Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for February, 2009

Revival (of the church) and the End Time Elijah (The Third Elijah)

Posted in Christian, Christianity, tagged , , , , , , , on February 24, 2009| Leave a Comment »

If there is one thing God is saying to His church in these last days what would it be?

I believe the Lord wants His church to shine in these last days.  I believe the Lord wants to REVIVE His church.  I believe the Spirit is issueing a great call of REPENTANCE on each one of our lives so that the Bride of Christ, the Church, can be all she is meant to be.  We are so distracted and deceived, so disempowered and so tainted in many areas; but there is a ‘voice in the wilderness’, ‘the Spirit of Elijah’, the Holy Spirit asking “Who are we going to serve?’ Just like Elijah challenged the people on Mount Carmel and  just like the second Elijah (John the Baptist) challenged the people, the third Elijah (the Spirit of Elijah, the Spirit of God) is sayiing “If the Holy Spirit is God serve and obey Him”.

The following excerpt is from here…

http://www.billionsoulsforchrist.com/endtimeelijahmessage.htm

and it deserves our attention and prayerful consideration…

———————- Excerpt ————————–

The prophet Elijah, asks them to make up their minds as who is God. In verse 21, it reads :

“21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, k“How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, lfollow him.”

This is the very message that the spirit of the End Time Elijah has been given to challenge The Church or Body of Christ.  The Church has been taking each way bets regarding the Holy Spirit and His Divinity, His Person, and His role in The Church. In practice, just as the Israelites at Mt Carmel, they are between two opinions.  The time has now arrived for the decisive decision regarding the Holy Spirit. It will sharply divide those who will be made ready as the Bride of Christ and those who will be rejected like the prophets of Baal and Asherah.

When they cry out “Lord, Lord did we not serve you and cast out devils in your Name”. Jesus will reply “I never knew you” because you rejected the One Whom I sent in My Name to prepare My Bride for My Return.

Isaiah, the prophet, inspired to write the words “Prepare ye the way of the Lord. Make straight His paths”.  These words were going to be proclaimed by John the Baptist as the forerunner of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.  John the Baptist did not do any miracles unlike Elijah the prophet.  Yet Jesus and the Scriptures recognise that John the Baptist preached in the spirit and power of Elijah. Why was this?

It was the message proclaiming the imminent appearance of the Messiah as well as the powerful uncompromising message of repentance.

The message of repentance, like that of Elijah to the children of Israel on Mt Carmel, was an uncompromising call to return to the Living Lord God. John the Baptist was not sent to the Gentile nations but to the Jews challenging them to return to the Living God and to live lives  consistent with repentance.  Note that In both these instances both prophets were sent to the Jewish nation not to the Gentiles.

The End Time Elijah message is an uncompromising call to the spiritual Israel, consisting of all Christians, to repentance.  It is not a call to unbelievers to be saved. It is a call to God’s household, the Bride of Christ, to repent and return to the One Whom Christ has sent into the world to guide them in to all truth.  The Holy Spirit, Who has been rejected by the Church for 2000 years must now be restored as Lord and God over the Church as required by The Lord Jesus and The Heavenly Father

Those leaders who accept the Lordship of The Holy Spirit will be led to repentance and then intercession and worship resulting in a genuine large scale, lasting, overflowing revival within their local church that will impact their communities and beyond. The Holy Spirit will either remove those leaders who reject the offer of The Holy Spirit to become Lord of their local church from their positions or The Holy Spirit will allow that church to die.

Those Christians who refuse to recognise and worship The Holy Spirit as God will be treated by The Lord Jesus as part of the World.  Those who call themselves Christians have to contend with how they have treated the 100% alternative Helper sent by The Lord Jesus. There is an implied warning (highlighted) from The Lord Jesus Himself from John 14:15-18 below that those who cannot receive the Holy Spirit are of the world and therefore have not part in His salvation plan. This is a believers only entitlement.

“15 s“If you love Me, 4keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and tHe will give you another 5Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 uthe Spirit of truth, vwhom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you wand will be in you. 18 xI will not leave you orphans; yI will come to you. “

The Lord Jesus also further emphasised the importance of the Holy Spirit in distinguishing between believers who would be rejected and those who would be allowed to enter the wedding feast. In the parable of the wise and foolish virgins we read

“1 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming;[a] go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour[b] in which the Son of Man is coming.” Matthew 25:1-13

You will notice that they were all virgins. They were all ready for the wedding feast in terms of clothing and carrying the lamps. The ONLY difference was the LACK OF OIL for the lamp.  The oil is symbolic of The Holy Spirit throughout the Bible. The oil provides light in the darkness and it is the life in the spiritual realm.  Very significantly, The Lord Jesus Christ, through the parable showed that it was possible to be ready in every other way as well as be given the invitation to the wedding feast and yet be reject at the time of the wedding because one does not have the Holy Spirit.  The Epistles also clearly teach that The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our salvation.

Ephesians 1:13-14

“13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who[b] is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”

2 Corinthians 1:21- 2

“21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. ”

For this reason, the end-time spirit of Elijah calls upon all born-again believers to ensure that they obey the commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ to be baptised in the Holy Spirit and fire (the oil for the lamp) in order to be ready for when the messengers from Heaven declares, “Behold the bridegroom is coming: go out to meet him” Matthew 25:6

———————- Excerpt ————————–

Read Full Post »

Being at the Knife Edge (of Faith) – Part 3

Posted in Christian, Christianity, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 22, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Continuing on from Parts 1 and 2…

I’ve been trying to explain why I feel that faith in our Lord Jesus is like ‘Being at the Knife Edge’ and relating that to Elijah.  Here are a few thoughts:

1) Genuine faith in our Lord Jesus is ‘living way beyond ourselves, it’s extreme living!’. The Spirit of God, if we listen intently and we obey completely, can have us saying and going and doing so much beyond our ‘natural man’.  Faith stretches us!

2) Genuine faith in our Lord Jesus is ‘choosing to give up control of our lives’.  Our ‘natural’ response is we want to keep control of our lives but in John 3:8 Jesus says ‘The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

3) Genuine faith in our Lord Jesus is ‘a daily challenge, a daily battle’.  Faith runs contrary to our ‘natural man’.  Faith isn’t just the occassional one off event, faith is a moment by moment choice to trust in our Heavenly Father. God desires and deserves our full attention, our complete faith and trust in him.

4) Genuine faith in our Lord Jesus ‘finds out what we are made of’.  It challenges the very core of our being.  It seeks out the ‘cracks’ in our character and refines and conforms us to the image of Christ.  ‘For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son – Rom 8:29’

5) Genuine faith in our Lord Jesus ‘challenges and overcomes our fears’.  Within each one of us there is always the choice of faith in our Lord Jesus or fear.  ‘I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life – Deut 30:19‘.  Who are we going to serve?  Faith or fear? Like Elijah;  we can be living at the ‘knife edge of faith’ and then God allows something to happen that pricks or stirs or challenges our ‘natural man’ and we can ‘slide off the edge of that knife’ and start serving our fear and despair.

Let’s continue with the story of Elijah and see what happens.  Just to recap.  Elijah has run in fear from Jezebel’s threat.  He has ‘slid off the knife edge’.  He has thrown in the towel.  He has spat out the dumby (Gee, I’m not being very compassionate – however God is being very compassionate).  Elijah has collapsed in a heap.  It’s all too hard!  I’m all alone!  I want to die!  An angel comes and feeds him (twice) and sets Elijah’s journey to the Mountain of God.  The writer (ie: the Holy Spirit) makes it clear the journey takes 40 days and 40 nights so Elijah has a soul searching, flesh verses Spirit, wilderness experience before he arrives at the Mountain of God.  So now, as we continue the story, we will see if Elijah is ready to continue to be a prophet.  Is God’s prize prophet still down and out!  What is God going to do?  🙂

Let’s look at 1 Kings 19:9-19a
9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram.
16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet.
17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.
18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel — all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.”
19 So Elijah went… (NIV)

Verse 9 reminds me so much of the conversation God had with Adam and Eve.  In fact, it reminds me of the conversations God has with many people (including me).  What I mean by this is, God already knows all the facts but He asks anyway.  It’s like God is having a councelling session with Elijah – “Where are you at, Elijah?”  “Are you there yet, Elijah?”  So gently and so compassionately does the Lord deal with Elijah. Elijah’s response in verse 10 indicates he is ‘not there’ yet. He has a ways to go.

In verses 11 to 13 we have Elijah’s famous mountain top experience with God.  God chooses to reveal Himself to Elijah in an awesome way.  Elijah is going through the final part of His restoration.  Elijah is having an intimate and direct encounter with the living God.  God shows him His power and might and awesomeness and then His intimacy through His gentle whisper.  What is God doing?  He is doing what He has done to many, many people.  He is saying, I AM GOD.  I AM ALMIGHTY AND POWERFUL.  YOU MIGHT NOT UNDERSTAND BUT I AM IN FULL CONTROL OF EVERYTHING.  MY WAYS ARE HIGHER THAN YOUR WAYS.  I AM!  I AM ALL THESE AWESOME THINGS (AND DON’T GET ON MY WRONG SIDE) BUT, ALSO, I LOVE YOU AND I CARE ABOUT YOU VERY MUCH!

So what is Elijah’s response?  Verse 14, it appears Elijah gives the same response.  Here is what I want to say about this.  Elijah’s auto-response to God’s question comes blerting out again but (my belief is) it does not have the same ring or the same heart or the same hold on Elijah’s life now he has personally experienced the awesomeness and the intimacy and the rejuvination and the revelation of His Heavenly Father.

So, finally, verses 15 to 18, God tells Elijah His plan and verse 19 Elijah goes.

So what did Elijah go through?  He was controlled by his fear and anxieties and wanted to die.  He was tenderly and supernaturally fed by an angel.  His sights and journey had been set to the Mountain of God.  He has gone through a 40 day wilderness (I believe, flesh verses Spirit) experience.  He has this mountaintop experience of the awesomeness and the intimacy of God.  He has revelation of the plans of God and he IS BACK AND GOING!

May the Lord bring you revelation about this story of Elijah.

Blessings

Steve

Read Full Post »

Being at the Knife Edge (of Faith) – Part 2

Posted in Christian, Christianity, tagged , , , , , , on February 20, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Being at the Knife Edge of Faith (Part 2)

As I have mentioned in Part 1, the Lord has had me ‘ruminating’ over the life of Elijah.  In particular, Elijah’s response to Jezebel’s death threat where he runs in fear (1 Kings 19), after having such great faith and victory on Mt Carmel in defeating 850+ prophets of Baal and Asherah (1 Kings 18).

Perhaps now is the time to explain what I mean by ‘Being at the Knife Edge of Faith’.

In 2 Cor 5:7 it says we (ie: followers of Jesus) are to live by ‘faith and not by sight’ – this is what I am calling ‘being at the knife edge’.

Genuine faith challenges all of our natural settings and senses.  Our default, human settings are to live by ‘sight’.  In other words, we normally and naturally live by all of our human senses and judgement.  Also, let us not forget, our default, human settings are also heavily tainted with the sinful condition (our fallen nature) of living and serving ‘self’.  Jeremiah 17:9 describes the human heart as ‘deceitful above all things and beyond cure’.  Romans 3:23 says ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God‘.  When we truly come to Christ, when we are truly born again, when we truly give up our lives to Christ, God transforms our default settings.  That is, we longer live for self and we longer live by what we see. [‘I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me’ – Gal 2:20]  We live by complete faith and trust in our Heavenly Father, being led continually by the voice of our Father.  [For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God – Rom 8:13-14] [My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me – John 10:27]  Day by day we are to walk in the Spirit.  [So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature – Gal 5:16] [Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit – Gal 5:25]  Day by day we are to have our minds renewed.  [Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind – Rom 12:2]

This faith living is a challenge and an opposition for our ‘natural man’ who wants to keep control of our lives and every situation.

Getting back to Elijah.  Even with the great faith moments that he had had, Jezebel’s threat struck a chord in his humanity.  Elijah lost it.  Something deep within Elijah rose to the surface.  Fear came in, instead of faith.  Elijah chose death instead of life. Like the contest on Mount Carmel, the Spirit and the flesh had a contest, but this time the flesh won (for a while).  Elijah had fallen.  Ah!, but God can use these situations to flush something out that can deepen intimacy with Him.  I am remembering Peter when he had a ‘human moment’ and denigned Jesus 3 times.  God highlighted the weakness, repentance came in, and a greater intimacy and committment came in.

I have much more to say about Elijah but let me leave you with these verses from Colossians 3:1-10:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.
But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips.
Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices
and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator

Read Full Post »

The Day the King Came to Visit

Posted in Christian, Christianity, tagged , , , , , , , on February 7, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Once upon a time there was a great King who ruled the land with justice and mercy. One day the King come to stay with the Lipona family (the Lipona’s lived in a region of the land called Religionville).  Here is the story of when the King came to visit the Lipona’s.

There was a loud knock at the door.  Mr Lipona headed for the front door.  “Who is it darling” asked Mrs Lipona.  Mr Lipona opened the door, “It’s only the King” he replied.  Mr Lipona ushered the King into the lounge room.  “Wait here” he said to the King, “You have come at a most inconvenient time.  We are in the middle of a baked dinner.  Wait here in the lounge room til we finish our dinner, and don’t touch anything OK!”  instructed Mr Lipona as he left the room.

Quite a while later Mr Lipona came back into the lounge room and said to the King “What are you doing here?”  “I have come to stay a while” said the King.  “Stay!  Stay!” exclaimed Mr Lipona, “We have no where for you to stay!”  “Haven’t you got anywhere for me to stay?” asked the King.  Mr Lipona thought intently “We have the doghouse outside, I guess Disona our dog won’t mind you sleeping in his doghouse for a day or two” he said.  “I’m a little hungry” said the King.  “You just can’t drop into people’s places around dinner time and expect to get fed can you?” replied Mr Lipona, “It’s time for you to go out to the doghouse, we are all going out to the movies tonight”.  “Maybe Disona will share with you some of his biscuits.”

The King disappointingly headed outside to sleep in the doghouse as the Lipona’s left for the movies.  The Lipona’s arrived home very late that night and they completely forgot all about the King outside in the doghouse.

The next morning, as the Lipona’s were eating their bacon and eggs at the breakfast table there was a knock at the back door.  “I wonder who that could be?” said Mr Lipona as he headed for the door.  “Oh, it’s the King” he exclaimed as he opened the door.  “Don’t come in” he said to the King, “We are already late for church.  What do you want anyway?”  “I’m a little hungry” replied the King.  Mr Lipona laughed “Didn’t you hear what I said?  We are already late for church.  There is no time to get you anything.  Look!  By the time we get home from church today we want you off this property, OK! said Mr Lipona sharply.  “OK” said the King.

You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:  “‘These people honour me with their lips,but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'”

– Matt 15:7-9(NIV)

Friends, we need to stop fooling ourselves and start honouring God in all areas of our lives.  We cannot fool God.  He knows when we honour Him and He knows when we dishonour Him.

Holy Spirit, bring back the fear of the Lord into each one of our hearts so that we reverently honour the Father in all that we do, in Jesus name, Amen

“This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.”

– Isa 66:2 (NIV)

“I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies.  Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them.  Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.

But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!

– Amos 5:21-24 (NIV)

You lie on beds inlaid with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves.
You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments.
You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.

– Amos 6:4-6 (NIV)

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

– James 1:27(NIV)

Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.
Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.

– Amos 5:14-15(NIV)

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.
Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.’

– Zech 7:9-10 (NIV)

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices — mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practised the latter, without neglecting the former.

– Matt 23:23(NIV)

Read Full Post »

The Dog That Ate Too Much

Posted in Christian, Christianity, tagged , , , , , on February 5, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Once upon a time there was a dog named Nofrute.  Nofrute was an extemely fat and lazy dog.  Oh, he occassionally used to get his Master’s slippers, but that was not without a lot of grumblings and protests.  Nofrute lived with his Master in a large house near a place called Redemption City.

One evening, Nofrute’s Master had an important meeting to attend so he had left Nofrute all alone, inside the house, for a few hours.   As soon as his Master left, Nofrute headed straight for the refrigerator (Nofrute was highly controlled by the cravings of his stomach).    Nofrute pried open the refrigerator door and started devouring a large bar of chocolate.  Then he ate a  4 litre tub of ice cream, 24 scones with whipped cream, 4 packets of chocolate biscuits, 10 large bags of chips (that he found in a cupboard) and finally 8 litres of soft drink to wash it all down.  Nofrute started feeling very sick.  He laid in the middle of the lounge room with his legs in the air.  Nofrute was in great pain and was having difficulty breathing.

An hour or so later Nofrute’s Master come home and saw Nofrute lying in the middle of the lounge room with his legs in the air.  He raced over only to find Nofrute had died.  The Master wept and wept and wept.

John 4:31-34
31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”
32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”
34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. (NIV)

Read Full Post »