The Baby or the Lord?

   

    You know, this Christmas season there is, as some say a "war on Christmas" and I guess, maybe, there is, but I am not sure of how important or serious it is.  The truth is, we could convince the whole world that Jesus came as a babe, and the whole world would still be lost, if that is all they knew.  It is good to know He left the throne of glory and came as a babe.  It is a precious truth, but it is not a saving truth.  You can believe that, agree with that, and defend that but if that is all you know, you are lost.  Even if you lift your sights a bit and believe there is a creator God, a heavenly Father, an almighty Judge, a great Savior, and that is all you know, you are still lost.  Educated, but lost.  In this country, it is a sad thing indeed that we have sunk to such a low level that we think that just believing there is a God is enough to make you a Christian.

    It is good to celebrate the incarnation - God made flesh and dwelling among us, but you won't be any closer to heaven and eternal life if you do, or any further away if you don't.  You see, that eternal question about your eternal destiny is answered in Christ the Lord, and in Him alone.  The way to salvation is not even in believing that Jesus is your Savior.  I know that is the popular notion that sounds like this  "ask Jesus to be your Savior and He will save you".    No, it is not calling HIm Savior, it is knowing and confessing that He is Lord that brings salvation, (Ro. 10:9, 13). You see, we are saved by grace and grace is the administration of the ruler of the universe, Jesus Christ the LORD.  He can show you grace because He is Lord.  He does not save you because He is Savior. He is can save you and become your savior,  because He is Lord. 

    If you are in this new and great covenant we have with God, if you have a covenant relationship, you know He as Lord!  "and they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest", Heb. 8:11.  This is not knowing about Him, this is knowing Him.  This is not knowing Him, or knowing about Him because your neighbor or brother witnessed to you.  You know Him because He, by the Holy Spirit presence and power, has revealed Himself Lord of all.  That is who He is now!

   Remember, this Christmas season, that He came like a baby, died like a lamb but He arose as the Lord!  And, if you are going to exchange gifts around the tree or the family table, remember that the exchange of those gifts are reminders of the great gifts God has given to us.  The LORD has given us pardon. The LORD has given us mercy and grace!  The LORD gives us forgiveness and healing!  The LORD has given us the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Don't take those gifts from your loved ones and fail to claim the gifts the LORD has given to you.  Claim every one of them. And, remember to say "Thank you LORD".

Facts versus truth

  

     You know, facts often get in the way of truth (reality) and vice versa.  You may have the fact that it is raining. Oh, you just love the rain!  However, go outside when the temp is cold and the reality of the rain will make you uncomfortable.  The truth is, we human beings, Christians being no exception, live in an odd dream world.  Our dream world is often built on facts, but not reality.  We are sold a way of life with facts but then the reality catches up with us and we are unhappy and a bit confused.  Politicians know this and use it to manipulte the whole country.  They will will throw out facts by the bushel and we vote "yes" and then the reality sinks in and we realize we have been had. 

     Religious people are even better at this.  In fact, perhaps, maybe, the politicians learned how to do this by going to church.  Who knows?  Religious voices, using Bible facts can and do manipultate people, rob people, cheat people and do it all with facts.   Of course, the reason the church in America is not growing, is not doing what they should is that we are overloaded with facts and skimpy on reality.  We are those the Bible speaks of who are ever learning but never coming to the reality, the experiential knowledge, of what  they know.  And, worse, if the reality of the facts does manifest, we are very apt to reject the reality and cry out "just the facts, just the facts".  That was the plight of the Pharisees when Jesus came to them.  They had the fact that there was a coming Messiah.  Then He came.  They stuck with the fact and resisted the truth. The same thing is going on right now on a much bigger scale.  Across the whole church world, we believe the fact that there is a Holy Ghost.  But then.....He shows up and His reality makes us uncomfortable so we go back to the worship of the fact and dismiss the reality.  They are great with the story of men who appeared as drunk when baptized in the Holy Ghost, but let it happen in their church and they will fight it tooth and toenail.  They are comfortable with the fact, but not the reality.  That is a strange bondage indeed!  But, it is what we have.

 

   When Jesus said to them they would be made free when they knew the truth, this was what He was referring to.  The reality of something frees you from the fact of that something.  The word "truth" as Jesus so often used it actually means "verity" or "reality".  He said the Spirit was coming to lead us into "all truth / reality".  There is tremendous resistance to this.  In the church world we think we are doing great, just hanging on to those facts but actually, we are being robbed.  Religious people, legitamizing this theivery, say "oh,we don't want experiential theology, we will just stay with the facts". That is their big criticism of those of us who live the Spirit-filled, faith, life.  Yet, that is exactly what Jesus has promised us.  The Bible is not just a book of facts, like Webster's Dictionary.  It is a book of facts that when allowed, the Holy Ghost can give life and experience to each and every fact.  He can turn facts to experience.  And, He wants to.

Divine Order anyone?

     

You know, it seems to me a person, in the church world, could live and die and never hear the words "divine order".   Isn't that strange that though we serve a very orderly God, so many of us have no idea of what His order for us might be?   It is even more strange considering the fact that Jesus gave us two commands and gave them by order. The first, and the great, is to love God with all our being.  The second, and not called great, is that we are to love our brother.  There are those, with bats in the belfrey, who say we are to pay no attention to these two commands or the order of these commands.  They don't really have to encourage most of the church that way, they were not paying any attention anyway.  

   When Jesus numbered these two commands, he set forth a divine order.  He said on these two commands hang all the words of the law and the prophets.  That makes them the foundation for whatever spiritual life, structure or understanding you are building.  That makes the guidebook by which you interpret all that God has said or has to say.  With divine order in mind, you are building a structure, whether that be a life or a church, designed to love God with all its being.  Without divine order, you are building on whatever you, or some other man, decides to build on and you will never arrive at divine order.  Of course, you may not notice it right away, because there will be so many others around you who have also missed divine order.  All the enemy of God has ever had to do to steal the love and worship of God is to simply get us to flip the numbers, putting two where one should be.  When it happens, we have missed God and may never know it - until we make heaven.   And then - we will discover it was all about loving God from the very beginning.

     Does God care?  I think He does.  He has sent the Holy Ghost to shed His love abroad in our hearts.  That is not just His love for us, but also our love for Him.  The uniqueness of this covenant, above all  people and their covenant before us, is that we, by the power of the Holy Ghost can love God with all our being, if only we will.   Of course, it is easier not to.  There is a fight about the matter. The enemy of God has always had in mind to steal the love and worship of God and works hard at doing so.  So, as long as we are not going that way anyway, the journey takes less energy, the battle less fierce. The path away from loving God  with all our being is a down-hill slope and quiet simply so because the resistance of the enemy is so much less.

   Did you know that by far the most commanded subjects in the Bible are to praise, give thanks, rejoice and worship God?  Why do you suppose that is?  It is God asking for us to express our love and giving us His desire for how to do it.  It is God laying out divine order with instructions on how to express that divine order. Approaching God is not done just any old way your taste demands.  It is done God's way.  It is done following His instructions.
 
   When we stand before God, I think this will all matter.  If we will be judged by our works and our first work was not the love and worship of God, I think it will matter.  He saved us to worship Him and we missed the point.  If we will be judged on how we made the journey, I think He will take note if we were faithful to love and worship Him, with all that we are, to the very end.

What in the world are you?

 
    You know, if I had never read a Kenneth Hagin book, way, way back when, I might, even today, not know what I am.  Of course, I wouldn't be alone for a lot of other Christian folks still don't know what they are.  So many just think of themselves as a body with a brain, and that being open to question in some cases.   I used to think that way and then I read this book in which Bro. Hagin taught about being a spirit being, with a soul that lives in a body.  Wow!  Somebody flipped the switch and the light came on!  I had never heard that!  When that began to be they way I defined myself, agreeing with the Word, I changed and my approach to the the things of God also changed.   "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ".   1st The. 5:23

   So, what is the problem? What if you don't realize you are a spirit, possess a soul and live in a body?  The problem is that if you don't know what you are, you will never know who you are.  If you don't kow who you are, you won't really know what you are supposed to be doing or how to do it if you do.  I thought about this the other day and it came to me that a lot of folks, younger  ones perhaps,  still haven't heard this message.  And, if they don't hear and understand this message, they will may  ever rise to the levels of growth and faith that they should. They may never enjoy all that God has for them, in the spirit realm.  Hear ye!  Hear ye!  You are a spirit. That which is born of the spirit is spirit.

    For those who might have missed the message,  you are not your body.  That is just the temporary house you live in.  You are not your soul. That is the operating system that keeps the house functioning as it naturally should.  Your body did not get saved.  It will have to be rebuilt, and thank God it will be. I want a better one anyway.  Your soul did not get saved or born again. The Bible says it has to be saved by "engrafting"  of the Word of God, that is, trained to do what the Word  and the Spirit says  to  do.  It was your spirit ithat was saved. It was born again, made brand new. It is a new creature having never existed before.  It was fathered in you by the Spirit therefore it is of the spirit.  It needs constant connection with the Holy Spirit by which it is empowered to function and become the command center for the whole person.  It is a very different life style to live under the command of the spirit, which is joined to the HOly Spirit, than to live under the command of your body or soul.  They will lead you astray.

Is God one, two, or three????

      The history of some of the great Pentecostal denominations in America include a sordid tale of division and separation of brothers from brothers by the argument of whether God is one,  or God is three-in-one.  God himself only knows how much damage that argument did, and has done.  To argue over the exact make-up of God assumes that you know and understand, perfectly, the exact make-up of God.   And, that is Silly, with a capital "S".    For me, I really think I could preach convincingly the "oneness" of God, then with the next sermon preach convincingly "God is three in one", and then, after everyone soaks in confusion for a while, preach a very convincing sermon that God is "two in one".  I can back any of these positions with lots of Scriptures.  But, is there a point to it?

     To me, such an argument is a devil's device.  It splits, it divides, it destroys and the end accomplishes very little.  So, you believe in the oneness?  So, you believe in the threeness?  Are you any more saved, any more blessed, any more further along because you think you have God completely figured out?  Nah! That satisfaction you are feeling, having staked out the right position, is pride sneaking up on you and you haven't recognized it yet.  This is an argument that should never have happened because whatever position you think is right, is still an incomplete position.  None of us on earth, can  completely understand  or explain  God, whose ways are past finding out.  And, if your position is incomplete,  if you can't fully explain your concept of God, then you should not commit yourself to arguing about incomplete knowledge.

    For me, I lean toward the trinity but you know, I would never argue about it, or at least, I don't want to.  For me, those who I believe have got it right (concerning God), are not those staked out on the oneness side or those on the three-ness side.  It is those who totally embrace God, as He is, right now, in real time, present form. That is the Holy Ghost!  According to Jesus, "God is a spirit" and those who worship Him must worship Him in that form.  When we worship God as He is making HImself known to us, wonderful things happen.  When Jesus came, God manifesting in the flesh, those who embraced Him were blessed. Those who did not, were robbed.  When God is embraced, as He is, He becomes wonderfully real, upfront, close and personal.  One thing I have noticed about "oneness" folks, just by listening their music, which I love, they seem to really commit to God as He is right now - as Spirit.   On the other hand, trinity folks say they believe in the Holy Spirit, third person of the trinity as they say, yet, set about to ignore the Spirit and turn their worship to the part of the trinity that is not present, not here in real time and  in present form.  So, while their concept of God might be correct, they lost the battle anyway.  I wonder what value it is to worship God in far-off heaven while ignoring God here among us?  What value is it to worship a concept of God and miss the fellowship of the manifested presence of God?  NONE!  This was the pit the Pharisees fell into.  They clung feverishly to God in heaven and ignored God walking among them.    

    If you read the Bible, you can find God manifesting in different ways. He is seen as a great creator, Almighty God, a cool wind by day, a fire by night, a serpent on a pole, a Father, a Spirit, a man on a cross, etc.  Stake out any concept you like, but if that is not the way He is now, you have missed the mark. To Israel in the wilderness, He was a warming fire by night and a cooling wind by day.  Can you see them, congregating outside their tents angrily shouting at each other, arguing over whether He was the wind, or whether He was the fire?  The day people (those who think He is the wind) would be convinced they had pegged God correctly, and the night people (those who think He is the fire) would be equally devoted to their correct defining of God.  If they behaved like us, the day people would probably only move by day, following their perceived true wind-God and the night people would only move by night, following their perceived true fire-God.  Who knows?  Maybe there were doing this which is why it took forty years to walk what should have been walked in a couple of weeks.   Well, maybe not,  if they had fell into such division they would still be circling in the desert.  They would probably be known now as the "Circle Nation", and only make right hand turns no matter where they go.

    Dear friend,  you can believe in either the one, or three-in-one God but what matters most is do you embrace Him as He is right now, where you are, where you live, where you worship?  That is the argument that matters.  Jesus put it this way; you can say anything bad about Him or the Father, but to blaspheme the Holy Ghost is to risk hell.  Why such an extreme position?  That is precisely the point! How do you relate to God as He is now?  That matters. "God is a Spirit".    Do you know, do you have, do you listen to, do you walk with God as He is now, the wonderful Holy Ghost?  When Jesus walked on earth, He made it clear that no one could come to the Father except through Him.  Why?  Because Jesus, God in the flesh, was how God was manifesting at that time.

Purpose driven or Spirit led?

    

     A few years ago there was a  popular book out called "Purpose Driven Life".  I didn't  much care for the book but, my opinion aside, the book did raise some questions which that I have thought some about some.   Are we driven by a purpose or led by the Spirit?  Are the two the same?  I suppose the two can be the same, but most often, flesh being what it is, they are not.   

    Here is what I have found to be a problem with the purpose driven idea:   where people buy into the idea, they spend much time seeking their purpose.  Sometimes they even abandoning what they are already doing because they find a perceived purpose they like better.  Or, they find a purpose (they may refer to it as their "calling"), and that is it.  End of search.  They build a box and define themselves by their perceived purpose.  Their perceived purpose then becomes their lord and master, determiner of destiny.  Their happiness begins to become dependent upon whether or not they fulfilled their perceived purpose.  Their usefulness to God exists only within their purpose boundaries. And, leaders are often found more guilty of this than anyone.  A leader, having accepted the calling  (perceived purpose) to be, for example, a "Pastor", before long cannot see himself as doing anything else but pastor.  Before long, he is no longer a faithful servant who will do anything for the Master.  He is now in his pastor-box and limited to only that.  Instead of his world getting bigger, it gets smaller.  Instead of being an effective Spirit-led servant, who will do anything for God, he can only be led to do things that seem to him to fit in his perceived purpose.  I have know those who can preach up a storm but do nothing else worth mentioning. Lousy Christians, lousy husbands, lousy worshipper, but a great preacher. That, my friend is failure.  What if, in that context, God says to that pastor "Stop what you are doing.  I want you to go to the mission field".  Purpose driven, that pastor will probably say "get thee behind me Satan".  He is in his purpose driven box. Perhaps the worst thing about all this is that your joy begins to come from your works, and not from your God.  That is a slicky slope.

     I have found that if you start a new believer off looking for that advertised "God has a plan for your life"  notion and you may have ruined him. He spends the rest of his days looking.  He may come up with a preconceived notion of what it is and be off the mark by a country mile being too young to properly discern the voice of the Lord. Sheep follow the Master.  Lambs follow the sheep.  Mess with that principle and you have a mess to live with.   Or, that new believer may actually have a good idea, maybe a word from the Lord about a future development and prematurely he grabs hold of it, allows it to become the driver of his life and often causes more harm than good for most of his life.  Or, on the other hand if he cannot seem to find a purpose, as described by his religious surroundings, he sinks into inner despair, feeling of no real value, and all because he has no perceived purpose.  That is not the way of the Lord. That is why, as the Bible encourages, we don't put "novices" into leadership.  Personally I have had to attempt to rescue more than one young person who received a so-called word from the Lord on about the first week of their salvation, calling them to preach.  All of their efforts went immediately toward that goal and it was the end of their growth and the beginning of their despair. That perceived "call", perceived purpose, had become a burdening law that kept them from ever learning to walk in the Spirit and be a good Christian.  For new Christians I would encourage them on working on being a great Christian, a great worshipper, a good  faithful person, a Bible student and an obedient servant and purpose will unfold in God's time.  Just be God's.  He had you , birthed you, for that purpose.

         Really, Christianity is not life lived by a driving purpose.  It is life lived, led by the Holy Ghost.  There is a huge difference between being led and being driven.   I have known people so driven by their perceived purpose, their "calling", that they become unfit to fellowship with by God or man.  Their calling became their ambition.  For example, some are so driven to win souls, their perceived purpose, they have no time for worship.  Worship is a frivolous waste of time to them.  Others, and I ran into one of these recently, are so driven to obtain prosperity (their perceived purpose), they have no time or tolerance for just enjoying a time in the presence of God.  I have known preachers to burn themselves out fulfilling their perceived purpose.   Their ministry became their god and they sacrificed everything for that god.  Others, like Martha of the Bible, are so driven to serve, they have no time for the better part, to sit and enjoy the presence of God.  True Christianity is supposed to be a life lived walking in fellowship, companionship, and joint endeavors with the Holy Ghost. Not driven - but led.   

    There is a purpose we all share. That purpose is to please God.  The Bible says that God is worthy to receive glory, honor and power because for His pleasure all things were created (Rev. 4:11). The value of what we do does not come from the act itself.  The value comes from pleasing God.   Our value doesn't come from the perceived purpose we have come up with, but from having pleased God.  I don't preach because I am purpose-driven to preach. I am purposed to please God.  If it pleases God for me preach, I will preach.  It is not the preaching that drives me, but the pleasure of my Father.  It is not the work that I have done that gives me pleasure but the voice of God saying "Well done, good and faithful servant". Our goal should be to simply be like Jesus and be able to say as He did,  "I always do those things that please the father", Jo. 8:29.  If we walk in the Spirit, He is going to lead us, as He did Jesus, to please the Father.  We just have to remember, it is not the thing we are doing that matters most, it the pleasure of the Father that matters most.

   When the Father's pleasure becomes your standard, your benchmark, you start to live on a different level.  Now, for example, on this level, you don't just worship.  You worship in spirit and in truth, for that is what God is seeking and that is how He wants us to worship.  You don't just praise because you like to do that but because with such sacrifices "God is well pleased", Heb. 13:15-16.  You even turn from sin, not so much because of threat of hell, but because you want to please God.  You make life-style choices, not on the basis of fear or popular trends, but because you sense the pleasure, or lack of pleasure, coming from God.  For example, you may turn away from some form of music, or certain movies, not because they are going to destroy and send you to hell, but because down inside you sense that for you, it does not please the Father.  Others might do those things, but the pleasure of the Father says to you "No..not for you".

    

Freedom! Freedom! Glorious Liberty!

    You know, freedom is a wonderful, glorious thing.  The Bible refers to a believer's freedom as "glorious liberty of the children of God", and that it is!  Just thinking of all the things we are free from ought to be enough to turn everyone into a shouting, dancing, radical Pentecostal.  Free from the law of sin and death, the curse of the law, the power of sin, death, hell, the wrath of God, rejection, the devil and demons.  You could write a library listing what we  are, (or could be),  free from when we come to the Lord and then you could write another one about all the freedom we have to do, and to be.   What a list that would make!     The Apostle Paul enjoyed a remarkable level of freedom. He once said all things were lawful to him, but not expedient.  That statement alone speaks of freedom beyond the power of words to explain.  He was not only free from his past, He also had the freedom to know God, to be filled with the Spirit, to talk and sing to God in tongues, to experience the glory of God, to hear the voice of the Spirit, to be used mightily of the Spirit in so many ways, including writing most of what we call the New Testament.    And,that same freedom is ours as well.

    For a believer there are two things I am mindful of concerning freedom.  One, is to avoid religion. That is that form of Christianity void of the life, power and presence of the Holy Ghost. Religion and religious people will steal your liberty.  The Bible speaks of religious men, perhaps unknowingly, but used of the devil, who will  come upon us, steal our liberty and bring us back into bondage, (Gal. 2:4).  The Galatians were warned of this and encouraged to stand fast in their liberty and not be brought back into bondage, (Gal. 5:1).     The second thing to be mindful of, in order to enjoy ever increasing liberty,  is to be totally committed to the Holy Ghost.  Where He rules, where He is Lord, where He is fully embraced, there is "liberty".  Where He does not rule, there is bondage.  This Holy Ghost liberty is  not only liberty from things but liberty to see and experience the glory of God and even be changed by that glory (2nd Cor. 3:13-18).  The true presence of the Holy Spirit often comes with such an amazing sense of liberty.  Once you know it, you recognize it.  You know it when it is present and you know it is not present. When it is present, everything takes on such a fluidity.  The River flows!  The anointing flows and the ease with which people present receive from God, or sense God, or have a worship experience with God is remarkable.  Miracles happen so much easier where there is the liberty.

  In my opinion, church leaders often don't put the premium on liberty that they should.  Often churches and their services are structured so as to not allow freedom. Oh, they might talk about freedom from something but after that, they put up a fence preventing future freedom.  The corral the sheep, I guess.  They often ignore the Spirit of Liberty when it comes into their church and shut it down, turn it off, always controlling.  Liberty tends to frighten people who are used to be totally in control. Sometimes leaders, and believers as well, reject freedom because they have never known freedom and it scares them.  Liberty  breaking out in a service will  sometimes scare a congregation used to their pastor and deacons being in total control.  Oh,  if they only they knew, where the Spirit is allowed to be Lord,  freedom reigns.  There is liberty.  And where there is liberty, glory comes.  And, where glory comes, people are touched and changed and God is pleased.

Singing in Tongues

     In the early days of the charismatic move, while I was still casually observing and doubting the move, my TV was on in another room from where I was sitting.  All at once, I remember so clearly, I heard this sound such as I had never heard and I quickly moved to see the screen.  Peter Jennings (ABC) was covering some big charismatic rally, interviewing some leader and in the background the crowd was singing in tongues. My heart started beating fast and like a man arrested, I was hooked. It was the most incredible sound of sounds. Personally, I believe it was what started Pentecost so long ago. There came a "sound", (the word is echo) from heaven.  It had to be this sound.  That day, watching ABC, I became a charismatic. I heard a sound from heaven.

      In reading about the Azuza outpouring from which so many Pentecostals trace their roots, singing in tongues was the dominant expression of worship there.  It was their beginning. In fact, that outpouring  actually began in Kansas with some young people who were seeking the Holy Ghost.  I read where they were sitting in a circle praying when the Holy Ghost fell on them and they began to sing in tongues.  At Azuza Street, before preaching, before anything, they sang in the Holy Ghost.  Eye witnesses said as long as they did, the glory of God would remain upon them.  The power of God seemed to rise and fall with the music of their singing in tongues. Thinking of that, I find it odd that for so many Pentecostals today, singing in tongues is a foreign idea.  That is sad, indeed.

     Why don't we do this more today? A lot of reasons, I suppose.  One reason is that we don't assign any value to the matter.  Far too many leaders assign high value only to that which is connected to their preaching. (That is called "self-inflation")    Secondly, we too often leave such things up to musician-type people and they are to busy trying to do the best at what they do, make music and lead people into that activity. I understand that.  I once was such a musician that I thought the anointing of God depended on how well I performed a song. (Thank God for forgiveness!).  Thirdly, to get to the kind of worship where singing in tongues can happen easily, you have to not be in a hurry.  In so much of today's church, everything is rat-a-tat-tat, get in get out, maintain the schedule and for God's sake don't take up the preaching time.  I attended a Pentecostal church for a while, some time back, and the Spirit would move on us and we would almost get to the place of worship and alas, the worship team used up their alloted time and that was the end of that.  Up came the Pastor and the spiritual air of intimacy left the building like a busted balloon.  Worship will seldom, if ever, happen in such a place.  People may want it, but the schedule will rule and reign.

    Can't sing in tongues?  Yes, you can.  Paul said "Iwill sing with the spirit and I will sing with the understanding".  Assuming you are baptized with the Holy Ghost and freely speak to God in your heavenly language of the spirit, it is within your decision making ability to decide to do it.   Praise / talk to God in your heavenly languagek, and, then...every now and then...don't speak to God. Sing to Him.  Lift your hands, close your eyes and sing what you would have sung in your native language in your heavenly language.  God likes it.

The Music God Loves

   Do you think God likes music?  Heaven will be filled with music. Even Jesus will sing to us there. Fifty times in the Bible we are commanded to "sing unto the Lord" . Part of the evidence of being filled with the Holy Ghost is that music flows. The evidence that the Word of God is dwelling in us richly is that music flows.   We are to come before His presence with singing (Ps. 100:2). So, I think God likes music.

So, if God likes music, what kind of music do you suppose He likes?  That, by the way,  it seems to me, should be the determining factor in deciding what kind of music we give to Him. Lets see if we can offer some ideas about what kind of music God might like.  And, let me say I am not going to list  good / excellent music since that is so subject to opinion and style.  I'll skip that one, other than to say that whatever we do unto the Lord, music or anything else, we should do heartily and do well.   Here are some other ideas about God's kind of music you might like to think about:

1.  Beautiful.  It is difficult to imagine, considering the glory of the Lord and the beauty of heaven, that music such as might be heard in heaven, would be anything but beautiful.

2.  Joyful. Considering that in the presence of the Lord there is fullness of joy, music that reflects joy must be something God likes.  God demands that we serve Him with gladness so our songs should reflect gladness.  The redeemed come  to God  singing and rejoicing, (Is. 51:11)

3. Love songs.  Songs that say "I love you" to Him.  What parent doesn't want to hear his child say "I love you".  As far as I am concerned, there are not enough of these kind of songs.

4. Thanksgiving & Praise.  If we are to come into His presence with thanksgiving and praise, (and we are) then songs that express those things must be important to God.

5. Psalms & hymns.  We are commanded to admonish and instruct each other in "psalms" (the Word put in song) and "hymns", (testimonies of God's goodness in song). God said do it, so He must enjoy it. 

6. Spiritual songs.  These are songs from within our spirit, sang in the language of our spirit (tongues). These are non-carnal / non-natural songs. These are melodies of the spirit.  This kind of music marked the Azuza street outpouring and as well, the charismatic outpouring beginning in the sixties.  These are the melodies of the heart / spirit we are to sing unto the Lord.  God loves to hear us speak / sing in a language only He understands.   

7. Songs with grace unto the Lord.  These are songs that express our favor directly to Him.  So many of the songs we sing these days do not speak directly to God. They may be about Him but not to Him. And, so many of them reflect His grace toward us, but not our grace toward Him.

8. Prophetical.  This is not the same as singing in tongues, as some suppose. This is not a song predicting the future. This is not someone adlibing a song in a spirit of praise., which some might call prophetical. This is a song or an artist singing a song and the anointing and power on that song, perhaps that voice,  lifts you  straight into a state of worship and a sense of the reality of the Lord.  Revelations says the "testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy".  Every now and then, someone captures this anointing and when they do it jars the spirit to wake up and worship.  This is a prophetical song.

9. Major keys.  Minor keys, as opposed to major keys, in music, are used to express discordant, whining, sorrowful, sad, rejected feelings. Rejected Israel specializes in minor key songs, expressing their much sorrow. Some people think, since Israeli type music is most often in minor keys, it somehow must be spiritual and they identify with it that way. Actually, sick children speak in minor keys. Bill Clinton spoke in a minor key. Most creatures, except man, speaks in minor keys. Man is the only creature that can choose to sing in a major key.  Believers have nothing to whine about. We should celebrate and use music that reflects that celebration. God has asked that we come to Him rejoicing. 

10. Harmonious.  The Bible says if two "agree" touching anything on earth, it will be done.  The word "agree" is the word for symphony, denoting harmonious musical parts coming together.  Different notes same song.  It is why a song, with the good harmony touches the heart so easily. God loves harmony in how we live together, work together and, I believe, sing together.


  Now, what kind of music do you suppose God does not like?  I can think of a few.  Complaining, whining songs.   Songs that are so reflective of the natural man that they have no spiritual connection. Songs that so reflect some wicked element of society, which, though popular, does not reflect an affinity with the Kingdom of God but rather that wicked element.  God has made it clear He does not want us to identify with the world, but rather with the Kingdom of God.  If we mind the things of the world, the carnal man, it becomes an enmity between us and God. I can't imagine God liking songs sang for spiritual reasons, that are not true. And, in my opinion, I can't imagine God being pleased when all our music is about us and none about Him.   The truth is, before his ejection from heaven, Lucifer hovered over the thrown of God. There was said to be music in him, perhaps meaning his job was to make music for God. Knowing this, and knowing approaching God requires music, you can rest assured, there is war over music. That means to me, that we should be paying attention to the matter.  "Sing unto the Lord"

"There" is where you worship

     

   When will the church take worship seriously?   It is the stated goal, something God seeks, for us to worship the Spirit in spirit and in truth (reality), Jo. 4:27-29.  Yet, we offer Him almost everything except for that which He seeks.  For the most part, we do not worship God the Spirit. We prefer some other form.  We don't worship in the spirit, which has to include being filled and anointed with Spirit power to worship, including worship in tongues.  We don't worship in truth (reality), we just  say we are worshiping. When you think about it, we, in this country, have had it perpetrated upon us that because we "believe" in God, therefore we worship God.  Or, that if we go to church on Sunday, therefore we have worshiped God.  There are not enough words to tell you how insane such thinking is.  Translate that to the Bible, to the New Testament and see if such thinking would fit those folks.  No, indeed.   

    Almost as crazy as those ideas is the one that if we have sang some songs in church, or a few choruses (two  fast and one slow), that we have worshiped.  In church we have broken down our time to what we think is most important.  One hour for Sunday school, one hour plus for preaching, and twenty minutes or  less for what we call worship.  That is two hours for man and twenty minutes or less for worship. Anything wrong with that picture?  Most of the time the songs we sang were about us and sang to us for our enjoyment.  They might have been  praise or thanksgiving but sometimes they don't even rise to that level and even if they did, it still does not mean we have worshiped.   

   You see, worship is what happens when thanksgiving, rejoicing and praise have their way.  If they truly happen, they bring us to worship.  This is clearly illustrated in the Tabernacle of Moses approach (Ps. 100).  There, you  (the priset on your behalf) entered the gates with thanksgiving and through the courts with praise. That was compartment one and two and brought you to the last compartment, the holy of holies.  In this compartment, only the high priest could go in (on behalf of the the people) and meet with God.  There, in that spot, was the mercy seat and on that mercy seat, God's presence would manifest.  There, in that spot, in God's presence, nothing, nothing, nothing else mattered.  God was there!  This tabernacle of Moses was built on the pattern of the heavenly (spiritual) tabernacle of which Moses was given a vision (Heb.8:5).

    Worship is what you do when you are "there" - in God's presence.   Oh, "there" is a wondrous place. Nothing else matters when you are "there".   My friend, we have generalized the term "worship" until for most, it means nothing, but in the Bible it is specific.  It is what you are doing when in God's presence, you begin to respond to Him.  What you are doing, the activity, the song, the words, etc.,  when you are "there" may vary from one  to another and it makes no difference.  What matters is that you are "there" and you are responding to Him with all your being. Speaking or singing in English, tongues, hands up,  body dancing, prostrate on the floor, shouting, running, weeping tears of adoration and  probably laughing.  Doesn't much matter - it is just you responding to just Him "there".  This is worship.

     Keys to success:  (#1), You have to want to be "there". No desire for this? Don't worry, you won't be bothered by it.  (#2), You have to be free to respond when you are "there". That includes being filled with the HOly Ghost again and again until music boils up inside of you to Him. Filled until you speak in tongues freely, often and better than with your earthly tongue.  Do whatever else you have to do to be free to respond; body, soul and spirit.   (#3), Pray for "times" of God's manifested presence for only in His presence, ("there") can you truly responsively worship.  (#4), Go to a church where God's presence is welcomed and likely to manifest and if that is impossible, pray for your church to become that and if that fails, pray for God to raise such a church up that you can go to.

Music for God's ears

   You think God cares about our music?  Apparently He does.  He commands us fifty times to "sing" unto, directed toward, for the benefit of, "Him".   Now, I know we also sing to one another and that too is good. We are to teach and admonish one another in songs  "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Col. 3:16.  It is good to sing to men, for the benefit of men,  but the part I love, and I think we don't do enough of, is "singing with grace" to the Lord. Toward Him you extend your favor in your song. Toward Him you extend your praise, your adoration, your love.    Now, that doesn't make teaching, admonishing, testifying songs bad or mean that we should stop doing them.  No, no! Some of the best sermons I've ever heard were in a song.  

    Sometimes it seems we can't take our attention off ourselves long enough to sing to Him, about Him, for Him.  Look at the music you like. Be honest. How many songs say something to God?  Even a "thank you".   Most are songs about how blessed we are, what we have been given, what we can expect, etc.. We rejoice in our blessings and we should and it is good, but are we saying anything to the Lord?   Now, if you care about this, take note it may not be completely your fault.  Where are the psalmist who can write prophetical songs to Him?  Maybe you don't know any of those songs and that is too bad.  It is hard to find worship choruses or songs these days that actually speak to God.  A few, but not many.  The "spirit of prophecy" that John wrote about and wrote in connection to worship was, "the testimony of Jesus".  For me, I love the songs, the prophecies, the sermons that turn my heart toward Him and express my heart to Him. Songs that testify of His glory!

   Look at it this way:  suppose you are trying to get intimately close to the spouse.  There you are, romantic and ready to sing your love to her (even if you can't sing).  What song are you going to choose?  Are you going to sing about yourself, or her? Is the discussion going to be about her beauty or your beauty? Are you going to whisper in the ear "You are so wonderful" or shout, "I am so wonderful".   Are you going to sing "Its all about you" or sing "Its all about me"?

  One word to those who are involved in leading worship.  If you want the love affair to deepen between the Lord and those you are leading, teach the people to sing to Him.  Look for the song that expresses the adoration of the heart to Him.  Those other songs of thanksgiving and praise, testimony and admonition are good but if you want to move to worship more frequently, take those fifty commands to sing "to" the Lord seriously.

  

So, You Want Prosperity!

    I believe God wants us to prosper.  I believe in and I teach prosperity.  But, I think we should be careful in defining what it means.  The problem with  some of today's crop of prosperity believers is that they want to define it by  how much "stuff" they have accumulated.  "Stuff", otherwise known as "mammon" in the Bible is okay - but the danger is that seeks to make you subservient.   Jesus said it is was impossible to serve mammon and God at the same time.  Not forbidden, just impossible.  This ability to capture and make subservient is a big part of the deceitfulness of riches. "Mammon", (money, possessions,) will seek to master you. and in doing so, choke the word of God. When you want God to give you "stuff" just for the sake of having "stuff", you may have bit the worm, taken the bait, fell into the snare of the deceitfulness of riches. You know, I love to hear the truly prosperous tell of how God has blessed them so that can do what they love to do....give, give, give.  It is distasteful to hear some who think they are prosperous reel off their list of "stuff". When I hear someone brag about all the "stuff" they have,  in the presence of missionaries trying to survive on the mission field, I feel sick inside.  I want to stand up and shout at the top of my lungs "sell your stuff and bless the missionaries - now - thus saith". 

   I have searched the Word and so far, I have not found one promise where God or the Bible says "for money I will give you money".  Maybe I am wrong but so far, those who seek to prove me wrong,  are usually going to give me a verse from a different covenant than this new and better one we have, and, even then they won't have it right or in context.  Or, they may quote from Luke 6 about how if we give,  it will be given back to us, pressed down, shaken together and running, given to us, to our bosom, our wallet, by men.  Actually, the whole context shows that verse is not about money, but about "mercy".  If taken to mean money, then when we give, we must always be watching other men to see if they are going something back to us. Unfortunately, that is a familiar sight!   Our eyes will be on men, not God. God only knows how many offerings have been taken, using that verse to extract money from the congregation, some of whom were desperate for mercy, not money.  Or, they will tell me about the parable of the seed and sower where seed on good ground might come back with 30 to a 100 fold return.   Just a teensy-weensy bit of research will show that this parable is about God (not us) is sowing seed words into our lives, words which is handled properly, can become full revelations. How that ever became a prosperity verse remains a mystery to me.   It is not "give ten dollars and get a hundred dollars in return".  It is much more important than that.  It is about how God communicates with us.   God only knows how much money has been pried out of the hands of gullible believers with that little jewel.  And, they are still waiting for the 100 fold increase and maybe standing in the same line with those waiting for other men to heap to their bosom mo' money.

    The truth is,  when we give, God considers it us showing Him "grace".  In fact, the Bible speaks of our giving as a "grace".  For our grace, He gives us grace.  We reap what we sow.  Sow grace, reap grace. When we give into the Kingdom, we are giving, showing involvement in God's business and in return, He in turn involves Himself in our business.  You sow grace, you get Grace.  According to the Galatians six passage about sowing and reaping, which is indeed about money,  if we sow to the spirit (sharing resources with those who teach us the things of God), we will reap "life everlasting". If we fail to sow to the spirit, we will reap "corruption"; (malfunctions and breakdowns).  This is not about money. This is about everlasting life (the Holy Ghost).  Life is not money.  You can't sow money and reap life.  You can't buy everlasting life, no matter how much you give. This is about God, for your giving, manifesting His life, His grace in your affairs.  In the 2nd Corinthians nine passage, which too is about money, God said  that for our sowing the return would be abundant grace, sufficiency, abounding in good works and enrichment in all things.  Could mean money?  Yes and double yes!  But, to simply call it it money is to dramatically lessen the blessing.   God's grace cannot be measured by dollars.  His grace will bless you and bless you and bless you but sometimes that blessing you need is not money.  Sometimes it may be a touch on your body, an intervention in a dire situation, a rescue from failure, a wisdom to handle your business, etc..

    My favorite definition of grace is that it is the "willing involvement of God, or divine influence, in the affairs of men".  And, according to the Word, grace can be multiplied.  Grace can grow.  Grace can move from marginal to abundant.  Giving of money or treasures is just one of the ways we interact with God, sowing grace for grace.   Want more grace?  Give more and give cheerfully, whatever you have to give.  That can be certainly mean money, or it could be praise, time, service and many other things.  Just keep in mind that God's measure of acceptance is the attitude of the giver.  He loves a cheerful giver.  A lot of giving is wasted giving because of rotten attitudes such as grudging, greedy, grumpy, and mercenary thinking. And, don't give your treasures to men.  You may  put it into man's hands, but know in your heart, it is to God you are giving.   You are obeying His voice to give here or give there.  And, for goodness sake, don't set around waiting for men to give it back to you.  How many stories have we heard about someone giving something of value to the church, then gets mad and wants their money back?  Or, walks away from God because at the hour they were looking for men to heap to them riches, it didn't happen?  All too often.

 

So, you are praying for America?

   You know, trying to understand the radical Muslim who attacked this country can't be done unless you understand the demonic.  When demons take control, rational, logical thinking flies out the window.  To try to understand the irrational is hard, but to understand the demonic is impossible.   I watched, this 9/11, as America remembered the horrible attack carried out by demon possessed people and thought to myself "most folks cannot understand what really happened".  And then I thought,"and, they won't be able to understand what is right now happening to America".  My friend, we are under spiritual attack, and have been for some time, and it is not just or only, related to Islam or what happened on 9/11. 

    Let me give you a run-down:  For generations the doctrine of the Masons  has been pushed forward in this nation, even into the realms of political leadership, and now, into the church.  This is a doctrine is says that we all serve one God by whatever name we might choose to call him.  That is a damnable lie.   This began to creep into the church, at an alarming rate, after the mighty charismatic move of the 60's and 70's.  I think it came as a strike-back from the devil, with recently Holy Ghost baptized people just learning there even was such a thing as the Holy Ghost who began to push the idea of "unity".  Unity, they said, was going to bring revival.  I tried to warn others of this, but so often, it fell on deaf ears. No such call exist for that kind of unity in the Bible, I told them, but that didn't matter.  The only unity the New Testament calls for is the unity of the Spirit.  We are not to create that unity, we "keep" that unity and we don't  even do that.  We are to be "one" but that oneness, Jesus said, is done by the "glory", (the Holy Ghost,) whom He has given us.  This call to  unity led to the people friendly mess of a church we see now where the only conviction that matters is that "we just all get along", "don't preach anything that would offend", "just luv-luv-luv one another".   This has led to an incredible shut-out of the Holy Ghost  and strangely, it all began at a time He had chosen to cross denominational lines and reveal Himself to America on a huge scale.  This call to unity led to the end of the preaching of deep convictions expressing the will and pleasure of God and led to a place of pop-psychology and sermons designed only to increase the comfort and pleasure of people.

   This situation now exists in America where a president had the audacity to declare the we, and the Muslims all serve the same God. And, the next president and tons of other politicians have all declared the same, seemingly without the slightest reservation.   I know my God can defend Himself and I don't need to, but for His sake and my love of Him, I find that to be insulting. I deeply resent it.  (I would venture a guess a good Muslim, dedicated to what he thinks is god, might also be insulted).  If we serve the same God,  then we have the same gospel and that is certainly not the case.  Get it clear, those people don't serve the same God we do, not even those we consider moderate, nice people.  A lot of other people, proclaiming they believe in God, don't serve or believe in the same God we do as Christians.  Should we love them and show them love?  Yes, yes!  We do that even with our enemies.  Should we embrace them as brothers.  No, no! Should we be in unity with just anybody who says they believe in a God? No!

   It is important to understand that this war of today is not just about a country called America, or even Israel. It is about Jesus.  It is about the Holy Ghost who proclaims the Lordship of Jesus. It is about Christianity as defined by that Bible we treasure.  It is about the Jesus Christ the Lord, as revealed only by the  presence and power of the Holy Ghost.  Today the loudest voice proclaiming "God" to us, comes from a group that believes Jesus was the brother of Lucifer, that he was a man who became god and if we follow their teachings, we too will become gods.  Plus a lot of other equally crazy stuff, including the idea that Jesus will not come back and set up His kingdom in Jerusalem but rather in Independence, Mo.    Yes, he and other voices are declaring "Return to God America" and to that I say "amen", but my next question is "Which God?". Watching this unfold, my inner spirit is getting more and more edgy.  I wondered, as I  watched evangelical and even Pentecostals line up with this man, how did they deal with this matter?  Are they so concerned about saving political America that they would throw overboard their convictions of the gospel of Jesus Christ?  I hope not.  My friends, what if we return to God and do so with the idea firmly imposed upon us that coming to God, or being saved is accomplished any old way you choose to do it?  What if we continue to go down this path that leads to a conclusion that being "saved" is no more than just believing that there is a god, by what ever name you are comfortable with?  My friend, we will be more lost than ever.

   Yes, it was awful that a bunch of demoniacs blew up the Trade Center.  Yes, it is awful that godless politicians men seem to be intent on destroying this country, destroying our economy and taking away our liberties, but if you think this attack on America is just coming from the Muslims, or corrupt and sorry politicians, think again and pray some more.   If it is true we can all get to God, by whatever means we choose, then there is no God, there is no gospel that matters.  All is vanity!   If that be the case, don't just burn the Koran, burn the Bible too.  Our New Testament proclaims to us that no man can come to God except by Jesus Christ the Lord.  If that is not the truth, if that is not the only way to God, then that New Testament is utterly useless.  My friend, here is the truth.  There is only one way to God and that is through the blood of Jesus. There is only one salvation and that is the new birth carried out by the Holy Ghost.  There is only one relationship with God and that is to walk in fellowship with that same Spirit that birthed us.  There is only one redemption plan and that plan cost the precious blood of Jesus on the cross.  There is  only one heaven and only one way to get there, and that is through Christ the Lord by the power of the Holy Ghost. My friend, be clear about it, as you listen to people equate their God without ours.  Jesus was not a man who became God.  He was God who became man.  

    While these voices are crying out for the rebuilding of America, my friend, be careful, be prayerful.  Keep your sword in hand and the eyes of your spirit wide open.  Stay full of the Holy Ghost so that your inner witness alarm bell is always charged up and in the "on" position. For me, I am not only praying that America return to God but even more fervently, I pray that God, the Holy Ghost, will return to America.  What does that mean?  It means I want the Holy Ghost to fall on us like rain.  It means that He, the Holy Ghost, the manifested presence of God on earth, will find entrance into this nation and its churches.  And, I don't mean  by this prayer that the Holy Ghost will come in some way that makes the mega churches get bigger, Christian TV get more money,  people friendly church outgrowsthe fellowship hall, have a successful membership drive or build another ornate and gaudy church building.  And, I don't mean it in a way that God suddenly showers us with money and we all become rich.  And, I don't mean it in a way that causes us to throw the Dem's out and put the Repub's or the Tea Party folks in those political throne rooms.   No, I mean in a way that shakes the hell out of the churches where we assemble. I mean in a way that the preacher, as was Peter once, gets interrupted by the Holy Ghost who shoves him aside, falls on the church right in the middle of his sermon and takes over.  No, I mean in a way that is totally upsetting man's order.  No, I mean a disruptive, disorderly, unexplainable, nation shaking, mountain melting manifestation of God.  I mean it like this, as Isaiah prayed "oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,  As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!  When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence", Is. 64:1-3.  Think it can happen?  I do.

Patterns of God

     Does God speak by patterns? I think so. He not only speaks by command but by pattern.  Some of the most important things we can learn, we learn by seeing the pattern God reveals to us.  According to pattern, church was birthed in an outpouring of the Holy Ghost (Acts2).   Pattern?  Holy Ghost falls and church sprouts.  God was so anxious to do this when Peter preached for the first time, that He didn't even let Peter finish preaching.  "While Peter yet spake" the Holy Ghost fell and the Gentile church sprouted up out of that.  Same pattern as Acts 2.  God's patterns don't require constant repetition on Bible pages.  He does what He does - perfectly.  That is why we can sometimes trust the pattern more than we can simple words. We are too prone to interpret words to suit ourselves.  Harder to do that with a picture pattern.   What happened when the brand new church that sprouted up after the first Holy Ghost rain was threatened?   Another outpouring of the Holy Ghost (Acts  4).  Another pattern.

     Think about these patterns and then look at the church of America.  Are we observing the patterns?  I fear the situation is that we have strayed so far from the pattern we have forgotten there was a pattern.  I don't sew, but I can imagine the happy little seamstress sewing away making a dress.  She just loves sewing so much and she sews on a piece here and a piece there, just humming as she sews.  Forgetting that there is a pattern to observe, when she holds up what she has made to the light, it bears no resemblance to the pattern before her and she has no idea what she just created, if anything. It is worthless, though she worked so hard. Feeding the poor, even reaching the lost and other good works are wonderful things churches can do to reach out beyond their walls.  But, churches according to God's pattern didn't spring up from feeding the poor or any other good work.  They emerged from the soil of a God-manifestation.  They survived and grew from a steady stream of God-manifestation.  The great Pentecostal church of today didn't start with feeding the poor or reaching the lost.  It started with a Holy Ghost outpouring on Azuza street, in an run down building in California with some kids and a black preacher willing to believe for revival.  Observing the patterns is why the Bible defines the gospel, not as mere words, but words accompanied by the demonstrations and power of the Holy Ghost.  That is why the Bible gives us a promise that God would go with us confirming the Word, not with more words, but with signs and wonders. 

    The problem, among well-meaning people, is that we want to race to the end product - reach the lost - feed the poor - do the good work.  We are like those who stand over a plot of ground, wanting a apple from an apple tree that hasn't yet been planted.  I know a lot of good people busy, busy, busy praying for the salvation of the lost who have not prayed with equal or greater intensity and desire "oh that thou wouldst rend the heavens, that thou wouldst come down, that mountains might flow down at thy presence" Isaiah 64:1.  Isaiah went on to say that there was none who would call upon His name, that would stir himself up and take hold of God.  There are lot of apple-pickers willing to pick the fruit but too few who will stir themselves up and take hold of God, who will call down the rain, the manifestation of God that makes mountains move.  I went to a beautiful fruit orchard this last spring. "Wow", was all I could say as I stood under those peach trees, branches bent with the weight of the fruit.  I loved picking those things, but looking at the healthy trees and well kept ground, it occurred to me that someone before me, put in a lot of work in order to have that harvest I was enjoying, with so little effort.

     The pattern says that from "glory to glory" we are being changed.  Glory falls and the church springs up. This will go on until the very end, but the pattern will never vary.  We are all looking for the end of this pattern, when Glory appears in the eastern sky and suddenly, we all spring up, an immortal church.  But, for some reason, we fail to observe the pattern in the here and now.  We don't need more people in the pews. We don't need more money in the pocket.  We need more glory, more revealed God, and those who want God will run to God. Understand, this is not a new word from God, or a best-selling Christian book, or a great sermon from the pastor.  This is a manifestation of GOD!  This is happening around the world right now with awesome results. God is showing up in far away places like Nepal, and boom, church is springing up in the wake of a God-manifestation.  Come saints. Stir yourself up and take hold of God. 

Heaven

  
     Heaven!  How long since you were excited about heaven?  In some religious places, church in name only, you may not have even heard the word "heaven" in a long time.  But, there is a hell to shun and a heaven to gain.  Where are you headed, my friend?   I know some may see it different, but I believe Revelation four contains a dramatic end to the church age, the age of grace, and the beginning of something beyond wonderful.  It starts with a voice that said to John "come up here".  And, oh, the sights John saw. We, too, will one day see these sights. The first thing that caught his eye was God almighty, so beautiful that John used the beauty of jewels and rainbows to describe His glory.  John met His maker at that moment.  Then his eyes were filled with the twenty four elders, representative of the church and Israel, clothed in white righteousnes, wearing gold crowns of authority.   Then he saw the "seven" Spirits of God, the number "seven" meaning complete and perfect.  He saw the formerly invisible Holy Ghost, on whose wings he had made his journey from the dust of Israel to golden streets of heaven.    He saw those streets, beholding the beauty of God's throne room.  He saw the heavenly creatures and I believe that he, along with the elders cast his crown at the feet of God and began to sing "thou art worthy".  What a song!  And, what a sound, the sound of the clashing of the crowns being cast at the feet of God.  The more he looked, the more wondrous things became.

    Some thing, however, in chapter four was missing from his view.  After all, how can the eyes of man, even with heavenly eyes, take in all that heaven is?  Something was missing.  Chapter five reveals what it is.  A book was held up and a loud voice asked "who can open this book?"  No man, of heaven or earth, was able to open it and John said he began to weep.  Something to be seen could not be seen until that book was opened and someone stepped forward who could open that book.  Then, as he wept, an elder stepped up and told him "Don't weep, the Lion of Judah, the root of David, will open the book".   And, then, suddenly, stood a Lamb!  Suddenly, what was missing from his view became visible.  John saw Jesus!   My God, what a moment.  He saw what Jesus had been and what Jesus now was.  He saw that clothing of the Holy Ghost that Jesus had been wearing all along, even when He walked among those disciples.  And then the worship of the redeemed really kicks into gear. An innumerable host, ten thousand times ten thousand, thousands of thousands began to sing "worthy is the lamb".  And the elders fell at His feet and worshipped Him.  Oh, what a moment of recognition and worship!

     It is at that point that John is suddenly aware of not only God Almighty, the church, the Holy Ghost, the glory of heaven, the Lamb called Jesus but when he saw that host,  he became aware of the multitude of the redeemed.  Maybe it is only my imagination, but at that moment, in the midst of worship beyond dreams, he sees and knows those who have made it.  No, there will be no "rose garden" in the sky meeting, but there will be a meeting.  There, at the feet of the Lamb, in the midst of worship, we will look across the multitude and see that Mom made it.  Dad made it. That baby we lost prematurely, made it. Our spouse made it.  Our kids, they made it. And, our grandkids.  And, oh, there are those we won to the Lord, they made it. And, some of our friends, there they are.   John must have looked across the crowd and no doubt, noticed that Peter and the other disciples made it.  Something in us will recognize those we have loved before.  No, we may not run over and hug them, though we might.  We will be to busy in our mutual mission now, doing what we were created to do, saved to do, taken to heaven to do, that we might not do that family reunion right at first.  For the first ten thousand years, we will sing the song of the redeemed, sharing the mutual harmony that only a singing family might understand. And, then, after ten thousand years, maybe we will start all over and sing another ten thousand years or so. "Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever".

    My friend, lift up your eyes.  Point your feet toward eternal destiny.  Worship now, practicing, for what you will do there.  Let "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven"  guide your journey

Our adversary

     Did you know that satan is our adversary primarily because he is an adversary of God?  Sometimes, in our shallow human-centered thinking, we think the fight is about us. Actually, it is about God.  And. it started long before there was man.  At that far away time, the adversary attempted to ascend, without invitation, to the throne of God and was cast out of the heavens. Since then, the war has gone on.  He strikes at us because we are made in the image of God.  He can't get at God, so he strikes at what looks like God. He strikes at us becase we have access to the throne of God, and it is the throne he has always wanted to ascend to and can't.  He strikes at us because we can worship God on the throne and he has always wanted that throne so he could have that worship.  So, my friend, when persecution comes from the adversary, it may be that your resemblance, your nearness to God, your worship of God has become too sweet and has become more than his nerves can handle, so he strikes out. So, on that day, rejoice and leap for joy.  And, keep on doing what you are doing.

Play It Again God

   The Word of God and the ministry of that Word by the Holy Ghost is a marvelous thing.  Have you ever watched those commercials advertising the oldie songs now on CD?  They play a bit of a song that once was so special to you and your attention is captured and there is a little turning in your soul that goes on.  You are reminded perhaps, even of special things related to that song and they flash in your mind.   You know, the Spirit also does this with the Word.   He can make a passage, a principle, a book of the Bible so powerfully real that it changes your life.  In fact, it becomes a part of your life.  For a while you live in that passage and it feeds you and grows in you.  Then time goes by, and it sort of fades from your thinking for a while.  And, then....the Holy Ghost makes an old revelation a new revelation - again.  Don't you love it?   It reminds me of a Cornflakes commercial of a few years in which we were encouraged to "Eat it again for the very first time".

   Some folks love the Word for what they can gain out of its promises.  That is fine with me.  Others love the Word because they just love the Word.  That is fine with me as well.  I guess I love it for both reasons.  It does sustain, it does offer riches both earthly and eternal.  But, I also just love it because it is loveable.  It is honey to the soul.  It reminds me of Him who soul thirsts after.  I love the way the Holy Ghost ministers it.  I love it when a fresh new revelation comes bursting through into my mind.  I love it when an old revelation becomes new again.  It makes me want to say "Play it again God". 

Potpourri Religion!!!!

      Do you know the difference between the "great command" and what men call the "great commission"?  If you don't, confusion reigns.  Do you know the difference between ministry unto the Lord and ministry for the Lord?  If you don't confusion reigns.   Not knowing the difference is how we have arrived at "potpourri" religion or church.

     The two questions are actually the same question.  The great command is to love God with all you being and that is ministry unto the Lord, not ministry for the Lord. Ministry for the Lord is serving Him and working for Him,  Every now and then, even in my own lifetime, God speaks to the church and tries to correct us, but then we drift. One of the great messages of the charismatic move of the 60's was a call to minister unto the Lord. Often our drifting is based on valuing the work of the Lord (ministry for him) above ministry to Him. This is tantamount to valuing God above men. This is the condition the Bible warns of when it speaks of those who love the creature more than the creator. Actually, there is no competition, nor should there be, and there is no excuse for not doing both, but men will find those excuses.  Did you know that when God brought Israel out of Egypt, that great symbol of our salvation, He told Moses to tell them "I brought them out for myself to stand before me and minister unto me" (my words)?  It is the same idea Jesus expressed with "God is seeing those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth".  Is that in your thinking?

    The great command is to love God with all your being and do it His way, for obedience must flavor anything we bring to God.  That makes the most commanded subject in the Bible, which is praise,  the most important commands for they express the great command. The great commission is to "go ye" and make disciples, cast out devils, lay hands on the sick and preach in such a manner that signs and wonders follow us.  Obedience must flavor our "go ye" as well.  The great command is foundational. It is the beginning of divine order, which is why is is numbered "first".  Finding a church, or a believer, that is in divine order is becoming more and more difficult.  The value of man has triumphed over the value of God.

  

   Not knowing the difference between the great command and the great commission is how we have arrived "potpourri" religion.  Do you know what "potpourri" means in French, according to Google?  Dead pot.

God In Different Form

   Many people have a fixed idea of what God, or Jesus, must be like and anything different is rejected. This has robbed so many of really knowing God.  When God chooses to manifest in a different way, they are left saying "Oh no...it can't be God".  I knew a little scrawny fellow in the Army who in civilian life was a DJ. He was a little ol' nerd but when he spoke, out came this booming, deep bass voice. I often thought about what a shock his listeners might have if they were to see him in person.   Their reaction might be similar to that of believers who encounter God in a way different from their expectations.

    How about today?   Could you, or your church accept Jesus the wine maker?  How about Jesus who walked on the water in the midst of a storm causing the disciples to think He was a ghost?  Or, how about a burning bush, a snake on a pole, a rock in the desert, a cloud by day, fire by night and a staff in the hand of Moses?  He came as a baby to those expecting a king.  To Joshua, He came as the Captain of the host of the Lord and to Mary at the tomb, she thought He was a gardner.  To those disciples on the road to Emmaeus, their eyes were "holden" at first and they did not recognize Him (Lk. 24:1-16).  To the disciples on the day of Pentecost He came like fire and then new wine.  Isaiah saw Him seated on a throne, high and lifted up.  John saw Him and said His eyes were like a flame of fire.  To some He was healer to others a deliverer and to others a master of the wind and waves.  To us, right now, He has come a Holy Spirit that is willing to dwell in us and fill us to overflowing.

   How many of those different manifestations could you accept?  Eventually, only accepting God as you have predetermined Him to be, or as you have previously seen Him to be, is going to rob you and cut you off from the Spirit of God.  The Spirit comes as He comes. He decides.  One way He comes is to blow upon you, grab hold of the tongue, bends our knee and say,  "Call Him Lord".   He comes and grabs our tongue, gives us an utterance and says "Praise Him in a tongue you did not learn".  Over the years, I have heard so many confess their love and hunger for God, only to see them pass up the chance to touch and know God, missing manifestation after manifestation, since it was not what they had in mind.  Sad indeed!  

    For me, I want God to be God and manifest as He wishes.  However, I have to confess, I would love to see the wine-maker anointing re-appear, on TV, in the First Church of The Fridgedaire and at the next great prayer conference, and denominational general confab.  Come on now, wouldn't you love to see the bottled water they might be drinking on the set of the big national Christian TV network suddenly turn to wine?  With everyone there getting drunk and the host, Sister Dodad's pink wigs fell off,  make-up smeared, mascarra running like a black river, one false eyelash comes unmoored and the men on the set, their ties come off, shirts came out of their pants, hair taking on that wind-blown look and their suit coats up over their head.  Wait a minute, that sounds like some church services I have been in!

How the enemy gains power

   The Bible says Jesus came to destroy the works of the evil one, that He stripped him of his power and made an open show of him.   If that be so, and it is, how does the enemy get power?  How does he do what he does?  It is simple; he gains power by lying. When we believe his lies, his power increases.  Most of his lies produce fear and fear is the opposite of faith, but works the same way.   Here are some ways he lies:

1. He lies about himself, his ability, his stature.  A lot of the church still believes the devil rules over hell, but that is not so.  Hell is a place God controls and it is reserved for the wicked, including the devil.  Jesus said we are not to fear him who could kill us but him who could kill us and cast us into hell. That is not the devil. That is God in final judgment.
2.  Lies by altered definitions:   Instead of outright lies, the devil cleverly lies by redefining terms, words and experiences from the Bible.  Holy Ghost baptism, which in the New Testament came with speaking in tongues and power is now just another doctrine to be studied and then put away. New birth is now church membership and sinners are just confused people.  The list of re-defined terms could go on forever.
3. Lies with ignorance:  Ignorance alienates us from the life of God (Eph. 4:18).  Just by keeping our eyes closed to understanding the rich inheritance purchased by the blood of Jesus the enemy robs us.  This is perhaps the best tool the enemy has against us.
4.  Lies with lying signs and wonders:  This one is working great for the enemy. These lying signs and wonders are not those of a cult, or magician. They are those intended to deceive the church and they will be connected with what we have come to accept as church.  There are many, many things going on in the church world that we are calling "God" that are impossible to support from the Bible. How many mega-churches do we "ooh" and "aah' over, that are too big for God, for the gifts of God, in which if the Holy Ghost manifested during the pastor's sermon, as happened to Peter (Acts 10), it would get the pastor fired and split the church.
5.  Lies by seducing spirits and doctrines of devils:  (1st Tim. 3:1). God only knows how far the modern church is from the powerful, anointed church seen in the New Testament.  Many, many among us no longer believe in the new birth, Holy Ghost baptism, speaking in tongues (a particular sign God put on us to seal or mark us), healing, deliverance, the speaking voice of God, joy unspeakable, praise, worship, etc.   How did this happen?  Seducing spirits spreading doctrines of devils.  Doctrines of devils are those that lead us away from the powerful Spirit-filled life we could have.

     So what is the answer to this?   Truth!   And, the Holy Ghost has come to lead us into all truth and away from lies.  The more full you are of the Holy Ghost, the closer your walk with Him, the greater protection you have from lies that seduce and curse.

Songs you love may tell who you love

 

    You know, songs you love best have a way of telling who you love most.  Much of what we sing in church is songs about us. Second to that are songs about what we have been given. Still, they are also about us.  Then, there are songs sang directly to Him and they express our deepest love to Him face to face.  Those are the songs I love because they are focus me on the one I love.

   The condition of being "spirit-filled", as described in Ephesians is that we start singing to ourselves psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, melodies of the heart "to him".  These are not songs about us, sung to us.  They are songs sung  "to him".  For sure, we can testify, preach, and prophesy one to another in songs, and that is good, but when songs become love songs, they are "to him" and that is wonderful. 

   There is a great absence of love songs right now in the church world, it seems to me. Lots of songs about us, about what we have, even some about the devil but not many love songs.  For those of you who are married, or seriously dating, can you imagine singing to your loved one about the devil while you are in the process of giving a deep loving kiss?  Happens all the time in the church world.  Right in the middle of a time of intimacy with God, someone starts singing about the devil, or about themselves. This tells me that they probably don't really understand worship and it strikes me as both funny and sad.  Think about some of the songs we are singing.  Can you imagine looking into His wonderful face and taking the time to sing that song to Him?

   Don't get me wrong: songs that testify, preach, proclaim, that encourage faith, etc., are not bad.   In fact some times they are best for the situation, but oh, don't you love it when the song arises that speaks your heart to His heart?  For me, I come unglued. I melt.  I fade away and He fills the vision of my heart.  In the Lakeland, Fla., revival I enjoyed Roy Fields so much. He sang those pounding testimony songs such as "I am free" and I sang with him and ten thousand other voices.  However, I remember and treasure a moment that came when he abruptly stopped that and sang in almost a whisper "Show me your face Lord, show me your face".  That was the moment when I kissed the Son.  Every fiber in my being stretched toward His presence.  I was lost in Him.  Now, those are the times I am talking about. Ever had one?

   In my experience, when a move of God, a revival is fresh, the songs become simple, straightforward and often directly addressed to HIm.  The further away from the move we move, the more complex and man-centered the songs become.   Prayer is the same.  I wonder sometimes, looking back, did He move, or, did we?  Did He drift away, or did we lose our focus on HIm and turn it on ourselves?  Could it be that we stopped singing to Him and He moved back over in the shadows to await the return of our passion for Him?  Could it be that we kill move after move, revival after revival, because we can't keep our focus on anything but ourselves? 

Emotionalism? Bad or Good?

     Recently we were accused of emotionalism. GUILTY!!!! I shout my plea.  You see, there was a time when I was not very emotional and incapable of being so.  I thought strong and silent was cool.  Tough, macho, manly. And then, years ago....after seeing my wife have such a wonderful, emotional relationship with the Spirit, I realized I wasn't cool.  I was crippled.  So - I sat out on a journey to be made free. I wanted to be free to worship Jesus my Lord with all my being.  And free I have become, by Holy Ghost help.  Not overnight, mind you, but free at last, thank God almighty, free at last.  No, I don't lean on my emotions, but I allow my emotions to express my devotions, my excitement, my joy in my Jesus.  And, I am free to do that.  My freedom of emotions also allows Jesus to bless me in a tangible way that speaks volumes of love to me.

     Bad emotionalism?  When emotion is all you have, that's bad. When emotions are negative and spread condemnation, that,s bad. When you are emotional and it is the only time you will praise and worship God, that's bad. When your emotions are all bottled up, as was mine, that's bad.  When you can be in the presence of God and you can do little but yawn or play with your phone, that's bad.  When the power of God is igniting those around you and you want to feel something, but you can't, that is bad emotionalism.  You see, emotions are of the soul and God wants us to love Him, therefore relate to Him, with all our heart (spirit), soul (emotions), mind (imagination) and strength (physical person).  You can't do that - unless you are free to do that.  People often will say, "oh, I'm not emotional".  That is NUTS!  The only non-emotional persons are six-feet under or soon going to be.  Stick your finger in a light bulb socket and watch how emotional you become. Slam the car door on your finger and watch your emotions come alive.   Sometimes emotionalism gets a bad name when someone who really isn't free in their emotional responses gets a touch from the Lord and they go off like a rocket and draw too much attention to themselves.   Now, of course, that is better than nothing, but such a person needs to take the cap off the bottle more often and release the phizz, (Like a bottle of cola).

    Good emotionalism?  Good emotionalism is when the presence of God comes near with such sweetness your soul wants to weep - and you weep.  The joy of the Lord brushes you and your soul wants to laugh - and you laugh. The power of God touches you and you want to dance - and you dance.  The fire of God comes near and you want to shout - and you shout.  To truly worship God requires His manifested presence, which means you need to seek and be where His presence manifests.  Secondly, worship requires you being free enough to recognize His pesence and respond appropriately. It is not appropriate to be in the presence of God almighty with arms folded and emotions bottled up. With those we love in the natural, if we are free and they come near, we respond to them with love.  It is a requirement of relationship.  

    Worship and emotions:  It is so wonderful to be around free people.  The presence of God sweeps in and in our freedom, on the same row at church, one can be singing, another laughing, another crying, another shaking, another in deep peace, another praying fervently in tongues, another shouting, etc., etc., and we are all doing the same thing.....responding to the presence of the Spirit of God.  Of course, somewhere in the building will be the emotional police. "arrest them....they are getting carried away..we don't do that here".  That was the role the prodigal's brother wanted to play. The Father and the younger son wanted to make "merry", to have a party and he wanted to complain.  So...the prodigal was restored and his brother is still complaining, I guess, even today. The prodigal is dancing with the Father and his brother is probably complaining about emotionalism.  Come on saints - press for freedom!  Freedom is better than captivity!