Drop the Gavel

I have been wrestling with this blog for a while now and tried to “move on” from writing it but find that Holy Spirit keeps bring it up again and again. Part of my wrestle is that as an occasional blogger I may be accused of being hypocritical but I really hope that my heart is reflected in anything I am writing below.

Have you ever noticed the increase of internet sites that have been created with the “intention” to warn-against or expose a Church Movement, Ministry or Individual by people that profess to be believers?

A vast number of these sites profess to have been given a mandate by God or feel it is their duty to expose the target of their choice and use any material they can find online that may seem to validate their point. They even quote scriptures that may appear to back up their agenda (which can often be quoted out of context).  It would seem that certain styles of worship, church models or even some individuals involved in ministry that they are “not comfortable with” become that target that they label as anything from Demonic to Brain Washing and Manipulative.

What then happens is that other “believers” read the content on these sites and leave comments either in agreement or disagreement which then in turn causes a response. Now discussion and debate can be a positive thing but it would seem that in a lot of instances these comments and responses turn personal and even insulting without the individuals having ever met or spoken in person.

It is with these things in mind that I weigh in with my 2 cents worth as my heart’s desire and fierce passion is to see the Bride of Christ (that is us – the Church) advancing and not be focused of fighting herself. We the church are in the world but not of the world!!!

Now I do understand that there are warnings in scripture and that we need to seek Gods wisdom and discernment but I also have an issue with assuming the “responsibility” to create websites specifically designed to slander others. We are called to be Jesus’ witnesses but not to assume the position of Judge or Advocate.

Acts 1: 7-8 says;

⁷And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. ⁸But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”           _{Acts 1: 7-8    (NKJV)}

So as believers we are called to be witnesses.

A witness is someone who has, who claims to have, or is thought, by someone with authority to compel testimony, to have knowledge relevant to an event or other matter of interest.

 1 John 2:1-2 says that Jesus is our Advocate;

¹ My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. ² And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.                                                                         _{1 John 2:1-2    (NKJV)}

An Advocate or Lawyer defends someone in a law court.

So Jesus is our Advocate, He defends us and we are only called to recount what we have witnessed.

Let’s get this straight once and for all…..  Jesus does not require or need us to defend Him and we are never to assume the position of Advocate but to only be His witnesses, so often we feel the need to cross over from giving our witness or testimony to arguing on Jesus’ behalf.

We are also not to assume the position of Judge, only God has that position.

Jesus says in Matthew 7:1-5 while teaching on the mountain;

“Judge not, that you be not judged. ²For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. ³And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  ⁴Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? ⁵Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”                                                                                                                                 _{Matthew 7:1-5  (NKJV)}

So I guess the point I am trying to make is that as believers our attention, time and energy should be focused on witnessing for Jesus and reaching the lost and not be spent on thinking that we are somehow assigned to be Heavens FBI agents to expose what and who we consider ungodly and then to shout as loud as we can about it via online platforms that give us a feeling of importance. I believe that often arrogance and pride are the root issues in these websites sites being created and pride is fuelling our need to be right in the discussions and comments left for all to view.

God does not need our help in dealing with things that are not of Him. It is He who convicts, challenges and causes repentance, He raises up and removes, He judges and most importantly it is He who forgives.

We should be focused on building His church and not tearing her down. We should be passionately in love with her and protect her instead of attacking her from within like some internal disease or cancer. Let us trust that God will deal with any issues that are amiss and focus on beautifying His radiant bride.

Aware of the Flutter

Imagine one of those old sailing ship that used to cross the oceans with hoisted sails catching the wind and pushing the ship forward. There would be many sailors aboard all with 1 mission in mind to get the ship and its cargo and passengers to its destination safely as it was a dangerous job with potential hazards all the way. Each sailor had a function and purpose aboard the ship and each had a role to do.

 

One of the hazards would be a lack of wind and the ship being becalmed when it would slowly drift along for days or even weeks. Imagine how frustrating those times must have been for all aboard and how the days must drag.

Then after days and days of this – the flag at the top the main mast flutters ever so slightly, the watchman jolts to attention as eyes become fixed on that piece of material.  Then…..    the cry…..       “ALL HANDS ON DECK!!!!!!”

There is immediate action as sails go up and the sailors ready the ship.

 As the church we need to be aware that the “flag of the spirit” is stirring. There is a fresh and new move of God stirring of which has not been seen before. The way that we “do church” and the models that we have built by up to now will need to be held very loosely. Traditions and the good old “because we have always done it that way” statements will need to be looked at again in the light of this new move. If we as the church are malleable in Gods Hand then we are about to experience an outpouring that we have only dreamed of up till now. If we remain rigid and unwilling to embrace change then our gatherings will become dry and unfruitful, our outreaches will be ineffective and growth will become stunted.

In Acts chapter 10 there is an event that would change the dynamics of the early church significantly. Until then the church had an understanding that was predominately shaped by the Jewish culture and gentiles were seen as unclean, then God breaks in and what they had perceived as being clean or unclean was turned on its head. We know with the benefit of hindsight how this change would rock the early church and how they had to “wrestle” through what this would mean to the way they did things as now the gentiles with all their different cultures and habits would be introduced and added to the church. It was a huge adjustment for them. The “model had to fit with the changes and not the changes having to fit the model.

My only point in all this is that the Spirit is starting to stir. Awake church, prepare and adjust now in order to be the church for tomorrow.

Who am I?

 

The “Who am I?” question is pretty much something that everybody faces at some point in their life.

No matter your religion, cultural background, ethnicity or gender, at some point this question comes to “haunt” each us.

This is because we were created, yes… created, with purpose and destiny knitted into our being.

But way back when that serpent convinced mankind to follow the “lusts” of the heart, relationship and unity were destroyed and we surrendered our identity. And so begun the long and age old journey to “discover” Who am I and What is my purpose?

 

Many have tried to answer that question, books have been written, conferences and courses have been organised and vocations have been created all to deal with this one thing. Yet it still remains, Who Am I?

 

I have been on a journey this year with God that has challenged much of what I thought I knew about Him and stretched me beyond what I thought my capacity was.

The more I “reasoned” the more I came to realise that I had a lot of information. I could quote scriptures and recite the teachings and principles that I had heard over the many years that I have been a church going believer. I knew about God, His word and theologies, I had a relationship with Him and my heart’s desire was to serve Him with my all. Then back in January 2018 in a Sunday morning church service He spoke through a prophetic word that would “hit me in the guts” and change me.

I wrote about that prophetic word in my previous post and my choice in response, little did I know back then the journey He was about to take me on. That question “Who am I?” was being dealt with on multiple levels as only God can and He brought me to what at first seemed like the cliff edge. It was no cliff edge however and in fact was the river bank of His unchanging love, absolute faithfulness and unequalled power. I have always had an understanding of Jesus being in me and me being in Him but He has pulled me in deeper and deeper to the fact that as is said in John 14:20

 

“In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.”

 

I know this seems obvious but the more time I spent on this 1 truth – Jesus is in the Father, I am in Jesus and Jesus is in me the more I found it taking root in my heart. So often we know lots and lots in our walk with God but that lots and lots can just sit as “data” in our brain. We can recall it at will, quote it regularly and use it in writings, teachings and debating - however it will always remain as data until it has made the + - 35cm journey from our brain to our heart.

 

Only in the heart can the real truths of God take root and then produce the Love, Life, Hope, Joy and Identity that will answer that question “Who am I” once and for all.

 

John 12 : 24 – 26

Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal.

My identity, security, purpose and reason for being are only found in God. My mind needs to not be the filter through which I understand but my heart because I am in Jesus, He is in me and He is in the Father.

On Christ the solid rock we can have absolute confidence.

Release the Muselet

I had a vivid vision a few weeks back on New Year’s Eve of a multitude of people gathering together all carrying chains, these were chains that had been broken off them.

Some were chains of Oppression, others were Health issues, Sickness’ and Diseases.

They were bringing these chains to show what they had been set free from, to offer them up in worship and be rid of them for good. 

I heard God say that there will be multitudes saved and set free this next year.

That vision has stuck with me and I have been meditating on it as I felt there was more to it than the obvious.

I was in a church meeting recently when a leader shared a picture he had during worship which made my ears prick up. He described a picture of the wire cage that fits over the cork of a bottle of champagne or sparkling wine or beer, it is a safety device to stop the cork from popping out due to the pressure of the carbonated contents. The wire cage needs to be removed before the cork can be removed and the contents of the bottle be enjoyed.

At that same meeting this same leader was preaching and read a testimony from a book about Smith Wigglesworth’s life – the extract is below;

While staying in the home of a curate of the local Church of England, [Wigglesworth] and the curate were sitting together talking after supper. No doubt the subject of their conversation was that the poor fellow had no legs. Artificial limbs in those days were unlike the sophisticated limbs of today.

Wigglesworth said to the man quite suddenly (which he often did when ministering in cases like this), ‘Go and get a pair of new shoes in the morning.’

The poor fellow thought it was some kind of joke. However, after Wigglesworth and the curate had retired to their respective rooms for the night, God said to the curate, ‘Do as My servant hath said.’ What a designation for any person–My servant! God was identifying Himself with Wigglesworth.

There was no more sleep for the man that night. He rose up early, went downtown, and stood waiting for the shoe shop to open. The manager eventually arrived and opened the shop for business. The curate when in and sat down.

Presently and assistant came and said, ‘Good morning, sir. Can I help you?’

The man said, ‘Yes, would you get me a pair of shoes, please?’

‘Yes, sir. Size and colour?’

‘The man hesitated. The assistant then saw his condition and said, ‘Sorry, sir. We can’t help you.’

‘It’s all right, young man. But I do want a pair of shoes. Size 8, colour black.’

The assistant went to get the requested shoes. A few minutes later he returned and handed them to the man. The man put one stump into a shoe, and instantly a foot and leg formed! Then the same thing happened with the other leg! He walked out of that shop, not only with a new pair of shoes, but also with a new pair of legs!

Wigglesworth was not surprised. He had expected the result. He often made remarks like this: ‘As far as God is concerned, there is no difference between forming a limb and healing a broken bone.’

An excerpt from - Smith Wigglesworth, The Secret Of His Power

by Albert Hibbert, page 33-34

As he was reading I was finding it harder and harder to fight the tears back. I have heard and read many of the miracles that took place around Wigglesworth and have always been left with and excitement in my spirit. This time however I was cut to heart and the tears began to flow as I questioned myself as to why we do not see these things happen in our day.

As I subtly wiped the tears away I heard the Holy Spirit whisper in my ear – “I have not changed, and Wigglesworth was just a man like you are.”

I was left a wreck on the inside.

Now there are a number of scriptures about God being the same, not changing – below are just 2

Malachi 3:6 (ESV) - “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.

Hebrews 13:8 (ESV) - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

So it was pretty clear to me that the reason that we not see these types of miracles is not because God does not do that anymore or that Smith Wigglesworth was any different to us - i.e. just a man like me. After all there are numerous examples of mere men in the bible and through church history that God has used in powerful ways. In Mark chapter 16 Jesus also says;

¹⁶Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; ¹⁸they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

WHOEVER BELIEVES is what He said, not those special people who believe but WHOEVER.

That’s me and you!!!!!

So going back to the picture or the wire cage that fits over the cork that caused a TAKE NOTE response in my spirit.

I had been doing some basic research and found that this device is called a Muselet and it derives its name from the French museler, to muzzle. It is a safety device that is used to ensure that the cork does not pop and it must be removed before the cork can be removed. Apparently it always takes the same number of twists to open before removing the wire or muzzle, that number is 6.  6 quick twists of the wrist i.e. 180^o twists or three if you can actually manage to do full-circle turns i.e. 360^o twists, the 7^th movement is to remove the Muselet.

I am not going to go into the possible meaning of the numbers 6 & 7 and will leave that to you to decide its relevance. The name Muselet meaning Muzzle and that it is described as a safety device says it all, I need to remove the “safety devices” that are on my heart and mind if I want to experience and enjoy all that God has for me.

The choice and action is mine as to removing my muzzle – those things that keep me from taking the unsafe leaps of faith in response to Gods nudges. I need to be un-muzzled before I will get to experience the types of miracles that Smith Wigglesworth did. Yes it may feel unsafe and “my cork could be popped” at any point when I am surrendered to God but then is that not worth it??

God may move me to speak or act in some way that is not my comfort zone and I may even be rejected or taken as an offence at times but if that is the price then is God (and others) not worth it?

If I want to be part of seeing those multitudes getting free of their chains and coming to God then I need to remove my Muselet.

God Bless and Happy 2018.