Invading the Impossible - Part 1 - "How to Make the Promises of God Manifest in Your Life".
Invading the Impossible - Part 2
Invading the Impossible - Part 3
Invading the Impossible - Part 4 - "Dealing with Disappointment".
Invading the Impossible - Part 5 - "Refusing to Accept the Unacceptable".
Invading the Impossible - Part 6 - "Overthrowing Religious Control".
Invading the Impossible - Part 7 - "What Does Jesus' Exaltation Mean for Us?".
Invading the Impossible - Part 8 - "Overthrowing Religious Control - Part 2".
Invading the Impossible - Part 9 - "Invading By Reigning".
Invading the Impossible - Part 10 - "Let God Impress You".
I have said it before. Rob Rufus has spoken about having books inside him that will be published - I so pray that this is one of them! Secondly I have managed to upload a video of Ern Baxter speaking at New Covenant Church in Dunstable on his last visit just before he went to glory. He was speaking on the vital subject; "The Spirit and the Word". In this clip Ern highlights the dangers of living charismatic life without the Word of God. But on the other hand he makes this wonderful statement:
"The reason that I am a charismatic tonight is that for 60 years I have had the most delightful manifestations and evidences of the Holy Spirit in my life that I wouldn't trade for anything!".
There are so-called "Reformed charismatic" churches today that are investigating why the gifts of the Holy Spirit are not occuring in their meetings anymore but no one seems to know why it is vital that the gifts of the Spirit do happen in church meetings when we gather together! Surely Ern Baxter's comment (and indeed the entirety of Rob Rufus's 'Invading the Impossible' series) makes it clear! It is about God manifesting Himself! It is about encountering God! It is about knowing Him and being known by Him!
Here is the clip from You-Tube:
Finally I am just about to travel down to Bristol with Scott and visit the SGM church my family attends. It's the first time I have been back since my problems with them almost 3 years ago so quite a big step! The pastors have agreed to allow me back for this Sunday because my two younger sisters are getting baptised so it will be a day of mixed emotions I am sure. I may write something about the visit if there is something worth saying.
11 comments:
Do you mean you had to get permission to go to church??
Yes alas to that church. I used to go there about 3 years ago and was told I wasn't allowed to come to Sunday meetings anymore.
Eek :(
Maybe you don't want to talk about it, but to my mind even if you were deserving of church discipline that should not include exclusion from Sunday morning meetings!
Nah it's okay - time is a wonderful healer! :) Well I am sure there would be differences of opinion, but there was definately some cloudiness over the church discipline and it certainly wasn't in line with Scripture to my understanding. It is quite worrying that "disfellowshipping" can happen just on a church leader's "hunch" that I was in some kind of sin that I hadn't confessed to and that the leader admitted couldn't be proved. :(
But there we go! At least I could see my wonderful sisters get baptised and rejoice with them in that special time.
It is quite worrying that "disfellowshipping" can happen just on a church leader's "hunch" that I was in some kind of sin that I hadn't confessed to and that the leader admitted couldn't be proved. :(
Indeed! I'm not sure which better - being disfellowshipped or in my case being constantly harassed until I eventually left.
I'm glad you felt able to be present for your sisters' baptism though - I don't know whether I would have done.
God bless
Gosh Charity, being constantly harassed till you had to leave?! :( That's awful - I am so sorry. It grieves me so much that you read in the Bible about what the Church of Jesus Christ should be - and you read these harrowing testimonies of the bruised, the hurt, the lonely and the broken - everyone that Jesus Christ came to bind up!
Well I wouldn't say I was comfortable at the baptisms! I arrived just after it started so I missed that oh-so-exquisitely awful "waiting time" and sat on the back row and then left during the final chorus to avoid that oh-so-exquisitely painful wondering who will come and speak to me!
Blessings to you too! It was great to find your blog link!
Oh the power of pastors and teachers. *sigh*. It constantly grieves me when the EPheisans 4 ministries are broken up and independent churches are established and begin to grow and spiral around the power and authority of one or two pastor/teachers devoid of apostolic and prophetic ministry in their midst - to keep them grounded and rooted in encounters with the love and Presence of the Living God.
Every time - every time it seems to result in disaster, hurt, grief adn I Am reminded of a quote your brother Peter Day shared; "Be careful how you speak to My Wife" (or was it My Bride?). These men are going to hvae to face the living God one day and give account for how roughly they dealt with the Bride of Christ.
A warning for us all!
S A J B
Thank you for your kind words, Dan. I'm afraid my blog doesn't get enough attention from me - I'm rather more of a listener/reader than I am talker/writer!
A note to anonymous - unfortunately people who call themselves apostles and prophets can do just as much damage...
That's a very good point Charity. Unfortunately titles of ministry office don't always equate to a safety from abuse of that responsibility! I get a cold shudder when I see various advertising pamphlets about various conferences with something like: "Guest speaker Prophet Bill Jones" or "Guest speaker Apostle John Smith"!! Does anyone have the right to attribute those titles to themselves?
Apologies to any who believe Harry Potter is demonic ;) but one of the characters in the book made a very good point that applies I think in church life;
"Those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it".
Yes the ministry itself doesn't protect from abuse.
When I was a teen I read Watchman Nee's Song of Solomon..and as I wrote previously, learned that there was the initial response of the watchmen, to edify, build up and bring peace and security...then next thing you know they are ripping your robe off you and beating you and leaving you in the street. Read it for yourself. And in God's growth plan this seems to be the order of things from generation to generation. In the 60s, your Arthur Wallises, Bryn Jones,Gerald Coates etc..were all chucked out of existing setups. My erstwhile pastor, had his whole Argentinian existence ripped from him by the Brethren denomination..so he came back to England and God used him mightily to found a pioneering church here in Emsworth.Next thing I know, this man is doing the same to me, 20 years ago. But the thing that is important is that God is jealous for our souls and wants us to grow. At a certain point, it is not good enough to be reliant on another's ministry..we have to be identified with Christ ourselves.
When I was 18, I read a New Covenant magazine, where someone was writing about the three growth levels...and he was saying that as we move from the second stage, (the young men stage of 1John) to the 3rd level, we go through the experiences in Psalm 118 eg verses 8,9,13,18,22. But in a very real way, this dealing engrafts in us more of Christ's death and resurrection..we can say with some clout verse 21 God you have become My salvation. I can see this stuff in how Rob Rufus has been treated in Australia..and how a lot of you have been treated. It is horrible, horrible stuff...but the Way of the Lord is so so real, that He can reproduce these dealings in all our separate lives in the particular coffin shapes that we all need...and in stead of killing us, as the mourners look on, we stand there as if born again..again,
like in Ps118 verse 5..The Lord answered me and brought me into a large place. I bet Rob Rufus feels this in Hong Kong. Do you know, I went to a Rheinhardt Bonnke Prayer breakfast in London on Saturday, and felt to tell a young student there, that he should download Rob's Invasion series. He said, it's funny you felt led to say that, because my friend told me to do that yesterday. I don't think Rob really appreciates what is happening with these messages.As regards Rheinhardt, was particularly struck by his asking God for 1 million souls by his death.And how by 2000 he had to amend his goal. In this decade he is believing for 100 million decisions for Christ. Although it is already 2008, already 50 million have made a commitment.I remember being gobsmacked by Rheinhardt's original 70's goal.But how faithful is God who is always beyond!!! R. laid hands on all 2000 of us.So believing for stuff!!!
"Watchman Nee's Song of Solomon..and as I wrote previously, learned that there was the initial response of the watchmen, to edify, build up and bring peace and security...then next thing you know they are ripping your robe off you and beating you and leaving you in the street".
Wow thanks for that great quote Chris - such wisdom there! Yes there is such dependence still on ministries in the church. They are indeed gifts from the ascended Christ but one of the things I deeply appreciate about Rob Rufus's ministry is that he is trying to train his church in Hong Kong to all become equal in encounter and experience with him in God! And not to look to him as some kind of guru but to minister healing and miracles etc themselves. Whereas many of these "power crazy" ministries would not be thrilled and indeed bristle when the phrase; "God told me" is used. Even subconciously they see themselves as mediators between God and man which surely is neo-Roman Catholic in a sense?
It was almost ironic - when I was being chucked out of Bristol church, the pastor told me they had prayed about the demands they were putting on me. My response was that I too had prayed and felt strongly that God told me such demands were not of Him! It's a bit of a stalemate isn't it! God can't surely be saying two opposite things. Either the pastor wasn't hearing from God or I wasn't. Time as they say, will tell and in my view already has.
But thanks again Chris - I found that comment really helpful!
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