Articles

Contents:

• When The Lord Guards The City

• Halloween

• Birthing Monday Church

• A Word to the Women of God - Francis Frangipane

• Babylon and the Church

• Dream of the Migrant Workers

• Even Sodom - Francis Frangipane

• Unoffendable - Francis Frangipane

• Unoffendable Part 2 - Francis Frangipane

• To Be A Disciple

• Heard Anything Like This Before?

• Give Your All To The Kingdom Of God

• Revolution By Revelation

• The Shadow Is My Friend

• One Church - Many Congregations

• Understanding The Drought

• The Room

• Deliverance From Bitterness

• Islam - It's Origin & Nature

• Senate Opening Prayer

• Prophetic Word From Dutch Sheets

• 10 Changes That Could Revolutionise The Church

• God Call for Deep Repentance

• Golden Box

• A Heart Without Guile

• And They Called Themselves Fishermen

• Now This Is The Living Bible

• "The Net" A Vision For The Church

• "What is in Your Hand?" A Vision

• "The Assignment Has Changed"

When the Lord Guards the City
by Francis Frangipane

"Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain" (Ps. 127:1).

Before we speak on this verse, it is important to explain a particular characteristic often found in the Hebrew Scriptures. Often, the Old Testament writers communicated truth by repeating two views of the same thought. We see this especially in the wisdom and prophetic books. An example would be: "With the fruit of a man's mouth his stomach will be satisfied; He will be satisfied with the product of his lips" (Prov. 18:20). The same concept is presented in two affirming ways. Another example is, "I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old" (Ps. 78:2). Truth is conveyed utilizing a poetic rhythm that is not only beautiful, but a way to unite two corresponding thoughts into one idiom.

In this regard, when the Psalmist admonishes, "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain" (Ps. 127:1), he is saying the same truth in two interrelated ways. Whatever it is that we are doing to secure and protect ourselves, unless we bring the Lord into the process, "we labor in vain."

Yet, the positive side of this is that, when the Lord builds the house, its foundation will be built firmly upon the rock of eternal truth; it will stand. And, when the Lord guards the city, He will supernaturally align Himself with our efforts, and the city He guards will be protected.

You see, the house of the Lord is a house of prayer: intercession brings the presence of God into the city; it releases laborers for the harvest (see Luke 10:2), and it brings reconciliation between enemies. In fact, the summary truth is this: when the Lord builds the house, then the Lord will guard the city. The specifications of His building plans require His people to be praying, loving and investing themselves into their cities. Empowered by the anointing of God, the living house of the Lord can transform communities!

Jesus confirms this in His promise, "I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18 KJV). He is stating that, when His house is built in obedience to His word, the strongholds of evil over individuals, neighborhoods and communities will be impacted and broken.

When revival explodes in a city, what happens to the powers of darkness in the heavenly places? Where do they go? The answer is: they are displaced by the fullness of God's Spirit in the regional church!

Paul tells us that it is "by the church" that the manifold wisdom of God is revealed "unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places" (Eph. 3:10 KJV). And what is happening in the spirit realm? The church is blessed with "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3)! The prevailing influence upon society is not lawlessness and evil, but the power of heaven. Beloved, let us rejoice in the promise that, in spite of increasing evil in the world, where the church is Christ-centered and obedient, there the Lord will guard that city!

However, when the church is not built according to Christ’s directives, but remains selfish and divided, the principalities and powers have access in a greater degree to the souls of men. In such cities, spiritual wickedness guards neighbors and communities.

One does not have to be very discerning to see this is true. On your next drive from the country into the city, see if you cannot discern a distinguishable cloud of oppression as you enter various regions of your community. That invisible barrier is the range of influence of the ruling spirits which manipulate the thought-life of the people. The demonic power of that area of influence is the "strong man, fully armed," who "guards his own homestead"; whose "possessions are undisturbed" (Luke 11:21).

But when the church is alive with obedience to Christ, it will be united with other believers and will be unstoppable by the powers of hell. The gates of hell cannot prevail against the church Christ builds, for through its prayer, love and action, the Lord will guard the city.

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HALLOWEEN - HARMLESS FUN

OR DABBLING WITH THE DEMONIC?

The study was written by Elizabeth Jordaan, Jericho Walls International (South African Prayer Ministry)

Editors note - Whilst Halloween is not celebrated in Australia to the extent it is elsewhere in the world there are signs that as interest in the supernatural rises it is being given more attention here in recent years than in times past.  This article is an article on the origins and the spiritual implications for those who celebrate it.

Halloween is celebrated on the 31st October.  It is the night when most paganists honour the spirits of the dead, offer human sacrifices and make pacts and covenants with the demonic forces.

Halloween originated among the ancient Celts of Europe and was called the festival of "Samhain" or "All Hallowtide". It was a feast of the dead and started the evening of 31 October, signalling the end of harvest and the beginning of winter. 1 November was All Soul's Day. It began on 31 October because in ancient times days were reckoned from evening to evening, rather than midnight-to-midnight as we do today. This also signalled the beginning of the New Year for the Celts. During the "turning" of the year, the "veil between the worlds" is believed to be at it thinnest and the living could communicate with the dead in their dwelling place. It is a time when deceased ancestors and other "friendly" spirits are invited to join in Sabbath festivals and be reunited with loved ones.

The celebration of the dead honoured the god of the dead on this particular night. It was also a time when faeries were active. Faeries were seen as those angels who did not side with either God or Lucifer and were condemned to walk the earth until judgment day. The Celtic people believed that chaos reigned during this night since it was neither one year, nor the other. It was a night of magic charms and divinations, reading the future and other rites.

"Trick or Treats": People would imitate the faeries and go from house to house begging for treats since the believe is that spirits had to be appeased by giving them a type of worship and offering food or milk. Failure to provide the treats would result in practical jokes being visited on the owner of the house such as: blocking the chimney, leading off cattle, throwing cabbages, etc. Another way to fool or scare away the evil spirits was to dress up to look like them. It was believed the spirits would bring them no harm then.

"Jack-o-Lantern" was an Irish scoundrel who liked to eat big red turnips. On Halloween day he trapped the devil in a tree and would not let him down until the devil promised Jack he would never live in Hell. The devil agreed. A year later Jack died. Because he did not believe in God, he did not go to heaven. The devil did not allow him in hell. To help Jack find his way back to earth, the devil gave him a fiery coal. Jack put this fiery coal in the lantern he carved from his big turnip. This first "Jack-o-Lantern" helped Jack find his way back to Ireland but never found it, forever roaming the earth with his lantern.

Halloween was one of the four great "Fire Festivals" of the Celts. All the fires in hearths were extinguished and then re-kindled from a central bonfire started ceremoniously by the druids. During this time the druids would wear animal skins and heads to disguise them from the spirits. The extinguishing of the fires symbolised the "dark half" of the year and the rekindling symbolised the return of hope. Fires or candles are left burning all night to honour and welcome the dead. The "Jack-o-lanterns", gourds, cider, incense and gemstones are used as altar decorations. The candles are black and orange. Black cats were considered to be reincarnated beings with the ability to divine the future.

Druids (priests of the Celts) held the ceremonies of the feast in sacred places, such as forests, rivers, lakes and streams. Human sacrifices were part of the ceremonies.

Satanists had adopted the Druidic High Days and celebrate Halloween as follows:

22-29 October - Satanists start Sacrifice preparations, 30 October - Satanic High Day - related to Halloween with human sacrifice, 31 October - All Hallow's Eve - Blood and sex rituals with demons; animal or human sacrifices.

The early Christian Church tried to eliminate the Druid celebration by offering All Saint's Day as a substitute. It was of no avail. Although the outward forms of such worship disappeared, the belief in these gods did not. In the Middle Ages open practises of witchcraft flourished. In the mid 1900's paganism returned to the western world and the pagan feasts were re-introduced. The uninformed Christian has no idea that demonic spirits that are actually contacted and activated as people call out to them in jest or in seriousness. Every act around Halloween is in honour of false gods and spirits. To pray for the dead is totally against Scripture. Resist the temptation to be drawn into seemingly harmless celebrations of this ancient demonic feast.

SCRIPTURAL PRAYER GUIDELINES:

2 Tim 1:7 - God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind. Resist the spirit of fear that seems to surface in the time of Halloween and is enhanced by movies portraying either the occult or extreme situations of fear.

Deuteronomy 18:9-14 - Do not imitate the detestable ways of the nations through sacrifice, divination, omens, witchcraft, casting of spells, mediums or consulting the dead.

 Isaiah 8:19 - Should a people not consult their God? Why speak to the dead on behalf of the living? Call upon the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to His ways, and ask for a deeper revelation of His love. Ask Him to reveal to You His plan and purpose for your town and pray until He manifests His power in your area.

1 Chron 10:13-14 - Consulting the dead is being unfaithful to God, and can result in judgment. Commit yourself and your family once again to love and serve the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone.

Ask the Lord to expose all evil, especially on the night of Halloween, so that works of the kingdom of darkness will weaken.

A prayer for renunciation of any past involvement in Halloween practices.

"Father God, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I renounce any involvement my family, forefathers and I had with this practise of Halloween. I now cancel any covenants made with the spirit world and any worship we have given to Satan and his demons. I turn my back on this practise and ask You to cleanse me and my family with the blood of Jesus Christ Your Son."

Source: Jericho Walls International & APN

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BIRTHING "MONDAY CHURCH"
By Brian Medway

We are facing a massive, long term problem in the church. We are not doing our job. We have looked to ministries, methods and models for help and still we have an ache in our heart that we do not seem to be gaining ground when it comes to the kingdom of God being established in our communities.

The following discussion may seem to be a rank criticism of all the great things that happen because we have Sunday church. It needs to be said from the outset that there is no argument with meeting together, nor with worship or preaching or the whole range of activities that are regular facets of church life. Its not what is THERE that is the real problem, it's what is NOT THERE. What is not there is a genuine heart for lost people, a lost world and a community and national destiny that will only be embraced through major spiritual
transformation.

Build the church... which church?

I want to challenge the assumptions of church rather than challenge the validity of her activities. I want to challenge attitudes and mindsets we have about the church. As usual I believe the fault lies in a jaundiced view of the church that has much more in common with an Old Testament model than it has to do with a New Testament one. We have re-invented the problem faced by the early church between the Judaizers and the attitudes preached and practiced by Paul. When well-intentioned believers want to get comfortable in any generation they always revert to Old Testament paradigms rather than straight perversions of New Testament ones.

The bottom line of this focus is to shift our interest from what is happening on Sunday to what is currently not happening on Monday.  Graham Cooke asks: "What would it take for the people of this community to be thankful that the church exists?" In most cases the "people of the community" don't loose any sleep over whether the church exists or not because to most of the community the church is irrelevant. In addition, whenever we do become noticed it is often for all the wrong reasons (moral failures, in-fighting over irrelevant issues or judgmental grand-standing).

In 'Sunday' churches we have preach endless sermons, prints countless books, tapes and videos, runs endless seminars and conferences designed to motivate and equip them to be better disciples. All of these resources have not produced a church that has had any significant effect on the wider community. This is especially so in the west. The growth and development of Christians is entirely measured with instruments that only have relevance inside the church.

We have teaching programs that the church in China would suffer another two years in prison just to have access to. We have everything that opens and shuts when it comes to Sunday Church, but very little when it comes to Monday Church. The church in China is largely a 'Monday' Church. No buildings, few Bibles, no video projectors, no three year theological degree programs. It's hard to find the church in China because it is almost totally Monday church. Everything we look for in church isn't there. The same in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia... whilst in Australia all we have is Sunday Church.

Why "Monday" Church?

The term Monday Church is used here to refer to everything that individual believers or groups of believers do in the wider community when they are not engaged in Sunday Church activities. It doesn't refer to Bible Study groups and other meetings where the focus is on the church members. Monday Church is you - the kingdom operative - where you work, where you engage in community activities and where you live. It heralds a new expression of church that needs to be validated. It must only exist for one reason and that is to see the kingdom of God come to the respective spheres and to see every part of that sphere coming under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Monday's Church is about the presence of Jesus forcefully advancing against every work of the enemy in any sphere of influence in the community. When Jesus was around demons lost their grip and had to depart, sickness lost its power to dwell in people's bodies, ungodly values and structures were confronted and began to lose their influence on the lives of ordinary people, the oppressed and downtrodden people began to feel valued, guilt and shame were destroyed.

A well-known pastor was visiting the Bible College where Jerry Cook was a student. He asked the pastor, "Where is your church?" The visiting pastor replied, "Well, its now 10:30 am Tuesday. My church is in the United Nations building, in over eighty different company offices scattered around the city. My church is in five Boeing airliners in the skies across the United States and around the world. My church is in numerous Federal Government department buildings. It is in too many high schools and colleges to mention. Right now it is in even more households and neighbourhoods around the city." And so he went on. He added, "If you want to know where the church will be this coming Sunday, about two thirds of it will be in a building on... street."

Is this simply Chaplaincy?

The church in Australia occupies up or down from 5% of the community. When I think of "church" I think of a 5% influence. When I think of the rest of the community I think of 95% influence. Using United Nations terminology we could call this the church the "5% world" and the community at large, the "95% world." When we get away from Sunday Church we have only a few terms to use in the current situation. One of them is the term "chaplain."

This worldview then calls ministry in the community "chaplaincy." We have prison chaplains, hospital chaplains, sporting team chaplains and industrial chaplains. At best they are membership scouts for one church "club" or another. The idea is that through their influence some of the people in the workplace or sporting team would be influenced to come to the club and if they liked the experience, they might join. Once again the thrust is away from and out of the community "into" the safe haven of the "church."

Monday church is where an individual would seek to involve other believers in a particular sphere to develop a ministry that would seek to establish a "church" in that sphere. Obviously we are talking about a different kind of church. We tend to think of church in vertical terms and we think of church as a kind of "home." While this is wonderful and carries the function of church some distance, we need to think of expressions of ministry presence in a workplace or neighbourhood that goes beyond an individual "witnessing" to their friends and neighbours and trying to get them to come to "church" (meaning the Sunday meetings or other "club" meetings).

Monday church is the process of taking church to where the unchurched people are, not trying to get the unchurched people to where the "Sunday" church is. If you make anything like a thorough application of the following references by Jesus to the nature of the kingdom of God you will see how the idea of getting a few people saved seems pallid by comparison:

a. Like yeast in a lump of flour - radically changes the essential nature of the whole loaf. The perspective of the yeast is to totally take over without asking permission.

b. A seed becoming a large dominating tree - this is a wonderful picture of something growing that provides a dominating influence in the garden.

c. As a purpose built, gate crashing weapon against enemy strongholds (Matthew 16:18). Jesus said the church was designed for one purpose and one purpose alone: to destroy the gates of hell. We should therefore recognize when church is being the church and when it isn't. When its focus is on self-preservation and self-indulgence it is not being the church. When it has chosen to provide a haven for people to survive in the "world" it is not being the church. When it decides to enter into a détente relationship with the kingdom of this world it is not being the church. When it takes up at attack and destroy posture it is being the church. Churches should be doing what they were designed for: search and destroy gates of enemy strongholds.

www.gracecanberra.com.au

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A Word To The Women Of God
by Francis Frangipane

Before I begin this message, let me provide a short disclaimer: although I do encourage women to move freely within the order provided by God in their local churches, my goal is to exalt and release a primary grace that God has placed specifically within women, which the Lord Himself has used in past times to release revival.

The Genesis Distinctions
When the Lord created humankind, He placed unique graces in man and separate, but unique, graces in woman. He told Adam to name the species of life upon earth "and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name" (Gen. 2:19). This "naming" was much more than calling the dog, "Spot." Adam was created with an organizational, administrative capacity which enabled him to identify and define the world around him. By naming the living things, Adam not only brought them into his consciousness, but he introduced order and structure to the human experience. In effect, he defined reality.

Within the genetics of this original man, there also existed the powerful, but dormant, qualities of the woman. While Adam slept the Spirit took from the man a rib. Fashioning it into a woman, the Lord created for Adam a companion who was not only suitable for him, but one who powerfully expanded man's creative capacities. Indeed, the woman brought many new graces into Adam's world that did not formerly exist: the foremost of which was the power to conceive and give birth.

It is important to remember: God created male and female in His image, according to His likeness (Gen 1:26). Of course, in certain ways, both Adam and Eve as individuals possessed reflections of the divine nature. They each could think, speak, dream and create. However, it was in the union of Adam and Eve, in their mutual respect of one another's strengths and graces, that mankind would possess a more perfect expression of the fuller nature of God.

As Adam beheld this first female, he said, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man" (Gen 2:23). The term "woman" was a delineation used by Adam, identifying her as a unique variation in the species of man. My wife says, "Think of her as the upgrade." In some ways, she is right, for the nature of the woman was twice refined. Adam was created of earth; the woman, emerged not from the earth, but from the man. She is both more complex and emotionally sophisticated.

Soon Adam began to understand the greatest power of his counterpart, her ability to conceive and bring life into the world. Recognizing this quality, Adam named her "Eve," which meant "life." Eve would play an integral part in the unfolding of life's new beginnings. "She was the mother of all the living" (Gen. 3:20).

We Need Revival
The Lord gave Adam a primary ability to name and establish reality; He gave to woman the unique capacity to conceive and then birth reality. The primary strength of each gender is that man establishes, woman births. Remember, these qualities were not merely "human": they were reflections of the divine. Man's ability to bring order to one's world, to take what was random and give it definition and structure is a divine facility; woman's ability to conceive and incubate life, and then deliver life through birth is also an aspect of the divine nature.

Note also that Adam named the woman "Eve" (or "Life") before they had children. God gave the woman an ability not just to have babies, but to release life in a variety of its expressions. In fact, one translation says that Eve means to "enliven." Alone, Adam had been downcast; it was not good that Adam was alone. Eve enlivened Adam in ways no other creature on earth could. Adam could build a house; Eve made it a home. When Adam named Eve "Life," he was not only speaking prophetically of the first mother, but he spoke out of his own experience: Eve brought life into the structure of Adam's world.

While we are speaking in generalities, when we come into the spiritual realm, we see this same divine encoding replicated in the ministries of men and women. Jesus laid the foundation of the church with twelve men, whom He called to be apostles. This didn't mean there would never be women in leadership, but that one of the better skills given man from God was, as stated, the ability to bring order and structure. At the same time, prior to Christ's birth we find Anna, a prophetess, engaged in much prayer and fasting. In my opinion, it is quite possible that this woman was not alone in her intercession, but the leader of a prophetic prayer ministry that lived in anticipation of her times. Women excel in intercession, in spiritual sensitivity and the release of new beginnings. Again, this doesn't excuse men from prayer! For some of the Bible's best examples of intercessors are, indeed, men! We are speaking in generalities in reference to the spiritual tendencies of both genders. Neither distinction is more important than the other. Both are absolutely vital for the unfolding of God's will upon the earth.

Today, we are fighting the advance of Satan in many arenas: whether in wars and terrorist attacks or with the ever increasing expansion of iniquity in our world. We need revival. To possess a national awakening, the power God has placed in women must be released. All the efforts of man to establish laws and govern righteously will not truly transform our culture; we need the presence of God poured out. I am talking about something that is greater than government and righteous laws. I am saying that God is raising up and anointing a prayer army of women, who are about to be given even greater power as they intercede before God for their nations.

My Mother's Prayers
I personally know the power of this prayer. In the late sixties, I was a very lost young man living in sin and rebellion. Judging from my appearance, I looked hopeless. Yet, in spite of my outward condition, my dear Catholic mother stood before God for me. Resist as I did, divine power, uniquely born of her prayers, began to hunt me down. Her cries were relentless and unceasing; often she would pray through the night for me. She was pregnant with prayer for her son. In 1970 God finally answered and during the Jesus Movement revival, I came to Christ.

Years later I asked the Lord about this revival. As you may know, it has been part of my assignment to help engender citywide unity and establish prayer, things which precede revival. Yet, to my knowledge, no citywide unity or organized prayer fueled the Jesus Movement. So, I asked the Lord how could a revival occur without a prayer movement at its source? The Lord quickly corrected me saying that there was a great prayer movement: He had heard the prayers of a million praying mothers, each crying to Him for their children.

From all denominations, in a "unity of desperation," God heard the cries of believing mothers. His heart was touched and, as a result, multitudes of sinful kids found repentance and salvation in Jesus Christ. This is the army God desires to release again today, but now with more vision, more power from the Holy Spirit, and with the support of men as well!

Women of God, the fact is, heaven needs you! You have been created by the Almighty to birth breakthroughs on planet earth! God has uniquely designed you with a latent ability to release life through your intercession. Together with you, we men can build and establish, and we are learning to pray, but you have a special grace to release new spiritual beginnings. Whether your prayer focus is for your husband or church leadership, whether you are interceding for your children, city or nation, you possess in your spirit the seed-realities that, through prayer, can release God's life into the world.

Yes, indeed, there is a battle; there still exists "enmity between [the serpent] and the woman" (Gen. 3:15). Satan especially hates you because it was your seed that bruised the serpent's head. It is amazing to me that God chose to bring His Son into the world, not through the heavens nor even through a woman impregnated by man, but through a woman made pregnant by God! God Himself came to earth through the woman's power to give birth!

Today the Lord is giving women a new grace, a new confidence against the powers of hell. They are not rebelling against men, but praying for them. Through their intercession, these godly women will prayer-birth powerful ministries on earth, both male and female. They will release new beginnings to the body of Christ.

I also want to commend and thank ministries such as Women's Aglow, Lydia Fellowship and other women's prayer groups. There have been many, many times that I have suddenly been divinely protected or spiritual breakthroughs have unexpectedly been released to me. As I questioned the Lord, He's said, "I'm answering the prayers of Women's Aglow" (or, the women from such and such ministry). To each of you, I say a special thank you. May the Lord multiply His grace toward you and give you the desires of your hearts!

Revelations 12 speaks of a "woman clothed with the sun." This word is not only talking about Israel or the church. It also reveals how God sees spiritual women: they are honored and crowned with distinction; pure and clothed with the glory of God. With confidence, they tread upon the powers of night. Dear army of praying women, it is your inherent destiny to birth that which shall rule the nations.

Heavenly Father, we come in the name of Jesus. Lord, release the women of God. Release the power of prayer, the burden and travail of prayer, to its next levels. Father, Islamic terrorists from without and moral decadence from within seek to destroy our homeland. We need the prayer army to arise. Help us, O God, to pray until Your heavenly purpose is birthed on earth as it is in heaven! Amen!

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BABYLON AND THE CHURCH

By Terry Somerville
Total Change Ministries
www.totalchange.org

And they said, Come, let us build us a city, and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven, and let us make us a name; lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And Jehovah came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built. Genesis11:4,5

The Body Of Christ is being called into the marketplace, the arena that the spirit of Babylon controls. This spirit says "Let us build, let us get a name for ourselves, let us reach unto heaven." It is easy to mix the spirit of Babylon into our organization and not realize it. We are like the people of Israel who adopted the "practices of the land round about" and couldn't see the problem. This is why Christians have often been ineffective and irrelevant in our culture.

The Lord wants to reveal His glory to the world through His people and cannot anoint a mixture. As God sends us INTO the marketplace he is also calling us OUT OF Babylon. Here are some observations.

1. The spirit of Babylon causes man to say "come let us build".

Whenever Christians gather we are the church (Ecclesia) We know the church is not the building, the organization or corporation, yet we need to organize the things we do. As soon as we move from the church being believers "gathered" to creating an organization and corporation, we become vulnerable to the spirit of Babylon. We can subtly shift to a "come let us build" mentality and end up building and sustaining a "religious organization", rather than extending the Kingdom of God. Human methods then replace the power of the Holy Spirit and selfish ambitions come in along with "every kind of disorder."

If we take an honest look at the church today where do we see the problems?  They are usually centred around the organization! Regarding church buildings and organizations John Wesley adopted the stance "it will all burn". We must not initiate, but always follow Jesus.

The story is told of Chinese Christian leaders visiting our churches. At the end of their trip they were asked what they thought. Conferring for a moment they replied, "We are amazed at how much you have accomplished without the Holy Spirit."

We need organization, but it must always reflect Jesus. We cannot build the church, Jesus said "I will build my church..." (matt.16:18) Today the Holy Spirit is saying "repent from dead works, enter into rest and follow Jesus as Lord of the church, in everything we do.

2. The spirit of Babylon causes men to say "let us get a name for ourselves"

This is the real motivation behind much ministry. We have adopted human values of size, fame, youth, wealth, power and recognition! We want the name of our church or ministry to be famous! We operate by control through titles and positions to "get a name for ourselves" , rather having real spiritual authority. The 1995 "Gathering" at Whistler marked a beginning of God's dealings with personal agendas in ministry in Canada.

I had a dream about the Whistler gathering the year before. In this dream about 2000 people are together. The leader says "The Spirit of God is coming like the rain, but He will be coming like Niagara falls." Everyone jumps up and grabs their "boogie boards" from under their seats, getting ready to ride the wave of God. These boards represent God's call on each life, and they were beautifully painted with the names of churches and ministries, honourable titles, and positions. As the rain hits the boogie boards the paint started to run. This is what God has been doing for the last ten years. He's washing off everything man adds to His work. Those who won't co-operate will be set aside in the next move of God!

When I stepped out of pastoral ministry last spring the Holy Spirit said forcefully to me "no positions, no titles" The coming generation of believers will be free of selfish ambition and be noted for one thing - The Glory of the Lord. When the bible says "The Glory of the Lord shall cover the earth" it does not mean we will be incapacitated by His presence, rather we will reflect the glory of the Lord in every sphere, because our hearts are one with His. It will be His name alone that is noticed.

3. The spirit of Babylon says "let us reach to heaven".

The spirit of Babylon is the spirit of religion. It says "let us reach heaven", and permeates Christians activity with legalism or religious effort. For example, today there is much striving in Spirit filled, revival circles, to "open the windows of heaven". I know what that means, we all want God's atmosphere to permeate our cities, but lets look at our methods. We've been taught to tithe accurately, adopt new ways to pray, do spiritual mapping and warfare, identificational repentance, quote the right scriptures, continually deal with heart issues, etc.

The problem is, the focus is on what WE do, not on what HE HAS DONE. We are always reaching for one more activity that will break through. Where is the simple unity and oneness with Christ and following the Holy Spirit that opened Jerusalem in Acts? Then they said to Him, What shall we do that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God, that you believe on Him whom He has sent. Joh 6:28

The facts are, Jesus already opened the windows of heaven, they are not closed to a Christian, ever. We need no religious activity whatsoever, only to believe and follow. He is our great high priest who went into the heavens, and we have unfettered access to him. (Heb 4) In fact we are seated with Christ above the windows of heaven, and in a position of rest. We join Him in pouring down his blessing onto the earth with the enemy under our (His) feet. Since I've grasped this and simply believed, healings, miracles and spiritual warfare have dramatically changed. It's so good to stop striving and enter his rest!  Heb 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works, as God did from his.

4. The spirit of Babylon inspires hidden idolatry in God's people.

When Israel was released from captivity, the priests copied the idolatry of Babylon. They painted unclean images on the inner rooms of the temple, and took "idols in their hearts" (Ezekiel 14:3) In many ways we are like the Israelite priests. (We are a Royal Priesthood) We can have idols in our hearts, an image or picture of something we covet and serve. (covetousness is idolatry Col.3:5) The spirit of Babylon is at work in idolatry.

In the early nineties the Lord convicted me heavily of idols in my hearts. I didn't understand this until He showed me the images or pictures in my heart that I served. One was a picture of what I wanted my ministry to be like. Whenever ministry went according to the image my flesh was pleased. Whenever it went contrary to the image my flesh was upset and depressed. I served this idol of ministry with my flesh.

Until the idols of the heart are cast down (we have to do it) we cannot fully follow the Holy Spirit, or experience His power.

Consequences of Idolatry

1. Spiritual attack.

When there is idolatry in ministry terrible spiritual attacks and oppression will happen, and spiritual warfare can not stop it ! This is what drove me to seek God. Satan took advantage of my idolatry and assaulted me. I could not resist him successfully because I was not really submitted to God. This is why there is so much spiritual warfare and depression in the church today.

2. Character issues in ministry.

When a minister has an idol of ministry in his heart all kinds of character issues emerge. Some may be depressed and discouraged. Others become angry or control people. Still others may use spiritual manipulation.

3. Soulish prayers and witchcraft.

Prayers become very soulish when serving an idol. We ask God to fulfil the picture of ministry in the heart rather than following the leading of the Holy Spirit. When prayers focus making people do our will it becomes witchcraft.

4.Confusions and Division.

The spirit of Babylon is under a judgement that causes confusion and division.

Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they cannot understand one another's speech. So Jehovah scattered them abroad from that place upon the face of all the earth. And they quit building the city Gen 11:7,8

The Lord declared His judgement on the spirit of Babylon and it stills operates against those under it's influence today: Confusion, division, and scattering will always happen where this spirit has influence. This is actually the Lords mercy to restrain mankind and return him to God.

We've wondered why the organized church is so prone to division. The truth is that we are experiencing the Lord's judgement on the spirit of Babylon in what we are doing. Instead of simply praying for unity, (which Jesus even prayed for) we need to repent and remove every influence of this spirit in our midst.

Conclusion

The spirit of Babylon remains largely un-noticed by the church today because we grew up immersed in it's practices, and following its ways in our organizations.

Let those who have ears, hear what the Spirit says to the church. And I heard another voice from Heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that you may not be partakers of her sins, and that you may not receive of her plagues. Rev 18:4

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DREAM of the MIGRANT WORKERS
 

by Bryan Hupperts.

There is a huge immigration debate in America. Our borders are overrun with illegal migrant workers who are often depicted as:
aliens, uneducated, dirty, fruit pickers, field hands. These prejudicial images and stereotypes aren't pretty.

Against this backdrop, I had a detailed dream where I was standing in a sea of people before the throne of God. I saw well known ministers, invisible ministers, people who had falsely accused me, people who had justly accused me, and many people I didn't know. Weird, but everyone had a black spot on their chest. The numbers were too vast to count. I was standing pretty close to a tele-evangelist known for $1,000 suits and for boasting of many
healings. I had the distinct impression he was impatiently waiting for the Lord to finish speaking to hand him a microphone!

We were all wearing name badges and (like military insignias) badges of rank. The Lord spoke to this vast group yet we each heard him as if he were only speaking to us individually, "Lay down your ministry, your vision, your promises. I have new assignments for each of you." We all assumed a promotion. Then all went dead silent while the Holy Spirit ministered to each of us. To me he spoke, "I want you to become a field hand, a migrant worker. Go pick fruit."

I was horrified. What is lower than a fruit picking migrant worker?

I burned with shame wondering what my family would think. How would we live? What about my hard won education? I have struggled with Lupus for years and cannot stand being in sunlight for long stretches of time. Such a call to work in the fields would surely kill me!

Finally, I bowed my head while weeping and said, "Thy will be done." I stripped myself of my nice suit and donned the cheap clothing of a migrant worker. I told myself that if all I am capable of doing is harvesting fruit for the Lord then I would do it with all my heart. I felt something inside of me begin to shake violently, burn and finally die.

Though he slay me, yet will I serve Him, indeed! It occurred to me much later that migrant is just another way of saying "stranger and alien".

Anyway, I looked up and saw a great separation take place. I realized that the Lord had whispered this exact same calling to everyone there. We were all being called to be migrant fruit pickers.
This vast company were all ministers of the Gospel. The hard shock was that the great majority of those standing there heard this call to go be migrant laborers and had said, "No."

I could hear the angry complaints: I built this church. I am too important. This ministry cannot survive without my leadership. If these fruit picking fools actually succeed, send the tithers to my church. and on and on. I could see sheep being culled from goats. It was like watching the birth of Gideon's Army. Our ranks were greatly thinned and we were an unimpressive, motley lot. There was not a name tag, title, or rank insignia to be seen.

So there we were in our migrant worker clothes like people you would glance at and turn away from uncomfortably pretending that you did not see them. I noticed we all had a dark hole burned in our chests where the black spot had been and someone called out and asked about it. The Lord of the Harvest replied, "That thing that burned and died in each of you was your blinding pride." And he breathed on us and the hole was filled with a kind of liquid light, His abiding Presence and glory!

I thought, "Oh, you cannot fill that which is full. You can only fill a
vessel that has been first emptied." I looked back at the great company of ministers who had disqualified themselves from their true callings and was suddenly glad to be in ragged clothes and holy company. The black marks on their chests were like a plague infection that suddenly began to ooze and spread. I thought, "They're dead already and they don't even know it."

God is looking for those who will faithfully laborer for him to bring in the great harvest of souls that the seed of His blood had spilled into the earth to bring forth. Faithful Labor: There is no other qualification.

The Lord told us, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go forth. Be fruitful and multiply my Kingdom!"

As our company marched off into the harvest field to be inglorious, nameless field hands, I could hear those left behind sneering in contempt, shouting out catcalls about what fools were all were.
They seemed oblivious that the Lord of the Harvest was standing in their midst watching, listening, weighing their every word. And his eyes burned with holy fire.

As a man with Lupus, I have to be very careful about where I go, what I eat, how long I am outside. Sunlight can kill people like me.
I often get accused of being a hypochondriac because my symptoms change like the tide and I was ill for years before I got the correct diagnosis....

Anyway, in my dream, I realized I was - surprise! - standing with a few who had harshly judged me and realized that I had, in anger, turned around and done the exact same thing to them! I repented deeply. As I stepped into the harvest field and felt the sun beating down on me, I realized I had just joyously accepted a death sentence. I suddenly felt a surge of healing power flood through me and I was instantly made whole! Funny, but the power did its work and then stayed pulsating in my hands.

Reverend. no,
Evangelist. no,
Pastor. no,

Just a happy fruit picker,

Bryan Hupperts
 

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Even Sodom!

By Francis Frangipane

It is not God who hinders the healing of our land. Rather it is our apathy, our own unbelief, that keeps us from grasping the potential offered in the Gospel of Christ! Do not marvel when I say entire cities can be saved. The Scripture tells us that nations will come to our light and kings to the brightness of our rising! (Isaiah 60:1-3)

All We Lack is Christlikeness!
"He then began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent" (Matt. 11:20). Jesus has a word to say, not only to us as individuals, but to entire cities as well. In anger He rebuked Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum (Matt. 11:21); with tears, He cried out to Jerusalem (Luke 13:34). If He expected cities to repent in the first century, He expects cities today to repent as well.

It was in this very context of reproving cities, however, that Jesus made a statement which unveiled the scope of God's redemptive power. Listen to His rebuke, but also to its hidden promise. He said, "For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes" (Matt. 11:21).

Tyre and Sidon were Gentile cities known for their debauchery and sin. Yet, Jesus said that His life, revealed in power, can bring even the vilest of cities, places which ought to be destroyed, to "sackcloth and ashes." The strategy, therefore, to win our cities is for the church to reveal Christ's life in power. Yes, the revelation of Christ in us as individuals, and the power of Christ displayed corporately through us, can turn our worst cities back toward God!

Today, many cities are ripe for revival. What hinders the turning of the people's hearts? Part of the answer lies with the church, with our sins of self-righteousness, indifference and unbelief. The Lord said if His people would humble themselves and pray, seek His face and turn from evil, He would then heal their land (see 2 Chron. 7:14). The future does not belong to the world; it belongs to the transformed church. Indeed, let us never forget: God "desires all men to be saved" (1 Tim. 2:4). With this in mind, Paul taught that entreaties and prayers should be made on behalf of all men, "for kings and all who are in authority" (1 Tim. 2:1-4). The sacrifice of Christ provides for the salvation of all men. Heaven waits only for the church to act.

One may say, "But, that was then. Our cities are worse. They are beyond redemption." Not so. Jesus continued His rebuke of cities, saying, "If the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day" (Matt. 11:23). Amazingly, when Christ is manifested in power, Jesus said even Sodom could find repentance!

I have heard many ministers compare Los Angeles or New York to Sodom. Good. These cities have seen hell, now let the church show them heaven. They need to see Jesus revealed in His church. The promise of Christ is that even Sodom could repent in the atmosphere and revelation of Christ's power. If there is hope for Sodom, there is hope for your city as well!

The Obstruction to Revival: Complacency
When we picture cities, we tend to see skylines and factories, streets and schools. Jesus, however, sees people. He beholds husbands arguing with wives while their children tremble in fear. He sees drugs being sold on playgrounds and teenagers having abortions. He suffers at the bedside of the infirm. The heart of Christ grieves with the loneliness of the elderly and identifies with the struggles of the handicapped.

Yes, the eyes of the Lord probe the spirit and humanity of the city. From His eternal perspective, He also beholds the most terrible event known to man. He sees the overwhelming horror, the utter despair an unsaved person experiences as he realizes he is, indeed, dead and going to hell. And, in the midst of it all, He sees the church - His church, purchased at the cost of His own precious blood - sitting comfortably and amused, remote control in hand, watching television.

Jesus does not have a problem with the hot or cold dimensions of life. It is the lukewarm that He will spew from His mouth (Rev. 3:15-16). What stopped the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum - communities that already had the blessing of Christ's healing - from embracing ongoing renewal? They assumed Christ's love was given only to enrich them. All they saw were the rewards of Christ without understanding His requirements.

The church today is frighteningly similar in attitude to these ancient cities. The majority of the first century saints gave their lives to Christ with the full knowledge they would face persecution, suffering and, possibly, death for their faith. Such was the character and vision of the church in the first century.

The main emphasis of much of our Christianity, however, is to help believers become "normal." So much of our contemporary teaching keeps alive the very nature Jesus calls us to crucify! We need to reevaluate our preaching. Are we preaching the cross and the call to follow Jesus? What are we training our people to become?

Please hear me, the Father's goal is not merely to bless us, but to transform us into the image of His Son! He desires to use us to turn our cities back to Him. But God has made no provision for the healing of our land apart from us becoming Christlike! Once we realize this vital truth, we shall return to the source of New Testament Christianity, and our cities will have hope for redemption. When the church demonstrates the love and power of Christ, repentance and revival can occur even in a place like Sodom.

Lord, forgive us for our unbelief and apathy. You have promised that even Sodom would come to You at the revelation of Your character and power. Transform us, Lord Jesus, for the sake of your glory and the renewal of our cities.

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Unoffendable
 

By Francis Frangipane

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezek. 36:26).

God has a new heart for us that cannot be offended, an “unoffendable” heart. Beloved, possessing an unoffendable heart is not an option or a luxury; it’s not a little thing. Consider: Jesus warns that, as we near the end of the age, a majority of people will be offended to such a degree that they fall away from the faith. Listen carefully to His warning:

"Then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another . . . and because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold" (Matt. 24:10-12 KJV).

“Many” will be offended; the love of “many” will grow cold. My prayer is that we will hear His words with holy fear.

When we allow an offense to remain in our hearts, it causes serious spiritual consequences. In the above verse Jesus named three dangerous results: betrayal, hatred and cold love. When we are offended with someone, even someone we care for, we must go to them. Otherwise, we begin to betray that relationship, talking maliciously behind their back to others, exposing their weaknesses and sins. We may mask our betrayal by saying we are just looking for advice or counsel, but when we look back, we see we have spoken negatively to far too many people. Our real goal was not to get spiritual help for ourselves but to seek revenge toward the one who offended us. How is such action not a manifestation of hatred? For an offended soul, cold love, betrayal and hatred go hand-in-hand.

People don’t usually stumble over boulders; they stumble over stones, relatively small things. It may be that the personality of someone in authority bothers us and soon we are offended. Or, a friend or family member fails to meet our expectations, and we take an offense into our soul. Beloved, if we will “endure to the end,” we will have to confront the things that bother us.

When Jesus warns that we need endurance, He is saying that it is easier to begin the race than finish it. Between now and the day you die, there will be major times of offense that you will need to overcome. You might be in such a time right now. Do not minimize the danger of harboring an offense.

No one plans on falling away; no one ever says, “Today, I think I’ll try to develop a hardened, cold heart.” Such things enter our souls through stealth and it is only naiveté that assumes it couldn’t happen to us. I know many people who consistently become offended about one thing or another. Instead of dealing with the offenses, these people carry them until the weight disables their walk with God. You may be doing fine today, but I guarantee you, tomorrow something will happen that will inevitably disappoint or wound you; some injustice will strike you, demanding you retaliate in the flesh.

The Root Of Offense
An offense can strike at our virtues or sins, our values or our pride. It can penetrate and wound any dimension of the soul, both good and evil. I once brought a series of messages about gossip. Most people saw their sin and repented, but a core group of gossips were greatly offended and ultimately left the church. When the Holy Spirit exposes sin in someone’s soul, if we refuse the opportunity to repent, we often become offended at the person who brought the teaching. Instead of humbling our hearts, we are outraged at the pastor or teachers in the church. Truthfully, most of the time, I have no idea who specifically needs to hear what I’m teaching, but God knows.

Paul told Timothy to “reprove, rebuke, exhort” (see 2 Tim. 4:2). He didn’t say, “exhort, exhort, exhort,” but exhortation is what we receive in most churches. Certainly, we need to be encouraged, but there are also times, beloved, when we need to be reproved and rebuked. Today, there are preachers who are afraid to preach truth for fear people will react and leave the church. The end result is a church of easily offended people who cannot grow beyond their inability to accept correction.

People don’t change by exhortation alone. There are areas in all of us that need to be confronted and disciplined. The pastor who refuses to discipline and correct those in sin is in disobedience to God. He is unable to lead people into any truly transforming changes in their lives; they will not “endure to the end” if they cannot be corrected (see Matt. 24).

We need to become a people who say, “Lord, show me what needs to change in me.” I’m talking about growing up. A wise man will receive a rebuke and he will prosper. But a fool rejects his father’s discipline (see Prov. 15:5).

Personal Offense
An offense can wound our pride when we are not recognized for our good works or ministry. This happened to my wife and I long ago while in California. We were young pastors at a conference when the main leader decided to personally greet each minister and wife. He greeted the couple on our right and then turned to his staff to ask a question. A moment later he returned, but passed us by and went to the couple on our left. Everyone around us saw we were bypassed. We were embarrassed and offended. But my wife wisely observed that we could allow this thing to hurt us or we could see it as an investment in sensitivity toward other people’s feelings. The offense taught us how others feel when they are ignored. Do you see this? You must make that offense become an opportunity to become more Christlike.

The occasions for taking offense are practically endless. Indeed, we are daily given the opportunity to either be offended by something or to possess an unoffendable heart. The Lord’s promise is that He’s given us a new heart: a soft, entreatable heart that can be filled with His Spirit and abound with His love.

Lord, forgive me for being so easily offended and for carrying offenses. Father, my heart is foolish and weak. Grant me the unoffendable heart of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Unoffendable Part Two
 

By Francis Frangipane

"Then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another . . . and because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold" (Matt. 24:10-12 KJV).

The Sequence That Leads To Apostasy
In our last teaching we looked at offenses and examined the lethal effect an offended spirit could have upon our lives. We discussed how the only way to not be permanently offended was to attain the unoffendable heart of Jesus Christ.

Attaining Christ's heart is not a minor issue. Remember, Jesus warned that, in the last days, "many" would be offended. A wounded spirit is not the same thing as an offended spirit - an offense occurs when we do not process our wounds in a Christlike manner. Indeed, an offended spirit, left unattended and brooding in our minds, will soon manifest as betrayal, hatred and cold love. Jesus said offenses would be the ultimate cause that leads many to fall from faith. Listen well: Jesus linked the real cause of apostasy not to wrong doctrines, but wrong reactions.

Aren't right doctrines important? Of course, but we can have right information and still have a wrong response. Doctrinal information can be upgraded and refined, but Proverbs warns that someone "offended is harder to be won than a strong city," and "contentions" between people "are like the bars of a castle" (Prov. 18:19).

Yes, beware of false leaders, but more deceitful than false prophets or teachers is our own heart when it is offended (Jer. 17:9). Are you living with an offended heart? If so, you are gradually slipping away from true Christianity, which is known for its agape love.

Thus, dealing with an offended heart is vital in maintaining ongoing spiritual maturity. For this reason, we need to look again at the things that offend us.

False Expectations
Unrealistic or exaggerated expectations inevitably will cause others to fall short and offend us. Some desire their spouse or pastor or friends to meet their every need. However, at the deepest level, our soul was created to find its security in God, not man. When the Almighty truly becomes our security, our peace flows from our awareness of His love and unlimited capabilities. As people who put their confidence in God, we can live comfortably with imperfect people around us.

Still, the very power of our expectations can choke out the sweetness of a personal relationship. Suppose that, instead of burdening people with our expectations, we simply learned to appreciate them for themselves - no strings attached. What if we approach family and friends with gratitude for what they are doing rather than disappointment for what they failed to do?

Suppose that a husband, instead of expecting a full course dinner from his wife each night, learned to appreciate whatever she was able to offer him? Then, instead of his failed expectation degrading into an offense, there would be a living, sincere appreciation for the food his wife prepared. I know we have arrangements by common consent, but in reality, a wife is under no obligation to cook special meals or do housekeeping. You did not marry her to be your housekeeper, but to become one with her.

Or imagine a husband who works a long, tiring job. However, his wife expects that he will work another two hours at home or go shopping with her or listen attentively about her problems. What if, instead, she welcomed him at the door and sincerely thanked him for daily giving himself to support their family? What if she met him, not with demands, but with appreciation? Perhaps she might even massage his shoulders and, because of love, have his favorite meal prepared.

You see, expectations can seem like legitimate aspects of a relationship, but they can also cause us to be disappointed and offended when people fall short. I have known situations in the past where my expectations actually blinded me to the efforts being made by a loved one. They were trying to improve in an area I was unaware of because my focus was preset upon a different expectation. I should have been grateful and encouraging.

Of course, today I discuss issues and expectations with those close to me, but the weight of my expectation is not on others, but upon myself to be Christlike and sensitive to those around me. I put a premium upon enjoying the uniqueness of others, sincerely thanking God for their contribution to my life.

When God Himself Offends Us
The fact is, false expectations can become a source of many deep offenses. However, one of the worst offenses we can suffer is when God Himself purposely offends us.

In 2 Kings 5, we read the story of when Naaman, a Syrian general, sought to be healed of leprosy by Elisha, the prophet. When Naaman and his entourage arrived at Elisha's house, Elisha didn't greet him personally, but instead sent his servant with a word/cure for Naaman. It was a simple assignment for the military leader: wash seven times in the Jordan River. However, the cure offended Naaman. Why didn't the prophet himself come out? Why this muddy Jordan? Scripture says that "Naaman was furious."

An offended spirit is an angry spirit. In this case, Naaman was beyond mad; he was furious. Do you find that you are always mad at a particular person? It's because they have offended you and you haven't forgiven them. Naaman was offended at Elisha, but what was the real cause of Naaman's offense? Listen to his words. He said, "Behold, I thought, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and cure the leper'" (v. 11).

Catch the phrase, "Behold, I thought . . ." In truth, Naaman was not offended by Elisha, but by his own failed expectations. He probably spent many hours envisioning the moment of healing. He even pictured himself testifying of how the man of God healed him. When it didn't happen according to his plan, he was offended.

Friends, before the Lord heals you or assigns you some new, elevated position of service, He will often offend you. Why? What is it that gets offended in us? Usually, it is our pride. We come to God desiring physical healing, but the Lord wants us not only to be healed, but to be humble. Yes, God heals us through our faith, but there our times when our own pride keeps us from receiving the method of God's healing. The Lord offends us to humble us, so He can give us grace. Faith works through grace, but God only gives grace to the humble.

Look at how often Jesus offended people before He healed them. Once, He actually spit on the ground, made mud and put it on a blind man's eyes, and then told him to walk across town that way! Imagine if you were next in the healing line and saw what the guy before you had to do. Admit it, we each would be looking for another healing ministry, one that is a little less offensive! On another occasion He told a woman who came seeking her daughter's healing that she was an unclean dog; another time, He stuck His fingers in the ears of a man to heal his deafness. The Lord often offended people before He healed them.

If we would learn to humble ourselves in the offense, we would discover that the apparent offense was, in realty, a door that led into the manifest power of God. When Jesus called the Canaanite woman a "dog," instead of being offended, she said, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs feed on the crumbs" (Matt. 15:27). When Jesus told the man to walk across town with mud in his eyes, the man didn't argue or ask for a more dignified healing; he humbled himself and came back seeing. When Elisha told Naaman to dip in the Jordan seven times, the offense wounded him. Yet, when he humbled himself, his leprosy was replaced with the skin of a little child. His skin became as a child, because his heart, through humility, became as a child.

Maybe you haven't received your healing or breakthrough yet because to walk the path set before you is beneath your dignity. Maybe you need to get rid of your dignity and go to that Pentecostal or Baptist church you've been making fun of, then ask them to pray for you. God wants to heal you, but He also wants to renew and transform you with His grace.

Overcome Offenses
When we study what Jesus taught, it is obvious that He came to make us "unoffendable." Consider: He says that if someone slaps you on one cheek, offer him the other. He said to love our enemies and bless those who curse us. What He's really doing is showing us how an unoffendable heart of love overcomes all adversity.

We pray, "Lord, I want to change." To answer our prayer, He sometimes must put us in situations that perfectly offend us. The offense itself awakens our need of grace. Thus, the Lord precipitates change by first offending the area of our soul He desires to transform. He does not expect us to merely survive this adversity, but to become Christlike in it. Ask Joseph in the Old Testament: the "land of offense" became the land of his anointing and power. Listen my friends: the destiny God has for man unfolds or dies at the junction of offense. How we handle offense is the key to our tomorrow.

"Those who love [God's] law have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble" (Ps. 119:165).

Lord, grant me that new creation heart that can walk as Jesus walked, through a world of offenses without stumbling. I want to see everything as an opportunity to pray, everything as an opportunity to become Christlike. Lord help me to interpret offenses as opportunities that lead to transformations. Grant me, Lord Jesus, the pulse and beat of Your unoffendable heart. Amen.

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"THE CONQUEST HAS COMMENCED--NOW IS THE TIME TO GIVE YOUR ALL TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD"

"ARISE from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you; rise to a new life! Shine! Be radiant with the glory of the Lord; for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and dense darkness all peoples, but the Lord shall arise upon you, (O Jerusalem), and His glory shall be seen on you."
(Isaiah 60:1-2)

AWAKE--ARISE--ADVANCE

The command from Heaven is extremely clear. As followers of Christ we are to: Arise! Advance! Our objective is taking the Kingdom of God forward. Every reservation and fear must be overcome. Standing strong in the knowledge of God's will for our life, we will tread down timidity. The overwhelming knowledge of who Christ is in us and who we are in HIM, will result in us becoming brave. God's promise to Joshua is for us as well:

"Every place upon which the sole of your foot shall tread, that I have given to you, as I promised Moses. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong, confident, and of good courage, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land, which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only you be strong, and very courageous." (see Joshua 1:3, 5-7)

We will stand--confident and bold. We don't need unfounded fleshly arrogance, but rather steadfast, holy hearts, totally trusting the Lord. It is the righteous that shall be bold as a lion (see Proverbs 28:1). The conquest (the act of conquering) has commenced. This is neither warm-up nor scrimmage; this is the real thing. This is no time to hold back. Now is the time to give your all to the Kingdom of God. A swift shift is upon us; we are seeing a radical revolution. Embrace the winds of change. They are blowing strongly all across the earth. Mere words will not suffice; we must have a true demonstration of God's power. The cry of our heart is, "Lord, rend the Heavens and come down" (see Isaiah 64:1). It's time for action!

Arise; stir yourself to radically pursue your destiny. Your spiritual inheritance is too important to sit idle. It is essential that you arise with a deep-seated determination to take a hold of God's promises for your life. Access is provided to draw near to the King, thus releasing a great acceleration of Kingdom purposes and power.

SUCH A TIME AS THIS

Not only has Almighty God called you and me to be brave and courageous, He has commissioned us for these important days. We need to be prepared for a conquest that brings about a swift and sure change. God's plan for His people is the plan of victory, not defeat (Jeremiah 29:11). We are called and commissioned to be overcomers. You are created to be victorious, not a victim. Just as Queen Esther, you are in the Kingdom for such a time as this (Esther 4:14).

OVERCOMERS

Deep within the soul of every true Christian beats the heart of an overcomer. The word overcomer suggests winning after a hard struggle. We are to be strong, willing warriors. Remember, we are fighting from victory not for victory. Christ has won the victory. We merely move into what He has provided. Take a stand--become militant concerning the promises of God.

During these days is the time for the troops of the Lord to volunteer willingly (Psalm 110:3). We are to become history makers and world changers. God has determined the exact time of our birth. Truly, we are in the Kingdom for such a time as this. Consider the fact that you had absolutely nothing to do with the timing of your birth. It's God's plan. Looking forward to this day, He determined that you would be a great tool in His hands to fashion the Kingdom of God.

DAYS OF SALVATION

What a joy and privilege we have been given to live in these days of great harvest. Never has the world seen such a display of salvation. The latest reports coming from China are that for over a decade now, there is a huge revival taking place, and each hour 1,200 come into the Kingdom of God. That is twenty-four hours a day, three hundred sixty-five days a year. Can you imagine that over ten million souls a year are coming to faith in Christ in China? And this is just the start of worldwide evangelism.

There is a church in Africa that has over 1.7 million members and over 15,000 missionaries across the earth. In Africa, a couple started with six dirty, little street children and now, twelve years later, they have over 6,000 churches and untold thousands of members.

The harvest fields are white and ready for the reaping. The harvest at the end of the age is quickly coming upon us. What we are seeing now is the harvest of the harvesters, and the reaping of the reapers. God has confidence in you. It is He working in you, both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). We discover in Luke 12:32, the Father's good pleasure is to give us the power of His Kingdom. These are decisive days of destiny. God is calling each of us to arise and take our stand for righteousness.

You are extremely unique. Over six billion people are alive on planet Earth, and guess what? Not a single person is like you. That is truly unique. The Father longs to anoint you and use you in an extraordinary way. Our goal must be to totally yield ourselves to Christ, seeking to walk in purity and power.

WORKS-NOT JUST WORDS

Our destiny is victory! We are called to triumph; to walk in victory, living in such a manner, doing everything with a true spirit of excellence for the sake of advancing the cause of Jesus Christ. True Christianity is more about what we do than what we say (1 Corinthians 4:20). It's time for action--not just mere words. Our walk will speak much louder than our talk. It will be a demonstration of Divine power, not eloquent words, that advances the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 2:1-5). The power of God's Holy Spirit will anoint you to accomplish awesome signs and wonders for the glory of God and the advancing of the Kingdom of God.

THE SECRET TO TRUE BOLDNESS

An extremely wise man penned these thought-provoking words, "The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion." (Proverbs 28:1)

With this short but inspired phrase, we discover an exceptionally significant key: the righteous are bold as a lion. This key is an awesome asset, providing much-needed insight that will unlock the mystery of our weakness. Our lack of demonstrated power is a testimony to our carnality. We must walk in purity if we are to walk in real power.

The foremost reason for our lack of genuine power is due to our lack of genuine holiness. With a repentant heart, we can move forward, seeking the Lord to extract from us everything that separates us from Him. Without question, our sin is the principal reason for our continual failure.

God's warning is exceedingly clear: "Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy: without holiness no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14). Don't confuse holiness with man-made legalism. True holiness produces overflowing life and peace, while religious legalism produces only barrenness and death. Remember, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17). The happiest people I know are the people who walk upright, seeking to bring glory to God with every aspect of their lives (see Colossians 1:9-10).

FLESH VS. SPIRIT

"The righteous shall be as bold as a lion."

The body of Christ must discover and distinguish the immense difference between arrogance and genuine boldness--between being driven by our own ambitions and being led by God's Spirit. If we continue to act upon our flesh-driven presumptions, failure is certain:

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." (Proverbs 14:12)

Our flesh fosters arrogance--a person's own abilities and agenda. True boldness, however, is released from an encounter with the Holy Spirit.
Scripture paints a picture for us--the righteous shall be as bold as a lion.

Before Simon Peter's dynamic encounter with the Spirit of God on the day of Pentecost, he wilted under the accusations of a young, servant girl. Without the power of God's enabling grace, Peter denied the Lord three times. Yet once he was filled with the Holy Spirit's power and boldness, we see a tremendous transformation in Peter's life. Standing in true authority, he preached one of the fieriest messages in Scripture (Acts 2:14-40).

A wicked, religious spirit will always manifest itself by attempting to counterfeit the original. If this evil spirit cannot get into someone moving in pseudo self-confidence, it will cause the person to become weak and timid. It is high time we recognize the difference between timidity and humility, confidence and presumption.

BATTLING BEWITCHMENT

A cunning bewitchment is going on within the Body of Christ. Paul warned against this spirit when he wrote to the Galatians. This bewitching manifests itself and results in people attempting to fulfill in the flesh that which was begun by the Spirit of God (Galatians 3: 1-5).

It's time to ask some hard questions: Are we being commissioned by God's Spirit or have we birthed our own plans? The distinction can be recognized by success or failure. When one is sent by the Lord, He goes before the person to make a way. However, if the person runs without being sent by God, the person is doomed to shame and failure. We must join with Moses, "O Lord, if Your Presence does not go with us, please don't let us take a single step." (Exodus 33:15)

Jesus is the perfect example of being sent by God. Jesus said, "I only do what I see My Father doing; I only say what I hear My Father saying." It was the joy of His heart to do the Father's will. Jesus' life of absolute obedience to the Father's will must become our quest as well. It is the perfect syncopation--to seek the harmonizing of God's will and our walk. This divine rhythm was reflected in Paul's life when he said, "for me to live is Christ..." (Philippians 1:21). Near the end of his journey, he added, "I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7)

How we start is very important, but how we finish is most important. The legacy we leave behind is a testimony of how effectively we have lived our lives for the purpose of God's Kingdom.

As you read this, ask yourself--Are you running in your human zeal, or are you being carried by God's power and might? Remember, "It's not by human effort, but by His Spirit" (Zechariah 4:6). Have you become guilty of "walking in the light of your own fire" (Isaiah 50:11)? If so, it's but a dim comparison to the blazing light of the Spirit of Truth. Is it any wonder that you are stumbling in darkness? While on Earth, Jesus told the cold, legalistic religious leaders that they were the blind leading the blind; both they and their followers were destined to fall into a ditch.

Are you content to drink from your own hand-dug cisterns and forsake the fountain of living water? (Jeremiah 2:13). What a terrible exchange to settle for stale, stagnant, and polluted water instead of the refreshing fountains flowing from the Holy Spirit.

As never before, we must walk in the light of God's Word. Only there, will we find true light for our darkened path (Psalm 119:105, 130). It is only in His light that we can see light (Psalm 36:9). Scripture reveals to us this precious promise: "For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness" (Psalm 18:28). He alone is the Source of true enlightenment.

The revelation of Christ the King and His Kingdom will become clearer and more concise as we set our hearts to become intimate with Him. Going ever deeper into the ways of the Spirit, we will grow in our knowledge of Christ and His Kingdom. Deep is calling unto deep--God has been releasing to us a desire to go higher and deeper than we have ever been.

PURITY PRODUCES POWER AND BOLDNESS

Let these words resound in your spirit: "...the righteous are bold as a lion..." (Proverbs 28:1), asking the Holy Spirit to reveal its meaning. Our heart's desire is that God's Spirit will launch us further into a consuming passion to walk with greater purity. Such fervor will result in real Holy Spirit-produced power. This alone is the key to walking in sustained supernatural power.

A PEOPLE OF EXTREME BURNING PASSION

The Spirit of Truth will open our eyes to behold deeper truths hidden in Scripture (Matthew 13:16-17). These divine truths will inflame our hearts, igniting within us an extreme burning passion for God's glory and for the advancing of His Kingdom.

God's Spirit is helping us come to grips with the vast difference between human arrogance and Holy Spirit boldness. Spiritual boldness does not describe many in the Church today. We have grown too accustomed to slick self-promotion--Madison Avenue-type leadership who advance their own personal agendas. Without a doubt, this is one reason we are walking in so little Holy Spirit power. It is the Kingdom of God we must seek to establish, not our own ideas.

Our heart's cry must be like David's: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10). May our hearts echo this passage:

"Let Your work appear to Your servants, And Your glory to their children. And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us, Yes, establish the work of our hands." (Psalm 90:16-17)

PURITY--PATHWAY TO POWER

"Our life must be a fountain, filled and overflowing with the fruit of God's Spirit"

Holiness is not optional; it is essential to the Lord's abiding and powerful presence in our lives (Hebrews 12:14). The Lord is looking for a people He can promote, show Himself strong, and fully support everything they put their hands to do (2 Chronicles 16:9).

Joshua reminded God's people continually to be bold, brave, and courageous. When I questioned the Lord, "Why do You have to keep reminding us to be bold?" He answered, "Because you're not!" Our timidity is related to the fact that we are living impurely. With purity comes the Lord's presence. And where His anointing rests, there will be divine power. In the life of Jesus, we can see that God's Kingdom was revealed in power, not merely in words (Luke 10:19).

We are instructed to boldly contend for the faith (Jude 3). If we are not daily contending and defending our faith, then we are merely pretenders going through the motion. If our walk does not back up our talk, then we are speaking hollow, lifeless words. In fact, we are an embarrassment to the Body of Christ. But if we are walking in the light of God's Word, we will have a divine confidence. This confidence comes when we are walking in integrity and purity of heart. Anointing--without moral and righteous character--will always result in shame. The Spirit of God is forging our character, not just releasing gifting.

Scripture tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the violent take it (the Kingdom) by force. We are not speaking about violence with guns or knives, but rather the true weapons of warfare--fasting, praying, and holy living. Paul stated that the weapons of our warfare are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4-6).

God's ultimate goal for each of us is our possessing and manifesting true Christ-like character and virtues. These graces are fundamental if we are to be a bright, shining light...a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden.

Scripture declares that the righteous shall be as bold as a lion. True boldness stems from a steadfast, upright heart. Our life must be a fountain, filled and overflowing with the fruit of God's Spirit (Galatians 5:22-26). These fruits flourish best in the soil of love and loyalty. Jesus stated, "By this shall all men truly know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35)

Many Blessings,

Bobby Conner
Eagles View Ministries
Email: manager@bobbyconner.org

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REVOLUTION BY REVELATION

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' (Mat 25:35-40)

Steve.

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The Shadow Is My Friend
“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." Ps. 116:15

“You do remember (do you not) your other request of me in those days?”

“When you were filled with zeal, when you answered my call to seize the horns of the altar over the desire I placed in you—when you said ‘somebody has to prove God will honor faith to do in this world what He said He would do!’—do you not remember your other request?”

(“What request, Lord?”)

“You ‘made covenant with Me—by sacrifice.’ You said—‘Lord, As much as I want this, I don’t want this for myself. But I want to be conformed to your image. More than anything (you said), I want to be conformed to Your image.”

“I did answer you. I did conform you to My image. I put you to death—as you requested. And now, the shadow of the nail print abides in your heart.

You must understand. It was not possible to fulfill here your deep earthside prayer and simultaneously grant your higher desire toward My image. The earth desire I gave you with its promises—and its demise—was in answer to your higher desire for My image.” It was necessary to defer My fulfillment to a different realm.

“Remaining faithful, you always chose the better portion. When all was finally lost on earth, you did not deny my name or second guess my faithfulness. You bore your pain—and your shame—with grace. And you continued to justify Me (not yourself) and to front for Me before others when you had no way left to do so.”

“But do not think your faith was for naught—without final tangible reward or fulfillment. My promises were real. They were not lies. The prophecies were genuine. They were not misguided. And no word returns to me empty. And although ‘you may no longer speak to me of this matter’ (it is past yours to contemplate), rest assured, the shadow in your soul will one day be filled with light. From its permanent imprint will stream forth glorified fulfillment as shall stream forth from My own nail pierced hands.”

“For as I will regain what I once lost by Death, so will you regain all you have lost by your death. I will receive My people past again, and you will receive yours again. I will soon again receive My Land, and will you receive yours back again also.”

“But until then, the shadow is your friend. Let it be to you the seal on your heart of our Covenant. Know that it is its own guarantee of what still awaits you. Do not fear it nor be perplexed for the sake of others.

Let not the shadow hinder your ministry to all who yet seek me by faith for their earth realms. Minister past it from your higher faith, as you have ever since that fateful day. Be not afraid to declare any word of faith; or to die again to one as well—however tempered your zeal toward such may now be.”  

“Remember, precious in My sight was your death.”

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