New Nature Publications!

There's nothing more appropriate at the beginning of a New Year than reminding all of the availability of books on grace through City Church International's publishing arm - "New Nature Publications". And also a reminder - I have a stock of books here in the UK that can easily and freely posted to anyone interested! Just email me at CharismaticDan@yahoo.com.

Here is a new advert from Hong Kong!

True Godly Greatness!

A quote from Rob Rufus's new book "Invading the Impossible";

"We were never called to be mediocre. We were called to be great men and women of God! The Bible does not call great - "perfect". The Bible reveals great men and women whose imperfections and failures were clearly recorded. I sometimes think "God aren't You ashamed of the things we do?". No! God does not call greatness, "perfection". Men and women's imperfections are recorded but instead of disqualifying them, it instead reveals God's greatness and perfection through them.

Don't measure your greatness by people's responses to you. Some people are so preoccupied with smallness that they cannot even see you are on a journey to greatness. All they see is your history because they are over familiar with you. You have heard God tell you about your greatness! If you haven't, it isn't because He hasn't spoken, because He is speaking to every believer about "greatness" and every - includes YOU!".

Let's do something "great" (as God understands it) today!

A Box FULL of Glory!!

It was a thrill to come home from work today and find the postman had delivered a box full of Rob Rufus's latest book; "Invading the Impossible!" - direct from Hong Kong!

As with Ryan's two books - if you live in the United Kingdom and would like to get hold of one of these three awesome books then please do drop me an email and I would be thrilled to ship one or any of them to you.

The "Invading the Impossible" series was a particularly significant and life-changing series for me. Rob preached it in the early part of 2008 at City Church International and it was put into book format. Rob Rufus deals with these issues in this book:

1. Enjoying the Benefits of the Resurrection Power of Jesus.

2. The Designer's Original.

3. The Revolution has Begun - Overthrowing the Spirit of Control!

4. Lifting the Limitations - a Mirror Mentality vs a Window View.

5. No Regrets!

6. Dealing with Disappointment.

7. Authority to Invade.

8. Invading by Reigning.

9. Let God Impress You - (a powerful prophecy to Rob).

I can't urge you enough! Read this book! Listen to the sermon series! It is dangerous!

Rob Rufus's AWESOME Priorities!!

I've frequently been told that I should stop being frustrated wanting more in the Christian life and should "settle down" and ... yes that hated phrase again; "Get over it". Whatever "it" is - but that's for another post and for another time. I was driving home this morning listening to Rob Rufus's recent sermon; "The Struggle For The Authentic - Part 1".

He said;

"I would rather have 100 frustrated Christians who want greatness in their lives rather than a bunch of passive low risk people who are happy with the unacceptable all around them and who live their lives in selfishness and smallness".

"Happy with the unacceptable". It occured to me when he said that, that could be an amazingly insightful diagnosis on a major problem in the Christian church. Maybe we aren't "happy" with the unacceptable but certainly am "resigned" to it. What things are "unacceptable" to me that I may have been happy with or resigned to? Definately the lack of the supernatural in my life and also the mixture of law and grace in the Gospel.

Dr John Stott and Rob Rufus!!

It seems like everyone I know who has a passionate interest in the grace message has had an absolutely rubbish week!! Even the wonderful guys in Hong Kong. Is that coincidence? I guess it may be. But what's worried me is the vicious attacks of long-term Christians against the message of grace and righteousness - in short the Gospel itself. The accusation is quite common that Rob Rufus is "inventing a new gospel" and of course the tired "concern"; "It will give people a license to sin". I was intrigued therefore to be stuck at a family function and happened to pick up a copy of John Stott's BST commentary on the Book of Romans.

I have copied a large amount of John Stott quotes onto the "Pentecostal/Charismatic Post-it Notes" blog and they can be found here.

Some of the quotes sound remarkably like Rob himself!

"The antithesis between grace and law, mercy and merit, faith and works, God's salvation and self-salvation is absolute. No compromising mish-mash is possible. We are obliged to choose".

"Some scholars maintain that 'justification' and 'pardon' are synonymous ... But surely this cannot be so. Pardon is negative, the remission of a penalty or debt; justification is positive, the bestowal of a righteous status, the sinner's reinstatement in the favour and fellowship of God".

And Stott made a number of comments on why Paul mentioned Abraham in Romans 4;

"The promise in mind must still be Genesis 15:5 that Abraham's posterity would be as numerous as the stars. It was a promise without any conditions or requirements attached to it. God's Word came to Abraham as a gratitutious promise - not as law. He simply believed God and was justified".

There was one extended piece of the commentary where John Stott dealt with the issue of whether we can talk about "being clothed in the spotless robe of Christ's righteousness". Now I must confess I took instant interest in this because I have heard Rob Rufus speak a number of times about "being clothed in Christ's righteousness". John Stott wrote this;

"A further question is whether the righteousness which God graciously imputes to us may be said to be the righteousness of Christ whether we may legitimately speak of "being clothed in the spotless robe of Christ's righteousness" and whether Zindendorf was correct to write in John Wesley's translation, of 'Jesus Thy Blood and Righteousness - My beauty are, my glorious dress'.

This kind of language even in devotional hymns is unfashionable today and is declared by some theologically inadmissable. Nevertheless on at least 3 occasions Paul comes close to this picture. I for one believe it is biblically permissive to use it. We are told that He was made sin for us, 'So that in Him we might become the righteousness of God', that "He has become for us ... our righteousness".

And that if we "gain Christ and are found in Him then the righteousness we have is not our own, but the righteousness that comes from God through faith in Christ" ... "Be clothed" with the righteousness of God or of Christ is not even mentioned. We are given even greater privilidge of "having it" and even "becoming it".

Once the reality of imputed righteousness is accepted, there can be little objection to the clothing metaphor".

Now I know that there is little value in quoting Christian "celebrities" because we can all find a quote to back up one's personal view. Maybe someone would dredge up a John MacArthur quote to disagree with all this ... I don't know. The point I was simply trying to make was - a plea for a little calm. Rob Rufus isn't preaching a false gospel. Much of what he says on the righteousness of God would concur with many respected commentators such as John Stott himself. Let us calm down and truly become Berean-like - examining these things for ourselves to see if they are so.

Rob Rufus on Condemnation and Glory

Rob has made a connection between the effects of condemnation on our lives and the relating Presence of glory. I wonder where many of us register?

"To the measure you get rid of guilt, to that measure you will increase in the glory over your life. Much guilt = very little supernatural glory Presence over your life. Little guilt = much glory and supernatural open heaven Presence over your life. NO guilt = FULL New Covenant manifest glory to do the works that Jesus did and greater works over the life of the priesthood of the whole Church"

- Rob Rufus - "Fully Free From Guilt In Order To Be Fully Covered By The Glory" - City Church International, Hong Kong.

Why have we allowed ourselves to "religious-ise" condemnation and guilt as an acceptable thing and dress it up and call it "humility"?

Rob Rufus's Ministry Statement!!

Rob said this statement governs his ministry, that of City Church International and the "Glory and Grace Conferences".

"To the degree that you get rid of condemnation over your life, to that degree the glory Presence of God will manifest over your life. Much condemnation? Little glory Presence on your life, your home and your family. Little condemnation over your life? Much manifest glory of God over your life! No condemnation over your life? FULL manifestation of the fullness of glory over your life!".

Awesome.

Joshua Mills Prophecies Over Rob Rufus!!

I was so blessed this morning - was just getting ready to go to a study day at work and listening to "Invading the Impossible - Part 14" and Rob was sharing very honestly how he and Glenda have come under some heavy criticism recently. Pete and I speak quite often about Rob (!!) and pray for him and we agreed that we suspected that we couldn't actually even imagine the kind of fire he has to walk through to pioneer the grace message.

So Rob shared this. And in light of what I have learnt recently about the prophetic from Rob - I hope I can dedicate this transcript of a prophecy from Joshua Mills to pastors and elders everywhere who are going through persecution for preaching the grace message (A.P.W.B.D - you know who you are!!). May the Spirit of God fall on you and apply this to your hearts with power and give you encouragement to stand up, hold your head up high and keep preaching that we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, now - forever and always!!

Here's the transcript of Rob's account:

"So we are sitting in the car agonising (about the attacks) saying "What can we do? What shall we do?" and we didn't tell Joshua Mills about the criticism and he comes in and as you know, in the middle of the meeting he started prophesying over us. I was blessed by what he said but I didn't actually get everything because I was getting more blessed by your support as you were shouting and clapping because you knew what was going on!

So I was getting so blessed that I had to get it typed out to know what he said. But he says here;

"God says you have been on display and others have been watching. You have been on display for others to look and people to criticise, for people to accuse and for people to point fingers but God says in the middle of the fire there is a manifestation of the glory that is coming forth in your life that wasn't there before the fire and what the enemy has meant for harm - I am taking that thing and turning that thing around and I am causing the greatest gold to come forth.

I am causing the greatest glory you have ever known to begin to manifest in your life for surely you shall begin stepping out of the fire (Rob: "Whoopeee!") and you shall begin manifesting the glory of My Presence in a greater way than ever before and those that were watching while you were on display who said you will never make it - for surely you are a failure, surely it is not of God - God says surely they shall see and it shall not only be a sign and a wonder but it shall be a testimony - the testimony of Jesus Christ, the hope of glory inside of you.

I see you stepping out of the fire and I see you walking into a new place - a new season of blessing. It is opening for you even right now and in that place there is a divine acceleration and a divine increase - supernatural favour, abundance and blessing being poured out upon you. I see miracles beginning to flow where there were no miracles before. I almost see like garden flowers beginning to spring forth where it doesn't seem like they could be any flowers. Didn't seem like there could be any harvest in areas where people have looked and said; "Surely there can not be a harvest" - God says, "I am going to GIVE you the harvest".

Not only shall you see it, but you are going to reap it! You are going to reap it for many see the harvest but do not receive it but God says you shall see it and you shall have it".

I love this! Rob then commented;

"Men cannot dis-appoint you because they never appointed you! God appointed me to this message before time began! He chose me to bring a recovery of the gospel of grace to bring the church to be restored to living only in the freedom of the New Covenant. I believe we should read the Old Covenant and know the types and shadows that were in the Old Covenant. For Christ is hidden in shadow in the the Old Covenant and revealed in substance in the New Covenant! But we don't live under the Old Covenant law AT ALL! God appointed me for that so no man can dis-appoint me. No man can fire me because no man hired me! God called me not as my Boss to salary me but as my Father to do the family business!".

This should be the absolute motto of my life. He then said; "Friends you can NEVER submit to a controller! There are signs and traces of cult-like bully control (in the church) but GOD says; "Let My People Go that they may worship Me and know it is unto Me they are called!".

I said to Scott the other day that I know I have a weakness for submitting to manipulating control spirits. I am having a dreadful week at the moment because someone who once was a friend is very angry with me at the moment and is very successfully making me feel terrible and using every manipulative technique that works. Scott can't understand why it is such a fight for me to try and resist this. I have tried to explain that throughout my life I feel as if I DESERVE to be treated badly and made to feel bad. Because I am a bad person! And many, many people (including my family and the church as well as former partners) have successfully come into my life and made me feel bad - which I enjoyed in a sado-masochistic sort of way. BUT! Now I am learning that is a satanic lie because I am NOT A BAD PERSON! And I DON'T deserve to be treated badly because my Jesus got treated as badly as any living Person could on my behalf and took MY punishment for me - that I could enjoy being treated as a Son!

So the full title of "Invading the Impossible - Part 14" is very apt for me!

"Why you should condemn condemnation and accuse accusation and grab guilt by the throat and get out of the religious boat and float and wear your Father's glory coat!".

Rob Rufus, Ern Baxter, C H Spurgeon and the Promised Land

I have a great love for the typology of the children of Israel travelling through the wilderness from Egypt to the Promised Land. One of my favourite sermon series of Ern Baxter's was called; "Where Are We Going?" at the Dales Bible Week 1976 and was based on this. I have already transcribed two sermons from the series - "The Land Located and Described" and the "Kadesh Crisis" (I intend to finish this series as soon as possible and have it bound to join the other books I have typed up!). Ern Baxter like C H Spurgeon taught biblically that the land DOES NOT and CANNOT mean heaven - despite the traditional evangelical interpretation by people such as Bluefish. After all - will there really be giants in heaven? C H Spurgeon says in his sermon - "Canaan on Earth";

"It has generally been considered, that the passage of the Jordan by the Israelites is typical of death, and that Canaan is a fitting representation of heaven. We believe that in some sense it is true, and we do fondly cherish the household words of those hymns which describe our passing through Jordan's billows, and landing safe on Canaan's side; but we do think that the allegory does not hold, and that Jordan is not a fair exhibition of death, nor the land of Canaan a fair picture of the sweet land beyond the swelling flood which the Christian gains after death.

For mark you, after the children of Israel had entered into Canaan, they had to fight with their enemies. It was a land filled with foes. Every city they entered they had to take by storm, unless a miracle dismantled it. They were warriors, even in the land of Canaan, fighting for their own inheritance; and though each tribe had its lot marked out, yet they had to conquer the giant Anakim, and encounter terrible hosts of Canaanites. But when we cross the river of death we shall have no foes to fight, no enemies to encounter. Heaven is a place already prepared for us; out of it the evil ones have long ago been driven; there brethren shall await us with pleasing faces, kind hands shall clasp ours, and loving words shall alone be heard. The shout of war shall ne'er be raised by us in heaven; we shall throw our swords away, and the scabbards with them. No battles with warriors there, no plains besoaked with blood, no hills where robbers dwell, no inhabitants with chariots of iron.

It is "a land flowing with milk and honey;" and it dreams not of the foeman of Canaan of old. We think the church has lost the beauty of Scripture, in taking Jordan to mean death, and that a far fuller meaning is the true allegory to be connected with it. Egypt, as we have lately observed to you, was typical of the condition of the children of God while they are in bondage to the law of sin. There they are made to work unceasingly, without wages or profit, but continually subject to pains.

We said, again, that the coming up out of Egypt was the type of the deliverance which every one of God's people enjoys, when by faith he strikes the blood of Jesus on his lintel and his doorpost, and spiritually eats the paschal lamb; and we can also tell you now, that the passage through the wilderness is typical of that state of hoping, and fearing, and doubting, and wavering, and inconstancy, and distrust, which we usually experience between the period when we come out of Egypt, and attain unto the full assurance of faith.

Many of you, my dear hearers, are really come out of Egypt; but you are still wandering about in the wilderness. "We that have believed do enter into rest;" but you, though you have eaten of Jesus, have not so believed on him as to have entered into the Canaan of rest. You are the Lord's people, but you have not come into the Canaan of assured faith, confidence, and hope, where we wrestle no longer with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus—when it is no longer a matter of doubt with us whether we shall be saved, but we feel that we are saved".

Rob Rufus joins the list of my heroes who teach the same allegorical intepretation of the Land. We - the Church - are wandering around in the wilderness I believe! I have been listening to and transcribing Rob's sermon; "Do Our Diaries Reflect The Priorities Of Heaven?" - and Rob said this:

"Why did God hide some of His biggest and richest blessings among the biggest giants in the Promised Land? Because He did not want the casual pursuer of God, the coward, the self-pitying person, the self-centred person, the person of unbelief to have access to His greatest blessings.

So He hides His greatest blessings among the greatest challenges so that the people who are going to receive the blessings of God have to repent of all self-righteousness, all delusions of self-sufficiency, to throw themselves completely onto God and to come into the Presence of God every single day and make a choice that no matter demanding life is and no matter how many pressures come, I will make my calendar a priority that I am going to engage God on a daily basis.".

Amen! Let us head onwards towards the Promised Land!

Invading the Impossible, Ern Baxter and Back to Bristol

I have finally finished transcribing the awesome Part 10 to Rob's series on "Invading the Impossible" and what an addition it is! The whole theme of the sermon is; "Let God Impress You". How freeing is the message of true grace! So far I have published:

Invading the Impossible - Part 1 - "How to Make the Promises of God Manifest in Your Life".

Invading the Impossible - Part 2

Invading the Impossible - Part 3

Invading the Impossible - Part 4 - "Dealing with Disappointment".

Invading the Impossible - Part 5 - "Refusing to Accept the Unacceptable".

Invading the Impossible - Part 6 - "Overthrowing Religious Control".

Invading the Impossible - Part 7 - "What Does Jesus' Exaltation Mean for Us?".

Invading the Impossible - Part 8 - "Overthrowing Religious Control - Part 2".

Invading the Impossible - Part 9 - "Invading By Reigning".

Invading the Impossible - Part 10 - "Let God Impress You".

I have said it before. Rob Rufus has spoken about having books inside him that will be published - I so pray that this is one of them! Secondly I have managed to upload a video of Ern Baxter speaking at New Covenant Church in Dunstable on his last visit just before he went to glory. He was speaking on the vital subject; "The Spirit and the Word". In this clip Ern highlights the dangers of living charismatic life without the Word of God. But on the other hand he makes this wonderful statement:

"The reason that I am a charismatic tonight is that for 60 years I have had the most delightful manifestations and evidences of the Holy Spirit in my life that I wouldn't trade for anything!".

There are so-called "Reformed charismatic" churches today that are investigating why the gifts of the Holy Spirit are not occuring in their meetings anymore but no one seems to know why it is vital that the gifts of the Spirit do happen in church meetings when we gather together! Surely Ern Baxter's comment (and indeed the entirety of Rob Rufus's 'Invading the Impossible' series) makes it clear! It is about God manifesting Himself! It is about encountering God! It is about knowing Him and being known by Him!

Here is the clip from You-Tube:



Finally I am just about to travel down to Bristol with Scott and visit the SGM church my family attends. It's the first time I have been back since my problems with them almost 3 years ago so quite a big step! The pastors have agreed to allow me back for this Sunday because my two younger sisters are getting baptised so it will be a day of mixed emotions I am sure. I may write something about the visit if there is something worth saying.