The Omnipresence and Manifest Presence of God!

I posted some quotes from an old Newfrontiers Magazine on "Spirit of God!" a while back and was directed to a blog post by Bob Kauflin which raised the question of how we view worship. What troubled me about that post was the absence of any discussion of the manifest Presence of God. Indeed God is omnipresent but that shouldn't excuse our seeking and hungering for God to manifest Himself in power in our corporate gathering. I have waited for responses to be written to that post but haven't seen any so thought I would do some research of my own and some studying of the Scriptures on my own.

I was interested and encouraged to find a discussion of this exact topic in the New Wine Magazine - November 1974 - between Bob Mumford, Derek Prince and Ken Sumrall. Here is the transcript of what they said;

Question: Why does the Presence of the Holy Spirit seem to be in some gatherings and not in others?

Bob Mumford: For illustration's sake, let us distinguish two types of the Presence of the Lord. As we remarked in question one, it is the same Holy Spirit in varying manifestation. The first type is theologically called omnipresence. Omni means everywhere at the same time. God said it succinctly to the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 23:23-24; "Do I note fill heaven and earth?".

The second type is what may be called the manifest Presence. In our language it would be God, the Holy Spirit choosing to reveal His Presence at one place and at one time in such a way as to be felt, seen, heard or smelled.

When a particular life, group, church or gathering is more spiritually orientated and spiritual unity is in the midst in reality, the Lord sovereignly chooses to manifest His Presence in one way or the other. This is not supposed to be unusual but rather the normal Christian gathering.

Sensative leadership will seek God for hindrances, known and unknown until the Holy Spirit is released to move among us in scriptural freedom.

Derek Prince: Isaiah 40:13 poses the question; "Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord or being His counsellor hath taught Him?". Viewed objectively it would be ridiculous for us to offer direction, or advice to the Holy Spirit. Yet in practice we often make this mistake. In advance of a meeting, we form our own anticipation or plan or programme for the meeting, and then we follow this out without reference to the Holy Spirit. When we act like this, the Holy Spirit may logically take the attitude; "If you don't need Me, I will move elsewhere!".

In any meeting, we enjoy the Presence and direction of the Holy Spirit in proportion as we yield to Him and follow out His purpose.

All too often a pattern of previous blessing becomes a form of bondage.

E.g; "God blessed us last time when we all reaised our hands and shouted so we'll do that again this time!". Inadvertently we are tricked into seeking a "blessing" rather than seeking the Holy Spirit's purpose.

Ken Sumrall: The Holy Spirit moves and makes His Presence known most in an atmosphere of love. This was made clear to Liberty Church in Pensacola during an all-day fellowship meeting on Labour Day 1966. God's Presence was so real, everyone could sense His nearness.

A prophetic word came forth; "If you will keep the love among you as it is expressed today, you will not need to ask for My manifestation. You could not prevent My manifestation for I reveal Myself in an atmosphere of love and trust".

During the baptism of Jesus the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove. As someone said, "The Holy Spirit as a dove descended on Jesus, the lamb as He always descends on those with lamb-like natures". The Holy Spirit is grieved over unchristian attitudes and will not expressly move among groups who harbour "bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour and evil speakings ..." (Ephesians 4:31).

If a group is in harmony and the Holy Spirit is not in evidence it could be that there is a need for unified praise until there is a release from oppression of the enemy or release from timidity and inhibitions. The Lord has promised to inhabit the praises of His people".

Newday 2007!

One sure way to begin to stir your passion into flame again for God is to look at the younger generations. I find nothing stirs me and motivates me (and sometimes shames me) than looking at the younger worshippers of God. This video clip is only a few minutes but it brought me to the point of tears. The beauty and glory of the Church! Surely this is why it was prophecied in Joel that young men shall see visions (looking to the future) and old men shall dream dreams (remembering the past). Vision is being seen at Newday! Enjoy this clip - may it stir you into flame - to remember your first love!

Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Prophecy ...

After posting a series of quotes as I did yesterday there are many lines I could have taken to disagree with John MacArthur and defend what I believe clearly to be the Scriptural position. I posted quotes on MacArthur's view on Apostles (they've died out), on Spiritual gifts generally (there are permament and temporary gifts - even though I have yet to find a Scripture that tells me which are which), on Healing (noone heals today and Jesus and the apostles only healed to prove something), on the Gift of Miracles (doesn't exist), the Gift of Prophecy (it is preaching), the Gift of Discernment (it exists and only a few are present to protect the majority of the church against error) and finally the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (it doesn't exist ... well it does but it is synonymous with conversion so kind of swallowed up within it).

There are many authors who could be quoted who will ably disagree with MacArthur including Dr Jack Deere - who devotes an appendix in his book "Surprised by the Power of the Spirit" - to dismantling the entire problem with John MacArthur's cessationism - namely his dispensational eschatology. But I made a statement yesterday wondering about the concept of how John MacArthur's commentaries would developed prior to the Charismatic Movement. I therefore got to reading an author whose reputation was as a Bible teacher and certainly would not have counted himself as part of or sympathetic to the Charismatic Movement.

Therefore Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones words on the Gift of Prophecy and what it is needs to be read. The bulk of the teaching was from his monumental series on the Book of Romans -- Chapter 12. Firstly Dr Lloyd-Jones put the Gift of Prophecy into the context of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. He said;

"I say again that my position is that I believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a seperate, distinct, unique experience. It may be accompanied by remarkable gifts; it may simply manifest the regular gifts in a heightened degree. It is not for us to say that none of these things can happen. Anything is possible in the sovereignity of the Spirit".

Dr Lloyd-Jones then went on to examine the Gift of Prophecy in particular. He (as was his common practice) dealt with what prophecy is not. Let us remind ourselves of how John MacArthur defines prophecy.

"A prophet of God, therefore, is simply one who speaks forth God's Word and prophecy is the proclaiming of that Word. The gift of prophecy is the Spirit-given and Spirit-empowered ability to proclaim the Word effectively".

One of the key problems I had with John MacArthur's view is that Joel 2 prophesies a general outpouring of prophecy. But Joel 2 says "Your sons and your daughters shall prophecy". Knowing MacArthur to be as avid a complementarian as Wayne Grudem, I wondered how he would deal with this prophecy. MacArthur assigns Joel 2 to occur within the Millenium. However Dr Lloyd-Jones was clearly aware of this view and mentioned that both Martin Luther and John Calvin had held it but as a reaction to the Anabaptists.

How then does Dr Lloyd-Jones define prophecy?

"What then is the gift of prophecy? Well I would define it as a direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit. What for? It's purpose is to give a word from God or the Word of God to the Church".

That could be mistaken as sounding quite similar to MacArthur's definition. But Dr Lloyd-Jones goes on;

"Prophecy is the inspired delivery of warning, exhortation, instruction, judging and making manifest the secrets of the heart. Someone who makes a prophecy has been given this gift of passing on, as it were, a word from God to the church and to individuals in the church".

Once again it could be said that this definition is the same as MacArthur's - prophecy is preaching! But Dr Lloyd-Jones clearly realised this and came to the point and compared prophecy WITH preaching and how they are different.

"But perhaps the best way of reaching a definition is to ask; what is the difference between prophecy on the one hand and preaching and teaching on the other?

Because there is a difference. And I would say that the difference is one word. Immediacy.

And this means that a word is given to people and comes to them. Now preaching and teaching are not like that. A preacher and teacher is a man who takes time to study, he takes time to think, to prepare; he arranges his material and gives it order and system. A preacher and teacher should not enter into the pulpit without any preparation and trust to the inspiration of the moment".

So that is Dr Lloyd-Jones's clear understanding of preaching and the very necessary preparation required for it. But prophecy on the other hand;

"Prophecy is something given to someone immediately and directly. Let me give you my proof for saying this. In 1 Corinthians 14:29 we read; "Let the prophets speak two or three and let the other judge" ... You can picture the meeting. Here is a prophet speaking a prophecy but a word is revealed to someone sitting by him. That is it; that is prophecy. It is a direct revelation".

John MacArthur on the other hand of course has problems with the verse that Dr Lloyd-Jones has just quoted - 1 Corinthians 14:29. The only way that he can explain it away is to assign that verse to the Corinthian age and the apostolic era - which of course has now finished.

Furthermore Dr Lloyd-Jones was aware of the Scriptural permission for women to prophecy and wrote this;

"There is a distinction between prophecy and preaching and teaching that can be proved quite clearly from Acts 21:9 and 1 Corinthians 11:5 ... those two verses alone prove that women can prophesy but the Scriptures also tells us that it is not permitted to a woman to preach or teach. That is why it is important to be clear in our minds about the difference between prophesying on the one hand and preaching and teaching on the other. A message may come to a woman but that does not make her a preacher or a teacher".

The Word of God commands us to "prove all things". John MacArthur himself said; "No preacher or teacher of the gospel should resent having what he says judged against Scripture". It isn't a question of chosing one's favourite Bible teachers but a case of which insight into the Word of God makes most sense. As I said before these things need to be defended - not because it is simply our preferred church life at stake - but because it is Word of God at stake and what it says and what it has to command about how we live.

For myself - Dr Lloyd-Jones makes the most sense.

John MacArthur Believes in Prophecy ... !!

Yes really. I will explain that in a bit.

Both Ern Baxter and Stanley Jebb were of the opinion that it is important to not simply limit your diet of theological books but also to read books that are contrary to your views. However I have been deliberately limiting my diet of books to those I know will feed my soul and fire my passion for God. In recent days I have decided to extend that rule for two reasons. Firstly I have plenty more reading time on my hands due to my working night shifts in the community and secondly CLC in Birmingham were selling John MacArthur's Commentaries on the New Testament for extremely cheap prices - £25 down to £9.95!

I brought 3 volumes to begin with. Two volumes on the Book of Romans and one volume on the Book of 1 Corinthians and began reading 1 Corinthians yesterday. I want to present a number of quotes and concepts that MacArthur deals with because I have found it a useful exercise reading his commentary. Firstly let me make it perfectly clear that I don't disagree with MacArthur lightly. It is clearly evident from his books that he is a righteous man who has spent his considerable lifetime studying the Word and desiring to present orthodox truth as he sees it. He is trained theologically and I am not. He has a number of degrees and I don't (in theology). But some things he says don't see to match up logically and further more MacArthur himself actually allows assessment of what he says (p304);

"No preacher or teacher of the gospel should resent having what he says judged against Scripture".

Points of Agreement.

I didn't think I would find myself including this category but I read a number of comments in the commentary on 1 Corinthians that I agreed with - although not maybe in the way that John MacArthur would have hoped his readers would! He said this concerning the spiritual gifts (p278);

"Every member of Christ's church has been given supernatural endowments, gifts of God's Holy Spirit, which through the Spirit are God's divine means of ministering His Word and power among His people and to the world".

MacArthur then went on to present a useful method of "testing all things" (p278) - a comment that may have been useful with Mark's concerns over Rob Rufus.

"God's gifts build up; Satan's counterfeits tear down".

And again;

"People do not counterfeit what is not valuable. Satan counterfeits the Spirit's gifts because he knows they are so valuable in God's plan".

John MacArthur on Apostles.

In beginning his commentary on 1 Corinthians, MacArthur obviously comes to Paul's opening comments in chapter 1; "called as an apostle". Unsurprisingly MacArthur deals with the contemporary issue as to whether apostles exist still today. He writes (p4);

"Apostles were chosen by God to work in the founding and forming of the church, after which time apostles ceased. When all the apostles had died, the office of apostle no longer existed. They were selected, sent and empowered by God for that period in the history of the church which was over when their lives were over".

This argument puzzles and intrigues me. MacArthur doesn't take the traditional argument that apostles are not required due to the completed canon of Scripture. He argues that apostles have ceased because those appointed as apostles have died out. Surely this argument suggests that the apostles were somehow special within themselves rather than the Biblical argument in Ephesians 4 that the ministry of apostles are gifts from the ascended Christ to the Church for it's bringing to maturity.

John MacArthur on Spiritual Gifts.

MacArthur defines spiritual gifts thus so;

"Spiritual gifts are divine enablements for ministry, characteristics of Jesus Christ that are to be manifested through the body corporate just as they were manifested through the body incarnate".

Once again I would agree with this but maybe not in the way that he wants or desires! But then moving into his commentary on chapters 12 to 14 MacArthur does something that is odd. I am familiar with the argument but I still have yet to understand where Scriptures indicates that this is so. He writes (p297);

"A thorough examination will yield the truth that spiritual gifts fill two major purposes; the permament gifts edify the church and the temporary gifts are signs to confirm the Word of God".

What then are the gifts designated as permament and what are those designated as temporary? Well he argues that the permament gifts include speaking or verbal gifts - prophecy, knowledge, wisdom, teaching and exhortation and also nonverbal gifts - leadership, helps, giving, mercy, faith and discernment. Temporary gifts were (apparantly) to authenticate the Word of God;

" ... until the time the Scriptures were completed and became self-authenticating".

So much for a general outline. I would ask again - where is the division shown in Scripture? Or more directly (as this is the text he is commenting on and apparantly exegeting) where is the division shown in 1 Corinthians 12?

John MacArthur on Healing.

As we can expect MacArthur makes the traditional evangelical "get-out-clause" that God is indeed sovereign and "can heal if He wishes". The implication that one gets from reading the entire commentary is that God is clearly not expected to wish to heal. By contrast MacArthur speaks approvingly of medical work as a preferred alternative. He writes (p301);

"As did all the others with the gift of healing, Paul used it sparingly and only for it's intended purpose. It was never used solely for the purpose of bringing physical health".

How would this compare with verses in the New Testament that speak of the Lord Jesus Christ like this;

"When evening came they brought to Him many who were demon possessed and He cast out the spirits with a word and healed ALL who were ill" - (Matthew 8:16 - NASB).

"Jesus was going through all the cities and the villages teaching ... and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Seeing the people He felt compassion for them" - (Matthew 9:35 - NASB).

Healing never solely for the purpose of bringing spiritual health? What of the ten lepers He healed, one of whom only returned and responded to His Lordship that we know of?

John MacArthur on the Gift of Miracles.

MacArthur attributes this gift also to being a temporary sign gift. He defines a miracles as being a supernatural intrusion into the natural world and it's natural laws, explainable only by divine intervention. Thus far - no problem. However MacArthur makes a statement about Jesus Christ that causes me some difficulty. He said;

"Scripture indicates that Jesus lived a quiet, normal life as a child and as a young man exercising absolutely no supernatural powers until the wedding at Cana".

This may be the first indication of the Lord's miracle power but this statement seems to me to do injustice to the baptism of the Spirit that came upon Him in the River Jordan. Futher more if the Lord's preserved His supernatural power until the wedding at Cana then why did the devil tempt Him to turn stones into bread or to throw Himself off the temple? If the devil knew like the Lord that MacArthur's hypothesis was correct and Jesus was only to perform miracles to prove something then why would Jesus perform miracles with the devil as the sole witness?

John MacArthur on the Gift of Prophecy.

This is where I got interested. Rather than arguing with traditional cessationism as I had assumed, MacArthur wrote (p303);

"We will assume here that prophecy is a permament edifying gift".

However all is made clear when MacArthur goes on to define the gift of prophecy as such (p303);

"A prophet of God, therefore, is simply one who speaks forth God's Word and prophecy is the proclaiming of that Word. The gift of prophecy is the Spirit-given and Spirit-empowered ability to proclaim the Word effectively".

Clearly what he is arguing is that prophecy is preaching and a prophet is a preacher. But what then of the clear argument in 1 Corinthians 14:1 that we should earnestly desire spiritual gifts especially prophecy? MacArthur writes (p303);

"The apostle is not suggesting that every Christian should seek personally to have a gift of proclamation but that all Christians collectively should want that gift to be ministered among them".

So suddenly prophecy is no longer a gift of the Spirit that should and can be ministered by any member of the Church for the common good but it has become a gift purely and solely for the preacher/teacher (for clearly no other Ephesians 4 Ministry exists). There is no call clearly for anyone but the teaching elders to have anything to say in the corporate Body of believers.

John MacArthur on the Gift of Discernment.

Rather than being a special spiritual gift that may be bestowed again on any member of the body of Christ, MacArthur makes some interesting comments that clearly but his book "Charismatic Chaos" in contrast. Without stating it clearly - we are left in no doubt that he sees himself as having the gift of discernment. Consider these comments (p305);

"It is the ministry of those with the gift of discernment to help seperate the wheat from the chaff ... God still empowers some of His people to unmask false prophets and carnal hypocrites. He gives them insight to expose imitations and deceptions that most Christians would take as genuine".

The implication is strange. On the one hand MacArthur seems to be fighting for the supremacy of the Word of God and it's total sufficiency however on the other hand he is suggesting here that "most Christians" are liable to deception by false prophets (presumably false preachers?) were it not for those few who have the gift of discernment to unmask these wolves in sheeps clothing.

John MacArthur on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Jesse Phillips makes it clear that 1 Corinthians 12:13 is used by most of those who would claim that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is synonymous with conversion and is mostly non-experimental. MacArthur does not disappoint such an expectation and writes this but it is somewhat confusing;

"It is not the Holy Spirit's baptism but Christ's baptism with the Holy Spirit that gives us life and places us into the Body when we trust in Christ ... the Son is the Baptizer and the Holy Spirit is the agent of baptism".

But that is not what 1 Corinthians 12:13 says! The verse makes it clear that on the other hand it is the Holy Spirit who is the baptizer ("By one Spirit") and the body of Christ who is the agent of baptism ("into one body"). Surely the real root of the problem with the concept of a baptism in the Spirit that is one of power and brings assurance of sonship is this comment;

"Many erring teachers today have used a wrong interpretation of the baptism with the Spirit to divide off from the Body an imagined spiritual elite who have what the rest do not".

This of course is the time-old traditional argument against the baptism of the Spirit and one that you will only hear from those who deny the presence and power of such a grace gift from the risen and ascended Christ.

What of MacArthur?

There is much talk around of being "Together for the Gospel" and I must confess to wondering just how important an issue this is. Should we keep quiet about these things for the sake of unity? It is important and it should be discussed because what is at stake is the supremacy of the Word of God. Both bible-honouring charismatics and John MacArthur cannot be correct. If John MacArthur is correct then all bible-honouring charismatics are at worst practicing spiritual gifts and are demonically inspired and at best are wasting time manifesting gifts in the flesh.

My over-riding feeling from reading the commentary on "1 Corinthians" is that there is a downgrading on the emphasis of every member ministry. One of the wonders of the Charismatic Renewal is that suddenly church wasn't about one pastor doing everything but every member had the capability of bringing something of God to the corporate gatherings. John MacArthur deals with the verse that speaks of everyone "hath a tongue, hath an interpretation" as being solely and purely for the Corinthians. If that is so then why is it included in Scripture and why are we told that "all Scripture is profitable"? In John MacArthur's commentary we are left with the impression that there is nothing for us "laity" to do but come to church and hear the preacher preach the Word of God.

There is much more that could be said and I may post again when I have finished the three volumes but I confess to being disappointed with what I have read so far. John MacArthur is clearly a faithful and devoted servant of Jesus Christ and a lover of His Church. He says he is devoted to truth and defending it and indeed the motto of his preaching is "Unleashing God's truth one verse at a time". I focused on the more controversial topics that he deals with - there is much in the commentary that is excellent and I do agree with.

But I don't understand why a man who so devotedly believes in the Word of God needs to read into Scripture so much of his presupposed views. I hope that the volumes on Romans get better but I am glad that I brought them for the bargain price they were.

One final question. Most of MacArthur's "illustrations" of 1 Corinthians 12-14 come from the Charismatic Movement. How would his commentary have shaped up if he had written it prior to Azusa Street? I wonder if his comments and his concerns would have been the same.

Advertising the Kansas City Conference!!

I found this historically interesting and stirring advert within one of the New Wine Magazines advertising the extremely influential and awesomely God-visited Kansas City Conference. I have been in email contact with a man from within SGM and was interested to hear that C J Mahaney and Larry Tomczak were present at the conference. Clearly the influence of the conference spread across charismatic boundaries. Oh that such a unity would come again soon!

Why Only Grace-Filled Christians Will Make Fully Released Charismatics

I spent much of yesterdays bus travel re-reading Rob Rufus's book "Living in the Grace of God" and was impressed again at how the subject and issue of grace isn't an optional one for Christians. We need to wake up and realise that legalism is not an "acceptable" sin that is preferable to moral failures. Truly being released into the grace of God will be life changing! I had a few thoughts come to mind for those of us who believe in the Person and work of the Holy Spirit and long for His full unleashed power and Presence in our churches.

When I first became immersed in charismatic life, the idea of a "legalistic charismatic" was a complete misnomer. However I quickly began to realise that legalism works it's evil way into charismatic church life as it does into cessationist church life. These 3 thoughts that came to my mind are for the benefit of those of us who are talking about a "Charismatic Resurgence" among the blogging world. I appreciate that cessationists will be arguing that "we have everything in Christ" anyhow so what is the point of seeking more?

I think Ern Baxter's quote is accurate. It is not possible to have an attitude of grace and yet be legalistic in practice. Grace is action!

1. If you are not in grace, you will be taught you may be taught you must "tarry" or wait for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit or attain a certain level of holiness BUT a grace-filled believer will realise that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is sharing in Christ's inheritance freely.

Galatians 3:1-3 - "Received ye the Spirit ... BY believing what you heard".

When talk of the baptism of the Holy Spirit begin to revive in the 1960's and 70's there was a great mixture of an understanding that this was a grace gift from God and also talk that a need for holiness was involved. Despite some of the early material on this at my home church being excellent I noted that several times in a section called "Preparing" - my senior pastor wrote and urged people to "cleanse themselves" and "pray for holiness". This was vital and important and should be our daily practice, but I am learning from Rob Rufus's teaching that actually the baptism of the Holy Spirit doesn't have anything to do with how holy we are.

Terry Virgo said this in his seminar on the baptism of the Spirit at Stoneleigh 1999;

“This He spoke of concerning the Spirit which those who believed in Him were to receive. But the Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified”.The Spirit was not yet given – why? Because they were not yet holy enough. They had not yet proven themselves enough. No – nothing to do with them! ...

Now what does it say in the verse? It says if anyone is thirsty. It doesn’t say if anyone is mature or holy. It says if anyone is thirsty. That’s all you have to be – thirsty. You are demonstrating some kind of thirst by being here this afternoon. That is the only thing. That’s what Jesus said. The other idea is that if you do well then you will get the Holy Spirit later. It is rather like a general of an army saying – now you go out and fight and if you do well you can have a gun next time. It is crazy! We need guns now! We need the Spirit as soon as possible!".

Ern Baxter did an extensive study throughout the whole Bible where the phrase; "The Spirit came upon" is used. He argued that every time this phrase is used, it meant that the Spirit was being poured out on individuals for a specific anointing for a specific task. I read those passages through also and nowhere do you see the individuals concerned preparing themselves in prayer and fasting for this baptism of power that is coming. In Numbers 11 the men concerned weren't even expecting it! So unexpected was it that Joshua went and complained to Moses that two men in the camp had received it and they weren't even at the gathering. A note of legalism even in Joshua I wonder?

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a grace gift from God that we might share in the royal anointing of the risen and exalted King Jesus to enable us to walk out in power and fulfill the Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations. The prerequisite for it is that the believer is thirsty and comes to the Lord Jesus to drink.

2. If you are not in grace, you will believe that a spiritual gift given to you is a mark of holiness or higher living BUT a grace-filled believer will realise a spiritual gift is a grace gift for the benefit of the Church.

Much of the controversy within the Corinthian church (both cessationists and charismatics unite in agreeing) came from the mistaken belief that the practice of spiritual gifts - particularly tongues - made them somehow super-spiritual. Surely the whole object of 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 is that spiritual gifts exercised without a spirit of love is an un-godly, un-glorifying, dis-honouring thing to happen in the Church.

Yet Ern Baxter writes;

"Paul makes it clear that while (prophecy) is freely given by God; it's proper use depends on the obedience of the gifted one to the order of God for the exercise of gifts as given by apostolic authority".

There is a vital tension that must be held. On the one hand 1 Corinthians 14:1 makes it clear that it is a command of God that spiritual gifts MUST be eagerly desired and especially prophecy. But on the other hand we must realise that spiritual gifts are "freely given" by God but they are freely given for a purpose!

To quote Ern Baxter again;

"Spiritual gifts are not for sanctification; they're for ministry. You can manifest spiritual gifts and be carnal. You can manifest spiritual gifts and be immoral".

This truth is actually tremendously releasing! I have seen more legalistic charismatics than I care to see with worry in their eyes because they haven't brought a spiritual gift or prophecied "the best" in the church that morning. I have heard what are clearly legalistic charismatics prophesying in the flesh because they feel "they must". If we can truly and clearly grasp the truth that spiritual gifts do not make anyone more holy and are a free gift from God to advance His Church - then what freedom! What release!

"When we do come to understand that we are loved irrespective of our actions, we will realise that He sees us as worth-while of His devoted specific attention on a daily basis. When we have a revelation of this truth, we can come to the throne room of grace to find in abundance the grace we need" - Rob Rufus.

3, If you are not in grace you will believe you will only advance in signs and wonders by prayer and fasting BUT if you are in grace you will realise that God gives gifts in greater measure to the humble and those who step out in faith.

Rob Rufus taught us at Brighton about the past anointings that were upon men and women within the Healing Movement like William Branham and Kathryn Kuhlman. He paid tribute to the great anointings that were on them but warned that their failure was that they sought the power of God more than His Presence and began to move into legalism to seek a greater degree of that anointing. Rob suggested that God has withdrawn the extraordinary anointing from that time until His Church move truly into a foundatio of God's lavish grace.

"Without God's grace we cannot do anything supernatural that will last for eternity" - Rob Rufus.

This concept is an important one - that of striving and looking to God for greater dimensions of His anointing and power. Dr Lloyd-Jones warned that one characteristic that is most found in evangelicals is that of being too smug and too self-satisfied. While we of course recognise that we have gained every spiritual blessing in Christ, surely we must recognise that "we are too easily satisfied with too little". John Macarthur wrote this in his commentary on 1 Corinthians;

"The believers in Corinth, as believers everywhere, did not need to look for and should not try to look for additional special blessings or gifts. God has provided every spiritual gift His children need or may have".

If this is the case then why bother interceding and praying to God for a revival of power or a reformation? It strikes me that a statement like this from John Macarthur reflects an eschatology of fatalism. On the other hand if we hold the view that we have indeed gained every spiritual blessing in Christ legally, we have yet still to see the full realisation of these come to pass. A famous statement is "Already but not yet". We need to reject teaching that we have it all now and seek God for a greater manifestation of His Presence - and that manifestation will involve grace!

"When we truly understand grace we will lay down our lives passionately, zealously, faithfully and totally to follow Jesus Christ enthusiastically at any cost, at any price" - Rob Rufus.

It is my desire and longing to see spirit-filled churches moving deeper and deeper into a greater display and manifestation of spiritual gifts. To not just look to Rob Rufus's or Terry Virgo's or William Branham's or Kathryn Kuhlman's but to see supernatural healings occuring regularly across the country. To see supernatural prophecies coming forth from the corporate Body of Christ that reveal so much of the Presence and power of God that indeed unbelievers fall down and exclaim God is truly among you!

Let us hear the call of Rob Rufus and bring grace and the power of God together. Let us let grace set us free and then maybe we will see Terry Virgo's words come true;

"Local churches flooded with the Presence of God and the gifts of the Holy Spirit are the most potent weapons in God's hands for world evangelisation".

Apostolic Means Mobile!! (With Particular Reference to Ern Baxter)

One key aspect to the modern day ministry of apostles that many writers agree on is that the apostle will be a "mobile" person. That does not necessarily mean that he or she will be 100%itinerant but their ministry will involve a great degree of travelling. Terry Virgo for example is based at Church of Christ the King in Brighton and speaks there often but if one consults his diary - you will see that he is travelling much of his working year. A pastor/teacher on the other hand may make occasional trips abroad but just because there are commitments abroad does not make him an apostle or the trip apostolic!

I wrote much more about the role and ministry of an apostle here.

The reason for this post is that I found what is called "A Personal Word from Ern Baxter" in the New Wine Magazine Archives (March 1978). Ern wrote of his travelling ministry but was speaking more in detail about how he and his wife Ruth felt called to move from Mobile, Alabama where they were based to California where some ministries were asking for his assistance. This move was done with the full support of the other brothers. I found it quite interesting in light of the conversations about apostles and prophets today or not.

Here it is;

Questions and Answers by Ern Baxter

It was common practice for the New Wine Magazine to carry a Question and Answer session for some years while the magazine was brought out. This was a unique opportunity for the five brothers to bring unique teaching in a more spontaneous setting. This particular edition featured Ern Baxter answering questions alone and he deals with some interesting material.

From New Wine Magazine - January 1976

Question: What quality do you feel God was trying to produce in Job's life by allowing him to experience suffering and hardship?

Ern Baxter: God declared Job to be a righteous man walking in "His lights" (Job 1:1-8, Ezekiel 14:14, 20). "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). God is absolute light while His children are "walking in the light" (1 John 1:7). "God is forever and unchangably in perfect light". We walk, advancing in the light and by means of the light to more light. (Word Studies in the New Testament, Vincent, Vol 2, p41).

The New Testament contains one reference to Job, and twice quotes the book bearing his name. These references suggest some of the things God taught Job in and through his suffering. In Romans 11:35, Paul quotes Job 41:11 to show God's sovereign right to do what He will with His creation, including "the righteous". In 1 Corinthians 3:19 Paul refers Job 5:13 in support of his affirmation that human wisdom is unable to understand God or His ways. James uses Job as an example of endurance through God's dealing and seeing "what the Lord brought out of it" (Goodspeed).

The "brighter" light of the New Testament shows that the full purpose of God's dealings may not always be realized in this life. "The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18). Job's sufferings taught him that God was sovereign, inscrutable and ultimately good and according to James the "quality" produced was "patience".

Question: Are there specific reasons or definite circumstances for footwashing, and should this be regularly practiced in a fellowship?

Ern Baxter: Washing of the feet as a special act is first referred to in the Bible in Genesis and recurs throughout the whole of Scripture. In Oriental countries where sandals were commonly worn, feet became soiled with the dust and dirt of the road. Upon entering a tent or house, one of the first things done by the traveller was to wash his feet or have them washed by the host or his host's servant.

Not to offer water for the feet indicated a low regard for the foot-weary visitor. This is shown by our Lord's remark to Simon the Pharisee. Jesus was sitting in Simon's house when a woman "of the street" came in and "began to wash his feet with tears". Simon and his fellow Pharisees were shocked that Jesus "if He were a prophet" would not know the kind of woman who was washing His feet, and forbid her. Jesus, knowing what they were thinking spoke to Simon about forgiveness, and described the woman's actas one of love and respect. He then comared the act of the weeping penitent with the discourteous treatment He had received from Simon. One of the things our Lord mentioned was - "Thou gavest me no water for my feet".

During the Last Supper our Lord took off His robe, girded Himself with the towel of a servant and washed the feet of His disciples (John 13:1-17). It appears that they had been arguing as to which of them was "the greatest". No servant being available to wash their feet, each disciple took his place at the table with unwashed feet. Not one of them felt that he ought to be the servant. In their minds such an act would detract from their "greatness". It seems from all of the material in the Gospels relating to this event, that it was while they were arguing about "who was the greatest" that Jesus rose from the table and "took the place of a servant" and washed their feet.

Jesus approached Peter first. Peter protested against Jesus' actions feeling it was beneath the Lord's "greatness" to do this thing. Jesus however insisted and when He had finished washing the feet of all the disciples He said, "If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye ought also to wash one anothers feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you ... the servant is not greater than his Lord ... if ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them" (verses 14-16). On another occasion He said to them, "He that is greatest among you shall be your servant" (Matthew 23:11).

There are many ways we can wash one another's feet in acts of loving service. Washing of feet as a regular religious practice or ordinance has been the custom of some small bodies of Christians. I have personally seen occasions where this has been done as a sincere expression of a desire to make oneself available to serve his brother. These have been very moving and meaningful times. However I do not see sufficient biblical grounds to indicate that it should be a regular practice in a fellowship.

Question: What do you think is meant in 1 Corinthians 7:14 by an unbelieving husband or wife being "sanctified" by a mate who believes?

Ern Baxter: The word "sanctified" in this verse is obviously not the same as "saved". In verse 16 of this chapter, Paul encourages the believing husband or wife to remain with the unbelieving spouse, "for what knowest thou O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? Or how knowest thou O man whether thou shalt save thy wife?". How then can an unbelieving mate be "sanctified" by a believing partner and yet not be "saved"?

I think Paul is using "sanctified" in one of its several possible meanings. In this case, it is in the sense of "being set apart to a holy use or situation". Jesus spoke of the "temple that sanctifies the gift" (Matthew 23:17) and the "altar that sanctifies the gift" (Matthew 23:19). By being married to a "saved wife" and being "pleased to dwell with her", an unbelieving husband is "set apart" to her "pure and reverent behaviour ... the unfading loveliness of a calm and gentle spirit" (1 Peter 3:2, 4). Living in this atmosphere, there is hope for the "salvation" of the unbelieving husband or wife.

Question: When a Christian loved one passes away, isn't there a place for true sorrow and grief, even in the midst of the joy of knowing the person is with the Lord?

Ern Baxter: To "sorrow" and "manifest" grief at such a time as this is not un-Christian. Paul reported to the Philippians that "Epaphroditus my brother and companion in labour and fellow-soldier" had been "sick nigh unto death". "But" wrote Paul "God had mercy on him and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow ('the sorrow of losing him to add to my suffering' - JBP). (Phil 2:25-27).

Writing to the Thessalonians Christians concerning those of their number who had died, Paul exhorts them to "sorrow not even as othes who have had no hope" (1 Thess 4:13). Paul did not say "sorrow not" - He said "sorrow not, even as others which have no hope". The heathen saw death as the end of existance and the irreparable loss of loved ones and sorrowed in a manner that expressed hopelessness. Christians believe in "the resurrection of the body and life everlasting" (The Apostles Creed), and while they sorrow their sorrow is tempered by the Christian hope.

We Mustn't Forget the Past!!

I have been so stirred over these past 8 night shifts that I have been working to read the New Wine Magazines and to constantly praise God for the fact that the awesome material within them will not be lost to history because of the faithfulness of the Charles Simpson Ministry. While Dave Holden was quite right to warn us at Stoneleigh Bible Week 2000 of the danger of living sentimentally in the past and being stuck in it - there is still wonderful treasures to be gained from drawing on the anointing that God poured out in generations past. This is why resources like the New Wine Magazine or indeed the Evangelical Library are so vital!

While Mark and I were growing up in Dunstable, Don Basham was the one of the Fort Lauderdale Five who we knew least about I think. Ern Baxter of course came to visit us regularly and speak at our Anglia Bible Weeks, as did Bob Mumford and Charles Simpson also came and visited once. However we never heard Don Basham (I think that's correct). So I have been enjoying reading more of his books and magazine articles and coming to understand why Ern Baxter appreciated and liked his writing so much.

I found these this quote of Don Basham's incredible.

"Normal Christianity has always been miracle working Christianity. God never established any other kind. The way the Church started, it will end - with the miraculous power of God's Holy Spirit released in gifts and ministries and supernatural manifestations which are part of the Christian's heritage".

Then also thinking about the past, I was hugely encouraged to see that Terry Virgo went to the Newday conference and spoke to the young people gathered there about the history of Newfrontiers. I remember hearing first about this message that he gave first to Stoneleigh Bible Week 1998 and the response it received. I made it a point of tracking down the videotape and hearing it for myself. The testimony of the saints is truly a wonderful weapon in the hands of the Church! The devil cannot argue with testimony. He can try and mock it but he cannot counter the awesome power of the promises of God.

Terry wrote;

"...those planning the week thought it would be good for the upcoming generation to be aware of our roots and history and be gripped by the promises that God has made us, so that they might fully embrace their destiny with faith and understanding".

The audio session of Terry's message to Newday can be found here! I do urge all to listen to it - even those who were there at Stoneleigh 1998. The story has gone on since 1998 and Terry has added to it with awesome encouragement and blesing.

Let's not forget the past! Let's inherit the promises and own them and go for them - as Terry Virgo urged the Newday thousands in his opening moments! Let's give thanks to God for the past and allow it to encourage us and spur us on to walk into the future with our heads held high with faith in God!

New Wine Magazine - Kansas City Conference!

This for me is probably one of the most powerful fronts to the New Wine Magazine ever. The issue was covering the incredibly significant Kansas City conference that was so powerfully visited by the Holy Spirit and it stirs me every time I look at it. The concept of stadiums is one that has thrilled me for years. These great auditoriums were never designed simply for sports. They were and are designed to house the people of God - the glorious end time Church!

When will the Brighton centre be too small a thing for the "Together on a Mission" conference and we move into the Wembly Stadium complex?

Ern Baxter Quotes on the Holy Spirit

While I am working (currently night shift 5 of 7) I have been busy collecting quotes on the "Pentecostal/Charismatic Postit Notes" blog. I am constantly amazed at what an incredible resource the New Wine Magazine is because that is where most of them have come from. The five teachers who wrote most of the magazine really did seem to have had a mature understanding and outlook into the Kingdom of God - which is why it is essential that the New Wine Magazine doesn't get lost in the dusty portals of time!

By the way some new editions have been added to the online Archive here so it is worth checking regularly if you have read all of them like me!

These two quotes by Ern Baxter on the Holy Spirit really stirred me. The first speaks of the general ignorance of the Person of the Holy Spirit (that I think still persists today despite the interest in charismatic life).

"The spiritual revitalizing we have been experiencing across the earth in recent years has indicated that great cross sections of the professing Christian community have been and yet are living in considerable ignorance of the Person and ministry of the Holy Spirit and of the glorious possibility of being personally related to Him in meaningful experience".

The second quote draws a disturbing parallel that I have never really considered before - the danger of systematising or institutionalizing the Holy Spirit.

"It was not until the beginning of the fourth century that the Christian community got around to any extensive definition of the Holy Spirit. It is also interesting that by this time the supernatural and charismatic manifestation of the Holy Spirit had receded considerably. This shows the danger of reducing God, Christian experience and even the Bible to systematic definitions suitable to intellectual forms while not retaining vital relationship to God through the Holy Spirit".

Let us beware of reducing the Holy Spirit and His marvellous ministry and Presence among us to simple theological definitions and attempts at cerebral understanding and boxing. He is God and is worthy of our worship and praise and adoration and welcome among us! Speaking of worshipping the Holy Spirit - the Bluefish drew attention to something that Rob Rufus did at Brighton that slightly bothered me. Rob asked us to sing the old classic song "Father - Son - Spirit we adore You" but asked us to sing the refrain;

"Spirit we love You, we worship and adore You ... glorify HIS Name".

The point was that the Spirit doesn't draw attention to Himself but points it to Jesus. This is true but it is a familiar argument to me from my home church and has proved to be the beginning of the road towards limiting the Holy Spirit's work and eventually quenching Him and ignoring Him. I was encouraged to read in the transcripts of the Westminster Conference 2006 (which certainly wouldn't claim to be charismatic in any sense!) the following quote;

"Thus we are distinctly to worship the Holy Spirit and in doing so we worship the whole Trinity. This reminds us of the statement about the Spirit in the Niceno-Constantinopolitan creed - "who together with the Father and Son is worshipped and glorified".

Rob Rufus at Mobilise 2007!!

Rob Rufus addressed the Mobilise crowd on the last day of the conference. I SOO wanted to sneak in and pretend I was one of them! I have just listened to the session and here are the notes. Once again he was so on fire and you could tell he was impacting those 1, 600 who were listening.

Mobilise 2007 – Rob Rufus.

From the 6th June 2007 we entered a very significant period in the planet. Something very significant happened in the earth. Certain things are referenced off God’s calendar in the earth. God got ready to pour out on the next generation since 1967 a new revival – new waves of music, new things – for His people. Prior to 1967 society was relatively innocent. Instead of taking the new waves of music coming the church stuck with the organ and so the devil opened a counterfeit portal of false glory and took the sounds God was bringing and gave them to the Beetles. Something happened in what they called the “Summer of Love” in 1967. Something happened in that generation that has brought destruction on subsequent generations to come – the release of AIDS/HIV, promiscuity. It really was the “Summer of Lust”.

God has waited for years until 6th June 2007 to pour out a new portal of glory and a whole generation will get into the supernatural of God. God is raising you up – there will new sounds, different styles of music and you will be avant guarde. Some of God’s leading preachers today will be under the age of 30. This is a new generation that things will never be the same again from 6th June 2007! This is your time and your generation!

What are you putting into your heart right now? What are you building in your life so that you are fresh for Jesus in another 30 years time? No one has ever had to come and beg us and plead with us to get on fire. There is nothing cynical or sceptical in my heart. There is a heart passionate in love with Jesus and it is getting better day after day. The question is – what was established in my heart in those early years that propelled Glenda and myself to keep going? The way is scattered with millions of casualties who didn’t finish the race.

A sign of maturity is enthusiasm, boldness and passion and it sickens me that people think it is the young who are passionate and the older should get more cynical, more reserved.

Didn’t come to Jesus because I was lonely and needed friends. I was looking for the Presence of God. Didn’t want to get with a group of people just for a social reason. I was arrested and called by an encounter with God. It has only been the Presence of God that has kept me going day by day. God doesn’t need our youthful enthusiasm – He needs our humility and weakness. It is easy to be passionate at a conference with smoke machines but has the Presence of the Living God come and met you and commissioned you? Have you realised that this walk is about dying to ourselves and our future and it is all about His will alone. What are you setting in motion right now in your heart?

If divine encounters are not happening then this conference will be a sentimental fond memory in 30 years time.

God said this is a new generation and we do not need to come under a counterfeit portal of glory. It is the under 30’s who will take much in this time and lead much in this time. The apostles were called at the age of 18 or 19. Let’s believe and see pastors who can lead young and old despite their age.

Divine encounters should happen weekly to make us realise that we are but a moment – what investments, what priorities will keep you razor like focused in your call for the will of God? Did we sell out for convenience or did we come as a prophetic voice for my generation?

Find where the mountains are, find where the forests are and shut the mobile phone off and get alone with God for a divine encounter with Him!

You will not make it unless you regularly encounter God!

This conference is about mission but look at how many times God broke in during Acts. They prayed for empowering after empowering! You cannot make mission for the rest of your life on one encounter with God! You ought to hear the inward audible voice of God yourself! Somewhere we must shut out the noise of the world. Build spending time with God alone in your life! Otherwise you will simply become an eating machine passing it through your body and counting down and waiting for death.

One of the biggest deceptions of youth is that we rely on that youth.

There are many ministries in their forties and fifties that could be much more effective for God but relied on their psychic reserves in their souls that are dried up and they should be instead have been relying on divine encounters with God to refresh their souls. Enjoy youth but don’t rely on it for your spirituality! Don’t think you have got endless spirituality just because you feel like it! Don’t go to bed late every night – cut down on activities and distractions and technology. Get more rest. Get into divine encounters with God. Build fortitude into your soul now because the higher levels of encounters you go the bigger devils you will meet.

If we were going in to the land with Joshua and Caleb we should have been asking them everything we could that their generation did wrong so that we don’t make the same mistakes. Don’t get arrogant. Our generation is no better. We are just privileged to see with hindsight.

Don’t burn up youthful energy. Preserve it. We are not strong. We don’t have endless resources.

It is our constant dependence on God to have complete divine encounters with Him that will preserve you and keep you going.

The more you experience the Holy Spirit, the more you learn His address and you know how to go back to that experience and learn to encounter Him on your own.

I pray that this Joshua generation enter the land and take the land!

Suicide bombers are not trying to be liked by society – they are the counterfeit! God wants to wrap glory bombs around us and allow us to run into society and affect it by letting that glory off!

Ern Baxter's Notes on Apostles

From Dr Ern Baxter's Personal Notes Archive

A. Apostles

1. A subject so evidently far removed from modern matters must at first seem unimportant.

2. However while the word itself seems "dated" it has modern assumed equivalents which make the subject extremely important to all who are interested in Christian things.

• The Pope claims to be Peter's successor and the Church's chief apostle on earth.


• The Episcopal system claims Apostolic succession and the Bishops, while called by a different name, assume apostolic prerogative.


• Mormons have their apostles.


• Pentecostalism from the days of Irving, in modern times, have had various outbursts of apostolic claims.

3. Note: All of the above forms of apostolic claim carry with them an authoritarianism (all the way from organized system to charismatic disorder) which is opposed to what we feel the Scriptures teach, and out of which has developed most, if not all our religious ills.

4. Important: If the claims of Rome, Episcopacy or Mormanism are correct, then thousands of professing Christians stand in soul damning delusion, or at least are outside of the "true church".

B. Meaning of the Word "Apostle".

a. "Apostolos" - "One sent forth" - "A delegate, messenger".

b. 79 times in the New Testament (68 in Luke, Acts and Paul).

C. Use of the Word.

1. Applied to Jesus (Hebrews 3:1) - Note how often Jesus spoke of being "sent" from God into the world.

2. Applied to "The Twelve" (Matt 10:1-4, Luke 6:12-16, 22:14, Acts 1:2, 26, 2:37, 42, 43, 4:33, 35-37 - Latter Rain practice - 5:12, 29, 8:1, 14, 9:26, 27, Revelation 21:14).

3. Applied to Paul (Romans 1:1, 11:13, 1 Corinthians 1:1, 9:1, 2, 15:8, 9, 2 Cor 1:1, 12:12, Gal 1:1, Ephesians 1:1, Col 1:1, 1 Tim 1:1, 2:7, 2 Tim 1:1, 11, Tit 1:1).

4. Applied to Barnabus (Acts 14:14).

5. Applied to others.

• Titus (2 Cor 8:23) - Messengers of the Churches.


• James (Galatians 1:19)


• Epaphroditus (Phil 2:25)


• Adronicus and Junia (Romans 16:7)


• Sylvanus and Timothy (1 Thess 2:6)

6. Applied to Anyone who is "Sent" - John 13:16 - "The servant is not greater than his Lords, neither is HE THAT IS SENT (the apostle) greater than he that sent him".

D. The Official Apostles - "The Twelve".

1. Chosen from Other Disciples.

• Matt 10:1-4 - "And when He had CALLED unto Him His TWELVE DISCIPLES, He gave THEM power ... Now the names of the twelve apostles are these ...


• Mark 3:13-19 - " ... He ORDAINED TWELVE, that THEY should be with Him and that He might send THEM forth to preach ...".


• Luke 6:12-16 - "... of His disciples He chose TWELVE, whom also He named APOSTLES ...".


• Acts 1:2 - " ... the apostles He had chosen".

2. Qualified for their Special Work.

• Acts 1:22 - "One must be a WITNESS of His resurrection".


• Acts 5:31, 32 - "Jesus hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and Saviour ... and WE are His WITNESSES of these things".


• Acts 10:40, 41 - "Him God raised up the third day and shewed Him openly; NOT TO ALL THE PEOPLE but unto WITNESSES CHOSEN BEFORE OF GOD, even to us who did eat and drink with Him after He rose from the dead".


• Acts 13:30, 31 - "But God raised Him from the dead; and He was SEEN ... who are His WITNESSES unto the people".


• Acts 22:14-15 - "And Ananias said "The God of our fathers hath CHOSEN thee".


• Acts 26:16 - "I HAVE APPEARED UNTO THEE for this purpose, to MAKE THEE a minister and a WITNESS".


• Corinthians 15:8-10 - "And last of all HE WAS SEEN OF ME also as of one born out of due time".


• 1 Corinthians 9:1 - "Am I not an apostle? ... Have I not SEEN JESUS?".

3. Specially Authorised and Inspired.

Authority

"The concept of authority has become one of the most controversial notions of modern times. Authoritarianism in religion and oppressive authoritarianism in fascitisic and communistic states have contributed largely to a distaste for authority. YET THE INFORMED MAN KNOWS THAT ANARCHISM IS AN EMPTY DREAM AND THAT UNCHECKED INDIVIDUALISM IS BUT INVERTED SLAVERY ... Liberty to determine one's own life is considered one's own life is considered a precious heritage but liberty carried to license evokes disgust. EVERY SOCIETY IS CAUGHT IN THE ANTINOMY OF AUTHORITY AND LIBERTY" - Bernard Ramm.

a. Defining Authority - "That right or power to command action or compliances or to determine belief or custom, expecting obedience from those under authority, and in turn giving responsible account for the claim to right or power" - Ramm.

b. Kinds of Authority.

• Imperial - "That power possessed by persons or ruling bodies by reason of superior position such as that of a king, the general of an army, the president of a firm ... the right to rule and prescribe because of the superior position of the ruling person or group" - Ramm.


• Delegated - "Imperial authority must chop up its power into smaller pieces and hand them down to other men and other bodies. Delegated authority is the authority to act in virtue of right granted by imperial authority".


• Veracious - "The authority of veracity or truth".

c. The Authority of Jesus Christ.

• His Authority - Imperial and Veracious. "It is imperial because of the position, excellence and rank of His Person as the Son. It is veracious because He is the Truth, for being the Truth He is an absolutely veracious Person" - Ramm.


• His Authority - Universal and Final. "All power is given unto Me in heaven and on earth ... I am with you ALWAYS even unto the END of the age".


• His Authority - Delegated and Defined - "Go ye therefore and teach all nations ... all things whatsoever I have commanded you".


• His Authority - Recognized and Defended - "If we keep His commandments ... ".

d. The Authority of the Apostles.

• Stated by our Lord - (Matthew 16:19) - "I will give unto thee the KEYS OF THE KINGDOM".
  
• Claimed by the Apostles - (1 John 1:1-4) - We can only know Christ through the witness of the Apostles as that "witness" is recorded for us in Scripture.


• Other Scriptures - (1 Corinthians 2:12, 13) - "But which the Holy Ghost teacheth". (1 Cor 2:16) - "the MIND OF CHRIST".

"The apostles exercised authority by virtue of a power they conciously possessed in themselves, independent of any church or church council. The power and authority to command, to ordain and to judge in the churches, they derived not from the church, nor from church council nor from the apostolate but DIRECTLY FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT" - Kuyper.

"I am not obliged to obey Paul because he is clever or exceptionally clever but I must submit to Paul because HE HAS DIVINE AUTHORITY" - Klerkegaard.

e. The Signs of an Apostle.

• 2 Corinthians 12:12 - "Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in SIGNS and wonders, and mighty deeds".


• J B Phillips Translation - "You have had an exhaustive demonstration of the power God gives a genuine Messenger in the miracles, signs and works of spiritual power that you saw with your own eyes".

Note: If a sign is an "event" in which faith sees spiritual significance then Paul is referring to these things which were wrought through him which signified his true apostleship in the highest terms. The "signs, wonders and powers" which were wrought by him would be of such kind and scope as to point to his right to claim that "in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostle".

I LOVE Rob Rufus!!

I was thinking about going to bed because I have been feeling sick all day but decided to listen to Rob Rufus's sermon from last week. The radical truths that this servant of God brings are truly new to me (despite being a Christian since 1988 and baptised in the Spirit in 1998) - I am so grateful for what God is doing through his ministry. If the Church can learn these life-changing grace and glory truths and foundations - the results will be nothing short of the "restoration of all things" in all nations that will result in the glorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ!

By the way: I found this page of sermons online from when Rob Rufus was speaking at Reading Family Church. I believe this was the primary visit that Rob made when God spoke so clearly and told Rob that he would be invited to speak at the Brighton Conference. Truly a landmark event!

But the sermon was so good, so awesome, so spine-tingling that I had to make notes on it - here they are;

“Face to Face Intimacy with God” – Rob Rufus – Hong Kong – 5th Aug 07

Isaiah 54:9

Condemnation is often tolerated in the church world today as an unpleasant feeling of being discouraged. Condemnation is a dark, demonic thing. No condemnation comes from God therefore all condemnation comes from the devil! The most dangerous thing about condemnation is that it de-sensitises you to the Voice of God.

All the anger and righteous indignation of God was finished and poured out on the Cross. There is no anger left in God in heaven. If we say there is some anger left then we are blaspheming the Person of Jesus Christ. All condemnation is a devilish darkness and it has been so successful in the church world that most Christians have not heard the inward audible Voice of the Good Shepherd once. The diagnosis to not hearing God’s voice is a mixture of Old and New Covenant – grace and law. Even when you are feeling condemned, God’s heart is to love you and bless you. Condemnation jams the airways for usage of your supernatural consciousness.

The still small voice can often happen when you are brushing your teeth or sitting on the toilet! But if you have condemnation you won’t hear that. When condemnation is broken off your life permanently then you are poised to hear His voice and receive and experience His Presence every day. That is your inheritance – that is what Jesus died for. That teaching from last week against condemnation is geared to liberate. This teaching is designed to release an anointing to have face to face intimate fellowship with God on a day to day basis.

God has declared that He will never be angry again. If God says never – that means never. There is no condition that will change the “Never”. You have an oath from the God of integrity that He will never be angry or rebuke you again. Don’t go to a Scripture out of context that seems to indicate that in some conditions God can be angry with you. The Bible doesn’t contradict itself – God isn’t confused!

Don’t let an unclear Scripture rob you of the joy of a Scripture that is clear.

Isaiah 54 is a very clear Scripture – allow the joy of it to sink in! The symbol of God’s oath to Noah was the rainbow. The rainbow is a symbol that judgement is over. In Revelation chapter 1 – John was caught up or “wrapped up” in the Spirit. It is like a glory bubble in the Spirit. He heard a voice – in the glory you will always hear a voice. John saw a door and went into the glory realm. The first thing John saw was a throne. The second thing was a rainbow encircling the throne. Not 180 degrees but 360 degrees!

Wherever God looks from His throne He sees the symbol that judgement is over – “Peace! No judgement!”.

This rainbow resembled an emerald. Green! It is covered by a translucent green. In the Bible the colour green means new or fresh. In the Psalms David says “You have anointed me with fresh oil”. It is the first pressing of an olive oil – it is translucent pure green colour.

In the revelation of grace in the New Testament there is a place for daily fresh oil.

The anointing heals the broken hearted – gives you the garment of praise. Every day you live in a spirit of liberty. God took an oath that He would never be angry with us again! God says “I swear I will never rebuke you (or condemn you) again”. God will never speak to you in a way that will split your personality apart – in a way that will divide you or destroy you. Many Christians end up going to psychics because they are so desperate to get their personalities re-integrated. The devil comes to us and says “I am God and I am not happy with you”. Christians who don’t know the New Covenant believe that he is God and believe that he is angry with them. Their personalities begin to become dysfunctional and broken down.

The voice of the living God to a Christian will bring wholeness and peace.

All of your sin has been 100% rebuked on Christ Jesus and there is an oath – I will NEVER be angry with you again. The voice of the Father is always tender, kind, safe, and helpful. If you have sinned and hear a roar then you have heard the devil pretending to be God. Stand on Isaiah 54 and tell the devil that God has taken an oath that He will not be angry with us again. Resist the devil and rebuke him in Jesus Name. There is a difference between discipline and rebuke. The Bible says God disciplines those who He loves and the disciplines of God are the most pleasurable thing you can ever experience.

Pray: “I am addicted to Your voice and I must hear Your voice regularly. Father – don’t be silent on me!”. God sometimes hides Himself temporarily so that we will run to Him!

Better Your corrections than Your silence!

God can see things wrong in our lives and doesn’t correct them. God doesn’t have a confrontation personality. He knows that as we press in to the glory those things will change. One correction in 1979 when preached a harsh message: “If you ever lift your hand to My Bride again to hurt her you will be in trouble with Me. If you ever lift your hand to My Bride you will do it tenderly”. But even that correction came tenderly and made me realise how much God loves the Church!

The sin of the world has perverted our holy language. “A holy kiss”.

Spiritual fathers need to be a mentor. They need to be ahead of you in the faith. There comes a point when a father reaches a point when he can’t teach you anymore because the son becomes an adult. However you always will value that father and honour him as such. The son then needs to become a father.

You should never have anyone trying to correct you who are jealous of you, who want to control you or who resent you and don’t like you. The only people you need correcting you are those who you know love you unconditionally.

Many Christians are fragile, frightened and scared to be honest because they have been let down, rebuked, disciplined by people who didn’t really love them and were jealous of them.

Many men and women in the church today have an orphan spirit because they have never had fathers who disciplined them lovingly. Year after year you should be growing in grace. If there are faults and blind spots they should be pointed out in love and correction by a true spiritual father. If a corrective word comes while I am speaking publicly you must ask is Rob a manipulator or does he have my best interests at heart? If you have never had a true father or mentor then you know you have a Heavenly Father who will never split your personality apart and His corrections are tender. If this truth could get into the Christian church then there would be automatic healings. This truth should come from the pulpit not courses.

“My unfailing love for you will never be shaken”. That Hebrew word means “My favour for you – My kindness to you – My grace to you”. He is saying “My preferential treatment to you”. My unfailing favour for you will never be shaken. My desire to give you preferential treatment, to bless you, to honour you will never be shaken! In the Scriptures Mountains often refer to problems.

Whenever your life is founded on the cornerstone of grace and you face mountains of trouble – you know that God will never be angry with you again – then you have power to see the mountains of problems be removed. But if you have an idea that one day God will be angry with you and lift His favour off you then you will find those mountains a constant trauma to you. That is a lie! There are meant to be whole seasons of peace that we are meant to walk through. His unfailing love for me will never be shaken! Once you are saved – the New Covenant of peace is a covenant He has committed to bring you to wholeness and completeness.

“Shalom” means “Nothing missing – nothing broken!”.

“Compassion” is a Hebrew word that literally means “fondles”. A father fondling his child’s hair – that means gentleness and fondness. “I love you – I care for you – I have tenderness for you”. Oh that all of God’s people could live in the fullness of this and we would see the nations saved.

The more you are freed from condemnation the less you can hear the devils voice. The more the Presence of God comes in your life, the more you are freed from condemnation.

(Hebrews 10) Trances? Aren’t they New Age? No! Peter fell into a trance. Spirit to Spirit communication is faster than the speed of light. Your thought processes are not as fast as the speed of light. Christians need to learn how to understand the spirit world and we all desperately need to learn how to be prophetic. “Come up to My throne”. Had a vision of a throne and an ugly despicable demon god sitting on that throne. I said; “God! What’s this?”. He said; “When I said come up to the throne, you thought I said come up and lie at my feet – but that’s what demon gods require of their followers. I want you to come up as My beloved son and breathe My love and peace and intimacy into Your nostrils”. I said “God why can’t all Your people have this?”. “They can – it’s My will – but they haven’t been told. I’m drawing the hungry in now!”.

When every one of us get free from condemnation and come into the glory of God on a daily basis – the more we can do that – then nations will come. Our prayer that when Glenda and I are away the glory will come more powerfully and more strongly than ever before. (Hebrews 10:12). Who are God’s enemies? Demonic powers! He wants His enemies as His footstool therefore the Church must rise up and crush the demonic powers under their feet! They know his voice of condemnation and clearly know the voice of God in intimate communication so his tricks are over. We are in the Father’s eyes forever perfect. That’s why He can say that He will never be angry with us again! Forever He sees us as perfect! But I just sinned Lord! I know but I see you as perfect!

To be made holy is not about laws and keeping rules – but that your heart is captivated by Jesus Christ and you become more and more like His character and His Person. Do not think that God will relate to you on the basis of your holiness. God relates to you on the basis of Jesus Christ. If you think it’s about your holiness then God has a fluctuating relationship with you based on your success. God will always relate to you as though you are perfect forever. Never will the mountains overwhelm you. He has compassion and has taken an oath – this is your inheritance!

Only God’s glory Presence can satisfy your heart. If you don’t have His glory Presence then you will be frustrated and look for it in all weird, strange and perverse behaviour because something within you will look for more important things. You must daily encounter the glory Presence of God. Don’t be disillusioned by the lies! God is coming to your life! God will come and show you! The reason why you couldn’t connect to God wasn’t because of Him – God is in a disposition to you of perfect tenderness. He wants face to face tenderness with you. The thing that stopped you was a jamming of the heavenly airways by condemnation.

Your worst sin will not make Him pull back because that worst sin has been dealt with at the Cross. You will think He has separated Himself because those airwaves are saying that I am not good enough. God isn’t looking at you as if anything is wrong with you. He sees you as perfect forever and He wants you to come fellowship with Him perfectly and forever.

Lord I don’t want to go another week without the manifest glory appearing in my life. Faith can be seen – it is seen when people act. Faith people will do something to get into the intimate place with God.

We are now becoming more aware of the glory realm of God than of Hong Kong. Once you experience the glory realm you will go into stillness and quietness where you are positioned to hear the Father, Son and Spirit. This is how my quiet times happen – through worship like this.