By nature, I am both a worrier and a fixer. This means I concern myself with matters that seem to need some attention by someone. On the meddling, I say I have a helps ministry. So, that excuses my meddling because I justify it by my good intentions of trying to be helpful, whether my help is wanted or not.

Presently, I worry about the spread of Islam, and wonder what I can do to help stem the problem. I am a strong believer in total surrender to our Lord, and total submission to His will, as one best understands that imperative. So, it interests me that Islam means surrender, and a Muslim is one who has surrendered.

Very little study is required to recognize that what the Muslim means by surrender is much different than what I mean by surrender. So, I reasoned, since the Muslim mind-set is on surrender (albeit surrender to Islam and not to God), It might be an easy task to teach them surrender to our personal God.

Happily, I discovered a ministry to Muslims headed by a former Muslim now converted to Christ. I ordered some of his books and sent a message asking for an interview. The books arrived and I read that this man was conducting miracle meetings in the Palestinian section of Israel.

Soon, he responded to my request and called me by telephone. He opened with, “What is on your heart, brother?”

I told him my observations and he answered, with a tone of irritation, “You don’t understand. A Muslim is more religious than most Christians. They pray at least five times a day, and in public. They fast regularly. They fear Allah. They won’t listen to you or your ideas. The only thing that gets their attention are the miraculous works of God.”

“You are having miracles in your meetings?”

“Of course. My meetings are in Israel and we have up to 25,000 Muslims attend. When they witness the blind seeing, the lame walking, and the sick healed, they know Jesus is alive, and turn their faces to Christ. That happens in all our meetings.”

I thanked the brother for the information. He offered to mail some material to me, and ended the conversation. He really didn’t need any of my suggestions. He and the Lord were doing just fine without my help.

This episode surprised me, but it shouldn’t have. I have seen many healings, had a few, and ministered some. I have been healed though prayer, have seen legs and feet grow, kidney stones healed, hemorrhoids vanish, and crippled backs healed – to name a few.

In addition, we support a missionary to Vietnam who ministers to the underground church there. He has a miracle ministry in which almost every New Testament miracle, except raising of the dead, has occurred. This missionary gets very excited when the Spirit comes into his meetings, and he often starts shouting and dancing with joy.

On one occasion, he was dancing through the congregation and saw an old woman sitting on the floor. He reached down, grabbed her hand, and pulled her up to dance also. She joined him. The congregation went into a frenzy. Our missionary wondered if he had done something wrong, something unacceptable to the Vietnam culture. “No,” said the interpreter. “The woman had been totally crippled and couldn’t walk before you touched her.” (See Acts 3:1-10, especially verse 7, when Peter did this for a lame man at the gate Beautiful.)

Reports of miracle ministries are coming in from all over the world. Watching closely, one might observe that we are seeing an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, with accompanying miracles, in a scope that has never happened before.

In traditional Roman Catholic South America, the Pentecostal faith has grown so rapidly it is becoming the dominant denomination. The charismatic experience is not limited to the Assemblies of God, but extends into mainline churches. There, the Methodist Church is charismatic, as it is in South Africa.

In China, the indigenous underground church is growing rapidly. Kim-Kwong Chan, a roving reporter for the magazine “Church History,” reported there are three reasons for Christianity’s acceptance there.

First, he said, there is an ideological vacuum in China. Next, Christianity provides an intimate social experience – love, caring, concern, and fellowship. Third, “there are the miracles. When I travel to the interior of China, the Christian communities all claim they’ve seen and experienced miracles.”

He gave several illustrations, including an eighty year old woman who suddenly began a preaching ministry. Villagers who came to her for prayer were instantly healed. They abandoned their idols and became believers. One Communist official who was harassing Christians, found himself speechless because his tongue stuck out and was not retractable. After he repented and became a Christian, his tongue returned to normal.

The largest church in the world is in South Korea. It is Pentecostal and began through miracles occurring in the life and ministry of its founder, David Yonggi Cho. In India, a revival under David Bernal is attracting the largest gatherings in that country’s history because of the miracles happening.

In Canada, an unexpected outpouring of the spirit at the Toronto Airport Church has attracted thousands from all over the world. Ministers of every denomination have attended and found that the gifts are transferable. On return to their home churches, in their home countries, they are blessed when the signs and wonders follow.

In America, a new revival with signs and miracles has broken out at the Brownsville Assembly of God Church in Pensacola, Florida. People stand in line for hours to get into the services. Again, the ministers who have gone there find that the anointment and gifts follow them home into their local congregations.

Historians tell us this outpouring of the Spirit, with gifts, signs, and wonders has happened in the past, but not on the international scale seen today.

The American revivals under Jonathan Edwards and Charles Finney are well documented. Many miracles, including a raising of a dead man, are recorded in John Wesley‘s Journal, his detailed account of the eighteenth century English revival.

Doctor Kurt Koch, a respected German Evangelical and prolific writer, chronicled the Indonesian Revival of the late nineteen sixties and early seventies. He told of many events that were so unusual that even strong believers shook their heads in wonder. Koch personally saw water turned into wine, and dead restored to life.

Now, unbelievers who doubt these events always ask, “Where is the fruit?” The answer is written even in secular history’s judgment. Finney’s revivals changed the course of American history. Wesley’s revival changed the course of English history and saved it from a bloody revolution. Thousands were converted to a vibrant faith.

Observers say that those attracted to modern revivals by signs and wonders soon see the reality of the risen Jesus and the power of New Testament Christianity. Their new commitment to Christ is real and firm. Over 30,000 have come to Christ in the Pensacola Revival. Numbers for the Toronto Revival, that has continued for over two years, are believed to be even greater.

Who then are the critics and what are the objections? The critics are both believers and unbelievers. Many Christians have firm opinions that miracles ceased after the last Apostle – John – died. Blocked off by their doctrine, they will not attend any church function where miracles happen. Non-believers seldom hear of these events and rarely witness any work of God. Neither do they value any reports of events defying their foundational beliefs.

One seminary professor who asserts the gifts (charismata) have ceased, warns these events may be coming from a spiritual realm that is not of God. He wrote in a book review, “Since believers are warned to avoid contact with the intermediate spiritual world, and since they should do only what they are confident God approves, no one should experiment in the realm of charismatic phenomena.”

If such advice is applicable, no one would have followed Jesus or the Apostles who were “religious freaks” in their day. Jesus was accused of working miracles by the power of Satan, (Matthew 12:22-32). That Bible passage tells how Jesus was accused of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul. He reminded his critics that Satan does not do good works. Much spiritual phenomena occurred in later and well recorded revivals. The Wesley brothers wrote about many unusual and often inexplicable spiritual manifestations that occurred in their meetings. Certainly all of us would have enjoyed attending one of the Wesley meetings. Surely the good fruit of their ministries are an accepted matter of history. Unusual events, similar to those in the Wesley Revival are repeated today in Toronto, Pensacola, Ho Chi Mihn City, and many other places. Personally, I don’t want to miss out on anything God is doing. I will go anywhere I believe God is working in a magnified way.

As an amateur historian, I have read much Christian history, written by our most respected historians. My opinion is that the scope and magnificence of the present outpouring of God’s gifts and power has not been seen since the days immediately following Pentecost. I believe we are seeing unique history unfolding before our own eyes. In future years the events of our days will be studied with awe.

In Jesus’ day, the religious teachers and church leaders could not recognize who he was and the significance of what he was doing. There seems to be a repetition of that attitude in our time.

The Bible is a history book of human encounters with God. These encounters with God continue in the lives of those who believe God is neither dead nor asleep. When we remember that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever,” (Hebrews 13:8), we remain open to seeing and experiencing all of his mighty works.

I believe the gifts of the Spirit are for today because I have seen and experienced those gifts. I have seen the good fruit that comes from his miraculous works in our time. I feel I am personally blessed because I have been allowed to witness the power and presence of our almighty God.

C. G. Weakley, Jr. Is a Dallas, Texas, businessman who is also an ordained minister of The Christian Community Church. He has both a BBA and M.Th. degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. He has published five books of John Wesley’s Journal and Sermons. He calls himself a chaplain-at-large. He is listed in three Marquis WHO’S WHO directories, including WHO’S WHO IN THE WORLD. He has taught business and Christian ethics as a visiting professor at the Leningrad (now St. Petersberg) International Management Institute in Russia.

By Clare G. Weakley, Jr.

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Christians should be great communicators as we have the best communicator in the world inside of us Holy Spirit and the Bible as our reference. Discussing doctrinal issues and going into areas that you maybe have been told is heresy needs to be done in order to see if what you have been told is true. God will hold you responsible for what you did with your life and not the people who you believed. We are told to study to show ourselves approved. I have found that many believers do not have enough background in the bible and rely on the Logos of the word instead of the Rhema of the word. We need to become mature and obedient to Gods commands which many of us fail to do and we wonder why things are not working out for us. I want to state that God does not change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Therefore He still heals; miracles take place, raises people from the dead and so on. This should be common place in the church at large.

The following has been adapted from an Email article, but the principles apply to comments. If you just read a post and would like to say thanks that would be nice instead of just moving on to the next post to read. If you did not like it for some reason you might be right and I can fix it. So please let me know.

You would be amazed at some of the stuff that arrives in my comments on a regular basis.

Many people seem to think that because they aren’t dealing directly with another person (or as directly as they would be face-to-face or by telephone), all forms of civility and basic respect for the other person (i.e. the recipient) and the English language can go out the proverbial window.

Not true! Writing comments is still communicating. Both the recipient and the language still deserve your respect.

DO… Use a descriptive subject line.

There is nothing more annoying than receiving comments with no heading, or a heading that does not explain what the content of the message is all about.

Tip: I even revise the subject line when I am sending a reply, to reflect the essence of my response. This is especially useful if it’s one of those e-mails that travels back and forth three or four times. Often, there is little relationship between the point of the first message and the later ones. So, try revising the subject line slightly each time to reflect the content of the current reply.

DO… Use opening and closing salutations

Some people have forgotten that comments are interpersonal communication between human beings. Basic civility still applies.

There is nothing much more impersonal than receiving a comment that doesn’t at least say ‘Hello…’ or ‘Hi…’ for the opening; and ‘Regards…’ or ‘Thanks…’ or ‘Take care…’ or ‘All the best…’, or something similar as the closing.

We can’t personally sign the note by hand anymore, but we can surely personalise it a little bit by at least typing in the recipient’s name and then wishing them the best.

DO… Use capital letters sparingly.

The use of all-caps is shunned on the Internet. It’s called SHOUTING. Every once in a while a word or two in capitals for particular emphasis is okay, but avoid overdoing it.

Tip: Cutesy little smiles and similar symbols, known as emoticons, should also be used sparingly.  I advise you not to use these symbols at all in business e-mails, unless the recipient is a friend or well-known to you. Just as with business letters, the principle underlying business e-mails is: clear and concise businesslike communication with a minimum of clutter.

DO… Check spellings, grammar and format

Ensure that your e-mail is readable. It doesn’t have to be a work of art, but at least respect the basic rules of spelling and grammar. Most e-mail programs have a spell-checker option. Use it.

Tip: For better readability, break your e-mail into short one, two or three sentence paragraphs with a blank line between paragraphs (i.e. double hard-return).

DO… Watch out for ‘comment rage’
Many an comments have been composed and sent when a person was in an angry or upset state (referred to as ‘flaming’). Many people have lived to regret these indiscretions in the cold sober light of the next hour, or the next day. Remember, whenever the ‘Send’ button has been clicked, your comment is gone.

Tip: When you compose a comments while in an upset state, it is always a good idea to save it as a draft for an hour or two and then read it over carefully at least once before sending it, just to make sure you are communicating what you really want to, in a clear and respectful way.

DON’T… Think that comments are instantaneous

Believe it or not; comments is not as reliable as a telephone call when it comes to timely communication!

The Internet is a loosely connected network of computers and telecommunications equipment owned, operated and managed by many independent companies, institutions and government organisations.

DON’T… Forget to check your WordPress/Bog comments regularly.

There is nothing more frustrating than sending a comment to someone and then having them tell you on the telephone a week later that they haven’t seen your message because the last time they checked their comments was a week ago!

If you want people to take your comments seriously, make sure that you take theirs seriously too.
The bottom line to all of this is simple. Remember that comments is just another form of interpersonal communication. People deserve the same amount of respect and civility as you would give them in a telephone call or a regular letter.

Rev 3:14-22

“And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:  ”I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.  So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.  To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ‘ “

Many Bible schools, churches, preachers, evangelists, ministries, and missionaries seem to believe that the church age we are currently living in is the best ever. The Gospel is going out to the world through television, regular and short wave radio, missionaries, and by other means. The Gospel has been published in most languages of the world. Yet, the Bible proclaims clearly that this is the worst church there has ever been. But then God’s Word also tells us that the wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked church of today does not know these things. In other words, the churches of today believe they are just the opposite of their true condition. They believe they are the best, yet are in reality the worst. Some churches and ministries are sometimes proclaiming they have won tens of thousands, or even millions of people to Christ. However, when the people they claim to have won are examined by their fruits, there is no evidence that the person truly repented. There is no evidence that Jesus is their Lord and Saviour. There is no evidence they are obeying God’s Word or are following the Jesus of the Bible. Both their conversation and actions are centred on this world, not on Jesus and the world to come.

For the most part, the salvation message of this generation is to simply say a prayer. Once that prayer is said, then the person is eternally saved no matter what they may or may not do. The message of true repentance, true trust in Jesus Christ, forsaking everything, persecutions, God’s wrath, hell and the lake of fire, sin, the Revelation and Daniel, Bible prophecy, and good sound Bible doctrine is seldom heard in today’s churches. Most of today’s churches are storytelling, fun- filled, prosperity-seeking institutions that hear of God’s love, but despise and get angry when biblical correction comes forth. It is a church age that claims that they know God, but in both fruits and works, they deny Him. The lukewarm, Laodicean church is the one that will be spit out. It is the church that will be left behind when the Rapture comes. As very few were saved in the days of Noah, in like manner, very few are truly saved today. When the Rapture comes, only a few will be taken.

Regarding America and the more developed countries, it is a church age where men may sit in church on Sunday and then go home and click on the internet searching for pornography. It is a church age in which people claim they are saved, but have a cigarette or drugs in one hand and a beer in another. They are full of anger, they hate people, and seldom read their Bibles or pray. They are a people that claim to be Christian, but have no understanding of God’s truth. They do not or cannot examine themselves truthfully by God’s Word to see if they are truly in the faith-ref 2 Cor 13:5.

The question needs to be asked—are you one of them?

1 – The Seventh Church – Laodicea (Commentary)

Laodicea means “human rights” or “the rights of the people.” Thus, this was a church governed by the will of the people, rather than the will of God.

Laodicea was located on a trade route, about forty miles south east of Philadelphia in the country known, today, as Turkey. Supposedly, it was named after Laodice, the wife of the Seleucid monarch, Antiochus II. It was a large, fortified city, constructed during the middle of the third century B.C. Laodicea produced a fine black wool from the local sheep. It boasted a medical school, which produced a well-known eye medicine, called “Phrygian powder.” (Laodicea was the capital of Phrygia.) Water was brought in by a special, approximately six mile long aqueduct system from nearby cities. Sunlight heated the water to lukewarm. The city was reportedly destroyed by an earthquake, about 34 years prior to John writing this letter but was rebuilt. It had become a Christian city. Paul was very concerned over this church; as it is written, Col 2:1 ” For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have…for them at Laodicea”. It may be said that Paul was very concerned about their spiritual condition.

The city was later destroyed by the Moslems, during the Middle Ages, and abandoned; its desolate ruins remain today. These ruins apparently reveal a wealthy financial and commercial centre with temples and theatres. Luxury and pride would seem to go hand in hand with such things.

2 – Summary of the Laodicean Church

There are eleven bad things and no good things mentioned of the Laodicean church in Rev 3:14-22. It seems this church has forgotten that Jesus is the ultimate Authority, He is true, and He is the true Judge. They have forgotten that He is faithful, He is God Almighty, and He created all things.

It is the most heavily rebuked and deceived church in the history of the church age; however, it sees itself as “the best.” It is the only church of the seven in which the entire church will be spit out (rejected).

This church is described as lukewarm, indifferent, not concerned with right and wrong, or with good and evil. They take a neutral position: one of “live and let live; don’t rock the boat; and don’t cause waves.” They are trying to serve two masters—God and self (or the world). They are positive they are right. At best, their understanding of God’s Word, obedience, sin, repentance, and the fruits of the Spirit, is only lukewarm.

It is the worst of all the seven churches, yet the most confident. They claim they are rich, increased with goods, and have need of nothing; however, God judges them to be wretched, which is the result of having no faith or faith like a wave. It comes from a lack of truth, sound doctrine, and understanding. They are miserable, tossed about with all kinds of incorrect doctrines, which come in like the wind from every direction. They are poor in wisdom, in knowledge, in faith, and in the Word of God. They are not zealous for the truth, but are blind to their true condition and to Satan’s schemes. They think their condition is just the opposite of what it really is. They gather around themselves teachers that say what their selfishness, emotions, and deceived hearts want to hear. They are shamefully naked. They do not have on the white garments of righteousness, but are clothed with the black wool of deceit, which is no clothing at all. This church is shown to be naked, but they do not know these things. They are positive they are saved, but are positively wrong. “The Fool Rageth, and is confident.” Prov 14:16. One of the most appalling aspects of this church is, they are totally ignorant of all these things. They are unaware of their true spiritual condition. They are, sometimes, willingly ignorant. They are sometimes so deceived and blind that they do not even recognize that the letter to the church of the Laodiceans is actually a letter to them. As a result, they do not seek to change or repent. It may be said, these are people that go to church, sing spiritual songs, pray to God, and then Monday through Saturday live as if Jesus does not exist. They behave as if they will never have to face the judgement.

Laodiceans are told to buy of Jesus gold that is refined by the fire. They are told to anoint their eyes with ointment, so they can see their true spiritual condition as God sees it. The Lord appears to be admonishing them to be zealous for the things of God—wisdom, knowledge, and truth—and to hate every evil way. He is telling them to repent.

Jesus is shown outside the door of this church, not inside. He is depicted as knocking on the door of the church and on the individual’s heart, but the Laodiceans do not want to let Him in. They do not want to be shown they are wrong and will perish. They do not want to see their true blind and wretched condition. They do not want correction or truth. Often, ministers, churches, and ministries focus more on getting money and more people, rather than on humbleness, brokenness, and good sound doctrine.

This is a description of the last church—the worst of all, in which the entire church is described as being spit out (or perishing). This is a description of the most confident church of them all, yet it is the most deceived church that has ever existed; however, they do not know or understand it. This is the description of today’s church. The verses on the Laodicean church are in perfect harmony with many other verses that tell how the times would be, leading up to the Tribulation.

We would all do well to heed the words of Jesus: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” Rev 3:22.

3 – Today’s Church

This is the church age from which the Antichrist will emerge. It is the church age Paul talked about that would not endure sound doctrine, but would gather around them teachers that would say what their ITCHING EARS wanted and desired to hear – 2 Tim 4:3. Jesus was asked about the sign of His coming. The first thing He said was, “Take heed that no man deceive you.” Matt 24:4; Mark 13:5; Luke 21:8. Before Jesus warned about wars and rumors of wars; before He related about famines, earthquakes, and diseases; before He told about the Gospel being published among all nations, He warned about the age of religious deception that would come. This is that church age. In the history of the seven churches, there has never been a church age so filled with deceptive doctrines and ideas, yet so totally ignorant of its true condition. In the church of Sardis (the “dead” church), there were a FEW NAMES that had not defiled their garments- Rev 3:4. However, in the Laodicean church age, there does not appear to be even a “few” that are not blind and naked.

This is very much in harmony with the Scriptures relating to the coming of the Lord being as in the days of Noah, wherein FEW souls were saved. Despite the overwhelming witness of God’s Word, regarding this church, they are in total ignorance of the truth, often preaching just the opposite.

Today’s church is full of deception; it will perish. However, there are well-known Bible teachers who think that more than fifty percent of Americans are born-again.

It is a church where people are entertained and made to feel good, instead of falling upon their knees in godly sorrow for sin. It is a church age for laughing rather than for crying. It is a church age of saying a sinner’s prayer and believing a person is saved, even though afterward there is absolutely no evidence of repentance, the fruits of the Spirit, doing the will of God, or the fruits of the works of God. In some cases, the preachers know these things, but will not tell their congregations the truth. Some are afraid that people might leave their church and go elsewhere. They love the praise of men more than the praise of God. Having lots of unsaved or lukewarm people means more to them than having a few hot, spiritual people.

It is a church that finds time to do all manner of things, but does not find time to humbly dwell in and study God’s Word as if their life depended on it.

It is the church age when thousands of Christian preachers may preside daily over funerals declaring that the deceased person is now in heaven—when, in reality, he is screaming, tormented in the flames of hell. When have you ever heard a preacher say at a funeral that the deceased person went to hell? The Bible clearly shows that only a few are truly saved by the grace of God; however, if one would listen to the preachers at funerals, it would seem that everyone goes to heaven.

The preaching, in many of today’s churches, consists of foolishness, jokes, storytelling, and teaching what pleases people, rather than God’s pure Word. They do not usually preach that THE THOUGHT OF FOOLISHNESS IS SIN – Prov 24:9. Some of America’s best comedians are behind the pulpits. Should a preacher, who gets the congregation laughing with jokes, then expect people to fall on their faces before God with conviction for sin and with tears of repentance? Is this the way Jesus preached? Did Jesus try to comfort those that came to hear Him with jokes, foolishness, or other antics to cause them to laugh?

The preaching, in many of today’s churches, consists of reading a few Bible verses; then the preacher talks about himself, his family, and other incidents that relate to the verses. The people learn very little about Jesus. They learn very little of the WORD OF GOD and of comparing the Word with the Word. On the other hand, they learn a great deal about the preacher, his children, his wife, his friends, things he has done, and so on. What a blind church age, when we teach what other people and other books say, but we ignore what God says in His Word! The milk of the Word is diluted with lots of water. They preach watered-down milk. A baby that receives only one part of milk, mixed with ten parts of water, will eventually die. The born-again Christian needs and desires the PURE SPIRITUAL MILK-1 Pet 2:2 NIV, that is not watered-down with other things. It is not man, but the Holy Spirit that opens a person’s heart to understand. So few seem to realize this. It is a church age where God’s Word is proclaiming, PREACH THE WORD-2 Tim 4:2. Jesus (the Word) is outside the church knocking, yet who has ears to hear?

What a blind church age it is! Jesus is about to return; many biblical signs testify to this fact. Nevertheless, many churches will not teach Bible prophecy. Even though much of the Bible pertains to prophecy, it is often ignored. Many churches teach on love, but exhibit no love toward other born-again people outside of their own local church. Many churches think they can see how blind other churches are, but fail to see how blind they themselves are.

Many Bible schools and churches teach this way; afterward, they wipe their mouth and say, “I have done no wrong.” In their blindness, they fulfill the Laodicean prophecies.

It is very common, in America, to find church members that say they follow Christ, but are involved in every sort of sin imaginable. Many of these same people hold positions of authority. They may oversee the church’s business affairs, including the hiring and dismissing of pastors, yet they, themselves, are spiritually dead and ignorant of God’s Word. The church has been infected with leaven (false doctrine), which has grown like a cancer, reaching to the very core. The entire church is infected and sick, but does not know it.

In today’s church, some missionaries think that many in Africa shall be raptured; it is estimated that eighty percent of the African couples that are living together are not even married, when viewed in light of God’s Word. Some just move in together. Others may pay part of a dowry, or say they will pay it, and then set up housekeeping and have children. They live in fornication, yet believe they are married. (Marriage customs vary somewhat from nation to nation, or from tribe to tribe.) Many of these are professing Christian preachers. Many other “so-called” Christian preachers have several wives. In addition, many of the churches are divided against each other; bickering has led to further splits and even hatred.

In India, the woman or parents of the woman may pay for her husband, which is very contrary to the Bible. This practice instills a concept completely foreign to God’s Word. It was Jesus Who gave His life for His bride. We love Him, because He first loved us. He gave His life for us. Often in India, when payment is not made, the husband may beat or kill his wife. Many Christian pastors in India and Africa are afraid to take a stand for what is right in the eyes of God’s Word, as they would be going against the traditions of the people. By doing this, they might suffer further persecutions. Many American missionaries that go to these places are either ignorant of these things, or they choose to ignore them. In addition, some American missionaries bring false doctrines and deceptions of the Laodicean age with them to the mission field and further deceive the people. It is wrong for Christians to partake of traditions that oppose the Word of God. It is also wrong for Christian pastors to permit these practices among the flock of which they have the oversight. To do so is sin and only serves to perpetuate the “leaven.”

Murder, stealing, drugs, fornication, adultery, homosexuality, abortions, greed, materialism, swearing, hatred, and every manner of sin conceivable exists in America. Nevertheless, many of the unrepentant people that do these things attend church on Sunday as if they have done no wrong. At church, however, they seldom hear preaching against sin; they seldom hear the word “repent.”

In many of the churches throughout the world, people sing, and sing, and sing, but know little of what God’s Word has to say. They know the words to many songs, but know little about Bible doctrine. It is very common, in some countries, to find pastors that may pray for hours a day, but spend only a few minutes reading God’s Word. They pray to a God they know very little about. Around the world, the church is in great blindness and is not aware of it. This is part of what Jesus prophesied would happen; it has come to pass. As birth pangs of a woman, it will continue to get worse until, finally, the trumpet sounds and Jesus calls those few faithful, fruit-bearing Christians home. The Laodicean Christians of this generation will be rejected (spit out) and left behind: most will continually refuse to believe this until it is too late.

The truth of much of God’s Word (Jesus) has been abandoned and rejected by this church age. As Jesus is seen standing outside of His church knocking on the door, so the Laodiceans will be left out of heaven, except they repent. Can you clearly see these things? Very few can. Consider “Ephaphras…a servant of Christ…he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in LAODICEA.“ Col 4:12-13.

4 – Spiritual Warfare

As we carefully study the seven churches, we note that Satan has tried bringing great persecutions in the past; these did not destroy the church.

Satan has tried using less persecutions and more false doctrine mixed with the truth; this worked more effectively.

Satan is using prosperity, selfishness, false doctrine, and lukewarm preaching mixed with the truth; this has almost destroyed the church. This is the Laodicean church.

It needs to be repeated that there is not one good thing mentioned about the Laodicean church from the words of Jesus.

Information on the Laodicean church (Rev 3:14-22):

- A Lukewarm Church that will be spit out

- The approximate period represented is from 1948 to the Rapture
(many others believe the time is from 1917 to the Rapture)

- Three descriptions of Jesus

- No good things

- Eleven bad things

- One warning

- Four items of advice on what to do and why

- Six reasons to follow God’s advice

- Two items of what Jesus is doing

- Two “ifs”

- Three promises

- One reward

Rev 3:14. And unto the Angel of the Church of the LAODICEANS write. Once again, John is told to write. These things saith (or are the words of). Next the subject turns to Jesus. The verse addresses Him as,

5 – Descriptions of Jesus

1. THE AMEN.
2. THE FAITHFUL AND TRUE WITNESS.
3. THE BEGINNING OF THE CREATION OF GOD.

As with the other six churches, the descriptions of Jesus tell something about this particular church age. These descriptions often convey a message to the church of things that may be lacking or have been forgotten. The “AMEN” means, “so be it, it is true.” This is reminding the church that Jesus is sovereign, He is true, He is everything. Jesus is the final Word, the true Judge, and the ultimate Authority. He is God Almighty. This “truth” has been largely rejected in the Laodicean church age.

Jesus is the “Faithful and True Witness.” “Let God be true, but every man a Liar” Rom 3:4. The church is being reminded that Jesus is faithful. Jesus is the true Witness. His Word is true. The church of the Laodiceans have forgotten this. Jesus presents Himself in this manner, as what He is about to say will conflict with the opinions that they have of themselves. Jesus is showing that what He will say is true, and what they say and think is wrong. This “truth” has also been largely rejected by the Laodicean church age.

The church is being reminded that Jesus is the “Beginning of the creation of God”-Rev 3:14. Some forget the words, “For by Him were all things CREATED“-Col 1:16; “God, who created all things by Jesus Christ” Eph 3:9. Satan’s deceptive theory of evolution is now widely accepted as truth, and the truth that God created all things has been laid aside, rejected by much of the Laodicean church age.

Rev 3:15. This verse begins with a series of words that are repeated in each of the churches—I KNOW THY WORKS (or deeds). This is addressed to the church, in general, as well as the individual. God knows the works of His people, things done both in the open and in secret. If this would be counted as a good point, then one good point would be listed for this church; however, the description of the works of this church are all unacceptable. Jesus is showing, clearly, no good or acceptable works come forth from this church.

6 – Good Things

None.

7 – Bad Things

1) THAT THOU ART NEITHER COLD NOR HOT. Then Jesus makes a comment,
I WOULD THOU WERT COLD OR HOT (I wish you were either one or the other!-NIV). If a person is cold, he can sometimes be reached for Jesus. On the other hand, Jesus would prefer that His servants were “hot.”

Rev 3:16
2) SO THEN BECAUSE THOU ART LUKEWARM, AND NEITHER COLD NOR HOT. Consider the nature of something lukewarm. A cup of cold water can be very satisfying-ref Matt 10:42. A cup of hot tea or some other beverage can also be very satisfying and taste delicious. But a cup of lukewarm water or lukewarm tea can be very unappealing; it may taste so bad, a person may want to spit it out. This describes the Laodicean church age.

It was the cold, spiritual atmosphere of the church in England that motivated John Wesley to begin his own meetings. It was the coldness of the Methodist Church that caused William Booth to become “on fire” for the Lord. God wants His people to be “hot” in knowledge and in zeal for Him. However, if this is not the case, then He would prefer them to be cold. When one is cold, it is clear-cut; this distinction can eventually lead some to want to be hot. However, the lukewarm often do not recognize their condition or seek to change as the cold do. They are deceived, but confident they will not perish and are usually comfortable in the world.

Many of today’s churches, in America, are a type of social club. They have committees, lots of programs, recreation areas, entertainment, paid singers, and comedians. There are many things to lure a person in and to please the carnal nature and flesh. Soulwinning is like a business. There are many types of crusades and “revivals”; however, few generate true conviction for sin, where people are driven to their knees, confessing their sins, denying themselves, and crying out in brokenness over their wickedness. Revivals, in this lukewarm generation, seldom spark desire within one to be so hungry for Jesus that he turns off the TV and sets aside other activities to spend hours a day studying God’s Word and humbly seeking Him in prayer. And if one does come to Jesus, he may be quickly “cooled off,” as he is surrounded by his friends, relatives, local churches, radio and television preachers, who may bring forth a lukewarm message of compromise, deceit, and truth intermixed. The, perhaps, “one out of a thousand preachers” that he might hear, who brings forth sound doctrine, is often quickly discredited by everyone around him. Thus, lukewarm becomes the accepted way of truth, and sound doctrine is viewed as the way of deceit in the seventh and last church age. Whether it is the large cathedral, or the small church with a grass roof, or the hidden house church—lukewarm is the church of this generation. Many have pride in the fact that they have a new building, or more people, or more children. Others have pride that they have gotten many to say a sinner’s prayer, even though, afterwards, not one may have shown any evidence of denying himself, taking up his CROSS DAILY, and following Jesus-ref Luke 9:23.

Today’s church seems to think that more finances and things to attract the carnal nature will convert the world. True conversion comes through the work of the Holy Spirit. The Laodicean church is centered on “self” rather than on Jesus. It lures with promises of miracles, healings, prosperity, good times, fellowship, and friends.

The Laodicean church seldom tells people that if they decide to follow Jesus, the biblical way, they can expect problems, persecutions, the loss of their friends, ridicule, false accusations, their name dragged through the mud, and their families to forsake them. They are not told that they may get very sick, enduring much pain and anguish. They are not informed how Satan will tempt them, or that they could lose everything they possess. They are unaware that many of the traditions that they are following—of their church, country, tribe, etc.—are an abomination to God. They are seldom told, by any preacher, how blind and wretched this Laodicean church age is.

Of the few, true Christians that do exist, no matter what they go through, Jesus will be with them.

Jesus described the Laodicean church as lukewarm. The lukewarm are confident they are correct and righteous. Their confidence is so deeply rooted that it is nearly impossible to reach them with the truth. Luke warmness comes from mixing both hot and cold. They are not cold toward the things of God, but neither are they hot. They are content, apathetic, indifferent. They are not truly concerned with what is right and wrong or what is good and evil. Within the Laodicean church is the prevailing attitude of “live and let live; don’t rock the boat; don’t cause waves; it will all turn out O.K.” They are taking a neutral position. They are trying to serve God, but are also trying to please men. They are serving two masters and justify their position. They are serving God, and they are serving “self.” They are serving God, and they are serving the world. This is totally unacceptable with God. Remember, the name “Laodicea” means “the rights of the people.” Their knowledge and understanding of God, His Word, and of these things is, at best, only lukewarm. Their obedience, love, fruits of the Spirit, and works are, at best, only lukewarm. Their daily conversation may be centred on both the things of the world and the things of God. They are like a wave. They are carnal and have not denied themselves. They are not fully following Jesus, though they are usually sure they are. Jesus is in their life, but He is not the centre of their life. Their life revolves around things of the world and worldly circumstances; Jesus is only a part. They have need of milk (basic doctrines) and not meat (perfection). They are not ready for the doctrine of perfection and holiness. Their thoughts are divided between Jesus and the things of the world. Laodiceans want to maintain a level of control over their lives; they will trust Jesus only to a point. They do not have the understanding that Jesus is in control when very difficult situations come against them; their knowledge is lukewarm.

At best, their understanding of who is saved, by the grace of God, and who is not saved is only lukewarm. It may be said, they do not fully comprehend the strait gate and narrow way.

Their teaching may consist of some sound doctrine mixed with confusion, false doctrine, deceit, doctrines of men and denominations, new fads, or other distortions of Scripture that come along.

They may have a great church complex, a magnificent choir, large attendance, much money coming in, a vast radio and television ministry, an extensive mailing list reaching multitudes with a monthly magazine, and many letters and telephone calls coming in. They may be claiming to have won many souls, but if the message being proclaimed is only lukewarm, then that is all they are.

The following should be considered. Sound doctrine is disappearing; most people will not tolerate it. One might ask, “What would happen if sound doctrine was being taught?” The answer is found in the Scriptures. In the days of the apostles, sound doctrine was being taught in Laodicea; however, it was rejected. The Laodicean church was only lukewarm; this is unacceptable to God.

For those who may wonder if lukewarm is really so bad, Jesus gives the following warning.

8 – Warning

1) I WILL SPEW (or spit) THEE OUT OF MY MOUTH. The entire Laodicean church will be spit out and perish. There will be such a small number from this church that will repent, not even the word “few” is used as it was in the “dead” church of Sardis. The lukewarm will not be taken when the Rapture comes.

9 – Bad Things

(Continued)

Rev 3:17.
3) BECAUSE THOU SAYEST (or because you say), I AM RICH. Laodicea was prosperous, and the church had taken the same attitude. This church considered itself rich and increased with goods. Indeed, throughout much of the world today, there are large, beautiful church buildings. Even in poorer countries that do not have these nice facilities, many believe the success of their ministry depends upon getting financial help from abroad, rather than trusting in Jesus and waiting upon Him. Jesus is showing the focus of this church and what they are saying is wrong.

4) The church also is saying, I AM…INCREASED WITH GOODS (or I have acquired wealth). So much emphasis is placed upon prosperity.

5) AND HAVE NEED OF NOTHING. They are centered on “self.” They are satisfied. They are content.

Laodicea is a proud church that sees itself as a good and spiritually sound institution with no needs. In many countries, the Laodicean churches seemingly prosper in their organization, in material assets, in university degrees, in attendance, in offerings, in paid staff, and in volunteer workers. Never in church history has there been so many Bible schools and universities. Never has the church owned so much property; spent so much money; had so many books, programs, guest speakers, radio and television ministries; broadcasted on short-wave radio around the entire world; had so much material wealth, yet been so spiritually bankrupt. In Rev 3:20, the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, stands outside knocking at the door.

This is today’s church, the most deceived of all seven. It is filled with all sorts of half truths and distorted doctrines. It sees itself totally different than what it really is. It is so blind and deceived, it does not even understand that these passages, in Rev 3:14-22, are written directly to them. These passages are for all of us, right now.

6) AND KNOWEST NOT THAT THOU ART (or you do not realize) (or you don’t know that you are the one who is- John 1:21). Jesus is showing this church believes what they are saying, yet there are things they do not know. Jesus is showing that they are not in the light as they think they are, but are in darkness, unable to see their true condition. This church is portrayed as having a terminal illness, yet are unaware of it. They do not understand they are going to die and perish. They are completely deceived. Jesus continues by revealing what the true condition of this church is. It is,

7. WRETCHED
8. AND MISERABLE (or pitiful)
9. AND POOR
10. AND BLIND
11. AND NAKED

Jesus is showing that this is the worst church, yet they are the most confident. The condition of this church is a reflection of the Bible schools, and what is being preached from the pulpits, and what is being taught by the missionaries, and what is in the people’s hearts.

They are “wretched,” but they do not know it. Being wretched comes from no faith, lukewarm faith, or faith like a wave. It comes from a lack of truth and understanding. It comes from being taught a form of the milk of God’s Word, which is so diluted by other things mixed in with it, that people are no longer standing upon the Rock of truth. People are standing upon truth and deceit mixed together. This is a church that hears lukewarm preaching and comes away empty and unfulfilled, yet is in such darkness that it is content; it does not even know it is wretched. This word appears only one other time in the New Testament. It is in Rom 7:24, where Paul describes himself, by saying, “O WRETCHED MAN THAT I AM.” Unlike Paul, the Laodicean church cannot recognize its condition.

They are “miserable” (or pitiful), but do not know it. This is the result of being wretched—they are tossed about with all kinds of doctrines that come in like the wind from all directions. The truth has been set aside to please people’s flesh. The popularity or charisma of the preacher often replaces the appeal of Jesus, which is the Word of God.

They are “poor,” but do not know it. They are poor in wisdom, in knowledge, in faith, and in understanding the Word of God. They are not zealous for the truth.

They are “blind,” but they do not know it. They are blind regarding God’s Word, in salvation, in repentance, in discerning fruit, in who is saved, in understanding what Satan is doing, and in recognizing the falling away that is happening and has already happened. Many preach revival is coming, which is just the opposite of falling. Their guard against the schemes of the devil is down, when it should be up. They think they can stamp Satan under their feet, when, in reality, Satan is stamping them under his feet, and they do not know it. They are trying to see the great moves of God and are not understanding the moves of the adversary. They call deceit, truth and truth, deceit. In these things they are blind, which means they do not see or understand these things. Yet they are positive their condition is rich and increased with goods—they think they need nothing. Many preachers also think they are rich in knowledge, as they proudly display their college degrees on the wall of their office and have shelves filled with hundreds of books “about” the Bible. Their large church, or the many churches that are under their control, or their vast ministry seems to testify that they are spiritually in the light. Yet God’s Word said that this church is blind. They teach the gifts of the Spirit, but do not teach or demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit. God’s Word teaches water baptism by full immersion (Rom 6:4; Col 2:12), and Jesus’ disciples spent much time baptizing people; yet some of today’s churches teach against water baptism. Others argue that sprinkling baptism is the right way, and some baptize in the name of Jesus only. However, Jesus taught, clearly, BAPTIZING THEM IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY GHOST: TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE (or obey) ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER I HAVE COMMANDED YOU – Matt 28:19-20. Many do not even teach that we are to obey God’s Word and keep His commandments. They teach about the love of God, but do not teach that the evidence of a person’s love for God is demonstrated by, “If ye love “Me,” Keep my Commandments.” John 14:15.

They are “naked” and do not know it. Nakedness reveals a person’s condition. They are exposed. They have no clothing on. Their condition is shameful. They think they are covered by grace but are not. Spiritual nakedness denotes no covering. It illustrates that they are not covered with God’s Word, with wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. They are not covered with the blood of Jesus by true faith that is evidenced by what they do. As it is written, “Faith without works (or actions) is Dead” James 2:20. Their covering is deceit. They know not that they are naked and are lukewarm. They know not that they shall perish.

This church may think highly of itself, but its wretched condition is naked before God.

10 – Advice On What To Do

Rev 3:18. I COUNSEL THEE (or My advice to you is-JNT122)

1. TO BUY OF ME GOLD TRIED (or refined) IN THE FIRE. The Laodicean church has gold, but it is the wrong kind. The purchase of the gold must come from Jesus. This is not regular gold but refined gold (Jesus, the Word of God). This is the righteousness that comes from faith.

2. AND ANOINT (or rub) THINE EYES WITH EYESALVE. Because this church is spiritually blind, they are being admonished to use eye salve, so their blindness might be cured. They do not have correct spiritual discernment. Their understanding of their condition is opposite of the truth. This would indicate that Satan’s deceptions in this church are great, which explains why Jesus said, TAKE HEED THAT NO MAN DECEIVE YOU – Matt 24:4. This church did not love truth.

3:19.
3. BE ZEALOUS (or be earnest) (or exert yourselves-JNT123) THEREFORE,
4. AND REPENT (or turn from your sins).

The message is clear to this church. First, believe all of God’s Word. Believe what He is saying to this church. Then follow what Jesus said to do. Obey the Gospel. Put on eye salve that you may see and understand. Be zealous and repent.

11 – Reasons to Follow God’s Advice

Rev 3:18
1. THAT THOU MAYEST BE RICH. The richness here is not earthly wealth, but is the richness that comes from faith. Through faith we overcome and inherit all things. The second church, Myrna, had much poverty in the world, but they were RICH-Rev 2:9. The Laodicean church has worldly riches but lukewarm faith. It is written, WHEN THE SON OF MAN COMETH, SHALL HE FIND FAITH ON THE EARTH?-Luke 18:8.

2. AND WHITE RAIMENT (or white clothes to wear). The white raiment is the righteousness of the saints, which is received through faith in Jesus Christ. The Laodicean church is not clothed with white raiment. Any clothing other than this white raiment, only results in nakedness.

3. THAT THOU MAYEST BE CLOTHED (or may be dressed).

4. AND THAT THE SHAME OF THY NAKEDNESS DO NOT APPEAR (or so you can cover your shameful nakedness-NIV). This church is naked; it has no clothing on. It is clothed with deceit, which is no clothing at all. The nakedness of this church is clear only to a few in this generation. It is shameful.

5. THAT THOU MAYEST SEE (or so you can see). Only through anointing the eyes with eyesalve, can one hope to see and understand one’s condition. The Bible says to examine ourselves. This is done by denying ourselves and humbly and honestly looking at ourselves in light of “all” of God’s Word.

Rev 3:19.
6. AS MANY AS I LOVE (or those whom I love), I REBUKE AND CHASTEN (or discipline). Because of Jesus’ love, He will rebuke and chasten that we might not perish. Thus, we are admonished to “be zealous therefore and repent.”

If a Lukewarm Christian will not obey God’s warning, he is without hope. He shall not be taken in the Rapture. He shall perish. Only a few will heed God’s warning, for the prophecy must be fulfilled.

12 – What Jesus is Doing

Rev 3:20. The invitation that Jesus offers may apply to any person; however, here, it is an invitation given to the Laodicean church and to the individual that believes on Jesus Christ but is only lukewarm.

1. BEHOLD, I STAND AT THE DOOR. A church is an assembly of believers. Individuals make up the church. Jesus is illustrating a very sad picture of the Laodicean church. He is standing outside of “His” church, not inside. It is the people’s church. Laodicea means “human rights” or “the rights of the people.” They do not want to let Jesus (the Word) rule over them. They want to rule themselves. This church is described, outwardly, as being prosperous and having many goods, yet Jesus is on the outside, not on the inside.

It is incredible that this church is completely ignorant of its true condition. Thousands of churches are on radio and television. They send out missionaries around the world. They preach Jesus, but He is on the outside. They do not understand this. Multitudes write books about the Bible and their own life’s experiences with God, but Jesus is still on the outside, knocking on the door, saying, “Let Me in.” They do not understand. As they will not let Jesus in, neither will He let them in at the judgment.

Churches sing and sing about Jesus and worship Him. They are involved in all sorts of Christian service. A person may ask, “How, then, can Jesus be on the outside of the church?” The answer can be summed up in this way—self and worldliness.

Following Rev 3:22, there should be a message from God’s Word to consider on this subject.

2. AND KNOCK (or here, I’m standing at the door, knocking-JNT124). Jesus is knocking on the door of “His” church. The people inside are, undoubtedly, singing about Jesus; they may even be worshiping and praying to Him. Nevertheless, Jesus may not be in their hearts. God’s Word has not found a place in them to dwell and grow.
Yet Jesus continues to knock. He knocks on the door of people’s hearts, as if to say, “Let Me in.”

1. IF ANY MAN HEAR MY VOICE. Jesus is talking to the individual.

2. AND OPEN THE DOOR. To the individual that will hear the voice of Jesus and open the door of his heart, Jesus promises,

13 – Promises

1. I WILL COME IN TO HIM,
2. AND WILL SUP (or eat) WITH HIM,
3. AND HE (will)

WITH ME. The door cannot be opened by Jesus, but must be opened by the one that hears His voice. He that hears and understands God’s Word must respond by opening his heart to Jesus. To this person that responds, these promises are given.

14 – Rewards

Rev 3:21 TO HIM THAT OVERCOMETH (or him who wins the victory-JNT123). We overcome by walking in faith. To him that overcomes being luke warm, the “not knowing” his true condition, the riches and needing nothing, and obeys the advice of Jesus. The verse continues, to him that overcomes,

1. WILL I GRANT (or give the right) TO SIT WITH ME IN MY THRONE, EVEN (or just) AS I ALSO OVERCAME, AND AM SET DOWN WITH MY FATHER IN HIS THRONE. Jesus is currently sitting at the right hand of God the Father. However, during the Millennium, Jesus will sit upon His own throne. We are to overcome, even as Jesus overcame; to those that do, the promise is given them to sit with Jesus in His throne.

Rev 3:22 HE THAT HATH AN EAR (or those who have ears), LET HIM HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT SAITH (or is saying) UNTO THE CHURCHES. Note the words of Rev 22:16: I JESUS HAVE SENT MINE ANGEL TO TESTIFY UNTO YOU THESE THINGS IN THE CHURCHES.

There are many lukewarm, blind churches that will not teach these things in this Laodicean church age.

15 – Prophecies Concerning the Church of Today

The Last Church Age would be neither hot or cold, but lukewarm.
The Last Church Age would say they are rich.
The Last Church Age would say they are increased with goods.
The Last Church Age would say they have need of nothing.
The Last Church Age would be wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.
The Last Church Age would not know they are wretched.
The Last Church Age would not know they are miserable.
The Last Church Age would not know they are poor.
The Last Church Age would not know they are blind.
The Last Church Age would not know they are naked.
The Last Church Age would be asleep.
The Last Church Age would abound with deception or false teaching.
The Last Church Age would have false prophets.
The Last Church Age would not teach sound doctrine.
The Last Church Age would teach what people want to hear.
The Last Church Age will turn away from the truth.
The Last Church Age would teach stories that are not in the Bible.
The Last Church Age, many preachers would not be following God.
The Last Church Age, many would not be warning about Jesus returning to rapture His people.
The Last Church Age, God’s ways and Word would be corrupted throughout the earth.
The Last Church Age would bring forth teachings of seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.

Without any question, the condition of the church before the Rapture reflects no revival. Instead, what is portrayed is a deceived church that does not know or understand its true blind and wretched condition.

16 – False Christs and False Prophets Before the Rapture

Many will come professing to be Christ.
The false Christ’s shall deceive many.
Many false prophets shall come.
The false prophets shall deceive many.
The false Christ’s and false prophets shall show great signs, wonders, and miracles.

Without any question, these Scriptures reflect no revival, but rather deception.

17 – How People’s Reaction to God’s Word would be Before the Rapture

People would be ever learning but not able to understand the truth.
People would be willingly ignorant of the truth.
People would resist the truth.
These would be depraved, unprincipled, of corrupt minds.
People would not receive the love of the truth.
People would not endure sound doctrine.
People would turn away from God’s Word and follow things that are untrue.
People would forget that the world was destroyed by water.
People would gather around themselves teachers to say what they want to hear.

Without any question, these Scriptures reflect no revival. Instead, we see people resisting the truth, not enduring sound doctrine, and gathering around themselves preachers and teachers to say what they want to hear.

18 – People Would be Leaving the Faith – Falling Away

Some would forsake the faith of Jesus Christ.
Some would fall away from the faith of Jesus Christ.
Some servants of God would begin to smite their fellow servants.
Some servants of God would begin to eat and drink with the drunken.

Without any question, these Scriptures reflect no revival. Rather they reflect the opposite of revival—that of falling away from God’s Word. What is the opposite of falling away? It is revival. Could it be that Satan is concealing the truth of falling away with the lie of revival? Is it possible he has been so skillful at doing this that even some of the most respected Bible teachers have been deceived in this matter?

19 – False Forms of Worship

Some that follow Jesus would turn and follow devils.
Some would worship devils.
Some would worship the work of their hands.
Some would worship idols of gold.
Some would worship idols of silver.
Some would worship idols of brass.
Some would worship idols of stone.
Some would worship idols of wood.

Without any question, these Scriptures reflect no revival, but rather people being greatly deceived.

20 – Speaking Against God

Ungodly sinners would speak against God.
Definitely no revival indicated here.

21 – Sin and Evil, How the People Would Be – Speaking Against God

People would be ungodly and doing ungodly deeds.
People would be unholy.
Women would be laden with sins.
The world would be increasingly evil.
Sin shall abound and increase.
The wickedness of the people would be great.
The transgressors or people’s wickedness would come to the full.

Without any question, these Scriptures reflect no revival. These show people becoming more and more sinful. All one has to do is compare how people were 40 years ago with how they are today, and these Scriptures are proven to be very true.

22 – How the People Would Be Overall

People would not love God as much as pleasures.
People would have an outer form of godliness but denying Jesus.
People would be scoffers or mockers regarding the return of Jesus.
People would be questioning the promise of the coming of Jesus Christ.
Some of God’s people would say, “My Lord delays His coming.”
Very few people would be following God’s ways and be saved.

Without any question, there is no evidence of revival here.

23 – How the Clergy Would Be

Clergy would be lying.
Clergy would be committing adultery.
Clergy would be strengthening those who do evil, so that they do not repent.
Clergy would be saying, “I have dreamed.”
Clergy would try to cause God’s people to forget His name.
Clergy would steal or repeat each other’s words.

Without any question, these Scriptures reflect no revival. Rather they portray the clergy becoming more and more deceived, more and more sinful.

24 – Pertaining to Knowing the Times

The wicked shall not understand the latter days or time of the end.
Those that do not watch will not understand the time of the end.
Many will not understand in their heart that the coming of Jesus is very close.

Without any question, these Scriptures reflect no revival. They reflect a people that do not understand that the coming of the Lord is very near.

25 – What the People Would Be Like Within Themselves

People would have no conscience of doing wrong.
People would love themselves.
People would be covetous and lovers of money.
People would be proud.
People would despise those that do good.
People would be conceited.
People would love pleasures.
People would have pleasure in doing evil.
Women would be weak-willed in resisting sin (including sex).
Women would be involved in all kinds of evil lusts and desires.
People would be walking after their own lusts.
People would be very worldly and controlled by their natural instincts and impulses.
Many people’s love would grow colder and colder.
People’s imaginations and thoughts would be evil continually.

Without any question, these Scriptures reflect no revival. They reflect a world that is getting further and further away from the truth of God’s Word.

26 – What People Would Be Like Toward Others – People’s Personalities

People would be hypocritical liars.
People would be very boastful.
People would falsely accuse one another.
People would be insulting and abusive.
People would be disobedient to their parents.
People would be unthankful and ungrateful.
People would be truce breakers.
People would be arrogant.
People would be savage, violent, and cruel.
People would be traitors.
People would be rash, impetuous, reckless, and doing things with little thought.
People would be murmuring and grumbling.
People would be complaining and finding fault with others.
People would use flattery to gain an advantage.
People would kill the just, even when they do not resist.
People would be committing murders.
People would be stealing.
People would try to cause divisions between the saints.
People would betray one another.
People would hate each other.

Without any question, these Scriptures reflect no revival. They reflect a world that is turning away from God and His Word.

27 – People Would be Following These Sinful Lifestyles -

People would be homosexuals and lesbians.
Many would have sex outside of marriage.
People would be going after their own lusts.
People would follow perversion.
People would commit abominations.

Without any question, these Scriptures also reflect no revival. Rather they reflect a very deceived and perverted society.

28 – People Would Be Going About Business As Usual – As If Nothing Was About To Happen

People would be getting married, as if nothing was going to happen.
People would still be giving away their offspring to be married.
People would still be eating, as if nothing was going to happen.
People would still be getting drunk.
People would be buying things, as if nothing was going to happen.
People would be selling things, as if nothing was going to happen.
People would be planting, as if nothing was going to happen.
People would be building, as if nothing was going to happen.

Without any question, these Scriptures reflect no revival. Rather they reflect people oblivious to the fact that Jesus will soon come to rapture the few people that are still following Him.

29 – Other Items About the People

People would be overindulging.
People would have an abundance.
People would have lots of idle time.
People would be taking drugs.
Men would enter the houses of women to seduce them.
People would be laying up wealth.
People would be laying up gold and silver.
People would be running to and fro (or going here and there).
Employers would be holding back the wages of workers.
The employers would hold back the wages by fraud.
Those cheating the labourers would be living in pleasure and leading a life of self-indulgence.
People would have filthy conversation.
People would be doing things that are wrong or unlawful.
People would be as those of Sodom and Gomorrah.
People would not be hiding their sin.

Without any question, these Scriptures also reflect no revival. These picture people becoming more and more sinful. These picture people that are so corrupt that they do not even hide their sin. These reveal that people have no understanding of right and wrong according to God’s Word.

30 – People Would Not Be Doing This

People would not be repenting in great numbers just before the Rapture.
Many would not help the poor and needy.

Without any question, these Scriptures also reflect there will be no revival.

31 – How the World Would Be Regarding Evil

The earth would be corrupt.
The earth would be filled with violence.
The earth would have more and more totally uninhibited, senseless, violent, unreasonable people committing unspeakable acts.
Witchcraft, in various forms, would increase throughout the earth

Without any question, these Scriptures also reflect there will be no great revival. There will be no great true repentance prior to the Rapture.

From India to America, from America to Africa the voices ring out that revival is coming. From short wave radio, to the mud brick churches in third-world countries, to Christian television broadcasting, preachers are proclaiming, “Revival is coming.” Several questions need to be asked:

Is a great revival going to come before the Rapture or not?

Is the statement that a great revival is coming before the Rapture based on Scripture, hope, or falsehood?

Has Satan deceived people regarding a great revival coming before the Rapture in order to hide a message that God has for His people? Read on—you might get a surprise. CLICK HERE FOR—IS REVIVAL COMING?

32 – People Falling Away From Trust in Jesus Christ – People Falling Away From Truth

People would fall away from the faith of Jesus Christ. Prophecy fulfilled-beginning around the 1960′s or before and getting worse and worse to this current time.

It is written, “Except there come a FALLING AWAY (or apostasy) first” 2 Thes 2:3. It is also written, “As the Days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.” Matt 24:37. In Noah’s day, they also fell away. It is written, “All flesh had corrupted his was upon the Earth.” Gen 6:12. There was no great revival in the days of Noah. It is also as in the days of Lot. It is written, “Likewise also as it was in the Days of Lot…Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of Man is” Luke 17:28,30. There was no great revival in the days of Lot. Rather, the people were corrupt and were not following God’s ways. They did not repent.

Many in this last generation have become a part of the apostasy. Many people have already fallen. It becomes so very clear when knocking on people’s doors to witness. Multitudes tell how they once were following Jesus, but they no longer are. Satan has very cleverly clouded the minds of many born-again people and clergy, so that the falling away that has already happened is not recognized by very many. The apostasy (the falling away from Jesus) will continue to get worse and worse until that day comes when the trumpet shall blow. Then the very few saints, who have remained faithful, shall be raptured. It will be as Noah’s day was. Few were saved and escaped the flood. It will be as Lot’s day was. Few were saved and escaped the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. This prophecy is fulfilled.

The Scripture clearly shows this is the age of deception and falling. What would be the opposite of falling? The answer is revival. If Satan would desire to hide the fact that many are falling, then the opposite can be expected to be taught. Thus, the falling away is seldom taught. In its place, the deception of a revival before the Rapture is taught. Thus, the people are looking for revival and are not on their guard against the schemes of the devil.

Many well-known, highly esteemed evangelists and ministers are teaching this deception. “Revival coming” is what multitudes of itching ears want to hear, even though it is not true.

The next worldwide revival will be during the Tribulation; however, many will not get saved, as they have no knowledge of these things. Those that do get saved, during that horrible time, can expect to flee for their lives. They can expect to be betrayed by people they trust, ridiculed, beaten, tortured, and beheaded for their faith in Jesus. They will be pressured to take the mark of the beast (or Antichrist) and worship the image of the beast (or Antichrist). Many can be expected to buckle under these pressures and turn away from Jesus to spare their own lives. But he that saves his life in this world, by turning from Jesus, shall lose his life for eternity.

33 – God’s Message to Today’s Church – Most Will Not Hear or Understand

• Rev 3:14 “And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith (or are the words of) the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.” ( Col 1:16; Mark 13:19; Eph 3:9)
• Rev 3:15 “I know thy works (or deeds), that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou were Cold or Hot (I wish you were either one or the other!-NIV).”
• Rev 3:16 “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew (or spit) thee out of my mouth.” (Matt 25:5; Jer 3:10).
• Rev 3:17 ”Because thou sayest (or because you say), I an rich, and increased with goods (or I have acquired wealth-NIV), and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art (or you do not realize) (or you don’t know that you are the one who is-JNT121) wretched, and miser-able (or pitiful), and poor, and blind, and naked.” (Prov 24:12; 2 Thes 2:3; Jer 23:1,2,16-38; 1 Tim 6:3-5; Mark 7:6-9,13; Ezek 34:1-12).
• Rev 3:18 ”I counsel thee (or My advice to you is) to buy of me gold tried (or refined) in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment (or white clothes to wear), that thou mayest be clothed (or may be dressed), and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear (or so you can cover your shameful nakedness-NIV); and anoint (or rub) thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see (or so you can see).” (Rev 2:9; Matt 25:9 – buy; Gen 3:10-11; 2 Cor 5:3; Rev 16:15; Rev 21:7; Matt 24:4)

Rev 3:19 “As many as I love (or those whom I love), I rebuke (or reprove) and chasten (or discipline): be zealous (or be earnest) (or exert yourselves) therefore, and repent (or turn from your sins). (Rev 1:5; 3:9-love)

• Rev 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the Door, and Knock (or here, I’m standing at the door, knocking): if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will coming in to him, and will Sup (or eat) with him, and he (will) with me.”
• Rev 3:21 ”To him to overcometh (or him who wins the victory) will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even (or just) as I also overcame, and am set down with my father in his throne.” ( Luke 13:25; Rev 21:7.
• Rev 3:22 “He that hath an ear (or those who have ears), let him hear what the Spirit saith (or is saying) unto the churches.” (Rev 22:16).
• Matt 24:4 “And Jesus answered and said unto them, take heed (or watch out) that no man deceive you.”
• Mark 13:5 “And Jesus answering them began to say, take heed (or watch out) lest any man deceive you..”
• Luke 21:8. “And He said, take heed (or watch out) that ye be not deceived.”

Related articles

• The Church of the LAODICEANS (justificationbygrace.com)
• Modern Day Apostles and Prophets? (raymondjclements.wordpress.com)
• Inner Walk (raymondjclements.wordpress.com)

Turn to Matthew 10:8: “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” Let’s pray, “Father, we thank You in the name of Jesus for the Word of God. Lord, I ask You for the spirit of wisdom and revelation, even now. Lord, I ask you that You would touch Mark Mahan and Jill Marsh, who just got married a few hours ago. I ask that You would touch them in a special way in this next week of their life. We ask for blessing. We ask for your favour, and we ask for surprises from heaven that you would speak to them in a powerful way. Speak to us even now as we hear the Word, the speaking and the hearing of your Word in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

FREELY RECEIVING THE ANOINTING OF THE SPIRIT

We will start in Matthew 10:8. What I want to talk about is receiving freely from the Holy Spirit, or from God, and receiving the Holy Spirit’s ministry. Not just receiving the Holy Spirit’s ministry, somebody praying over you, but the Lord using you as well. Even when you feel badly and think you are doing badly, the Lord says, “I will still talk to you. I will still use you, even when you are struggling and stumbling.” Because we have set our hearts upon the Lord, He has made a commitment to fellowship with us and to partner with us. His commitment stays true and steady even when our follow through to our commitments are weak, wavering, and wobbly.

Let’s start in Matthew 10:8.

OPERATE IN THE SUPERNATURAL, RECEIVE ANOINTING, AND GIVE IT AWAY

Jesus gives His disciples three foundational truths. At this time, they were unprecedented and unusual truths. They were not common to anybody’s way of thinking. First, He calls them to supernatural ministry. He said, “Heal the sick, cleanse lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.” He is calling the common person in the Body of Christ; I am talking about in Israel who were lovers of God. It is as if Jesus said, “You can do supernatural ministry.” This idea was new to them. The group of twelve disciples, most of them were probably in their early twenties. He calls them to supernatural ministry.

The second foundational truth Jesus gives is that they are to freely receive the anointing in order to operate in the supernatural ministry. They did not earn it; they would freely receive it. The third foundational truth: these are pillar of truth on how the kingdom operates; they were to not make money from the anointing to heal the sick, and deliver people with the supernatural ministry. They were not to make money from it; they were to give it away freely. All three of those truths are very important in the kingdom of God. All three of those truths, they have resistance to them. The enemy has resistance to every one of those three truths; but as believers, we are contending, which means we are taking a stand for all three of them. We are not going to let any of these go. The enemy comes with unbelief, and tells us that the gifts of the Spirit are not for today, or if they are, they are not really for you. He comes with unbelief, “They are not for today, or at least they are not for you for today.” We have to say ‘no’ to that.

The next thing: freely receive. The enemy raises up legalism to try to get us to earn the anointing. The Holy Spirit says, “No, it is given freely to every believer; it is given freely.” Whether you are in a good month or a bad month, it is given freely.

The third thing the enemy raises up is covetousness. People can operate in the anointing; they want to get rich in the anointing. The Lord says, “No, do not do that.” The enemy comes and stirs peoples’ vain imaginations with ways that they can become rich and famous from the anointing. But Jesus lays it out in this passage in a one, two, three type of format. First of all, in supernatural ministry, do not yield to unbelief. Secondly, Matthew tells us to freely receive the anointing for it, and do not yield to legalism. Thirdly, give it away freely, and do not yield to covetousness. As believers, we are contending for all three of those.

A SIMPLE DEFINITION OF LEGALISM

We are going to focus in on the second one. Each one of those foundational truths deserve a lot of attention, but we are going to look at the middle one—the receive freely. The resistance to freely receive is simply lies. They are religious ideas that are lies, but they are very common religious ideas. They are ideas that are very natural to our way of thinking. Our natural mindset automatically kicks into the gear of wanting to earn God’s favor and blessing. Even though we know better, our natural mindset automatically goes there. It is not automatic to understand this.

We can kind of get it conceptually, but for it to really grab our heart, the power of it has to come from revelation. It is called the revelation of grace. It is a revelation. It is not automatic. We have to cultivate it.

Our natural mindset resists it, though technically because we are believers, we should say, “Of course, it is free, and it is full of grace.” But at the emotional level, we do not really buy into it. With our mouth, we say that grace is free. However, emotionally we respond as though it is not free. One reason that it is difficult, and it is not automatic is because we do not have a natural grid for it; there is nothing on the earth to compare it with. Nothing. The verse I do not have on the notes, but I want to give it to you is a well-known verse in Isaiah 55:7-8: “Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.’”

It says that God’s ways are higher than man’s ways—as high and as far as the heavens are above the earth. God’s ways are as superior and as different from man’s ways as the heavens are from the earth. In Isaiah 55:7-8, he is actually talking about his mercy and his tenderness toward our brokenness. That is the subject. Usually when people quote Isaiah 55:7-8, they say that God’s ways are higher than man’s ways. They are typically referencing that God’s ways are mysterious—His wisdom, and the way He leads us. It is actually talking about the way that God offers mercy. It is so superior to the way any human being does. The most loving father does not get close to modelling it the way that God the Father really loves us. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so God’s way of offering, giving, extending mercy, and tenderness to His people; there is nothing on the earth to compare it to. It is difficult to grasp, and it takes a revelation. It is the revelation of grace.

LEGALISM IS ENGAGING IN SPIRITUAL ACTIVITIES TO EARN GOD’S FAVOR

A simple definition of legalism is to engage in spiritual activities to earn God’s favor. Where you

engage in spiritual activities; prayer, fasting, spiritual disciplines, giving, serving, outreach, or

Bible study to earn God’s love. We engage in legitimate, necessary spiritual activities, but we do

it with an unspoken desire to earn God’s favor. In other words, for God to pay more attention to

us if we do those things, for God to like us more, or for God to be more interested in us, to earn

something, or to somehow stir God up to pay more attention to us. We have this idea, naturally,

all of us; it is our natural mindset, because again, God’s ways are higher than our ways. We do

not think about this correctly without revelation of the Holy Spirit.

God says, “No, I am committed to you. Before you were ever interested in Me, I was interested

in you. I desired you when you had no desire for Me. I was committed to you when you had no

commitment to Me. I was pursuing you when you were not pursuing Me at all. It starts with Me.

My desire is initiated within My own heart. You do not provoke it. You did not do anything to

awaken My desire.”

When we really get a hold of this, it is powerful because when we understand how much God

desires us and how powerful Jesus’ work on the cross really was, what it really did for us, than

we can rest in confidence and security. Those are the same ideas: confidence and security; use

whichever word you want. We can rest confident in love and secure. Even when we have a good

month or a bad month, we do not have to move in our confidence. We do not have to lose our

security with God. That really changes the way that we walk with God.

The definition of legalism, again, is to engage in spiritual activities: prayer, fasting, Bible study,

serving, humility, you could give a growing list to the idea of earning favor, or to motivate God

to pay more attention to us. Here is the difficult part of legalism: if we are going to compare

legalism and grace, the power of grace, or the negative power of legalism, many of the activities

are the same. The legalistic guy will pray and fast, and the person empowered by grace will pray

and fast. The legalistic guy will give his money away sacrificially to earn God’s favor; but the

man or woman empowered by grace will give their money away sacrificially too. The legalistic

guy will have time commitments, and the person empowered by grace will keep their

commitments before God. They will have their life ordered. So what is it? What is the

difference? It is not the activities because many of the activities look the same. I could look at

two people, and they are both doing the same thing: praying, fasting, giving, studying, etc. One

of them is legalistic, and one of them is empowered by grace. It is not an issue of the activity; it

is an issue of the motivation behind the activity. That is the issue. It is the motivation behind the

activity.

The legalistic believer, they love Jesus. They are sweating it out trying to get God to pay

attention to them. That is legalism. The grace-empowered believer, they are praying and fasting

not to try and get God to pay attention to them, but because they have a revelation that God is

already paying attention to them. They want a greater capacity to experience more of God. They

pray and fast not to motivate God, but they pray and fast because they know their own spiritual

capacity will increase. They will be able to enjoy more of their partnership with God. Prayer and

fasting does more than affect us, it moves angels and demons and shifts the spiritual atmosphere.

SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE DOES NOT MOTIVATE GOD TO LOVE US MORE

It changes what angels and demons do, but praying and fasting does not motivate God to like us

more. I do not study the Bible so that God will like me more. I study the Bible because He

already likes me, and I want to get in on it more. I want to feel it more. I remember being with

some friends some years ago—some pastor friends. We had a couple weeks in a row of

conferences; ten or fifteen days with a couple conferences put together, two or three of them. I

remember it was one Saturday night; it was the night off, and then Sunday was a new

conference. The conference ended on Friday. We had a night off, and then Saturday. A bunch of

the guys were together. I am going to be the hero of my own story here, so bear with me, but I

am making a point. They said, “Hey, let’s go out together, and have a big fellowship time.”

I said, “No, I am going to stay in. I am going to spend in my hotel room, and the whole night I

just want to be with the Lord.” I remember the conference speaker, a good friend of mine said,

“The Lord will not mind if you go out with us. Come on, and go out with us. The Lord will not

mind.” The thought of the Lord minding never occurred to me at that season of my life, though it

had when I was younger. I was not doing that because I thought God would love me more. I was

the one who cared. He thought I wanted to stay in so I could earn more blessing with God so the

next week conference would be better.

I said, “No, no. God is easy. I am staying in for the evening. I just want to be alone. I want to

spend an evening with prayer in the Word because my heart is hungry to feel more. I am not

doing it to move God; I am doing it because it moves me.”

They said, “Oh. That is a different approach.”

Some people go to the prayer room and say, “Ah, my time. I have to put my time in.” We do not

put time in prayer, so God will like us more—absolutely not. We put time in prayer because it

moves angels and demons, changes nations, and it enlarges our capacity to experience the desire

that God already has for us. It does not increase God’s desire at all. Except for by revelation, one

of the automatic ways that we think, even as believers, we have more confidence in our

commitment to God than we do in God’s commitment to us.

Most people would not think, if they thought for a moment, they would say, “No, that is not

true.” But I think it is true at the emotional level. The emotions will tell the truth of what we

really believe deep in our heart. What I mean by that is if that they have had three good months

where they are keeping all their commitments to God, they feel good. They are keeping their

time with the Lord, their Bible study, and they are keeping all their commitments to the Lord:

their finance, their words, their fasting, the way they use their time, their speech, etc.

They are keeping all the commitments they have made to God in order to be near to God. If they

have done well for three months, when they go to their prayer time, they just feel strong, good,

and they are happy. They say, “Yes Lord, here I am again.”

Someone asks, “How are you doing?”

They say, “I am doing great.” It is not that their prayer time is that great, but they have an overall

sense of confidence in their walk with God, and they feel good. The same guy has a bad month;

he does not follow through on all of his commitments in the same way. Then you go to the very

same guy who was happy the month earlier, “Hey, how are you doing?”

They do not want to pray for people because they think, “Well, God probably is not going to use

me anyway if I do pray for people.” They do not want to ask for special things. They say to

themselves, “You know what? I am going to get through this funk. Then I am going to ask for

God to use me when I get regular and focused again.”

They wait to use the extravagant language of their heart with God. They cop out of the intimacy

language of, “I love you, and You love me, and I am totally committed to you.” They say, “I do

not want to use that language right now because I have done badly for a month.” They feel

depressed. They feel condemned, and they put themselves a bit on spiritual probation. God does

not put them on probation; they put themselves on it.

“I am not going to ask for big stuff; I am not going to really pray for people until I get through

this. I am not going to express the extravagant language of devotion in my heart to God that I

love Him, and He loves me. I am going to put all of that on hold until I kind of get consistent

again.” That means when they do well, when they are consistent on all of their commitments,

they feel confident. When they do badly, they feel ashamed, and they feel depressed. That means

that they are proud when they do well, and they are depressed when they do badly because their

anchor, their confidence is in their own commitment to God, not in God’s commitment to them

as a primary source. They have greater confidence in their commitment to God because they are

doing well. However, when it is going bad, they are depressed. They want to quit. We need to

shift them off of that belief system and make God’s commitment to them bigger in their thinking

than even their commitment to God.

Again, every believer would say, “Sure, I know God’s commitment to me is bigger.” However,

emotionally, why are you depressed when you are doing badly then? God’s desire is still the

same towards you. God still wants to use you. God will still answer your prayer. God still wants

to hear the extravagant language of devotion from your heart about how committed you are in

giving yourself to Him, He wants to hear that even when you are doing badly.

You think, “Ah, I do not know. I will wait, give a few three month run, and then I will go for the

big stuff again.” That is the proof that we do not have a foundation in the revelation of grace. By

the way, it is very, very normal for people not to have that foundation. They come into the

kingdom, they are born again understanding that they are saved and forgiven as a free gift; but

after they get in, and a couple years go by, they begin to drift back into the idea that they are

earning God’s favour even though they know better. Emotionally, that is how they respond.

GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS, BLESSING, AND FAVOR ARE GIVEN FREELY

2 Corinthians 5:17-21: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away;

behold, all things have become new. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we

might become the righteousness of God in Him.” This is one of the foundational verses for the

revelation of grace. “If anyone is in Christ,” so when you read that and say, “OK, that is new to

me.” Anyone, anywhere, for any addictions, troubles, they are, from God’s point of view, a new

creation. The old things have passed away. From God’s point of view, He has forgiven them. He

relates to us in a different way. The old things have passed. All things have become new. That is

a big word, “all.”

From the Lord’s point of view, in terms of His relating to us, the penalty is out of the way; all the

hindrances from His point of view are removed. There is no hindrance from His point of view in

the relationship with us. He says, “Your sin and rebellion has been paid for. My heart is wide

open. Here I am.” The hindrance is now just in our minds. It is not in God’s mind; it is in our

minds. We have to keep renewing our mind, but God is completely clear where He stands,

completely openhearted. All things are new. He is not holding our sins against us.

He is not relating to us on the basis of how consistent we are in our follow through. Yes, we have

made a commitment; we want to follow Jesus, we want to love Jesus, but He is not relating to us,

meaning that His heart is not more open depending on our consistency. We feel less, but that is

because condemnation and shame defile our capacity; we get all discombobulated in ourselves. It

is not God drawing back. It is not that His mind changed; our mind is what gets us in trouble.

Look at 1 Corinthians 5:21: “For He”—that is the Father—“made Him who knew no sin”—that

is Jesus. The Father made Jesus to be sin for us. Jesus became the offering of sin. Our sin was

laid on Him, and He paid the legal debt in the court of God. In God’s accounting books, the debt

is paid. There is no debt. None. This is an absolutely staggering statement, “That we might

become the righteousness of God in Christ.” We became the righteousness of God. Beloved, the

righteousness of God has been given to you by the Father because of Jesus as a free gift. This is a

most amazing thing. The righteousness of God has been given to you. It is not a little bit of

God’s righteousness; it is 100 percent of it. Do you know what? The righteousness that you

received as a gift the day you were born again, whether it was a month ago, ten years ago, or

fifty years ago. The day you were born again, you received a gift of righteousness on your

account in heaven that can never, ever be improved upon. A million years from now, you will

not have more righteousness in God’s sight than the day you were born again.

It is the righteousness of Christ. It cannot be improved upon. You did not get a 10 percent

instalment of it; you got the whole 100 percent in the first moment. All the hindrance from God’s

point of view is gone; it is out of the way. He says, “There is nothing that is stopping Me from

expressing My heart to you. The only thing that is stopping Me is your ability to receive it. It is

not in My ability to give it, or My desire to give it.”

BECAUSE OF WHAT JESUS DID ON THE CROSS, WE WALK WITH CONFIDENCE

Romans 8:1: “Therefore, there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” There is

none to a believer. The implication is that one who has committed them to obey the Lord; their

follow through is great one day and not so good the other day. The commitment is there. The

follow through is sometimes good, and sometimes not so good. We call that spiritual maturity,

but regardless of where that is at, we have set our heart to follow the Lord, there is no

condemnation and no shame. God is not judging us. There is no shame, nor condemnation. None.

We must refuse the shame when the Devil brings it to us.

When we recognize our sin, we admit it, we call it sin, we repent of it, we sign back up to war

against the area we just fell in, and we push delete on the shame. There is no condemnation.

When the Devil comes to you, you take Romans 8:1 and you say, “It is written, ‘There is no

condemnation for me to those who are in Christ Jesus.’”

Hebrews 12:2: “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” The Scripture says that

we look unto Jesus, or we fix our eyes on Jesus, one translation says. We fix our eyes. We look

at Him. Why? He is the author and the finisher of our faith. This means He is the author. He

initiates every good thing in us. Every fire that is in you for God, He started it. Every seed that is

growing into a tree, He planted it in you. He is the author. He initiated every good thing. It was

His idea, not your idea. You are not the initiator, He is. He thought of you loving God before you

thought of you loving God. He is not just the initiator; He is not the one who came up with all the

good ideas. We might think that we came up with the ideas. I have this idea, “I am going to be

radically committed to God. I am going to be fully yours.”

The Lord says, “That was my idea. I gave you that idea. You do not have to talk Me into it. I am

the One trying to talk you into it.” He is not only the initiator, the author, but He is the finisher,

and He completes it. He brings it to fullness. He starts the fire, and He brings it to a bonfire. He

plants the seed, and He brings it to a full tree.

He says, “I am committed to you each step of the way.” That is what the finisher is. “I will be

helping you each step of the way because it was my idea, and I am overseeing the building

project. I will bring your love for God to maturity.” But you have to look to Him. What I mean

by look to Him, I am talking about our soul needs to be more involved in conversing with Him.

CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD AND NOT OURSELVES

Now this might sound strange, but instead of conversing with ourselves, we need to talk to God.

What I am saying is this: our natural mindset is to measure our spiritual maturity and growth, and

then to compare it to other people, to measure, and compare. When we get into the measure and

compare game, we cannot stay focused in a connection with Jesus. They are opposite focuses of

the heart. They are opposite directions. The bus says, “OK, get on the bus.” One bus is going to

LA, and the other bus is going to New York. They have really different destinations. You better

get on the right bus. One goes really far that way, and the other goes really far the other way. We

are either going to be preoccupied in looking to Him, meaning talking to Him. I do not mean an

unbroken conversation, but we are more concerned with what He is thinking. He is the author

and finisher. He is the initiator. He has got the building plan, and He has got all the building

skills. We need to be talking to Him about us, not talking to us about us.

NO MORE MEASURING, COMPARING, OR COMPETING

The natural thing to do is to measure ourselves. Not so many people are like this, but some of

them are. They get stuck into this introspection—morbid introspection. They say, “My motives

may not be right. I am not sure it is right. I cannot tell what I think.” The phrase “paralysis by

analysis.”

They get so into figuring out if they are right, or they are wrong. They try to figure out if it is

good, if it is bad. They are frozen in an inward, self-focus upon themselves. I do no mean

inward, but they are talking to the Holy Spirit who lives in their spirit. I am talking about they

are in introspection in a morbid way. This is very common. “Well, I do not know if my calling is

high or low. I do not know if I am dedicated. I do not know if the Holy Spirit is really touching

me, touching you, or touching them. I do not know.”

The Lord says, “Here is what I want you to do. I want you to hang up the phone”

I might respond, “But Lord, my ministry is as good as theirs, or theirs is better. But mine could

be worse, but I am maybe more dedicated, but he is even more dedicated. That other guy is not.”

The Lord says, “Here is what I want you to do: I want you to hang the phone up.” We are on this

long phone call to ourselves. The Lord is saying, “I want you to hang the phone up because I

want to talk to you.”

You say, “Lord, I love you, I love you.”

The Lord says, “OK, I want you to hang the phone up.” We are on the phone the whole time that

we are trying to talk to the Lord. The Lord says, “Hang the phone up. I want to get a word in

edge wise. There is so much emotional traffic inside of you, I cannot get a word in edge wise to

you.”

We answer, “OK, Lord, wait a minute. I am talking to me about me. Just give me a minute, and I

will be finished.” Here is the negative of that: it ends up legalism. We are trying to sort it all out.

He says, “You know what? Just talk to me. I will tell you where your motives are. I will tell you

why you are receiving, or not receiving. I will tell you if you are. Do not get that from everybody

else. Let me talk to you.”

“I want to know why I am not receiving so much.” How do you know you are not? We measure

ourselves by other people and say, “Well, by so-and-so’s definition, I am not.”

The Lord says, “Maybe I am giving you something a different way. If you will talk to Me,

maybe you are receiving. You are so interested in the phone call to yourself, you will not let Me

talk to you.”

We argue with the Lord, “Well, I am not getting it the way that they are getting it.”

We answer, “Ah, well, that is OK. I did not tell you I was going to relate to you the way I relate

to them.” The problem is it keeps us from connecting, but if we get our eyes on Him; it means

we are having a dialog. I do not mean that we are having a dialogue every minute, all day, every

day, but the focus of our soul is Jesus’ Word instead of us talking to ourselves. It was some years

ago, when I began to understand this. I remember some guys in the church coming in and saying,

“Hey, man, how are you doing spiritually?”

I said, “What do you mean?” They gave me the five, or six areas. I said, “I do not know. I have

my commitments. I am clear what they are.”

They asked, “How much do you keep them?”

I said, “The best I can. When I blow it, I repent. I push delete. I forget it.” I do not even know

how much I keep them. I do not even care. When I blow it, I sign up to do it again, and I am

talking to Jesus. I do not do a big “Mike Inventory” thing because it gets confusing. You get into

a quagmire. You get all bogged down. I want to talk to Him. He has way more information about

me than I do. His information is far more reliable. He is the author and the finisher. He initiates,

and he oversees the building project.

He says, “I have way more skill than you do to build you. Talk to me. Open your Bible, make

some time, turn the phone off, and talk to me for a while, and I will talk to you about you with

far greater kill than you can.” We know that God releases His power by faith, but He releases His

blessing by faith. He releases His ministry through us to others by faith. The word “faith” means

“confident agreement.” That is what faith is; it is agreement with confidence.

God says “that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). Agree

with that promise with confidence. The Devil says, “You are condemned, and you are over. You

are a loser.” Do not agree with the Devil, agree with God, but agree with confidence. That is

what faith is. Faith is confident agreement.

FAITH IS CONFIDENT AGREEMENT WITH GOD’S COMMITMENT TO US

The idea of faith means we have confidence in God’s commitments to us. We have confidence in

God’s desire for us. We have confidence in the work of the cross to move everything out of the

way. We have confidence that He wants to give things to us, talk to us, and relate with us. It is

confidence in God in those ways. It is not just confidence that He exists; it is confidence that His

commitments are real, and His desire towards us is alive. He enjoys talking to us. He enjoys

using us even in our brokenness. When we have confidence in those arenas; that is called faith.

That is what faith is.

GOD’S DESIRE FOR US IS NOT BASED ON OUR PERFORMANCE

Galatians 3:2-5: “This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of

the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now

being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in

vain? Therefore, He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it

by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith.”

It is as if Paul said this to the Galatians, “I want to learn from you. I have a question. When you

were first born again, did you receive the Holy Spirit because you earned it?” These are Paul’s

converts. He said, “Did you receive it because you earned it, and then God gave you salvation,

gave you the Holy Spirit, gave you a ministry, and a calling, or did you receive the Holy Spirit

because you heard the message, and you had confidence that God was committed to you?”

It is as if Paul continues, “You received the Holy Spirit because you heard with faith. You heard

the message, you mixed it with confidence, you believed that God’s desire for you was real, His

commitments to you were real, His desire to use you was real, and you had confidence when you

heard the message.” To be made perfect means to be made mature. Paul is not talking about

fleshly, sinful things when he talks about the works of the flesh. What Paul means is, “You are

going to do some activity to get God to pay attention to you? You do not have to do that. God is

already paying attention to you. You are not going to get into the deep things of God by you

stirring up God’s attention; He is already committed to you.”

We are going to pray and fast because it enlarges our capacity to receive more; it moves angels

and demons. It does affect things in the Holy Spirit, but it does not move God to become more

interested. He is already infinitely interested in us—eternally and infinitely. The measure of His

interest cannot increase, and the duration will never end. It is infinite. His desire is infinite. It

will last forever, and we can have confidence in this.

Galatians 3:5: “He who supplies the Holy Spirit to you”—that is the Father—“and works

miracles among you”—here is my question: does God give you the anointing of the Holy Spirit,

and does He work miracles because you earn it, or because you hear the message about His

commitment, and you have confidence in the message? Of course, the answer is that they hear

the message with confidence. Beloved, I do not care how bad your month has been, how bad

your follow through has been, you can lay hands on people, and the Holy Spirit will still use you.

My point is not, “Wow! I will just get reckless about it.” God’s loving kindness is to win us to

radical obedience. Our obedience does not produce His kindness to us; the kindness is first.

PSALM 116: THE PSALMIST SOUGHT TO REPAY GOD FOR ALL THE BENEFITS

Psalm 116:12-17: “What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits toward me? I will take

up the cup of salvation, And call upon the LORD . . . I will offer to You the sacrifice of

thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.”

Now I am going to pause and give you a thirty second story. This was my favorite message;

when I was nineteen years old in 1974, which was thirty-six years ago. I went to the University

of Missouri. My youth pastor said, “Start a Bible study.” I was really scared. So I started a Bible

study. I made a flyer, and I went out to pass it out. I invited people to a Bible study. I was a

freshman on the campus. About thirty people came, some friends, but mostly strangers. I passed

them out everywhere. This was my first message that I ever preached because it was my best

one. Now, it was my only one, but it was still my best one. I worked all summer on this.

Psalm 116 so excited me when I was nineteen years old, and I was so nervous when thirty people

showed up. It seemed like a million. I went into that room where there were thirty all packed into

an apartment. I said, “Man, it is packed. It is bigger than the Billy Graham stadium!” It felt that

way. I was so nervous. I went with the best message I knew, which was really the only message

that I had. I think I had three; this was my best one. When I am looking at this, I have a little

tenderness about preaching on Psalm 116, even mentioning it because it brings me back there.

Here it is: The psalmist says in verse 12, it is one of the greatest descriptions on how faith works

in a practical way. The psalmist asks the question, “What shall I render to the Lord for all of his

benefits toward me?” In other words, what should I pay back to God for giving me so many

benefits? God has given you physical life, He has given you spiritual life that lasts for eternity,

and He has given you grace. He has given you a calling, and He has given you many things.

What should you pay God back with? That is the question.

Psalm 116:12-13: “What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits toward me? I will take

the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. I will offer to You the sacrifice of

thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.” He says two things, “I am going to

take the cup of salvation,” and, “I am going to thank Him for it.” I am going to call on Him. I am

going to talk to Him. I am not going to talk to me about me; I am going to talk to Him about me.

I am going to call on Him, not call on myself.

Here is what the psalmist says: if you want to pay God back, if you want to give God something

that moves Him, take everything that He offers and say thank you. If you want to move God

when He forgives you, if you want to move Him, then take every single offer of forgiveness.

That is what moves Him. Take everything He will give you and ask for a double supply. The

spirit of revelation, the spirit of grace, provision, take, and say thank you. Do not negotiate. Do

not do, “Oh, shucks, I do not really deserve it. You just forgive me one more time, and I will not

ever talk again about the subject. I promise this is the last time.”

He says, “Throw that language away. I do not want to hear that. What I want to hear from You is

this: everything I put on my table that helps you, that blesses you, that touches you, and brings

you near to Me, you take it, and say thank you because it makes your heart trust Me, love Me,

and adore Me. It opens up your spirit, so I can commune with you, and have fellowship with you.

It is the only way our relationship will work.” What we like to do is that we want to earn a little

bit of it. The Lord says, “No. If you want to really bless Me, take everything, and say thank you.”

I guess that gives you a little insight to where I was living when I was nineteen years old. I

needed that message. Do not negotiate with God. Do not put yourself on spiritual probation. I

remember earlier before that, I would do something wrong and say, “God, I promise. I made

vows about my commitment. I promised you how I would never stumble again in this area, ‘I

will never fail again.’”

Jesus says, “I do not want you relating to me based on promises never to be weak. I want you to

commit your heart to Me, promise your heart to Me, but do not promise Me you will never

stumble because you will many times. I do not want you to negotiate. I do not want you to run in

the back room, and sulk for a while until you even the score. I want you to take, and say thank

you. Take the cup, and rejoice in it. Do not negotiate, do not have a religious reasoning, just

drink it, enjoy Me, and I will enjoy you enjoying Me. I can enjoy you so well when you enjoy

Me.”

BE AS CHILDREN: FREELY RECEIVE WITH HUMILITY

When we enjoy God, it opens our spirit up. That is the kind of relationship God wants with us.

We are enjoying God, and God is enjoying us enjoying Him, and vice versa. There is one

cornerstone. He is the One who supplies it, we take it, and we just go for it. We drink deeply. We

will not finish all of this, but I will just give you another verse or two.

Matthew 18:4: “Whoever humbles himself as a little child is the greatest in the kingdom.” This is

an unusual statement. Whoever humbles himself as a little child, He is talking about the one who

has confident boldness to take everything the parent has provided. A little three-year-old child,

they do not sit at the table and say, “Hey, dad, what are the chances of you giving me some

reassurance we are going to eat next week?”

“Hey, I have done a lot of work, and I think that we are about fifty-fifty right now on this meal. I

have worked some, you have worked some.” A three-year-old sits at the table; they have

confident boldness. They want more. They do not have this idea that Mom worked all day, and

she is kind of a little stressed out at that moment. She did something kind of heroic that day to

get food. They do not care. They want food, and they want it now. It does not even dawn on

them. They get a little bit older, and they say, “Oh, I get it now.” They have this confident

boldness, and it is interesting. If I were thinking of a child, I would think of something like, bold,

confident—those are good words. I would think of how the little guy has a big appetite for

everything with no awareness of what is really going on. It is interesting; Jesus uses the word

“humility.”

He says, “What that child is doing is called humility from God’s point of view.”

I ask, “Humility? How does that little three-year old; how is that humility? It seems to me like he

is insensitive.”

God says, “No, it is humility.” What is happening is He wants us to trust God’s heart for us more

than our heart for God, and it takes humility to do that. I remember an elder in my church some

years ago who did well financially. He came to me. He had a really difficult economic situation,

which was a surprise, and he was in a place where he needed other people to help him. He was

always one of the big givers. He sowed into a lot of people’s lives. The surprising turn of events

is that he needed money, which was a new experience for him. He came to me, and he said,

“This is kind of weird. I am used to giving all money and supplying. I love giving, and I love

generosity. Now, I am receiving.” It troubled him. It humbled him. He said, “Now, I have to

stand before a friend of mine in a place of weakness and need. I am not sufficient to provide for

myself, and now I need them to help me. I do not like that feeling. Then, when they do help me, I

feel like I am indebted to them. They do not put the debt on me, but I feel like I am in debt. I feel

like they are over me, and I am under them. I feel humbled in a lot of ways, and I do not like this

feeling.” When he said this to me, and I instantly thought about the Lord and I.

I responded, “That is what you are talking about, Lord.” It is humility to just take, and say thank

you. We would like to sit at the table with the Lord, the bargaining table, and say, “Lord, You are

rich. I do not have that much, but let’s at least do 90-10 percent. You do 90 percent; I do 10

percent. At least I am doing something in the relationship that sort of contributes to motivating

you.”

The Lord says, “No, it is 100 to zero.”

“OK, how about ninety-five to five? I can motivate you a little bit.”

He says, “No, you did not motivate Me at all. I was absolutely committed to you and desired you

when you had no interest in Me. It is one hundred to zero. Take, and say thank you.” We bargain

with God thinking, “For three months, I keep all my commitments for those three months, it is

not like I have moved God more. Then I have a hard time the next month, now God is depressed

and disinterested. Then I keep all my commitments, and he is back interested again.” God is

moved by our heart to give ourselves to Him; that moves His heart, but our follow through is not

what moves Him as much as the intent of our heart to give ourselves to Him. That does move

Him. That is love; it moves Him. When we follow, through it actually increases our capacity, and

it moves us. Our follow through helps us enjoy God, rather than helping God enjoy us. Follow

through is important. When Jesus in John 13 went to Peter, He said to Peter, “I will wash your

feet.”

Peter said, “It is not going to happen.” You know the story: It is as if Jesus said, “If I do not wash

your feet, you are not in the kingdom. You end up in the lake of fire.”

“OK, OK. Wash my feet. Wash all of me!”

He said, “Peter, calm down. Do it on my terms.” When He first went to Peter and said, “I want to

wash your feet,” Peter said, “No.” A lot of times God wants to use us, He is wanting to bless us

and to do things through us. He desires us. He wants the extravagant language of our heart

communicated, and He says, “I want to wash you.”

We say, “No. No. I just feel shameful. I feel like a failure. I do not even want to talk to you right

now. Just give me a month solid of doing well, and then we will talk straight again.” He says,

“No, look to Me. Do not look to yourself. Take, and say thank you.”

THE GENTILES WERE UNGODLY AND UNDESERVING OF GOD’S BLESSING

Romans 9:30: “Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even

the righteousness of faith. But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the

law of righteousness. Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of

the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone.”

By the way, these two passages go together. There is just a chapter break between them, but Paul

is giving one message. He says, “The Gentiles,” but Paul is talking to the Jewish believers here,

or even unbelievers. Paul says, “The Gentiles did not pursue righteousness, but they attained to

it.” This really throws the Jews off because the Jews have been pursuing righteousness for

generations. Their grandfather’s grandfather, they were all pursuing righteousness. Generations,

at least in theory; that was what was in their mind. Then as an individual, the guy had been

pursuing righteousness for five or six decades. He is fifty, sixty, seventy years old, and He says,

“I personally have been pursuing righteousness for years, and my heritage has for generations

and these ungodly Gentiles,” because the Gentiles of that day, Paul led these Gentiles to the

Lord. They are his own converts, they were pagan worshippers, they did not think about God,

they did not care about God, and when Paul offered them salvation, they got saved instantly.

These Jewish unbelievers are tripped by this.

“You are telling us that these pagan, Gentile, immoral demon worshippers heard a message, they

liked it, now they are saved, and eternally in God’s family. We have had generations of people

seeking righteousness, and personally decades of it in my own life. They are in the family of

God, and we are not?”

Paul said, “Exactly.”

These Jewish guys said, “That cannot be true.”

Paul said, “They did not pursue righteousness, but they attainted it. They received it as a gift.”

GOD’S LOVE WAS FREELY OFFERED TO THEM

Romans 9:31-32: “But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of

righteousness. Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the

law. For they stumbled at the stumbling stone.” Jesus says, “But the Jews, they have been

pursuing righteousness for generations collectively and even decades individually, but they do

not attain to it. They do not receive the free gift.”

Romans 9:32 basically asks, “Why?” Because the Jews did not seek it by faith, which means that

they did not come to God with confidence in the message that God would give it to them freely.

The Jews said, “We will pay for it with our dedication.”

God says, “It is not for sale. You cannot pay for it. If I let you in on the payment plan, then you

will never be rightly related to Me. There is only one way in—the free gift plan. The payment

plan does not work.”

The Jews were seeking acceptance with God. That is righteousness—acceptance with God. They

were not seeking it by the gift plan, the faith, the confidence in God’s goodness, they were

seeking it through the payment plan. They were seeking it by the works of the law; that is the

payment plan. For they stumbled at the stumbling stone, the stumbling stone was God only

offered salvation for free. That was the stumbling stone.

Again, we stumble at the same thing. We know we get into the kingdom for free, but now that

we have been in the kingdom for five, ten, twenty years, then we switch over, and start relating

to God with how good our follow through is. We feel confident when our follow through is

good. We feel shameful and condemned when it is bad. The Lord says, “No, my heart is toward

you the same either way. You can have confidence before Me in every season.”

They were talking to people who were committed to follow the Lord, but their follow through

was coming up short. Sounds like us. The people in this room are sincerely committed to obey,

but our follow through is not what we want it to be. The Lord says, “I can work with that. I do

not lose motivation towards you. I do not lose enthusiasm toward you because your follow

through is bad. I am going to show you how much I love you, and that is going to awaken a

desire to follow through because you are going to want to experience more and more of my

goodness in your life.”

He finishes this discussion in Romans 10:2-3: “They have a zeal for God, but not according to

knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own

righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.” He says, “The Jewish people

have zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.” These guys have been seeking God for

generations collectively and for decades as individuals. They are forty, fifty, sixty years old; for

decades they have been seeking God. They are zealous. It is as if Paul says, “I will not argue.

They are zealous. They are sincere, but they are not seeking according to biblical knowledge.

They are not seeking according to the revelation of grace,” that is what knowledge is in this

context.

They need to seek God on God’s terms and that means the free gift, the only way God relates is

by our free gift. That is not only just the way He forgives us, it is the only way that He relates to

us in our calling and our ministry; it is the free gift plan.

It is as if God says, “These Jews, they have zeal, but they do not have knowledge. They do not

have the knowledge, or the revelation of grace.” Romans 10:3: “for being ignorant of how they

receive God’s righteousness because they are trying the payment plan, and there is only one plan,

the free gift plan.” What they are doing is trying to establish our own righteousness. They are

trying to live in a way to motivate God. They are trying to provide the motivation for God to like

them. Paul says here—here is the key phrase, “They have not submitted to God’s plan of giving

righteousness.” They do not submit to it. As believers, we need to submit to this, and submit to

God’s plan. How does God give righteousness? It is a free gift.

We look back at the last month, and we realize that with our words, our thoughts, our time, our

money, our passions, we have not followed through on our commitments. We want to keep our

commitments strong, we really do. The answer is not to throw your commitments out because a

true believer will always make commitments to obey the Lord. That is the evidence of a true

believer; they have a commitment in their spirit to obey the Lord.They make the commitment,

and though the follow through is bad, and the Lord says, “Submit to the revelation of grace.

Understand that your zeal is good, but come to Me with the knowledge that I am not changing

My attitude toward you because your follow through is bad this month. When your follow

through is good next month, you cannot be proud. So you cannot be condemned when your

follow through is bad. You are steady straight through the process. It is called confidence in love.

MINISTRY TIME:

Amen. Let’s stand. I want to encourage you to take some of these notes, and work on them in

your own soul. There is nothing more liberating than when you are doing well not to be proud,

and when you are doing badly, not to be condemned. Not to be measuring yourself, not to be

comparing yourself, you are in a dialog with Jesus, and you have confidence, which is called

faith that He is committed to you.

Mike Bickle Transcript: 3/21/10

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Humility

True humility is not about what you are, (even in terms of humbleness), but what you aren’t. Even the pursuit of righteousness and humility can be a selfish pursuit of ones own development of closeness to God. What the Lord really wants to do in us is to turn around our self-obsession so that we become truly, deeply ‘others’ focused. God first in our hearts, then those he has created – faith is about leaving our needs to God. This becomes unconscious humility where pride and ambition do not enter because self is never the issue, Christlike in a way ambitious service can never be. Often people of this spirit will not be promoted, but the last shall be first and the first last.

Natural inclination

Every aspect of the Christian life is 180 ° from our natural inclination. Breaking our own will, putting ourselves in subjection, being last, being willing to be considered a fool, being subject to all, accepting loss, taking no interest in our own abilities. Not one of our natural thoughts is the right way up. For this reason Christianity, beyond the lightweight and facile, is seldom apprehended.

Greed

It was a momentary vision, just a fraction of a second followed by a mental caption. The spirit of my own coveting, a Golem type figure, hunched, grasping, pulling in towards itself. ‘It’s mine, it’s all mine’. Nasty, greedy spirit; though my inner spin presents even to myself its face as rational, just meeting a need. Is this the spirit that is given such free course even amongst Christians? How can it be that in my most revolting covetous moments I feel most ‘normal’?

True stories

I don’t know about you but I love true stories. True stories are hugely meaningful to me because these fascinating events really happened. That’s why I loathe the way movies always say ‘based on a true story’. Does that mean it’s all true and they are just covering themselves, or does it mean they made up half of it and it’s only loosely based on a true story? It annoys me watching something where I am never quite sure what is real and what has been added. What about modern Christianity? That too is based on a true story. But which parts are real and which parts are added? Which parts are hot and which parts are cold? Certainly the end results are as lukewarm as they were predicted to be.

The wrong question

It seems on reflection that I am passing through life asking the wrong question. Deep in my psyche I think I am always asking ‘what do I want to do now?’ My whole generation is probably asking the same question. We may consciously do other than the answer to that question in order to meet others expectations, to earn money or do something that consciously we know is important, however we can experience tension and frustration and in our actions because they conflict with the answers to this inner question. What I realized is that I need to work on the inner question. The inner question needs to be ‘What do you want me to do Lord?’ ‘What can I do to help someone else today?’ These are the questions of peace and happiness. What a hard, near impossible thing it is to change though – only by Jesus dwelling in me.

Shortcuts to victory

Why do we look for shortcuts to spiritual victory? Because we love rest. Being in a fight is irksome to us. Therefore we picture a victory where we can be at rest, doing what we want, but with perfectly new desires. Victorious, but not in a struggle. Unfortunately it does not work like that, we have to be on a war footing daily. When we say to ourselves ‘I just want some peace, some rest’ we might as well raise the white flag. We enter into our rest at the physical death of the flesh. In as much as the bible speaks of us entering into our rest at that time it is clear that we are not to expect it now. Still, the joy and peace that often comes to the diligent soldier is a beautiful foretaste of the fullness of that rest.

The battle

There is no ‘absolute victory’ that will come in a single battle. Yes you will fall at times, but don’t give up, get up and counterattack – get back in the fight! In this way, though gaining ground at times and losing ground at others, overall you will move forward in your spiritual life and victory of sin. Did Israel ever conquer the whole territory that God promised to them? No, and neither will we conquer the whole promised territory, as with Israel that remains a work to be fulfilled by God.

Turning back

I need to live the Christian life with the acute awareness that I am always on the brink of turning back, no matter how spiritual I feel or how powerful the work of God is in me. Mans heart is so weak! We are ever tempted to rest and turn back.

Motives

We need to examine our own motives carefully. Sometimes we can think that we want to serve God more fully when in fact our true motive is escaping our daily trials. In some cases God’s will is that we patiently work towards victory in our ordinary life. There are times when God may well want to change the circumstances of our life but let these times come from God. More often I believe he is more interested in changing who we are than our circumstances. When we are challenged deeply we should fully receive the challenge, yet remain anchored by any understanding we have of what our particular calling is. Again though, balance is needed, we shouldn’t have too fixed an idea about our calling – we shouldn’t be unwilling to be called away from it if the voice really is God’s.

Christian growth

It is tempting to try and leap from over genuine Christian growth by dedicating ourselves to some “great Christian work” without necessarily yielding everything of self to God. It is harder for the flesh to accept true death to self, loss of status and submission to Christ than it is for the flesh to leap frog this process and become a recognised and dedicated servant (though perhaps partly to ambition and self). The institutional nature of the church tends to encourage this.

Feelings

So many problems and sins start with “I feel”. I feel like a drink, I feel like catching a movie, or deeper passions and desires. Surely Satan is even more active in our feelings than our thoughts since we are often in a dichotomy between the two. If we are to know Christian victory and joy we must use harsh discipline on ourselves and not allow feelings to prevail over sound thought. I’m not saying this is easy, it comes back to counting the cost.

Revival

We can’t revive a nation or church, only ourselves, which happens to be the area we prefer to avoid. True revival is ground up not top down.

Ambition

Ambition is the antithesis of contentment. Eve lost her contentment when Satan offered her his own ambition to be as God. If we reflect deeply on our own ambition we will often find that it stems from the desire to be more autonomous, or to have something more, or to feel more important or powerful. All of these things are aspects of being more like gods. Ironic that much of this world forgoes the opportunity to become sons of God because they are tempted to be more like gods. Mans highest destiny is pretty much what Satan promises in order to de-rail man from reaching it.

Backsliding

When we allow ourselves to be given over to seeking the things, amusements or pleasures of the world it is as though we become lost in a person that is not really us. Coming out of it we can be distinctly amazed at that sad dry creature we were so short a time before.

Night sky

It is really worth looking up at the night sky as often as possible. We get so used to our ‘relationship’ with God that our familiarity reduces him in size. But when I look up at the universe stretching across the night sky, then I am afraid and say ‘Lord, you are too great for me’. Then I reflect that if God made this entire Universe he can do anything at all.

Retirement

A young Christian planning for retirement is a sure sign they have already retired from the front line, if indeed they are even aware of its existence. Better to plan only for eternity even if that results in loss in this life.

In a rut

You are only in as much of a rut as you think you are. Freedom of spirit and joy are attainable in God regardless of circumstances. If you can’t prove this for yourself, how can you teach it to others, and if you can’t teach it to others your ministry is little use to the majority of Christians.

Temptation

There is a kind of temptation that comes with such strength that it feels as though one is taken captive by its power and cannot muster up the will to resist. We should especially fight this kind of temptation because this feeling is an indicator that the devil has strong footholds in our mind in whatever these areas may be for you – anything from coffee to alcohol to pornography. The only way to fight this kind of temptation is to work out a strategy in advance, some way of turning our attention or situation. With sin in general we must see it as the front line of a war zone. As soon as we conquer one foxhole or stronghold we need to start scouting the next target. We must have an attitude of always being on the offensive, moving forward to conquer more territory. If we have this state of mind, even though we fall back at times, the overall progress will be forwards. If at any stage we think we have overcome sin we will certainly be pushed back by the enemy, whether we realise it or not. And this raises another point; blind spots to sin in our lives give the enemy ample opportunity to trample us underfoot without us even being aware of it. Our modern way of life offers many seemingly innocent opportunities that are nevertheless capturing corners of our heart for the enemy. All of this warfare is tiresome at times, but the rewards of waging it are spiritual freedom, joy and fruitfulness, and that is only naming the rewards in this life.

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There is nearly universal acceptance of the evangelist, pastor, and teacher as being valid ministries for the church today. But the ministries of apostles and Christian prophets are relegated by many to the first-century church only. But in recent years, many Christians have been re-examining the Scriptures to answer the increasingly heard questions: Are there apostles today? Are there prophets today? Were the ancient bible prophets and bible apostles the only valid ones? Or are there modern day prophets (that is, Christian prophets) and contemporary apostles? Does apostolic and prophetic ministry continue in our day?

The intent of this bible study is to prove biblically that all of what have been called the “fivefold” ministry or “ascension gift” ministries are valid and needed in the Christian Church today. The “perfecting of the saints” intended by the Lord (Ephesians 4:12) will require all five of these ministry gifts given by the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:11).

Ephesians 2:19-20 …God’s people…[are] built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

1. Apostles and prophets are the two foundational ministries in the body of Christ. I have great respect for dedicated evangelists, pastors and teachers. I am personally ordained to two of those three ministries — pastor and bible teacher. But the bible singles out prophets and apostles as the two ministries which, anchored to Jesus the Chief Cornerstone, undergird the Lord’s Church. All Christians are entitled to be built on this apostolic and prophetic foundation. And we will see later in this study that these are not just restricted to the early church’s apostles and the Old Testament prophets. They include contemporary, modern day prophets and apostles as well.

1 Corinthians 12:28 And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.

Ephesians 4:7-8, 11 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men” … [11] It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers.

2. Who gives these ministries to the Church? These verses above declare that it is God the Father and Jesus the Son of God who give these ministries to the church. Jesus Himself is the premier expression of each of these offices.

• “Jesus, the apostle…whom we confess” (Hebrews 3:1)

• “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth” (Matthew 21:11).

• Jesus was certainly the Great Soul winner, the consummate evangelist.

• Jesus is “the Shepherd [Greek word for “pastor”] and Overseer of your souls” (1 Peter 2:25).

• “Rabbi, we know you [Jesus] are a teacher who has come from God” (John 3:2).

It seems that Jesus — the chief apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher — is giving an expression of Himself to the Church in the form of these ministry gifts. For example, in Paul, Peter, and the other apostles we see a partial reflection of the perfect apostleship of Christ. In Agabus (Acts 11:27f; 21:10f) and other Christian prophets we see a partial expression of the perfect prophetic ministry of Jesus. The same could be said for God-given evangelists, pastors and teachers.

3. Apostles and Christian prophets are in the Church for the entire church age. A number of Scriptures (see below) make it very clear that prophets and apostles were intended for the full church age, and not just for the first century church.

Ephesians 3:4-5 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.

Paul declares that the mystery has “now been revealed…to God’s holy apostles and prophets.” These were “now” — that is, contemporary — apostles and prophets in the Church several decades after Christ’s resurrection and ascension to heaven.

Some have erroneously identified the “prophets” in this verse as Old Testament prophets. But this very Scripture says quite the opposite. It states that the prophets receiving this “now” revelation were “NOT…men in other generations.” No, these were Christian prophets, contemporary to the time in which Paul was writing. There were prophets (and apostles, too) existing in the New Testament church long after Jesus had ascended back to heaven.

Ephesians 4:8, 11-13 This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men” … [11] It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Here the apostle Paul gives us additional proofs that apostles and prophets were to continue during the Church Age.

• “When He ascended on high…He gave…some to be apostles, some to be prophets…” These were not the original Twelve apostles. This refers to apostles and prophets that Jesus continued to give after His ascension to heaven! For that reason some have called the “fivefold” ministries of Ephesians 4:11 the “ascension gift ministries.” Having ascended to heaven, Jesus continues to give all five, not just evangelists, pastors and teachers.

• And this giving of five ministries by Christ was not just to get the early church started. Rather, the giving of all five is needed “until we all…become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” That is an ongoing process occupying the entire time between Jesus’ First Coming and His Second Coming.

Revelation 11:10 The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

These “two prophets” are the Lord’s “two witnesses” (Rev. 11:3) at the very end of the Church Age during the time of the Antichrist. Again we see Christian prophets long after the time of the early church, in fact at the very end of this age.

Revelation 18:20 Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.

As end-time “Babylon” is judged, there is a call to contemporary, modern day, end time “saints and apostles and prophets” to rejoice over this divine judgment. Once again, contemporary apostles and Christian prophets are seen, not only at the beginning of the church age, but (here) at the end.

4. Is the New Testament Church today properly structured?

The answer to that question can be found in a very simple test. May I add that most Christians will fail this test!

• Question #1 — Which three of the Ephesians 4:11 ministries are mentioned most in the New Testament?

• Question #2 — Which two of those fivefold ministries are mentioned least in the New Testament?

The answers may shock you. They indicate how far out of balance the contemporary church has grown compared to the original church that Christ established on the earth.

• Answer to question #1:

• The word “apostle(s)” occurs 85 times in the New Testament.

• The word “prophet(s)” occurs over 150 times in the New Testament, about 20 of those occurrences referring distinctly to prophets in the Church Age.

• The word “teacher(s)” occurs 125 times in the New Testament.

• Answer to question #2:

• The word “evangelist(s)” occurs only 3 times in the New Testament.

• The word “pastor(s)” occurs precisely one (1) time in the entire New Testament! One time! (Ephesians 4:11)

Consider those numbers. The Bible speaks of New Testament apostles, prophets, or teachers a combined total of at least 200 times. Pastors and evangelists are mentioned a combined total of four times!

And yet the modern day church calls most ministers by the term “Pastor” and shies away from “apostles” and “prophets” like a horse avoiding a rattlesnake! Man’s prejudices, fears, or misinterpretations have deprived the Lord’s Church of the two foundational ministries — apostles and prophets — that He Himself placed on earth. The Church today, wherever it denies these two ministries, is improperly structured. Pastors, evangelists, and teachers alone cannot bring the church to maturity. They were never intended to. Jesus gave all five ministries for that purpose.

In the two sections that follow, we will examine the characteristics and work of prophets and apostles in the Church Age. Nowhere in Scripture is there a concise, precisely worded “job description” of these two offices. Therefore, I will offer to the reader overviews, or composites, of these two ministries in the New Testament. Of course, no individual apostle or prophet can be expected to fulfill every aspect of these descriptions. That level of perfection remains the privilege of the Lord Jesus Himself.

5. What are the biblical characteristics and ministry of apostles?

• Acts 2:4 They were filled with the Spirit.

• Acts 2:14-36 They preached the Word of God.

• Acts 3:1-8 They healed the sick.

• Acts 4:1-12 They were persecuted.

• Acts 5:1-11 They pronounced God’s judgment.

• Acts 5:12 They worked signs and wonders.

• Acts 5:42 They taught and preached Jesus Christ.

• Acts 6:1-6 They ordained deacons.

• Acts 8:14-17 They laid their hands on others to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

• Acts 8 and later chapters. They founded and/or strengthened new churches.

• Acts 9:36-43 They raised the dead.

• Acts 10 They preached to the Gentiles.

• Acts 12:1-11 They were martyred, persecuted, and sometimes delivered.

• Acts 13:4 They were sent by the Holy Spirit (the root of the word “apostle” means “sent”).

• Acts 13:11 They pronounce a curse.

• Acts 14:21-22 They confirmed disciples in their faith.

• Acts 14:23 They ordained elders.

• Acts 15:1-21 They settled doctrinal disputations.

• Acts 16:18 They cast out demons.

• Acts 19:22 They sent forth other ministering men.

• Acts 20-28 list further ministries that apostles performed.

• 1 Corinthians 3:10 They were wise master builders. They laid spiritual foundations.

• 1 Corinthians 4:14-15 The apostle Paul warned his “sons” in the faith.

• 1 Corinthians 7:1 They counseled and answered the saints’ questions.

• 1 Corinthians 11:34 They set churches in order.

• 2 Corinthians 11:28 Paul exercised “care of all the churches.”

• 2 Corinthians 13:10 They used their authority for edification.

• Ephesians 2:20 Apostles are part of the foundation of the church.

• Ephesians 3:3-5 They received revelation from God.

• Ephesians 4:11-12 They perfected the saints.

6. What are the biblical characteristics and ministry of New Testament, Christian prophets?

• Acts 11:27-28 They (1) did trans-local ministry and (2) they foretold future events.

• Acts 13:1 They can be among the leaders of a local church.

• Acts 15:32 they exhorted and confirmed the brethren, sometimes with “many words.”

• Acts 21:10-11 They may give personal, predictive prophecies.

• 1 Corinthians 14:29 They prophesied in church services.

• Ephesians 2:20 Prophets are part of the foundation of the church.

• Ephesians 3:3-5 Prophets may receive revelation from God.

• Ephesians 4:11-12 Prophets perfected the saints.

7. Should we identify and recognize apostles and prophets today? Certainly!

Luke 6:13 When morning came, [Jesus] called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles. If Jesus named them and designated and recognized them as apostles, how can we do otherwise?

Acts 14:4 …the apostles Barnabas and Paul…” The New Testament, here and in many other verses, consistently recognized men by name in the office of apostle.

1 Corinthians 14:29, 32, 37 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said…. [32] The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets…. [37] If anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command.

The early church — here, the church at Corinth — found it quite normal to have a prophet or prophets in the church.

Acts 13:1 In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers

Again, it was not unusual, but accepted, that there might be prophets (even plural prophets) in a local church. And the New Testament church recognized other Christian prophets by name:

• Agabus (Acts 11:28; 21:10)

• Judas and Silas (Acts 15:32)

Matthew 10:41a, KJV He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward.

Why beat around the bush? Jesus tells us to receive someone who is a prophet “in the name of a prophet.” There is no biblical encouragement for identifying certain ones as “evangelists, pastors and teachers” and then identifying true prophets and apostles with correct but controvery-avoiding phrases like: “He has an apostolic [or prophetic] ministry.” As if the Lord has given three nouns (evangelist, pastor, teacher) and two adjectives (apostolic, prophetic)! No! Jesus said to receive a prophet “in the name of a prophet.” It’s time for the Church to shake off the fear of man and return to biblical patterns.

My prayer is that once more in the 21st century, as in the first century, the Church will return to the clear pattern of Scripture. May the body of Christ once again grow and thrive as we open our hearts to the God-given ministries of modern day prophets and apostles, as well as evangelists, pastors and teachers.

And may the Church recognize also the biblical, local-church ministries of God-called elders and deacons, as well as the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Revival can again break out in churches determined to search the Scriptures, to rediscover the proven, historical “ancient landmarks” of God’s word, to open their hearts to the ministries of God-given, modern day apostles and Christian prophets, and to “build … everything according to the pattern” (Hebrews 8:5) laid out by God in Scripture.

by Pastor Jim Feeney, Ph.D.

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Soul Ties

There are times when we experience spiritual truth before we understand it. I am reminded of an occasion when a group of ladies invited me to teach them about the baptism in the Holy Spirit. In the midst of the lesson, one of the ladies interrupted me to ask, “Can’t you go ahead and pray for us to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit and explain it to us later?” Since it was scriptural, that is what I did. Remember the one hundred and twenty who were baptised in the Holy Spirit on the day of PENTECOST? They had the experience before they understood it.

My wife and I dealt with soul ties, through the ministry of deliverance, long before we had much understanding of them. In fact, long before someone introduced the designation “soul ties,” we referred to them as “unholy alliances” or “perverse relationships.” Through deliverance ministry, we encounter soul ties regularly and break their power over individuals’ lives. Yes, soul ties are real, but what are they? What is the scriptural basis for understanding soul ties? How are they formed? Are they always demonic? What danger is there in soul ties? How can they be broken?

Good Soul Ties

Soul ties are formed when two or more persons become bonded together. Some soul ties are good, and others are evil; some are holy, and some are ungodly. Our Holy God has ordained and sanctioned the soul ties of bonding between children and parents, husbands and wives, friends with friends and Christians with one another as members of the Body of Christ. Good soul ties are founded upon the law of love, which the Bible calls “the law of Christ” Gal. 6:2, and “the royal law” Jas. 2:8. Thus, the soul ties approved by God represent the bonding of persons together in agape love.

Ties of Marriage

In marriage, God purposes that a man and a woman “be joined…and the two shall become one flesh” Eph. 5:31. They are to be bonded by love. “So husbands ought to love their own wives…” Eph. 5:28. Within marriage, sexual union is an expression of God-approved love. The Bible declares that in marriage God joins a husband and wife, and let not man, through divorce, put asunder what God has joined together (see Matt. 19:6). Thus, divorce violently rends soul ties which God created. This tearing is what causes such pain, sorrow and trauma in divorce.

Ties of Friendship

“The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul” I Sam. 18:1. Here is another type of soul tie which is pure and based upon love. Jonathan loved David even to the laying down of his rights to the throne of Israel. “There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” Prov. 18:24. The Hebrew word for “friend” is rea, meaning “companion or lover.” Oh, what a Friend we have in Jesus! For, “A friend loves at all times” Prov. 17:17. Pure and holy soul ties are always based on godly love.

Parent/Child Soul Ties

Concerning Jacob’s relationship with his son, Benjamin, we read, “His father loves him…His life is bound up in the lad’s life, and his soul knit with the lad’s soul” Gen. 44:20, 30, Amplified Bible. Although Jacob’s love for Benjamin was intensified because he believed his son, Joseph, had been killed; yet it illustrates the soul tie that exists between a parent and child.

When a child is born, the infant should be bonded to his parents. The e parents convey their love to the child in many ways. When a healthy soul tie is formed; it ministers, throughout life, love and security to that child. The soul tie between parent and child stabilizes a child’s personality.

Soul Ties Between Christians

The Church is made up of many members who are knit together and built up together through love. “The whole body joined and knit together by what every joint supplies…causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” Eph. 4:16 (emphasis mine). The relationship between Christians in the Body of Christ is compared to the relationship of the various parts of the human body. The soul ties formed between members of the Body of Christ are not only desirable but necessary, for they enable the Body of Christ to mature and fulfill its calling.

Demonic Soul Ties

Demonic soul ties are perversions of the good and holy. Good soul ties are founded upon love; demonic soul ties are founded upon lust. Remember that Satan cannot go beyond his limited rights: He must work within the framework of what he is allowed. When he gets the opportunity, he will pervert that which is pure.

Ties Formed Through Fornication

“Do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For ‘The two’, He says, ‘shall become one flesh’” I Cor. 6:16. Through sexual relationships outside of marriage, demonic soul ties are forged. Those who engage in sex outside of marriage, become the one flesh which God purposed solely for a husband and wife. Through adultery, an evil soul tie is created in lust, and this demonic soul tie destroys the holy union which is based upon mutual love and trust. When love and trust are betrayed through adultery, it is very difficult (although not impossible) to restore the shattered bonds of marital oneness.

Through petting outside of marriage, passions are aroused and demonic soul ties are created. The world’s standard for couples is: dating, petting and marriage. God’s order is: marriage, dating and petting. Excessive physical touching outside of marriage leads to the formation of a soul tie, and the lust that accompanies it makes the tie unclean, which opens the door for unclean spirits.

Perverse soul ties are not limited to those formed between persons of the opposite sex; they are also formed between those of the same sex through sodomy. Homosexuals, both gays and lesbians, attempt to remove the stigma of their sin by referring to themselves as “lovers,” but the Word of God declares that their motivation is lust: “Even their women changed the natural use for what is against nature: Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another” Rom. 1:26,27 (emphasis mine).

Furthermore, perverse soul ties include those formed between men and animals. Animals have souls (minds, emotions and wills); therefore, men can form soul ties with animals. The ultimate expression of sexual perversion is bestiality: lying carnally with animals. Some soul ties with animals fall short of bestiality and are characterized by false compassion and inordinate affection for animals.

When Adam needed a companion with whom he could become one flesh, every animal in all creation passed in review before him, and “Adam gave names to all livestock, and to the birds of the air, and to every [wild] beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found a helper meet (suitable, adapted, completing) for him” Gen. 2:20, AMP. A soul tie with an animal is a perversion.

Ties With Evil Companions

“Do not be deceived and misled! Evil companionships (communion, associations) corrupt and deprave good manners and morals and character” I Cor. 15:33, AMP. One is readily influenced by his friends, so it is important to choose righteous and holy friends.

Soul ties with evil companions will ensnare you, and you will find yourself entangled in wickedness. “Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; He who guards his soul will be far from them…Make no friendship with an angry man….lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul” Prov. 22:5, 24, 25. (emphasis mine)

Perverted Family Ties

Within a family, there are close soul ties, any of which Satan is eager to pervert. The soul tie between parent and child can be healthy and beneficial, except when it continues into the adult life of the child. The familiar expression, “cutting the apron strings,” actually speaks of severing the soul tie between the parent and an adult offspring, When a son or daughter is ready for marriage, the soul tie with the parents must be terminated in order for the soul tie between husband and wife to be formed. Therefore, God decrees, “A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife” Eph. 5:31. When the father gives his daughter in marriage, he severs the soul tie with her in consideration of her husband. When the filial soul tie is not severed at the proper time, then that which was good and beneficial becomes evil through control and possessiveness.

For one to “leave his father and mother” is not to be understood as breaking relationships with parents. Rather, it speaks of a maturing of the parent/child relationship that accompanies the maturing of the son or daughter. One must never stop honoring his father and mother, for this is commandment with promise. (see Exod. 20:12).

Sexual perverseness within family relationships has become alarmingly prevalent. This perversion occurs when there is an incestuous copulation between father and daughter, mother and son, brother and sister, father-in-law and daughter-in-law, mother-in-law and son-in-law, or other close family ties.

When the essential bonding between parents and child is missed at birth, the child is left with a sense of incompleteness which can leave him restless and searching for love-bonding throughout life. This is the reason that so many who did not bond with their parents in love are targets for Satan’s use.

A pastor and his wife had five children of their own plus an adopted daughter. The six children were raised with impartial love, spiritual influences and training. Why, then, was this adopted daughter the only child who was drawn into the world and its rebellion? It was that this particular child was abandoned and rejected by her own flesh-and-blood parents. In spite of the love offered her by the adoptive parents, the spirit of rejection kept her from accepting that love. In her quest for love-fulfillment, she became wed to the world in lust.

Soul Ties With The Dead

When a family member or close friend dies, the soul tie formed with that person must be dissolved. The period of sorrow, following the death of a loved one, is a time of adjustment during which the soul tie is ended, yet the fond and loving memories remain.

Bible examples of mourning for the dead teach us that days of mourning should be limited. Mourning normally lasted from seven to thirty days. When Jacob died, Joseph “observed seven days of mourning for his father” Gen. 50:10. “Now when the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, all the house of Israel mourned for Aaron thirty days” Num. 20:29. “And the children of Israel wept for Moses…thirty days. So the days of weeping and mourning for Moses ended” Deut. 34:8.

Prolonged mourning may indicate the continuation of the soul tie, and the stress of extended grief will create an opportunity for spirits of sorrow, grief and loneliness to enter. Also, if one attempts to communicate with the deceased loved one, he can easily acquire a familiar spirit. (See “Confronting Familiar Spirits” by Frank Hammond)

A woman who came to us for deliverance had never formed satisfactory soul ties with her three children. She was afraid to form the needed ties, and there was a reason for this reluctance. She was also very possessive of her grandchildren. Furthermore, when she realized that she was nearing the time of menopause, she became obsessed with the desire to have another child. When she heard a teaching on soul ties, she realized her problem and came for ministry.

The Lord showed her that she had never broken the soul ties with three babies she had miscarried and one that was stillborn. Normal soul ties had been formed while these babies were in her womb. The loss of these children, which occurred prior to the birth of her other children, made her afraid to bond (form soul ties) with her living children, lest she also lose them. Within herself she had never ceased sorrowing over the infants lost through miscarriage and stillbirth. Thus, she was never really satisfied with the children she raised. She tried to fill the emptiness within by bonding with her grandchildren. She was released from bondage when she realized her reason for wanting another child.

Demonic Soul Ties Within The Church

Sometimes there are factions within the Body of Christ which oppose the Body unity sung about in the familiar hymn, “Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love”. There are evil soul ties represented by cliques which cause division in the Body. Such groups oppose Church unity and the blending of the Body together.

“But God composed the body, having given greater honor to the part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.” I Cor. 12:24,25

Cliques work against the mutual care which Christ designed for His Church in “tempering the body together,” KJV.

Christ is the avowed Head of the Church; therefore, it should be the goal of church leadership to join each member to Christ. “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him” I Cor. 6:17. Sometimes, pastors join church members to themselves rather than to Christ. This unnatural bonding actually seduces the people away from Christ. Such ungodly soul ties may be formed by the intentional designs of the pastor, or they may be initiated by members of the congregation who idolize the pastor above Christ. Cults are often an outgrowth of these kinds of soul ties.

I recall ministering deliverance to a pastor who idolized his spiritual mentor to the extent that he would not listen to any other minister’s recorded messages. He prided himself that he had every cassette tape that his idolized teacher had made. This pastor walked with a limp in emulation of his teacher who had a lame leg. When his teacher had a heart attack, this pastor developed chest pains. As we ministered deliverance to this pastor, the demon in him cried out, “I am fellowshipping with him [the idolized minister] in his suffering.” (See: Phil. 3:10)

The Apostle Paul countered this same unhealthy soul tie when he said to the church at Corinth:

“For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed.” I Cor. 3:3-5

Paul went on to explain that Christ is the only foundation which can be laid. When man replaces Christ as the foundation, the spirit of Antichrist is introduced. This is the sort of error that took place within some elements of the Shepherding movement. The shepherd of the local flock became the “I Am” to his sheep, so that no action took place except through the human shepherd.

Spiritual leaders must maintain the spirit of John the Baptist who declared, “I am not the Christ…but the friend of the bridegroom” John 3:28, 29. (Emphasis mine.) Otherwise, one usurps the position of Christ as Head of the Church and ties the people to him. When loyalties are tied to man rather than to Christ, Christian fellowship with other churches and denominations is either hindered or made impossible.

Demons of doctrinal error have been known to identify themselves by the name of the leader who fostered the error. In such cases the demonic soul tie is clearly identified.

Influence of Like Spirits

How do demons enter into soul ties? Evil spirits are able to enter when spiritual boundaries are violated. God has set boundaries which govern our relationships with others. God has given man a nature to love and to live in association with others, but God has set boundaries for all such relationships. For example, there are protective boundaries set by God for marriage. A man is to forsake all others and be joined to his wife. There are similar limitations which govern friendships and bonds within the Body of Christ. When relationships within any given area disregard the boundaries which God has established, the relationships become perverse and demons enter. In other words, fleshly soul ties become demonic soul ties.

Through soul ties, a spiritual channel is formed. For example, in a godly marriage, the Holy Spirit flows between husband and wife so that revelations and workings of the Holy Spirit are held in common between a man and his wife. The two become one through the influence of the Holy Spirit on their lives. The same principle operates in demonic soul ties. When there is a sinful joining of two individuals, demon spirits in one person open up the other person for similar spirits, and the two become one.

The Power of Soul Ties

The power of soul ties is reflected in two important words in the Greek New Testament: “joined” and “fellowship.”

“Joined”

The word “joined” is used in relation to marriage. In Ephesians 5:31 we are told that a man is to be “JOINED” unto his wife. The literal meaning in Greek is: to cleave, stick to, glue, or cement. Another use of ”joined” is found in Matthew 19:6 where we are told concerning marriage: “Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” “Joined” can be translated as “yoked together.”

Within marriage, one can plumb the heights and depths of human relationship. The soul tie between husband and wife is pure and satisfying. The times of “coming together” can be a ministry to one another under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. If, however; the husband introduces oral or anal sex (sodomy) into the relationship, then another spirit is introduced; and the wife becomes defiled by the transference of the unclean spirit in him to herself.

The word “joined” is also used in relationship to the Church. Ephesians 4:16 speaks of, “The whole body, joined and knit together” (emphasis mine.) Again, in I Cor. 1:10, we read, “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the some thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” (emphasis mine.)

The Church is one body. “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it” I Cor. 12:26. That is, whatever happens to one member affects the other members of the Body. “Do you not know that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not!” I Cor. 6:15 Therefore, when a church member engages in sexual immorality, Christ the Head, is affected; and each member of the body is affected. This is the reason that there must be church discipline in such matters to remove any unrepentant sinner. For example, the man in the Corinthian church, who was living incestuously, was to be excommunicated. Paul explained: “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump” I Cor. 5:6, 7.

We have known of churches whose members fell into sexual sin in wholesale fashion. A spirit of fornication ruled those churches. Perhaps it was a pastor who first fell into adultery, but it could have been any member of the Body who committed the sin. Since each member is “joined” to the other members; when one sins, the whole body is affected.

Furthermore, the word “joined” describes our relationship with Christ. “But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him” I Cor. 6:17. (emphasis mine.) Just as a husband or wife can commit adultery against his/her spouse, a person can commit spiritual adultery against the Lord. Idolatry is spiritual harlotry. Every occult practice is an expression of idolatry, for by participating in anything occult a person goes outside his relationship with God to receive forbidden knowledge, wisdom, guidance or power. The person who has relationship with idols is said to have “joined” himself to that idol.

• “So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor (an idol of Moab), and      the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel.” Num. 25:3.      “They joined themselves also to Baal of Peor, and ate sacrifices made      to the dead. Ps. 106:28. “Ephraim is joined to idols, let him      alone.” Hos. 4:17, (emphasis mine).

When a person goes to a fortune teller, he “joins” himself to that occult practitioner by a spiritual connection and, therefore, commits spiritual adultery. By spiritual adultery, a spiritual soul tie is formed. Through occult involvement, one has spiritual intercourse with demons!

“Fellowship”

We have FELLOWSHIP with Christ through His sacrifice on the cross.

“The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, being many, are one bread and one body: for we all partake of that one bread.” I Cor. 10:16, 17

The Greek word “fellowship” means: communion, partaking together, sharing in common. As Christians, our communion is in Christ. We become “one body” by partaking together of the One Bread which is Christ who is broken for us. When we sit at the Lord’s table and partake of the bread and wine of communion, we are partaking of His sacrifice. This s is fellowship based on our sharing in His sacrificial death for the atonement of our sins.

We have “fellowship” with demons through idolatry. What happens when we participate in an idolatrous activity such as hypnotism, the Ouija Board, astrology or divination? We have sat at another table: the table of idols.

“Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry…You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. I Cor. 10:14, 21″

How does the Lord feel about our fellowship with demons? “We provoke the Lord to jealousy” I Cor. 10:22. If a wife goes out with another man, the husband is jealous. Likewise, a Christian’s affair with “another spirit” provokes the Lord too jealously. Soul ties made through occult involvement must be renounced and destroyed.

Husbands and wives who truly become “one flesh” will think alike, act alike and may even look alike. God’s Word says that when people are joined to idols they become like their idols:

“Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see; they have ears, but they do not hear; Noses they have, but they do not smell; they have hands, but they do not handle; feet they have, but they do not walk; nor do they mutter through their throat. THOSE WHO MAKE THEM ARE LIKE THEM; SO IS EVERYONE WHO TRUSTS IN THEM. Ps. 115:4-8, (emphasis mine).”

Breaking Demonic Soul Ties

Through our study we have come to see that demonic soul ties are indeed prevalent and more far-reaching than we may have supposed. As evil soul ties are identified, what can be done to reverse their power?

First, repentance toward God is necessary. God’s ordinances have been violated. Lust has taken us beyond the boundaries of purity which the Lord set for us. Even if the sin was committed in ignorance, it still requires forgiveness. Ask God NOW to forgive you for each perverse soul tie which you have created.

Second, spoil the devil’s house by taking back all that he has gained against you. Confess before God that Satan has no further legal right to you. Declare each demonic soul tie that you have identified is now destroyed in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Third, command the evil sprits associated with the soul ties to leave you in the Name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Note: Be as specific as possible when breaking soul ties. Soul ties are formed with each person with whom one has had sexual relationships outside of marriage. Name each sexual partner by name and verbally renounce the ties with each one. Are there soul ties with animals? Are there any wrong ties with family members? Are there abnormal ties with pastors or people within the Body of Christ? Have spiritually perverse soul ties been created through association with occultists such as: diviners, astrologers, witches, charmers, mediums, necromancers, hypnotists, ear piercers (Exod. 21:5, 6), tattoo artists (Lev. 19:28), blood covenanters, or unholy vows with Free Masons, fraternity brothers or sorority sisters?

Ask for and accept God’s forgiveness for each evil soul tie that you ever formed. In the name of Jesus, command all demons associated with perverse soul ties to go.

Related articles

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• New Creation Realities – Part 8 – 8 (raymondjclements.wordpress.com)
• Concerning Spiritual Gifts – Ever Increasing Faith (raymondjclements.wordpress.com)
• Demons Tie Souls Together in a Not So Tender Trap (pamsheppardpublishing.com)
• Sexual Sin and Soul Ties (thelivingletterchronicles.wordpress.com)

On one of my recent journeys, as I gazed from the coach window, I was led into a train of thought concerning the condition of the multitudes around me. They were living carelessly in the most open and shameless rebellion against God, without a thought for their eternal welfare. As I looked out of the window, I seemed to see them all . . . millions of people all around me given up to their drink and their pleasure, their dancing and their music, their business and their anxieties, their politics and their troubles. Ignorant – wilfully ignorant in many cases – and in other instances knowing all about the truth and not caring at all. But all of them, the whole mass of them, sweeping on and up in their blasphemies and devilries to the Throne of God. While my mind was thus engaged, I had a vision.

I saw a dark and stormy ocean. Over it the black clouds hung heavily; through them every now and then vivid lightening flashed and loud thunder rolled, while the winds moaned, and the waves rose and foamed, towered and broke, only to rise and foam, tower and break again.

In that ocean I thought I saw myriads of poor human beings plunging and floating, shouting and shrieking, cursing and struggling and drowning; and as they cursed and screamed they rose and shrieked again, and then some sank to rise no more.

And I saw out of this dark angry ocean, a mighty rock that rose up with it’s summit towering high above the black clouds that overhung the stormy sea. And all around the base of this great rock I saw a vast platform. Onto this platform, I saw with delight a number of the poor struggling, drowning wretches continually climbing out of the angry ocean. And I saw that a few of those who were already safe on the platform were helping the poor creatures still in the angry waters to reach the place of safety.

On looking more closely I found a number of those who had been rescued, industriously working and scheming by ladders, ropes, boats and other means more effective, to deliver the poor strugglers out of the sea. Here and there were some who actually jumped into the water, regardless of the consequences in their passion to “rescue the perishing.” And I hardly know which gladdened me the most – the sight of the poor drowning people climbing onto the rocks reaching a place of safety, or the devotion and self-sacrifice of those whose whole being was wrapped up in the effort for their deliverance.

As I looked on, I saw that the occupants of that platform were quite a mixed company. That is, they were divided into different “sets” or classes, and they occupied themselves with different pleasures and employments. But only a very few of them seemed to make it their business to get the people out of the sea.

But what puzzled me most was the fact that though all of them had been rescued at one time or another from the ocean, nearly everyone seemed to have forgotten all about it. Anyway, it seemed the memory of its darkness and danger no longer troubled them at all. And what seemed equally strange and perplexing to me was that these people did not even seem to have any care – that is any agonizing care – about the poor perishing ones who were struggling and drowning right before their very eyes . . . many of whom were their own husbands and wives, brothers and sisters and even their own children.

Now this astonishing unconcern could not have been the result of ignorance or lack of knowledge, because they lived right there in full sight of it all and even talked about it sometimes. Many even went regularly to hear lectures and sermons in which the awful state of these poor drowning creatures was described.

I have always said that the occupants of this platform were engaged in different pursuits and pastimes. Some of them were absorbed day and night in trading and business in order to make gain, storing up their savings in boxes, safes and the like.

Many spent their time in amusing themselves with growing flowers on the side of the rock, others in painting pieces of cloth or in playing music, or in dressing themselves up in different styles and walking about to be admired. Some occupied themselves chiefly in eating and drinking, others were taken up with arguing about the poor drowning creatures that had already been rescued.

But the thing to me that seemed the most amazing was that those on the platform to whom He called, who heard His voice and felt that they ought to obey it – at least they said they did – those who confessed to love Him much were in full sympathy with Him in the task He had undertaken – who worshipped Him or who professed to do so – were so taken up with their trades and professions, their money saving and pleasures, their families and circles, their religions and arguments about it, and their preparation for going to the mainland, that they did not listen to the cry that came to them from this Wonderful Being who had Himself gone down into the sea. Anyway, if they heard it they did not heed it. They did not care. And so the multitude went on right before them struggling and shrieking and drowning in the darkness.

And then I saw something that seemed to me even more strange than anything that had gone on before in this strange vision. I saw that some of these people on the platform whom this Wonderful Being had called to, wanting them to come and help Him in His difficult task of saving these perishing creatures, were always praying and crying out to Him to come to them!

Some wanted Him to come and stay with them, and spend His time and strength in making them happier. Others wanted Him to come and take away various doubts and misgivings they had concerning the truth of some letters He had written them. Some wanted Him to come and make them feel more secure on the rock – so secure that they would be quite sure that they should never slip off again into the ocean. Numbers of others wanted Him to make them feel quite certain that they would really get off the rock and onto the mainland someday: because as a matter of fact, it was well known that some had walked so carelessly as to loose their footing, and had fallen back again into the stormy waters.

So these people used to meet and get up as high on the rock as they could, and looking towards the mainland (where they thought the Great Being was) they would cry out, “Come to us! Come and help us!” And all the while He was down (by His Spirit) among the poor struggling, drowning creatures in the angry deep, with His arms around them trying to drag them out, and looking up – oh! so longingly but all in vain – to those on the rock, crying to them with His voice all hoarse from calling, “Come to Me! Come, and help Me!

And then I understood it all. It was plain enough. The sea was the ocean of life – the sea of real, actual human existence. That lightening was the gleaming of piercing truth coming from Jehovah’s Throne. That thunder was the distant echoing of the wrath of God. Those multitudes of people shrieking, struggling and agonizing in the stormy sea, was the thousands and thousands of poor harlots and harlot-makers, of drunkards and drunkard makers, of thieves, liars, blasphemers and ungodly people of every kindred, tongue and nation.

Oh what a black sea it was! And oh, what multitudes of rich and poor, ignorant and educated were there. They were all so unalike in their outward circumstances and conditions, yet all alike in one thing – all sinners before God – all held by, and holding onto, some iniquity, fascinated by some idol, the slaves of some devilish lust, and ruled by the foul fiend from the bottomless pit!

“All alike in one thing?” No, all alike in two things – not only the same in their wickedness but, unless rescued, the same in their sinking, sinking . . . down, down, down . . . to the same terrible doom. That great sheltering rock represented Calvary, the place where Jesus had died for them. And the people on it were those who had been rescued. The way they used their energies, gifts and time represented the occupations and amusements of those who professed to be saved from sin and hell – followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. The handful of fierce, determined ones, who were risking their own lives in saving the perishing were true soldiers of the cross of Jesus. That Mighty Being who was calling to them from the midst of the angry waters was the Son of God, “the same yesterday, today and forever” who is still struggling and interceding to save the dying multitudes about us from this terrible doom of damnation, and whose voice can be heard above the music, machinery, and noise of life, calling on the rescued to come and help Him save the world.

My friends in Christ, you are rescued from the waters, you are on the rock, He is in the dark sea calling on you to come to Him and help Him. Will you go? Look for yourselves. The surging sea of life, crowded with perishing multitudes rolls up to the very spot on which you stand. Leaving the vision, I now come to speak of the fact – a fact that is as real as the Bible, as real as the Christ who hung upon the cross, as real as the judgment day will be, and as real as the heaven and hell that will follow it.

Look! Don’t be deceived by appearances – men and things are not what they seem. All who are not on the rock are in the sea! Look at them from the standpoint of the great White Throne, and what a sight you have! Jesus Christ, the Son of God is, through His Spirit, in the midst of this dying multitude, struggling to save them. And He is calling on you to jump into the sea – to go right away to His side and help Him in the holy strife. Will you jump? That is, will you go to His feet and place yourself absolutely at His disposal?

A young Christian once came to me, and told me that for some time she had been giving the Lord her profession and prayers and money, but now she wanted to give Him her life. She wanted to go right into the fight. In other words, she wanted to go to His assistance in the sea. As when a man from the shore, seeing another struggling in the water, takes off those outer garments that would hinder his efforts and leaps to the rescue, so will you who still linger on the bank, thinking and singing and praying about the poor perishing souls, lay aside your shame, your pride, your cares about other people’s opinions, your love of ease and all the selfish loves that have kept you back for so long, and rush to the rescue of this multitude of dying men and women.

Does the surging sea look dark and dangerous? Unquestionably it is so. There is no doubt that the leap for you, as for everyone who takes it, means difficulty and scorn and suffering. For you it may mean more than this. It may mean death. He who beckons you from the sea however, knows what it will mean – and knowing, He still calls to you and bids to you to come.

You must do it! You cannot hold back. You have enjoyed yourself in Christianity long enough. You have had pleasant feelings, pleasant songs, pleasant meetings, and pleasant prospects. There has been much of human happiness, much clapping of hands and shouting of praises – very much of heaven on earth.

Now then, go to God and tell Him you are prepared as much as necessary to turn your back upon it all, and that you are willing to spend the rest of your days struggling in the midst of these perishing multitudes, whatever it may cost you.

You must do it. With the light that is now broken in upon your mind and the call that is now sounding in your ears, and the beckoning hands that are now before your eyes, you have no alternative. To go down among the perishing crowds is your duty. Your happiness from now on will consist in sharing their misery, your ease in sharing their pain, your crown in helping them to bear their cross, and your heaven in going into the very jaws of hell to rescue them.

We have a warehouse full of all that we need but we need to make out a requisition for the relevant resource using Gods Word who Is Jesus who became Flesh to show us how to do it. Jesus only did what he saw the Father do. Heal the sick; meet needs supernaturally, words of knowledge and wisdom. Full of compassion and not judging people by their outward appearances. God loves everyone including Satan.

God’s Word must be in our hearts and our minds, which must be reprogrammed/renewed to a new way of operating in this world which operates in darkness. We need to be lights (beacons) of hope, peace, love, provision and protection. All this as part of the body of Christ which works together as one. Yes this all takes patience and perseverance but the joy and love that comes from seeing someone change and God gloried makes it all worthwhile. I am starting back on this road again which I fell off of some years ago. I have stumbled along not being the witness I want to be about my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. So today make a quality decision to say I will read scriptures out loud for x minutes per day and pray in the Spirit for at least 15 minutes. It will be hard initially but it will get easier. Praying in the Spirit is the foundation for a victorious Christian life. I know this from experience. If anyone wants to ask questions about praying in tongues and what is this or that about when praying in the Spirit then please ask me Your Brother in Christ.

 Colossians 3:1-17

 1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.

7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.

8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices

10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

11 Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

2 Corinthians 12:9

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me

Deuteronomy 6:4-5

4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Ephesians 2:8

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

Ephesians 3:16

16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

Ephesians 4:15

15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

Galatians 2:20

20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 5:13

13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature]; rather, serve one another in love.

Galatians 6:7

7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

Hebrews 11:6

6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

John 1:1-2

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 He was with God in the beginning.

John 1:10

10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.

John 1:12

12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

John 1:14

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 8:31-32

31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 15:3

3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

John 15:13

13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

John 16:7-16

7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgement:

9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me;

10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer;

11 and in regard to judgement, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

12″I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.

13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.

15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

16 “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”

John 17:2

“Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.

John 17:17

17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

1 John 3:16

16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

Matthew 15:10-13

10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand.

11 What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean.’ “

12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”

13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.

Matthew 15:18-19

18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’

19  For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

Matthew 22:36-40

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

38 This is the first and greatest commandment.

39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’

40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Philippians 2:2-8

2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!

Philippians 4:19

19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ

Jesus.

Proverbs 4:23

23Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Proverbs 23:7

7 for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

Psalm 119:11

11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 139:17-18

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.

Romans 5:3-5

3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;

4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.

5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Romans 6:23

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:28

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 10:9

9 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:10

10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

Romans 12:2

2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:10

10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honour one another above yourselves.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

16 Be joyful always; 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Related articles

• Concerning Spiritual Gifts – Ever Increasing Faith (raymondjclements.wordpress.com)
• Deliverance to the Captives – Ever Increasing Faith (raymondjclements.wordpress.com)
• God Reproducing Himself In Us (raymondjclements.wordpress.com)

2. Deliverance to the Captives

Please Read Luke 4:1-20.

Our precious Lord Jesus has everything for everybody. Forgiveness of sin, healing of diseases and the fullness of the Spirit all come from one source – from the Lord Jesus Christ. Hear Him who is the same yesterday, today and forever as He announces the purpose for which He came: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Jesus had been baptized by John in Jordan, and the Holy Spirit had descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon Him. Being full of the Holy Ghost, He had been led by the Spirit into the wilderness, there to come off more than conqueror over the arch enemy. Then He returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee and preached in the synagogues, and at last He came to His old home town – Nazareth, where He announced His mission in the words I have just quoted. For a brief while He ministered on the earth, and then gave His life a ransom for all. But God raised Him from the dead. And before He went to the glory He told His disciples that they too should receive the power of the Holy Ghost upon them. Thus, through them, His gracious ministry would continue. This power of the Holy Ghost was not only for a few apostles, but even for them that are afar off, even as many as our God should call (Acts 2:39) even for us in this twentieth century. Some ask, “But was not this power just for the privileged few in the first century?” No. Read the Master’s great commission as recorded by Mark, and you will see it is for them that believe.

After I had received the Baptism of the Holy ghost (and I know that I received; for the Lord gave me the Spirit in just the same way as He gave Him to the disciples at Jerusalem), I sought the mind of the Lord as to why I was baptized. One day I came home from work and went into the house and my wife asked me, ‘Which way did you come in?” I told her that I had come in at the back door. She said, “There is a woman upstairs and she has brought an old man of eighty to be prayed for. He is raving up there and a great crowd is outside the front door, ringing the door-bell and wanting to know what is going on in the house.” The Lord quietly whispered, “This is what I baptized you for.”

I carefully opened the door of the room where the man was, desiring to be obedient to what my Lord would say to me. The man was crying and shouting in distress, “I am lost! I am lost! I have committed the unpardonable sin. I am lost! I am lost!” My wife said, “Dad, what shall we do?” The Spirit of the Lord moved me to cry out, “Come out, thou lying spirit.” In a moment the evil spirit went, and the Lord said to me, “This is what I baptized you for.”

There is a place where God, through the power of the Holy Ghost, reigns supreme in our lives. The Spirit reveals, unfolds, takes the things of Christ and shows them to us, and prepares us to be more than a match for satanic forces.

When Nicodemus came to Jesus he said, “We know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.” Jesus said to him, “Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus was impressed by the miracles wrought; and Jesus pointed out the necessity of a miracle being wrought with every man who would see the kingdom. When a man is born of God, is brought from darkness to light, a mighty miracle is wrought. Jesus saw every touch by God as a miracle, and so we may expect to see miracles wrought today. It is wonderful to have the Spirit of the Lord upon us. I would rather have the Spirit of God on me for five minutes than to receive a million dollars.

Do you see how Jesus mastered the devil in the wilderness? He knew He was the Son of God and Satan came along with an “if.” How many times has Satan come along to you this way? He says, “After all, you may be deceived. You know you really are not a child of God.” If the devil comes along and says that you are not saved, it is a pretty sure sign that you are. When he comes and tells you that you are not healed, it may be taken as good evidence that the Lord has sent His word and healed you. The devil knows that if he can capture your thought life, he has won a mighty victory over you. His great business is injecting thoughts, but if you are pure and holy you will instantly shrink from them. God wants us to let the mind that was in Christ Jesus, that pure, holy, humble mind of Christ, be in us.

I come across people everywhere I go who are held bound by deceptive conditions, and these conditions have come about simply because they have allowed the devil to make their minds the place of his stronghold. How are we to guard against this? The Lord has provided us with weapons that are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds of the enemy, and by means of which every thought shall be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. The blood of Jesus Christ and His mighty name are an antidote to all the subtle seeds of unbelief that Satan would sow in your minds.

In the first chapter of Acts, we see that Jesus gave commandment to the disciples that they should wait for the promise of the Father, and He told them that not many days hence they would be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Luke tells us that he had written his former treatise concerning all that Jesus began both former treatise concerning all that Jesus began both to do and teach. The ministry of Christ did not end at the cross, but the Acts and the epistles give us accounts of what He continued to do and teach through those whom He indwelt. And our blessed Lord Jesus is still alive, and continues His ministry through those who are filled with His Spirit. He is still healing the broken-hearted and delivering the captives through those on whom He places His Spirit.

more glory when He manifests His power. Every trial is a blessing. There have been times when I have been pressed through circumstances and it seemed as if a dozen road engines were going over me, but I have found that the hardest things are just lifting places into the grace of God. We have such a lovely Jesus. He always proves Himself to be such a mighty Deliverer. He never fails to plan the best things for us.

The train began moving and I crouched down, and in the name of Jesus commanded the disease to leave. The old lady cried, “I’m healed. I know I’m healed.” She stamped her leg and said, “I’m going to prove it.” So when we stopped at another station she marched up and down and shouted, “I’m not going to the hospital.” Once again our wonderful Jesus had proven Himself a Healer of the broken-hearted, a Deliverer of one that was bound.

At one time I was so bound that no human power could help me. My wife was looking for me to pass away. There was no help. At that time I had just had a faint glimpse of Jesus as the Healer. For six months I had been suffering from appendicitis, occasionally getting temporary relief. I went to the mission of which I was pastor, but I was brought to the floor in awful agony, and they brought me home to my bed. All night I was praying, pleading for deliverance, but none came. My wife was sure it was my home call and sent for a physician. He said that there was no possible chance for me — my body was too weak. Having had the appendicitis for six months, my whole system was drained, and, because of that, he thought that it was too late for an operation. He left my wife in a state of broken-heartedness.

After he left, there came to our door a young man and an old lady. I knew that she was a woman of real prayer. They came upstairs to my room. This young man jumped on the bed and commanded the evil spirit to come out of me. He shouted, “Come out, you devil; I command you to come out in the name of Jesus!” There was no chance for an argument, or for me to tell him that I would never believe thart there was a devil inside of me. The thing had to go in the name of Jesus, and it went, and I was instantly healed.

I arose and dressed and went downstairs. I was still in the plumbing business, and I asked my wife, “Is there any work in? I am all right now, and I am going to work.” I found there was a certain job to be done and I picked up my tools and went off to do it. Just after I left, the doctor came in, put his plug hat down in the hall, and walked up to the bedroom. But the invalid was not there. “Where is Mr. Wigglesworth? he asked. “O, doctor, he’s gone out to work,” said my wife. “You’ll never see him alive again,” said the doctor; “they’ll bring him back a corpse.”

Well, I’m the corpse.

Since that time, in many parts of the world, the Lord has given me the privilege of praying for people with appendicitis; and I have seen a great many people up and dressed within a quarter of an hour from the time I prayed for them. We have a living Christ who is willing to meet people on every line.

A number of years ago I met Brother D. W. Kerr and he gave me a letter of introduction to a brother in Zion City named Cook. I took his letter to Brother Cook, and he said, “God has sent you here.” He gave me the addresses of six people and asked me to go and pray for them and meet him again at 12 o’clock. I got back at about 12:30 and he told me about a young man who was to be married the following Monday. His sweetheart was in Zion City dying of appendicitis. I went to the house and found that the physician had just been there and had pronounced that there was no hope. The mother was nearly distracted and was pulling her hair, and saying, “Is there no deliverance!” I said to her, “Woman, believe God and your daughter will be healed and be up and dressed in fifteen minutes.” But the mother went on screaming.

They took me into the bedroom, and I prayed for the girl and commanded the evil spirit to depart in the name of Jesus. She cried, “I am healed.” I said to her, “Do you want me to believe that you are healed? If you are healed, get up.” She said, “You get out of the room and I’ll get up.” In less than ten minutes the doctor came in. He wanted to know what had happened. She said, “A man came in and prayed for me, and I’m healed.” The doctor pressed his finger right in the place that had been so sore, and the girl neither moaned nor cried. He said, “This is God.” It made no difference whether he acknowledged it or not, I knew that God had worked. Our God is real in saving and healing power today. Our Jesus is just the same, yesterday, and today, and forever. He saves and heals today just as of old, and He wants to be your Saviour and your Healer.

Oh, if you would only believe God! What would happen? The greatest things. Some have never tasted the grace of God, have never had the peace of God. Unbelief robs them of these blessings. It is possible to hear and yet not conceive the truth. It is possible to read the Word and not share in the life it brings. It is necessary for us to have the Holy Ghost to unfold the Word and bring to us the life that is Christ. We can never fully understand the wonders of this redemption until we are full of the Holy Ghost.

I was once at an afternoon meeting. The Lord had been graciously with us and many had been healed by the power of God. Most of the people had gone home and I was left alone, when I saw a young man who was evidently hanging back to have a word. I asked, “What do you want?” He said, “I wonder if I could ask you to pray for me.” I said, “What’s the trouble?” He said, “Can’t you smell?” The young fellow had gone into sin and was suffering the consequences. He said, “I have been turned out of two hospitals. I am broken out all over. I have abcesses all over me.” And I could see that he had a bad breaking out at the nose. He said, “I heard you preach, and could not understand about this healing business, and was wondering if there was any hope for me.”

I said to him, “Do you know Jesus?” He did not know the first thing about salvation, but I said to him, “Stand still.” I placed my hands on his head and then on his loins and cursed that terrible disease in the name of Jesus. He cried out, “I know I’m healed. I can feel a warmth and a glow all over me.” I said, “Who did it?” He said, “Your prayers.” I said, “No, it was Jesus!” He said, “Was it He? Oh, Jesus! Jesus! Jesus, save me.” And that young man went away healed and saved. Oh, what a merciful God we have! What a wonderful Jesus is ours!

Are you oppressed? Cry out to God. It is always good for people to cry out. You may have to cry out. The Holy Ghost and the Word of God will bring to light every hidden, unclean thing that must be revealed. There is always a place of deliverance when you let God search out that which is spoiling and marring your life. That evil spirit that was in the man in the synagogue cried out, “Let us alone!” It was a singular thing that the evil spirit had never cried out like that until Jesus walked into the place where he was. Jesus rebuked the thing, saying, “Hold thy peace and come out of him,” and the man was delivered. He is just the same Jesus, exposing the powers of evil, delivering the captives and letting the oppressed go free, purifying them and cleansing their hearts. Those evil spirits that inhabited the man who had the legion did not want to be sent to the pit to be tormented before their time, and so they cried out to be sent into the swine. Hell is such an awful place that even the demons hate the thought of going there. How much more should men seek to be saved from the pit?

God is compassionate and says, “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found.” And He has further stated, “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Seek Him now, call on His name right now, and there is forgiveness, healing, redemption, deliverance, and everything you need for you right here and now, and that which will satisfy you throughout eternity.”

BLESSINGS IN AUSTRALIA

Sister Winnie Andrews, N. Melbourne, Australia, writes: “Our Brother Wigglesworth landed here February 16th, and had a meeting that very night. The dear Lord was present and that to heal. A little girl of six, having never walked, after she had been prayed for, walked out of the front door with her mother, who was full of joy for what the Lord had done for her little one. Another man who had been suffering with bad feet for year and walked only with the aid of a stick was instantly healed and has been along several times to testify to what the Lord has done for him. Many deaf people have been delivered in answer to the prayer of faith. One night a dear man and his wife whom he brought to the meeting in a wheel chair, were both healed. He had been suffering from deafness for 20 years and she had not walked for over 6 1/2 years. After prayer she got out of her chair and walked to the station, with her husband pushing the empty chair. He, too, was rejoicing in that he was now able to hear perfectly. O what a wonderful God we have. Blessed by His holy Name!

“At the Sunday afternoon service, a dear young woman who had been suffering with tuberculosis for 13 years and who was in the last stages, came leaning on the arm of a friend and was prayed for. At once she received new life and was perfectly delivered. The terrible burning sores which were eating their way into her bones have dried up and are peeling off, and she is looking so well and happy and is as strong as can be. Glory to God! Last night a young man suffering from consumption was prayed for and was instantly made whole. O, our hearts overflow at the glorious things God is doing in our midst!

“Many have been healed of neuritis, heart and lung trouble and stiff joints. One woman who had not walked for 22 years and could not as much as turn her head — after prayer — got out of bed and walked. Praise God!” –Pentecostal Evangelic, April 15, 1922.