Child, Son, Servant, Friend

   

    There is a progression in relationship with God. We are born a child, a baby.  We have nothing to do with that. God in is charge.  Then we are given the "power" to become a son of God.  Sonship is a settled thing in the mind of God, but it has to be walked out here.  A "son" is adopted.  That does not mean he is a foreign born child adopted into the family of God.  To be adopted a child must be tutored by the "Spirit of adoption".  In the Jewish culture, this was a highly educated servant or slave who would take the master's son and train him until about the age of thirty.  Then, at around that age there would be an "adoption" ceremony which declared that the child was no longer a child but a son.  Now, the son no longer worked for the father, he was in business with the Father.  This was what happened when Jesus was baptized and the Father said "this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased".

    After sonship, which is to be thoroughly empowered, taught and led by the Holy Spirit comes the next stage. Sons become servants. Many are those who never arise to this level.  Oh, they may work hard for the church, or do many good works and even think they are serving the Lord but they remain an infant.  They refuse the Child-trainer, the HOly Ghost in His fulness.  You see, to be a servant, you have to be yielded to the master. The Bible declares that to whom you yield yourselves to, you become the servant.  Many are those who have burnt out in the work of the church who have never yielded one second to the Spirit of God.  They do what they do by their own decision. They do it how they want, when they want, as long as they want.  That is not a servant.  Oh, they work, but they don't serve. Serving and working are two very different things. The Bible also says that we are to yield the members of our fleshly body as one raised from the dead already.  That, sad to say, eleminates a lot of sons from ever becoming a servant. They exhibit no signs of resurrection. They are duty bound, grumpy, sour-puss infantile saints.  Nothing worse than an old saint still wearing diapers complaining about everything under the sun in their church.

  

    I  had served / worked for the Lord from a child to adult but it was not until the 60's  that I finally passed the class and became a servant.  My heart began to burn and my prayers became "Lord, I will do anything for you...I just want to serve you".   I didn't start as many do these days, with some prophetical voice declaring "You are going to be a great and mighty Apostle, Prophet, Pastor, Leader, Evangelist, Teacher, etc."   Many are the ambitious sons telling God what they want to be.   "I am called (want to be) an Evangelist".  That son may work himself into evangelism, but never become a servant.  A servant does not tell his master what he wants to do or be.  He serves.  Over the years, since those days, Bev and I have done anything and everything. We have evangelized, pioneered churches, restored churches, pastored churches, done television, recordings, wrote songs and books and ministered every way under the sun.  Some have called me apostle, pastor, prophet, evangelist and a lot of unmentionable things as well.  Before God, to me, none of that matters.  I just wanted to be a servant. I never wanted a title. I just wanted to serve Him.

    You see, the next stage from "servant" is "friend".  Oh, we should long to be a friend of God. A friend knows the secrets of God.  A friend knows the heart-wishes of God.  Jesus told His disciples, at a certain point, that from that time forth, He would no longer call them "servants" but He would call them "friends". We sing a lot these days, about being a "friend" of God and that is a good confession, a worthy goal.  However, being a friend also has to be walked out.  God makes sons out of babes.  He makes servants out of well-trained sons and He makes friends out of faithful servants. Don't skip a class  You have to born again (babe).  You have to be filled with and be led of the Spirit (son).  You have to learn to yield every moment, with resurrection fervor and joy, to the Holy Ghost (servant).  You have to attend all those classes to become a friend. And, then there is the intimacy of friendship. Words won't work to describe it.

The loving touch of God

  
   You know, it is a very foreign idea in this country for God to just want to touch His people.  Even though we are promised "times" of refreshing (revival, catching of the breath), many are those who don't want, don't believe, even resist the touch of God.  For me, and in our meetings, I love to see God just touch people for the sake of touching them. In the garden, apparently God came regular to fellowship with Adam and Eve.  He sat at the campfire with Abraham.  He became flesh and dwelt among men, touching them, talking to them, eating with them.  Why is that idea so hard for so many?   I have felt the saving, the healing, the forgiving, the delivering touch of God and will forever be thankful for each and every touch.  However, just as precious are those times God just lovingly touches me for no other reason than to just love on me. Oh me oh my!  It is melt-down time.  Ever had one? 

    Many are those who don't believe in the manifested presence of God, in any manner, but even those who do, struggle with the idea of a loving God just loving on His own.  In the church of my youth, and many I have been in since then, if there arose a sense of God being in the house, we were so schooled that such as time could only be seen as a time to put a harness on Him and put Him to work.   I have seen some of the sweetest times of worship and fellowship interrupted by a long altar call for the lost or the sick.  Why is that?   Where man rules, everything has to be about man.  They may call it Christianity, but it is about man.  Anything they are willing to accept, even from God, must be for the benefit of man.  Anything else is considered a waste of important man's time. 

    You see, there is a level of worship which for the most part is hidden to us and hidden by demonic design.  This kind of worship is a time in God's presence where He touches you and you touch Him in response.  Oh yes, I know there are moments when the altar calls are appropriate but there are also  times when God just wants to love on us.  And, He wants us to minister unto Him, to love Him back.  He once told Moses that He had brought Israel out of Egypt to be priests that would minister unto Him.  They never entered into that ministry.  Ezekiel tells the story God dividing the Levitical priesthood. One group, having been unfaithful, would still be priests, but only to the house and to the people, tending to sacrificial offerings and building care.  That was their punishment.  The other, the faithful sons of Zadok, God said they could come near to His table and minister to Him (Ezk. 44).  Don't you want to be in that number?  Or, would you rather your ministry be to the building and to the people?   An awful lot of folks choose the building and the people.  But, oh, for me to stand in His presence, to bask in His glory, to feel the touch of His love is something of such value, I would not trade it for anything.  

    If I had my way, if I could call the shots, if I could dispense some wisdom, I would urge every Pastor of every church to schedule regular meetings for the express purpose of letting God just touch the people.  I would suggest fasting, praying and preparing for those meetings like no other.  I would urge my people to get so thirsty for the Holy Ghost they would pray in desperation for His touch.   And yes, don't worry, we could still have the evangelistic, the healing, the teaching meetings as well.  However, why not set aside a time, just to have a touch of God that did nothing but say "I love you"?  The Bible says that if the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us, that Spirit will "quicken", touch, charge up, our "mortal" body (Ro. 8:11). That is not a touch on your immortal body, that is a touch on your flesh.  Oh, it is good.  Why not crave that? I do.

Blinded by Truth.

  

   You know, one of the most effective tools of the spirit of religion, otherwise known as the devil, is to blind believers with the truth.  That was the plight of the Pharisees.  They were full of truth, protectors of truth, worshippers of truth. In fact, their truths so filled their eyes that when God came to them,  in the flesh, He was obliterated from their view by their beloved truths.  God gave them those truths, many generations before and those truths became all they knew of God.

  

     Here is how it works. What is most important in Christianity is to know God and have a relationship with God.  So, all the enemy has to do to rob you is insert something, a very true something, between you and your view of and contact with the reality of God.  (Oh, by the way, if God is not real to you, you don't have a personal relationship with Him.  It takes reality to make personal.)   For example, those who love and adore the Bible; who can argue against the wonder, the infallibility, the power of the Word? It is all that and more but it was never intended to obscure your view of God, to be something that stands in the way of your relationship.  The Bible is God's Word, He will stand behind it but He never intended the Bible to take His place.   Then, for example,  there are those who get hold of a message, such as prosperity or faith, or even praise.  They dive in so deep into the teaching of that subject that everything else becomes hidden from view.  All they see when the read the Bible is that favorite truth they are hooked on.  Is the message wrong?  No!  Not until it is inserted between you and your passion for God.  Those, and other messages are not substitutes for the reality of God.  Are they good?  Yeah...but not that good.  Nothing is better than the touch of God.  Nothing!

    Those who have been snared with the net of out-of-place are those who may love the promises, shout over the promises, preach the promises, witness of the promises but when the promise becomes, or threatens to become, reality....they turn away.  They held those promises up so close to their face for so long that they obscured the glory of God just out of sight, obscured by the promises.  That my friend, is bondage. God set us free!  When Jesus told the Pharisees that the truth would make them free, He was literally saying this, "you will know the reality of the promise and the reality will make you free from the promise".   (The word for truth He used means "verity, reality").   In my life, the promise of being Spirit filled almost kept me from being Spirit filled.  The promise of joy almost kept me out of joy.  The promise of deliverance almost kept me away from deliverance.  The promise so filled my vision that it was difficult to admit I did not have the reality of those promises.  However, truth, reality, verity, eventually made me free.  I am free indeed!!!  You can be too.

  

Corrections from God

    Ever been corrected by the Lord God?  Bet you have more than you think, and, I bet you might have missed the corrections more than you imagine.  Over and over, God corrects us, both on an individual scale and as well on a universal scale.  In fact, often what we call a "move" of God, or perhaps a blessing, or even a sign and wonder is more likely to be a correction.  In fact, often what we call a "move" or a "blessing" is a chastisement.  We are not illigitimate kids. We are His and He loves us and therefore He chastises (corrects) us.

    Setting slightly to the side, correction on the individual scale, let me tell you some corrections I have seen in my few short almost sixty-nine years.  None of these corrections contained anything new, they were just corrective reminders.  There was the healing move, with the tents, the crowds.  God revealed His healing power, correcting the body of Christ, telling them that healing was His will for us.  Then there was the latter rain move, known for its worship and especially for prophecy.  God was speaking to us that this gift is to be coveted above others.  There was the charismatic move in which God reminded us, across the world and denominational lines that He wanted us baptized in the Holy Ghost.  There was the worship and praise move close to the same time where God re-instituted the sacrifice of praise demand.  Then there was the discipleship move where God reminded us that relationships and submission have always been a part of His plan.  Then there was the faith move which was God reminding us that faith pleases Him, that we are to be bold sons and daughters of God.  Then there was the joy move where in God reminded us that He wants the redeemed to approach Him with singing, with everlasting joy exhibited on their head and face and in so doing, obtain more joy and send sorrow and heaviness running (Is. 51:11).  There was the prosperity move, or teaching that reminded us that God intentions toward us is to prosper us and not harm us.

    

    Not one of these moves, or others I did not mention, contained anything new.  Just things made new.  Chastisements from the throne.  Having participated in all these particular moves, I know that with every move, there were excesses, mistakes, flesh and other reasons to reject the move.  Many focused on the reasons not to receive and missed the chastening.   They are kind of like my kids when young. They always could find ample reasons for me not to spank them, but spankings they got.  You see, I loved them.  Even if they ran from the paddle, I would always catch up with them, sooner or later.   In a way, I feel sorry for those who have spent a life time of dodging the spankings from heaven.   They missed something wonderful. and I pray God catches up with them soon.   "Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth; therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty", Job 5:17,   "My son, despisth not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: for whom the Lord loveth He correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighth",  Prov. 3: 11-12.

   For me, I eagerly await the corrections of the Lord and questions of anticipation fill my thoughts:  What will He do next?  What will the next move of God be?  And, I pray "Oh God, don't let me miss it....chastise me Oh God...I welcome you corrections"

Is there a Holy Ghost?

   

    Many years after the first instance of Holy Ghost baptism, Paul came across some believers at Ephesus.  His first question to them was not whether or not they were saved, but rather had they received Holy Ghost baptism.  That was the big concern.  Their answer could have been easily given by many of today's modern church-goers. They said "we didn't know there was a Holy Ghost".   So, after they were water baptized, Paul laid hands on them and they were baptized in the Holy Ghost and began to prophesy and speak in tongues.  You see, that is what happens when you get hold of what has hold of you.  The day you got saved, the Holy Ghost got you.  The day you got baptized in the Holy Ghost, you got Him.  Big difference.

   From the first instance of Holy Ghost baptism, the experience began to be referred to as the "gift" of God.  It was expected that every believer in Christ would also receive the "gift".   Understand, it is not the HOly Ghost that is the gift referred to.  It is Holy Ghost baptism.   That is the gift!    Jesus died to give us the gift of  Holy Ghost baptism.  He did not die to give you to the Holy Ghost, but to give the Holy Ghost to you to be a God-companion on earth.  From the time Jesus made it to heaven, back to His Father and was crowned Lord, He has been giving believers the gift of Holy Ghost baptism to confirm that crowing, glorifying moment (Jo. 7:37-39)

"Cahoots with the devil"

    

You know, the devil and some spiritual leaders are in cahoots, though perhaps, the leaders may not know it.  Let me show you ways they cooperate:  

1.The devil is driven to possess as many of God's people as he can.  That is the same drive many spirituals leaders and groups have. For them, it is all about getting more of God's people in the door.  "Just get'm in the door...we don't care if they know God, worship God, hear God, love God....just get'm in the door".  What an awful thing to lead someone to an altar but not lead them to a relationship with God.

2. The devil wants everything God has, except God himself.   Many are the churches of today that have every thing - money, prestige, blessings, respect and not a sign of God.  In fact, if God (the Holy Ghost) shows up, He and those who carry His presence, will be ejected.  Worse, in one way or another God and those radical charismatics will  be blamed for all the troubles and divisions in the church that might follow.  The sudden manifestation of God will split churches.  People, and the devil, want His stuff....but not Him.  Really, who is to  blame here?

3.  The devil  will not worship, but he will receive worship.   I have known far too many pastors, even in so called "spirit-filled" churches, who would not enter in to the worship of God by their congregation.  Some will just wait in another room until it is over and then make a grand entrance.  I knew one fellow who did this, and when he would make his entrance, the congregation would all stand and shout "WOW".    You know how long I would stay in such a church?  1/2 of of 1 second!  (Or, how ever long it took me to find the door).  I would rather be, and would stay longer, in a church that handled rattlesnakes.   Both are worthless, but at least snake handlers would provide better entertainment.  Anybody I call "pastor"  or leader, better be seen worshiping or I ain't a gonna follow!

4.  The devil will not allow worship and do his best to prevent it.  By a huge majority, the commands to praise, give thanks, worship, rejoice, sing, dance, etc., outnumber all other commands in the Bible.  Yet, in far too many churches you would not even know those commands were in the Bible.   Many Christians seem to have no awareness of their existence or the slightest thought of obeying them. A man is at a sorry stage of decline when he measures his spirituality by what he does not do rather than by what he does do.  "So, you don't murder?   But, do you obey the over 1000 commands to praise God?"  Think of the churches you might go to, next Sunday, wherein you got happy, shouted, danced a little, rejoiced with unspeakable joy, even praised God in tongues, all Biblical commands.  How many would throw you out to the sidewalk for your disruptive behavior? 

5.  The devil keeps the focus on man  From the garden to now, the devil has labored hard to keep the focus of man, on man, and not on God.  And, all he really has to do to accomplish this is flip the commands....put loving your brother  (command #2) above loving God (command #1).  Now, him having done that, we are witnessing people loving people with all their being. It looks so good, so admirable but it is awful.   They've got no time to love God - they are too busy loving their neighbor.  Plus, if they should  slip up and radically express their love of God,  with even half their being, it might offend that neighbor, so that is the end of that.  You are to love man, as you love yourself and you better not love yourself with all your heart, soul, mind, and body.  That is selfish, humanistic and sick.  But, you  are to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and body.  That is pure and divine.  About all the devil has to do to keep God in the shadows and away from His people is just to keep the focus on the people.

Divine Purpose

     Maybe it is just me, but it seems that very few of God's people ever gain a sense of divine purpose.  They may know God saved them, but never know why.  They lack understanding of divine purpose.  The Bible says that in all our getting, we should get wisdom and understanding.  Understanding is when you know "why".   If you never know why, you lack understanding and the same Bible says that when your understanding is darkened, you are alienated from the life of God.  In addition to not knowing the "why" of things, because of religious deception, we often come up with the wrong "why" and then the way back to the life of God becomes even more difficult.

      As to the matter of salvation there are a lot of "whys" that have been presented that are not  quite on target.  Such understandings might include thinking God saved us because He wanted to rescue us from hell, or our wretched life, or maybe because He just felt sorry for us.  Some even seem to think that it was God that got lucky and found them, like a great treasure they deem themselves to be.  Truth?  God saved you because He chose you for Himself.  You didn't choose Him.  Truth?  God saved you so He could give you the Holy Ghost.  Isn't amazing how many miss that little gem?   Most people in the work of the church, including pastors specialize in leading people to salvation, but never telling them "why".  The result is a house full of empty vessels.  The Bible says we were made to "drink" of the Spirit.  That is an ongoing activity.  That is divine purpose.  A pastor, an active leader that can not or does not lead people to the baptism of the Holy Ghost and teach them to drink and as well, how to drink, is missing divine purpose and so are those who follow him or her.  They are missing understanding. God doesn't just make us a vessel to hold nothing! He made us a vessel to be filled with the Spirit.     Truth?  God gives you the Holy Ghost because only by the Holy Ghost can any man call Jesus LORD.   Empty vessels confessing that Jesus is Lord is empty religion. Truth?  God saved you so you will worship Him.  He actively seeks those who will do so.  Truth?    He gives you the Holy Ghost so by the power of the Spirit, who has made Jesus the Lord to you, you can worship the Lord.
    Divine purpose? Oh, that God would open the eyes of our understanding!

Thank God For Mercy

    Thank God for mercy and mercy made new every morning!   You know, I don't think most people, including believers, know much about mercy.  And, if you know nothing of mercy, you know nothing of grace and if you know nothing of grace, you are being robbed blind and you may not know that either.  Think you have no need of mercy?  A lot of church folks actually think that way.  They are sure they have no sin and all past sin is gone and as a result, they are saved.  This, even though, the Bible says if we say we have no sin, we have deceived ourselves and made God  a liar.

    Why do believers think this way?  Because in their humanism, they always base their salvation on themselves rather than Him who saves.  If you start with the assumption you are "saved" on the basis of sin being gone, then the presence of sin threatens and instinctively, men will resist the threat with their own efforts, which in this matter usually means to deny the presence of sin.  "I dont' smoke, drink, cuss or chew".  The people who think this way, and they are many, are basing their salvation on their presumed purity. 

   

     The problem with this thinking is that it ignores the huge dimension of sin.  For example, the Bible says to know to "do good" and not do it, is sin (Ja. 4:17).  That is huge!  Who can escape the burden of that?  There are more Bible commands for us to do than commands to not do.  The Bible says that if we offend another person's conscience, we have sinned against Christ (1 Cor. 8:12).  Who has not offended another at some point?  If you haven't, you probably will - it is almost unavoidable.  Then, and this is a really heavy duty demand, the Bible also says that whatever we "eat", if we do not eat it in faith, is "sin" (Ro. 14:23).  Don't tell me you haven't eaten some fattening, scrumptious, delicious something and said "This is not good for me but I am going to eat it anyway!".    Sin -sin - sin - sin!   And, that does not include being short of the glory of God (Ro. 3:23).  And, it does not include trespass or transgressions, going and doing what you know you should not have.  And, it does not include iniquity, law-less, doing your own thing your own way, or guile, pretending to be spiritual when you are not in order to mask the real you.   So, you think you are pure enough to qualify as being saved?   mmmmmmh?  (Might want to think again).

   So, what is the point?   You are saved by grace!  Grace based on mercy!  Mercy granted because Jesus overpaid for the sin of mankind with His precious blood!   Until you really understand the unbelievable dimension and scope of sin, you will never understand  the unbelievable dimensions of His mercy and grace.  You will never understand how wonderful is His mercy, how mazing is His grace.  His mercy and grace are indiscribable!  And, free!  Only when you understand all the things that should damn your soul, can you understand the depth of God's mercy and grace that has save you in spite of everything that should haved damned you! 

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.