1/20/2018       Really, just who is God?

                                                                                  

Is God some mythical, mystical being that lives somewhere out there beyond the stars?  I’m speaking to both believers and non-believers, for some, there is little difference in concept.  Is He some super astronaut who sends His angels to earth in flying saucers to occasionally check on us?  Is He something that we can morph into on our own (reincarnation)?  Or is He perhaps, just maybe, IS He the eternal being who created the heavens and the earth and all that we know?  Is He from everlasting to everlasting.

To know Him is to love Him and to love Him is getting to know Him better and love Him even more.  Don’t turn me off yet, but read on. 

Yes, I love my Lord Jesus Christ, but I didn’t get to the point where I am today simply by confessing Him as my Savior.  Just as I spent thirty-four years getting to know my wife (before she went home to Jesus), I’ve spent a long time, and still getting to know my God.

Yes, I am in a great church today, but I’m not going to spout a bunch of church dogma.  My heavenly Father has been very careful to not let me get caught up in ‘denominational dogma’, but He has exposed me to who He is then confirmed it through my life experiences.  I guess I’m caught between a rock and a hard place with this for neither do I reject someone for not believing exactly as I do nor am I persuaded any one Christian denomination has the full story so I weigh whatever I hear against the bible under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 

Years ago Father showed me an image of a movie projector.  You know, the ones with the movie reel on one end and the take up reel on the other?  He showed me that as the movie was shown, someone would see something and say “That’s it!  This is what God wants me to know!”  So they went off to the side and created what became a denomination with that revelation.  But the movie kept rolling on.  Now, they may have been right in what they saw- partially.  Why?  Because they got all excited about something and quit watching the movie to build on the revelation they had discovered, they missed what else God had to show them. 

I am persuaded that each true Christian denomination has a piece of the truth, but not the whole truth.  Am I claiming to know the whole truth?  Not by a long shot.  Even though I can get around the bible reasonably well, I hardly know it from Genesis to Revelation.  Every year that passes, every month that passes, every week that passes, Father shows me something deeper in our relationship that I had not realized before.  And THIS is what I want to talk about today.  My relationship with my heavenly Father. 

So don’t tune me out just yet, but be patient and hear me out.

I usually cite scripture in this blog to show that I’m not making this stuff up.  It IS biblical.  So, obviously, the bible, the Word of God, is my foundation.  So today, a lot of scripture will be contained in what I say, I won’t be quoting ‘book, chapter, verse’.

I’m responsible for what I put in the blog and what I mean by that is that Father holds me accountable.  If I give you a bunch of “BS”, (I’m not talking scholastic degrees) I will suffer the consequences for my disobedience.  Yes, God is a loving God, but He’s also a just God and a righteous God.  So even though He’s longsuffering, ‘God don’t make no junk’ and He expects His children to be the same.

God is a God of revelation and THAT’s what I’m going to talk about.  So, sit back and buckle your seatbelts.  We’re going to take a ride that maybe you have or have not taken yet.

I was ‘saved’ in a Southern Baptist church.  My wife and I liked the pastor there so we counseled with him for marriage.  As I recall, the pastor hadn’t been in our church two years yet and he had a funny concept on marriage.  He believed that if the couple didn’t know Jesus, the marriage was doomed, therefore he wouldn’t perform the ceremony without knowing that the couple were saved.  When he challenged me on my salvation, I sidestepped his questions about knowing Jesus.  I thought I was doing pretty good, but he came back, more than once, getting more specific, until the Holy Spirit convicted me (in my heart) that no, I really never knew Jesus.  So I received Jesus there in his office.  At that time, I literally felt the burden of my sins lift from my being.  But, when I confessed Jesus I felt like a five hundred pound gorilla lifted up off my body.  That was the beginning of my relationship with my heavenly Father, even though I didn’t recognize it as such.  Later, when I was baptized in water, because I had already had my ‘spiritual’ experience with God, I felt nothing new when I got “dunked” in the baptismal.  As a side note:  my wife had lied about knowing Jesus that day in the pastor’s office, but a couple of years later she did receive our Lord and Savior into her heart.  We had moved to another area and were not in that particular church at the time, when we ran into the pastor and shared with him my wife’s experience.  He said he knew that she wasn’t ‘saved’ at the time, but he said that he knew it would only be a matter of time before she also gave heart to Jesus.

The way Father has dealt with me, over the years, in my Spiritual growth, is to expose me to what He wants me to know, then teach me about it.  Sometimes He would show me in the scriptures (bible), a few times He let me take some classes, at a local college or in the church.  Nonetheless, He taught me.   

At work, I knew some charismatic Catholics.  Through them, Father introduced me to the “baptism of the Holy Ghost”.  Now, I’ve never doubted my salvation from that day in the Southern Baptist preacher’s office, but I kept getting this tugging, nagging, in my heart to know more about God and now to learn more about this baptism in the Holy Ghost.  So Father started teaching me.  Academically I knew about it the baptism, but I had not yet experienced it. 

A preacher from Virginia had come into our community in Maryland.  He had a reputation for preaching an awesome word, then would have a healing service along with that. So, one weekend when he was in town, my wife and I went to hear him the local high school at which he was speaking.  He was a good speaker and got his point across and at the end of his ‘sermon’ he offered additional service.  “Those looking for salvation come over here.”  “Those wanting a healing, come here.”  “Those wanting to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost go over there.”  Can you guess which group my wife and I gathered with?  The baptism, of course.  Must’ve been about a dozen people in our group, including my wife and myself.  The leader explained a little bit about the ‘Baptism’ then encouraged us to speak in ‘tongues’.  Some were having a hard time so they said “Repeat after me.”  I learned later that this was called getting a ‘jump start’.  Nonetheless at the end of the time everybody had received the baptism, including my wife!  Everybody that is except me!

I was more spiritual than my wife (I thought) so what was wrong with me?  We went home, afterwards and we sat in the living room for half an hour, maybe even an hour, talking and praying and still nothing.  My wife got tired and excused herself to go to bed.  I stayed up questioning God as to why I was still without.  He set me on my knees (literally) before the couch and I heard Him say “Praise Me.”  So I did.  I don’t know exactly for how long, but, after a while, I couldn’t think of anything else in English and I was getting tired of repeating myself so I said “Lord, I’m getting nowhere.  What else can I do?”  His response was “Praise Me.”  I said “I am!”  He said “Let Me help you.”  I said to myself ‘now what?  This is crazy.’  I sat there silent for a short while, then I opened my mouth.  Not knowing what to expect, I started to praise God.  Expecting the same ole English words to pop out, to my amazement, it definitely was not!  It wasn’t what I heard at the school earlier that evening, but even though it was coming out of my mouth, it wasn’t me speaking.  At least, it wasn’t me making the words come out.  But it was coming up from deep down inside me.  At first, only a few words came out but it wasn’t long before I was spitting words out like a machine gunner with an endless supply of bullets.  I don’t know how long I was up that morning, a couple of hours at least.  But I was so excited about receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost, I didn’t think much about anything else.  Sometime later, I asked Father why the baptism of the Holy Ghost worked that way with me.  Why hadn’t I received along with the others at the rally?  He told me that He wanted me to know that the Baptism came from Him and I wasn’t just repeating some sounds I was hearing.  Thank you Jesus. 

In my prayer life, I’ve experienced what would seem to be a couple of different spiritual languages over the years, but when things get down and dirty (serious), certain sounds seem to always rise to the surface.  For me, sometimes is sounds a bit Yiddish (Jewish) and sometimes it sounds like what I’ve heard with some of the Native American dialects and sometimes I’m not even sure what it sounds like.  I can’t say, but it is what Father has given me.  And, yes, there have been times I doubted my experience for when I heard others speak in tongues, it didn’t sound so much like what I was doing.  Father got me over that.  He gives each of us our own unique language.  Does this mean I can’t sound like someone else?  Look at the various accents used in the English language.  You tell me “Can we be different and yet sound like someone else?”

Since this experience, Father has deepened my relationship with Him.  Yet, with the experiences I’ve had with Him since, He has shown me that I still have only scratched the surface of our relationship.  I think, maybe, because my feet are stuck in a bunch of sticky muck. My growth has been slow.  I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel (in my growth) but with each step I take, it seems as though two or more steps are added to the journey.

My next major step in my relationship with my heavenly Father has been revealed in the church I’m in today.  As I said, Father exposes me to something He wants me to know then He teaches me about it.  He blessed me with ‘salvation’, then has been teaching me what that really means ever since that day in the Baptist preacher’s office.  He has baptized me with His Holy Ghost and is still showing me how that continues to deepen our relationship. 

Even though He has spoken to me over the years about different things, and I was fully aware of what He was saying, yet those things didn’t REALLY register with me (I said my feet were stuck in a pile of muck).  And now, He’s showing me the so many ways in which He talks with me and teaches me and opening up so much more.  But there’s still such a long way to go. Sometimes it’s a soft still voice.  Other times it’s through birds, trees and flowers and not just nature but anything around me, a situation, people, whatever.  All I have to do is look and be aware.  This I’m still learning. 

Since my wife went to be with Him in 2005, when He talks with me, oft times there are actual, physical changes that take place in my being.  I might get a sensation all over my body, head to toe.  I may go to stand up and can’t because of my time with Him has been so focused on Spiritual, my physical energy is drained and I don’t have the energy to stand up.  That is, at least for a while.  It becomes almost impossible or at least very difficult to just stand up until my body settles back down.  

Father has given me a heart to receive what He has given me and that heart continues to crave more.  Even though I may challenge something, I don’t reject it until He has had time to show me about it. 

He has brought these things into my life gradually so that I wouldn’t freak, thinking maybe I’m having a stroke or heart attack or something.  Everything hasn’t happened all at once for though I haven’t been sure of many things over the years (I have a vivid imagination), but once I realize what is happening, I know it’s the Holy Ghost.  Father confirms the event during and after the experience.  How do I know?  Once my body has physically “settled down”, I’m back to ‘normal’, so to speak.  I can freely move again and those same little nagging aches and pains that went away during my experience, come back.  Oh, by the way, did I mention that when I’m in this state “nothing bothers me!”  I’m totally aware of my surroundings and, even though I don’t normally try to, I can speak under this condition.  I just can’t move because my body is – so – drained (for lack of better description).  As Tony the Tiger would say “It’s GREEEAAAT!  I just can’t physically do much.  And these situations only come upon me when I’m interacting with Father.

Father said to share this, too.  The first time I became aware of my physical incapacitation, Father literally dropped me to my knees then laid me out prone on the living room floor.  I didn’t know what was happening and I don’t know how long I laid there as He talked with me.  I was there for a while, but I had a sense of peace.  I knew that I wasn’t dying, or anything.  I remember trying to get up, at least to my knees, but couldn’t.  I laughed at myself for I was in clear view of the living room window to the front porch.  I thought to myself ‘if someone saw me there, they would surely think I was having some sort of physical crisis’.  There was no heart attack or such going on, but how could I have explained to them that I was feeling fine and nothing was wrong?  I just laying there.  So I laughed at my situation, then Father started speaking to me, putting things on my heart.  Once Father was finished speaking, obviously, I was eventually able to get up and resume my normal activities.

Now, you may ask “How do you know it’s God?”  My only response can be that the closer we walk with the Lord, the more obedient we become, the more we listen to Him, the Holy Ghost confirms, within our hearts, what’s going on.  Has any of us experienced the reality that each time we read a bible passage, it seems Father reveals something to us that is a little deeper than what we understood before?  This is revelation knowledge – understanding the deeper meaning of scripture.  The meaning God wants us to attain.  These ‘revelations’ remain consistent with God’s love and is consistent with scriptural truths, so we know that it is Him.  And we have that sense of peace in our spirit, at least I do.  Sometimes, Father may show us something that seems to be way out in left field, but as we listen to the Holy Ghost and continue searching the matter, Father shows us the confirmation – in His written word or maybe a word from another Christian or that sense of peace.  The more we understand about our relationship with the Lord, letting our human spirit commune with Him through the Holy Ghost, Father can talk more and more directly with us.  Sort of like Moses on the mount and the burning bush, but there’s no burning bush.  That burning bush is now in our heart.  For the most part, Father talks to us from within –from and to our hearts, which our brain then picks up on and “clues us in”. 

Now, to clarify, I’m not saying that I’m all that (I’m not) but I do know what Father has given me to know, and even though I cannot prove in scripture, about all my experiences.  I do have a question.  When people claim to have gone to heaven, how can we prove or disprove their claim?  There are only two ways we can know for sure.  One, we actually go there with them and witness the event in person, or two the Holy Ghost confirms within our spirit that the people are being honest and truthful and it is in agreement with God’s love.  And again, that sense of peace.  We know that the Holy Ghost leads us into all truth and we have the biblical accounts where both Apostle John (Rev. 1:10, Rev. 4:1-2) and Apostle Paul (2 Corinth. 12:2) speak of heavenly experiences which confirm that it can happen (established by two or three witnesses).  Otherwise, without personal knowledge or spiritual confirmation, we can’t prove yea or nay.  When the Holy Ghost ‘confirms” in our hearts, we just know because we have a peace, within our hearts, that whatever we are challenging is true.  The reverse is also true.  If something is not in agreement with God’s being, we get an uneasy feeling.  A feeling like something just isn’t right.  Now what I mean?  Coupled with the fact that I do seek God, the best that I can.  Am I obedient 24/7?  I wish!  But when I do mess up, I repent and then move forward.  God puts my confessed sins behind Him and so do I. 

I know my experiences are from God because the Holy Ghost confirms it with His peace in my heart.  This doesn’t make me any better or any worse than any other person out there.  It’s just how Father deals with me.  And I’m letting you know that if He does it with me, He’ll do it with and for anyone.

Am I declaring myself a “super Christian”?  God forbid.  But I do talk with my heavenly Father and He talks with me.  And He uses words from the bible (scripture) or people and experiences and feelings to confirm our interaction.  He teaches me things He wants me to know, that I can then share with others.  Have I arrived?  I don’t think so.  I will declare that I have arrived when I am standing literally in the presence of my Lord and Savior and He says to me “Welcome in My good and faithful servant.”  But I can experience Him here and now, in this world and I don’t have to be subject to what my enemy, Satan, throws at me.  Deal with it?  Yes.  Be subject?  NO!

I said I wanted to talk about my relationship with my heavenly Father and I have.  Some of you may say “Whoa!  That’s awesome!” and walk away, shaking your head in disbelief.  Some of you may say “I’m with you brother, I know what you’re talking about.”  And others may say “Praise the Lord!  Keep growin’, but you still have more things to experience.”  Many of you may know a lot more scripture than I and know it better.  I’m glad and thankful for you.  Many of you may pray a lot more and better than I do.  I thank God for your dedication.  Many of you can speak better than I.  Praise God for He has or is calling you to a ministry.  But I say “Thank You Jesus for all that you’ve done for me.”  And I look forward to what’s still down the road.

So who is God?  Not just my Savior, but my friend and my companion who will never leave me nor forsake me – despite my shortcomings.

So, knowing that I have not yet to experience all that God has for me, my story continues …

Amen?

1-6-2018      Rebuilding God’s Temple

At the end of the month, our pastor will usually set a topic and ask for volunteers to do a presentation each week over the next month on that topic for Sunday morning bible study.  Because of the Christmas holiday, no one was assigned for December 31^st.  An oversight?  Possibly, because no one had volunteered for that week and we had a special speaker coming in for our Christmas program and things got a little hectic.  Anyway, the 31^st came and there was no one planned to bring a lesson.  

Father told me to be prepared and I did get the nod after everyone arrived on Sunday.   What Father had me be ready for was “Building God’s House”.

Early Saturday morning, (it could have been Friday AM), between three and six (yes, that’s AM), before I had gotten out of bed for the day (long before), Father was mulling some things through my heart (mind) about how He has been restructuring His House.  Nothing new, for He has been showing me things in this area for the past couple of years now, BUT this time He was focusing on rebuilding His house and that teamwork played a big part of rebuilding His temple in the Old Testament.  In my heart, He focused on what He had been doing with His church for some time and where He is leading us now.

I knew that there was a passage about rebuilding in the Old Testament and Nehemiah camel to mind.  But, no.  Nehemiah was called to rebuild the “walls” of Jerusalem and yes, there was teamwork involved with that, but Father said to me “I said rebuilding My temple.”  I said “OK.”  I started searching Google for rebuilding the temple and sure enough, Father led me to Ezra, whom God commissioned to get the “temple” rebuilt.  There are only ten chapters in Ezra, two of which focused on genealogy.  Father said that even though Israel faced opposition in their task, look at the favor He gave Israel through three kings – Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes (we might remember two of them for they were kings who followed Nebuchadnezzar’s reign in the book of Daniel). 

So, we’re going to take an overview look at the book of Ezra then see how it applies to the church 

(the body of Jesus Christ) today.

Ezra (the temple)

Ezra 1:2           The authorization by king Cyrus to rebuild the temple

Eza 2:1-70       The family counts (how many of Israel were involved?  Over 30,000 counted & many more families named)

Ezra 3:2           Altar for burnt offerings built

Ezra 4:1-6        The resistance from their neighbors, those around them (pretending to want to help, but??)

Ezra 5:1-17      The perseverance of Israel & support from king Darius

Ezra 6:8           God’s favor for completion of the temple

Ezra 6:15-16    The house completed

Ezra 7:13         Artaxerxes gives many from Israel permission to return to Jerusalem

Ezra 8:1-36      Those returning take their possessions plus all the spoils Nebuchadnezzar took had taken earlier

Ezra 9:1-15      Ezra acknowledges Israel’s sin while in captivity

Ezra 10:1-19    Cleansing the people and the temple of God of strange (ungodly) things   

What does this mean for us today?

Father has been restructuring the church since John Wycliffe translated the Latin Vulgate into English in the late 1300’s.  Both he and Martin Luther had a passion to provide a bible which the ‘people’ (the common man) could read for themselves.  The subsequent events in the church history since then have been God bringing His people back into alignment with His Word.   The beginning was bringing the bible to the common man late 1300’s/early 1400’s), then the Protestant Reformation of the 1500’s and into the 1600’s, the First Great Awakening of the 1700’s, the Great Awakening of the 1800’s, The Pentecostal Movement of the late 1800’s/early 1900’s, the Charismatic Movement of the mid 1900’s and now the Prophetic movement of the late 1900’s to present.  Seven seasons, six past (each roughly one hundred years) and now into the seventh.  Each phase designed to bring Christianity back into a closer relationship with our heavenly Father and in its own way, each has.

These seasons brought Christians from a relationship with God which was coming from only priests and ministers to where ‘we’ can understand the bible for ourselves, with the Holy Spirit leading us.  After all, He will lead us into all truth, will He not (John 16:13)?  But, more importantly, Father is bringing us to where we come to realize He doesn’t just want us to know ‘about Him’, a long distance relationship, but He desires to get up close and personal.  Mano e mano, or mano e womano.  Father has carried us through seveal stages of growth so the knowledge of our relationship with our Lord and Savior would grow to where we are today, ready to take that final step in our relationship – to walk with God!  To actually live in His presence even though we are still here on planet earth.  Heaven may not rest upon the whole earth at this time, but the kingdom of God is alive and well in our hearts so we can endure the things we face here in this world and influence that part of the world in the realm of our influence.  We live for Jesus!

We ARE the light of this world (Matt. 5:14), a commission Jesus gave us “Therefore go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all those things I have commanded you.”  I am with you always, even unto the end of the world (Matt. 28:19-20).  And Jesus requires us to love, in God’s love (John 15:10) for God is love (1 John 4:7).

There is a Spiritual Explosion coming – soon.  I don’t mean within centuries (as we’ve already waited since the apostle’s time), I mean soon, within a few years.  Listen to the teachers and today’s prophets, they’re all talking about it – now, a great revival.  And the talk is intensifying.  Most prophets agree that we are in a seven year period.  But this is a growth period where Father is establishing His cadre of believers to go out and introduce the world to His true love and the true kingdom of God.  Not just a pretend facade.

Just as Father was rebuilding the “temple’ in the book of Ezra, He is rebuilding His temple, the body of Jesus Christ, today and as we said, has been doing so for a while now. 

Just as in Ezekiel, Father has gathered up all those old, dried, bleached white bones of Israel, which have been scattered all over the place, Father has been bringing those old, dry bones of today’s church back together (spiritually), setting them up in His proper alignment so those bones can be properly interconnected and in their proper places.  He has been connecting those bones with sinews and tendons so they don’t become disarrayed and scattered again, but hang together, like they’re supposed to.  He’s covering those bones and sinews with spiritual muscle so we can do what He’s called us to do.  He’s covering those bones, sinews and muscle with skin so we can look like the church we’re supposed to be – a reflection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  And now!  Now!  He’s infilling us with new levels of His Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost so we can do all the things that Jesus did – and more (John 14:12).  We are being filled afresh, to a new and greater level with His Holy Spirit so we can reflect a greater degree of His love.

If we consider the outpouring of the Holy Ghost upon the early disciples the ‘early rain’ surely we are moving into a time where the ‘latter rain’ is coming and this state will surely overshadow that which those early disciples did before (Haggai 2:9) for the latter state of the house shall be greater than the first.

The ‘rains’ coming and Father is preparing His children to be ready.  Like the five wise virgins who made sure they had enough oil and were ready when the bridegroom would come (Matt.25:1-13).  The five wise virgins were in a state of constant readiness.  That is it didn’t matter when the bridegroom returned, they would be and were ready.  They were living for Jesus on a daily basis.  They didn’t just know a neat catch phrase “WWJD” (what would Jesus do), they were living in the reality of that phrase. 

This means that we have to understand something about the bible so we can know God’s love for ourselves, on a personal level AND we have to listen to the Holy Ghost for direction for our lives so we can share that love with those around us.  Uh, that just might mean we actually have to ask for help (from Him), then listen, confirming what we hear in our heart with scripture – until we truly learn to hear God’s voice for ourselves.  When Samuel came to Eli, in the middle of the night, it took Eli three times before he realized it was God who was calling his young charge.  Samuel did as Eli suggested and when he heard God call his name a fourth time his response was “Speak, for your servant hears.” (1 Sam. 3:1-10) and Samuel became God’s spokesperson (final judge, if you will) the rest of the days he spent here on earth (remember, Samuel anointed Saul, then David as kings of Israel, no more judges).

Do we hear God?  Are we listening?  When we do hear it, do we know our heavenly Father’s voice?  It is distinctive but the enemy will throw up smoke screens and try to confuse us.   That’s why we need to know scripture, so we can know God’s nature so we can rightly divide the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).  So we can know HIS voice.

Some of those dogmatic, denominational barriers have been softening.  Many Christians are actually realizing the common denominator is Jesus Christ and that means our being obedient to God, the Father, and His Word. 

The body of Christ is a body for a purpose.  Just as Israel came together, working together, to accomplish a unified goal – to rebuild the temple of God, today’s church needs to fully realize we need to work together to accomplish Father’s will in this world.  God gives each of us a specific talent.  It may be like someone else’s gift, but it is unique to the individual that only “I” can do it in the way God has given me.  Several of us may have the same gift, but we each have our own unique approach.  Some may hear me while others turn a deaf ear, but those same ‘others’ may listen to you speaking the same word because your approach is different.  Amen?

So God gives each of us a talent (gift) but “I” can’t go to everyone in the world, so Father gives many people the same talent so the world might be reached. 

And Father metes out different talents for there are many different things that need to be done.  Think of a stage production.  Of course, there are the actors, but before the play goes to stage, there had to be writers writing the storyline and script.  You need a director to assure the actors do their part.  There have to be stage hands to move props and equipment around.  There have to be lighting technicians so the audience can see the action on the stage and sound technicians.  There have to be musicians and a musical director so moods can be set for each scene.  There have to be secretaries to answer the phones and, of course, there has to be a producer (at least one), or else who foots the bill until ticket sales are realized?  There are many unique tasks to be performed and often more than person performing a given task.  TEAMWORK!  No task is less important than another.  All are necessary in order for the production to ‘come off’.

With all our denominations, has the church lost sight of teamwork within the body of Christ?  Arguing over church “dogmas”, arguing over who is right and who isn’t, rather than focusing on living in, through and for Jesus?  The devil has kept us divided and the church has suffered for it.

  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not even remotely suggesting one huge megachurch.  Even within our fellowships, we have to work together and even though we work as a team, accomplishing many different tasks. I am still me, a unique individual.  God does not want us to lose our individuality, but He does expect us to cooperate.  So, whether we are a single fellowship, a Christian denomination (Baptist, Lutheran, etc.) or the body of Christ as  a whole (all components), we need to realize that if we have confessed Jesus, believe Father has raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9) and He is now seated at the right hand of the Father (Romans 8:34, Acts 7:55-56) in all glory waiting to come back for His church (1 Thess. 4:13-17).  We need to cooperate.  A house divided cannot stand (Mark 3:25).  We wonder why things have been so difficult in the church.  We are not working in unison.        

Of course, where Father is working in Jesus through the Holy Ghost, the enemy (Satan) will oppose.  Just as those around Jerusalem spoke against the rebuilding the physical temple, more so, we can expect greater opposition as God rebuilds His Spiritual temple here on earth.  But understand this, Satan cannot come against us without the Father’s permission (Job 1:6-12).  Having said that, Father does buffet us to keep us on track, that is why He allows Satan to come against us, for our benefit (2 Corinth. 12:1-9, Paul’s thorn).  We need to remember that Jesus is always with us (Heb. 13:5-8).  We are more than conquerors in Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:37-39) because we abide in Him (John 15:1-13).

 And as we see in Ezra, Father will give us favor with those around us, even those in authority.  In this book (Ezra) God’s favor is shown through several kings not only the beginning, but in the continuance and conclusion of the building of the temple.  Can we expect any less as Father rebuilds His Spiritual temple?  Jesus said He would raise the temple on the third day (John 2:19), not the one of stone and mortar but the Spiritual temple of God (John 20:1-31) and we, also, are the temple of God, are we not (1 Corinth. 6:19)?  Jesus had favor with the Father and with man (Luke 2:52) and He promises us the same (Prov. 3:1-4), as we abide in Him.  God’s favor is a shield for us as we are righteous (in Christ Jesus) (Psalms 5:12).  Paul encourages the Romans (us) to present ourselves acceptable to God, being humble and remembering that we are all the body of Christ (Romans 12:1-5).  Father will grow us individually and in unity.

We have a calling on our lives, no matter how great or how small (there is no small task with God).  First, we need to recognize what that calling is, pursue it, then perform the task Father has set before us. 

As we grow there will be opposition, we also need to keep in mind that it is not the person or situation that’s coming against us but Satan and/or his demons.  We take on the whole armor of God for we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood but against the powers, principalities, rulers of darkness which are in this world operating under spiritual wickedness in high places so we should not falter but rather stand fast in Jesus Christ (Eph. 6:10-12).

And as we stand in Christ Jesus, we will discover that we have favor not only with God, but with those around us.

Now, I mentioned a Spiritual explosion and many of today’s preachers and prophets are talking about a great revival coming. 

I prefer to say “Spiritual explosion” because what is coming after this season is more than just a ‘revival’.  Two years ago I asked Father what is coming after this season and He said “a Spiritual explosion’.  Father is putting the components in place during these seven years which started in January 2015.  We will see rumblings and some manifestation of the explosion as these seven years progress, but in the next seven years the explosion fully manifest.  It will be going full steam!  God will be glorified amidst spiritual warfare and souls will come to know His true love and how to abide in Him.  Thus all believers can secure their place in heaven (John 14:2-3), their name in the book of life (John 20:12-15).

Amen?

12-23-2017         Unto Us a Child is Born                

    

                  Glory to God in the HIghest                                             Breath of God

Isaiah 7:14      The Lord, Himself shall give a sign ‘Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and you shall call His name Emmanuel.

Isaiah 9:6-7     A child is born to us, a child is given and the government shall be upon His shoulder.  His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.  There shall be no end to the growth of government and peace because He will sit upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgement and justice, now and forever more.  The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this

Matt. 1:19-21 Joseph, a just man, was not willing to make her (Mary) a public example so he kept her in secret.  But, while he was thinking on these things, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said

“Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife for that which she bears is conceived of the Holy Ghost.  And she shall bring forth a Son and you shall call His name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins.”           

Now all this was done so that what the Lord said through the prophet would be fulfilled “Behold, a virgin shall be with child and she shall bring forth a son and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which is interpreted ‘God is with us’.”

Luke 2:7-14     And she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger for there was no room at the inn.

                        And in the same area, shepherds were watching over their flock at night.

                        And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them and the glory of the Lord shined all around them and they were afraid.

                        But the angel said to them “Don’t be afraid for I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people.

                        For unto you this day, in the city of David, a Savior is born, who is Christ the Lord.

                        And this shall be a sign to you, you will find the baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

                        Suddenly, a multitude of the heavenly host joined the angel, praising God saying

                        “Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth and good will toward men.”

Luke 2:15-16   And, as it happened, when the angel had ascended back into heaven, the shepherds said among themselves” Let us now go to Bethlehem to this thing which has come to pass, which the Lord has shown us.

                       

                        And they hurried and found Mary, Joseph and the babe lying in a manger.

Can you imagine how awestruck the shepherds must have been at the sight of the angels in the skies?  

This announcement was not made to kings, but to common folk, like you and me.  The prophecy 

of the Christ, the fulfillment of his coming into this world and such a proclamation at His birth into 

this world.

This is the time we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus into this world.  Jesus came to serve

(John 13:13-16) so He was not born in a castle so He could ‘lord’ over people, but in a manger so He 

could meet us at our Level and lead us in terms we could understand.  And yet His journey had just 

barely begun.

In Jesus, we have a new hope and a new life promised us through Him (John 10:10).  The hope of 

eternal fellowship with the Father (1 John 1:3) where, through the Holy Ghost, Jesus is with us, in us 

and guides us (as we listen, Luke 11:28) for He will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5).

In Sept./Oct., the Jews celebrated the feasts of Trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacles.  This

is a time of proclamation, reconciliation and projection.  We proclaim our Lord, reconcile our differences then proclaim our intents for the future.

Oct./Nov. represents New Beginnings.  Even though we consider Jesus to have been born in

December, this is the time we can look forward to our life starting afresh in Jesus.

 The Festival of Lights comes with Chanukah in Nov./Dec.  Even though, in our tradition, Jesus

isn’t born yet, we dedicate our lives to our Messiah who is the Light of the world.

Of course, near the end of December, we do celebrate the birth of Jesus into this world,

receiving the power and the wisdom to stand against any evil that may come against us so we

may successfully enter the next phase of our life.

These four months, for us, is a time for cleansing, ordering our steps for the new year and to

plan in order to accomplish what is necessary for the coming year.  It is a time to start off with a 

fresh step.  It is a time to decide to stand fast in our Lord Jesus Christ and to determine to follow 

the leading of the Holy Ghost.

As we celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus, during this time, He represents a new life and a

new hope for us as we look forward to a new year, living in His love.

 This new phase of our current time?  Father is preparing the outpouring of the latter rain

 (Jer. 5:24) through which everyone will benefit (Zech. 10:1). 

The former, or early, rain prepares the ground for planting then nurtures the seeds and the

young plants so they can sprout and grow strong.

The latter rain helps the fruit to mature and be ripe for harvest.

Jesus is the vine (John 15:1-6) and we are the branches and it is ‘we’ who bear fruit (new converts),

bringing them into the body of Christ through our testimony and assuring that their growth is solid

in Jesus Christ.  But, for us to be effective, we need to be where Father wants us to be – in our

relationship with Him.  Should our relationship be weak, how can we help others to have a strong

relationship with our Lord?  So we  need to be doing our part to assure we are where Father wants

us to be.  Just, as the fourth time, the Lord came to Samuel calling his name.  Now, having been

prepared by Eli, Samuel responded “Speak, for Your servant hears.”  (1 Sam. 3:10)  Do we hear

what God is saying to us?  Are we truly listening?

You may have been hearing about the “Spiritual explosion” that’s coming.  It is!  And Father is

preparing His children for it, even now. 

We are in the midst of a seven year ‘preparation’ period where Father is bringing His church into a

deeper understanding of its (our) relationship with Him.  He’s been bringing His children into a

fuller, deeper relationship with Himself so we can be truly effective servants for Him.  He’s been

teaching us how to truly live for Him and to hear Him and understand what He asks and then be

obedient to His will.  As He sends us out, we will be ministering in the full concept of the Holy Ghost. 

Just as the apostles did.  After all, we are a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9), aren’t we?  To serve God

with all our energies (Col. 3:23-24)?

We have witness to the first outpouring, the early rain, in the book of Acts (Acts 2:1-21), then we

can read about the Impact of that outpouring throughout the book of Acts and the New Testament

epistles.  We see evidence of the power of the Holy Ghost operating in the lives of believers.  Not

‘just’ the apostles, but through various believers.  We see where Peter and John healed the lame

man in the name of Jesus (Acts 3:1-10).  We see at Peter’s preaching, five thousand believed (Acts

4:1-4).  Cornelius and his family are given as example that salvation is for all, as well as the receiving

of the Holy Ghost (Acts 10:34-46).  Paul (He was not one of the original twelve) cast out devils in

Philippi with the woman possessed with the spirit of divination (Acts 16:12-19).  Not only were

people saved, healed and delivered, but more believers received the baptism of the Holy Ghost as

exampled by the twelve on the road to Ephesus (Acts 19:1-7).  Oh, and by the way, as we serve God,

Father protects us as related in the shipwreck as Paul travelled to Rome.  Paul was bitten by an

unseen snake (Acts 28:1-6).  The natives knew that this snake was very poisonous and waited for

Paul’s quick death which didn’t come. After all, Jesus said He would protect us, didn’t He (Luke

10:19)?

Jesus told His disciples that they would do all the works that He did and more (John 14:12).  That

didn’t go away with the apostles and disciples of two thousand years ago.  It includes us, today.

Nothing passes away until the perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away with (1

Corinth. 13:10).  Today, we see through a glass darkly, but when we are with the Lord, all things will

be very clear (1 Corinth.13:12).

Be patient for the coming of the Lord.  The husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth,

patiently he waits until the early and the latter rain.  We also should be patient, establishing our

hearts (in Jesus Christ) for the coming of the Lord draws near (James 5:7-8).

I’ve heard it said that Jesus can’t come back until Christians have made the world ready for Him.  I

differ with that slightly.  Something has to be ready But dare I say it’s the church and not the world. 

Father is preparing His church for Jesus’ return (Matt. 24:42-44).  Look at how the church is

reflecting world values and Paul tells the Thessalonians that there would first be a falling away (2

Thess. 2:1-3).  Father is drawing believers closer to Him so we can be like the five wise virgins who

were continually ready for whenever the bridegroom (Jesus) returns  (Matt. 25:1-13).

The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this

place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.’” (Haggai 2:9).  In other words, when the latter

rains come, this fresh outpouring of the Holy Ghost, will surpass what the ‘early rains’ did.  I suggest

to you that the early rain was the initial outpouring of the Holy Ghost to the early disciples and now,

as the fruit is ready to ripen, we approach the harvest of the latter rain.  The latter rain is coming to

make the second outpouring of the Holy Ghost greater than the first.  Greater strength, greater

power, greater manifestation so the hearts of people may be solidified and that we may continue

steadfast and fellowshipping, in the doctrine of Jesus Christ which the apostles preached (Acts

2:42).  And a greater dose of God’s peace, which surpasses all understanding (Phil. 4:7) which will

probably rattle the world as they try to figure how we can keep our ‘cool’.

This Spiritual explosion is coming and just as we celebrate a time when Jesus brings new life and new hope into our presence, we need to grasp the outpouring of the Holy Ghost afresh, anew and abide in Christ Jesus so we can glorify the Father by keeping His commandments.  His commandments are to love (Luke 10:25-28).  There is no greater commandment and there is no greater expression of that love than to give our lives for a brother (John 15:7-13).  Jesus died on the cross to cleanse us from our sin.  We die to Him daily by yielding our bodies, souls and strength, our very lives to Him (1 Corinth. 9:27, Rom. 8:14) by living for Him daily.  So, we share that love with those around us as Father opens the doors for His love to flow.  We show our love for our brothers and neighbors by considering them no less than ourselves (Mark 12:31) and doing that which will edify them (1 Corinth. 14:26).

‘is the season to let the love of Jesus flow.

Amen 

2017  A Closer Walk 

 

                    

In September 2014, Father started working on my relationship with Him.  And today, He is still deepening my understanding of not just scripture but the scope of our relationship and what He is doing in my life. 

I was in a quandary about what to write about this time (that happens often) and I felt like I was hitting a brick wall.  At one point, I thought I knew what I was going to talk about, then I wasn’t so sure.  I looked at things which Father has given me, when “A Closer Walk” grabbed my attention.  Father had given me this back in September 2016 and it was still on my pending list.   

At the tail end of 2014 I was getting discouraged because I felt Father wasn’t confirming the calling I felt he gave through the ‘prophecy’ which He given me, the Watchman (Sept. 2014) which was a word on what He was preparing to do with His children and my interaction with those plans – to a degree. 

At first my understanding of my interaction with the Watchman was very rudimentary, basic.  I had a very sketchy understanding of what He was going to do and what He wanted me to do.  Since then He has been filling in the details.  Giving more information about the seven years we are currently in which began Jan. 2015. 

I challenged Him as to whether was He really calling me to do something Because, even though I had the desire, I knew, in my heart, I wasn’t ready.  He spent the next three months (‘til Dec. 2014) confirming that He wanted me to do something but I was looking the other way missing all the confirmation He was showing me.  I was looking one way for confirmation and He was delivering from another.  Finally in January 2015, because I was bemoaning the fact that He hadn’t answered my prayer for confirmation, He sat me down and pointed out all the many ways in which He had been confirming His word to me over the previous three months.  The lesson learned was that I was looking for ‘man’ to confirm what God was doing and God was confirming it Himself through what He was exposing me to.   Things and events around me.  No, that hasn’t changed.  He still uses multiple ways to confirm what He has been telling me but then I’m not looking to ‘man’ anymore for sole or initial confirmation.  Romans 8:16 tells us that the Holy Ghost (HG) testifies that we are the children of God and if the HG testifies that I have salvation, He will also confirm what God has told me.  And He did, He has and He does.  Father confirmed His word through books He prompted me to read, sermons I heard, even things that I saw on TV.  Now don’t get me wrong, God does confirm through man.  But for me, He was teaching me to “hear” what He was saying around me as opposed to relying on a man physically coming up to me and saying “Hey, Buck, God said …”.

Over the past few years, Father has been teaching me how to truly walk in the Spirit.  I find that learning it is one thing, putting it into practice isn’t so easy – sometimes.  Father has taught me that my obedience is utmost (2 John vs 6).  If I love Him, I will keep His commandments (to love) and walk in them.  He has also been teaching that when I walk in His Spirit I won’t fulfill the desires of the flesh (Gal. 5:16).  Easy in concept, but with the world like It is today, it ain’t that easy. 

Remember Paul and the thorn in his flesh (2 Corinth. 12:2-9).  James 1:13-15 explains how sin is conceived and we become guilty.  Basically it says that God does not tempt us but we are drawn away by lust which has not yet been purged from our hearts.  When lust is conceived, that is we consider doing it, that brings sin into our lives and if we let sin go unconfessed and unrepented, that will eventually bring separation from God which of course could eventually bring forth death (total and absolute separation from God).  Remember, once we’ve considered doing something, we’ve already done it in our heart and we are guilty.  It’s not the thought, it’s deciding that we’re going to do it which gets us into trouble.  The fine line here is determining what is just a thought tempting us versus when do I actually cross over and consider doing it?  Once we consider the thought a good idea, it as good as done even though we haven’t or don’t actually take any action.  We’ve desired it in our heart (Matt. 5:28).  For a little clarity, if we see someone and say to ourselves “That person is really attractive or good looking” we’re OK.  But if we say to ourselves “Boy, I’d sure like to jump into the sack with that!”  It’s time to confess and repent, we have already sinned.  It’s one thing to admire what God has done with a person, but it’s another to desire to consume that person in our own lusts.  

‘Nuff said here.  Satan tempts us and often it’s with the thought in our minds.  We need to steer clear of actually considering the action that thought suggests.  We are still human and we still wrestle.  Just don’t give in!  Two quick things here:  Isaiah recognized his unworthiness so an angel touched his unclean lips with a coal from the altar (Isa. 6:5-7).  We. Too, need to ask Father to cleanse us, purify us and we do that by continually renewing our mind through the word of God (Rom. 12:2).

Now, I’ve mentioned confirmation.  When Father gave me the Watchman, I didn’t realize what was happening to me, physically, until I went to get up out of my chair.  That is, I didn’t notice any effect ‘just writing it down”. 

My computer is in the basement and when Father has me ‘write’ things down, that’s where I go.  I have a most difficult time reading my own handwriting.  I actually get tired of writing after only a few words so what starts out very legible quickly turns into an unrecognizable scrawl.  I also have difficulty with typing.  I CAN type.  I just try to type as fast as I think so I either toss umpteen pages in the trash just to get one good copy or I  keep a gallon of whiteout handy.  God created the computer for me.  I don’t get tired of writing and I can easily correct my errors. 

In setting the Watchman down on ‘paper’, I had a similar experience each of the three days (to different degrees) over which Father had given it to me.   as I said, I hadn’t realized what was going on until I went to get up out of my chair – I couldn’t!  I had a weird, but good, sensation all over my body and my legs were like cooked spaghetti and wouldn’t support me.  So I flopped back into my chair (thud).  After sitting in the basement for a while, I was able to, almost literally, slide, out of my chair, inch over to the basement steps but then I did literally crawl up the steps, on my hands and knees, into the kitchen.   Oops! I realized I had to go to the bathroom!  I grabbed the refrigerator door handle, lifted myself to my feet and inched the ten or twelve feet to the bathroom.  Yes, I made it safely.  Then, still upright, I made it into the living room and into my green chair where I flopped for about an hour, or so, before I was able, after several attempts, to actually stand up again and move.  Over the next few days, the Watchman came in three installments, it didn’t take as long to “get my legs” back but I went through the same experience. 

Well, I felt good while I was in this condition.  I mean nothing bothered me.  Nothing!  I didn’t hurt, no aches, no nothing.  I had been experiencing a couple continuing aches for a while and they weren’t even bothering me.  I found myself laughing at the situation.  I thought how ridiculous this must look.  Trying to get up and couldn’t.  And when I could, getting around like a very aged, decrepit old man (where’s my cane?).  It took me several times over a period of time before I could even stand up, much less walk.  Except for the spaghetti legs, I could’ve stayed in that condition forever.  I would have been useless to anyone else because I couldn’t do much of anything except talk, but I felt good. 

I called this condition my ‘zone’, having nothing better to describe it at the time.

Since then, Father has shown me that this condition is an anointing (from Him).  He has shown me that He anoints the gifting He gives us.  He anoints us for certain tasks (of which this was) or when we just do something for Him like sing or dance (before Him), whatever.  I’m persuaded that He will anoint anything we do, as long as we are doing it before and for Him and we aren’t doing it to “show off”. .

At first, my zone or anointing came only when Father gave me a prophecy or an entry for the blog.  I realize that each time I work on the blog, when I’m done, I’ve been in the ‘zone’, to some degree.  But as time has passed, the zone has come back in ways I haven’t expected.  Sometimes when I’m just getting started in my AM prayer and Father wants to show me something – He does and by the time He’s done, I realize that I am in the zone.  Sometimes He’ll have me pray something special or for someone and again, at the end of that prayer, He’ll show me that we’ve been in the zone.  In fact, there have been times, Father has taken me into the zone for days at a stretch.  I don’t mean 24/7 but I may be “zoned” for an hour, maybe only ten or fifteen minutes, but it’s still the zone and it will occur each of several days in a row.  So, no, it’s not necessarily an everyday occurrence but I’ve come to learn it is how He let’s me know that it’s Him sharing what is being shared, whether for me or about someone else.  It’s still pretty neat and while I’m in the zone I’m useless for a little while, but it’s still an awesome experience.

So why am I sharing all this?  I’m nobody special and if He shares this with me, He’ll share it with you, or some similar experience. 

I shared “Herod’s Temple (9-16-2016) on the blog where I shared what Father showed me about His relationship with His children.  In the temple, there was the Women’s Courtyard, the Priest’s Courtyard and the Holy Place.  The Holy Place was divided into the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies.  The veil separating the Sanctuary from the Holy of Holies and that’s what tore when Jesus died on the cross (Matt. 27:50-51).  Indicating that access to the Creator of heaven and earth was no longer veiled nor did we have to go through a priest to access Him.

We are a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9-10).  In the Old Testament, only the High Priest could enter into the Holy of Holies (Heb. 9:6-8) and even then, only after a purification process (Lev. 16:1-34).  So, because we are a royal priesthood, through the blood of Jesus, we (you and I, all believers) have access to the Holy of Holies, the very presence of God Almighty, once we have purified ourselves (confessed and repented any outstanding sins in our lives).  We can come boldly before the throne of God (Heb. 4:16) acknowledging that God is worthy of all glory, honor and power for He has created all things for His pleasure (Rev. 4:11) and make our petitions. 

And all of this is a part of Him drawing all of His children closer to Him which is what He wants – a closer walk with us.

Why?  He is preparing His children to bring His Word boldly to the world to draw souls into HIs kingdom and to prepare His church so we can know that we, too will enter His kingdom.  How?  Because we have learned to live for Him and we have learned how to allow the Holy Ghost to operate in our lives so we can truly touch those lives around us.

By the way, in spring 2015 I thought I would ‘get cute’ so I said to Father “You’ve been showing me all these neat things about the seven year season we are in (2015-2022), but what happens after that?”  So He told me!  There is a spiritual explosion coming in this next season and His children need to be ready, willing and able to handle the task.  So, this seven year season is preparation for the next seven years coming up.  An outpouring of the Holy Ghost such as the world has never seen before.  Greater than the outpouring with the apostles and early disciples.  It is the latter rain which matures the fruit.  We are the branches of the Jesus’ vine which bear the fruit (John 15:5).  Christians will mature to a greater level than they ever dreamed – but not all.  Remembering that Jesus could heal only a few sick folk when He returned to Nazareth because of their unbelief (Matt. 13:53-58). 

Jesus tells His disciples that they will do the works He did and greater (John 14:12) and Haggai tells us that the latter house will be greater than the former (Hag. 2:9).  God Gives the rain, former and latter in His season and reserves us for the appointed weeks of harvest (Jer. 5:24).  An evangelical explosion is coming.  Not just for the lost, but for His church, His children who have denied themselves the fullness of what He has to offer.  The obedient will start operating just as the early disciples did – and more so.

Why do we care about a closer walk with our heavenly Father?  Exciting times which lie ahead?

Amen?