons and Daughters of the Kingdom, and continue to defeat the works of the devil.
     4.  The works of Jesus [which we are to do] amount to spiritual warfare, and that's why we have been given spiritual armor.  Pain, sickness, disease, and demonic torment come from the devil, and are his weapons in the battle to keep people from a relationship with Christ. Therefore, Jesus's works of healing our minds and bodies, and delivering us into freedom from spiritual bondage and oppression are His weapons in this spiritual war.  And if we follow Jesus's model, our source of power is the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.  He used both to fight the Enemy.

      Prayer plugs us into the power source, connecting us to God and allowing His power to flow to us [through the Holy Spirit] for any battle we may be facing.  It is easy to think that we are battling natural forces or enemies.  But behind these natural enemies are spiritual forces that are opposed to the Kingdom of God. And besides the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, Jesus has given us spiritual weapons that include Prayer (plugging us into the power source); Fasting (helps to break the power of pride and rebellion, and humbles the soul); Authority (given by Him to tread on the power of the Enemy); Binding and Loosing in the Spirit (with legal authority, as spoken in Matthew 18:18); Praise and Worship (which connects us to the presence of God); Prophetic Anointing and Words of Knowledge in the Spirit (which break down strongholds established by the Enemy).
     If you carefully study the Word, you will find that Jesus used all these weapons in His destruction of the spiritual works of the devil.  And we must not forget the Spiritual Armor that Paul speaks of in Ephesians 6.  This is armor that God gives us to protect us in the fight we will most certainly be engaged in.  It is my sincere belief that this armor is given to us precisely so we will get on the battlefield.  I do not think it is given to us with the idea that we are to sit safe and secure in our bunkers, while the battle rages on all around us. Jesus engaged on the front lines of the battle and so should we!
     By now, I'm sure that you have a pretty clear idea that I wish to encourage every Believer to renew their mind in the matter of the Power of the Church.  When Jesus makes the statement in Matthew 16:18 that the gates of hell will not prevail against His Church, it is important that we understand [in the culture of His day] that the importance and strength of "gates" made them viewed as synonymous with power; in this case, figuratively as the power of hell. It is pretty clear to me that He is saying there will be a power struggle on earth between the power of hell and the power of Heaven as exemplified through the Church .  But in order for hell's power not to prevail (win), then we need to strap on our armor, secure our weapons, and get in the fight.  Just wearing the armor for our protection [with no action on our part] will not win the war.
     Now, I know there are those who will quote Scripture that says the Battle is the Lord's; it is not yours.  That was so in the Old Testament and before Jesus came and transferred the Father's Power and Authority from Himself to us.  We are now commanded to continue His works against the devil.
     So, can I tell you that Jesus has called us to a life of comfort, peace, and joy? And that there is nothing to fear? That is certainly what He desires for us. But we have an Enemy who wants to kill, steal, and destroy our lives and that means we need to plug into our Power Source, strap on our armor, and be prepared to battle for our King and His domain here on earth!
     When God came to earth as His Son, Jesus Christ, the Kingdom of Heaven collided with the Kingdom of Darkness here on earth -- and mankind experienced a real encounter with God, Himself. That encounter exhibited the power of God in signs and wonders through Jesus Christ.  That power was never designed to fade away.  We have access to it [through the Holy Spirit] to invade the nations and demonstrate what an encounter with God looks like.  With more encounters, comes more Heavenly power, with the result that the works of the devil will be destroyed ... and the powers of hell will not win against The True Church of our Lord!

2 Corinthians 10:4    "For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have Divine Power to destroy strongholds".

 
       

The Powerless Church

     I guess I could characterize this post as a continuation of Friday's, which was titled It's Not Enough!  Because I think I know the people who tune into read my humble thoughts, I'm pretty sure that there are many of you who are wondering just what it looks like to exhibit the Power of the Kingdom in your lives.  And I feel as though I need to further explain what I mean by my frustration with The Church.  I know that this offends some of my Christian brethren because "The Church" belongs to Jesus, and my statements are often construed as divisive and negative towards what Jesus calls "My Church".  Let me first, dispel those false impressions, and then I will try to be more specific about what I would recommend for living a "Kingdom life".

     When I talk about the Church, I am referring to the Body of Christ -- those individuals who have been "called" from their life of sin, and "chosen" to separate themselves from the world and walk in the righteous way of Jesus; who with one purpose, one mind, and one heart follow and do the teachings of Jesus.  Now, for the last several hundred years, that Body has been assembled in congregations who have determined that "it is through the Church that God manifests His highest purposes, and the Church must be the most glorious of all His works".

     Modern Charismatic and Evangelistic movements point to the so-called fivefold ministry in Ephesians 4 as the primary custodians of today's Church -- the offices of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors (or "shepherds") and teachers. It seems to me that their mission is built upon the foundation of the holy Scriptures and upheld by the pillars of the Gospel of Salvation, Grace,  Love, and Glory of the Lord.  They will say that it is their goal to replicate the model that Jesus showed us and to see their congregants reach the neighborhoods and the nations with the Gospel.

     That is a noble mission, and nothing wrong with that.  But I don't see the most obvious component of Jesus's model ... the Power of His Father that was exhibited through Him and the works He did.  And if I am going to hold to Jesus's model of the Church, I find no specific instructions from Him to "associate yourselves into particular societies or churches" as one popular Reformation preacher prescribes.  And I do not believe that if, as a Christian, you "are not walking with a local congregation of believers, then you are not walking with God".  I must say that statements like that offend me. 

     Were the Twelve Apostles part of a local congregation or synagogue?  No, they walked with Jesus.   And what did Jesus do? He manifested the Glory, and Mercy, and Love, and POWER of God, did He not?  He did what He heard the Father tell Him to do, and what He saw the Father doing in Heaven.  So, I think it is safe to surmise that His Gospel message of the Kingdom of Heaven was the Good News of what the Father was doing, and desired to be done by His Son to show the Father's Glory.  

     When Jesus announced that the "Kingdom of Heaven was at hand", He was saying, I am going to show you what it is like in Heaven by my actions.  Watch what I do by the Power given to me by My Father.  And when you have understood that it is for His Glory, then I will give you the Authority to use that same Power to make the Kingdom of God a reality here on earth.  

     But do you notice the characteristics that our religious organizations choose to use to magnify The Father?  His Gospel, His Grace, His Love, and His Glory.  Now, I don't want you to misunderstand me -- those aren't wrong!! They are just incomplete!  Religion today teaches us we are to imitate Jesus and the Father by manifesting Their Grace and Their Glory -- and I agree.  But where is the promotion of the Power that Jesus exhibited as a picture of His Father in Heaven? It has been all but eliminated from "The Church".
     So, I want to be very clear that when I say I am frustrated by The Church, and that what we, as the Body of Christ, are accomplishing "is not enough", I am talking about the "Powerless Church" who concentrates on the Gospel of Salvation, instead of the Gospel of the Kingdom, which Jesus said was the purpose for which He was sent (Luke 4:43).  And that "Good News" of the Kingdom was to be preached everywhere and revealed in signs and wonders  --- healing the sick, delivering people from the torment of the Enemy, and even raising people from death -- all so there could be no mistaking God's Love, His Grace, and HIS POWER! All that adds up to His Greatness, or His Glory.

     So, now to address what that looks like for me and you.  Believe me, I know that all this sounds like it is going to involve us getting uncomfortable with our status quo.  And that's exactly what Jesus demands of us!  Can you imagine how the Apostles felt?  They were taken from their ordinary lives, and found themselves working with strangers (and even people they despised, as in the case of Levi, the tax collector).  They were accustomed to being innocuous members of their synagogues, akin to sitting quietly in a pew in the back row of some church today.  They were used to following the rituals and traditions of that synagogue, and their personal relationship with God [who had chosen them as a people to glorify Him] was more habitual and routine than intimate.

     But what did Jesus tell them they would do? "You will receive Power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth".  They didn't stay in their synagogues and minister within the buildings.  They were sent out into the world to make a difference!  Just look at the places the Apostles went to with the message  that "the Kingdom of God is at hand" ... Spain, Greece, Iran, Ethiopia, India, even Great Britain!  And  we can't even get the message (let alone the works) out of the building to the prostitute on the corner, or the local drug dealer!  Where is the power in that?  

     But why are so many of our Churches (and us) powerless today?  What are we afraid of?  Perhaps we are frightened of being deceived by charlatans.  But doesn't that express Doubt in the Holy Spirit to counsel us and guide us?  Or does it go deeper than that, and actually show Unbelief in the Power of God to act through us today?  We must have a call to action to touch the individual lives of people in our own cities, neighborhoods, and communities. First and foremost, that requires teaching people what the Kingdom of God means and how Jesus manifested that on earth.  And if we are afraid of poking the devil, then aren't we saying that we believe his power is greater than our God's power to protect us?
      If we are going to transform the culture, the culture needs to know what the Kingdom of God looks like.  If we are following Jesus and His commands then it should look like this ... recognizing the needs of both our fellow Believers and the Lost.  It looks like us asking them if they need prayer for issues in their life, and if the answer is healing, then we do as Jesus did and lay hands on them, calling on the Power of the Father in us (which is the Holy Spirit) to heal their affliction. We are to believe that God can use us to see them healed on earth, as it is in Heaven.  
     If they are being attacked by entities in their sleep, or tormented by voices in their head, then we are to do what Jesus showed the Apostles, and in His Name, bind and cast out those demons.  Anything that we saw Jesus do, we also have the power to do because He sent His power when the Holy Spirit came to reside in us.  And just like the Apostles and the Disciples after them, we are to be His witnesses unto the ends of the earth.
     We live in a hurting world, just as it was in the days that Jesus walked this earth. And yes, it's good to hear sermons in our Churches that we are to "live a life of joy in the midst of brokenness" and to "not love the things that God hates", but where is the call to action that should be going along with that message?  How does that transform the lives of people who need to see the works of God manifested by the Body of Christ? 

    We are called to be Sons and Daughters of the Kingdom.  And Jesus has given us the perfect model to invade the culture with God's Kingdom.  I invite you to read the Four Gospels and take notes of the works that Jesus did, and His instructions to His followers.  Everywhere He went, He taught about what the Kingdom of God was, and then He did the works that would bring this earth into alignment with His Father's Kingdom.  

     Will we be uncomfortable doing them?  Certainly. But no more than the Twelve were when He commanded them to do the same works.  And will the culture and our religious institutions criticize, censure, and revile us? Again, just like they did when Jesus showed the First Century Believers how to walk with God.  But does Jesus need laborers in the field, and witnesses to spread the Good News?  Every bit as much as He needed it in 30 A.D.  Are you willing to be a member of His True Church; the Son or Daughter of the Kingdom that is willing to leave the life you have known for a road that will be difficult to travel, and without many rewards this side of Heaven? I will grant you that it is a scary proposition, but as a very dear friend of mine said, the only answer we ought to give is, "Yes, Master"!

1 Peter 2:21    "For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps".