Christian Fellowship
“That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving...” Psalm 26:7
Vol. 21, No. 10 October 2012
The Kingdom of God is like a seed. The life of Christ in us grows, so we cannot expect everyone in the church to be mature. It takes time and determination and encouragement to come to the place of maturity. Unfortunately, I know numerous adult people who are immature. We can’t expect babes in Christ to be anything but carnal. However, that doesn’t mean we have to stay babes or remain carnal. We must move forward into sanctification and holiness. That is what will bring us to maturity. The call of every Christian disciple is to deny self and take up his cross and follow Him.
We say we have the Spirit of Christ. But the Spirit is given only to those who are obedient, those who are willing to submit to the process of self-denial. When Christians are self-willed, they become judgmental, envious, and jealous; and they remain carnal and immature.
Carnal Christians cannot appropriate spiritual truth. They are not given to spiritual mindedness. They live according to the spirit of the world. As long as we yield to the flesh, we are incapable of receiving spiritual insight into truth.
Every Christian is called of God to be spiritual. The only way to become spiritual is to walk in righteousness. That righteousness is not in our own self-effort, but by the life of Christ in us and by the power of His Spirit.
Rom 8:6 (KJV) “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace”
It is the power of the Spirit that makes one’s thoughts, words, and walk spiritual.
In Christ,
Pr. Steve
False Revivals #1
1Jn 4:1 (KJV) Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Scripture very specifically warns us that in the End Times will come “seducing spirits,” doctrines of demons and “lying signs and wonders.” We are now in this time. We must remain alert for these things more than ever before.
We are warned that Satan transforms himself into an angel of light (2 Cor.11:14); we are warned against worshipping angels (Col.2:18); we are told that any man who brings a false gospel should be “accursed” (Gal.1:8). And these things will be so prevalent among us that, if possible, the very elect can be deceived (Mk.13:22).
People are desperate today for something tangible to hold on to and to believe. But unless we know the Word of Truth and adhere to it, we might be swept away. Don’t ever think you have arrived and can’t be deceived. I see people falling into deception continually, and all that I can do is pray because people are blind to their own way of believing and living.
I believe we are ripe for a true revival. This new generation must see the hand of God if they are going to believe. So what is TRUE REVIVAL? It is “God coming down.” When Moses came down from the mountain, he carried the holy presence and glory of God with him. The people wanted to run and hide. That is what revival has always been: an invasion of the awesome holy presence of God. And this presence has the same effect on every generation: true conviction causes people to want to run and hide and cry out in repentance. True revival will bring a deep REPENTANCE and a manifestation of the fruit of joy that follows such repentance.
Revival can be personal and/or corporate. I believe God has been going through the remnant individually and causing us to cry out in repentance in our private times and sometimes in assembly times, but the repentance has been primarily on an individual level. And oh, what joy is produced--nothing like it in all the world!
As we look for revival corporately, do not look for the top to blow off. Rather, as one writer put it, look for the bottom to fall out. The depth of a revival is totally dependent on the depth of the spirit of repentance. True repentance brings the purest sense of cleansing that a person can encounter. Sometimes there is a need to confess publically, but not always. We need to remember that revival always comes to the church first. It is a “reviving” of God’s people, so they can bring in a harvest.
Once you have identified the sin that has kept you lukewarm, you then decide what is in your life that is good or what is evil, and then you do away with the evil. Get rid of it! There must be nothing between you and God. There can be no denying doubt about anything in your life any longer. This change is what brings about a total reformation – i.e., leaving behind the old structure and pressing into the new wine:
Luk 5:37-38 “And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. (38) But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.”
Any church that tries to preserve the new wine in old skins brings forth all kinds of demonic and religious operations. If you want to preserve something of the old for posterity, the door will be open to bring in doubt, and the soothsayers who will convince you God is not changing you.
True revival will produce a “broken heart and a contrite spirit” that will remain with you so that all that you do does not hinder the Spirit. Indeed, you will be cut to the heart for change.
You will begin to sense great rejoicing and praise within, an extraordinary sense of the awe and majesty and greatness of God’s holiness with the effect of humility and adoration.
True revival is “breaking through until you are saturated with the glory and presence of God because He has brought you into His throne room with Him.”
History has shown that revival does not come until people become desperate for Him. Those who ignite revival are so sick of their own apathy and lukewarm state of living that they begin to cry out for more of God and for a fresh sense of purpose and destiny.
Before revival can break out on a large scale, God has to have people trained and prepared as His “pioneers” to be able to handle the backlash of change with a bold confrontation with truth.
God is still looking for Christians to join His rank of “Gideon’s 300”: Eze 22:30 “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.”
2Ch 16:9 “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of [them] whose heart [is] perfect toward him.”
Can you be one of these who will stand in the gap before the Lord? Are you ready to suffer reproach and rejection for the sake of the Kingdom of God? Isa.53:3 tells us Jesus was “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” The Lord is looking for this kind of person to be involved with the last day’s true revival.
One thing I have learned as we prepare for revival is that we cannot look for soulishness, hype and emotional manipulation. Do not become so desperate that you get entangled with showmanship, but rather wait for “demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Cor. 2:4).
When true revival breaks out, do not be alarmed that Satan will sow tares among the wheat to sabotage the working of the Spirit. Just be aware and prepared.
False manifestations occur when believers are seeking “touches, blessings or experiences,” rather than seeking God for God’s sake. If there is not a deeper and purer desire for Christ Himself, then soulishness will bring in great spiritual deception. The flesh will run wild. Charles Finney stated, “God’s Spirit leads men by the intelligence, not through mere impressions.” It is not unusual for people to fall under the power of God. But false manifestations produce only excitement and momentary wonder, bringing in fanaticism like a kind of “wildness.” The true work of the Spirit brings in repentance, brokenness, and trembling before God.
When we had renewal 16-17 years ago, God warned me that trouble was coming and to stop because we were not prepared. He then instructed me to move into repentance. As we did, Satan rose up and brought in division and sin, almost splitting the church. I believe we were spared because we obeyed God. Some were lost, but we never lost the presence of God. Many other churches across this nation were not spared. Multitudes began to turn away from the working of the Spirit – many left churches and non-denominational settings in order to go back to the “religious” structure. Since then, we have had many counterfeit moves of God rise up and deceive multitudes. Spiritual leaders have fallen. People are distraught, and more are leaving their churches. Although the counterfeit is now being exposed, the result has produced mistrust of Revival. DON’T BE FOOLED, BUT GET PREPARED!
-Pr. Steve
I am going to be sharing with you thoughts from my journal over the past few years. This is to show you how the Lord has brought about His Word in my life to minister to you and to show you how real this walk can be. Please read and understand by the Spirit about ...
. . . My calling as a pastor
Pastor’s Journal 2011
Oct. 4: Man tries to save himself, but to no avail. No matter what he does, it will not save him. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love. He will deliver from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. We put our hope in You.
Oct. 8: Don’t allow pride in your heart. Instead, let you heart be ruled by faith. Keep talking, I am listening!
Oct. 11: There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. I am a new creature and therefore victorious over all sin.
Oct. 12: For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose. (Phil 2:13)
Oct. 15: See to it, brothers, that none of you have a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly ’til the end the confidence we had at first. (Heb 3:12-14)
Oct. 22: You need My word of instruction and it will be enough for you to make the decisions that are necessary. You will go forth and accomplish My will; and when you look back, you will recognize I gave you enough. It will be victorious.
Oct. 25: You are working out your salvation with fear and trembling, and I will complete what is started. Maintain an attitude of becoming nothing so that I will become everything. Keep the cross before you and I will be exalted. Do not complain about the difficulties but remain blameless and pure, letting My light shine forth.
Prepare Ye the Way
Luk 14:16-23 (KJV)—(emphasis added) “Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: (17) And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. (18) And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. (19) And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. (20) And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. (21) So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. (22) And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. (23) And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.”
In many ways, and at many times in our lives, for whatever reason, we have all done our best to compel someone else to do or see something the way that we do, or see, or want a situation to be; but have we ever gone forth with that kind of passion to accomplish a request that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has made? It is always a joy and a blessing to see and hear the testimonies of Christians who have prayed and then soon experienced the answers to their prayers. Those experiences have been described by some as “Wow Moments.” But there are other “Wow Moments” to be experienced. These happen when, instead of God doing the things that we pray and ask Him to do, we do what God has asked all of us to do.
Mar 1:2-5 (KJV) “As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. (3) The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. (4) John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. (5) And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.”
For example, we read of the obedience of John the Baptist when called by God to go forth in the wilderness, baptizing those who heard him as he cried out, “Prepare ye the way.” God has called us to do more than just follow the Ten Commandments. In fact, He has called us to be His Ambassadors for the increase of the Kingdom of God. We as servants of God should be going forth, making ready the road of the King by pulverizing the lumps in the road and filling in the potholes to make the way negotiable. People need help to find the way, the truth, and the life because of the lumps and potholes which are actually the lies, misconceptions, and distractions placed there by the enemy to deter potential recipients of Christ’s salvation and to throw them off-course.
Mat 28:18-20 (KJV) “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (19) Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (20) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
God is with us and in us! So why should we fear or retreat from doing what is pleasing to Him who is the King of kings? Perhaps we should consider what the Lord has said about what becomes of us who know what to do but refuse to do it. Luk 14:27 (KJV) “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” If we ever find that we are having trouble being a disciple of Christ, maybe we should ask ourselves, “Is my difficulty in being a disciple caused because of my reluctance to go forth as a witness for Christ?” Remember this: Two-thirds of God’s name is GO.
-Kurt Thurston
Quotes:
"We made a deal - we preached and they beat us.
We were happy preaching and they were happy beating us, so everyone was happy."
-Richard Wumbrand
"As long as we are content to live without revival, we will."
- Leonard Ravenhill
"Judas heard all Christ's sermons."
-Thomas Goodwin
"The devil smiles when we make plans. He laughs when we get too busy. But he trembles when we pray-especially when we pray together."
- Corrie ten Boom
"The vague and tenuous hope that God is too kind to punish the ungodly has become a deadly opiate for the consciences of millions."
- A.W.Tozer
Next course from Christian Life Educators Network - Richmond Center:
Pearls of Wisdom from the Proverbs by: Rev. Greg Hinnant
This course is an in-depth exposition of twenty selected proverbs of divine wisdom touching on a broad range of timelessly vital subjects—motives, conscience, attitudes, speech, laziness, parenting , judgment, gifts, teaching, leadership, faithfulness, and so forth—and a full application of their principles and practical lessons to Christian thinking, living and ministry.
November 1-3, 2012
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