I love the Prophetic!

I was so incredibly blessed to read this prophetic song that was shared last Sunday from my old church in Bristol - Grace Church Bristol - by an old friend Angi who is the worship leader there. The song lyrics really hit home directly to where I am at at the moment.

It's great that the prophetic can bless others in a greater sphere than the local church! Here is what she felt God tell her;

Sunday 25th September 2011

Prophetic Song for those Struggling with Doubt.

"I hear your cry, I see your tears in the night
You are weak and you wonder why
You feel alone but I am with you

So let my grace, let my grace be enough
Find your strength in me the solid rock
for my power never ends

For I am the God who draws near unto
Those who call on me
I welcome you to my throne of grace
To find help in times of need

I hear your cry, my promised good you cannot see
Your situation’s not what you want it to be
But it’s my design and sovereignty

So let my peace, let my peace bring calm to your soul
In stormy trials I won’t let you go
Rest in the shadow of my wings

For I’m the God who heals the brokenhearted
I stoop down to seek the lost
I’ve shown my love and compassion for you

In the mercy of the cross

I’m the father to the fatherless
The defender of the weak
Always watching over you
Put your trust in me

So lift you eyes to me your Coming King
Lift your heart and voice to sing
Hope in my love that’s unfailing
I’m the sustainer of everything
I’m your God, trust in me"

Vision of Church!

I am always on the hunt for faith-building definitions of church. In this day and age there seems to be so much to affect our belief in the Bride of Christ. Denominations make much of changing of a name (confusing to me!). Others downgrade their once held positions. It's vital to hold to a Word-based expression that inevitably leads to glorious reaching of the lost.

Dave Holden tweeted this morning;

"Sadly, many churches in the UK struggle to catch this vision. The reason, I believe, has to do with their foundations. Many are built fundamentally on pastoral foundations. This means that the leaders of these churches see it as their duty to only care for ‘their people’, not necessarily to be released to go and reach new people. Members of this kind of church see having their needs met as the primary reason for being in the church. If this doesn’t happen then they become easily disappointed. They may well even leave and go and find another church in the hope that they might do a better job! They may even object when the church starts to grow, realising that the more people there are, the less likely it is that attention will be given to them!

If, however, your church is built on apostolic, prophetic foundations as described for example in Ephesians 2:19-22, your church has at its very root a passion to be sent and to send. In other words, we exist not only to meet the needs of our existing members, but to constantly desire to go and meet the needs of those who are not yet a part of us".

Oh for more churches with this apostolic/prophetic foundations!

What Foundation? Pastoral or Prophetic?

I have greatly been enjoying Terry Virgo's new book; "The Spirit-Filled Church" and have almost finished it. One of his greatest giftings is presenting a sound theological apologetic for Ephesians 4 Ministries - all of them! While speaking at Brighton 2002 on Ephesians 2 - Terry made the point that the church hasn't finished being built and so continues to need apostles and prophets to lay a foundation! The issue is not even about the sufficiency of Scripture. It is about the church being properly built in regions beyond such as China or the Middle East!

In "The Spirit-Filled Church" Terry compared a church built on a pastoral foundation to a church built on prophetic foundations;

"Churches are sometimes built on a predominantly pastoral gift. When this is the case, they run the risk of concentrating on the needs of the flock rather than on the purpose of God. The flock can come to see pastoral care as the key factor of church life. The church can be constantly evaluated on the basis of whether their church can be constantly evaluated on the basis of whether their personal needs are being met rather than whether God's purpose is being fulfilled".

What about churches led by strong teachers (such as Westminster Chapel when Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones or Dr R T Kendall led it or indeed New Covenant Church in Dunstable when Stanley Jebb led us)? Terry wrote;

"If the church is built essentially and exclusively on a teaching gift it will tend to produce a preaching centre that gathers a crowd but does not build a body".

It is the desperate need of churches in the UK I believe that God raises up prophets and churches who happily welcome such prophets so these foundations can be re-laid. We have a far-too great majority of churches led exclusively with pastor/teacher foundations. I can only think of a few churches that could claim and show a true apostolic/prophetic gifting.

Where are the Fathers?

I am enjoying a couple of days off work presently - yesterday I spent a wonderful morning with my dear friend Pete Day in London. We spent time praying, hearing from God and one of the aches on our hearts was the apparent lack of spiritual fathers. And our prayer was that God will give to us - not organisational apostles but relational fathers who can lead and father us.

It is not a coincidence I think that I decided to listen to the DVD of Dr Ern Baxter speaking

during his final visit to us at New Covenant Church in Dunstable before he went to glory in 1991 on "History Making Prayer". He opened his message making some comments about one of the young assistant pastors to Stanley Jebb and emphasized his heart for what he called his "Timothys". He said that men would contact him after hearing him in conferences and he would write to them, and recommend books and have contact with them.

What moved me so much was that this mighty man of God who probably knew that he was nearing the end of his time on earth still had a heart for young men and fathering them. I think the below beautiful photograph (thanks to Terry Virgo for the link) demonstrates this perfectly. Ern Baxter had a wonderful love for eagles:

I didn't notice the young eagle under the wing of the magnificent parent eagles for a minute. I was too caught up admiring their proud bearing. But then I did. Terry Virgo spoke at Stoneleigh Bible Week 2001 on eagles also - and spoke about how parents will push their children out of the nest and make them take flight. This baby eagle to me looks like he should have passed that phase. But I love the fact that the parent is still protective towards it. We used to sing a beautiful song in Dunstable during our charismatic days called; "Living under the shadow of His wing - we find security".

Of course we always have our heavenly Father - but it was His divine design and indeed resurrection gift in Ephesians 4 that we should have earthly spiritual fathers also. And I fear that many current Ephesians 4 Ministries do not have that heart for fathering sons and daughters. The pressure is too great to treat our churches like businesses. When I used to try and contact men in the very same way that Ern spoke off - the phrase I would hear all too regularly was; "I'm too busy". It made me wonder how you can be too busy to father. Many of the excuses for business were valid - but they were outside their Ephesians 4 giftings. That's why so many pastors these days are caught up in administration, in finances, in church affairs - and are indeed too busy to father! Just the same with apostles - they are too busy leading their movements, trouble-shooting and so on.

The beauty of true Ephesians 4 Ministries means that each is freed to follow their true giftings - and that surely involves fathering. I realised that true Ephesians 4 Ministries all should see fathering as key! Oh for apostles who can father up and coming young men and women with apostolic gifting. Oh for prophets with recognised and powerful prophetic gifting (such as Greg Haslam or Jon Cressey or Ginny Burgin) who are prepared to spend time sitting with young men and women with prophetic giftings. Oh for evangelists (like Lex Loizides) who can inspire and fire those with evangelistic gifting.

And of course pastor/teachers - who perhaps may have opportunity to father more than any because of their local church involvement. I have to pay tribute to Stanley Jebb for being the only pastor/teacher in my experience who really had this heart for fathering young men. When he was leading the church in Dunstable he committed so much time to the Bible College we ran, and even when he had retired from church leadership - he still graciously spent some time with me years back fathering me for a short season. And I believe he still does - even though he is in his 70's! Alas - I have yet to meet other church pastors with that heart.

Passing of a Prophet

I was saddened to find out today that Alex Buchanan was taken to glory at the end of last year. Alex Buchanan (for those who don't know him) was a fantastic man of God and a prophet who lived through the Charismatic Movement and had an incredible influence and encouragement on key men such as Terry Virgo and R T Kendall.

More personally Alex was an assistant pastor in Dunstable for a time while I was a child at New Covenant Church. He actually dedicated me and my parents told me that when he did - he prophesied over me. Alas they can't remember the detail of the prophecy but it's an inheritance that I hold dear - knowing that such a servant of God spoke words of life over me as a baby. Sadly for us as a church he left and moved on - but this was a good thing for the country as he became (as Terry called him); "A pastor of pastors".

Mum and Dad always remembered his preaching and ministry in Dunstable fondly - the sermon that they would talk about the most is one on the Song of Solomon. Alex saw this precious book biblically as key in representing the relationship between Christ and His Church. It's exciting to find out that ministry has been preserved on his website - "Musings on the Song of Solomon". One key truth about the book, he said;

"I suspect that many people avoid preaching from it because they do not have a sufficient grasp of the overwhelming and intimate love of God for His people, there¬fore they find that they cannot get to grips with it. Or some, especially men, are afraid of appearing sentimental or super spiritual if they speak too extravagantly about God".

I think this fear is behind the "sex manual" interpretation that Mark Driscoll and C J Mahaney hold on the Song of Solomon.

There will be a memorial service for him at Westminster Chapel on the 18th June at 2pm - with worship led by Graham Kendrick - which I shall be making every effort to attend. I think it will be a glorious time of remembering his ministry!

Farewell Apostles!

I remember a group of us young man talking to Terry Virgo at Stoneleigh Bible Week 1999 about the changes in doctrine regarding the baptism of the Holy Spirit. One of us asked "just how important" the baptism of the Holy Spirit was. Terry made a profound comment that I've never forgotten. He said that in his experience once the change is made on the baptism of the Holy Spirit - many other doctrines and church practices tend to follow suit. He quoted; "Worship, Ephesians 4 Ministries, spiritual gifts and spiritual warfare".

What was interesting was that we saw exactly this happen in my home church in Dunstable. The worship changed from being Spirit-led, sensitive use of hymns and choruses to a "hymn-prayer sandwich". The ministries of apostles and prophets were actively preached as ceasing with the New Testament canon (I still have the sermon notes). The gift of tongues was banned in public use and prophecies "may" be accepted but had to be written for viewing by the elders.

When Jeff Purswell published his "amendment" to the doctrines of faith for Sovereign Grace Ministries in 2003, I was intrigued. The paper was called; "Empowered by the Spirit: Room for Differing Views". I heard the accompanying tape - C J Mahaney launched the paper at a Leadership Conference to great applause and explained what it effectively meant - that cessationist churches who did not believe in a distinct experience of the Holy Spirit could happily and safely join Sovereign Grace.

I commented on the paper on my blog and wondered whether Terry Virgo's comment would come true of Sovereign Grace as it did my home church. And in watching from afar with interest (my family are still in SGM) - I've seen similar paths.

Until today this blog post was published; "What happened to the apostolic team?". Someone in the SGM family asked the question and then answer was given in this blog post. Essentially this is why SGM will no longer be using the phrase "apostle" (although I suggest they haven't properly used the ministry of an apostle for years).

"But over time, we discovered the name confused more people than it helped, so now we’re considering alternatives. We’ve also gained a better understanding of the term "apostolic," which makes us even more careful in how we apply it".

So if I understand this properly SGM have abandoned the use of the phrase and ministry because it "confuses" people. And then secondly (and I think this is the real reason) because they are travelling the same road my home church walked decades ago - and simply do not see it theologically anymore.

Interesting that a group so allegedly committed to "reformed doctrine" are more comfortable with the label; "Regional leadership team" that does not appear in the New Testament, than the label/ministry; "apostle" which most certainly does - and indeed is given as a gift from the ascended Christ.

A NEW Look at Ephesians 4 Ministries

I have been transcribing one of Rob Rufus's sessions at the recent "Grace and Glory Conference 2010" from Hong Kong on the book of Hebrews and was fascinated by a preliminary point he made. I have always been taught from the charismatic days by men like Terry Virgo and Stanley Jebb about Ephesians 4 Ministries - "God gave some to be ...". And have always assumed that God gives the gift of one. For example - personally I have wondered frequently what I may be! An apostle? No. A pastor? Definitely not. A teacher? Possibly. And so on.

Rob Rufus brought a very different and wonderfully freeing perspective to consider. Here's what he said;

"We often take the definition of who we are from other people's perspectives. We let other people define us!

From 30 years ago I had people saying to me; "I am telling you - you are an evangelist". Okay I am an evangelist. Someone else would say to me; "Rob I am telling you - you are a teacher". They would say it to me like they were the final authority! Okay I am a teacher - so I would try and teach. Then they would say; "No Rob - I am telling you - you are a prophet". Oh okay so I would try and prophesy. Then they would say; "No Rob - you are a psalmist when you lead worship". Okay great I'm a psalmist. A few would actually say; "No you are a pastor!". None said I was an administrator! Then some said I was an apostle! So I was living like a religious schizophrenic! Who am I!? I am an administrator of chaos! Then people would say - no you are an artist, a poet.

One day Bill Hamon - a wonderful prophet from the United States of America. He had never met me before and then one day laid his hands on me and said; "I have given you elements of the apostolic, elements of the prophetic, elements of the teacher, elements of the pastor, elements of the apostle, elements of the evangelist, elements of the psalmist". And I said; "Praise God for a word from heaven!". I want to say the same thing over all of you. God has given you diversity and elements in your uniqueness! I am telling you that if you believe you are pigeon-holed to a tight category then in your faith you will stay in that box and think you are being original.

Don't copy and mimic other people! We are called to imitate their faith - not mimic their methods! And there is a big difference.

We are more inside of us and becoming more as unique individuals than we realise. It is never too late to have a happy childhood!

When a chameleon stands on different colours - the chameleon becomes those colours. Paul the apostle says; "I become all things to all men to win some to Christ". Some may say - oh that's a politician, changing his colours to the political agenda of the day. No - hold on. Politicians move in fear to cater to their constituancy. They are so insecure that they want to be voted in again. That is not a chameleon. If you've watched a chameleon he does not change his colours out of fear but to be a successful hunter. He doesn't get eaten by predators like that - he gets close to his prey and out comes the tongue and he takes it out. When he touches a different colour. The colour-change doesn't come from the outside artificially. For within the chameleon is the capacity to become the colour of any colour he is standing on at that present time.

So if you don't know whether you are a poet then stand on a poetic colour. If you don't know whether you are prophetic then stand in a prophetic environment and you may see something inside of you become prophetic. If you don't know whether you are apostolic or not then stand in an apostolic environment Mr-oh-chameleon. Don't shrink your life! It is not an office you are to be unique in! You can be a whole diversity of rainbow things. It is where you express those rainbow things through the uniqueness of your personality that is most important".

I love this free understanding of the wonderful Ephesians 4 gifts - maybe this is something to consider and allow to thrill us. Imagine - God is so generous and so giving and so lavish that He isn't confined to assigned YOU a role as an apostle, or a prophet, or an evangelist - but wants you to be a prophetic evangelist! Or a teaching apostle who pastors! What an imaginative God who gives such good gifts!

Awesome Blessings from Hong Kong!!

Most who know me will know that I tend to go on quite a bit about what I am currently passionate about. Some call it flighty. Others suggest it at least avoids the error of lukewarmness! However on my recent Easter visit back to Bristol my parents commented that I don't talk as much about Hong Kong and City Church as much as I used to. This was true. Last year was a pretty terrible year and part of that was a series of disappointments with Hong Kong that I don't need to go into. But Pete Day and I spoke about this when we met recently and agreed that we CANNOT allow our personal disappointments to stop us from receiving the downloads of glory teaching that come from City Church International and Rob and Ryan Rufus in particular.

So recently I have been working slowly but surely to get back into listening to the sermons and also start transcribing again. And WHAT a blessing it is! I've only transcribed two sermons this year so far - Rob Rufus on; "Imperfect Faith Can STILL Bring You Face to Face with Jesus!" and have just finished today an incredible sermon by Ryan Rufus called; "Activating the Prophetic". It is this sermon I particularly want to draw attention to because I learned so much from it.

Ryan split the sermon between some teaching on the prophetic - and then moved into actually prophesying. He said that it was only in the "demonstration of the prophetic" that more prophetic activity would be birthed. I must confess he had a point - I've heard countless academic sermons on the prophetic by men such as Sam Storms or Wayne Grudem. But hearing someone prophesy is incredibly stirring - that's why I love hearing Terry Virgo or John Groves prophesy so much.

Ryan taught that prophecy brings edification, exhortation and comfort.

"Edify – that is what the prophetic does. “Edify” means “House” and “To build”. Or to “build the house of God”. The prophetic word is to build the house of God. It speaks mainly about the present. Edifying is building up the house of God in the now.

Exhort – which is “one side” and “a calling to”. To exhort someone and come alongside them and is prospective – for the future. To put courage and strength in someone for the future.

Comfort – is the same word as exhort but is in retrospect. For trials experienced and the prophetic can bring comfort to them. It takes away pain and grief and brings explanation and strengthens those people.

The prophetic therefore speaks to the past, present and future".

Essentially the key thing about the prophetic is that when we prophesy the words of God - we are actually speaking CREATIVE words of life! Ryan spoke about how actually vital it is to prophesy over our own lives in private in our secret places - and Rob Rufus (who got up to speak briefly after Ryan) said the same thing - that Rob manages to survive demonic oppression and turmoil by prophesying truth and creative power over his life. I was so challenged - I think in our evangelical desire to be "decent and in order" - we haven't tested the full power of the prophetic gift to it's fullest. Why else would Paul the apostle COMMAND us in the New Testament to desire spiritual gifts ESPECIALLY prophecy?

As I mentioned Rob Rufus got up to speak briefly after Ryan - and ended up prophecying. And while typing and listening - I experienced yet again one of "those" moments when 1 Corinthians 14 was fulfilled and the "secrets of my heart" were exposed. Here's what Rob prophecied;

"I have a word of prophecy for someone here today; you have become cynical and sceptical and you feel it is normal and acceptable because of legalism in your past and the religious church world that you have rejected. You don’t almost feel that church is relevant anymore and so you are sceptical and cynical. And the Lord says in a loving way; “You feel this is okay because the religious world and legalism is so bad that you now can live cynically about church”.

The Lord says; “The reason you are cynical is not because of the religious world – it is because you don’t believe totally the gospel of pure grace. Those that believe the truth are set free by the truth and people who understand that the church of Jesus Christ is very precious to Jesus – even if she’s got problems, even if she’s got the law there still, even if she has bondages – she is PRECIOUS to Jesus”. And the criticism of His church and His body is not the truth and the Lord breaks off you this day – that cynical spirit and releases unto you a spirit of faith to believe the true gospel of grace and to love the body of Christ in ALL the church throughout the WHOLE world!”.

I admit freely I have struggled with cynicism towards the church (and Sovereign Grace Ministries churches in particular) thanks to my experiences in Bristol. But this prophetic word undid me and exposed what I have been doing. I have defended my cynicism and suspicion thanks to that unpleasant experience with those SGM church leaders - but actually the issue is - I DON'T believe the gospel of pure grace properly! The church - the whole church - every part of it (yes including those belonging to C J Mahaney and Mark Driscoll) are part of the beloved Bride of Christ and will be part of the end-time glorious church!

I am so thankful for the true prophetic word that reveals your heart! It does so lovingly and without judgement and truly and definately sets free! I really urge everyone who shares an interest in the prophetic to read this sermon transcript from Ryan.

Apostolic Teams in Restoration Magazine

I found this interesting article in one of the Restoration Magazines about the apostolic teams of the 1970's to 80's. The three main key ones of course in the United Kingdom were Terry Virgo, Tony Morton and Bryn Jones's teams.

Something occured to me - a challenge to our generation. Thank God for the Tony Mortons, Bryn Jones and Terry Virgos that were gifted to us by the risen Christ. Two of those men have been taken out anyhow. Who is rising up to take their place? Thank God that Ephesians states that the risen Christ gives these gifts to the church and there is no hint of an end to that giving until His glorious return! The question is - are the church recognising and welcoming those gifts?

Ern Baxter Archives

I've been busy tonight and early into this morning scanning and making PDF files of the Ern Baxter archives. Here are some further files uploaded onto Google;

1. "The Holy Spirit in the Book of Galatians".

2. "Prophecy" and "Prophecy - the Voice of God to the Church".

3. "The Gift of Tongues".

4. "The Doctrine of Laying on of Hands and the Impartation of the Holy Spirit".

This file in particular is of interest. It was two monthly magazine articles from the "Evangelical Tabernacle" - a church that Dr Ern Baxter pastored in Vancouver, Canada. The articles were written in June and July 1957.

5. "Evangelical Tabernacle Magazine articles".

I hope that this is a project that will be on-going and I can build on throughout the year. Dr Ern Baxter and his ministry is one that should not be silent or forgotten!

Disobeying Commands?

Something occured to me yesterday. Traditionally in the charismatic/cessationist debate, we charismatics are always accused of being "frothy" and "experience-obsessed" while cessationists pride themselves on honouring and being committed to "the Word". And in the debate is often based around; "I experienced this" and the response; "It doesn't matter - your experience is irrelevant - they've ceased".

However there ARE a number of Scriptures that cessationists have never answered. If these Scriptures are to be read as they appear then many so-called "men and women of the Book" are being disobedient to the very Word of God that they claim to honour and revere. Here's two that spring to my mind;

1. 1 Thessalonians 5:20; "Do not despise prophetic utterances".

So does not Stanley Jebb's statement; "Calling silly remarks prophecy" come dangerously close to despising what actually may be prophetic utterances? That does not mean of course that "silly remarks" never happen - of course they do. But I would not like to put myself in the position of being guilty of despising this gift of the Holy Spirit and thus quenching Him.

2. 1 Timothy 1:18; "This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight".

Again to cite Stanley Jebb (only because he is the cessationist I probably most know and most read) - he writes; "So, since the final word has been spoken, such signs are neither necessary nor possible". Necessary? Possible? So how does this take into account this clear instruction from Paul the apostle (and writer of most of the New Testament) that there is a degree to which the gift of prophecy is ESSENTIAL for fighting a good Christian fight? Is this not a clear reason as to why the Word of God tells us not to despise prophecy?

And finally - a verse that a former friend of mine and former blogger - Jesse Phillips - used to base a lot of his writing on;

3. 1 Corinthians 14:1: "Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy".

Of course love is our primary calling (lest cessationists accuse me of ignoring the context of 1 Corinthians 13) but what of this command - clear command - of Scripture to "desire earnestly" spirituals but ESPECIALLY that we may prophecy? When did you or I last hear from the pulpit a sermon exhorting us to eagerly desire the bestowing of spiritual gifts but especially prophecy?

Just a few Christmas thoughts of mine. For me personally I want to ensure that 2010 is a year of heeding these commands of Scripture - that I honour prophecy and use them as a God-given grace gift to fight a good fight and thereby eagerly desiring especially prophecy.

I'm Frustrated, and Angry ... !!!

My job is in a very bizarre place at the moment. My official title is "Pandemic Influenza Nurse" and one of my key roles is to visit the Emergancy Department every day and count up how many children they saw with flu. This data is crucial for deciding how quickly a potential "second wave" of swine flu is coming. Words like "surge" and "second wave" are used a lot in this part of health care. And it is quite a weird feeling. I've been puzzling as to why the job has been frustrating me because although the numbers are growing steadily, they aren't showing the signs of an imminent peak approaching in pandemic influenza ... yet.

I walked home from work today and was "venting" at God. I don't know if that's allowed but I did. I was thinking about how so much of life is made up of hoping. Hoping for ... more. 2006/2007 were very key years for me in my spiritual life. There were such exciting promises that God was going to visit the country in glory and power and things would never be the same again. I had dreams personally. I heard some such exciting sermons particularly at "Together on a Mission" in Brighton. And I'm not quite sure what happened.

This year has been one of the most challenging of my life. But what I've noticed is that the strategies of the enemy have changed! Earlier in the year I dealt with bullying at Acorns Childrens Hospice and the resulting stress of that with lying management - and the experience of being on anti-depressants. Now things are different! I love my job and find it rewarding and challenging. But I'm so bored and frustrated waiting for "something" to happen in life! As Rob Rufus puts it, I find myself eating food, passing it through my body and taking up space in life. And that is NOT good for someone with my temperament!

So my walk home ...

I was pondering about frustrations and promises of God that haven't been fulfilled and I think that the church generally reacts in a couple of ways - two are wrong and only one is RIGHT:

1. Disheartened.

The Old Testament says that unfulfilled promises make the heart sick. I have seen again and again church leaders especially so full of hope in the Charismatic Movement during the 1970's and 80's - and I have audio-tape after audio-tape of their preaching hope and vision. And yet you look at where they are today and they are embittered and disappointed. They have looked and hoped for revival and for world-change and haven't seen it.

Rather than holding on and trusting in the promises of God some have embraced functional cessationism and declared that if God will not reveal Himself then clearly He never intended to pour out His Spirit or give His gifts in the first place. They retreat to the relative safety of the Word of God (conviniently ignoring the fact that the Word of God NEVER EVER says that God has stopped anything) and adhere to doctrine and theology. And death.

2. Distracted.

The other option is that some churches don't lose their hope but they become impatient waiting for God to move and devoting time to praying and seeking Him. So they become distracted. They begin looking around the world to see "success stories". Looking to churches and church leaders who seem to be seeing a measure of numerical growth. Those churches and church leaders then become famous and are invited on tour around the world to speak at conferences to give their "tips".

The churches attending those conferences hear those "tips" and mistake them for the anointing of God and thus try and integrate those "tips" in their churches. Now this may work to a degree. People may come into those churches. But it will never, ever produce a Pentecostal revival where the glory of God hovers over cities and nations and we can watch and see MILLIONS swept into the Kingdom of God.

So what do we do?

We remind ourselves of the promises of God and we remember that some are yet to be fulfilled. We don't give up hoping and praying and watching for them. We remember that God is more passionate than we are to fulfill those promises and waiting for a people who are content to wait for His perfect timing. Here are my two favourite UNFULFILLED promises. That means that a day is rapidly coming when we will see them come to pass.

A. Numbers 14:21: "but indeed, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD".

This is probably my most favourite promise in the Word of God. It got a lot of coverage in the 1970's at the Bible Weeks. It was even sung after one of Ern Baxter's monumental sermons at the Dales Bible Week. It HASN'T been fulfilled yet. But it is GOING to be! One day - Isaiah 60 will be fulfilled as well and all nations will come to the dawning of the light! One day all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord!

B. Acts 2:17: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams".

If Numbers 14:21 was my favourite promise in the Word of God then this surely must be the second. I read this and am staggered at how so-called "teachers of the Bible" can hold to a cessationist point of view. How Christians can proudly despise "experience" and claim they are "doctrinal". This promise is an outpouring of unparalelled proportions. To be sure - the Day of Pentecost was the "beginning of that fulfillment" (as F F Bruce writes in his commentary). But it's not been done yet.

So as I was turning the corner almost home - I got back to thinking about swine flu and the possible "second wave". I earnestly believe that swine flu or pandemic influenza is a demonic counterfeit. The whole health service is waiting planned and ready for whatever the future may hold and dreading it. Whereas the church should be poised, ready and waiting looking like Elijah to the skies waiting for a cloud to appear. This isn't the time to get distracted or disappointed! This is the time to fix our eyes on the horizon and wait for the glimmer of glory that says the tidal wave of glory is coming.

Because I truly believe that the tectonic plates of hell's strongholds are shaking and moving and when they do - a massive tsnuami will result. God has promised on HIS Name that all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. So bring it on! We're waiting!

Rob Rufus Speaks to Church Leaders!

I'm in the middle of transcribing one of Rob Rufus's sessions in South Africa at the "Increasing Glory 2009" conference. I love nothing more than when he gets angry and lays into legalists. It thrills me beyond words - is that wrong!? I think a lifetime of legalism makes you so glad when someone is brave enough to stand up and confront wrong-doing.

Anyhow - Rob said this to church leaders;

"Stop bullying, managing and controlling God's people. We do not have a right to have authority in the church unless the authority we have is liberating, grace, fatherly, fond, affectionate and kind. We will use our ministries to to build people up - not use people to build our ministries".

He went on;

"Too many church leaders have an addiction worse than cocaine - it is to the approval of man".

Many church leaders would proudly claim they are prepared to make unpopular decisions that upset their congregations. One well-known US so-called apostle was heard to say that he was sick and tired of being told he should keep people happy - he said he was there to upset and be unpopular. But Rob Rufus went on to point out that actually - the approval that many church leaders so desperately cling to is the leadership hierarchies in their movements or church families or denominations.

Question - would church leaders be prepared to stand up and defend their congregations even if it meant going against their regional apostle?

I remember being subjected to corporal discipline in the church school when I was a child. I had a conversation quite recently with someone who asked if I resented being hit by a school teacher. I thought about it and answered that it wasn't the actual physical striking I resented. What I resented was the refusal of my parents to even consider listening to my side of events. The fact I was a child meant that I had to be wrong and the school teachers always right.

I think the same applies in church families. Surely there is nothing more discouraging and hurtful than someone who has allegedly been put in charge of your soul and yet refuses to believe you first and hear you out before making judgements. Oh for more church leaders that do indeed have a liberating, kind, gracious, fond love to their leadership! Thank God there are leaders out there like that. The photo shows two of my favourites - the Morrises and the Rufus's!

The Cost of Being a Disciple

I have been reading John Piper's book; "Spectacular Sins: And Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ" yesterday and I must confess I wasn't largely thrilled at first. Piper writes in his usual God-centred glory focus but also in his usual rather depressing eschatological outlook. Essentially he believes and quotes extensively from the Scriptures that the world is going to get worse and worse and that evil will continue to abound and that we will begin to suffer and die for our faith. My one caveat is that while yes I also believe this - I also believe the Scriptures point to the church ever-expanding and the Kingdom of God more than matching this advance of darkness. "The Spreading Flame" - F F Bruce called it.

But then I also happened to be reading through my most recent copy of Evangelicals Now that I get and was interested to read an article by E M Hicham on "Receiving Muslim Converts?". He is a Muslim evangelist and writes with that as his focus but some of his comments gripped me;

"There is perhaps no more baffling, unsolved problem than the care of the new convert ... our churches need to receive converts from Islam with open arms and to share in their trials ... many local churches are often unwilling to receive Muslim converts for fear of the consequences ...

Such cowardliness and faithlessness are inexcusable. Do we have any idea of what conversion may mean for a Muslim? Do we realise the cost for any Muslim who wants to be a disciple of Jesus? ... Shall we give them a cold shoulder because our own comfort and complacency may be threatened?

I cannot conceive of any justifiable circumstance where a local church could refuse to extend a warm hand of fellowship to a convert brother from Islam and I have little doubt that wherever this does occur, it will be nothing less than the church's concern about its own vested interests that will be the root cause of it.

For a local church to reject a brother or sister in order to protect it's own security is to surely anger God".

He then goes on to discuss his view that Muslim converts must make a complete break from Islam and join the local church but honestly admits he has no easy answers. For someone who lives in Birmingham with such a high cosmopolitan community I have often thought the same. The church has many evangelists looking to reach converts. But does the church have apostles and prophets who are building grace foundations in those churches to receive the converts and disciple them when they come?

A key Newfrontiers prophecy is "It is too small a thing for you to restore the house" and goes on to address that the heart must be reaching the lost and indeed that must be so. But the house must be still built properly at the same time! For a house built without proper foundations surely will never reach the heady heights it was meant to.

I found while I was reading the article in Evangelicals Now that my heart and my thoughts went to the issue of reaching people with same sex orientations with the Gospel of grace. Surely the very same issues face them! For instance;

1. Our churches need to receive converts with same sex attractions with open arms and share in their trials - most specifically we are asking them to live a life of celibacy.

2. Many local churches are unwilling to receive converts (maybe not for fear of consequences) but because of their own prejudices.

3. Such cowardliness and faithlessness surely is also just as inexcusable as not receiving Muslim converts.

4. Do we have any idea of what conversion may mean for someone with a same sex attraction?

5. Shall we give them a cold shoulder because our own comfort and complacency may be threatened?

It is rather sad that the very same issue of Evangelicals Now does indeed mention homosexuality but only to bemoan the fact that the new Equality Bill coming through Parliament will soon mean that churches must employ gay youth workers. I can't imagine many gay youth workers who would actually want to work in a lot of churches - but I wish that the same issues would be discussed and challenged for the many tens of thousands of gay men and women sitting on our doorstep who surely need to hear the same gospel of grace as Muslims.

How many church elders and pastors have sat down and discussed how best to care for - say two lesbians who are converted as a couple and come into the church and welcome them with open arms and see them discipled? If there are churches out there that do this - then praise God! But my experience of spending my entire known life in church is somewhat different and sadder.

The spreading flame of the gospel means that sooner or later all nations and all people groups will come - so this issue must be faced one day and one day soon. Maybe that is why the tidal wave of glory and revival hovers on the horizon still. Are we ready for what's coming?

"God's Prophetic People" by C J Mahaney

One of the aims of this blog is to not allow anointed teaching and preaching to fade into and become forgotten by history - either deliberately or not. I've made it an aim of my life to preserve magazines, audio tapes and videos where I can that are like piles of stones - reminding the people of God about what God has done in the past. I was intrigued to find the following article by one "Charles" Mahaney in Restoration Magazine - November/December 1985. It's largely excellent. I don't know for sure if he would still agree with what he wrote - but here it is anyway for historical interest;

"God's Prophetic People" - C J Mahaney - Restoration Magazine - November/December 1985

What comes to your mind when you think of a prophet? Perhaps you've been influenced by the way John the Baptistis portrayed in many films; a hairy lunatic covered in dust, almost foaming at the mouth as he shouts out his weird message while no one seems to be listening!

The truth is that a prophet is just an ordinary Christian with an extraordinary message. His burden is to speak the "now" word of God so that the church is motivated to obey. And not only to obey but also to catch the prophet's own heart, and thus to become God's prophetic community.

God's goal is that the spirit of the ministries mentioned in Ephesians 4:11-12 - apostles, prophets, pastor/teachers and evangelists - should permeate the entire church. He is after a community of people who manifest the fullness of Jesus Christ, not just a handful of men who grow and mature while the Body of Christ in general falls further and further behind.

1. Provoking a Response.

Our concept of what a prophet actually is, then probably needs to change. People tend to label a man a prophet when what they actually mean is that he's an eccentric extrovert, not submitted to anyone. A true prophet however is both normal and under authority, in submission to others. Don't get me wrong. A prophet isn't alwasy the most acceptabe of people. John the Baptist was hardly a conservative man in a three-piece suit. His wardrobe - rough, smelly camel's hair and a leather belt (Matthew 3:4) - was definately different! If you had shared a meal with him you would have made sure it was at your place and not his. 'Locusts and wild honey' (v4) wouldn't have been the most acceptable of dishes! As for his tact in describing the Pharisees and Sadducees as a "brood of vipers" (v7) - I would say he definately hadn't read Dale Carnegie's book; "How to Win Friends and Influence People"!

Any true prophet will share similar characteristics. Bring him into a church situation and his word will have a cutting edge that sometimes hurts but always demands a response. The elders might have everything nicely sewn up until he comes in. Then situations are unlocked and people begin to respond to his word. They have begun to catch the prophetic heart. Soon they will be adopting a similar approach to his in their church life and so a prophetic community begins to emerge.

2. Spiritual VIPs.

Throughout Scripture God stresses the prophet's importance. We find Jehosophat urging God's people to "have faith in His prophets and you will be successful" (2 Chronicles 20:20). Amos declares; "Surely the Sovereign Lord doesnothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7).

God has purposely limited His actions to those things that He has revealed to His servants the prophets!

It is important to stress that they are servants first and foremost. God doesn't want proud, haughty men strutting around using their own discernment to wipe people out in the Name of Jesus!

Prophets are given as gifts to the body of Christ in order to inspire a prophetic church, one gripped by a clear vision of God's intentions for His people and the world.

Such a church, like the prophet is committed to obey the current word of the Lord without compromise, regardless of the cost. And it is motivated by an intense burden that has it's origin in the heart of God.

We should be crying out; "Raise up a multitude of prophets around the world, Lord Jesus!" because without them we will never see a "highway for our God" being built (Isaiah 40:3), nor shall we see the Lord Jesus returning in our generation.

Three Old Testament terms - vision, word and burden - characterise the ministry of a modern-day prophet and so show us what a prophetic community should be like. Often God follows this pattern;

He gives vision and then provides a specific word for the current situation which leads to action. Then as we continue in this word, sustained by an on-going burden, the vision becomes reality.

Let's consider these three terms in more detail.

1. Vision.

A prophet brings clarity and revelation relating God's ultimate plan to that particular generation. David "served God's purpose in his own generation" (Acts 13:36). The prophet enables us to do the same. We need to stop asking ourselves whether ours is the last generation before Christ's return and start living as if it were. Because it is the last generation for us!

i. Ultimate Goal.

The prophet's envisioning helps us to see the church, not as an irrelevant people ready for an irrelevant defeat, but as part of the generation that will see the restoration of all things, the making of the enemies of God into a footstool for His feet and the hastening of the day of the Lord.

He keeps before us a vision of God's ultimate purpose. As a result we don't allow either past experience or present circumstance to rob us of our faith to see God achieve what He said He would achieve for a generation of responding people. Vision also stops us heading in many unrelating directions at once. It prevents us from becoming discouraged and it keeps our motives right. No longer are we living just to receive personal blessing but to see God glorified.

ii. Consumed with Zeal.

God is on the move today. He has a world to reach and will not be frustrated in His plan. If you are unwilling to move with Him then you could be left behind! God wants to consume us with His vision. The disciples said of Jesus that zeal for God's house had consumed Him (John 2:17; Psalm 69:9). How about us? Does it eat us up inside when we think of how the world views the church as a building? It should! We need to say from our hearts; "God, Your Name is not honoured in this earth and I give my life so that in this generation whether Jesus returns or not, the church shall be the 'praise of the earth'"! (Isaiah 62:7).

iii. The "Now" Word.

In Luke 4 Jesus read from the book of Isaiah, sat down and said "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing" (v21). At that point all hell broke loose so to speak (v28-29). It's time for us to stop merely preaching Bible verses to the world and start saying "Take a look! Start showing the world the fulfillment of Scripture in the lives of God's redeemed people, the church". Jesus didn't go into the courtyard of the temple and say; "Can I have a word with all the people running the stalls?". He took a whip and drove them out (John 2:13-16) because he saw a lack of holiness in the house of God!

iv. A Holy Church.

God-inspired vision is inseperable from holiness. In order to fulfill God's vision for restoring the church there must come purity. Peter urged those who listened to him on the Day of Pentecost to be saved "from this perverse generation" (Acts 2:40 NASB). Though not a very tactful word to use, it was the truth. In our world today everything around us - politics, education, economics, entertainment and the judicial system is perverted. God is shaking the earth and all the security that man has sought refuge in (Hebrews 12:25-29). The trouble so often is that the church shakes with it!

God wants us to catch the vision of standing out as lights in the midst of a "perverse generation". Then he can channel through our pure hearts a word that will break the yoke of bondage in other people's lives as we confront them with the truth. That's what being a prophetic community is about!

v. Search for Reality.

The account of how Ananias and Sapphira died for lying (Acts 5:1-11) shows the importance God attaches to purity. God is restoring church discipline today. Our prophetic vision will mean that we no longer turn a blind eye to sin but confront it because of our burning zeal. The church didn't dwindle as a result of this severe discipline. Multitudes came to Christ (v14)! Why? Because people are looking for reality. I was brought up in a church where the ushers would stand at the back whispering all kinds of nasty things. Then when it was time to take up the offering, they would put on their holier-than-thou looks. As a young man I determined in my heart to have nothing to do with this sort of thing, I wanted to be part of something real, something that worked.

Many today are catching a vision of God's desire for the church and are sacrificing increased salaries, better homes and higher standards of living to see it achieved. I know one man who turned down an important job and a 50 per cent rise in salary because he would have to leave the area to which God had called him. Money and prestige couldn't compete with the sense of vision and purpose he had received from God. That's commitment!

2. Word.

Vision alone however is not enough. It must be translated into action. Prophets bring the word of God for a situation with the intention of turning the vision into reality. The prophet always starts by asking a question. It is not; "What will people think if I say this?". But; "What is the word of the Lord - God's heart and point of view for this situation?".

i. Facing People with the Word.

His frame of reference is not implications, other people's feelings or possible repercussions. His first and burning thought is; "Father what are you feeling and what do you want us to do in this situation?". This approach can often lead to the mistake belief that the prophet is insensitive to other people. But the truth is that to be a true prophet at all he must have a shepherd heart for the people of God. I once sat and listened to a pastor talking about someone in his church and was deeply touched by his love and concern but I knew in my heart that the person in question was involved in sin - and I said so. I didn't analyse temperaments. I spoke the truth in love. That is the prophetic heart of God. We've got to bring people face to face with the word of the Lord. We've got to think about what God is going to do if we don't obey. We've got to grow up in the love of God to where we can move in the fear of God.

ii. The Right Kind of Fear.

The Lord says that he highly esteems the person who "trembles at My Word" (Isaiah 66:2). Does it move us that we're going to be held responsible for the Word of the Lord that we hear? As a prophetic community we need to speak God's Word in love without fear of other people. A proper fear of the Lord overcomes the fear of man. For instance God might show you that a married couple are living in unreality. Each Sunday they argue in the car on their way to the meeting, until just before they arrive, they call a truce; "Let's commit it to the Lord - until later" and they put on their plastic smiles and their "praise the Lord" terminology for the duration of the meeting. You need to go to them - yes, you! - and speak the truth in love. You can't any longer treat such people by what they seem on the surface because you've been equipped by the prophets to see beyond the superficial, right into a person's heart. That's being a prophetic community.

iii. A Ripe Word.

We may have all the counselling manuals that are available, good though they are, but they can never replace the rhema, the power word of God in a situation. A propehtic word doesn't have to be profound. I remember once saying to a couple from the front; "The Lord is pleased with you". Immediately they both broke down in tears. That's the kind of word that I fight with the Lord before I bring. "Not in front of everyone Lord - I will tell them after the meeting. Give me something deep, heavy and impressive. It's supposed to be prophetic!". I obeyed after wrestling and they broke. You can say the same thing to someone else and they will simply reply; "The Lord is pleased with you too". Because that wasn't the Lord's particular word for them at that time. Instead of just telling people what has helped you, ask God what He thinks in a particular situation. That's the approach the prophets have equipped you to take.

Paul tells us not to let any "unwholesome or rotten word proceed from our mouths" (Ephesians 4:29 NASB). A word that is rotten was once ripe. I know what it's like to share a ripe word with someone. When he takes a bit there is an explosion of the life of God. But the same word used in a different situation will have little or no effect. People often make excuses for not obeying God's Word. "Not yet" is a common one. "The time has not yet come for the Lord's house to be built" they said in Haggai's day (Haggai 1:2). But when the prophets arrived with a ripe word, the word soon began (Ezra 5:1-2). A prophet exposes excuses. A prophetic people too will be ruthless in dealing with them.

iv. Hearing for Ourselves.

We are a people called to more than just quoting Bible verses and seeing no change. We have the very word of God for each situation. The prophets among us equip us to be led by the voice of God. We don't have to be content with secondhand revelation. We haven't come up to Mount Sinai where we send a Moses up to receive God's Word. We hav ecome to Mount Zion and go up to the mountain ourselves to receive revelation (Hebrews 12:18-24).

If you are not hearing the voice of God daily, just as you receive food daily then you are not fully alive in the kingdom of God.

Listen to God's Word, hide it in your heart and then obey it. Allow the prophets to train you to bring that word to other people.

3. Burden.

God wants to impart to His people not only His mind but also His heart and feelings. Scripture is full of His love, His anger, His brokenheartedness, His tender compassion. "Burden" means feeling the way that God feels about a situation. It doesn't mean becoming introspective and depressed but it is an emotional commitment that keeps us going to see the vision become a reality. Too often we read from Scripture or bring a prophecy in a flat, monotonous voice. Yet God wants us to convey His emotions - to feel the Word of the Lord, to let it be a very part of us.

When we prophesy about dancing, we should dance. When we talk about lying prostrate before God, we should do it - otherwise we are not being real!

i. "Appalled".

Ezra may have been a mild-mannered man, but the people's unfaithfulness caused him to tear his clothes, pull hair from his beard and sit down "appalled" (Ezra 9:3-4). Imagine one day knocking on your pastor's door to get a little counselling help. Then as you begin to talk together, he stands up, rips his jacket and shirt in two, pulls some of his hair and sits down appalled and horrified! That's what some people need. I've said to God that I am willing to feel the way He feel, except for the hair bit. And I am believing that if necessary I will be ready for that too!

ii. Oh God, the Church!

Nehemiah too, felt the way God felt. When he heard about Jerusalem's devastation he sat down and wept, mourned and fasted and prayed (Nehemiah 1:4). He was experiencing God's heart, knowing God's feelings. He knew that Jerusalem was meant to be the "joy of the whole earth" (Psalm 48:2). No wonder he wept at it's current plight!

When we see that God's purpose for the church today is not merely survival but triumph and worldwide impact and influence, we too will be deeply affected as we view the present state of God's holy city, the church.

Nehemiah's burdenn didn't produce passivity, discouragement or depression in his life. Neither should it in us. Rather, we will be stirred to pray and then build until God makes His church a praise in the earth.

A prophetic community then is a people seeing a clear vision, motivated by a current word and experiencing an increasing burden.

If this is not our present experience then let's cry together from our hearts; "Make us a prophetic community Lord Jesus!".

Ern Baxter in "Voice of Healing" Magazine!!

I was thrilled recently to discover probably one of the earliest articles by Ern Baxter. It was in the "Voice of Healing" Magazine that was run by Gordon Lindsey who worked with William Branham. The issue is June 1951 and Ern's article is called; "The Case of Carnal Comparisons". As a historical document it is very prophetic to this day and age right now today. Much of the divisions in the church (I think) are linked to a "I am of Paul - I am of Apollos-syndrome". It's not helped by the kind of teaching that says "I am in the very stead of God". Rather than Ephesians 4 Ministries being seen as "gifts" given to bring the church to maturity we are seeing a restoring of clergy who stand between God and the priesthood of all believers.

The scan of the facsimile is here alongside the transcribed text;

"The Case of Carnal Comparisons"

2 Corinthians 10:12; "For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves; but they measure themselves by themselves and comparing themselves among themselves are not wise".

1 Corinthians 3:4; "For while one saith, I am of Paul, and another of Apollos, are ye not carnal?".

We thank God for such visitations of His power and blessing as are being experienced throughout the world at the present time. Entire cities are being stirred by great revival efforts and in some instances require the erection of special buildings to contain the crowds. The Gospel is the world's only hope and we pray that these great Gospel efforts will continue to enlarge in power and influence until the whole world feels the influence of the Spirit of God. Such moves as we refer to are, in most cases, spearheaded by certain men, obviously God-blessed and God-ordained for the task. It is our duty to pray for such men, that they will be sustained in spirit, soul and body that they might be at their best constantly in this greatest of all battles.

There is, however a great danger in such mighty movements where individuals are catapaulted into places of prominence as leaders. Instead of humbly recognising the hand of God in the whole and the grace of God in equipping men for leadership and thus giving all the glory to God, there is a tendancy to humanly evaluate leaders, and compare and pick and choose favourites. Such an attitude indicates a limited vision. This robs God of His glory, is unfair to the leader and contributes to the party spirit among Christians which God so evidently deplores as indicated in His Word.

Each of these leaders, indeed every minister in the Church of God has some distinctive features which makes him to differ from every other minister and unless the great principle of ministerial oneness is recognised, there exists the constant danger of dividing God's people into as many groups as there are ministers to give them leadership.

"There is no new thing under the sun" and this seems especially true when considered in terms of error and defection among Christians. We can think of no modern system of error or trend of defection in the realm of professed Christian religion that had not appeared at least in germ form in the days of the apostles, and which was not given apostolic treatment in the sacred writings of the New Testament. The subject with which we are dealing received extensive attention from the Apostle Paul in the Corinthian epistles, as well as being referred to in the other epistles. Although the directions given in the Corinthian epistles are intended primarily to meet the local conditions, they nevertheless are applicable on a body-wide scale.

The apostle declares the condition that exists in the Corinthian church by saying, "It hath been declared unto me of you my brethren by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are conventions among you. Now this I say, that everyone of you saith, I am of Paul and I of Apollos and I of Cephas and I of Christ" (1 Corinthians 1;11, 12). There certainly had been a good deal of carnal comparison indulged here. Paul mentions himself first, for a group in the Corinthian church had chosen him as their preferred preacher, quite evidently without any encouragement from him. Paul indicates his sincerity in deploring and attempting to correct this party spirit by placing his name first on the list, and thus being the first to be demoted as a sectarian leader. No doubt the Gentile believers clung to Paul as their leader as against those Jews which preferred Peter with his background.

Then there were those who were followers of Apollos described in the Scriptures as "an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures" (Acts 18:24). Apollos was an Alexandrian Jew, distinguished for literary culture and eloquence and it is probable that the more highly educated among the Corinthian Christians were his perculiar followers. Then there were the Cephasites, the followers of Cephas or Peter. He of course had an apparant priority over the others, being one of the first followers of Jesus. His apostleship was well established, there being no argument as in the case of Paul. He was a "senior minister" and there were those who felt he deserved a superior place and so were quite prepared to battle for his leadership.

Finally Paul mentions the Christ party. This may at first seem strange for we should all be "of Christ". It has been suggested however that "this sect of Christ probably rejected the apostles, and professed to be admirers and followers of the traditional sayings of Jesus. They approved His ethics but rejected the doctrines outlined in the epistles. Possibly the apostle had this group in mind when he wrote; "Henceforth know we no man after the flesh' yea though we have known Christ after the flesh yet now henceforth know we Him no more" (2 Corinthians 5:16).

The apostle counters this condition with three pertinent questions, the first one being; "Is Christ divided?". Of course the answer to this is an emphatic "No!". The body of Christ is one and knows but one head, the risen and glorified Lord Jesus Christ! The one head governs the body, instructing the various members concerning their duty and appointing the various tasks for the individual parts of the body setting up an independent centre of government and control, they must at all times adhere to the authority of the head. The structure of the human body contains the various functions of the body. It has the advantage as the highest part of the body seeing the farthest and thus from it's high place being able to intelligently instruct and direct the action of those members which live on a lower plane and are depending upon the head for direction.

If the body is to function normally, the authority of the head must constantly be recognised. This is true of every member of the body and especially true of those who are ministers in the body. Such ministers may be likened to those parts of the body such as the hands and feet which are most active, and play such a prominent part in the functioning of the body in it's varied activities.

Such members are tempted to think that they are indispensible and thus can set up a new centre of authority. This of course produces confusion.

True ministry gifts are those men ordained by God to minister to His people, are the gifts of the risen Head to the body for it is written; "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men ... He gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists and some pastors and teachers" (Ephesians 4:8, 11). Such men are God-gifted and appointed. They are not placed in the body to further some division or sect and use their God-give abilities to enlarge a segment of the whole but they are placed in the body for the "perfecting of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12).

Their interest is body-wide, they are affectionately disposed towards all God's people, and are obliged by reason of the nature of their calling to seek to build up the whole body of Christ.

No, Christ is not divided! His body is one. There is but one head of the body and that is the risen Christ. Thus, every attempt to promote a group of God's people as a segregated section as opposed to all the rest of the people of God is to work at cross purposes with the divine programme. "Was Paul crucified for you?" is the second question. Who deserves our first loyalty? All our fellow humans, much as we esteem and love them must never come between our undivided loyalty to Christ and His Word.

Many of those who would divide and rend the body of Christ are certainly not prepared to die for anybody and before we take a hand in promoting some injurious division let us remember that those who we are influencing are the purchase of Jesus blood.

The final question of the trio is "Were ye baptised in the name of Paul?". If these party leaders were so important as to create a division among God's people, then why did they take in public confession at their baptism, a place of identification with the Lord Jesus? The argument is overwhelming.

There is no place for the exaltation of human leaders and much harm is done all around when such exaltation is promoted.

The divine ideal is beautiful and we dare not despise it by saying, "It will not work". Let us listen to it humbly as God's pronounced desire for His people - "Now I beseech you brethren by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye all speak the same thing, and there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgement".

Fight by the Prophecies Given ...

I can't imagine how I missed this! Rob Rufus prophesied this during his message; "Attitudes that attract the empowering grace of God - Part 4".

"Never conform to those who conive and contrive in cunning craftiness in counterfeit religious authority to produce the result to which their selfish agendas aspire, for this is a form of witchcraft that will confuse and tire my people with false fire and enslave them to the liar. But seek My face, position your hearts in humility and let my true nature of goodness, righteousness, purity, the integrity of my holiness and my perfect love capture your hearts. Let my motives motivate you, My desires desire you and show kindness to you, to heal you of all pain, to soothe away all rejection by My absolute acceptance.

Come surrender and yield all of yourself to me for you cannnot make your hearts pure and holy, but you can open your hearts and present your hearts to me, you can expose your hearts to the radiance of my glory, you can find in Me depths of pure kindness and you can position youself toward My Presence and I will make your hearts pure and holy. Do not take matters into your own hands, do not defend yourself or fight for your vindication. I am your council for defense. I am your perfect High Priest. I am your justifier and defender and no evil can successfully stand against you. Trust me, come further into My glory, further than you have ever been before, there are realms and realities of revelation that I am about to open to you and am opening to you. I have allowed you to come through the periphereal fence that the cherubims guarded and protected my people from going into the glory before their time, before they were ready through the New Covenant.

But in June 2007, I lifted that fence and My cherubims allowed you to come into that glory. You came in just but a few millimeters of a measure and now in this time since then I've allowed you to progress in the measure of a few feet or a few meters, but now suddenly I am advancing you in the measure of millimeters or feet but of miles and kilometers, a step at a time into My greater glory, into My presence. My Presence will be so strong that it will soften your hearts and take out of you all forms of doubt and bitterness. I will cause you to desire My way beyond human recognition and the praises of men. I am in these days giving My people such opportunity to have pure hearts and those who prioritize My manifest presence as precious beyond all else, I will drop down upon them mantles - I do not say mantle, but I say mantles, mantles of My glory - of My miraculous, of my enabling - for I can trust the stewardship of these unprecendented mantles of My glory only to those who are pure in heart, who are willing to suffer persecution without becoming bitter or cynical, because they find their safety and their hiding place and their protection and their identity in My manifest presence alone."

(Thanks to Lydia for this one! As she said so rightly; "I find it applicable to all who feel fed and cared for through Rob's preaching, and to those who may sense a connection to this amazing church").

You ALL Can Prophesy!!

The prophetic has always been incredibly important to me since God first started speaking to me. I recalled the other day that my first prophecy after asking God for the gift was a word of exhortation to my old church that they would "remember their first love" and not continue to walk down the road of cessationism! I told my dad that my first reaction was; "Thanks a bunch God!". However I gave the word and it was duly rejected!

But I am so grateful to God for like-minded friends who have stirred me up in the prophetic - namely Pete Day, Nick and more recently my wonderful Ursula! These guys are all fellow prophets and prophetesses as well as having a passion and a hunger for God. I must urge everyone to go to Ursula's new prophetic project and read her post; "Prophecy and Intimacy with God". It is a very mature and outstanding insight into this precious gift that must be read. When we abandon intimacy with God then Old Covenant law begins to creep into the prophetic and the Bride of Christ begins getting condemned.

The other fascinating and stirring resource I wanted to mention was something I found on Westminster Chapel's website (pastored by my hero Greg Haslam). It is called a "Prayer Shield" and contains a number of key prophetic words given about God's heart for the Chapel. Several were given to R T Kendall and the majority to Greg himself from various recognised Newfrontiers prophets including Ginny Burgin and my fab friend Jon Cressey. Ginny prophesied;

"There will be breakthroughs and healings at the Chapel, similar to the time of William Branham. There's coming a weakening then a strengthening to you. You cannot be threatened anymore after a time of strategic change from God. This is a strategic placing for the opening of a whole new era".

Why is it interesting for me what is prophesied to other people and other churches? I remember feeling a bit down at "Glory and Grace" in Hong Kong when Isi de Gersigny was prophesying very specifically to many people by name. Part of me was terrified she would but part of me was devastated when she didn't! Rob must have sensed this prophetically because he got up and encouraged us to seize the overflow of the prophetic promise that is made. Prophecies aren't just to be recorded in a dusty hall and forgotten!

Rob Rufus said;

"The prophetic is really important isn't it? Someone said "Would it happen if someone didn't prophesy?". Well - I don't think so! I think the prophetic releases that creative word that brings it into reality. So we need to prophesy over one another! The Bible says that we can all prophesy. There is not some with the gift of prophecy and others don't have the gift. The Bible says in 1st Corinthians 14 that we can all prophesy! We are not all prophets! But we are all priests of God and all priests of God can prophesy. The gift of prophecy is different to the office of the prophet. Prophecy encourages and exhorts and comforts and builds up so prophecy is really powerful".

Seeing Grace Everywhere!!

I've had a weird couple of days (some things great, some things terrible!) - went up to visit Pete Day at "Life in the Spirit Conference" in Derbyshire and we had an awesome time together catching up (we haven't seen each other for almost a year) and soaking in the glory. God used Pete to almost "commission" me to go to Hong Kong and to catch the fire and bring it back to the UK. While we were praying I had two awesome visions which profoundly affected us both.

1. The first was that as I was lying on his bed I saw the roof lift off and a heavenly glory whirlwind began to circle around and around and angels began coming up and down. But what struck me was the fact that in the glory "distance" is nothing at all. As we go to Hong Kong there will be a sort of "portal" left open so that Pete can experience the full downloads of blessing and glory as the conference is going on.

2. The second was I saw a huge angel with a burning torch come into the room as we were praying. And I thought it would be something like Isaiah and our lips would be touched. But weirdly the angel touched both our feet and the feet set on fire with a beautiful golden flame. And I saw us walking around but as we walked there were footprints left - and each footprint burned with glory. As we flew to Hong Kong there was a golden flame slip-stream left arching over Russia and China. As Pete drove back to London from the conference there was a glory trail left behind him!

So it was great to come back fresh with that anointing ready and looking forward to Hong Kong and all it has in store! But then while I was driving I was listening to Todd Bentley speak on "Baptisms of Fire" and he started off very well - by challenging the charismatic traditions of men that have reduced the baptism of the Holy Spirit to just merely speaking in tongues. He said that too many of us are satisfied we have "got the baptism" simply by speaking in tongues every now and then but we wouldn't dream about healing the sick.

But then he began to slip into preaching law by speaking of the healers in the fifties and sixties who got their anointing by prayer and fasting and thirsting. And he insisted again and again that the ONLY way we will get baptisms of power of this magnitude is by prayer and fasting and thirsting and (Todd called it); "Paying the price".

Suddenly I began to understand why Todd Bentley fell away. He was trying to exceed the anointing that was upon Smith Wigglesworth and Kathryn Kuhlman but by exceeding THEIR "price". So I imagine that he did nothing but pray and fast! And burnt out. And missed the point. Because why will God pour out baptisms of power in response to a work of self-righteousness?

In the end I had to turn the CD off - I couldn't take it anymore!

Finally I've been reading a few books trying to understand imputed righteousness and justification by faith a bit more. I brought "Preaching the Cross" by the Together for the Gospel foursome at the "Life in the Spirit" bookshop as well as some of Sam Storms latest books. It generally wasn't too bad - particularly this quote by R C Sproul. Then I read "Counted Righteous in Christ" by John Piper again and was absolutely thrilled to see these well-known and favourite hymns of mine but in New Covenant lenses!

"No condemnation now I dread,

Jesus and all in Him is mine,

Alive in Him, my living Head

And clothed in righteousness divine!

Bold I approach the eternal throne

And claim the crown through Christ my own!"

"When He shall come with trumpet sound,

O may I then in Him be found,

Dressed in His righteousness alone,

FAULTLESS to stand before the throne!"

"We trust in you O Captain of salvation,

In Your dear Name, all other names above,

Jesus our righteousness, our sure foundation,

Our prince of glory and our king of love".

"Our load of sin and misery,

Did Thou the Sinless bear?

Thy spotless robe of purity,

Do we the sinners wear?".

"Thy righteousness O Christ,

Alone can cover me;

No righteousness avails,

Save that which is of Thee".

"Behold Him there the Risen Lamb,

My perfect spotless righteousness!

The great unchangable I AM ...".

"Knowing You Jesus, knowing You

There is no greater thing!

You're my all, You're the best,

You're my joy - my righteousness

And I love You Lord!".