8-29-2020 Frankenstein

 

           Prometheus                                  Frankenstein                                 up out of our grave

Those who have been around a while or who are familiar with the “classics” may be familiar with Frankenstein.  Mary Shelly’s novel was published in 1818 and then released in 1931 as a film starring Boris Karloff as the infamous monster.  The monster, of course, had no name, but its creator was scientist Victor Frankenstein.

Prometheus was, in the Greek mythology, the god credited with giving humanity fire.  He was supposed to be pretty smart, a champion of humankind and giving man the arts and sciences.  He was supposed to have created clay dolls which he could bring to life.

In the movie Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein collected various body parts from cadavers to create a man which he brought to life by exposing it to strong electrical current (lightening bolt).   The bible tells that God made man from the dust of the earth, ergo the connection.

Father has peaked my interest in the “valley of dry bones” (Ezek. 37:1-4) for six years now, showing multiple applications for today’s church.  Or should I rather say multiple ways to approach the situation.  Around two AM (two days ago), Father started connecting the movie (story, Frankenstein) with today’s church.  What?  How can we connect a classic horror story with today’s church?  Do you see the connection already mentioned?

There’s more.  Read on.

In bible, God takes Ezekiel to a large valley filled with dried bones, bleached by the sun-white bones which are scattered all over the place.  He has Ezekiel walk through the bone yard so Ezekiel can get a ‘right’ perspective.  These bones have been laying there a long time. 

Then God asks Ezekiel a simple question “Can these bones live?”  Ezekiel is no dummy so he replies “Only You know, Lord.”  God can do anything!  After all, He created all that is just by speaking it into existence.  He had to speak it into being for there was nothing there (just a void) until He started creating. 

But then, God does something unusual.  He has three prayers but He wants Ezekiel to proclaim to ‘dem ole dry bones’.

First prayer/commandment.  Bones come together bone and bone.  Ezekiel heard a clatter as the bones started coming together in proper alignment, that is  the foot bone connected to the ankle bone, the ankle bone connected to the shin bone, the shin bone connected to the knee bone , then all the way up to the head  , including the arms and hands.  Then sinews start connecting all those bones.  

Next, muscle starts to cover the bones and finally a skin, thke final touch covering it all.

The bones are the basis of the body.  The sinews and ligaments keep the bones from falling apart and being scattered, all over again.  The muscles help the bones to be able to move. To do things.  Finally the skin covering so we can look as we are supposed to – the image of God!  What is the image of God?  love.  we are supposed to reflect God’s love to the rest of the world.

But there’s a problem.  The bones have come together forming a body, many bodies are formed but they have no life.  They just lay there – doing not much of anything.

This prompts the second prayer/commandment.  God tells Ezekiel to speak to the bodies “Breath, come from the four winds and bring breath upon these slain that they might live.”  And breath comes and a mighty army stands up.  A huge army ready to ‘go’, right?  Ah.  Alas.  There’s still a problem.  Everybody cries out “Our bones are dry, we are lost, we are cut off for our parts.”  Say what?  They are walking around like a bunch of old men.  Maybe they should have taken their Geritol or yoga classes?  They are lost.  They don’t seem to know which way to go.  The bodies may still be intact, but the army has been separated (divided in doctrine).  They don’t seem to be very mobile, they still seem to be lost and they are not all on the same page in the playbook (the bible). 

Think about the Protestant Reformation.  It did bring us to an individual awareness of Father.  It was supposed to do that as it drew us closer to Father.  He cares not just about a bunch of people in a building, but He cares about ME (you & me)!  Yet, the body is divided into many segments.  (sigh)     

A little side item.  In the late fourteenth century, God put it on man’s heart to have a bible for the common man.  This carried over into the Protestant Reformation.  A good thing for Father was starting to wake His church up after a long slumber.  Two basic periods of enlightenment were to follow, one in the 1700’s and the other in the 1800’s.  In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s Father started stirring up the Holy Ghost again.  

Remember, the idea of being baptized in the Holy Ghost and speaking in tongues started back in Acts chapter two, or prior to 100 AD.  Somewhere along the line, for whatever reason, it was decided that this gift, and other operations of the Spirit, were no longer needed.  The decision was made that when the “Perfect was come” these gifts were no longer needed.  According to the thinking, the Perfect had already come.  I’m not going to discuss what they considered the perfect to be, save the second coming of Christ.  The church has been falling away ever since. The Protestant Reformation and the following ‘enlightenments’ were Father starting to bring His church back to is former (earlier) glory.

Now, despite the Charismatic movement of the 1960’s & 1970’s Satan has continually taken efforts to take, not only prayer, but other references to God out of the public awareness.  Over the years since then, the enemy has been very successful in removing man away from any knowledge of the Creator of all things.  But Father always has His remnant and the spark is being kindled, now.

Today, Father is not only renewing our knowledge of Him, but also, in how He operates.  He desires us to fulfill the words of Jesus “you shall do that I have done and even greater.”  Father has been renewing our relationship with Him. So we can truly live in His love.

This brings forth the third prayer/commandment.  Ezekiel is commanded to tell the people “Listen up, my people.  I will open up your graves and cause you to come up out of those graves.  And I will bring you into the land of Israel (Spiritual).  I shall put My Spirit in you and you shall live and I shall place you in your own land.  Then you will know that I, the Lord, said it and did it.  Thus says the Lord”

Today’s church still has a foot, maybe even up to the knee, or perhaps, up to our necks still in the grave.  We just can’t seem to let go of all the old ways.  We still haven’t yielded all that we need to, to the Lord.  But He will help us to get our acts together so we can serve Him to the fullest.  We can be doing the things Jesus did – and greater. 

Our own land?  We will come to realize the reality of “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven!”  At least, where God’s people are prevalent and relevant.  Jesus asked Father, not to take us out of this world, but to keep us (from harm) while we are still here.  We can live in this world.  We just don’t partake of its activities.  We live like the children of God.  A light in a dark place.

Have you caught the connection between Frankenstein and the church?  Victor Frankenstein is compared to the Greek god Prometheus.  Prometheus played with clay dolls and purportedly gave them life.  Victor created his monster (from dead body parts) and gave it life.  God gave us life by breathing breath into our nostrils, then coming Himself in the personage of Jesus (Emmanuel).  Frankenstein used lightening to bring life to his creation.  Interestingly, the monster never really came to his full potential but died.  Maybe because he wasn’t the sweetest looking guy in town but his life did come to an end.  Our enemy desires us to meet the same fate as the monster.  Father says “I don’t think so.”  He is bringing one more shot for His church (us) to get our act together.  Our life is in Jesus.  Not only here on planet earth, but throughout all eternity! 

We are getting ready to enter into the final year of a seven year season of growth and equipping.  Father is preparing to send out His army to minister to the world as the world has never seen, evangelism like none before.  A Spiritual Explosion!  Father is focusing on “living in His love.  Jesus berated the scribes and he Pharisees for ‘doing’ the right things but for the wrong reasons.  Their hearts were far from God.  This trip, hearts will be in the right place – grounded in God’s love as true servants so we can serve with all our heart.

Being grounded in God’s love means we are a reflection of Him (His love), in what we say and what we do.  We should love God with all our heart and our heart is expressed through what we say and what we do.  Do we honor Father with our words?  Do we honor Father with our actions (what we do)?  Those things do reflect where our heart is.  Living like the world indicates at least one foot is still in the grave.  We cannot serve God and mammon at the same time.  So, are we are continually realigning ourselves with Father (when we mess up – confess & repent)?  Or do we still show too much of the world in our own lifestyle?

The passage in Ezekiel ends with God getting ready to pull us up out of our graves.  This is the season we’re getting ready to enter – Father pulling us fully out of our graves.  That is knowing how to yield all of ourselves to Him and doing it.  Then going out helping others to do the same.  

This IS the Spiritual explosion that it coming.

So, are we like Frankenstein’s monster, still stumbling around in the dark because of our ignorance?  Or are we drawing closer to God, living in His love, that light which pours out from His heart?   I’m gonna let it shine, this little light of mine .

The choice is ours

8-15-2020 There’s a New Virus Coming to Town

There’s a new virus coming to town!  It will be very infectious.  It will change the way we live!  It will make all other viruses seem meek and tame.  Once we get it, it will never leave us.  Isn’t that wonderful?

What’s even crazier is that we will want this virus.  We will desire it and we will want to pass it on to others.

Why would we want something that we can never get rid of and be so easily transmitted to others?

What will it do?

It will affect our minds.  It will affect our bodies.  It will even help us to understand things.  YIPES!  It will affect my brain?

It will produce peace within me.  I won’t even care once I’m infected.  What’s worse, I won’t even want them to find a cure!

It will bring strength to my body.  Whoa!  Whoa! I don’t do steroids.  Besides, ‘roids’ have some negative side effects – bad breath, caveman eyebrows, brittle bones, heart problems, etc.. 

Hey!  Hey!  Hey!  This infection carries no ill side effects.

It does have side effects, though.  I may find myself not hating others – no matter what they may do.  I may find myself ‘wanting’ to help others – even though they may not have treated me right.  And even though it may seem that I may be stationary at times, I may even enjoy seeing others get ahead.  Wow! 

As I let this virus infect my whole body, I may discover I can handle my finances better.  My financial situation may even GET better.

This infection may even help me to realize things that are out of this world!  (I can always use some more ‘smarts)

And, every so often, I may find myself ‘zoned out’!  No, not on drugs but in a state of mind where I find myself not even caring about the rest of the world.  The only bummer is that I’ll have to come out of that condition and still deal with the world around me.  That means this condition will come and go, but I have control!  And, guess what!  I find that I’m becoming better equipped to deal things.

This virus is on its way and all I have to do to get it is ask.  Ask?  Ask to get ‘sick’?(!)  Are you crazy?(!)

Think about it.  this virus brings  no sniffles, no coughing, no fever, no aches or pains.  At times, I may feel like I’m walking on a cloud.  I may even do a ‘Tony the Tiger’ imitation saying “I feel GRRRRREEAAAT!

So what is this virus?

We know that when we ask Jesus into our heart, the Holy Ghost takes up residence there, but consider a few things.  Very few can sit down at a piano and play something that makes sense.  How many people can pick up a trumpet or a guitar and produce sounds of sweet music - the first time out?  

Don’t we first have to understand how the instrument functions?  Do we not have to learn the basics of playing that instrument?  Without some basic knowledge, all we can do is ‘make noise’ and that’s only if we pick it up (use it).  Or the instrument may just sit there – doing nothing. 

To ‘activate’ any instrument, we need to start pushing keys or blow into a mouthpiece and push the valves, start plucking the strings, even with drums, we needs to pick up the ‘sticks and start tapping the ‘skins’ (drums) in order to make a noise.  The more we understand, the more our noise will sound like sweet music.

When we first receive the Holy Ghost, He is there, available to help us, but we need to activate Him, or should I say give Him permission to operate in our lives.  We give Him permission by yielding ourselves over to Him.  Asking The Spirit to help us, guide us and/or direct us.

So, how do we know what to ask Him?  Musicians have music books to help them to learn how to play an instrument or sing a song.  We have the bible through which Father tells us how, why and when the Holy Ghost desires to help us.  As we learn more of God’s will for us, we open up more and more knowledge as to how the Holy Spirit desires to help us.  Then we activate the Holy Spirit by asking Him.  Help me with …  Then we apply the action He shares.

Application is important.  John and Peter met the lame man on the way to the Beautiful Gate.  Peter gave the man what he had – healing.  After telling the man to receive what had just been given, Peter reached down and took the man’s hand and helped him to his feet.  The man not only stood up, he walked around leaping for joy.

We can read, discover and ask all we want, but if we don’t apply (put into action) what we are told, we become like the instrument which makes no noise because we haven’t picked it up to strum or push keys, etc..  If we don’t do ‘something’ with that instrument, it remains silent.  So is it with the Holy Ghost!  We can know we have Him, know what He can do but unless we put Him to the test, He is like the instrument which just lays there.  The Holy Spirit likes working through us so if we don’t budge, He won’t budge.  He’s a gentleman.  After all He is part of the Godhead (Father, Son and Holy Ghost), so He won’t ‘force’ himself upon us.  We ask, but then we expect God to do it for us whereas the Holy Ghost says ask and I’ll do it through you.  Remember, faith without works is dead.  We believe, but where is our faith?   WE have to take an action, then the Holy Ghost gives us the strength to accomplish what we start. 

Jesus says I am always with you.  I will never leave you nor forsake you. 

Jesus ascended back into heaven 2000 years ago to be with the Father, but He gives us the Holy Ghost, who is in us, so we can do things in His name.  Jesus gives us strength through the Holy Ghost working in us and through us.  If you will, the Holy Ghost is the engine and we are the vehicle.  He provides the gas (prayer), all we have to do is push the pedal and go (open our mouths and pray and do).

Jesus says that He desires us to be one with Him as He is one with the Father and this is accomplished through our ‘salvation’ experience.  Then, by the ‘infilling’ of the Holy Ghost, we can ‘activate’ Him by our faith in and through our obedience to God. 

Our faith is believing Father can and will do all things for us.  He desires His best for us.  Our obedience is following and living in His will – living in and for him in all that we say and do.  We yield our lives over to Him – no matter how long it takes.  We take the first step after we believe and He empowers us to continue along the path.  Then we continue along the ‘narrow’ path.

In case you may be a little dense (like me) and haven’t figured this one out yet, the ‘new virus’ isn’t a virus at all, but the Holy Ghost abiding in us. 

With our reception of Jesus into our heart through the act of our salvation experience, He comes into our tank.  Then we have to fill that tank up!  As we learn what Father has for us, no matter how long it takes, we yield our lives over to Him.  This is filling our tank. Then, as we ‘activate’ the Holy Ghost (in our lives) by stepping out in faith and allowing Him to inhabit our actions, we keep refilling that tank (reading the bible, praying) so that it never runs dry.

Father wants us to have all that He has, but it requires obedience - faith and action on our part.

The coming ‘virus’ is a fresh outpouring, a new infilling, of the Holy Ghost which will enable us to do all that Jesus did and greater!  Read the book of Acts, this will be just the tip of the iceberg.  Our manual (the bible) brings us into a functional relationship with our Father through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  At first, we fill our tank with ‘regular’ gas, but, as we grow we discover, our octane rating is growing from 86 to 93 to 100 and beyond.  We see what the bible says, but then we come to realize what it means!

Keep in mind, Satan knows what the bible says.  He just refuses to apply it to himself.

Listen, Many have heard and have already been talking about this fresh explosion (outpouring) of the Holy Ghost.  I see it on line and on TV (TBN, 700 Club, etc.)  Father has told many of His pastors and preachers this explosion will far exceed what man has experienced in the past – from the disciples reception 2000 years ago to today. 

Even as Jesus ministered to the Gentiles during His ministry, His primary target was Israel – the church.  And so it will be this time.  Though the unsaved are not forgotten, today’s Christian church (or those who claim to be a part thereof) are the primary target.

Father wants His children ready and prepared to come home.  Ten virgins were waiting for the bridegroom to come to receive them, but only five were prepared.  Only those five went with the bridegroom when He did come.  Think about it!   

So, there’s a new virus coming to town.  I can “live” with this virus.  Can you?  (or should I say ‘will’ you).

Amen

You may have noticed I that I haven’t cited a lot of scriptures (in fact ‘0’).  Okay, I mentioned the Book of Acts and I will give you two: John 20:22 and Acts 1:8.  Look them up.  There are clues (in this text) to other passages which support what is said here.  Can you find them?  May the Lord guide your searches.