The Flight of the Eagle

I want to apologise for a somewhat cranky last post. That'll teach me to write a blog post just after having got home from work after a rubbish day. I was gently chastised by a friend asking if I was back into "swiping at SGM-mode" and I can assure everyone I'm not. My family are still very much involved in SGM as are some people I care deeply about. I think my frustration comes from seeing a people who used to believe in restoration and in the Holy Spirit and His power and His work - and now seem so different, so reformed and so theology-focused. That's not an excuse for being cranky!

My main annoyance was that my grouching may have distracted from my key point about a positive eschatology and evangelism! How ironic is that - I'm pleading for a more optimistic end-time world view and writing very grumpily. Anyhow - that being said I want to share a frequent dream/vision I have at times when I'm sleeping. It comes frequently especially after reading Isaiah 60; "Arise shine for your light has come ... nations will come to your light". I keep seeing myself flying in my dreams over country and cities and everywhere I fly - people are worshipping exuberantly crying out; "He is good and His love endures forever!".

I've looked on You-Tube and the closest I can come is this to what I see in my dreams;



It's so easy in day-day life to get bogged down in the trials of what life brings. But look at the eagle! He glides above and beyond and he sees so much more than we do. Can he see the nations coming to the dawning of the light of the Bride? I think he can! So, so much more than we can! We can so easily ge depressed and down-cast by life. The eagle doesn't get down-cast. He soars high above the clouds near to the sun.

There's a reason why "Life on Wings" is the name of this blog and the name of my favourite sermon of Ern Baxter's. It embodies everything that the Christian should be!

Life on Wings on Video!!

I am always, always on the hunt for Ern Baxter resources so was thrilled to find a series of nine videos on You-Tube that make available the whole classic amazing sermon that has formed the name of this blog! Here they are;













The "Eagle" Song!

Yikes!!

My Father is soo amazing and wonderful and knows exactly when encouragement is needed! I had to get up early on this Saturday morning because I have to go to a rather difficult meeting which I've been dreading. It seems to me that just as soon as I get a tantalising grip on grace and the blessings of the New Covenant there's always something isn't there to come try and throw you off! So I got up and was sitting drinking my cup of tea and found to my surpise that Cyberranger has awarded this blog as "Best Christian Blog of the Week"!

You have to understand I was always the kind of child who NEVER won awards at the Christian school I went to. Mainly because the teachers always thought I was a sulky brat! Correction! I won just one award called; "The Character Development Award". Essentially it was known as the "Naughty but Nice" award. I used to be a brat - and by the time I won the award I could just about muster a smile at my hated deputy headmaster! Just winning the award then was seen as a bit of an insult anyway!

So this is really nice, totally undeserved and an awesome blessing. I always get really excited when someone new comments on my blog. It's like meeting a new friend - with new links to new blogs that look like they are going to be great! So this is a good moment to thank you all - each and every reader who takes the time to drop by. Time is a precious commodity in this day and age and the fact you would even take a few minutes to read my ramblings ... well! So I dedicate this award to each and everyone of you. The hurting and lonely housewife wondering if God has forgotten about her (He hasn't!). The geeky college student growing up wondering if they will ever be popular. The Christian with skeletons in your closet you are terrified anyone will find out about. God is CRAZY about you! Because I am learning He loves me and if He loves me then He most surely loves you!

Have a great weekend!

Rob Rufus and Ern Baxter!!

Many will know that the similarity between Ern Baxter and Rob Rufus is one that greatly interests me and thrills me. I first began to suspect that Rob at least knew of Ern Baxter back in 2006 when we first heard him at Brighton. I had never heard anyone get so close to preaching Ern Baxter's vision of the Kingdom of God than Rob - not even Terry Virgo. That suspicion became even clearer in 2007 back in Brighton when Rob spoke about "Going into the Land" and used terminology that very few aside from Ern Baxter have used.

My suspicions were finally realised in glorious reality when I wrote to Rob Rufus and sent him a package of Ern Baxter material - my transcripts of "Life on Wings" and the "Priestly Clothing" and he was so amazingly gracious enough to write back and confirm that he did indeed know Ern Baxter and loved his preaching and teaching - particularly Ern's famous "Life on Wings" sermon.

So today I was walking back from work listening to an older sermon of Rob's from back in 2005 and almost fell over when I heard him say (and sing) this!!



I am sorry for the quality of the video - I haven't quite figured out how to get sections of sermons singled out and presented in their own right so this is the best I can do so far. But I think the sheer mention of Ern Baxter was thrilling enough for me! For those who are interested, here is Ern Baxter's original singing of his song so it can be compared with Rob's!



Life as an eagle Christian ... these two great heroes of mine shared a common passion. To "rise and soar" to the manifest Presence of God. They are truly men to be followed! What could is theology if it doesn't result in an increased relationship and a walk with the Presence and Person of God Himself?

90,000 Hits and almost 700 Posts ...

Wow! What can I say? This blog hit 80,000 hits on Wednesday 6th February 2008 and in just over 2 months for some reason 10,000 hits have passed by this site. 10,000! I have never pretended that this blog was promoting my writing, my sermons (because I don't preach) or anything else of mine other than my random thoughts! Like my best friend Pete, I am nervous of self-promotion. "Life on Wings" was started to try and promote the neglected teaching of Dr Ern Baxter (and I hope has been somewhat successful in restoring his name back to the Christian community). But the end of 2007 and the start of 2008 has been extremely special for me. I visited the "Grace and Glory Conference" in Hong Kong and had my life literally turned around because I first encountered the love of God for me as a Father. The FIRST time in my decades as a Christian and Spirit-baptised. I encountered His Presence! And I encountered His power!

So in the grand scheme of things - I really don't care if this blog ever reaches 100,000 hits. I don't care if I am ever seen as a "Christian celebrity blogger" (what's one of those anyway and what do they do!?). I've got no desire to attend a Christian blogger get-together and discuss blogging techniques! But I DO care that each and every reader who comes across this website - yes that means YOU - encounters the Presence and power of God in Jesus Christ. And I mean EVERYONE. I don't just mean my good and dear friends who I am so grateful for and love dearly - such as Pete, Julie and Aaron, Lydia, Jesse, Janelle, Luke Wood, Mark and Steph Heath and of course my ever-faithful rock Scotty! I hope you know my passion for you all to experience the life-changing Presence of God in a manifest encounter that you never forget.

But I also mean people who I have clashed with in my short blogging life such as the angry anonymous person, Eutychus and yes - even my parent's pastors. I realised tonight that in the grand scheme - the eternal vastness of heaven when we stand before the Throne and finally see our Beloved Face to face there will be no room for grudges or for disagreements! And I don't want to have any regrets on that great and awesome day when we can see the glory of God unveiled! I want to be able to run into His arms and feel His intimacy without hindrance and be able to share that with EVERY Christian brother and sister. So my prayer for you (who probably don't even come and visit anymore!) will know His Presence step into the room as you are reading.

I typed this tonight (from Rob Rufus):

"I want to be among a people that love God and His glory more than they love anything else! They want God - they want to know His voice and hear His voice! We live in a generation of people who don't know God and if He walked in they wouldn't know what His Presence is. They never heard His voice once audibly on the inside of them! They don't know the character of God - the nature of God - they are not even friends with God! God is just a concept to them ... Every believer under the New Covenant is meant to hear the voice of God - know God - walk with God - have His Presence in their lives".

And I can't mark the 90,000 hit and the almost-700th post than with a blogging prayer. Hope that's okay! Can one pray in a blog? I hope so. Ah well - I will give it a go anyhow! This prayer is for each and every person who is reading this. I don't know who you are (I don't understand or follow those internet tracking pages with maps). But the Holy Spirit does and I hope that He will apply the faith in my heart to bless YOU!

"Father ... just that word alone is worthy enough of making me stop and worship! That I can call YOU Father?! Father, I touched what it really means to know Your passion and Your love for me as Your son in Hong Kong in that fire tunnel. And it was only a glimpse! But oh what a glimpse! "The greatest thing oh Lord I see - You delight in me!". I've spent so long trying so desperately to impress You and yet stupidly been blind - that I can't impress You! But YOU can most certainly impress me! Father God, I don't know why You got me blogging. I hope my keyboard has been the pen of the ready writer - poised to write what I see. If I didn't then I'm so sorry. But I ask that You would hear my prayer tonight.

I KNOW You'll hear my prayer! Because You sent Your only and beloved Son to die for me! And when He died, His righteousness was imputed to me! Free! By grace! So tonight You have obliterated my sins and I stand in Your courts and Your scepter of grace is extended to me! Wow! Wow oh wow! Such grace demands worship yet again! But the wonder, the awesome truth is that I know this request - this prayer will reach Your ears because You are eager to hear me. Your surprise is that I don't come more often - and again, I am sorry. I have allowed disappointment to make my heart sick rather than taking your "hiding" as an invite to press in deeper into You!

But I am here now! Oh God I am here now and my request isn't small! My request is for a revealing of Your Presence across the planet that You have created! I ask that each and EVERY person who reads these words and is sitting at their keyboards now will know Your sure and certain love for them. NOW! Father will You pour out Your Fire upon them? NOW! Your Word promises so many times that I cannot even count - Your passion to pour out and reveal Yourself so all I am asking is that You will do as You promised! Do more than bless - show Your glory, show Your very Presence to Your dear children sitting and reading this most uneloquent, undeserved prayer.

Why do I ask this God? Oh I have an agenda! I am gripped, I am seized by Your promise that the earth will be covered with Your glory! And I suspect Your intention and Your plan is that when Your Church lifts it's gaze and sees that the light of the glory of Zion has dawned upon it, we will become what You intended us to be! I want to see the glory of Your Presence advance across the globe so that the cry goes up; "Who can extinguish this spreading flame"?! NO-ONE! Maybe an unsaved person is reading this. Maybe with hatred, maybe with apathy, maybe with guilt - for Your law has come and shown them their need of a Saviour. Oh God ... You so loved the world that You gave Your Son! You LOVE the world! Pour out Your love tonight. Show Your people, Your Precious One and Only Begotten, Now Seated and Reigning Son - Jesus Christ!

Do it for Your glory Lord! Reveal Your Presence that Your power may go forth in signs and wonders and miracles! That Your Church will not look to Rob Rufus's or to Terry Virgo's or to Benny Hinn's or to John Piper's or to C J Mahaney's to do the job for us. So that Your Church may realise that we ARE a royal priesthood! A holy nation! A chosen race called! Let Your Church arise King Jesus! And let Your enemies be scattered! Let Your angelic warriors advance forward tonight and bring ministering peace to the broken, healing to the sick, miracles to the hopeless and salvation to the lost!".

Again ... thank you for coming - for reading - for disagreeing when you do because you make me think. Thank you! Oh may His Presence fall on you tonight! (Or this morning if you are across time zones!). May He come! May He visit you! May His face shine upon you! Like Rob Rufus said in this sermon I am transcribing: "I am so desperate for God's glory!". We may have differing theologies but let our passion be united - a desperation for His glory!

Terry Virgo on Ern Baxter's Impact on Newfrontiers

I remember thinking (rather stupidly) at one point that I was one of the only people in the United Kingdom who remembered and treasured Ern Baxter's ministry - as my home church had gone to considerable lengths to forget his visits along with everything else associated with the Charismatic Movement. So when I was told by Peter Cockrell that Terry Virgo actually mentioned Ern Baxter during one of his messages at Stoneleigh Bible Week, I went to considerable effort to get hold of the video tape. Terry took one of his sessions at Stoneleigh Bible Week 1998 to tell "The Story So Far" of both his personal journey and that of Newfrontiers. That story is now detailed superbly in Terry's book, "No Well Worn Paths".

Terry had this to say about Ern Baxter's visit to the United Kingdom at the Lakes Bible Week in 1975.



The series that Terry refers to is called; "The King and His Army". I made sure it was one series that I transcribed and is available on George Kouri's website here. Terry himself was one of the first I made sure got a printed and bound copy for himself!

I don't mention Ern Baxter as often as I used to in the past few years of this blog - mainly because I am eagerly awaiting the launch of "Ern Baxter dot com" - a website being designed for us to continue publishing his audio and video ministry. But Ern's influence and vision continues to drive everything we do and am aiming to do. I have it on good authority that Rob Rufus also held Ern Baxter in great esteem and particularly valued Ern's message; "Life on Wings" - so it's a thrill that Ern Baxter ISN'T forgotten and indeed CANNOT be forgotten. His legacy lives on! His vision continues to drive and motivate and compel!

Life on Wings Videos

One of the first Ern Baxter documents that I transcribed was "Life on Wings" - a series of interviews that Ern conducted with Pastor Dewey Friedel shortly before he died. My friend Mark Heath kindly hosted the document for me and I have been so blessed to receive many emails speaking of the interest in it. I remember the first time my senior pastor sat me down and showed me the videos and I confess the tears flowed down my face as I watched the introduction to these videos - Ern Baxter, though dead, spoke again!

I thought it would be of interest to post those two video clips. The first contains snatches of an interview with Ern's administrator Ritch Carlton who spoke of the spiritual warfare involved in Ern's life.



The second is significant because it has "Amazing Grace" on bagpipes - a homage to Ern Baxter's Scottish roots but shows clips of photos from his life and ends with Ern concluding the interviews in prayer.



I trust and hope that they bless and stir mightily!