Monday, October 6, 2008
Thursday, October 2, 2008
To Fly
I have jumped off a cliff in the hope that I will sprout wings. I have done so with the full knowledge that if I don't sprout wings and fly I will plummet. Why do it then? Because I believe in the goodness of my God, and I have just enough faith in the gift's He's given me to take the risk, the risk that I have heard His heart for me correctly. Risks not taken are a life not lived. And if I do plummet, well, I believe in resurrection power.
"It is better to live one day as a lion, than a thousand as a coward."
Inscription on the memorial for female Czech Resistance fighters of the 2nd World War.
"It is better to live one day as a lion, than a thousand as a coward."
Inscription on the memorial for female Czech Resistance fighters of the 2nd World War.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Honor'$ Reward
I feel inspired to address a growing concern I've had in regards to John Bevere's latest book-release titled 'Honor's Reward'. I want to start by saying that I've read 2 of his books: 'Thus Saith The Lord? and 'Under Cover: The Promise of Protection Under His Authority'. Both are excellent books, I highly recommend them. However, since I saw 'Honor' on the shelf at the Christian bookstore (shortly after it released) I admit I was repulsed. What initially repulsed me was the almost-full-length photo of John in obvious make-up, right on the front cover. My first question into thin air was "why?" (don't blame it on the publishers). My answer was an uneasy feeling in my spirit about scruples. I read the descriptions and saw, in essence, it is similar to his other book: 'Under Cover' (which has a beautiful cover I might add).
So why re-write a similar topic, disecting and expounding on the way people regard authority? I am now quite suspicious of the motive behind the book. Good message, true message, suspicious motive. The potential of the message being misused and abused by church leadership is huge. I will quote something I read this morning from a book by Graham Cooke (italics mine),
"I am amazed at how many leaders put a reign on the prophetic (or whoever) that they do not put, or allow, upon themselves. Leadership without accountability is unbiblical and susceptible to control, manipulation, deception and spiritual domination. Ironically, these are all things to which prophetic people are supposed to be particularly prone (and indeed all too often are!). I wonder sometimes if leaders are not projecting onto the prophetic realm what the Lord is seeing and saying about themselves. Projectionism is not a prophetic disease; it is a human condition (page 267). ..... People do not know personally when they are deceived. The heart is deceptively wicked in that it protects itself from truth. That is why open, candid relationships are vital (page 270)."
Quoted from 'Developing Your Prophetic Gifting' by Graham Cooke (a must read for every church leader if they want to build effective and accountable team ministry in their church).
One of the things that concerns me is the potential out there to misunderstand what honor actually means. The word honor is defined by the word esteem in 'Funk & Wagnall's' Dictionary. The word esteem is from the Latin word aestimare which means to value. Scripture, I'm sure, uses both the noun and verb forms of honor. However, if the general drift I'm getting from how I'm seeing this book and word thrown around I have to ask this; how then shall we interpret Christ's behaviour in His words to the Pharisees in (read it) Luke11:37-54?
I have seen the phrase,"The fear of the Lord must return to the church..." used in association with this book and it's subject. I agree, fear of the Lord will return to the Church, however, I believe this will be so firstly due to God exposing secret sin as in Luke 12:1-3, "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs." Based on scripture I've deduced that the judgement we will fear will start with the House of God and within it will start with the leadership.
I have been in leadership roles and if God is willing I'll be there again. If you are a leader my advice to you is this: If you read 'Honor's Reward' do so without an attitude of entitlement. If honour means esteem and esteem means value and you do not think you've been shown enough appreciation ask yourself if you're only reaping what you've sown (insight from a good friend of mine). Do you value your flock (evident by nurtured relationships)? How have you shown it? Or do you only care as long as they do what you need or want?
I will hazard to say there will be 3 groups of people reading this book. Group 1 will have a personal hunger for more of God in their lives. Group 2 will be leaders with a victim mentality. Group 3 will be leaders who are ticked off that their congregation is not producing enough bricks so they'll whip them with it.
Looks like John's got himself a bestseller.
So why re-write a similar topic, disecting and expounding on the way people regard authority? I am now quite suspicious of the motive behind the book. Good message, true message, suspicious motive. The potential of the message being misused and abused by church leadership is huge. I will quote something I read this morning from a book by Graham Cooke (italics mine),
"I am amazed at how many leaders put a reign on the prophetic (or whoever) that they do not put, or allow, upon themselves. Leadership without accountability is unbiblical and susceptible to control, manipulation, deception and spiritual domination. Ironically, these are all things to which prophetic people are supposed to be particularly prone (and indeed all too often are!). I wonder sometimes if leaders are not projecting onto the prophetic realm what the Lord is seeing and saying about themselves. Projectionism is not a prophetic disease; it is a human condition (page 267). ..... People do not know personally when they are deceived. The heart is deceptively wicked in that it protects itself from truth. That is why open, candid relationships are vital (page 270)."
Quoted from 'Developing Your Prophetic Gifting' by Graham Cooke (a must read for every church leader if they want to build effective and accountable team ministry in their church).
One of the things that concerns me is the potential out there to misunderstand what honor actually means. The word honor is defined by the word esteem in 'Funk & Wagnall's' Dictionary. The word esteem is from the Latin word aestimare which means to value. Scripture, I'm sure, uses both the noun and verb forms of honor. However, if the general drift I'm getting from how I'm seeing this book and word thrown around I have to ask this; how then shall we interpret Christ's behaviour in His words to the Pharisees in (read it) Luke11:37-54?
I have seen the phrase,"The fear of the Lord must return to the church..." used in association with this book and it's subject. I agree, fear of the Lord will return to the Church, however, I believe this will be so firstly due to God exposing secret sin as in Luke 12:1-3, "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs." Based on scripture I've deduced that the judgement we will fear will start with the House of God and within it will start with the leadership.
I have been in leadership roles and if God is willing I'll be there again. If you are a leader my advice to you is this: If you read 'Honor's Reward' do so without an attitude of entitlement. If honour means esteem and esteem means value and you do not think you've been shown enough appreciation ask yourself if you're only reaping what you've sown (insight from a good friend of mine). Do you value your flock (evident by nurtured relationships)? How have you shown it? Or do you only care as long as they do what you need or want?
I will hazard to say there will be 3 groups of people reading this book. Group 1 will have a personal hunger for more of God in their lives. Group 2 will be leaders with a victim mentality. Group 3 will be leaders who are ticked off that their congregation is not producing enough bricks so they'll whip them with it.
Looks like John's got himself a bestseller.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Feed My Sheep
By David Roper for 'Our Daily Bread'
It is love for Christ that will enable us to love His children.
"Do you love me?...
Feed My sheep.
-John 21:17
Read:
John 21:15-17
Just before Jesus left this earth, He instructed Simon Peter to care for the dearest object of His love - His sheep. How could anyone care for them as Jesus cares? Only out of love for Him. There is no other way.
Three times Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love Me?" Peter answered, "Yes Lord; You know that I love you." Each time, Jesus answered, "Feed My sheep."
Was Jesus unaware of Peter's love? Of course not. His threefold question was not for Himself, but for Peter. He asked His questions to underscore the essential truth that only love for Christ would sustain Peter in the work that lay ahead - that arduous, demanding work of caring for people's souls - perhaps the hardest work of all.
Jesus did not ask Peter if he loved His sheep, but if he loved Him. Affection for God's people in itself will not sustain us. His sheep can be unresponsive, unappreciative, and harshly critical of our efforts to love and to serve them. In the end, we will find ourselves defeated and discouraged.
The "love of Christ" - our love for Him - is the only sufficient motivation that will enable us to stay the course, to continue to feed the flock of God. Thus Jesus asks you and me, "Do you love Me? Feed My sheep." - David Roper
More about jesus would I know,
More of His grace to others show,
More of His saving fullness see,
More of His love who died for me. - Hewitt
I would like to add that Love for Jesus, for God, originates with God. If we do not love His sheep, we do not know what loving Him means, we may think and say we do, but our fruit will testify otherwise. All of us need a REVELATION of His love for us personally, before we can love Him, let alone His sheep. In all humility we need to keep asking Him for a deeper revelation of His love for us personally (He will answer!), so we can reflect it back to Him and to our fellow sheep. All true life and lasting fruit flows from a personal and intimate love relationship with God. Out of that foundation we can move in our particular gifts and calling with joy and not get tired of doing good. Out of that foundation comes revelation and vision for that which God is building and how we are to be a part of it. What is God building? His Church; the Bride of Christ.
Magda
It is love for Christ that will enable us to love His children.
"Do you love me?...
Feed My sheep.
-John 21:17
Read:
John 21:15-17
Just before Jesus left this earth, He instructed Simon Peter to care for the dearest object of His love - His sheep. How could anyone care for them as Jesus cares? Only out of love for Him. There is no other way.
Three times Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love Me?" Peter answered, "Yes Lord; You know that I love you." Each time, Jesus answered, "Feed My sheep."
Was Jesus unaware of Peter's love? Of course not. His threefold question was not for Himself, but for Peter. He asked His questions to underscore the essential truth that only love for Christ would sustain Peter in the work that lay ahead - that arduous, demanding work of caring for people's souls - perhaps the hardest work of all.
Jesus did not ask Peter if he loved His sheep, but if he loved Him. Affection for God's people in itself will not sustain us. His sheep can be unresponsive, unappreciative, and harshly critical of our efforts to love and to serve them. In the end, we will find ourselves defeated and discouraged.
The "love of Christ" - our love for Him - is the only sufficient motivation that will enable us to stay the course, to continue to feed the flock of God. Thus Jesus asks you and me, "Do you love Me? Feed My sheep." - David Roper
More about jesus would I know,
More of His grace to others show,
More of His saving fullness see,
More of His love who died for me. - Hewitt
I would like to add that Love for Jesus, for God, originates with God. If we do not love His sheep, we do not know what loving Him means, we may think and say we do, but our fruit will testify otherwise. All of us need a REVELATION of His love for us personally, before we can love Him, let alone His sheep. In all humility we need to keep asking Him for a deeper revelation of His love for us personally (He will answer!), so we can reflect it back to Him and to our fellow sheep. All true life and lasting fruit flows from a personal and intimate love relationship with God. Out of that foundation we can move in our particular gifts and calling with joy and not get tired of doing good. Out of that foundation comes revelation and vision for that which God is building and how we are to be a part of it. What is God building? His Church; the Bride of Christ.
Magda
Friday, August 29, 2008
First Love
Francis Frangipane:
"With the Glance of Your Eyes"
"Who is this that grows like the dawn, as beautiful as the full moon, as pure as the sun, as awesome as an army with banners?" Song of Solomon 6:10
In spite of all the controversy and strife in our world, regardless of the clashing opinions in today's religious wars, the focus of Christ still remains upon His Bride. It is our quest to turn our gaze toward Him.
Most of us sincerely love the Lord and are thankful for all He has done. However, too many are more comfortable celebrating what Jesus has done than accepting who He desires to be to us. We sing of His victories and teach of His mercies, yet rarely do we quiet our hearts and surrender to His presence. We want Him near enough to protect us but not so close that our consciousness is captured by His presence.
As awesome and liberating as it is to know what Jesus has done for us, until we actually surrender ourselves to Him, our religion will never be more than a "history lesson." Religion is not enough. It satisfies neither us nor Christ. Jesus wants to also know us.
You say, "But He does know us!" In His omniscience, He knows everything. But in His love, He seeks to know us as beings living in unbroken union with Him. He has the right to our souls, our secrets, and our dreams. He wants the person we are when no one else is looking. Yet, He will not force Himself. This is not the way of love.
This interpenetration of our lives in Him and His life in us is the only destiny with which Christ is content. At the end of the age, everything short of oneness with Christ will appear as sin.
God is Love
I know the fear of the Lord and that it is the beginning of true knowledge. But, like the apostle John, "I have also come to know and have believed the love which God has for us" (1 John 4:16). God is love. Let us consider that the apostle who fell before Jesus as a dead man on the Isle of Pathos, later wrote, "There is no fear in love" (1 John 4:18).
The Lord knows our fear of God is a strong deterrent from sin and a powerful ally in walking uprightly. Yet, to draw near to Him we must know more than the fear of God; we must believe in "the love which God has for us." God's love is perfect. It "casts out fear, because fear involves punishment." John tells us that "the one who fears is not perfected in love" (verse 18).
When it comes to entering the presence of God, it is to be expected that fear, guilt, or shame should seek to hold us hostage. But as we believe in the love God has for us, in the brightness of His mercy the shadows of our past cannot exist.
The Heart of God
Last week I asked, "If Christ were in the room, would you enter? How would you enter?" We spoke of our sin, fear and shame being barriers. These are due to our perception of ourselves. Yet, when the thought first awakened within you that you could enter His presence, something also awakened in Him. He says,
"You have made my heart beat faster, my sister, my bride; you have made my heart beat faster with a single glance of your eyes" (Song of Solomon 4:9).
Your glance, even if it was no more than the briefest anticipation of being with Him, made His heart beat faster. The King James Version reads, "Thou hast ravished my heart." Jesus is not returning simply to destroy wickedness; He is coming for a Bride. At the end of the age our task is not simply to prepare for the rapture or the tribulation but for Christ!
You see, there is nothing more important to Jesus Christ than His Bride, the Church. He died for her. He lives to make intercession for her. His love proved itself capable and worthy of winning our full redemption. Our most noble task is to surrender to the love that reaches to us.
Longing for Jesus
How shall we respond? I am thinking of Mary Magdalene's love for Jesus. Yes, here in the love Jesus has for Mary, and in her response, we see flashes of Christ's love for the Church.
Mary is at Jesus' empty tomb. The apostles came, looked into the sepulcher, and went away bewildered. But Mary lingered, weeping. It is noteworthy that Jesus did not immediately come to the apostles; He came first to a woman. This tells us Jesus responds to love more than position; He comes first to those who want Him most. The apostles went away wondering, but there was something in Mary's inconsolably broken heart that Jesus Himself was drawn to.
In her sorrow she did not recognize Him. He said, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" (John 20:15). Blinded by her tears, she supposes Jesus is the gardener.
"'Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.' Jesus said to her, 'Mary!' She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, 'Rabboni!' (which means, Teacher). Jesus said to her, 'Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father'" (John 20:15-17).
The instant Mary sees the Lord she clings to Him. And here is the most astounding event: Christ interrupted His ascent to answer this woman's love! Jesus said, "Stop clinging to Me...I have not yet ascended." In His next appearance, Jesus appears to the disciples. He tells them, "Touch Me." For Mary, He broke protocol; whatever He meant in saying, "I have not yet ascended," He stopped His progression to be with her!
I am staggered by this response of Christ to Mary's longing. This is the nature of His love. His passion for His Bride rules His every thought and action! We are the "joy set before Him" (Hebrews 12:2). For us, He endured the anguish of the Cross. In so doing, Jesus demonstrated that His love for the Church is the highest, most powerful law of His Kingdom!
It is His passion for the Church that compels Him to come for us in His second coming. Yet, as He broke protocol for Mary, so He reveals His heart to us. If we will be satisfied with nothing less than Christ, it is Christ we shall possess. He will come to us. Of all the marvels in this universe, the greatest is the love Christ has for His Church. Though He is standing behind our walls, the glance of our eyes makes His heart beat faster!
Oh Lord Jesus, forgive me for using Your gifts for myself, while withholding myself from Your love. Lord, I will love You with a perfect love, for my love is the love with which You first loved me.
Francis Frangipane
Ministries of Francis Frangipane
"With the Glance of Your Eyes"
"Who is this that grows like the dawn, as beautiful as the full moon, as pure as the sun, as awesome as an army with banners?" Song of Solomon 6:10
In spite of all the controversy and strife in our world, regardless of the clashing opinions in today's religious wars, the focus of Christ still remains upon His Bride. It is our quest to turn our gaze toward Him.
Most of us sincerely love the Lord and are thankful for all He has done. However, too many are more comfortable celebrating what Jesus has done than accepting who He desires to be to us. We sing of His victories and teach of His mercies, yet rarely do we quiet our hearts and surrender to His presence. We want Him near enough to protect us but not so close that our consciousness is captured by His presence.
As awesome and liberating as it is to know what Jesus has done for us, until we actually surrender ourselves to Him, our religion will never be more than a "history lesson." Religion is not enough. It satisfies neither us nor Christ. Jesus wants to also know us.
You say, "But He does know us!" In His omniscience, He knows everything. But in His love, He seeks to know us as beings living in unbroken union with Him. He has the right to our souls, our secrets, and our dreams. He wants the person we are when no one else is looking. Yet, He will not force Himself. This is not the way of love.
This interpenetration of our lives in Him and His life in us is the only destiny with which Christ is content. At the end of the age, everything short of oneness with Christ will appear as sin.
God is Love
I know the fear of the Lord and that it is the beginning of true knowledge. But, like the apostle John, "I have also come to know and have believed the love which God has for us" (1 John 4:16). God is love. Let us consider that the apostle who fell before Jesus as a dead man on the Isle of Pathos, later wrote, "There is no fear in love" (1 John 4:18).
The Lord knows our fear of God is a strong deterrent from sin and a powerful ally in walking uprightly. Yet, to draw near to Him we must know more than the fear of God; we must believe in "the love which God has for us." God's love is perfect. It "casts out fear, because fear involves punishment." John tells us that "the one who fears is not perfected in love" (verse 18).
When it comes to entering the presence of God, it is to be expected that fear, guilt, or shame should seek to hold us hostage. But as we believe in the love God has for us, in the brightness of His mercy the shadows of our past cannot exist.
The Heart of God
Last week I asked, "If Christ were in the room, would you enter? How would you enter?" We spoke of our sin, fear and shame being barriers. These are due to our perception of ourselves. Yet, when the thought first awakened within you that you could enter His presence, something also awakened in Him. He says,
"You have made my heart beat faster, my sister, my bride; you have made my heart beat faster with a single glance of your eyes" (Song of Solomon 4:9).
Your glance, even if it was no more than the briefest anticipation of being with Him, made His heart beat faster. The King James Version reads, "Thou hast ravished my heart." Jesus is not returning simply to destroy wickedness; He is coming for a Bride. At the end of the age our task is not simply to prepare for the rapture or the tribulation but for Christ!
You see, there is nothing more important to Jesus Christ than His Bride, the Church. He died for her. He lives to make intercession for her. His love proved itself capable and worthy of winning our full redemption. Our most noble task is to surrender to the love that reaches to us.
Longing for Jesus
How shall we respond? I am thinking of Mary Magdalene's love for Jesus. Yes, here in the love Jesus has for Mary, and in her response, we see flashes of Christ's love for the Church.
Mary is at Jesus' empty tomb. The apostles came, looked into the sepulcher, and went away bewildered. But Mary lingered, weeping. It is noteworthy that Jesus did not immediately come to the apostles; He came first to a woman. This tells us Jesus responds to love more than position; He comes first to those who want Him most. The apostles went away wondering, but there was something in Mary's inconsolably broken heart that Jesus Himself was drawn to.
In her sorrow she did not recognize Him. He said, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" (John 20:15). Blinded by her tears, she supposes Jesus is the gardener.
"'Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.' Jesus said to her, 'Mary!' She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, 'Rabboni!' (which means, Teacher). Jesus said to her, 'Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father'" (John 20:15-17).
The instant Mary sees the Lord she clings to Him. And here is the most astounding event: Christ interrupted His ascent to answer this woman's love! Jesus said, "Stop clinging to Me...I have not yet ascended." In His next appearance, Jesus appears to the disciples. He tells them, "Touch Me." For Mary, He broke protocol; whatever He meant in saying, "I have not yet ascended," He stopped His progression to be with her!
I am staggered by this response of Christ to Mary's longing. This is the nature of His love. His passion for His Bride rules His every thought and action! We are the "joy set before Him" (Hebrews 12:2). For us, He endured the anguish of the Cross. In so doing, Jesus demonstrated that His love for the Church is the highest, most powerful law of His Kingdom!
It is His passion for the Church that compels Him to come for us in His second coming. Yet, as He broke protocol for Mary, so He reveals His heart to us. If we will be satisfied with nothing less than Christ, it is Christ we shall possess. He will come to us. Of all the marvels in this universe, the greatest is the love Christ has for His Church. Though He is standing behind our walls, the glance of our eyes makes His heart beat faster!
Oh Lord Jesus, forgive me for using Your gifts for myself, while withholding myself from Your love. Lord, I will love You with a perfect love, for my love is the love with which You first loved me.
Francis Frangipane
Ministries of Francis Frangipane
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
IMPORTANT MUST READ
A Statement and Appeal Regarding Lakeland
By Dutch Sheets
August 21, 2008
It has now been a couple of weeks since I heard about Todd Bentley’s plans for separation and divorce. Like everyone, I have had a variety of emotions including anger, sadness, and grief. Every time I see this scenario repeated, I grieve: for the husband and wife involved; for the family that will be scarred in so many ways; because of the incredible reproach it brings to Christ; and the distortion it gives concerning God’s heart and ways. I am praying for Todd and his family.
I was asked numerous times to write my position on Lakeland while it was happening, but always felt checked by the Lord—the waters were too muddy and emotions too high. I now feel strongly that the Lord wants me to do so. It will be arguably one of the greatest risks of my ministry to date, but one I feel must be taken. Fathers, when given the voice to do so, bear the responsibility of giving correction and wisdom. I hope mine qualifies for the latter. I assure you I have spent many hours praying and thinking through the situation.
The risks are broad: with some of my dearest friends and co-laborers, I risk harming those relationships; with many in the charismatic body of Christ, I risk appearing to be an arrogant, “self-appointed” spokesperson for them; to the “I told you so” crowd, I risk the accusation of “spinning” the situation. (As far as the heresy hunters and revival police—not those who raised legitimate questions about Lakeland, but the attack dogs who make their living and build their ministries criticizing everyone else—I lost respect for them long ago and couldn’t care less what they think.) My purpose and sincere prayer in writing this statement, however, is three-fold: to see healing begin for the body of Christ; to initiate a process that can remove the reproach brought to Christ and the Church; and to do these things while preserving and honoring my current relationships. I pray that these desires, along with my heart, come through loudly. And I hope I’m writing this with true humility—who among us clearly sees all hidden in our own hearts?
Let me also preface this statement by saying that what needs to be said cannot be done quickly or carelessly. I do not want my heart to be missed and am not willing to run that risk for the sake of brevity, so please bear with the length. (Incidentally, I think it will be obvious no one involved in the Lakeland situation has asked me to write this; and for the sake of integrity on my part, none have been consulted concerning what I’m stating.)
Mistakes at Lakeland
Did leaders handling the Lakeland situation make mistakes? Yes—huge mistakes. Beyond the obvious fruit of salvations and healings, can good come from Lakeland, as some have suggested, even with the recent revelations concerning Todd Bentley? Yes, but only if there is complete honesty and transparency, the removal of all attempts at self-preservation, and absolutehumility from all sides.
Did I endorse the Lakeland meetings? No, I did not, nor did I condemn them. I acknowledged that healings were occurring and some were being saved, which I still believe and rejoice over. I realized and stated that the thousands of people attending were hungry and sincere, as were those involved in leading the meetings. The worship was regularly good. But looking past some of the immediate and positive results, I, like many, also looked ahead to the possible fruit from questionable doctrine and experiences, exaggeration and hype, youthful pride, character issues and the frightening potential of a 32 year “young” man leading a movement that could shape the future of the Church. These things were frightening, very frightening, to others and me.
When something has the potential of setting precedent, birthing a movement and being reproduced as a prototype, we are no longer simply endorsing good brothers, good intentions and miracles. Doctrine and foundations will be built on these events. Teachings and paradigms for future ministries will be formed—in short, the next generation of the church and the move of God in the earth could be greatly impacted. This is why I stopped short of endorsing everything at Lakeland. Just as importantly, I could not ignore the “check”, the uneasiness, the sickening feeling deep in my spirit telling me something else was wrong—terribly wrong—in this situation. Like other leaders I tried to push past my uneasiness with the showmanship, the “bams,” the head butts and kneeing, along with certain experiences and doctrines, all in order to embrace the good. Like many of my friends I tried to be—and believe I was gracious, accepting, ready to think “out of the box”, etc. But try as I may, the uneasiness in my spirit just wouldn’t leave.
Did I voice my concerns to the appropriate people? Yes, including stating my concerns for Todd’s marriage to the Lakeland Outpouring Apostolic Team. Did they listen? Some did, some didn’t. But I want to state emphatically, this is not an “I told you so” statement. In fact, much of what I want to address goes back several years into our charismatic Christian history. And I assure you that concerning our present weaknesses in the charismatic church, there is plenty of blame to go around. Personally, I’ve been right at times with my discernment and decisions, wrong at others. It would be worse than hypocritical for me to point the finger of accusation—I have no stones of judgment to throw. Nonetheless, mistakes were made and must be acknowledged and learned from in order for us to heal, grow and move forward.
Some of my closest friends endorsed and participated in the Lakeland meetings. For them I have both criticism—all of us lose credibility at this point if we’re not completely honest—and affirmation. Should they have been more discerning and have listened to the warnings they received? Obviously. Should those who “aligned” Todd with spiritual fathers (which was a good thing and positioned him to receive help if he chooses to accept it) have realized to do so publicly was a mistake and could be interpreted by those watching in no other way than as a complete endorsement? Yes, they should have, especially when the event became a commissioning ceremony, complete with decrees and prophecies of going to higher levels, predictions of Todd’s increasing world-wide influence and leading a world-wide revival, emphatic and prolific endorsements of his character, etc.
How could those watching believe the evening was anything but an aligning, endorsing and commissioning ceremony? It was. It really doesn’t matter who laid their hands on Todd—all share responsibility. This was unwise at best, naïve at least and at its worst, foolish. And should the leaders involved have realized that those of us connected to them relationally, ministerially, and as movements—some even in alignment with them apostolically and as sons and daughters—would feel minimalized, if not betrayed, by the fact that they were in essence taking us onto the stage with them? Yes. These feelings were inevitable, especially when we had such uneasiness and asked them not to. Should there be an acknowledgment of these mistakes to the body of Christ for the sake of accountability and in order to rebuild trust? I believe so, and remain hopeful this will happen.
With such strong statements of disagreement, what is the affirmation toward my friends who led, participated in or endorsed this ceremony (and the meetings in general)? Simply stated, I know their hearts. It is not a contradiction of my criticisms toward some of their actions to, at the same time, defend and endorse their hearts and character. It is completely appropriate—when true—to defend a person’s heart and integrity while disagreeing with their actions. I think the blunder of that night was huge and very damaging to the body of Christ, but I also realize that in their hearts, those involved honestly felt they were doing the right things.
Again, while not defending the action taken, I would defend the character and integrity of Peter and Doris Wagner as vigorously as anyone I know, and do so with absolute confidence. There are no two people, and I mean that literally, who embody the qualities of humility, integrity, holiness (no compromise!), sacrifice, unselfish kingdom-thinking, the tireless giving of themselves to Christ’s cause and the body of Christ—and do I need to add risk-taking?—as much as Peter and Doris Wagner. It remains my great honor to be associated with them and call them a spiritual father and mother. And again, while not minimizing or “sweeping under the rug” any wrong decisions, I remain steadfast in my belief that similar affirmations could be made of others involved—either directly or indirectly—in the ceremony. And some of them still see their endorsing of Lakeland as an endorsement of revival generally, not of Todd personally.
The Bigger Picture
It may come as a surprise, however, that my real purpose in writing this is not to only state the above, as important as I believe saying it is. My primary purpose, and I believe my assignment from the Lord, is to identificationally repent on behalf of the leadership of the charismatic body of Christ (see Nehemiah 1:4- 7; Daniel 9:1-19). In doing so, I do not have a pompous, “no one else will, so I’ll do it” attitude, nor am I arrogant enough to think I have become the spokesperson for the charismatic church. But in the same way that I can identify with the racism of white predecessors and repent to blacks, Native Americans and other races, I can represent the leadership of the charismatic body of Christ and identificationally repent for our sins and weaknesses. I encourage leaders who find my statements true and appropriate to join me. Beyond the simple fact of it being appropriate, I firmly believe it is the only way to begin the process of rebuilding trust with those asked to follow us and to remove the cynicism of the world we ask to listen to us. As you know, regaining, credibility is much more difficult than attaining credibility.
Concerning what I’m about to say, I don’t believe I have a critical spirit, nor do I want to diminish the sacrifices, faithfulness, and hard work done by so many in ministry. The fact remains, however, that we have failed the Lord and His people in many ways—not just with Lakeland but in countless other situations— and must repent if we are to be trusted in the future. And as you also know, no repentance is effective if watered down and couched in excuses, therefore, I intend to be brutally honest:
1) We, the leaders of the charismatic community, have operated in an extremely low level of discernment. Frankly, we often don’t even try to discern. We assume a person’s credibility based on gifts, charisma, the size of their ministry or church, whether they can prophesy or work a miracle, etc. (Miracles and signs are intended to validate God and His message, not the messenger; sometimes they validate the assignment of an individual, but never the person’s character, lifestyle or spiritual maturity.) We leaders in the Church have become no different than the world around us in our standards for measuring success and greatness. This has contributed to the body of Christ giving millions of dollars to undeserving individuals; it has allowed people living in sin to become influential leaders—even to lead movement, allowing them influence all the way to the White House. Through our lack of discernment we built their stages and gave them their platforms. We have been gullible beyond words—gullible leaders producing gullible sheep.
When a spiritual leader we’re connected with violates trust, is exposed for immorality or falls below other accepted standards of behavior, it does not exonerate us simply to say we don’t condone such behavior. Those we lead trust us to let them know whom totrust. We have failed them miserably in this regard.
For this lack of discernment, and for employing and passing on inappropriate standards of judgment, I repent to the Lord and ask forgiveness of the body of Christ.
2) We, the leaders of the charismatic church, spin our involvement and fail to acknowledge our responsibility when other leaders fall—all of which stems from our self-preservation and pride. Enough of the spin—we’re no different than Washington, DC. Every time another embarrassing and disgraceful situation is exposed, the dancing begins. It seems that no one bears any real responsibility except the man or woman who actually commits sin. Incredibly, we even blame “revival” itself—the pressures, attacks, weariness, the “revival is messy” argument, etc., saying it is responsible for the failures. This is disgusting. Those of us on boards of fallen leaders, those who helped give them a voice, put them on TV, published and endorsed their books (yes, I have), etc., are not exonerated simply by saying we don’t condone the wrong behavior or that we didn’t know. We’re supposed to know.
I don’t believe anyone is expecting perfection from us—I know I’m not. We’re far too human for that. But we are expected to have enough humility to look the world and those who follow us in the eye when we miss it and say, “we were wrong and we are sorry.”
Our careless accountability has caused the body of Christ to be spiritually raped and abused. It has produced disillusionment and brought immeasurable reproach to our God and cynicism to His message. Concerning Lakeland, what was called the “greatest revival since Azusa Street” has become possibly one of the greatest reproaches. We, the leaders of the charismatic church, are responsible.
For not accepting and acknowledging our responsibility, for caring more about our own reputation than Christ’s, I repent to God and ask forgiveness of the body of Christ.
3) Our procedures and standards of accountability are incredibly inadequate. We have provided camaraderie, not biblical accountability. For those on Todd Bentley’s board who had previous knowledge of his marriage problems and said nothing, it was more than a mistake—it was reckless, foolish, and irresponsible. For those on the stage the night of his aligning and commissioning who knew and said nothing—ditto. For those there who didn’t know, my question is, “why didn’t you?” You were trusted to know. That is one of the purposes of public commissioning and the purpose behind the concept of endorsement. I’m not trying to point the finger; I’m endeavoring to get us to be honest about our failures—we have serious credibility issues. Have I ever laid hands on, commissioned or endorsed anyone without adequately checking them out? Yes, but you better believe I’ll be more careful next time! And we must not single out Lakeland. We’re all guilty.
What about the leader in my city who ran with some of the leading spiritual fathers in our nation—sincere and good men, I might add, and not all “charismatic” leaders—who sang his praises and helped build his stage—all while he was doing drugs and having sex with other men? But we shouldn’t blame only the high profile cases—what about those of us who unknowingly have had adulterers on our staffs or appointed elders that turned out to have compromise in their life?Sounding familiar yet?
This is so epidemic that every member of the body of Christ stands guilty—what pastor or leader did you follow that turned out to have sin issues? What ministry did you support that was unworthy? There is plenty of blame to go around. The big question becomes not “who do we blame” but “how do we fix this mess?”
Leaders can live in sin—adultery, homosexuality, financial wrongdoing, drugs, etc.—for years without it being realized. They can offer completely unacceptable lifestyles for the body of Christ to follow and still keep their TV programs and lavish lifestyles. In the name of grace, compassion and forgiveness we have lowered the standard so much that often there isn’t one. We have bought into the lie that true discipline is “shooting our wounded.” We have made a mockery of biblical restoration, making “ministry”—not healthy individuals, marriages and families—its ultimate goal. The fact is, integrity matters. No, we don’t need legalistic, pharisaical standards,but we must have standards.
For this lack of biblical accountability, I repent to God and I askforgiveness of the body of Christ.
4) We, the leaders of the charismatic church, have built on hype, sensation, innovation, programs, personality and charisma. This has produced: shallowness; false movements; novice leaders—gifted but immature and untested; a deficient understanding of God’s word; the building of man-centered rather than kingdom-centered churches and ministries; competition rather than cooperation; humanistic, selfcentered Christians who don’t understand sacrifice and commitment; Christians without discernment; superstar leaders; a perverted and powerless gospel; prayerless and anemic Christians; a replacement of the fear of the Lord with the fear of man; and a young generation that is cynical of it all. We are responsible, not the devil; he takes what we give him.
For this compromise in the way we build, for giving the Church watered down wine, commercial Christianity, a flashy but weak Church and hype disguised as anointing, I repent to God and ask forgiveness of the body of Christ.
Galatians 6:1-5 is an appropriate reference with which to end this statement:
“Brethren, even if a man caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. For each oneshall bear his own load.” NAS
My passionate prayer is that God honors this repentance—I believe He led me to do it and therefore, will—and uses it to begin a process of cleansing and healing for all of us. In order for the coming great awakening to bear maximum fruit we must have both, as well as a course correction that sets us on a path of wisdom leading to life. There is no doubt that past moves of God have been aborted, ended prematurely and contained error or heresy that have wounded, if not destroyed, many. The healing revival of the 40’s and 50’s, the charismatic movement, discipleship movement and Jesus movement are all examples. My heart is to help shape a movement, the fruit of which will last for decades—better yet, forever. And I have great expectations for us—I am not a cynic.
My passionate prayer is also that Todd Bentley’s marriage survives and thrives…that he turns his heart fully toward Christ and toward those with whom he is aligned, and allows them, as God leads, to put him on a path of complete restoration. I thank God for those who were touched by the Holy Spirit at Lakeland and while watching it on God TV and the web. May we all move forward into all God has planned for us in this awesome season of endless possibility.
With great hope—
Dutch Sheets
By Dutch Sheets
August 21, 2008
It has now been a couple of weeks since I heard about Todd Bentley’s plans for separation and divorce. Like everyone, I have had a variety of emotions including anger, sadness, and grief. Every time I see this scenario repeated, I grieve: for the husband and wife involved; for the family that will be scarred in so many ways; because of the incredible reproach it brings to Christ; and the distortion it gives concerning God’s heart and ways. I am praying for Todd and his family.
I was asked numerous times to write my position on Lakeland while it was happening, but always felt checked by the Lord—the waters were too muddy and emotions too high. I now feel strongly that the Lord wants me to do so. It will be arguably one of the greatest risks of my ministry to date, but one I feel must be taken. Fathers, when given the voice to do so, bear the responsibility of giving correction and wisdom. I hope mine qualifies for the latter. I assure you I have spent many hours praying and thinking through the situation.
The risks are broad: with some of my dearest friends and co-laborers, I risk harming those relationships; with many in the charismatic body of Christ, I risk appearing to be an arrogant, “self-appointed” spokesperson for them; to the “I told you so” crowd, I risk the accusation of “spinning” the situation. (As far as the heresy hunters and revival police—not those who raised legitimate questions about Lakeland, but the attack dogs who make their living and build their ministries criticizing everyone else—I lost respect for them long ago and couldn’t care less what they think.) My purpose and sincere prayer in writing this statement, however, is three-fold: to see healing begin for the body of Christ; to initiate a process that can remove the reproach brought to Christ and the Church; and to do these things while preserving and honoring my current relationships. I pray that these desires, along with my heart, come through loudly. And I hope I’m writing this with true humility—who among us clearly sees all hidden in our own hearts?
Let me also preface this statement by saying that what needs to be said cannot be done quickly or carelessly. I do not want my heart to be missed and am not willing to run that risk for the sake of brevity, so please bear with the length. (Incidentally, I think it will be obvious no one involved in the Lakeland situation has asked me to write this; and for the sake of integrity on my part, none have been consulted concerning what I’m stating.)
Mistakes at Lakeland
Did leaders handling the Lakeland situation make mistakes? Yes—huge mistakes. Beyond the obvious fruit of salvations and healings, can good come from Lakeland, as some have suggested, even with the recent revelations concerning Todd Bentley? Yes, but only if there is complete honesty and transparency, the removal of all attempts at self-preservation, and absolutehumility from all sides.
Did I endorse the Lakeland meetings? No, I did not, nor did I condemn them. I acknowledged that healings were occurring and some were being saved, which I still believe and rejoice over. I realized and stated that the thousands of people attending were hungry and sincere, as were those involved in leading the meetings. The worship was regularly good. But looking past some of the immediate and positive results, I, like many, also looked ahead to the possible fruit from questionable doctrine and experiences, exaggeration and hype, youthful pride, character issues and the frightening potential of a 32 year “young” man leading a movement that could shape the future of the Church. These things were frightening, very frightening, to others and me.
When something has the potential of setting precedent, birthing a movement and being reproduced as a prototype, we are no longer simply endorsing good brothers, good intentions and miracles. Doctrine and foundations will be built on these events. Teachings and paradigms for future ministries will be formed—in short, the next generation of the church and the move of God in the earth could be greatly impacted. This is why I stopped short of endorsing everything at Lakeland. Just as importantly, I could not ignore the “check”, the uneasiness, the sickening feeling deep in my spirit telling me something else was wrong—terribly wrong—in this situation. Like other leaders I tried to push past my uneasiness with the showmanship, the “bams,” the head butts and kneeing, along with certain experiences and doctrines, all in order to embrace the good. Like many of my friends I tried to be—and believe I was gracious, accepting, ready to think “out of the box”, etc. But try as I may, the uneasiness in my spirit just wouldn’t leave.
Did I voice my concerns to the appropriate people? Yes, including stating my concerns for Todd’s marriage to the Lakeland Outpouring Apostolic Team. Did they listen? Some did, some didn’t. But I want to state emphatically, this is not an “I told you so” statement. In fact, much of what I want to address goes back several years into our charismatic Christian history. And I assure you that concerning our present weaknesses in the charismatic church, there is plenty of blame to go around. Personally, I’ve been right at times with my discernment and decisions, wrong at others. It would be worse than hypocritical for me to point the finger of accusation—I have no stones of judgment to throw. Nonetheless, mistakes were made and must be acknowledged and learned from in order for us to heal, grow and move forward.
Some of my closest friends endorsed and participated in the Lakeland meetings. For them I have both criticism—all of us lose credibility at this point if we’re not completely honest—and affirmation. Should they have been more discerning and have listened to the warnings they received? Obviously. Should those who “aligned” Todd with spiritual fathers (which was a good thing and positioned him to receive help if he chooses to accept it) have realized to do so publicly was a mistake and could be interpreted by those watching in no other way than as a complete endorsement? Yes, they should have, especially when the event became a commissioning ceremony, complete with decrees and prophecies of going to higher levels, predictions of Todd’s increasing world-wide influence and leading a world-wide revival, emphatic and prolific endorsements of his character, etc.
How could those watching believe the evening was anything but an aligning, endorsing and commissioning ceremony? It was. It really doesn’t matter who laid their hands on Todd—all share responsibility. This was unwise at best, naïve at least and at its worst, foolish. And should the leaders involved have realized that those of us connected to them relationally, ministerially, and as movements—some even in alignment with them apostolically and as sons and daughters—would feel minimalized, if not betrayed, by the fact that they were in essence taking us onto the stage with them? Yes. These feelings were inevitable, especially when we had such uneasiness and asked them not to. Should there be an acknowledgment of these mistakes to the body of Christ for the sake of accountability and in order to rebuild trust? I believe so, and remain hopeful this will happen.
With such strong statements of disagreement, what is the affirmation toward my friends who led, participated in or endorsed this ceremony (and the meetings in general)? Simply stated, I know their hearts. It is not a contradiction of my criticisms toward some of their actions to, at the same time, defend and endorse their hearts and character. It is completely appropriate—when true—to defend a person’s heart and integrity while disagreeing with their actions. I think the blunder of that night was huge and very damaging to the body of Christ, but I also realize that in their hearts, those involved honestly felt they were doing the right things.
Again, while not defending the action taken, I would defend the character and integrity of Peter and Doris Wagner as vigorously as anyone I know, and do so with absolute confidence. There are no two people, and I mean that literally, who embody the qualities of humility, integrity, holiness (no compromise!), sacrifice, unselfish kingdom-thinking, the tireless giving of themselves to Christ’s cause and the body of Christ—and do I need to add risk-taking?—as much as Peter and Doris Wagner. It remains my great honor to be associated with them and call them a spiritual father and mother. And again, while not minimizing or “sweeping under the rug” any wrong decisions, I remain steadfast in my belief that similar affirmations could be made of others involved—either directly or indirectly—in the ceremony. And some of them still see their endorsing of Lakeland as an endorsement of revival generally, not of Todd personally.
The Bigger Picture
It may come as a surprise, however, that my real purpose in writing this is not to only state the above, as important as I believe saying it is. My primary purpose, and I believe my assignment from the Lord, is to identificationally repent on behalf of the leadership of the charismatic body of Christ (see Nehemiah 1:4- 7; Daniel 9:1-19). In doing so, I do not have a pompous, “no one else will, so I’ll do it” attitude, nor am I arrogant enough to think I have become the spokesperson for the charismatic church. But in the same way that I can identify with the racism of white predecessors and repent to blacks, Native Americans and other races, I can represent the leadership of the charismatic body of Christ and identificationally repent for our sins and weaknesses. I encourage leaders who find my statements true and appropriate to join me. Beyond the simple fact of it being appropriate, I firmly believe it is the only way to begin the process of rebuilding trust with those asked to follow us and to remove the cynicism of the world we ask to listen to us. As you know, regaining, credibility is much more difficult than attaining credibility.
Concerning what I’m about to say, I don’t believe I have a critical spirit, nor do I want to diminish the sacrifices, faithfulness, and hard work done by so many in ministry. The fact remains, however, that we have failed the Lord and His people in many ways—not just with Lakeland but in countless other situations— and must repent if we are to be trusted in the future. And as you also know, no repentance is effective if watered down and couched in excuses, therefore, I intend to be brutally honest:
1) We, the leaders of the charismatic community, have operated in an extremely low level of discernment. Frankly, we often don’t even try to discern. We assume a person’s credibility based on gifts, charisma, the size of their ministry or church, whether they can prophesy or work a miracle, etc. (Miracles and signs are intended to validate God and His message, not the messenger; sometimes they validate the assignment of an individual, but never the person’s character, lifestyle or spiritual maturity.) We leaders in the Church have become no different than the world around us in our standards for measuring success and greatness. This has contributed to the body of Christ giving millions of dollars to undeserving individuals; it has allowed people living in sin to become influential leaders—even to lead movement, allowing them influence all the way to the White House. Through our lack of discernment we built their stages and gave them their platforms. We have been gullible beyond words—gullible leaders producing gullible sheep.
When a spiritual leader we’re connected with violates trust, is exposed for immorality or falls below other accepted standards of behavior, it does not exonerate us simply to say we don’t condone such behavior. Those we lead trust us to let them know whom totrust. We have failed them miserably in this regard.
For this lack of discernment, and for employing and passing on inappropriate standards of judgment, I repent to the Lord and ask forgiveness of the body of Christ.
2) We, the leaders of the charismatic church, spin our involvement and fail to acknowledge our responsibility when other leaders fall—all of which stems from our self-preservation and pride. Enough of the spin—we’re no different than Washington, DC. Every time another embarrassing and disgraceful situation is exposed, the dancing begins. It seems that no one bears any real responsibility except the man or woman who actually commits sin. Incredibly, we even blame “revival” itself—the pressures, attacks, weariness, the “revival is messy” argument, etc., saying it is responsible for the failures. This is disgusting. Those of us on boards of fallen leaders, those who helped give them a voice, put them on TV, published and endorsed their books (yes, I have), etc., are not exonerated simply by saying we don’t condone the wrong behavior or that we didn’t know. We’re supposed to know.
I don’t believe anyone is expecting perfection from us—I know I’m not. We’re far too human for that. But we are expected to have enough humility to look the world and those who follow us in the eye when we miss it and say, “we were wrong and we are sorry.”
Our careless accountability has caused the body of Christ to be spiritually raped and abused. It has produced disillusionment and brought immeasurable reproach to our God and cynicism to His message. Concerning Lakeland, what was called the “greatest revival since Azusa Street” has become possibly one of the greatest reproaches. We, the leaders of the charismatic church, are responsible.
For not accepting and acknowledging our responsibility, for caring more about our own reputation than Christ’s, I repent to God and ask forgiveness of the body of Christ.
3) Our procedures and standards of accountability are incredibly inadequate. We have provided camaraderie, not biblical accountability. For those on Todd Bentley’s board who had previous knowledge of his marriage problems and said nothing, it was more than a mistake—it was reckless, foolish, and irresponsible. For those on the stage the night of his aligning and commissioning who knew and said nothing—ditto. For those there who didn’t know, my question is, “why didn’t you?” You were trusted to know. That is one of the purposes of public commissioning and the purpose behind the concept of endorsement. I’m not trying to point the finger; I’m endeavoring to get us to be honest about our failures—we have serious credibility issues. Have I ever laid hands on, commissioned or endorsed anyone without adequately checking them out? Yes, but you better believe I’ll be more careful next time! And we must not single out Lakeland. We’re all guilty.
What about the leader in my city who ran with some of the leading spiritual fathers in our nation—sincere and good men, I might add, and not all “charismatic” leaders—who sang his praises and helped build his stage—all while he was doing drugs and having sex with other men? But we shouldn’t blame only the high profile cases—what about those of us who unknowingly have had adulterers on our staffs or appointed elders that turned out to have compromise in their life?Sounding familiar yet?
This is so epidemic that every member of the body of Christ stands guilty—what pastor or leader did you follow that turned out to have sin issues? What ministry did you support that was unworthy? There is plenty of blame to go around. The big question becomes not “who do we blame” but “how do we fix this mess?”
Leaders can live in sin—adultery, homosexuality, financial wrongdoing, drugs, etc.—for years without it being realized. They can offer completely unacceptable lifestyles for the body of Christ to follow and still keep their TV programs and lavish lifestyles. In the name of grace, compassion and forgiveness we have lowered the standard so much that often there isn’t one. We have bought into the lie that true discipline is “shooting our wounded.” We have made a mockery of biblical restoration, making “ministry”—not healthy individuals, marriages and families—its ultimate goal. The fact is, integrity matters. No, we don’t need legalistic, pharisaical standards,but we must have standards.
For this lack of biblical accountability, I repent to God and I askforgiveness of the body of Christ.
4) We, the leaders of the charismatic church, have built on hype, sensation, innovation, programs, personality and charisma. This has produced: shallowness; false movements; novice leaders—gifted but immature and untested; a deficient understanding of God’s word; the building of man-centered rather than kingdom-centered churches and ministries; competition rather than cooperation; humanistic, selfcentered Christians who don’t understand sacrifice and commitment; Christians without discernment; superstar leaders; a perverted and powerless gospel; prayerless and anemic Christians; a replacement of the fear of the Lord with the fear of man; and a young generation that is cynical of it all. We are responsible, not the devil; he takes what we give him.
For this compromise in the way we build, for giving the Church watered down wine, commercial Christianity, a flashy but weak Church and hype disguised as anointing, I repent to God and ask forgiveness of the body of Christ.
Galatians 6:1-5 is an appropriate reference with which to end this statement:
“Brethren, even if a man caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. For each oneshall bear his own load.” NAS
My passionate prayer is that God honors this repentance—I believe He led me to do it and therefore, will—and uses it to begin a process of cleansing and healing for all of us. In order for the coming great awakening to bear maximum fruit we must have both, as well as a course correction that sets us on a path of wisdom leading to life. There is no doubt that past moves of God have been aborted, ended prematurely and contained error or heresy that have wounded, if not destroyed, many. The healing revival of the 40’s and 50’s, the charismatic movement, discipleship movement and Jesus movement are all examples. My heart is to help shape a movement, the fruit of which will last for decades—better yet, forever. And I have great expectations for us—I am not a cynic.
My passionate prayer is also that Todd Bentley’s marriage survives and thrives…that he turns his heart fully toward Christ and toward those with whom he is aligned, and allows them, as God leads, to put him on a path of complete restoration. I thank God for those who were touched by the Holy Spirit at Lakeland and while watching it on God TV and the web. May we all move forward into all God has planned for us in this awesome season of endless possibility.
With great hope—
Dutch Sheets
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Integrity "A Hole In The Wall"
By Marc Dupont November 2004
An Appointed Time
In March of this year, after ministering in Melbourne, Australia, I took a day off to visit some friends in Sydney. On the ride to Manly Beach from the airport the Holy Spirit began to speak a word to me concerning integrity for those in church leadership around the globe. Some eight months later I am sensing it is time to release the word. One of the lessons I have learned the hard way over the years is to not give a word prematurely. Often the Lord will give a word well before the appointed time of release. This may be because intercessory prayer is necessary as part of the preparation or it may be that it will take the hearer of the word a bit of time to get the whole word. On occasion, it is because the Lord wants the messenger of that word to grow into the reality of the word before it’s released to others. For whatever reason, I have not sensed the timing of the Lord to release this until now.
Usually when we think of an appointed time we think of a long awaited break through of blessings. An example would be the Lord telling Abraham that at the “appointed time” He would return and the long awaited child of promise would be born to Sarah. Psalm 102:13 tells us that, at God’s appointed time, He arises and has compassion on His people. Habakkuk, the prophet, encourages us to hang on to the visions God gives us because they will come to pass at the appointed time! Obviously God is good to His people all the time but there are certain appointed times of significant breakthrough. Certainly Jesus, the Messiah, came at an appointed time.
The basic understanding of an appointed time is very simple. It is a time that God has fixed, or determined to release, or impart, something at a very particular date or season, according to His sovereignty. Whether we are prepared or not, if we are the intended recipients of that impartation we either experience it, or as with Jerusalem, we can miss the time of visitation or blessing. However, not only are there appointed times of blessings but, on occasion, those appointed times are seasons of judgment. Psalm 75, verse 2, reads: “When I select an appointed time, it is I who judge with equity.”
Often when the body of Christ considers judgment and repentance we make two crucial errors. First, we think that His judgment is only reserved for the lost, or those outside of the church. 1 Peter tells us, however, that judgment does not start first with the lost, or nonbelievers. Rather, it starts first with the church (1 Peter 4:17). Second, we often misunderstand God’s intentions when He does release judgment on His sons and daughters. The Father’s heart for us is always one of restoration rather than destruction. Sometimes He wants to break us down so that He can build us up! We fall into this second misperception because we really don’t understand that God’s heart is so very much for us. When God revealed a bit of His glory to Moses in Exodus 34, He stated that He was “slow to anger”. Hebrews 12:11 reads: “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness”.
God is patient and longsuffering. There comes a time, however, when not out of anger but out of deep love and concern for us, He will release judgment for the sake of correction and healing. Usually, at that point, we (the sinners) are standing at a dangerous precipice. We can think of an extreme case of sin in the life of a Christian such as the man in the church in Corinth who was actually having sex with his own stepmother. Paul stated that he “decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh”. It is critical that we realize Paul’s motivation. He continued on in 1 Cor. 5:5, “...so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus”. In such cases, God’s purpose is not eternal damnation but rather to bring our hearts to repentance to come back to a place of wholeness in Christ. There is a certain sin Jesus spoke of that is unto eternal judgment - speaking evil of the Holy Spirit – but, generally speaking, this is a sin only a non-Christian would commit.
The Responsibility of Gatekeepers
Additionally, God will release judgment not only for the sake of the saint who has given himself over to a sin but also for the sake of the church. Jesus told us that to whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48). This is especially true for leaders in the body of Christ because in the place of their authority they become a filter, or grid, by which blessings and/or curses are released to the church. Because of their authority, they are, in effect, gatekeepers to the church. When they are practicing hidden sin, an open door for sin and/or the demonic is opened up. A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough!
When leadership is right with God - living in love, grace and humility - they are an open door for the body of Christ to experience more and more of the fullness of Christ. As leaders, we can be either vessels of purity by which pure water can flow out or vessels with mud and debris within them, which in turn release polluted water. No matter how pure the incoming water, if the vessel is polluted, mixed water flows out. The messenger is the message; the teacher is the teaching; and the prophet is the prophecy. It’s not so much the mere words we speak to the church. It is who we are that impacts people the most.
The Lord spoke that He is going to begin to release judgment and exposure to leaders in the body of Christ who are practicing sin. This release of judgment unto restoration will be on a broad level. This is not to say God is requiring leaders to be perfect because only Jesus is perfect. The apostle Paul differentiated between those who occasionally commit sin and those who practice sin (Romans 2:1, Galatians 5:21 & Ephesians 4:19). When someone practices something, they do it over and over again to the point of getting good at it. Because of their position and ministry, leaders in the church who live in sin, keep their sin hidden out of necessity.
God did not say He was demanding sinless perfection from His leaders, rather men and women who are true examples of humility (dependence on God), grace, mercy and love. They are free to abound in receiving God’s love because they are free to be transparent due to the lack of hidden sin and the ensuing lack of hidden shame.
When David rhetorically asked, “Who will ascend the hill of the Lord,” he answered, “Those with pure hearts and clean hands.” Purity and cleanliness are prerequisites for deep intimacy with God. The apostle Paul stated that many suffered needlessly because of hidden sin. He said that many are sick and have fallen asleep (died prematurely) because of hidden sin and not judging themselves correctly (1 Cor. 11:30).
Due to a lack of truly seeking the face of God and experiencing much of His glory in the contemporary Western World church, there has been a corresponding lack of a fear of God. Paul wrote to the church of Philippi to work out their salvation in “fear and trembling” because it is the living God within them who wants to work out His will and good pleasure. This lack of intimacy with the person of God has resulted in a low regard for holiness, which combined with the lack of intimacy, creates an impotency in regards to the power of God being manifested through the church!
God wants to pour out His Spirit in an ever-increasing way. However, just as the devil found it was very dangerous to stand in the midst of the mountain of the Lord with sin in his heart, so it is true for the saints today, especially leadership. If it is true that judgment starts first with the household of God, then it is more than likely that judgment starts first with leaders. After all, the hardest words Jesus spoke to the people of Israel were for the leaders, not the prostitutes or thieves. Among the seven woes Jesus spoke of to the religious leaders of His day was the admonishment that they were like cups cleansed on the outside but filthy on the inside. This is a picture of leaders in the church who look the part of a good leader but their hearts and secret lifestyles are unclean.
A Hole in the Wall!
Ezekiel, chapter 8, relates several powerful visions the prophet experienced. One of the most poignant is of God directing Ezekiel to dig through the wall of the temple only to find the elders in deep, hidden sin. Verse 10 reads: “So I entered and looked, and behold, every form of creeping things and beasts and detestable things, with all the idols of the house of Israel, were carved on the wall all around.” It goes on to say that in front were the elders who were burning incense unto the Lord in the midst of their sin. The passage is compelling in that it relates God’s intense disgust and hatred of the hypocrisy and impurity. If that was how strongly God felt about sin in the temple prior to men and women having the Holy Spirit live within themselves, how much more should there be a priority of personal holiness today!
There are going to be some who read this and react with a concern that I am promoting a return to legalism or a performance-oriented relationship with God. It is quite the contrary. I believe God is calling us to embrace holiness and to hate sin out of a relationship of grace, mercy and intimacy with Him that only the cross could achieve. One of the classic definitions of Biblical grace is that grace does not give us the freedom to do what we want and get away with it. Rather, true grace gives us the freedom to be the person God wants us to be. The cross has given us access to God but it is up to us to choose to walk in the freedom of the cross and the Holy Spirit! We are not trying to earn anything from God here, but out of love wanting to be imitators of our Lord Jesus. At the very least we need a revelation today that the Holy Spirit is the “Holy” Spirit of God!
I do not know how long this appointed season of cleansing and pruning will be. I do sense it will go more towards the deep part of the pool rather than the shallow end. Already, just in the eight months since the Lord began to give this word, three major leaders of international ministries I know personally, who live in three different continents, have had sexual sin exposed in their lives greatly to the surprise of those close to them. I am not saying this season is unto the immediate return or the Lord, although only the Father knows the time of Christ’s return. Rather, I believe this is a John 15 time of pruning because God wants to bring about greater fruitfulness for the Kingdom of God and greater purity in the Bride of Christ.
Davids & Sauls
After Psalm 75 speaks of an appointed time for judgment (verse 2), it goes on to speak of the Lord promoting people (verses 6 & 7). This, as well, has to do with the greater fruitfulness the Lord wants to bring about through this pruning. Normally, when a Christian leader has hidden sin in their life, the accompanying guilt, shame and insecurity render them very controlling - controlling to the point of keeping the younger Davids that God is raising up from entering into their potential. Right now, there are many Davids serving under Sauls. These Davids are being kept back and, often times, attacked as David was because of King Saul’s deep insecurity. It can be hard to read these present day Sauls because, like the Saul of old, they have an anointing in their life and know how to do the outward stuff. When the Holy Spirit opens a hole in the wall of their soul, though, there can be detestable things of every sort made visible. Often, everyone knows, or suspects, the problems with a Saul, but it is not until the Holy Spirit reveals it that action can be taken.
The sins God especially wants to deal with are the big three. Just as Africa has the “big five” game animals people on safari watch out for - the lion, elephant, rhinoceros, leopard and buffalo - there also are the “big three G” sins ministry leaders must especially watch out for. They are girls (sexual sin), gold and glory.
Stealing God’s glory by constantly drawing attention to self and building one’s own empire, or ministry, may be even a more serious sin to God than sexual or financial sin. God wants to share His glory with us but He will not allow us to steal it! Taking glory to oneself rather than giving it to God can be a much more subtle sin than the other two. As others before have pointed out, spiritual pride is only revealed (by the Holy Spirit). It is not usually detected (except by others around you). One of the boldest prayers in the Bible is David’s in Psalm 139. He writes, “Search my heart, O God, and see if there be any hurtful ways with me.” God is faithful. Just as He is quick to forgive when we are honest with Him (1 John 1:9), He is also quick to give us insight regarding sin in our hearts if we choose to truly be vulnerable with Him. The problem, however, is that when one is practicing sin, shame causes one to “cover up,” much like Adam and Eve in the Garden.
In closing allow me to reiterate the fact that God is not bringing judgment or chastisement out of wrath but out of love. To quote the writer of Hebrews again: “God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness”, Heb. 12:7-10. In a nutshell, God calls us, provokes us and chastises us to holiness out of His great love for us. On the flip side, to pass off the warning signs could be costly. It could cost one’s marriage, family, ministry and even one’s health - emotionally, spiritually and physically. As 1 Peter 1:16 reads: “you shall be holy, for I am holy”! Holiness must be more than a mere confession of heaven to come!
Below I have listed a few simple steps that may be appropriate for those leaders who are in bondage and truly desire to get free. Sometimes when we, as leaders, are going through things we need the simple reminders of what we already know so well.
1. Find someone, a peer, with whom you can be vulnerable and truthful. When Jesus instructed the disciples to wash one another’s feet He was speaking to a group of peers in relationship rather than the masses. Sometimes you need a peer to understand the unique battles you are facing. This may end up being someone who is outside of your church. It does need to be someone, however, to whom you can be accountable. They need to be someone who will blow the whistle on you if you do not truly proceed with steps of restoration. In Psalm 32:2 David said, “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away.” It may or may not be your body that wastes away but it will be your identity, balance and emotional health that fall apart because of the ravages of guilt and shame.
2. If your sin is “hands on” sin, such as sexual sin or financial impropriety, it needs to be brought out to the leadership team of your ministry. Most always you will need to step down from ministry for a time of restoration. Do not allow pride or fear of losing your calling get in the way. God’s primary will for you is to become Christ-like rather than to simply use you in ministry. He loves you for who you are, not merely for what you do!
3. If you are a married leader who has committed adultery, you need to confess this to your spouse. The damage is already being done. Even though they may be ignorant of the actual sin, they are already being hurt. It is only through the process of confession, repentance and forgiveness that true restoration to a loving relationship of trust can be restored. It would be wise to first get good counsel as to how to confess this to family members and the church. Don’t be surprised if the forgiveness is preceded by anger over the betrayal. Do, however, realize that the long-term goal of wholeness is worth the cost of bringing the darkness into the light.
4. Even if you are in a good state, work hard at building real relationships of heart to heart communication with your spouse and a few people in your leadership team or church. One of the easiest ways for the enemy to set us up is through isolation. Build relationships so we can easily take care of the “little foxes in the garden” before they turn into raging lions let loose in our souls. Building equity in relationships is like building equity in a home mortgage. It takes time and work. Once you have a lot of equity built up in a relationship, it’s just as with your house. In a time of difficulty it is money in the bank and you can borrow on it if need be!
5. Lastly, and most importantly, learn, or perhaps relearn, the art of waiting on God. Many leaders are to be commended for their time spent in intercessory prayer. However, spending time simply gazing upon God, communing with Him and waiting upon His good pleasure is vital to fully walking in the Spirit of the Lord. Without this type of “watching” prayer, as Habakkuk practiced, it is easy to fail to see and hear the warning signs the Holy Spirit would give to us from the quietness of God’s heart. It is in this place where we can receive from the Father those minor, easy to fix corrections rather than needlessly heading towards the big judgments that bring everything to a painful halt.
An Appointed Time
In March of this year, after ministering in Melbourne, Australia, I took a day off to visit some friends in Sydney. On the ride to Manly Beach from the airport the Holy Spirit began to speak a word to me concerning integrity for those in church leadership around the globe. Some eight months later I am sensing it is time to release the word. One of the lessons I have learned the hard way over the years is to not give a word prematurely. Often the Lord will give a word well before the appointed time of release. This may be because intercessory prayer is necessary as part of the preparation or it may be that it will take the hearer of the word a bit of time to get the whole word. On occasion, it is because the Lord wants the messenger of that word to grow into the reality of the word before it’s released to others. For whatever reason, I have not sensed the timing of the Lord to release this until now.
Usually when we think of an appointed time we think of a long awaited break through of blessings. An example would be the Lord telling Abraham that at the “appointed time” He would return and the long awaited child of promise would be born to Sarah. Psalm 102:13 tells us that, at God’s appointed time, He arises and has compassion on His people. Habakkuk, the prophet, encourages us to hang on to the visions God gives us because they will come to pass at the appointed time! Obviously God is good to His people all the time but there are certain appointed times of significant breakthrough. Certainly Jesus, the Messiah, came at an appointed time.
The basic understanding of an appointed time is very simple. It is a time that God has fixed, or determined to release, or impart, something at a very particular date or season, according to His sovereignty. Whether we are prepared or not, if we are the intended recipients of that impartation we either experience it, or as with Jerusalem, we can miss the time of visitation or blessing. However, not only are there appointed times of blessings but, on occasion, those appointed times are seasons of judgment. Psalm 75, verse 2, reads: “When I select an appointed time, it is I who judge with equity.”
Often when the body of Christ considers judgment and repentance we make two crucial errors. First, we think that His judgment is only reserved for the lost, or those outside of the church. 1 Peter tells us, however, that judgment does not start first with the lost, or nonbelievers. Rather, it starts first with the church (1 Peter 4:17). Second, we often misunderstand God’s intentions when He does release judgment on His sons and daughters. The Father’s heart for us is always one of restoration rather than destruction. Sometimes He wants to break us down so that He can build us up! We fall into this second misperception because we really don’t understand that God’s heart is so very much for us. When God revealed a bit of His glory to Moses in Exodus 34, He stated that He was “slow to anger”. Hebrews 12:11 reads: “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness”.
God is patient and longsuffering. There comes a time, however, when not out of anger but out of deep love and concern for us, He will release judgment for the sake of correction and healing. Usually, at that point, we (the sinners) are standing at a dangerous precipice. We can think of an extreme case of sin in the life of a Christian such as the man in the church in Corinth who was actually having sex with his own stepmother. Paul stated that he “decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh”. It is critical that we realize Paul’s motivation. He continued on in 1 Cor. 5:5, “...so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus”. In such cases, God’s purpose is not eternal damnation but rather to bring our hearts to repentance to come back to a place of wholeness in Christ. There is a certain sin Jesus spoke of that is unto eternal judgment - speaking evil of the Holy Spirit – but, generally speaking, this is a sin only a non-Christian would commit.
The Responsibility of Gatekeepers
Additionally, God will release judgment not only for the sake of the saint who has given himself over to a sin but also for the sake of the church. Jesus told us that to whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48). This is especially true for leaders in the body of Christ because in the place of their authority they become a filter, or grid, by which blessings and/or curses are released to the church. Because of their authority, they are, in effect, gatekeepers to the church. When they are practicing hidden sin, an open door for sin and/or the demonic is opened up. A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough!
When leadership is right with God - living in love, grace and humility - they are an open door for the body of Christ to experience more and more of the fullness of Christ. As leaders, we can be either vessels of purity by which pure water can flow out or vessels with mud and debris within them, which in turn release polluted water. No matter how pure the incoming water, if the vessel is polluted, mixed water flows out. The messenger is the message; the teacher is the teaching; and the prophet is the prophecy. It’s not so much the mere words we speak to the church. It is who we are that impacts people the most.
The Lord spoke that He is going to begin to release judgment and exposure to leaders in the body of Christ who are practicing sin. This release of judgment unto restoration will be on a broad level. This is not to say God is requiring leaders to be perfect because only Jesus is perfect. The apostle Paul differentiated between those who occasionally commit sin and those who practice sin (Romans 2:1, Galatians 5:21 & Ephesians 4:19). When someone practices something, they do it over and over again to the point of getting good at it. Because of their position and ministry, leaders in the church who live in sin, keep their sin hidden out of necessity.
God did not say He was demanding sinless perfection from His leaders, rather men and women who are true examples of humility (dependence on God), grace, mercy and love. They are free to abound in receiving God’s love because they are free to be transparent due to the lack of hidden sin and the ensuing lack of hidden shame.
When David rhetorically asked, “Who will ascend the hill of the Lord,” he answered, “Those with pure hearts and clean hands.” Purity and cleanliness are prerequisites for deep intimacy with God. The apostle Paul stated that many suffered needlessly because of hidden sin. He said that many are sick and have fallen asleep (died prematurely) because of hidden sin and not judging themselves correctly (1 Cor. 11:30).
Due to a lack of truly seeking the face of God and experiencing much of His glory in the contemporary Western World church, there has been a corresponding lack of a fear of God. Paul wrote to the church of Philippi to work out their salvation in “fear and trembling” because it is the living God within them who wants to work out His will and good pleasure. This lack of intimacy with the person of God has resulted in a low regard for holiness, which combined with the lack of intimacy, creates an impotency in regards to the power of God being manifested through the church!
God wants to pour out His Spirit in an ever-increasing way. However, just as the devil found it was very dangerous to stand in the midst of the mountain of the Lord with sin in his heart, so it is true for the saints today, especially leadership. If it is true that judgment starts first with the household of God, then it is more than likely that judgment starts first with leaders. After all, the hardest words Jesus spoke to the people of Israel were for the leaders, not the prostitutes or thieves. Among the seven woes Jesus spoke of to the religious leaders of His day was the admonishment that they were like cups cleansed on the outside but filthy on the inside. This is a picture of leaders in the church who look the part of a good leader but their hearts and secret lifestyles are unclean.
A Hole in the Wall!
Ezekiel, chapter 8, relates several powerful visions the prophet experienced. One of the most poignant is of God directing Ezekiel to dig through the wall of the temple only to find the elders in deep, hidden sin. Verse 10 reads: “So I entered and looked, and behold, every form of creeping things and beasts and detestable things, with all the idols of the house of Israel, were carved on the wall all around.” It goes on to say that in front were the elders who were burning incense unto the Lord in the midst of their sin. The passage is compelling in that it relates God’s intense disgust and hatred of the hypocrisy and impurity. If that was how strongly God felt about sin in the temple prior to men and women having the Holy Spirit live within themselves, how much more should there be a priority of personal holiness today!
There are going to be some who read this and react with a concern that I am promoting a return to legalism or a performance-oriented relationship with God. It is quite the contrary. I believe God is calling us to embrace holiness and to hate sin out of a relationship of grace, mercy and intimacy with Him that only the cross could achieve. One of the classic definitions of Biblical grace is that grace does not give us the freedom to do what we want and get away with it. Rather, true grace gives us the freedom to be the person God wants us to be. The cross has given us access to God but it is up to us to choose to walk in the freedom of the cross and the Holy Spirit! We are not trying to earn anything from God here, but out of love wanting to be imitators of our Lord Jesus. At the very least we need a revelation today that the Holy Spirit is the “Holy” Spirit of God!
I do not know how long this appointed season of cleansing and pruning will be. I do sense it will go more towards the deep part of the pool rather than the shallow end. Already, just in the eight months since the Lord began to give this word, three major leaders of international ministries I know personally, who live in three different continents, have had sexual sin exposed in their lives greatly to the surprise of those close to them. I am not saying this season is unto the immediate return or the Lord, although only the Father knows the time of Christ’s return. Rather, I believe this is a John 15 time of pruning because God wants to bring about greater fruitfulness for the Kingdom of God and greater purity in the Bride of Christ.
Davids & Sauls
After Psalm 75 speaks of an appointed time for judgment (verse 2), it goes on to speak of the Lord promoting people (verses 6 & 7). This, as well, has to do with the greater fruitfulness the Lord wants to bring about through this pruning. Normally, when a Christian leader has hidden sin in their life, the accompanying guilt, shame and insecurity render them very controlling - controlling to the point of keeping the younger Davids that God is raising up from entering into their potential. Right now, there are many Davids serving under Sauls. These Davids are being kept back and, often times, attacked as David was because of King Saul’s deep insecurity. It can be hard to read these present day Sauls because, like the Saul of old, they have an anointing in their life and know how to do the outward stuff. When the Holy Spirit opens a hole in the wall of their soul, though, there can be detestable things of every sort made visible. Often, everyone knows, or suspects, the problems with a Saul, but it is not until the Holy Spirit reveals it that action can be taken.
The sins God especially wants to deal with are the big three. Just as Africa has the “big five” game animals people on safari watch out for - the lion, elephant, rhinoceros, leopard and buffalo - there also are the “big three G” sins ministry leaders must especially watch out for. They are girls (sexual sin), gold and glory.
Stealing God’s glory by constantly drawing attention to self and building one’s own empire, or ministry, may be even a more serious sin to God than sexual or financial sin. God wants to share His glory with us but He will not allow us to steal it! Taking glory to oneself rather than giving it to God can be a much more subtle sin than the other two. As others before have pointed out, spiritual pride is only revealed (by the Holy Spirit). It is not usually detected (except by others around you). One of the boldest prayers in the Bible is David’s in Psalm 139. He writes, “Search my heart, O God, and see if there be any hurtful ways with me.” God is faithful. Just as He is quick to forgive when we are honest with Him (1 John 1:9), He is also quick to give us insight regarding sin in our hearts if we choose to truly be vulnerable with Him. The problem, however, is that when one is practicing sin, shame causes one to “cover up,” much like Adam and Eve in the Garden.
In closing allow me to reiterate the fact that God is not bringing judgment or chastisement out of wrath but out of love. To quote the writer of Hebrews again: “God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness”, Heb. 12:7-10. In a nutshell, God calls us, provokes us and chastises us to holiness out of His great love for us. On the flip side, to pass off the warning signs could be costly. It could cost one’s marriage, family, ministry and even one’s health - emotionally, spiritually and physically. As 1 Peter 1:16 reads: “you shall be holy, for I am holy”! Holiness must be more than a mere confession of heaven to come!
Below I have listed a few simple steps that may be appropriate for those leaders who are in bondage and truly desire to get free. Sometimes when we, as leaders, are going through things we need the simple reminders of what we already know so well.
1. Find someone, a peer, with whom you can be vulnerable and truthful. When Jesus instructed the disciples to wash one another’s feet He was speaking to a group of peers in relationship rather than the masses. Sometimes you need a peer to understand the unique battles you are facing. This may end up being someone who is outside of your church. It does need to be someone, however, to whom you can be accountable. They need to be someone who will blow the whistle on you if you do not truly proceed with steps of restoration. In Psalm 32:2 David said, “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away.” It may or may not be your body that wastes away but it will be your identity, balance and emotional health that fall apart because of the ravages of guilt and shame.
2. If your sin is “hands on” sin, such as sexual sin or financial impropriety, it needs to be brought out to the leadership team of your ministry. Most always you will need to step down from ministry for a time of restoration. Do not allow pride or fear of losing your calling get in the way. God’s primary will for you is to become Christ-like rather than to simply use you in ministry. He loves you for who you are, not merely for what you do!
3. If you are a married leader who has committed adultery, you need to confess this to your spouse. The damage is already being done. Even though they may be ignorant of the actual sin, they are already being hurt. It is only through the process of confession, repentance and forgiveness that true restoration to a loving relationship of trust can be restored. It would be wise to first get good counsel as to how to confess this to family members and the church. Don’t be surprised if the forgiveness is preceded by anger over the betrayal. Do, however, realize that the long-term goal of wholeness is worth the cost of bringing the darkness into the light.
4. Even if you are in a good state, work hard at building real relationships of heart to heart communication with your spouse and a few people in your leadership team or church. One of the easiest ways for the enemy to set us up is through isolation. Build relationships so we can easily take care of the “little foxes in the garden” before they turn into raging lions let loose in our souls. Building equity in relationships is like building equity in a home mortgage. It takes time and work. Once you have a lot of equity built up in a relationship, it’s just as with your house. In a time of difficulty it is money in the bank and you can borrow on it if need be!
5. Lastly, and most importantly, learn, or perhaps relearn, the art of waiting on God. Many leaders are to be commended for their time spent in intercessory prayer. However, spending time simply gazing upon God, communing with Him and waiting upon His good pleasure is vital to fully walking in the Spirit of the Lord. Without this type of “watching” prayer, as Habakkuk practiced, it is easy to fail to see and hear the warning signs the Holy Spirit would give to us from the quietness of God’s heart. It is in this place where we can receive from the Father those minor, easy to fix corrections rather than needlessly heading towards the big judgments that bring everything to a painful halt.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Grace Part 2: When Grace Leads Us Into The Wilderness
There are times when God's grace leads us into the wilderness, much like Israel's story of bondage and slavery in Egypt to miraculous deliverance into the wilderness. The true deliverance, that of their souls, was to be accomplished in the wilderness. The wilderness was where they were to learn how to worship God..."let My people go, that they may worship Me."
The booty they fled Egypt with, the miracles that got them out by the skin of their teeth - were all just enough grace to convince them to actually leave Egypt. It's almost like a divine trick for our own good, because something very important is at stake: us and His heart. The principalities and powers are watching the mystery of God's wisdom unfold, they are watching to see if we'll persevere long enough to prove His heart is good. Out of all Creation we have been given the highest honour and the most difficult challenge: Everything Sonship offers has been extended to us, but will we persevere to win the prize? The challenge is knowing and trusting His heart enough in order to fling ourselves headlong into the agony and the ecstasy of refinement and restoration. God uses the wilderness to refine and restore and reveal the original creation that is us by stripping off layers and layers of skins. Since the fall, satan has been trying and succeeding at conforming us to his image. It takes some work to shed that image and reveal our original glory.
It is grace that leads us into the dark night of the soul, because without grace we never would have agreed to what got us there in the first place. We made the clincher decisions, because we thought they were good! They were. We just didn't think they were the "character-building" type of good when we wholeheartedly submitted to His leading (divine appointed blindness is also part of the grace package I found).
So where is the passion and joy now? Well, what's keeping us from running [away]? Pat yourself on the back, if your still in the race - that's passion. Passion has a focus and it is joy. His joy, which will also become our joy. The joy of the Lord is our strength. It's true. I've lived it, several times, while simultaneously feeling like puking, dying, falling off the grid, planning a visit to the Doc for some cocktail or daydreaming of a private room in a psyche ward. God is merciful. We are pig headed. When I yelled at God that I had trusted Him (that lovely grace) and that I was nowhere near the promised land, quite the opposite it seemed, He surprised me with His loving presence manifesting around me that turned my angst into calm. He led me into the wilderness and He was letting me know He was there, but it was up to me how long I would stay there.
Humility, I believe, is the only way out. Whether it's confessing one to another or confessing to God alone, it is the recognition of sin in our lives (which sometimes can only be pointed out by others if we were deceived/believed a lie) and repenting of it that ends the wilderness season. God desires to deliver us, His Beloved, from bondage and sometimes that means "wounding us to heal us" or "tearing us down to build us up". After repentance comes a miraculous change in perspective with the fruit of the Spirit accompanying and in some cases even change in actual physical circumstances occurs. One day there was angst, the next day there is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self control. Last, but not least, you gain true spiritual authority, authority over that which you have conquered.
There is another side to wilderness that I will touch on. Sometimes the wilderness is a hiding place where God has taken you to hide you, protect you, feed you and strengthen you in preparation for the next season. This can feel lonely at times, but very special, as you truly are being fed in spirit, soul (and perhaps body too) directly by the hand of God. It is a very intimate place with God, a place where you feel His holy jealousy for you. It is a place of secrets and conception.
I will write 'Grace Part 3: Grace For Battle' in the coming weeks.
The booty they fled Egypt with, the miracles that got them out by the skin of their teeth - were all just enough grace to convince them to actually leave Egypt. It's almost like a divine trick for our own good, because something very important is at stake: us and His heart. The principalities and powers are watching the mystery of God's wisdom unfold, they are watching to see if we'll persevere long enough to prove His heart is good. Out of all Creation we have been given the highest honour and the most difficult challenge: Everything Sonship offers has been extended to us, but will we persevere to win the prize? The challenge is knowing and trusting His heart enough in order to fling ourselves headlong into the agony and the ecstasy of refinement and restoration. God uses the wilderness to refine and restore and reveal the original creation that is us by stripping off layers and layers of skins. Since the fall, satan has been trying and succeeding at conforming us to his image. It takes some work to shed that image and reveal our original glory.
It is grace that leads us into the dark night of the soul, because without grace we never would have agreed to what got us there in the first place. We made the clincher decisions, because we thought they were good! They were. We just didn't think they were the "character-building" type of good when we wholeheartedly submitted to His leading (divine appointed blindness is also part of the grace package I found).
So where is the passion and joy now? Well, what's keeping us from running [away]? Pat yourself on the back, if your still in the race - that's passion. Passion has a focus and it is joy. His joy, which will also become our joy. The joy of the Lord is our strength. It's true. I've lived it, several times, while simultaneously feeling like puking, dying, falling off the grid, planning a visit to the Doc for some cocktail or daydreaming of a private room in a psyche ward. God is merciful. We are pig headed. When I yelled at God that I had trusted Him (that lovely grace) and that I was nowhere near the promised land, quite the opposite it seemed, He surprised me with His loving presence manifesting around me that turned my angst into calm. He led me into the wilderness and He was letting me know He was there, but it was up to me how long I would stay there.
Humility, I believe, is the only way out. Whether it's confessing one to another or confessing to God alone, it is the recognition of sin in our lives (which sometimes can only be pointed out by others if we were deceived/believed a lie) and repenting of it that ends the wilderness season. God desires to deliver us, His Beloved, from bondage and sometimes that means "wounding us to heal us" or "tearing us down to build us up". After repentance comes a miraculous change in perspective with the fruit of the Spirit accompanying and in some cases even change in actual physical circumstances occurs. One day there was angst, the next day there is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self control. Last, but not least, you gain true spiritual authority, authority over that which you have conquered.
There is another side to wilderness that I will touch on. Sometimes the wilderness is a hiding place where God has taken you to hide you, protect you, feed you and strengthen you in preparation for the next season. This can feel lonely at times, but very special, as you truly are being fed in spirit, soul (and perhaps body too) directly by the hand of God. It is a very intimate place with God, a place where you feel His holy jealousy for you. It is a place of secrets and conception.
I will write 'Grace Part 3: Grace For Battle' in the coming weeks.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Grace Part 1: Guarding Our Grace
A friend once surprised me by her matter-of-fact statement, "We need to guard our grace". I pondered it for a bit because one usually hears about "protecting our rest" or "following our peace", but not much on "guarding our grace". After pondering this for some time I have come to the conclusion that grace is not properly understood, too often misunderstood, misused, abused, neglected, mislabelled and as a result not properly appropriated, thus the benefits of it are largely unseen in the Christian Church today. There. Shehbang.
In regards to rest and peace, what does it mean to protect our peace or to guard our rest? It means that we would guard against that which would rob us of it. It means we remain in, or go to, the place where it won't be disturbed, robbed or threatened. Sometimes we have to fight to remain in or regain our peace or rest. We work ahead so we don't have to work later. We turn down one job for another, even if it means less pay or prestige. If pain has touched us it can be a real battle to find peace and rest, for it comes through choosing to worship God, despite the circumstances. Sometimes we are not able to fight, so we need our family in Christ to fight for us; it is humbling to say, "I'm struggling and I can't do it, I need you". 'Bin there, done that, saw the victory. God gives grace to the humble hahaha yes!
Sometimes we lose our peace bit by bit and one day something (or Someone) awakens us to that truth and we seek to find out how this could have happened and how to regain what was lost. Why am I writing about peace and rest when the title of this piece is 'Guarding Our Grace'? Because, for now, we as Christians are more familiar with peace and rest; there is a method here. Later I will expound on grace, now back to peace. So we woke up one day and our peace was gone. How does one lose peace? Well, Peace is a person; the Prince of Peace, and He is personal to each one of us. In His Word God tells us that, as Christians we are in Him and He in us. Obviously then, somebody moved. He doesn't move without telling us (letting us know), we need to be listening. Sometimes, for some reason (I'm sure there are many) we miss the memo. He doesn't get offended; He just begins to move in the right direction, knowing we'll probably notice and follow suit.
So what does it mean to "guard our grace"? What is grace?
Grace, I believe, is one of the most powerful manifestations of God. When we are in His grace we have the power to persevere in the particular place he has called us to be in. Sometimes it seems His grace even blinds us to the things that would cause us to run from His purposes in a situation. Grace: we either have it, or we don't. When we don't have it our situation becomes so uncomfortable we either hide from it or change it. Hopefully we begin to seek the direction grace went, because He always goes with a purpose and a plan. We are promised in Jeremiah 29:11 that His plans for us are good, to prosper us, not to harm us, to give us hope and a future.
"My grace is sufficient for you."
His grace is all we need for every place, but we must learn to guard it. When His grace moves we must move with Him or we lose [time, sleep, joy, opportunities, blessings, etc.]. If we don't move with His grace we will begin to hide or strive in the flesh; both, I believe, are motivated by fear and paralyze us. They put our God-dreamed of destiny for us on pause. Where is passion? Where is joy? If those two are gone, chances are His grace has moved. Seek Him out and discern the spirits. Fear of the unknown can keep us in a place almost as powerfully as grace can, but it can't duplicate the fruit of the Holy Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control. Sometimes we do forget that His grace is sufficient and we need to remind ourselves. When this was the case I would declare it (His grace is sufficient) and I found that the reminder placed me back into His peace (I was still in grace, but lost my focus (Him), thus I stepped out of peace).
If we are not hiding from our situation, but embracing it with a sense of purpose and we are experiencing the fruit of Holy Spirit, then we are in His grace. If not, we must seek Him, for He will be found, and follow. That, I believe, is what it means to guard or protect our grace, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
I have written two more pieces on grace and I will post them in the coming weeks:
'When Grace Leads You Into The Wilderness'
and
'Grace For Battle'
In regards to rest and peace, what does it mean to protect our peace or to guard our rest? It means that we would guard against that which would rob us of it. It means we remain in, or go to, the place where it won't be disturbed, robbed or threatened. Sometimes we have to fight to remain in or regain our peace or rest. We work ahead so we don't have to work later. We turn down one job for another, even if it means less pay or prestige. If pain has touched us it can be a real battle to find peace and rest, for it comes through choosing to worship God, despite the circumstances. Sometimes we are not able to fight, so we need our family in Christ to fight for us; it is humbling to say, "I'm struggling and I can't do it, I need you". 'Bin there, done that, saw the victory. God gives grace to the humble hahaha yes!
Sometimes we lose our peace bit by bit and one day something (or Someone) awakens us to that truth and we seek to find out how this could have happened and how to regain what was lost. Why am I writing about peace and rest when the title of this piece is 'Guarding Our Grace'? Because, for now, we as Christians are more familiar with peace and rest; there is a method here. Later I will expound on grace, now back to peace. So we woke up one day and our peace was gone. How does one lose peace? Well, Peace is a person; the Prince of Peace, and He is personal to each one of us. In His Word God tells us that, as Christians we are in Him and He in us. Obviously then, somebody moved. He doesn't move without telling us (letting us know), we need to be listening. Sometimes, for some reason (I'm sure there are many) we miss the memo. He doesn't get offended; He just begins to move in the right direction, knowing we'll probably notice and follow suit.
So what does it mean to "guard our grace"? What is grace?
Grace, I believe, is one of the most powerful manifestations of God. When we are in His grace we have the power to persevere in the particular place he has called us to be in. Sometimes it seems His grace even blinds us to the things that would cause us to run from His purposes in a situation. Grace: we either have it, or we don't. When we don't have it our situation becomes so uncomfortable we either hide from it or change it. Hopefully we begin to seek the direction grace went, because He always goes with a purpose and a plan. We are promised in Jeremiah 29:11 that His plans for us are good, to prosper us, not to harm us, to give us hope and a future.
"My grace is sufficient for you."
His grace is all we need for every place, but we must learn to guard it. When His grace moves we must move with Him or we lose [time, sleep, joy, opportunities, blessings, etc.]. If we don't move with His grace we will begin to hide or strive in the flesh; both, I believe, are motivated by fear and paralyze us. They put our God-dreamed of destiny for us on pause. Where is passion? Where is joy? If those two are gone, chances are His grace has moved. Seek Him out and discern the spirits. Fear of the unknown can keep us in a place almost as powerfully as grace can, but it can't duplicate the fruit of the Holy Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control. Sometimes we do forget that His grace is sufficient and we need to remind ourselves. When this was the case I would declare it (His grace is sufficient) and I found that the reminder placed me back into His peace (I was still in grace, but lost my focus (Him), thus I stepped out of peace).
If we are not hiding from our situation, but embracing it with a sense of purpose and we are experiencing the fruit of Holy Spirit, then we are in His grace. If not, we must seek Him, for He will be found, and follow. That, I believe, is what it means to guard or protect our grace, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
I have written two more pieces on grace and I will post them in the coming weeks:
'When Grace Leads You Into The Wilderness'
and
'Grace For Battle'
Thursday, June 19, 2008
The Heart: Part 3
When God begins to thwart our sandcastle building we should ask Him why. Let us not assume that the people around us are responsible for the thwarting. When we blame people for the failure of our sandcastle building we are in the zone of idolatry. When people are a means to our success in sandcastle building and they don't co-operate with our vision (assuming we had one) and we resent them for it; we are in the zone of idolatry. This is, in truth, why God thwarts us; He is after the heart of the matter. He is after our worship. Worshiping Him in Spirit and Truth leads to life; idolatry leads to death. He is the hero; we, the object of His love, are in danger. So he begins to dismantle our idols to show us that they are not worthy, that they are deaf, dumb, blind and have no breath in them (and those who make and worship them become like them, Psalm 135) . Conversely, when He is the builder of our castle, it is on a rock and there is no lack of anything, be it people, resources, or good spiritual fruit. That sounds great doesn't it? It is, once you're there, but to get there you have to lay every single dream and ambition you have on the altar and be truly willing for God to burn it up beyond recognition if He so chooses. I think this is what it means to lay down your life for a friend. No greater love. He did it for us, we can do it for Him. Trust me, however, when I say that after the grieving (over your pile of ashes) the awesome power of His grace kicks into overdrive and you experience His love on a whole new level. He is after our hearts. That is the only thing He wants from us. Period. Out of that kind of relationship He can move mountains and shake nations, but those things pale and are not even on the grid of competing with Him having our heart. This is beyond friendship. This is passionate love. Unless we have decided to harden our hearts and refuse Him, He will mow down our idols. He is a jealous, yet gracious lover. He will always take us back and replace the ring on our finger.
The Heart: Part 2
There is a way that seems right to a man,
But in the end it leads to death.
Proverbs 14:12
It seems to me that more often than not, the path the Lord has for us is the very opposite from what we think is right. This must stem from the truth that we often live externally. We judge ourselves by what the "right" thing to be doing is. We decide what is right based on our religion. Our religion is based on what we worship and what we worship is based on what we value. What we value is either where we feel deficient or what we fear losing, what we percieve gives us our identity or defines who we are or who others say we should be (our values can also be God-given and healthy, but must not be over elevated). This track is so dangerous to our true existence that God sets Himself squarely against it. He risks "losing" us to truly save us (out of His passionate heart for us), as He knows we are actually lost already. It is in our own mind that He would actually be lost, we are often deluded that we are not (lost) - and then he thwarts our sandcastles. Oh the rage! Yes, we rage - and the heart of the matter is exposed.
The Heart
Building Castles in the Sand
Occupies the Thirsty Heart
In Temporary Reverie.
When Sounds of Rolling Thunder come
The Heart in Denial Fears,
But the Heart that Knows its Poverty
Rejoices.
Poem by Magdalena Leaker
Written May 28, 2007
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
For A Friend
From Page 38, The Seer, By Jim W. Goll
"Prophetic Worship Leaders Who Usher In The Manifested Presence Of God Through Prophetic Worship."
"Prophetic worship leaders help release people into the liberty of both expressing their love for God and receiving God's love. Under their prophetic leadership, the gifts of the Spirit flow and operate more freely. Because they are carriers of the Spirit, they can help lift others into His marvelous presence where change occurs. Jesus is truly exalted and enthroned in the praises of His people.
The prime Biblical example is David who, in addition to being a shepherd and a king, was also a prophetic psalmist. Half or more of the psalms in the Bible were written by David. As a young man, he played his harp and sang, causing demons to flee from King Saul. What a combination!
Several examples of the prophetic psalmist in our own generation would be Jason Upton, David Ruis, Theresa Griffith, Matt Redmon, Heather Clark, and Jeff Deyo."
"Prophetic Worship Leaders Who Usher In The Manifested Presence Of God Through Prophetic Worship."
"Prophetic worship leaders help release people into the liberty of both expressing their love for God and receiving God's love. Under their prophetic leadership, the gifts of the Spirit flow and operate more freely. Because they are carriers of the Spirit, they can help lift others into His marvelous presence where change occurs. Jesus is truly exalted and enthroned in the praises of His people.
The prime Biblical example is David who, in addition to being a shepherd and a king, was also a prophetic psalmist. Half or more of the psalms in the Bible were written by David. As a young man, he played his harp and sang, causing demons to flee from King Saul. What a combination!
Several examples of the prophetic psalmist in our own generation would be Jason Upton, David Ruis, Theresa Griffith, Matt Redmon, Heather Clark, and Jeff Deyo."
The Gift Of Discernment
Wow, today is a writing day! Two hours after I wrote my last post I sat down to read a book and was wowed in particular by # 3 (out of 6) in this particular section:
Guidlines For Operating in the Gift of Discernment
#3. Examine the fruit. One of the best ways to test the spirits is to look at the results, keeping in mind that fruit takes time to develop. That is why we should be careful not to enter into quick judgement concerning whether or not something is of God, but take a little bit of time to watch. At the same time, however, we need to be sensitive to the "smell" of rotten fruit, so we can nip it in the bud. Does the activity draw people to Christ or pull them away from Him? Does it encourage them in righteousness or lead them into unrighteousness? Jesus said:
"You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits." (Matt. 7:16-20)
Pages 97-98, The Seer, By Jim W. Goll
Guidlines For Operating in the Gift of Discernment
#3. Examine the fruit. One of the best ways to test the spirits is to look at the results, keeping in mind that fruit takes time to develop. That is why we should be careful not to enter into quick judgement concerning whether or not something is of God, but take a little bit of time to watch. At the same time, however, we need to be sensitive to the "smell" of rotten fruit, so we can nip it in the bud. Does the activity draw people to Christ or pull them away from Him? Does it encourage them in righteousness or lead them into unrighteousness? Jesus said:
"You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits." (Matt. 7:16-20)
Pages 97-98, The Seer, By Jim W. Goll
The Fear Of The Lord
Something that I have heard and see (in the spirit) is the restoration of the fear of the Lord coming to the Church.
The NIV Bible defines fear (v) 1. To respect highly; to feel reverence and awe for; 2. to be afraid of. (n.) profound reverence toward God; anticipation or awareness of danger.
The restoration of the fear of the Lord helps us to run from sin.
As the end of time draws near and the Bride of Christ is being prepared (to be without spot or wrinkle) for her coming Groom and King we are going to see an increase in the exposure and judgement of unrepented sin in the Body. Without repentance the seeds of sin will bear fruit. Without repentance the fruit of sin will become evident and will be judged. Ananias and Sapphira experienced immediate judgement because they lied to the Holy Spirit and did not repent. The result of that caused the early church to be gripped with fear (Acts 5). I believe this was a prophetic sign of how unrepented sin will always lead to death.
"...continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling..." (Philippians 2:12b)
"...Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." (Job 1:8)
"Fear the Lord your God and serve Him only...Do what is right and good in the Lord's sight so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land...thrusting all your enemies out before you...obey...fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive..." (Deuteronomy 6:13a, 18a, 19, 24)
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..." (Psalm 111:10)
In my own walk I have learned to ask people to give me feedback, keep me accountable. I want to "nip sin in the bud" so to speak, so that it doesn't have opportunity to flower and bear fruit. As painful as the process usually is, asking God regularly to remove any strongholds helps to pull up your stuff by the roots. As long as there is any root, you will be fighting an impossible and exhausting battle. God is faithful and you don't have to beg Him to remove your strongholds, when you ask, he is so gracious in His methods (speaking from personal experience). It is so much easier to take when we humble ourselves rather than to resist and be forcibly humbled by God (for our good and the good of others).
The NIV Bible defines fear (v) 1. To respect highly; to feel reverence and awe for; 2. to be afraid of. (n.) profound reverence toward God; anticipation or awareness of danger.
The restoration of the fear of the Lord helps us to run from sin.
As the end of time draws near and the Bride of Christ is being prepared (to be without spot or wrinkle) for her coming Groom and King we are going to see an increase in the exposure and judgement of unrepented sin in the Body. Without repentance the seeds of sin will bear fruit. Without repentance the fruit of sin will become evident and will be judged. Ananias and Sapphira experienced immediate judgement because they lied to the Holy Spirit and did not repent. The result of that caused the early church to be gripped with fear (Acts 5). I believe this was a prophetic sign of how unrepented sin will always lead to death.
"...continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling..." (Philippians 2:12b)
"...Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." (Job 1:8)
"Fear the Lord your God and serve Him only...Do what is right and good in the Lord's sight so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land...thrusting all your enemies out before you...obey...fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive..." (Deuteronomy 6:13a, 18a, 19, 24)
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..." (Psalm 111:10)
In my own walk I have learned to ask people to give me feedback, keep me accountable. I want to "nip sin in the bud" so to speak, so that it doesn't have opportunity to flower and bear fruit. As painful as the process usually is, asking God regularly to remove any strongholds helps to pull up your stuff by the roots. As long as there is any root, you will be fighting an impossible and exhausting battle. God is faithful and you don't have to beg Him to remove your strongholds, when you ask, he is so gracious in His methods (speaking from personal experience). It is so much easier to take when we humble ourselves rather than to resist and be forcibly humbled by God (for our good and the good of others).
Starbucks Cup Quote
I bought a cup of Starbucks coffee at gate C41 on May 2nd at Toronto Pearson, (or was it Calgary?), anyway, I love it when God confirms what you feel (know in your spirit)!
In God's Kingdom, true spiritual leadership has to function a certain way to produce good fruit. Those same Kingdom principles for leadership will also produce good fruit in the natural. When my sister was a retail store manager of a Canadian flagship cosmetics giant in Vancouver she employed these principles. Needless to say the fruit was very, very good, she was granted much favor with both employees and employer. Her superiors were enthralled and curious about her leadership style.
Here's the quote that sums it up:
The Way I See It #284
"You can't lead the people, if you don't love the people. You can't save the people, if you don't serve the people."
Cornel West
Professor
Some may argue this and give numerous examples proving otherwise, but I re-iterate: true spiritual leadership in God's Kingdom is the only form of leadership that produces good fruit. I am not talking about temporary natural success (and yes, it will be temporary). I am talking about good fruit. Good fruit can be identified (but not limited to) the following (Galatians 5:22-23):
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self Control
As a contrast, the following fruit will appear when any other form of leadership exists (Galatians 5:16-21):
Sexual immorality
Impurity
Debauchery
Idolatry
Witchcraft (rebellion)
Hatred
Discord
Jealousy
Fits of rage
Selfish ambition
Dissensions
Factions
Envy
Drunkenness
Orgies and the like
We can judge fruit to discern spiritual condition. If I discern a bad fruit in my life I know that something is not right and I take it to the Lord and ask Him to cleanse me. Cleansing and change of heart is done by the Holy Spirit, but before that can happen we must choose to humble ourselves and repent. Grace comes through the blood of Christ and the blood of Christ is appropriated through repentance.
In God's Kingdom, true spiritual leadership has to function a certain way to produce good fruit. Those same Kingdom principles for leadership will also produce good fruit in the natural. When my sister was a retail store manager of a Canadian flagship cosmetics giant in Vancouver she employed these principles. Needless to say the fruit was very, very good, she was granted much favor with both employees and employer. Her superiors were enthralled and curious about her leadership style.
Here's the quote that sums it up:
The Way I See It #284
"You can't lead the people, if you don't love the people. You can't save the people, if you don't serve the people."
Cornel West
Professor
Some may argue this and give numerous examples proving otherwise, but I re-iterate: true spiritual leadership in God's Kingdom is the only form of leadership that produces good fruit. I am not talking about temporary natural success (and yes, it will be temporary). I am talking about good fruit. Good fruit can be identified (but not limited to) the following (Galatians 5:22-23):
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self Control
As a contrast, the following fruit will appear when any other form of leadership exists (Galatians 5:16-21):
Sexual immorality
Impurity
Debauchery
Idolatry
Witchcraft (rebellion)
Hatred
Discord
Jealousy
Fits of rage
Selfish ambition
Dissensions
Factions
Envy
Drunkenness
Orgies and the like
We can judge fruit to discern spiritual condition. If I discern a bad fruit in my life I know that something is not right and I take it to the Lord and ask Him to cleanse me. Cleansing and change of heart is done by the Holy Spirit, but before that can happen we must choose to humble ourselves and repent. Grace comes through the blood of Christ and the blood of Christ is appropriated through repentance.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Reigning & Resurrection Part 2 of 2
In this week’s teaching entitled: Reigning and Resurrection, as Todd features verses 1 and 2 in the Book of Hebrews, Chapter 6, you’ll gain the right perspective concerning the subject of resurrection. Then you’ll be ready to receive two great keys for defeating whatever death brings as Todd teaches about the connection between sin and death and how death no longer has dominion. As well, since strong, vibrant faith is essential for reigning and resurrection power, Todd focuses on faith and how to protect what you believe. At the close of this teaching Todd takes a look at the miraculous virtue of Jesus Christ. Be blessed as you grow in the spiritual stature that God has for you!
REIGNING and RESURRECTION
by Revivalist Todd Bentley - [as edited by Kathy Thorne]PART 2 of 2 - ( PART 1 )
In God’s kingdom there is just so much to look forward to! In fact, God will take us as far as we want to go. I’m talking about depth, the deep things of God. And yet, as I’ve been thinking about how the whole concept of resurrection is perceived by many in the church, it’s like a lot of believers only see its relevance in light of an Easter Sunday sermon. Or others think that resurrection is all about our heavenly bodies, the rapture, or the second coming—it tends to be something in the future.
RESURRECTION IS ACTUALLY AN ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLE
On top of that, some Christians consider the whole idea about resurrection, or the opportunity to actually raise the dead, to be pretty radical. But according to scripture, resurrection from the dead is part of the foundation of Christian belief. It’s actually an elementary principle! The Book of Hebrews, Chapter 6, verses 1 and 2, says:
“THEREFORE LET us go on and get past the elementary stage in the teachings and doctrine of Christ (the Messiah), advancing steadily toward the completeness and perfection that belong to spiritual maturity. Let us not again be laying the foundation of repentance and abandonment of dead works (dead formalism) and of the faith [by which you turned] to God, with teachings about purifying, the laying on of hands, the resurrection from the dead, and eternal judgment and punishment. [These are all matters of which you should have been fully aware long, long ago.]” (vv. 1, 2, The Amplified Bible, emphasis mine).
Still, even though resurrection from the dead is a foundational principle, in order to actually receive and walk in all the benefits involved in what resurrection promises, we need to have our minds renewed.
DEATH NO LONGER HAS DOMINION
In this regard, in Part One, I shared about how I was developing a “resurrection mindset” and how I realized that the same glory (or resurrection power) that raised Jesus up after his crucifixion had not only touched me; it was working inside of me. Let me explain another aspect concerning this revelation; my point being—today, I’ve come to understand that “death no longer has dominion.” Romans Chapter 6, verse 9 says:
“knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him” (Rom. 6:9).
Now, because I am a born again believer and I believe that death no longer has dominion, and since sickness and disease cause death, then I have the right to refuse the diseases of the world, the viruses, the sicknesses, the bacteria—or whatever exists in the world that brings death. I refuse it!
Now, I don’t deny the circumstances; I mean if you have cancer, or a tumor, it’s real. But there is something about when your body begins to understand that your spirit is raised from the dead—“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Rm. 8:11) Cancer! You can’t live here!
The same goes for poverty. Poverty is death. Look. Any kind of oppression in your life, any kind of torment, any kind of depression—it’s the work of the devil—and it is defeated because death no longer has dominion! In fact, death has to bow! It bowed to Jesus wherever He went. Can you imagine how tense darkness became every time Jesus showed up on the scene? The Lord would show up and devils would start screaming. And the dead were raised!—(See Mk. 5:7 and Jn. 11:38–44.)
Likewise, when believers know who they are in Christ, sickness and death must bow! For example, when I’m ministering in a crusade, I think like this: The death around me in this crusade isn’t allowed to be at work here! Since death no longer has dominion, I take my God-given authority and make a decree; then whatever is of the “realm of death” has to bow to resurrection! There are times when I walk into a room and the diseases in people’s bodies can only hold on until I cast out a (demonic) spirit with a word. “I see you, devil. Get out!”
DEATH IS ALWAYS ROOTED IN SIN
Now let’s go on to Romans 6, verses 10 and 11: “For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. So, count yourselves to be dead to sin in the same way—in that Jesus counted Himself dead and resurrected—count yourselves dead and resurrected. That means death no longer has dominion over you! Equally, don’t let sin reign—
“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts” (v. 12).
Friends, there is a place where because we love Jesus, we obey His commands; and because there is a love, we don’t want to wound His heart. After all, we’re in a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ and we don’t want to hurt the One we love. There is a choice—if you let sin reign, then death reigns because the power of death is always rooted in sin—especially willful, habitual sin, offense, bitterness, and unforgiveness.
In fact, it wasn’t until one man sinned by disobeying God that sickness, poverty, bondage and death came into the world and spread to all mankind (Rom. 5:12). Initially, the one, Adam (and Eve) brought the curse, and it became the curse of the law. Then every conceivable sin that you could imagine, every conceivable sickness or disease, came into the curse. But we were (and are) rescued from the curse because ultimately, the One, Jesus Christ conquered death. Through His death and resurrection, our sin and death are defeated and now both freedom from sin and resurrection can spread to all mankind!
“For just as [because of their union of nature] in Adam all people die, so also [by virtue of their union of nature] shall all in Christ be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:22, The Amplified Bible).
“The first man Adam became a living being (an individual personality); the last Adam (Christ) became a life-giving Spirit [restoring the dead to life]” (v. 45).
The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2).
Look. There is a law! That law of sin and death is a spiritual law and all of hell is ready to back-up that law. But the law of the Spirit of life, the law of resurrection in Christ Jesus, has made me free from the law of sin and death and all of heaven is ready to enforce that law! Therefore, the truth is, it’s a law that I’m not sick (sickness can be defeated)! It’s a law that I’m the blessed one. It’s a spiritual law: “Devil you can’t hold me down!” There is a law of the spirit realm, the law of the spirit world, the law of resurrection!
But, in order to ensure your freedom from the curse of the law, don’t miss these three vital principles: First, remember, the law of sin and death can only be broken by Jesus Christ and if you’re born again. Second, God can only enforce the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus as you do your part by confessing your sins and asking Him to forgive you and cleanse you (according to 1 John 1:9). Third, you must also take responsibility for wielding your authority against the enemy’s attacks, but you can only do a thorough job if you know who you are in Christ.
Then the ruler of this world (the devil) has nothing to hang on to, no claim on you. After all, Satan couldn’t do a thing to stop anything Jesus did! Why? It was because Jesus was without sin—“. . . the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me." (Jn. 14:30). That’s what I’m aiming for! How about you?
As I said last week, only the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of holiness can help us conquer what the flesh wants. True overcoming only happens as we abide in Christ, not having our own righteousness “which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.” And overcoming happens by knowing Him: “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,” (Phil. 3: 9, 10, emphasis mine).
You can’t even get to the power of His resurrection until you can say, “I know Him!” There will be no power of Christ’s resurrection working in your life unless you know Him intimately. It’s about intimacy, but not just an intimacy wherein you spend time with the Lord. I’m talking about being “one in the spirit.” (Study John 17:20–23). Then God’s glory is sure to shine through you and the people around you will notice this—“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). Friends, when you’ve “been with Jesus” like Peter and John you’ll know what real faith is.
REAL FAITH BRINGS REIGNING AND RESURRECTION POWER
Look at what Paul the apostle said about faith: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20, emphasis mine). It bears repeating: “the life that I now live, I live by faith. . .” You see, you’re not going to have resurrection without faith. We must understand what faith, real faith is and how faith works! As a matter of fact, get every book, get every series that you can on faith! Equally, always remember that faith and intimacy go hand in hand. Just as I said in Part One, if intimacy with God is lacking there will be no reigning and resurrection power, so too, anointing will not manifest without you being full of faith.
TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT YOUR FAITH & PRESS IN ALL THE WAY
So we need to remove the unbelief. Actually, Jesus “removed unbelief” by having the people who were in fear and/or unbelief leave the location where He was about to perform a miracle (Lk. 8:51–55). Because there is something about being sure that those that are with you are just as “in faith” as you are. Unbelief hinders miracles. Jesus, Himself, was hindered from doing miracles in his hometown because of the people’s unbelief (Matt. 13:58). For instance, I’ve had meetings where I was full of faith, but other people there brought their unbelief into the meeting and their lack of faith hindered the flow. I’ve had to say on a few occasions, “If you don’t believe and you’re a skeptic, I want you to leave the meeting right now.” Until they left, I could not move in the realm of miracles fully. So protect your faith.
Put boundaries in place to protect what you believe. Here is an example of what I mean by “boundaries.” Sometimes there are certain influences—it might be from the people around you who want to challenge your beliefs—yet not in a positive way. But when you have worked through your Christian beliefs with good, sound, mature, men and women and, for instance, you believe that healing and prosperity are inherent in salvation; protect that belief. There are things that I won’t even entertain because I don’t want to mess up my groove. I won’t even debate it. I don’t want to be sidetracked or waste my time by allowing such things to get into my grid!
Faith is something you go after and you keep. “God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). Contend and be aggressive about pressing in. The Bible says: “And from the time John the Baptist began preaching and baptizing until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing . . .” (Matt. 11:12 NIV, emphasis mine). So keep warring, don’t let up; be persistent like the widow (Luke 18:1–8). She just kept coming to the judge, asking for justice and in the end the Lord said,
“Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (vv. 6–8).
Press in, contend and be aggressive like the Prophet Elijah, after he discerned that rain was coming. He went into intercession seven times on Mount Carmel, each time sending his servant to check and see if rain was on the way (1 Kings 18: 43–45). So don’t stop praying and believing mid-way. Pray through till you’re convinced, based on what God already said and begin to walk in an attitude of thanksgiving even if your circumstances aren’t changing. Remember, you’re pressing in for what you know God wants you to have. Receive what He said, by faith; yes, acknowledge the circumstances, but at the same time, what you have received from God by faith is more real.
THROUGH FAITH IN THE WORKING OF GOD
Resurrection happens through faith in the working of God. Let’s take a look at Colossians Chapter 2, verse 12: “buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead” (Col. 2:12). There is a connection between understanding the effective working of His power, the power that works within you and me, and the outward power that manifests.
An example would be when someone is healed in their body when the manifest power of God is evident in a meeting, but it works according to the connection between the manifest power, outward manifest kingdom power, and the power that works within you.
Also, instead of being so focused on getting more power, we need to focus more on having faith “through the working of God.” We need to understand how the power that’s on the inside works and begin to focus on strengthening the inner man, and learning how to tap into the anointing that we already have on the inside. So we need to build ourselves up and recharge the “dunamis power” of the “battery” that we already have on the inside. And one way to build ourselves up in our most holy faith is to pray in tongues. We’ll activate the “dunamis generator!” As we do, through faith and working with God, resurrection life and power will manifest!
CLOSING
I don’t want to close this series, without mentioning how the dunamis generator is directly connected to the virtue of Christ that’s inside you and me—“Christ in you” (Col. 1:27). It’s a river that works on the inside, 24 hours a day. It’s like a generator, seven days a week. Due to time and space limitations I cannot share more about this, except to say that I have put together a whole series on how to release the miraculous healing virtue of Jesus Christ in the Real Power DVD teaching series. You’ll learn how you can release the virtue of Jesus—the anointing that is on the inside of you!Also, we have an amazing resource called, The Kingdom School, which covers 14 cutting edge sessions, from Kingdom Mindset and Divine Inheritance, to The Kingly Anointing and The Breaker Anointing, and more. Just go to our web store at www.freshfire.ca
REIGNING and RESURRECTION
by Revivalist Todd Bentley - [as edited by Kathy Thorne]PART 2 of 2 - ( PART 1 )
In God’s kingdom there is just so much to look forward to! In fact, God will take us as far as we want to go. I’m talking about depth, the deep things of God. And yet, as I’ve been thinking about how the whole concept of resurrection is perceived by many in the church, it’s like a lot of believers only see its relevance in light of an Easter Sunday sermon. Or others think that resurrection is all about our heavenly bodies, the rapture, or the second coming—it tends to be something in the future.
RESURRECTION IS ACTUALLY AN ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLE
On top of that, some Christians consider the whole idea about resurrection, or the opportunity to actually raise the dead, to be pretty radical. But according to scripture, resurrection from the dead is part of the foundation of Christian belief. It’s actually an elementary principle! The Book of Hebrews, Chapter 6, verses 1 and 2, says:
“THEREFORE LET us go on and get past the elementary stage in the teachings and doctrine of Christ (the Messiah), advancing steadily toward the completeness and perfection that belong to spiritual maturity. Let us not again be laying the foundation of repentance and abandonment of dead works (dead formalism) and of the faith [by which you turned] to God, with teachings about purifying, the laying on of hands, the resurrection from the dead, and eternal judgment and punishment. [These are all matters of which you should have been fully aware long, long ago.]” (vv. 1, 2, The Amplified Bible, emphasis mine).
Still, even though resurrection from the dead is a foundational principle, in order to actually receive and walk in all the benefits involved in what resurrection promises, we need to have our minds renewed.
DEATH NO LONGER HAS DOMINION
In this regard, in Part One, I shared about how I was developing a “resurrection mindset” and how I realized that the same glory (or resurrection power) that raised Jesus up after his crucifixion had not only touched me; it was working inside of me. Let me explain another aspect concerning this revelation; my point being—today, I’ve come to understand that “death no longer has dominion.” Romans Chapter 6, verse 9 says:
“knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him” (Rom. 6:9).
Now, because I am a born again believer and I believe that death no longer has dominion, and since sickness and disease cause death, then I have the right to refuse the diseases of the world, the viruses, the sicknesses, the bacteria—or whatever exists in the world that brings death. I refuse it!
Now, I don’t deny the circumstances; I mean if you have cancer, or a tumor, it’s real. But there is something about when your body begins to understand that your spirit is raised from the dead—“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Rm. 8:11) Cancer! You can’t live here!
The same goes for poverty. Poverty is death. Look. Any kind of oppression in your life, any kind of torment, any kind of depression—it’s the work of the devil—and it is defeated because death no longer has dominion! In fact, death has to bow! It bowed to Jesus wherever He went. Can you imagine how tense darkness became every time Jesus showed up on the scene? The Lord would show up and devils would start screaming. And the dead were raised!—(See Mk. 5:7 and Jn. 11:38–44.)
Likewise, when believers know who they are in Christ, sickness and death must bow! For example, when I’m ministering in a crusade, I think like this: The death around me in this crusade isn’t allowed to be at work here! Since death no longer has dominion, I take my God-given authority and make a decree; then whatever is of the “realm of death” has to bow to resurrection! There are times when I walk into a room and the diseases in people’s bodies can only hold on until I cast out a (demonic) spirit with a word. “I see you, devil. Get out!”
DEATH IS ALWAYS ROOTED IN SIN
Now let’s go on to Romans 6, verses 10 and 11: “For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. So, count yourselves to be dead to sin in the same way—in that Jesus counted Himself dead and resurrected—count yourselves dead and resurrected. That means death no longer has dominion over you! Equally, don’t let sin reign—
“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts” (v. 12).
Friends, there is a place where because we love Jesus, we obey His commands; and because there is a love, we don’t want to wound His heart. After all, we’re in a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ and we don’t want to hurt the One we love. There is a choice—if you let sin reign, then death reigns because the power of death is always rooted in sin—especially willful, habitual sin, offense, bitterness, and unforgiveness.
In fact, it wasn’t until one man sinned by disobeying God that sickness, poverty, bondage and death came into the world and spread to all mankind (Rom. 5:12). Initially, the one, Adam (and Eve) brought the curse, and it became the curse of the law. Then every conceivable sin that you could imagine, every conceivable sickness or disease, came into the curse. But we were (and are) rescued from the curse because ultimately, the One, Jesus Christ conquered death. Through His death and resurrection, our sin and death are defeated and now both freedom from sin and resurrection can spread to all mankind!
“For just as [because of their union of nature] in Adam all people die, so also [by virtue of their union of nature] shall all in Christ be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:22, The Amplified Bible).
“The first man Adam became a living being (an individual personality); the last Adam (Christ) became a life-giving Spirit [restoring the dead to life]” (v. 45).
The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2).
Look. There is a law! That law of sin and death is a spiritual law and all of hell is ready to back-up that law. But the law of the Spirit of life, the law of resurrection in Christ Jesus, has made me free from the law of sin and death and all of heaven is ready to enforce that law! Therefore, the truth is, it’s a law that I’m not sick (sickness can be defeated)! It’s a law that I’m the blessed one. It’s a spiritual law: “Devil you can’t hold me down!” There is a law of the spirit realm, the law of the spirit world, the law of resurrection!
But, in order to ensure your freedom from the curse of the law, don’t miss these three vital principles: First, remember, the law of sin and death can only be broken by Jesus Christ and if you’re born again. Second, God can only enforce the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus as you do your part by confessing your sins and asking Him to forgive you and cleanse you (according to 1 John 1:9). Third, you must also take responsibility for wielding your authority against the enemy’s attacks, but you can only do a thorough job if you know who you are in Christ.
Then the ruler of this world (the devil) has nothing to hang on to, no claim on you. After all, Satan couldn’t do a thing to stop anything Jesus did! Why? It was because Jesus was without sin—“. . . the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me." (Jn. 14:30). That’s what I’m aiming for! How about you?
As I said last week, only the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of holiness can help us conquer what the flesh wants. True overcoming only happens as we abide in Christ, not having our own righteousness “which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.” And overcoming happens by knowing Him: “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,” (Phil. 3: 9, 10, emphasis mine).
You can’t even get to the power of His resurrection until you can say, “I know Him!” There will be no power of Christ’s resurrection working in your life unless you know Him intimately. It’s about intimacy, but not just an intimacy wherein you spend time with the Lord. I’m talking about being “one in the spirit.” (Study John 17:20–23). Then God’s glory is sure to shine through you and the people around you will notice this—“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). Friends, when you’ve “been with Jesus” like Peter and John you’ll know what real faith is.
REAL FAITH BRINGS REIGNING AND RESURRECTION POWER
Look at what Paul the apostle said about faith: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20, emphasis mine). It bears repeating: “the life that I now live, I live by faith. . .” You see, you’re not going to have resurrection without faith. We must understand what faith, real faith is and how faith works! As a matter of fact, get every book, get every series that you can on faith! Equally, always remember that faith and intimacy go hand in hand. Just as I said in Part One, if intimacy with God is lacking there will be no reigning and resurrection power, so too, anointing will not manifest without you being full of faith.
TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT YOUR FAITH & PRESS IN ALL THE WAY
So we need to remove the unbelief. Actually, Jesus “removed unbelief” by having the people who were in fear and/or unbelief leave the location where He was about to perform a miracle (Lk. 8:51–55). Because there is something about being sure that those that are with you are just as “in faith” as you are. Unbelief hinders miracles. Jesus, Himself, was hindered from doing miracles in his hometown because of the people’s unbelief (Matt. 13:58). For instance, I’ve had meetings where I was full of faith, but other people there brought their unbelief into the meeting and their lack of faith hindered the flow. I’ve had to say on a few occasions, “If you don’t believe and you’re a skeptic, I want you to leave the meeting right now.” Until they left, I could not move in the realm of miracles fully. So protect your faith.
Put boundaries in place to protect what you believe. Here is an example of what I mean by “boundaries.” Sometimes there are certain influences—it might be from the people around you who want to challenge your beliefs—yet not in a positive way. But when you have worked through your Christian beliefs with good, sound, mature, men and women and, for instance, you believe that healing and prosperity are inherent in salvation; protect that belief. There are things that I won’t even entertain because I don’t want to mess up my groove. I won’t even debate it. I don’t want to be sidetracked or waste my time by allowing such things to get into my grid!
Faith is something you go after and you keep. “God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). Contend and be aggressive about pressing in. The Bible says: “And from the time John the Baptist began preaching and baptizing until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing . . .” (Matt. 11:12 NIV, emphasis mine). So keep warring, don’t let up; be persistent like the widow (Luke 18:1–8). She just kept coming to the judge, asking for justice and in the end the Lord said,
“Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (vv. 6–8).
Press in, contend and be aggressive like the Prophet Elijah, after he discerned that rain was coming. He went into intercession seven times on Mount Carmel, each time sending his servant to check and see if rain was on the way (1 Kings 18: 43–45). So don’t stop praying and believing mid-way. Pray through till you’re convinced, based on what God already said and begin to walk in an attitude of thanksgiving even if your circumstances aren’t changing. Remember, you’re pressing in for what you know God wants you to have. Receive what He said, by faith; yes, acknowledge the circumstances, but at the same time, what you have received from God by faith is more real.
THROUGH FAITH IN THE WORKING OF GOD
Resurrection happens through faith in the working of God. Let’s take a look at Colossians Chapter 2, verse 12: “buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead” (Col. 2:12). There is a connection between understanding the effective working of His power, the power that works within you and me, and the outward power that manifests.
An example would be when someone is healed in their body when the manifest power of God is evident in a meeting, but it works according to the connection between the manifest power, outward manifest kingdom power, and the power that works within you.
Also, instead of being so focused on getting more power, we need to focus more on having faith “through the working of God.” We need to understand how the power that’s on the inside works and begin to focus on strengthening the inner man, and learning how to tap into the anointing that we already have on the inside. So we need to build ourselves up and recharge the “dunamis power” of the “battery” that we already have on the inside. And one way to build ourselves up in our most holy faith is to pray in tongues. We’ll activate the “dunamis generator!” As we do, through faith and working with God, resurrection life and power will manifest!
CLOSING
I don’t want to close this series, without mentioning how the dunamis generator is directly connected to the virtue of Christ that’s inside you and me—“Christ in you” (Col. 1:27). It’s a river that works on the inside, 24 hours a day. It’s like a generator, seven days a week. Due to time and space limitations I cannot share more about this, except to say that I have put together a whole series on how to release the miraculous healing virtue of Jesus Christ in the Real Power DVD teaching series. You’ll learn how you can release the virtue of Jesus—the anointing that is on the inside of you!Also, we have an amazing resource called, The Kingdom School, which covers 14 cutting edge sessions, from Kingdom Mindset and Divine Inheritance, to The Kingly Anointing and The Breaker Anointing, and more. Just go to our web store at www.freshfire.ca
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Laying Down Your Life
"BETTER TO LIVE ONE DAY AS A LION, THAN A THOUSAND AS A COWARD."
Quote from the Memorial for Women Czech Resistance Fighters
I found this in a journal of mine from last year, entry July 20th, 2007:
I am going to risk being wrong. If I die, at least I died trying and not lived as a coward.
Quote from the Memorial for Women Czech Resistance Fighters
I found this in a journal of mine from last year, entry July 20th, 2007:
I am going to risk being wrong. If I die, at least I died trying and not lived as a coward.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Reigning & Resurrection - Part 1 of 2
By Todd Bentley (Fresh Fire Ministries)
Reigning and Resurrection - Part 1 of 2 close Print
In this is a two-part teaching entitled: Reigning and Resurrection Power, Todd establishes the connection between reigning and resurrection with a very convincing description of the power and authority that are ours when we enter the kingdom of Jesus by being born of the Spirit. Taking his water baptism as an example, Todd shares how that prophetic act marked him for life; and you’ll be quickened with excitement as you discover how the same glory that raised Christ from the dead is available to work in you too. You’ll also learn what it takes to receive your full inheritance, and about how resurrection goes hand in hand with reigning and advancing God’s kingdom NOW. Next week Todd gives more keys for reigning and resurrection that connect to the importance of walking by faith.
REIGNING AND RESURRECTION
by Revivalist Todd Bentley [as edited by Kathy Thorne]Part 1
It’s true! We don’t need resurrection power in heaven; no one is going to be raised from the dead in heaven! But we certainly need the anointing to flow out of our lives here on earth. I mean the anointing that gives life—it’s essential if we’re going to partner with God to overthrow the powers of darkness—because both death and destruction stalk the earth continually. That anointing will empower us to walk full-out in our authority—reigning—being determined believers who advance God’s kingdom in the earth, just like it is in heaven. The stakes are high, but resurrection power will make the difference!Now, you might be wondering how “resurrection power” and “reigning” work together and how both can be activated in your life. To answer to that, we’ll examine several essential elements in this teaching series, real keys for reigning and walking in resurrection power. So here we go!
THE NEW BIRTH OPENS GOD’S KINGDOM!
First of all, let’s acknowledge together that God is a God of order. Just try and imagine what the world would be like if He wasn’t! He is orderly, and it’s by His design that our first nature is spirit. Yes we have a body but the spirit comes first. He created us that way.Now, think for a few moments about your first nature, spirit, in the context of your born again experience. Your new birth was momentous! Because everything about you today, in Christ, hinges on that experience! That’s when your spirit came to life—alive in Christ (1 Pet. 3:18). You are no longer a natural being that has a spirit; you’re a spiritual being that has a body! You’re a brand new creation in Christ who lives, for a time, on the earth; one who is learning to live in your true nature, in Christ Jesus, which is spirit (2 Cor. 5:17). The fact is, (for all true believers), the moment we’re born again an earth-shaking shift takes place. We are transported from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son! As well, we come into the right position for receiving God’s great benefits, which include the necessary keys for activating our spiritual senses. So, you can see that the new birth opens up God’s kingdom. However, if you don’t have the new birth, then you certainly won’t be seeing or entering His kingdom!—(John 3:3, 5).Yes, we have a body but we’re spiritual beings first, and though we’re here on earth, our citizenship is actually in heaven (Phil. 3:20). I’m a citizen of heaven first, and I’m a Canadian citizen. Keeping that revelation in mind, did you know that you and I don’t have to wait to die and go to heaven for heaven to be a reality in our lives? I say that because God’s word says that “the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15)—it’s a “now” word—and “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). It’s “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” NOW (Col. 1:27).
LIVE IN CHRIST, DIE TO SELF & EXPERIENCE YOUR RESURRECTION!
Ironically, soon after the new birth, a death experience comes along—death to self, death to our carnal nature—that “old man!” But we can thank God for the resurrection that follows! One way to illustrate this whole paradox is by sharing about my water baptism. I was told, “Todd, something is going to happen when you go down in that water; you’re going to come up a new man!” It was true. At the convergence of two acts something happened. Here’s how:First, when I went under the water, I purposefully identified with Christ when He died and was placed into a tomb; symbolically I was dying to self. In other words, when you’re baptized—you identify with the truth, and that truth is that you have died—your old nature; its sins and passions—you’ve died. Believe it!—“Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? (Rom 6:3, emphasis mine). It’s done! Second, when I came up out of the water, just as Christ was resurrected, so was I! Resurrection into newness of life!—“Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (v. 4, emphasis mine).” Done! A spiritual impartation happened; it was activated by the power of what was taking place in the spirit by that prophetic act. Although we tend to put resurrection in the future, it isn’t just a future event! And when that revelation hit me I started developing a resurrection mindset, thinking: My spirit has been raised from the dead. I know what it’s like, that same “glory” that raised Christ from the dead. That same glory is what’s touched my spirit and made me alive! I’ve already experienced the very same resurrection power that raised Jesus up from the tomb; it not only has touched me, it’s working inside of me! It’s the anointing, the Holy Spirit that dwells in me! That revelation was like being gloriously born again, again!
SO WHAT DOES RESURRECTION LOOK LIKE?
I’m talking about the likeness of His resurrection and the idea that as we walk in “newness of life” we walk in victory. You can’t tell me that there is resurrection power and ruling operating in your life if you’re being defeated in your own spirit. That resurrection power is yours if you’ll use it! At your disposal is the Spirit of God. He is the Spirit of holiness (Rom. 1:4), which is the Spirit of resurrection, and only He can make death die; only the Holy Spirit can help us to overcome what the flesh wants. He responds when we seek holiness and demonstrate reverential fear of the Lord.Actually, the Spirit of holiness is seven things. The Holy Spirit: corrects, counsels, strengthens, helps, intercedes, is our defense attorney and the comforter called alongside. It’s the Holy Spirit residing within us, and the effective working of His power working within us, that makes us holy, that sanctifies us, and makes us righteous. Two keys are: His grace and our obedience. We can’t say that we’re holy without obedience. In fact, we can only manifest God’s kingdom to the extent we’re willing to sacrifice, surrender and be obedient. The greater the obedience and total surrender, the greater the manifestation of power, and the model is Jesus. With resurrection power, our old self becomes so dead that we become dead to the things that the flesh wants. It’s newness of life, which means: overcoming sickness, disease and poverty; reigning in resurrection; raising the dead. What a rich inheritance! And it’s ours today! Not just when we get to heaven.
FIRST INTIMACY, THEN INHERITANCE ON EARTH & IN HEAVEN
Just look at what the Apostle Paul said in his prayer to the Ephesian church about our inheritance: “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will” (Eph. 1:11). He goes on to describe three aspects in our inheritance: that we may know one, what is the hope of His calling; two, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints; and three, what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places (vv. 1:17–20, emphasis mine). So, I’m not just focused on who I am in Christ, I’m focused on discovering who Christ is in me. In that discovery, I’m being drawn into a deep friendship with God in the secret place. That’s where I’m finding out more and more about the scope of my inheritance—for instance, reigning and resurrection power, and more. Conversely, if I was continually ignoring the Holy Spirit, even though I am born again and God’s word says I can enter the kingdom of God, I would not be in the right position to receive all of my inheritance. Think about this. We can enter the kingdom of God, yes, but not everyone that enters the kingdom of God inherits the kingdom of God! The key to inheritance is intimacy and revelation and through this I know that, spiritually, I’ve been made a “king”. This is my spiritual status, to reign on this earth—and so I’m beginning to reign today! But, of course, without intimacy with God, I won’t have the reigning and resurrection power! What’s more, what we gain as we advance and grow here, we take with us into eternity. Don’t miss this. The degree to which we faithfully act on the revelation God gives us, is the degree of responsibility that we will have in eternity. There are degrees; and this will affect our “brightness” in heaven. Every “star” differs in glory. We’re mistaken if we think that if we all ended up in heaven right now, we’d be equals; that somehow once we enter the pearly gates everything that I see, you see; and everything that becomes my experience, becomes your experience. Or that whatever we’ve done here doesn’t count.
I, for one, want to get to know God; I want to rule and reign in the universe and hang out with the angels. “God, can you create another planet with souls on it that need to be saved and send me there?” I want to talk about different things with Michael (archangel) and Gabriel (angel). “Come on Abraham! We’ve got to have a conversation about . . .” Heaven would be pretty boring if we just kind of showed up and said, “Here I am! Done!”
CLOSING
Reigning and resurrection certainly goes hand in hand with understanding the scope of our inheritance in Christ in the light of both the here and now, and eternity. Not only do we reign in eternity, we are meant to reign here on earth now. Resurrection is about reigning in life, having dominion, taking authority, advancing the kingdom, and destroying the works of the devil NOW!
Reigning and Resurrection - Part 1 of 2 close Print
In this is a two-part teaching entitled: Reigning and Resurrection Power, Todd establishes the connection between reigning and resurrection with a very convincing description of the power and authority that are ours when we enter the kingdom of Jesus by being born of the Spirit. Taking his water baptism as an example, Todd shares how that prophetic act marked him for life; and you’ll be quickened with excitement as you discover how the same glory that raised Christ from the dead is available to work in you too. You’ll also learn what it takes to receive your full inheritance, and about how resurrection goes hand in hand with reigning and advancing God’s kingdom NOW. Next week Todd gives more keys for reigning and resurrection that connect to the importance of walking by faith.
REIGNING AND RESURRECTION
by Revivalist Todd Bentley [as edited by Kathy Thorne]Part 1
It’s true! We don’t need resurrection power in heaven; no one is going to be raised from the dead in heaven! But we certainly need the anointing to flow out of our lives here on earth. I mean the anointing that gives life—it’s essential if we’re going to partner with God to overthrow the powers of darkness—because both death and destruction stalk the earth continually. That anointing will empower us to walk full-out in our authority—reigning—being determined believers who advance God’s kingdom in the earth, just like it is in heaven. The stakes are high, but resurrection power will make the difference!Now, you might be wondering how “resurrection power” and “reigning” work together and how both can be activated in your life. To answer to that, we’ll examine several essential elements in this teaching series, real keys for reigning and walking in resurrection power. So here we go!
THE NEW BIRTH OPENS GOD’S KINGDOM!
First of all, let’s acknowledge together that God is a God of order. Just try and imagine what the world would be like if He wasn’t! He is orderly, and it’s by His design that our first nature is spirit. Yes we have a body but the spirit comes first. He created us that way.Now, think for a few moments about your first nature, spirit, in the context of your born again experience. Your new birth was momentous! Because everything about you today, in Christ, hinges on that experience! That’s when your spirit came to life—alive in Christ (1 Pet. 3:18). You are no longer a natural being that has a spirit; you’re a spiritual being that has a body! You’re a brand new creation in Christ who lives, for a time, on the earth; one who is learning to live in your true nature, in Christ Jesus, which is spirit (2 Cor. 5:17). The fact is, (for all true believers), the moment we’re born again an earth-shaking shift takes place. We are transported from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son! As well, we come into the right position for receiving God’s great benefits, which include the necessary keys for activating our spiritual senses. So, you can see that the new birth opens up God’s kingdom. However, if you don’t have the new birth, then you certainly won’t be seeing or entering His kingdom!—(John 3:3, 5).Yes, we have a body but we’re spiritual beings first, and though we’re here on earth, our citizenship is actually in heaven (Phil. 3:20). I’m a citizen of heaven first, and I’m a Canadian citizen. Keeping that revelation in mind, did you know that you and I don’t have to wait to die and go to heaven for heaven to be a reality in our lives? I say that because God’s word says that “the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15)—it’s a “now” word—and “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). It’s “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” NOW (Col. 1:27).
LIVE IN CHRIST, DIE TO SELF & EXPERIENCE YOUR RESURRECTION!
Ironically, soon after the new birth, a death experience comes along—death to self, death to our carnal nature—that “old man!” But we can thank God for the resurrection that follows! One way to illustrate this whole paradox is by sharing about my water baptism. I was told, “Todd, something is going to happen when you go down in that water; you’re going to come up a new man!” It was true. At the convergence of two acts something happened. Here’s how:First, when I went under the water, I purposefully identified with Christ when He died and was placed into a tomb; symbolically I was dying to self. In other words, when you’re baptized—you identify with the truth, and that truth is that you have died—your old nature; its sins and passions—you’ve died. Believe it!—“Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? (Rom 6:3, emphasis mine). It’s done! Second, when I came up out of the water, just as Christ was resurrected, so was I! Resurrection into newness of life!—“Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (v. 4, emphasis mine).” Done! A spiritual impartation happened; it was activated by the power of what was taking place in the spirit by that prophetic act. Although we tend to put resurrection in the future, it isn’t just a future event! And when that revelation hit me I started developing a resurrection mindset, thinking: My spirit has been raised from the dead. I know what it’s like, that same “glory” that raised Christ from the dead. That same glory is what’s touched my spirit and made me alive! I’ve already experienced the very same resurrection power that raised Jesus up from the tomb; it not only has touched me, it’s working inside of me! It’s the anointing, the Holy Spirit that dwells in me! That revelation was like being gloriously born again, again!
SO WHAT DOES RESURRECTION LOOK LIKE?
I’m talking about the likeness of His resurrection and the idea that as we walk in “newness of life” we walk in victory. You can’t tell me that there is resurrection power and ruling operating in your life if you’re being defeated in your own spirit. That resurrection power is yours if you’ll use it! At your disposal is the Spirit of God. He is the Spirit of holiness (Rom. 1:4), which is the Spirit of resurrection, and only He can make death die; only the Holy Spirit can help us to overcome what the flesh wants. He responds when we seek holiness and demonstrate reverential fear of the Lord.Actually, the Spirit of holiness is seven things. The Holy Spirit: corrects, counsels, strengthens, helps, intercedes, is our defense attorney and the comforter called alongside. It’s the Holy Spirit residing within us, and the effective working of His power working within us, that makes us holy, that sanctifies us, and makes us righteous. Two keys are: His grace and our obedience. We can’t say that we’re holy without obedience. In fact, we can only manifest God’s kingdom to the extent we’re willing to sacrifice, surrender and be obedient. The greater the obedience and total surrender, the greater the manifestation of power, and the model is Jesus. With resurrection power, our old self becomes so dead that we become dead to the things that the flesh wants. It’s newness of life, which means: overcoming sickness, disease and poverty; reigning in resurrection; raising the dead. What a rich inheritance! And it’s ours today! Not just when we get to heaven.
FIRST INTIMACY, THEN INHERITANCE ON EARTH & IN HEAVEN
Just look at what the Apostle Paul said in his prayer to the Ephesian church about our inheritance: “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will” (Eph. 1:11). He goes on to describe three aspects in our inheritance: that we may know one, what is the hope of His calling; two, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints; and three, what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places (vv. 1:17–20, emphasis mine). So, I’m not just focused on who I am in Christ, I’m focused on discovering who Christ is in me. In that discovery, I’m being drawn into a deep friendship with God in the secret place. That’s where I’m finding out more and more about the scope of my inheritance—for instance, reigning and resurrection power, and more. Conversely, if I was continually ignoring the Holy Spirit, even though I am born again and God’s word says I can enter the kingdom of God, I would not be in the right position to receive all of my inheritance. Think about this. We can enter the kingdom of God, yes, but not everyone that enters the kingdom of God inherits the kingdom of God! The key to inheritance is intimacy and revelation and through this I know that, spiritually, I’ve been made a “king”. This is my spiritual status, to reign on this earth—and so I’m beginning to reign today! But, of course, without intimacy with God, I won’t have the reigning and resurrection power! What’s more, what we gain as we advance and grow here, we take with us into eternity. Don’t miss this. The degree to which we faithfully act on the revelation God gives us, is the degree of responsibility that we will have in eternity. There are degrees; and this will affect our “brightness” in heaven. Every “star” differs in glory. We’re mistaken if we think that if we all ended up in heaven right now, we’d be equals; that somehow once we enter the pearly gates everything that I see, you see; and everything that becomes my experience, becomes your experience. Or that whatever we’ve done here doesn’t count.
I, for one, want to get to know God; I want to rule and reign in the universe and hang out with the angels. “God, can you create another planet with souls on it that need to be saved and send me there?” I want to talk about different things with Michael (archangel) and Gabriel (angel). “Come on Abraham! We’ve got to have a conversation about . . .” Heaven would be pretty boring if we just kind of showed up and said, “Here I am! Done!”
CLOSING
Reigning and resurrection certainly goes hand in hand with understanding the scope of our inheritance in Christ in the light of both the here and now, and eternity. Not only do we reign in eternity, we are meant to reign here on earth now. Resurrection is about reigning in life, having dominion, taking authority, advancing the kingdom, and destroying the works of the devil NOW!
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