Delight Thyself In The Lord

I sense it is the mind of God here, that we discus “What is the purpose of the Lord’s Visit,” to the individual, and on a grander scale what is the purpose of Lord’s visit corporately in so called “revival.”

If I were to go into a meeting today and field the question “What is the purpose of the Lord’s visit in the life of an individual?”  I would probably draw a lot of blank stares, as this is not something that is taught by 99% of the ministries, churches and denominations of our day. In their eyes the very idea that God would come and speak to an individual over or apart from their ministry, the overseers of their church or the leadership of their denomination would be considered utterly preposterous.  And in this I am not speaking only of old-line denominational churches, Evangelical churches, or even Fundamentalist churches, I am speaking here of Pentecostal churches, Charismatic churches, and Word of Faith churches – churches that one would normally expect that they would have a reverence for the moving of the Spirit and the visitation of the Lord. But unfortunately that is far from the case.

Yet scripture is filled with the personal visits of God, to individuals over the established churches, temples, and appointed religious leaders of the day. Time and again we see that the Lord calls upon commoners and children over the established Levites, anointed Priests, anointed Kings, and Elders appointed by the most “spiritual of men. Examples of this are: God calling the child Samuel over the house of Eli, God calling the Child David over the house of Saul, God call the child Josiah over Arron the entire priesthood and the 70 Elders.  Other examples are the angel appearing to the common shepherds at the birth of Christ over the Jewish priesthood Herod or the Pharisees, The angel appearing to Daniel over the Levites, priests and elders that were with Daniel in Babylon, and the angel appearing to Manoah over again the Levites the priests and Judges of his day. In these we see one distinct thread,  that in the calling of Joshua, Gideon, Samson, and Moses and the rest that all of these men and children were commoners. 

Consider now that the majority of  the prophets in scripture were commoners, as that those that had been hand picked by Christ to be his Apostles His Apostles. In each of these cases God rejected and by-passed the “Priests” the “Levites” and the elders and those that ruled over Israel, men and children of no-name and no reputation, commoners that in many cases those that were considered substandard by their peers. Even in the 400 or so years of “The School of the Prophets” the school never produced one notable prophet. All their best and brightest grads over a dozen of so generations were rejected, and bypassed God.

So how is it that in a day when the church is completely given to seeking “patterns,” 12 steps to receiving the baptism of the Spirit, the four keys to healing the sick, and how to become an overcomer etc.  that with such a clear and unmistakable pattern throughout scripture, the New Testament and even whole of so-called “Church History” of the Lord’s visitations  and His utter rejection of the established church leadership of Churches, fellowships and denominations  – that none see and teach or understand this?  And how is it that as their fathers before them for the last 1800 or so years that the “enlightened” Klesia of our day with their Levites priests pastors teachers evangelists and prophets would continue to persecute, reject, cast out from their midst, and treat with contempt those whom the Lord would choose visits individually, and well as corporately in so-called revival?

Matthew 13:13-15 Therefore speak I to them (the klesia) in parables: because (so) they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Instead we find that those that began in the Spirit (Being the products of the Lord’s visit or revival themselves) have tried to perfect what they had in God by the flesh. That is to say those that once were guided by the word that proceedeth from the mouth of the Father becoming deaf and blind now rely on the sinful man-made doctrines and idolatrous traditions of the corrupt churches ministries and denominations they were called out from. As so like the kingdom of Israel with every successive king and the appearance of the ek-klesia in the prophet we read time and again that the king and Israel returned to the sins of their fathers or that they removed the high places, or removed the groves but they maintained these perversions, these idolatrous practices. 

2 Peter 2:22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

And I firmly believe that this is what Paul the Apostle spoke of over and over as falling short as having preach and becoming a castaway as having run the race but being disqualified.

Instead being filled with the fear of God we find the church of this hour has waxed fat, that, that which was once spiritual has become earthly sensual and devilish. That is to say that what they that once emphatically knew that what Christ could not or would not do and they as being His disciples alone also could not and would not, upon this spiritual blindness that sets in, they begin teaching that they by virtue of special privileges as God’s children can in fact everything is now lawful for them to do and that everything in and of this world is there for their taking. I have also in my life have not only seen this corrupt and lustful spirit, first hand, but in times past I was also taken by these words of cunning craftiness of the serpent, and I had greatly defiled myself body soul and spirit – but the Lord in His grace visited me and pulled me out of the mirey pit and set my feet upon a rock.   

Instead falling before the Lord and crying out in our blindness and deafness we find that that which has fallen becomes the persecutor of that which is spiritual.  Examples of this are Eve after she fell seeking with all her heart soul and strength to corrupt Adam and get him to partake of her sins. Balaam and the Midianites causing Israel to be seduced into sin so that they might lose God’s favor in order that the corrupt Midianites might retain their place as the people of God. Israel seeing that God had rejected them and selected another as His betrothed sought to kill off the church so that they might retain their place as God’s chosen, the Catholic church at the time of  Constantine 330 AD knowing that they had sinned grievously and had lost their Apostles Prophets and the gifts and operations of the Spirit and that God had turned His face from them persecuted the Jews attempting to kill them off lest God turn from the Church as restore the Jews to a favorable status with Him. The Catholic church after the death of Constantine began to systematically persecute all individuals and groups whom God visited and gave His token to, to prevent them from taking the Catholic Church’s place before God as His chosen, The protestant churches under Martin Luther and John Calvin from their inception persecuted and killed tens of thousands of Ana-Baptists aka the Mennonites  -- aka Baptists who at that time demonstrated the visitation of God and bore His tokens of the Spirit, 

Later the Ana-Baptists aka the Mennonites aka the Baptists and the persecutors of those who received the Lord visitation and became persecutor of the Methodists, and later the Methodists and thos who formerly had been their persecutors persecuted the Pentecostals of 1906 who receive the visitation of God and His tokens of the Spirit, and later the Pentecostals and their Persecutors, persecuted the Latter Rain revival of 1948, and later the Latter Rain revivalists and their persecutors joined together to persecute the charismatic revival that begins in the early 1970’s 

Had the Midianites and Balaam humbled themselves, prostrating themselves before God and repented God would have allowed them to become part of the children of Israel.

In Church History when revival comes, frequently the converts mainly come from the remnants of former revival.  Whose leadership ardently attempts after the flesh to try to defend their spiritual turf against the encroaching people that seek in their place to walk with the Lord and do those things that are pleasing unto Him.  

We see this in the Jews at the time of Christ and the Apostles which may have lost as many as 30% of their followers to the Church. We see this in the Ana-Baptist revival in the 1500’s that affected hundreds of thousands across Europe. The Catholic Church lost a huge percentage of its followers and Luther and Calvin also took a major hit in their followers. We see Calvin, the Anglican Church and the Mennonites and Baptists all losing a huge numbers to the Methodist Revival in the 1700’s. We see the Methodists the Mennonites and Baptists taking a huge hit by the Mormon Revival in the 1800’s ( I will have an article on this shortly – regardless of the utterly corrupt and depraved leader Joseph Smith and his entourage of deceivers,  I have read accounts in newspapers from 1795 –1840’s. And I was stunned to learn that the early Mormons converts were almost all Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians. And that many of the early Mormon preachers were former Methodist ministers, and Baptist preachers, some of these were men of renown of the day. In the revival I was stunned to learn they spoke in tongues – and taught hat the gift of tongues was the evidence of the Baptism of the Spirit. And that they believed that they were speaking as the Spirit gave utterance American Indian languages so that they might be able to preach the Gospel to them   They fell out under the power of God and rolled on the floor, they prophesied and there was some display of the gifts of the Spirit. My Pharisee of Pharisees informs me that Baptists hate to confess their failures and one of them is that yet today in Mormonism 80% of their now converts are bible believing Baptists and my Pharisee informs me that the Baptists are terrified of this and can not understand why they continue to lose so many “faithful members to Mormonism, Pentecostalism and the Charismatic movement. I have discussed this point elsewhere but in  a nutshell I will say that their grand deception of 1910 making the gifts and the operations of the Spirit a dispensational event that only occurred at the day of Pentecost is such a glaring lie to people who read and follow scripture that when this is preached and spoken of as available today what person that loves the Lord would not want to receive of His that that which he promised and they will receive this regardless of the corrupt vessel that would speak and teach things. And also the Mormon revival and God’s visitation to individuals within that corrupt vessel is an attestation that the Baptists, Presbyterians, and the like may not have the standing before God that they boast of. That God may not consider them more righteous than the much hated and scorned Mormons. – Anyway this will be an eye opening article, of broad reaching implications  which will be entitled “Who are the Samaritans.”      

And about 70 years later the Baptists Presbyterians and Methodists and faced by a strikingly similar revival in the Pentecostal Revival of 1906 and I have read in this the Baptists nearly lost 30% of its members and Churches.

And we see this same thing happening to the Pentecostals when they were took a hit of similar proportions by the latter rain revival etc.

The only example in the word of God and in Church history that I know of that is opposite of that which is of the flesh persecuting that which is of the Spirit is Eli when he knew that his house was to be destroyed along with his two demon possessed sons Hophni and Phinehas  (Sons of Belial) Eli made no more to kill or corrupt the child Samuel.

Mark 2:22 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.

I see by the Spirit that Christ never intended that the Ek-Klesia be comprised of huge churches or denominations but that every generations wine has to be put into a new wineskins We can not take someone else’s old wine and put it in our own wine skin, or the wine of another denomination into the new wineskin of so called revival. New wine in new wine skins is the only way for the wine to stay new and fresh generation to generation. This is why movements fail, this is why over time revivals dry up. This is because the cracked, dried out wineskins that keep being used leak. Christianity is a religion based upon that which you see and hear of Him and that and only that is what you are to teach and impart. Not the words of dead men no matter how enticing they may seem.

If the old wine were to be transferred from new wineskin to new wines skin it would have settled on its lees and corrupted itself until it was a toxic brew fit for neither man nor beast. And if the new wine were to be placed in old wine skins once the effervescent power of the Spirit that begins fermenting the wine will cause the skins will crack, leak until the church fellowship or denominational wineskin is empty and dried out or it bursts and makes a huge mess of itself and the surrounding wineskins around it.

This very notion is expressed by the prophet Hosea in the Old Testament prophesying of the Church (the Klesia) being rejected and that chosen in their place would be a people that are not a people. 

Romans 9:25 As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.    

Hosea 2:23 And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.

1Peter 2:9-10  "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in times past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy"

1 Corinthians 1:26-27 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

What we see here is, that these “people that were not at all a people” were selected by God not because of any perceived talents or anything that they possessed, instead the basis of God’s selection that is given here is the glaring lack of any discernable skills or talents, so much so that God has precisely chosen this people because they were NOT a people – In other words there is nothing to identify them with any particular nation or people (Read that as they have learned skills or natural talents that could be identified with any particular church, ministry, or denomination.)

And on this subject Paul the Apostle tells us that God has chosen as His people – that are not a people the nobodies of the church and the world, those whom the church and world have rejected as being too weak, as not being intelligent enough, as not being cultured enough, or as not being Charismatic enough. Those that have been deemed the duds, the nothings, and the nobodies are as Christ Himself, they are all stones that the “master” builders of corrupt earthly religion, and the corrupt system of this world have summarily rejected.

Isaiah 53:2-3 For He (Christ) shall grow up before Him (The Father) as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. (And because of this) He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

John 1:10-12 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

And in this calling and selection of Christ we need to understand that He was chosen precisely for who he was -- A dud, a nothing, a nobody. That his earthy deficiencies and weaknesses are the openings or channels through which God manifests his power.

Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Genesis 3:19 (God is speaking here to Adam) In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
God has no use for arrogant prideful dirt that will rail against the potter that formed it, and will boast to all of creation of how mighty, powerful and gifted it as dirt is. We are but dust, and our life and breath and all that we have are directly from God not ourselves or other men. 

In light of this one might be able to see where all this confession teaching might be counter productive. One might be able to further see that all of the classes, and lessons on our spiritual standing in Christ that are designed to build up a believers self-esteem, are actually puffing up these believers and their churches. And that these teachings of all our spiritual authority, and that every promise in the Bible is owed by God to every believer only serves to lift up and exalt what is supposed to be humble dirt, so that this dirt is all the more inclined to rail against the its Potter and Maker like the Israelites in the wilderness, and as a by product of the arrogant and boastful teachings there are all the more inclined to thrust with the horn of Ezekiel 34 and push with their side the sheep that are weak and are not esteemed by their church’s or denomination’s standards. And incidentally this attitude and this behavior are listed in scripture as sins unto death. 

So that when the Spirit of the Lord comes in visitation upon these individuals, – these people that are a people, those who have been thrust with the horn and pushed with the side for seeing and hearing the voice that proceedeth. . . and they become separated unto the Lord not by their own doing, or by divisiveness, they eventually become “rich in the Spirit” as having received the gifts and tokens that come from being with Christ alone.

And suddenly people come out of the woodwork, lusting after, envying, and outright worshipping those who were beforetime “not at all a people,” and a people that were not at all esteemed. And these become their fair-weather friends and bask in the light and anointing that Christ has bestowed in His visitation upon those that were before times not a people and not at all esteemed. And suddenly the duds, the nothings, and the nobodies, and have nots, find themselves in the limelight. Those that formerly did not have the time of day for you suddenly now want you to speak in their meetings. They now want you to pray for them  And they now hail you as a GREAT man or woman of God. And they give you meritous titles of men like Pastor, Teacher, Evangelist, Prophet, or Apostle. These titles may sound similar to ministries that are bestowed by Christ Himself to the ek-klesia for the perfecting of the saints, but be not deceived these titles and honors that are bestowed by men are hollow, empty, and devoid of any power to perfect anyone much less heal and deliver anyone of anything. 

And what this is? It is the Lord allowing the enemy to test you to see whether you love the Lord with all your heart with all your soul and with all your strength or if you love the friendship of men over Him.

Deuteronomy 13:1-4 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.

They now come bearing offerings and bribes (Tithes and offerings) to corrupt you and to cause you to give them favor over others. They come offering cars, leer jets, houses, and lands and the things of this world. 

And what is this?  This is a Lord allowing the enemy to test you whether you Love the Lord whom you can not see over the wealth and material things of this world that you can see.

Exodus 23:8-9 And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous. Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

Unfortunately most people that were before times were not at all a people, that were duds, the nothings, and the nobodies – are so overwhelmed at taken by their new found celebrity status, all the attention, all the gifts of men and their bribes – that they receive because of  His call in their lives and His tokens that they have received from Him (I am pointing out that this fair weather love of these men is not even for the people who were beforetime not a people themselves, it is for the tokens and gifts of Christ in that person’s lives that they perceive.) And these people bearing the gifts and tokens of God become pop idols, shooting stars, that then turn away from the light of the Lord and His glory and turn to the darkness of this work seeking after the friendship and approval of men. They are bribed. They turn away from the One who Made them, and they are corrupted with the riches of this world, and a love for the things of this world and the praise and recognition of the world over the One who created them and gave them the gifts and tokens that they received..  

Once we can see this as a corrupt behavior, we can discern this same thing in 10,000 ministries around us. What I am saying is that this very corruption in the Klesia is so vast and brad that it has occurred in virtually every ministry that can be named today.

As I have stated elsewhere the Klesia in this hour is fighting for its very life and existence, and the enemy is throwing everything at it in this day to cause the people of God to soil their garments and defile themselves before God. The purpose of this bring the judgment of God upon the whole of this people that they be destroyed for once and for all – I do not want to alarm you but in Matthew 24 and elsewhere Christ tells us more than once that the devil will be successful in the overthrow the Klesia, and deceive have it war against the Ek-lektos of God  “those who walk in the light as He is in the light.” And they shall believe that in slaying and betraying the Ek-lektos that they are doing service for God. 

Back now to the People that are not at all a people.

2 Corinthians 12:8-10 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Paul is clearly speaking of the same thing here. And unfortunately believer once they receive to blessings and tokens of God boast of their spiritual strength, they are called spiritual giants and presumed to have in and of themselves the power of God and thus they lose before the Lord any semblance of being weak – and the Lord having been utterly betrayed departs from them.

1 Corinthians 9:25-27 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

Paul eludes here and in several other places that he fears that he can become disqualified. But those who teach eternal security tell us that Paul was lying in these verses, that he was only saying that to create an effect in his hearers. Others who claim to have no such doctrine diminish Paul’s words here and attempt explain away his words and tell us he does not mean at all what he was saying.  But I believe Paul’s words and testimony that he indeed feared the Lord, He also feared hat something might come between him and the Lord, something that could cost him his life works (as in them being burned up) and his salvation. – What Paul feared over taking him is exactly what we have described above, as continually happening to the people that were not a people when they are suddenly cast into the limelight and “loved by the klesia” and “loved by this world.” 

Philippians 2:15-16 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, (the church of our day) among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.

Philippians 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Most of these men and women who began as rejected stones, duds, and nobodies are waylaid by the devil in the way, and made to believe that they are now somebody, a person with special rights and privileges above other believers.  And they then corrupt themselves by exalting themselves, their ministry, and gifts by accepting the exaltation of men that they are indeed gifted, blessed and deserve men’s recognition and reverence. So they go from being nobody to becoming somebody – and thus they themselves become rejected by Christ because they have gone from fellowshipping in the light With He that is light to fellowshipping with men and the world that love darkness and through this fellowship and partaking if darkness they become changed, and become prized stones that the builders of darkness covet to work with.

On a larger scale the people that were not a people, in the course of revival also become recognized corporately. And a near identical process begins with them naming their movement or denomination,  they then move from being a wanders with no fixed location seeking a city that is not made with hands Like Abram, the prophets, Christ and the disciples – that is that they go from meeting in the streets, meeting in tent meetings, meeting in fields, or house meetings, to building their own physical earthy temples and cities after which  they then to become people of reputation,  and then in earnest they begin seeking the respect of the men in their community and the churches around them by adjusting their doctrines, regulating the moving of the Spirit  by rejecting the free flow and unpredictability of the humbling and moving of God’s Spirit 

So that this people that were once “not a people,” become a people in the image and likeness of men, their ministries and their denominations, and the clay of the movement then begins to take on the duties of forming and shaping themselves as opposed to Christ forming and making them – and this they become rejected of God.

Consider now Acts 2:41

Acts 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

In this day if one were to have 3000 people suddenly come together and form a “church” they would immediately embark on a world-class building program being able to well afford “the best” for “God’s People” and “Children of the King” Solid ok pews with quilted seating, plush wall and floor coverings, leaded glass stain glass windows,   cathedral ceilings, a solid oak three stepped platform (Also called the altar) a solid oak communion table, a solid oak podium, a central Air conditioning, and ventilation system that would be worthy of a small hospital or sports arena, a concert grand piano, a state of the art electronic organ,  a sound system fit for a concert hall, stage lighting to help create the right atmosphere…  Anyway you get the drift here. That they would seek to build a earthly church structure to cater to their personal vanities and carnal desires.

Recently a Word of Faith evangelist in my hearing claimed that she had made currency calculation as compared with today’s inflated dollar the cost of Alabaster Box of perfume that had been poured on Christ’s head. This Evangelist claimed the box was worth over $100,000 in today’s dollars – and then went into a rambling message of how Christ’s head and God’s head is turned only with GREAT SACRIFICAL BRIBES. And that by such bribes you open the doors for healing deliverance and salvation to loved ones. Such claims are outrageous and prey upon the sick, the elderly and the poor who typically have the greatest needs in these areas for the John D Rockefellers of this world have world class health insurance, the healthy have endless medicines and psychologists and psychiatrists to deal with their demons and they have endless wealthy to buy their place in heaven from a church or denomination.    

One should also be skeptical of her claims of such a fantastic figure for a single item in a family of commoners.  I am personally skeptical of her claims that she as a lay preacher was capable of much less devoting the dozens of hours that it would have taken to have calculated the exact cost of a product with NO QUOTED PRICE in the word of God, and then going back though the dozens of historic currencies necessary over the ensuing 2000 year period to come up with an “exact figure” on a sight unseen the Alabaster box of perfume of unknown value that not even a university professor in that field of expertise could do.

I am further horrified by her corrupt perverted motives in calling for people to give her great sacrificial gifts presumably in the five figure and six figure range that God can be released to heal and bless these people.  – So much for preaching the Gospel for free and preaching it too the poor. 

Nevertheless if we were to go by the Word of Faith Movement’s highly inflated and suspect calculations and apply that to the Apostle Peter and the early church in Acts 2:41

Acts 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

According to the rules of the Word of Faith Movement from Acts 2:41 Peter and the Apostles must have had to have had an annual budget of at very least fifty million dollars.

 

So the question then comes: Why did neither Christ in His ministry and later the Apostles of Acts 2:41 build an earthly carnal church in Jerusalem? With 3000 members and all that “wealth” that were pouring into their laps as tithes and offerings according to the Word of Faith crowd. Why does the bible say that they met daily on Solomon’s Porch in the Jewish Temple?  A place filled with scribes Pharisees Levites and Priests that all hated them and wanted the Apostles and their follower’s dead. – How could such meetings putting themselves in harms way be considered prudent?

Acts 2:43-46 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And (all) sold their possessions and goods, and (all) parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.
Here we see the offerings of the church going into overdrive. And from this point on the church of Jerusalem with presumably a congregation of 5000+ members we need to again consider the question:  With all these people selling their houses, lands, goods, and possessions and laying them at the Apostles feet, why did the Apostles not build a single Church or Cathedral in Jerusalem?  If churches, Cathedrals, pulpits, altars, the religious icons, the ceremonials robes, the offering plates, the imitation Levitical priesthood are all part of the divine plan as all the corrupt churches of this hour state regardless of denomination, then why did the Apostles have no part of any of this?  Why did they continue to meet on the temple on Solomon’s porch, and why did they break bread that is to hold communion in small house meetings throughout Jerusalem?

Understand that having 5000+ converts and 30 people per meeting in small houses for the daily breaking of bread communion would require would require 167 meeting places that the Apostles were visiting daily on top of their duty’s of table waiting, preaching, spending quality time in prayer, spending time in the temple “scroll line” in order to read  the word of God, and time spent healing the sick and performing miracles.

What pastor or teacher has the kind of commitment to travel to a minimum of 14 house meetings a day?  Pray for 2-3 hours a day in their closet, pray for peoples needs, stand in prayer line to write down a few verses for a few hours a day as well as take turns holding meetings on Solomon’s porch for 8 hours a day?

The purpose of all of these man made “Church structures and all its vestures ” were never for the Church (the klesia) or believers (the ek-klesia) these fixed buildings and these tithes and offerings required to build and maintain them and all the social programs that are performed therein are built and designed for the convenience and comfort of the preachers and teachers and priesthood that derive their wealth and living from them. . 

For the last two years since God began speaking these to me I have passionately spoken against physical churches and their tithes and offerings and horrified preachers and parishioners have dug their heels in, in steadfast defense of all of these things that they acknowledge are clearly not in the Gospels, are clearly no in the book of Acts, and are clearly not in the Epistles, but they steadfastly declare regardless of church or denomination that they are now somehow now necessary and vital parts of the Gospel – without which -- some have argued no one can even be saved.

But as we see here as the Lord has spoken that in our text in Acts 2:41 through to Acts 4:35 that this is clearly not so.  And one of the reasons that I so strongly am bringing these things up is that the Lord has shown me that in the rise of the Antichrist that the antichrist has been ordained by God to cleanse the church of all it’s antichrists. And that the antichrist will purge the church of all its money and wealth, he will strip and lay bear all the idolatrous icons symbols,  and he shall utterly lay waste to all the temples and cathedrals and physical churches that men have build and hunt down those inits membership rolls. These temples and building and churches shall be robbed, spoiled, burned, and not left one stone upon another.  And all that are found within the membership those that have been the enablers of these corrupt places shall be made partakers of their sins and be utterly destroyed. For the Lord hath anointed fourth beast of Daniel to cleanse the Klesia of all sin and unrighteousness, And this beast has been commanded in scripture to have neither pity nor mercy even against even the women, children, and the elderly of the Klesia. We are moving towards this day like a freight train and I have been called to cry out an alarm. – Not to a church fellowship or a denomination, but to the whole of the body of Christ. Whosoever has ear to hear let them hear what the Spirit is saying unto the klesia.

And when you see the sign of the temple – that is the temples and cathedrals of Europe not standing one stone upon another, and even the great whore herself, that is the Vatican in Rome in flames and not one stone upon another you shall know that the end has come upon you and that there is only a fearful looking at God indignation against a hard hearted and stiff necked people that can not refrain from sinning against the Lord and defiling His name upon the earth.  

The Lord would say separate yourselves from the great whore and her daughters that ye be not made a partaker of her sins. The Lord would say repent for the day of the Lord is neigh at hand and when it comes it shall be a day of great darkness and confusion, a day of great anxiety, a time where no one will know to whom or where to turn. It is a day when the foolish virgins shall be swept away and the wise shall be sifted thoroughly that none shall pass except their garment has been made pure white.  

Acts 4:33-35 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

What we speak, what we do in these “church buildings” we build are clearly not in the biblical record from the song service, to the mandatory tithes and offerings, to the in church salvation messages and altar calls – all of these were completely unknown to the Christ and the Apostles and I dare say that as Christ walked away from his earthly inheritance of the house of Joseph as he walked away from His earthly carnal inheritance as the messiah – I refer to the earthly throne of David so in like manner we see His disciples walking away from what they could have built and what they could have erected with their own hands and instead sought a kingdom that was not made with hands.

It is only after the apostles died and a generation arose that no longer KNEW the Lord and no longer HEARD the word that proceedeth from the mouth of the Father that the “Church” first began to build temples, synagogues, and basilicas,  

So if the purpose of Lord’s visitation or what men have aptly named revival (That is the resuscitation of a dead corpse so that this rotting festering klesia may temporarily walk and live as an abomination once more.) is NOT to build bigger buildings to house more tares of the corrupt klesia so that the preachers teachers and priesthood over them can live in greater luxury and receive greater renown and praise of men then what is the Lord’s visitation for?

Is it to fill our empty pews with paying customers? Is it to make us feel good? Is it to just to bless “our deserving souls”? Is it to dispense gifts and callings? These ideas are consistently preached as the reasons for revival.  And this type of thinking is the reason that in the 1800 years of recorded revivals that there has not been a restorative process from revival to revival as has been preached for the last 50 years.

What has been done is that the anointing and the gifts of the Spirit have been consumed upon the fleshly lusts of the people involved in the “revival” that they continued in it until the last vestige of the Spirit has leaked from their cracked dried out wine skins leaving them dry and empty as the predecessors that they came out from. 

God is seeking out those (the few of the ek-klesia) who have a heart after Him from those in the pattern-orientated Church (out of the many of the Klesia) of our day. The calling of the Klesia and the Ek-Klesia is the same; it is to be with Him – (that is they are called to become His disciples and His disciples alone.) To follow after Him (that is to become an imitator of Christ; not only in word, but in deed.) And that we are not to love Him as is preached in this hour but we are love Him as in to Delight IN Him Delight IN the Father, Delight In His commandments, and Delight in His precepts. 

1 Corinthians 1:26-27 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

From this text we can see that: The calling of God involves the personalized visitation of the Lord. For the Lord is yet the Great Shepherd, who personally sees to His sheep’s needs and protection. He is yet the Way and sees to it that we stay in the way and receive guidance. He is yet the Truth so that those who diligently seek Him can still be found of Him, and will know the truth and the truth shall set them free.  He is yet the Life containing all healing deliverance and resurrection power. And He is yet the Door so that without Him no man can receive their calling, gifts, or go in and out from His sheep.       

Let us now deal with God’s visitations, from His coming in physical appearances, His visitation of  angels and focus on visitations of His Presence, His Anointing, His so called “Brooding Presence,” The so called Burden of the Lord, and the manifestation of the Spirit of Repentance.

Genesis 6:3 And the LORD said, My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh:

Seeing that the meaning of this cryptic Scripture may not be apparent to all who are reading this. God Said: My Spirit (The Holy Ghost) will not always strive with men (God will not forever strive speaking to men’s spirits to bring them to repentance, that they might come into a full relationship with Him) For He (man) that (is Spirit) Also is (seeing man is governed by corrupted striving) flesh.

Job 7:17-19 What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him? And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment? How long wilt thou not depart from me, (Lift from me the visitation of your Spirit Job is declaring that the refiners fire and fullers soap of God’s visitation is more here than he can bear.) nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle? (Job here affirms Genesis 6:3 that the purpose of God’s visitation is to strive with men. [The doctrine of Job is God visits men to bring men into a deeper state of spirit])

Job 8:1-7 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind? Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice? If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression; If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty; If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation (Household) of thy righteousness prosperous. Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase. (Bildad wrongly asserts here [The current madness that is preached in our day] that the purpose of the Lord’s visit is to bless and prosper men. [The doctrine of Bildad is that God comes to give men a flesh feast])

Doctrinally I know of no Church that comprehends this. Instead all teach some form of Adam dying spiritually and that only upon salvation does the dead spirit of man arise and come to life.  Yet in this passage as well as others we see the bible does not at all teach that. Because fundamentally “That which is of the spirit is spirit, and that which is of the flesh is flesh” and “that which is in the flash can neither see or know the things of the Spirit.” The carnal and fleshly men which have ruled the Church for the last 1800 years have been unable to comment on these matters and so when the Spirit of the Lord has come and visited men time and again no one has had a understanding of what these visitations hare been for. Instead they have dubbed them as Revivals – meaning the reviving of a dead corpse and breathing temporary life in it again until it once again dies. And revivals purpose according to men is to build larger and larger assemblies filled with offering paying tares, 

 

John 1:3-5, 8-12 All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

We see here in this passage that everyone that cometh into the world, like Adam is given their breath from God and this breath contains the very light and knowledge of the Lord their creator – but we also see that in all men as they live their lives this light become corrupted from the darkness of men and that in time they can no longer comprehend that light so that men comprehend it not , the world that He created knew Him not and even His own “the Jews” received Him not. For all have come under their blinding veil of sin – but to those who can see as Abraham their salvation is IN HIM they shall have it accounted as righteousness unto them, and they become the sons of God as Adam before the fall and Christ were.

 

Isaiah 42:4-6 He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. Thus saith God the LORD, He that created the heavens, and stretched them out; He that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; He that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;

From this passage in Genesis 6:3 Paul discerning in the Spirit writes the following:

Galatians 5:16-18 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit (Strives) against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

What Paul is saying here is that if you walk in the personal visitation of the Lord, the striving of the Spirit within a believer will overcome the lust of the flesh. Then Paul loosely quotes Genesis 6:3 He tells us you can not walk in the Spirit and in the flesh at the same time that these are contrary and he concludes that those who walk in the visitation of the Lord are not under the law. In saying that Paul is also saying that those that walk in the flesh willingly place themselves under the judgment and condemnation of the Law

I Cointhians 2:9-16 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a (fleshly) man, save the (fleshly) spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man (by that fleshly spirit), but (By) the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the (fleshly, corrupted) spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but (In words) which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing (communicating) spiritual things with (those that are) spiritual. But the natural (soulish spirit of) man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who (In the Flesh) hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we (By the indwelling Holy Spirit) have (do discern) the mind of Christ.
Now with all that Paul says above, all these things that are called “promises of God” today, all these things that people confess and profess before God as their spiritual standing and what God owes them. The question arises here: Do we find that these things, these promises of God were automatically received by the Corinthians?  No we do not.  We instead see that the Corinthians never fully entered into these things (promises.)  In fact in the Epistles we do not read of a single church that had fully entered into these promises and privileges of God. We read instead of Paul speaking to these believers and churches as not being mature and not being of full age.  No where does Paul congratulate any church for their great spiritual achievement by telling them that they have now d to entered into the fullness of promise, and then saying I will now speak to you of spiritual meat instead of milk.  This leads us to conclude that the churches of that day never entered into the promise. And this notion that the early church did fall short is borne out in the next words out of Paul’s mouth    

1 Corinthians 3:1-3 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
We are faced here with believers that were taught under the best of circumstances under Paul and the Apostles, believers that were “born again” Baptized in Water and in the Sprit, that spake in tongues, that sang in tongues, that prophesied, and yet we are told in no uncertain terms these believers were carnal, corrupt and of the flesh. We are told that these believers were like all that we see around us in this day, a people who are unable to hear from the Spirit of God, who are unable to discern the deep things of God in scripture and are unable to discern the mind of Christ.

If this occurred in the best of circumstances in a church that had already been up and running for several years with alternate visits from Paul, Peter, and Apollos, where does that leave the church in this hour with a corrupt earthly ministry that teaches their own doctrines and traditions as the precepts of God?

To those that were carnal in his day did Paul in any of his epistles stell them that they are all doomed? Did Paul ever tell them that the door of the ark of spirituality had closed and they were to drown in the coming flood of judgment upon all flesh? – No.  Instead Paul speaks of repentance and a turning away from men and the following after men.  And in that  Paul even goes as far as corrected those that would disciple themselves to Paul himself and the other Apostles and teachers of his day.   Paul speaks of beleviers coming into a deeper, fuller, relationship with Christ alone. Paul even speaks here of cleaning up people’s individual temples  and we find Paul speaking to these corrupt believers that they might discover delighting themselves in Lord’s visit , and delighting in the tokens and visits that God was pouring out upon them. (I Corinthians 12-14)

In other words the visitation of God in the life of a believer or in the setting or a corporate body does not denote spirituality what is commonly preached.  The visitation of God does not denote holiness, the Lord’s visit does not denote that one has a life of prayer or anything “spiritual” going on in their life. And we see this demonstrated time and again in scripture.  The visitation of God denotes only God’s striving with men – that all would not perish  -- For God so loves the world.  – And this love of God towards men motivates His striving with men, when men do not want him, and do not care, and would sooner die in their sins and corruption than give themselves to God.    

And receiving a visitation of God whether it is embraced or not embraced does not automatically change one’s standing with God as has been commonly preached today. The visitation of God denotes only God’s striving with men.

Receiving a visitation does not grant the recipient special privileges or a special standing with God as is commonly preached in this day. The visitation of God denotes only God’s striving with men.

For when the hundreds of disciples turned from Christ and never walked with Him again. all had known Him, all had seen His signs and wonders, all had heard His words, all had acknowledged all of this and followed after Him for some time – but none of them were changed and all of them presumably perished in their sins 

James 3:10-12 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
The words of James here are comparable with the words of Paul in that once again James now in a general epistle to all the churches the Apostle James is accusing the general populous of believers to be a mixture of flesh and spirit. James is stating that they are carnal and these out not to be. Christ spoke of the Spirit of God making fountains of living waters and here the church as a whole is spewing light and darkness, blessing and cursing James is not saying here that Christians were issuing verbal blessing on each other and verbal curses on each other as the Mennonites did in their doctrine of the shunning the blessings and curses had more to do with them walking after the Spirit and after the flesh and that those things that they did after the spirit blessed them and their hearers and those things that they did after the flesh was an abomination and a curse that worked in their midst and in their hearers  

So how do we know that those in the church were not indeed cursing each other and unbelievers?

From the verses before and after these verses
James 3:5-9 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

This unruly boastful speaking that the fleshly spirit can not tame, poisons believers and non-beleivers it creates fires in the church and out of the church, it creates iniquity in believers and the church 

James 3:13-16 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
We see here is that James is echoing what Paul wrote some decades earlier, that the church as a whole (not only the Corinthians) was filled with bitter envying, pride, and boasting. That this strife was from people boasting of the wisdom from above they have received and the position they had been given over others based upon what they has seen and heard from their visitations of God entitles them to have.

And James is saying there that what they have is not the wisdom of The Holy Spirit, this is not revelations of the mind of Christ, or the word that proceedeth from the Father. James says that instead they were spewing out light and darkness, flesh and Spirit, and that by their envying and strife that they were bringing upon themselves and their hearers the curses of the law. For they are not walking after the Sprit but after the lusts of the flesh.  That these believers in the common church are sensual, and carnal that like Peter, and John early on in the Gospels these “know not what spirit they were of “ and were acting “devilish” or as agents of the devil, and thus they are causing every evil work of the world, the flesh, and the devil to come into the church. This is very strong stuff in this epistle, and I remind you that it was written to a people who were born again. A peole that were baptized in water and Spirit. A people that were still speaking in tongues, and prophesying. A people that were receiving the Lord’s visit both individually and corporately during this time. 

Again we need to ask: Does James declare that all are doomed, and all are going down with the ship?  No! James sounds the alarm and calls these people to deep repentance so that they might come into a deeper and fuller relationship with Christ. We need to note that in this letter the corruptions are far more widespread and even more severe than in the days of Paul the Apostle. We need to see that in this letter believers are given specific instructions to cut themselves off from false teachers and false prophets and false apostles that had risen in their midst.  In the days of Paul that has not yet occurred and so it was not necessary for a separation and segregation to be called. James also speaks of the cleansing of their love feasts in which they have brought in the corrupted and unbelievers and that had not occurred in the days of Paul.

In light of what has been written one might well ponder the meaning of the following verses as well and find new meaning new strength and new wisdom..

Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Numbers 11:4+6 And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?  But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.

John 6:63 It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit, and they are life.

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Romans 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

Galatians 3:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

Galatians 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Numbers 11:16-17 And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee. And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people
with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.
As stated elsewhere on this website this verse tells us what the purpose of Pentecost is. It also tells us the ultimate purpose of the Lord’s visit is – that we might come to a place that God dwells in us – so that we might bear the burden of the Lord. So that we might partake in His striving against sin and reaching out to men.  So that we might have His very spirit upon us. So that we might also speak not the words of men that are presumed to save, but the words that proceedeth from the Mouth of the Father. So that the words of the Father might also abide in our mouth and instruct us as we hear them spoken and that with these same words we might instruct others in the knowledge of the Lord and bring them unto removing their stiff neck and heart of stone.  Here in the case of Moses and the 70 elders we see that this did not change these 70 men and all 70 died in their sins and perished in the wilderness. 

Later in this passage Moses rebukes Joshua for not knowing the Spirit from which he spake  when Joshua in the Septuagint is actually calling for Moses to call down fire heaven on Eldad and Medad to prevent them from operating in the Spirit without the camp. – Joshua the son of Nun’s was transformed that day, as he not only saw the demonstration and power of Pentecost, but he found a place of repentance that day and it apparently was accounted unto Joshua for righteousness. And from all that were there that day, Joshua was the only one that entered into the promise of God.

But beloved of the Lord we have not been called to receive the Spirit that was upon Moses we have been called to receive the indwelling Spirit that is in and upon Christ. And those that receive the Spirit of Him as opposed those who have received the spirit of this world, can expect to receive of Christ what Isaiah the Prophet prophesied that dwelled in Christ. And the following verses are a measuring stick against the Baptism of the Holy Spirit that many believe that they have received.
Isaiah 11:1-3 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; And (these) shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears. So that if a person has been baptized with the same Spirit that was indwelling Christ they have a measure of the Fear of the Lord, they live and walk in the Fear of the Lord, they have the Spirit of wisdom, the Spirit of Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel, the Spirit of Might, The Spirit of Knowledge – For what purpose   I will take of the spirit which is upon thee (Christ) , and will put it upon them (the klesia); and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, (This is a command not a request for with gifts and visitations of God come responsibilities  ) that thou (The Father and Christ) bear it (The burden of striving with men and sin) not thyself alone.
So we see that in Isaiah 11 it is clearly speaking of Christ and the Church. So now when we move on to God anointing the 70 elders so that Moses might not be the sole judge of all of Israel, and be the sole man striving against the sin and flesh of all of Israel. We can now look at Pentecost were 120 men were endued with the Spirit that indwelled Christ so that Christ would not serve as the sole judge of the klesia and the ek-klesia. So that these 120 men now in concert with Christ would strive against sin and the flesh of man in the Church. But again we know from the book of Acts that not all the 120 men attained. We only read of a few that attained the promise specifically Stephen and Philip the book of acts does not speak of 120 Peter and Johns performing signs wonders and diverse miracles and preaching with great boldness.  

Isaiah 59:15-17 Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment. And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.
What we are reading his is Isaiah prophesying of  a complete breakdown of the Purpose of Pentecost that was to come to pass in the church.  Moses was undoubtedly an intercessor time with the children of Israel life in the Old Testament but besides Moses there is really no one else that was clearly acting as intercessor for Israel. We can see some acts of intercession by Daniel, and by Joshua the High Priest but we do not really find a king or prophet that intercedes for the nation as a matter of their calling and ministry..

We now move on to the Church and we find Christ the Intercessor, and we later find Paul speaking of his continual intercession for the ek-klesia. And in the epistles we read that too are called to be intercessors in that exact sense of Moses, Christ and Paul (This is part of the Purpose of Pentecost.)  But when we look in the book of Acts we see that this concept may not have been broad spread among early believers. That this partaking of Christ’s Spirit, and striving with Him against sin and flesh (taking up your cross and following him, this partaking with Him as intercessor for the “Saints” was central to Moses and Christ’s call. Moses offered himself in place of Israel. Moses Interceded for Israel when they committed greivieous sin. Moses knew what it was to stand in the gap and make up the hedge. Christ also so did this for the twelve disciples, and it would appear that the Apostles understood this very thing for we find Intercession spoken of in Paul’s writings as well as in the book of Hebrews.

However the purpose of Pentecost and Part of it being intercessors for the whole of the body of Christ was probably an early casualty as the ek-klesia began to fall from grace. 

Sadly in this hour there is none that have a selfless love for the entirety of the body of Christ. As there is none walking with the full manifestation of the Spirit that was upon Christ and also there is also none that stand as an Intercessor as Christ, Moses, and Paul for the entirety of the body of Christ.. There are none that sign and cry for all the abominations that are done therein.

That are however many that would pray for the needs of a member of their church or fellowship,  for their pastor or leader of their church or ministry, there are many that would pray for a nationsl leaders like Pat Robertson, and Dr. James Dobson. There are many that would pray for the president , There are many that would pray for congress concerning a specific piece of legislation, or pray for the courts in regard to a specific legal action. There are many that have been taught and engaged in  highly questionable teachings regarding spiritual warfare, spiritually birthing things, and intercession. Teachings that engender spiritual pride, promote men over God ie that God is powerless to do anything unless given the power by men to act. This is all too similar to the Word of Faith Movement’s straw dog argument that Christ hath given X Y and Z to the church and that Christ and the Father’s hands are tied, and Christ can no longer heal, save, or deliver. Because they tell us that neither He nor the Father can do what He has already given the Church.   

How the Word of Faith people get away with preaching this is that they know their followers are carnal, and that few have the propensity to pray on their own through to God on any given matter. So when they come together in their large congregations in these temples reaching up to the heavens built by their own hands  -- “the law of averages” is their patron saint. For by the size and scope of their congregation the law of averages favors them in having some type of demonstration, which they then boldly proclaim to bolster their unrighteous claims of ownership of the power of God.

Where the average believer on their own can lay hands on and pray but for a few, these churches provide the pastor and elders with hundreds if not thousands of opportunities to lay their hands on people with the same little or no results of the average believer, but by the sheer magnitude of those whom they pray for they eventually will strike pay dirt. When I was in sales maxim that was often repeated was: “Even a blind elephant can occasionally find a peanut.”  And this was explained as even the worst salesman in the world will occasionally make a sale. An example of this is the corrupt high priest Eli had at his hand a miracle performed in the barren woman Hannah (the birth of the Prophet Samuel.) Today Eli would be bandied about with a miracle ministry and be called the man that by the power of God brought forth the prophet Samuel – but instead we read in scripture that despite this event that God brought judgment down upon his house and he and his sons of belial were utterly destroyed and blotted out.

So we were taught in sales that if you give so many sales presentations you could expect to write a certain amount of orders.  There was a ratio given and over time all the sales in the offices came in line with the ratio given. 

In the world of the Internet this is true also I mention this because money making websites is all the rage today and everyone has seen the ads concerning this.  The sales on the Internet can also be based on the law of averages and the net has a definable ratio. On the net sales are based on the number of hits the a given website receives. So according to figures I was taught in website building seminar, for ever hundred hits one person will buy your particular product.

Late in the fifties many of the fallen Latter Rain Evangelists were operating under the very premise of the law of averages, and the tele-evangelists and big-time evangelistic machines of today that preach here and abroad do the same. In the fifties it was under the guise of: “Somewhere, somebody is going to believe and get a miracle.” And during that era these corrupt evangelists dubbed themselves as “a point of contact.” As they declared that one’s radio or TV could be a point of contact and that by touching it or them in faith thy would receive their miracle. This sin was carried a step farther when Oral Roberts in his book “Seed Faith declared that peoples gifts and offerings could become a point of contact. (There is actually books from these evangelists that discussed this very issue.)

In like manner we could use a stick, a rock, a pieces of string, a idol made of wood, stone or metal or an image of Christ as a point of contact  -- but most protestants would refrain from the latter as they recognize it as blatant idolatry, but they can not discern that the former are equally idolatrous before God so they worship men their ministries their prayer clothes (My mother has even boasts of having one that she bears around on her body all the time.) little bottles of water that may or may not be from the river Jordan, little bottles that may or may not be olive oil  and on and on and on.  

So since the 1950’s by virtue of these fallen evangelists and those who follow in their perverse footsteps they annually go typically go through tens of thousands in their prayer lines, or whatever manner of point of contact they in darkness devise and some believe. And these who reach out and touch the Lord receive their healing salvation or deliverance at the hand of the Lord not because of the evangelist or the ministry or the devises they have declared to be points of contact but because they reached out and touched the Hem of Christ garment and the Lord had pity upon them.

And then when any such event ever occurs in hour day the evangelist, pastor, teacher or self proclaimed prophet corruptly proclaims and publishes the event stating that it was their power that God had given them, or given to his or her ministry, and that it was their faith, their holiness, and their persuasive power with God that caused this event to take place. And for this they received the glory and adoration of men and are showered with all manner of gold and gifts. And for this, God struck down many of these evangelists or has exposed the corruption of their ministries before all men for them to see.

Isaiah 59:15-17 Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil (willingly) maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment. And he saw that there was no man, (walking in truth, having departed from evil, and righteously judging himself and those around him that would seek to corrupt him) and wondered (was astonished) that there was no intercessor: (seeking the cleansing and forgiveness of His children’s sins regardless of church fellowship or denominational affiliation.) therefore His arm brought salvation unto him; (This is God’s direct intervention towards the helpless and hapless sheep that maketh themselves a prey)  and His righteousness, it sustained him.(Those that were attempting to depart from evil) For he (that departed from evil was then through the intervention of Christ himself was able to) put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.
And what is the purpose of this so being clothed upon by the Lord? Is it not that we strive against the men that are also flesh? Is it not that He stand not alone in Moses seat? And is it not that He stand not alone as our intercessor?

So when we read these words of the Lord to Isaiah we see the Church rather than the Children of Israel are the ones that have been called to be intercessors. And therefore the anger of the Lord over this glaring lack of no intercession falls squarely in out lap as opposed to Israel’s.

This passage is a of our fallen church today a place where the truth is not preached, a place were men walk in darkness and are praised and honored for such. And when a little one actually repents and turns from sin this little one becomes a prey to the grievous wolves that have become the shepherds of the flock and these little ones become devoured with these men’s doctrines and traditions that by design lead one nowhere.

The Lord also notes that all judgment has been removed from the church our day. Think of all the preaching and teaching devoted to not judging yourselves, not judging others that all fear and condemnation is of the devil and all the happy smooth words that cause us to fall asleep in our sin and corruption are from God. 

There are none in our day that fearlessly preach against sin, and teach righteousness and proclaim the coming judgment. It is not fashionable to speak of any of this. It is not politically correct to say such things. And in so doing one might offend the tares and preach their fellowship or church empty. As Christ himself did in John 6:66

John 6:66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

They left because He rebuked and chastened them – if we are truly His disciples we must needs rebuke and chasten our hearers – rather than speak the sugar coated messages and soul satisfying doctrines of this hour.

This is the burden of the Lord! The burden of the Lord is not some sappy sad felling that comes over you, and brings a tear to your eye.  Or some feeling that slips over your soul that makes you groan for a few hours to give spiritual birth to something – that you can simply walk away from and never have to look at again.  The Burden of the Lord is for the children that are taken as a prey, for the defenseless sheep. The burden of the Lord is that someone, anyone, would stand up and defend the flock of God from these greivieous wolves regardless of church or denominational affiliation.

Isaiah 59:14 And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

 -- we read on that there is none that stand up and intercede with Christ praying and confessing the sins of who of the church – this is different from the selfishness and pride that is preached as being intercessors and intercession – therefore the Lord himself must once more act in behalf of an utterly corrupt church that at least some might be saved.

We see here that God repeats these same words only a few chapters later and denoting the importance and peril that are in these words.
Isaiah 63:5-19 And I (The Lord) looked, and there was none to help; and I (the Lord) wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.
And in this second passage we see now the great tribulation coming to cleanse and purge a church that cannot refrain from sin.  And we see a church that has willingly brought in grievous wolves as  their own  shepherds,  to devour their flock and bring them into utter corruption.

Isaiah 64:4-7 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. Thou meetest (Visiteth) him that rejoiceth and worketh (Doeth) righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: (These is how the Lord defines those that delight in Him) behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved. But we (The Church) are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; (As we have seen revival fades, men who have received the visitations of God do fall away and forget the tokens and tender mercies of God –instead chosing the fellowship of men and the world over Him like their father Adam.) and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (Every man is drawn by their own lusts whether it is the Holy Spirit striving in them that draws them to God or the God of this world that draws men by their corrupt fleshly lusts after the things of the flesh and the things of this world) And there is none that calleth upon thy name, (And He saw that there was no man . . .) that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: (to lay hold of the angel of the Lord as Jacob, to strive with God, to contend with the Lord, to reach out and touch God) for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.
We need to see in Church History that when we look at revivals that Christ has continually been rejecting the fallen corrupt and carnal “Church” again and again and again.  And in their place the Lord has over and over again raised up a people that “Were Not a People” a people that WILL PRAISE HIM (delight in Him) and walk with Him day by day (As adam did before the fall) in the place of those who will not and do not. (As Adam did after the fall.)

This has eluded all the blind and corrupt teachers and preachers of our day that teach themselves and continually exalt themselves and their ministries over Christ, Over God and over the Holy Spirit.  

Hosea 2:23 And I will sow her unto me in the earth; (The sowing of a people that are not a people but a people who are born of the dust of the earth) and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall (delight in Me and) say, Thou art my God.

When I went to bible school we were taught a maxim of Walter H. Beuttler that was sort of end all, and be all of the Gospel:“If you will build God a house of devotion, He will build you a house of ministry.” We were taught Beuttler’s value of prayer, beuttler’s value of waiting on God, and we were taught a form of spiritual worship that was held as the way to enter the heavenlies and to partake of God’s presence and that would enable us to ascertain the will and voice of God. 

However well meaning these teachings were, this caused many graduates from this school to leave with the impression that they could curry favor with God with words alone.  That is, that which came from their lips and their congregation’s as prayer and “spiritual” worship entitled them special privileges and a special favor of God and that by building thus house of lip service that would allow them to get their desired spiritual gifts and ministries to heap upon themselves and their own fleshly lusts.

Building God a house of devotional lip service no matter how spiritual we deem our prayers and worship does not mask over the sin and corruption in one’s heart, or the daily blatant sin and disobedience of one’s walk before God. 

Being in prayer and waiting on God from dawn to dusk does not give one special graces that allow one to be willfully disobedient in other areas. Though I have seen this preached as spiritual “brownie points” that can be earned and burned in Pentecostal and Charismatic churches and even in the bible school I attended as being so.

And spiritual worship is not a sacrifice; it is not a silver bullet to get out of God what you want.

 

While I was writing this the Lord put a most astonishing quote from a Roman Catholic website in my hand

"Prayer is God’s weakness and my strength "

Father Pat at the Milwaukee Crusade, 1968

This is what is currently taught in Fundamentalist Evangelical, Pentecostal and Charismatic and in Word of faith churches worldwide. And this is preached not only regarding prayer but worship and tithes and offerings.

Regardless of the current madness Spiritual worship will not improve your personal standing with God one iota, if you are not actively seeking to live a pleasing life before the Lord and willing depart from all this evil.

And yet to the complete detriment of the body of Christ in ministry after ministry I have seen and heard that if we would build God that house of fleshly devotion, if we would just spend that time in prayer for our personal wants, if we would fill ourselves with promises for our personal gain from the written word of God, if we would partake of a form of spiritual worship that we sing of ourselves and the things we desire, that if we do any one of these or all of these in some mystical combination  that this would be the end all and cure all for our wound that will not heal. – And that we would suddenly become the sons of God, the ox company, the Elijah company or some company of overcomers  walking in the fullness of the Spirit of Christ.

Hosea 5:13 When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, (this speaks of a revelation and an enlightenment as to our true state before the Lord) then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: (“Beleivers” immediately turn to the arm of the flesh for deliverance of this wound of sin and corruption, they read books, listen to tapes, watch videos and fill themselves with the words of dead men. And in their actions they do show that they are not the followers of Christ who they can not see but they instead steadfastly cling to men who they can see.) yet (he) could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound. For Christ alone died on the cross to save you, to heal you, and to deliver you. And all these men and their ministries are like unto the idols of wood, stone, and metal that Israel bowed down and worshipped; incurring not cures, receiving no deliverance, and partaking of no healing, but such as do these things shall indeed receive the wrath of a jealous God that will have NO ONE worshipped, or held in high esteem before Him. 

The reality is that all of this is done as part of a form, it is a pattern devised by men as a better mousetrap with which they suppose they can snare God either into winking at their sins, or getting God to slavishly bow down to men’s fleshly wants and fleshly desires. And that is the reason that even when such “Enlightened teaching” is preached that there is no growth and no change in the people that belong to these so-called “enlightened” congregations.

Understand that I am not speaking against Prayer, spiritual worship or waiting upon the Lord.  I emphatically believe in the prayer, waiting on God, and spiritual worship are all vitally important to our growth and walk with God. But unless they are coupled with our falling upon the rock and being broken before God. Unless they are mixed with our coming to Christ’s feet and becoming His disciples alone, unless God and His commandments become a delight to us, all the prayer in the world all the waiting on God in the world and all the Spiritual worship in the world are in and of themselves a meaningless exercise. 

We will now begin a discussion of a word that has been all but lost to the body of Christ.  That is “To delight in God” or “To delight oneself in the Lord.” 

Numbers 14:6-9  And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:  And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.

We see here see by the Spirit that Joshua and Caleb like Abraham saw by faith that their entering in the land was in Him, and not in and of themselves. And that by their seeing of this in the Spirit, it was accounted unto them for righteousness. 

Every preacher and teacher that I have ever heard speak on the subject of the Jews entering into the Promised Land and the church entering into the Promises of God has dealt with this subject as an irrefutable and inevitable promise.  That is if you happen to be one of the lucky one’s and are at the right place at the right time that no matter what you do or how corruptly you walk is before God that you will be swept in during one of these divine moments, endued with power on high and made a member of a company of the sons of God, or the Elijah company or the ox company or some company of overcomers.

This is not the case in scripture nor is this the testimony of Christ and the Apostles. The teaching and doctrines concerning this that have been proclaimed for some fifty odd years by the self proclaimed prophets of the Latter Rain Revival will never come to pass as has been spoken. These words were not the words of God but the words of men that boast in and of themselves imagined deeds of carnal flesh, that glorify a sinful and corrupt Klesia over God and the Son of God.

For we see here that under the Nabu Spirit of God Joshua and Caleb saw by faith their entering into the land of promise was IN HIM – that is “if the Lord delight in us, then HE shall bring us into this land.

In their moment of high revelation we do not see Joshua and Caleb saying: We shall become empowered from on high and take the land with this our great power. Nor did they say we shall receive power and make a name for ourselves, as the thus and so company and give ourselves glory.

In the book of Daniel we see the Antichrist speaks this way. And we see in Scripture that Lucifer speaks thusly I will. . .I will …. I will.  But Joshua and Caleb acknowledge that their entering into the promise is IN HIM by saying “That if the Lord delight in us then HE shall bring us into this land.”  -- That the glory, the power, and name to be honored in this entering is not Joshua’s or Caleb’s name or the name of some company of Israelites that they might lead, the glory honor and power is due HIS NAME ONLY.

 The phrase “If the Lord delight in us” can only be understood from the lens of book of Genesis of Adam in the beginning of God’s creation 

Genesis 2:19-20 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.

So God and his child Adam worked side by side in the garden. – This is different from later in scripture where God visiting Adam in the cool of the day.  We see here that God would form a creature from the earth from the very same earth He had formed Adam, and He gave them also life. And then God would bring what he had just created to Adam to see what Adam would call it. – This is a picture of father with a child. A child that squeals with delight over each next thing that God his father creates. This is a child that can hardly contain himself with excitement as the Father creates one wonderful creature after another thrilling creature. Small note Garden of Eden in Hebrew means Garden of delights – We think always of ourselves and so men say that Eden was a garden of men’s delight. No, I say to you this was the Garden of God’s delight, His delighting in His creation and it was where His creation delighted in him.

The secret of Adam’s relationship with God in the Garden is that as long as Adam delighted in what the Lord gave him that the Lord gave him more – And that upon the creation of Eve Adam no longer delighted in the Lord but delighted in what God had made over Him, He came to love his flesh (Eve) more than God and we can see what happened.

We are exorted in scripture to: Despise not the day of small things.
When God speaks a word to you do you delight in that word, or is it some small thing, a momentary curiosity, that is quickly cast into the corner with the rest of your spiritual toys that you are to mature to be caught playing with anymore? 

Do you share it and speak of what God has spoken of revealed with great delight to all those around you? Or instead do you boast of your mental fortitude and spiritual prowess that you used to discern this word? 

How many times have I seen a small child find something or receive some gift from their parents or a relative, and at first the child is all excited about it but when he or she gets around their peers who trample underfoot and with utter contempt that which was imparted from the hand of God to another for the sake of their value of these corrupt friendships over the Lord the child then treats this once beloved gift with contempt because it is not big enough, it is not cool enough, or that it is only a small thing so what good is it?.

Parents and relatives who give gifts often distraught because of the arrogant selfish attitude of a child, a niece or a nephew that takes a gift given to them with love, tosses it on the floor as if it were an unclean thing – because it was not the IN thing with their friends it was not cool enough to their peers or “everyone already has it” so it’s no longer an item of bragging rights.

I have viewed this same thing a hundred or more times since I first believed and have in times past been guilty myself of succumbing the corrupt opinions doctrines and teachings of those around me over what God has spoken and shown to me. And for that I humbly apologize to the Lord and acknowledge my sins before the brethren. 

Delight thyself in Lord – David understood this as the absolute core of God’s love for Adam and thus men. The mystery of God’s love for men is that while the angels are God’s creation and they walk in the light as He is in the light and they worship Him and walk in obedience to His words – they do not have that delight that the child Adam had in the garden.

And we sadly conclude that in the Old Testament the children of Israel in the wilderness did not have that delight – and therefore the Lord did not delight in them that they should enter into the Land of Promise.And since the death of the Apostles the church a veil has gone over the mind of believers as was spoken of by Paul concerning the Jews in the reading of Moses That seeing they see not hearing that they hear not lest ant any time they understand repent and be converted.  -- What they see not and understood not is that the relationship with the Lord is to be a delight, not a duty.  Faith is a delight, a revelation, an impartation, a product of communing with God, not an exercise of a mental or spiritual muscles.

Love – Agapeo is not the sacrificial love of God that has been preached since the 1970’s. Agapeo can only be truly understood though the lens of the delight of the child Adam in the garden..

Matthew 18:1-3 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
It is the delight of a child the Lord seeks, the innocence of a child, the faith of a child, and the unquestioning obedience of a child that would seek to do whatever is in their power to please their parents or those around them.  All of these become corrupted as children grow up and “become educated” and “Mature” in the ways of the world.  This is what happened to the child Adam and this is what came upon the children of Christ church after the death of the Apostles when they lost their delight, lost their innocence, lost their faith and lost their unquestioning obedience and instead became wise in their own eyes and all grown up in ways of the world and strangers once again unto the Lord that had not only created them and breathed into them his very life but now had purchased them with His own precious blood. 

I need to ask; what more could He have done? What more could He have given men that He did not? And what shall he do to those that are twice dead and plucked up by the roots?

Matthew 19:13-14 Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 3:9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
Jesus here is speaking not only of the Father being able to create from the very stones children unto Abraham, but He is also recalled with some delight Abraham who delighted in the Lord and appears to have been called as a child while in Ur of Chaldees. And Abram was a man that retained his childlike delight, his childlike Faith, and his childlike obedience for the Lord all the days of His life.

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
We have all witnessed the innocence of small children and the lengths to which small children will go to make peace with others. And Christ here declares that this attribute of children make them children of God.

Matthew 5:44-45  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven:

We see here that Christ is speaking of the attributes of small innocent children as being what the afther seeks in the children of the Light. Namely those in whom there is no guile, those whom when cursed hated weep rather than retaliate for there is nothing in them to do such.  This is opposed to everything that is preached by the religious right in the US. 

As we have mentioned where the notion of the American dream is completely counter to the Gospel. As Christ walked away from his earthly inheritance of houses and lands as the first born of the house of Joseph of Nazareth, and he walked away from his earthly inheritance of the throne of David as the Messiah.  

The notion of American freedom and it’s inalienable rights is foreign to the word of God and to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And because of this in American culture few can comprehend that they are slaves to sin, and that they are slaves to the god of this world. Because to this, few can understand that the salvation of Jesus Christ is not one that we have been freed from sin and the god of this world to act as independent agents that can go about living the remainder of our lives for our own good pleasure.  Redemption is a purchase of us from the god of this world into the kingdom of the Father’s dear Son. Of this Paul the Apostle declares that we have been bought with a price and again that we are not are own.  And this is virtually unpreached and unknown in not only the US, but in all of modern western society.

As such if we as believers are indeed to claim to not only be Christ’s disciples, but children purchased by His blood unto redemption and being His servants, this does not allow for us to act on our own or act on our behalf or to act for our personal benefit. In other words we are not to invoke the earthly principalities earthly powers and earthly rulers via legislation, litigation, and the use of big government to create a false gospel life style that forces the unsaved to act as if they are saved so as not to offend the senses of self-righteous believers. And “protect” them from the words, the thoughts and desires of the unsaved 

At first glance it seems by the natural eye that American culture and the western culture of Europe to a far lesser degree in essence are a false millennial kingdom of Christ. And this becomes more apparent when these compared to all the killings murder wars and poverty and pestilence that plague the other “Non-Christian” nations upon the earth Nations in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and South America. America has been a society in which all saved and unsaved were made in times past by legislation and statute to appear to be “children of the king.”   America is a place where God is in our Constitution, God is in our courts and village squares and God is in our Pledge of Allegiance and God is even on our money. And America is a land filled with churches, Christian books stores. In America the very the air over the entire nation are filled 24/7 with radio waves of preaching. And even our TV and Cable TV have 24 hour a day preaching. And I might add that even Radio TV are regulated and have been Christianized to limit vulgar language and perverse acts. I have recently met people from China who are taught that America is the land where Jesus walks.   But is this the Gospel of Jesus Christ or is it that another gospel that is not at all the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Is America indeed a Christian nation – or in the words of Christ Has the nation has America been truly made into His disciple?

The Goddess of Success, the God s of science and technology, the Idol of Freedom and all its inalienable rights, Conservatism, Liberalism, secular humanism, Patriotism, the Civil Rights Movement, Political Correctness, and the Prosperity Gospel. These are all children of the perverted Gospel of flesh and Spirit that has been preached in America. All these are preached to be light and darkness from those within these various divisions. Many of these are believed to be polar opposites of each other, but in truth they are all one and the same.  They are all born of the toxic mixture of flesh and spirit, light and darkness, other gospels and the spirit of this world.

These were all created by the god of this world designed to entice, ensnare, and deceive, so that the recipients of this would be so compromised, and so overthrown with the desire to exercise authority as the ruler of the rules of the gentiles. That these people would be so integrated and corrupted by the love of earthly riches, and a love for the things of this world, that these people would be so indoctrinated with the doctrines and traditions of men, and that they would be so inoculated against the true Gospel of Jesus Christ – that in the very words of Christ the end of the age had to be shortened or no flesh would be saved.

And this same spirit in America has been released into the world to deceive all nations to guide all nations peoples and tongues into the love of wealth, the love of materialism, into a love of science and technology. have successfully imparted our image and likeness to Japan and Germany after WWII. We successfully imparted our image and likeness to South Korea after the Korea War. We have successfully imparted our image and likeness to Russia after the Cold War. We have successfully imparted our image and likeness to India. We have successfully imparted our image and likeness to Communist China and it is transforming that nation line upon line. And now we have successfully imparted our image and likeness to Iraq.  Judge for yourself, is America or its children nations that have become Disciples of Christ. Is America and its children seeking after a city not built with hands or are they attempting to build with their hand their knowledge and skill a utopia?

All these things are not at all the way they seem at first glance. I will also tell you that our success in Iraq is paving the way for the antichrist. And Europe in embracing our model in the EU and our policies of freedom and immigration has set up their own overthrow by the fourth beast of Daniel and that will shortly (as in within this generation) be enacted before our very eyes.      

John 1:9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man (child) that cometh (is born) into the world.

In this verse we see that every child that is born in this world is born knowing God, but that is generally all but destroyed before a child can come to the age, and before they can realize what they really had

Matthew 22:36-40 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
In the early 1970’s “God is love” and “Jesus is love” was a hot button topic in the church. The reason in being is that at the time there were a lot of hippies and flower children and people greatly influenced by their guitars, informal meetings in houses and in the fields, their songs and writings that came to Christ. In that day in house meetings, in Christian coffee houses, and even in their witnessing these people would genuinely speak for hours day in and day out about the love of God, and the physical sensations they felt with Christ in their heart and their life.  Unfortunately that was short lived because all of those of formal fundamentalist and Pentecostal denominations only tolerated such talk and many rolled their eyes, acted bored, and in some cases look exasperated when such people spoke or testified. In time they succeeded in pushing away these “shallow” people so that the “real” teaching (read that as indoctrination) could begin.  By those in denominational churches these were considered outcasts, the mixt multitude, and not at all a people.

But some of their songs and doctrine yet survive a generation later. The acoustic guitars in meetings and the singing of scripture verses rather than age old hymns and so called choruses, the resurgence of the house meeting is these people’s legacy. An example of what they taught is that the Greek word for fellowship Koin-on-ia meant “The exceeding loving kindness of the brethren “ They saw this throughout the New Testament and had a strong concept of Christ requiring an unconditional love for the brethren as one would love their own family and children. They say no denominations churches or fellowships only one universal body bound together by the Holy Spirit. There was also a formalized teaching on the four kinds of love in the Greek Eros, Storgen, Phileo, and Agape in this they would describe each of the Greek words and then zero in on Agape as taught in 1Corinthians 13. And at that time Phileo was taught as Philadelphia love or a love of the brethren and so both Agape and Phileo were deemed important. In my early days of being a believer I must have heard this preached   or “shared” as it was called by these people a dozen or more times in a variety of fellowships and settings. 

Later the teaching reappeared with only a discussion the Greek words of Phileo and Agape. Phileo was demoted to an earthly selfish love, and Agape was now called God’s love and it was called a sacrificial love, an undying love that could not be trampled, crushed or destroyed even by death. This love of God, was spoken of as something unknown, and virtually unobtainable by the natural man and this was then held up as the goal of how believers were conduct themselves. But oddly enough this spiritual eye candy was taught in the most stoic of terms and without any (lower realm) love or feelings exhibited. People would act impressed about this for a few minutes and then forget about it. In this we can see a cold calculating Calvinistic approach, a love that has no love in it is merely a philosophy, it is lip service only, a ploy to say we believe this too and that by saying we believe or teach such it absolves us from walking in the great commandment and the second – for who can do such a thing anyway?

Now in this day Phileo had been almost altogether dropped in much of the teaching and Agape is preached as an aside.  Not something that we really want to focus on. It is preached that that we can really only see this Agape in Christ and in him alone. Every salvation message is filled with words of how men will fail you, and Christians will fail you, and preachers and ministries will fail and hurt you and that they are altogether undependable -- but Christ will never fail you, he is filled with this unquenchable love that no sin is to great that He can’t forgive you. No corruption you partake of is too deep that He with open arms will not take you back, no precipice of iniquity is too broad that it can separate you from God – (The word of God and Christ do not hold this view – I remind you of weeping wailing and gnashing of teeth, and all the tares being burned.) The essence of this is Christ is this love-starved geek that stands on the proverbial side of the barn dance of life and at the slightest glance from those who are dancing with the devil and his minions in his direction (not even directly at Him) we are told His heart goes all a’twitter and He will do anything and give anything to the self-absorbed cold-hearted material girls of the church today. This is not Christ the King of Kings and Lord of Lords with the keys of hell and death at his beck and call, this is the corrupt, weak, and servile “loving” Christ made up by the men who teach the Prosperity Gospel.  

The Agapeo of Great Commandment of God and the second commandment is not to cold calculated Calvinistic Agapeo that offers God the thinnest veneer of love – The Great Commandment can only be understood on the basis of the Child Adam in the Garden where he delighted in everything that his Father gave and spoke to him – not in a dutiful confession as the self-sacrificing obedient son, but with all his heart all his soul all his mind and all his strength – he gushed forth squeals of delight and fellowshipped in like manner and with like respect with what his Father gave him that is what God seeks. That is the Love of Agape and the Love of the Brethren that the Lord seeks. This is what the Lord delights in.  This is not a love of mental exercise it is a love that emanates from the heart – a heart of flesh not a heart of stone. This is a love that emanates from the human Spirit as opposed from the corrupt and selfish soul of man.    

Matthew 21:28-31 But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

I need to ask: Who are the two sons? Israel and the Church. And I need to ask: Which of them delighted to do the will of the Lord? Neither!  And what was Christ’s final response these two sons that did not delight in doing the will of the Lord? Verily I say unto you, (You Israel, and You the Church) That the publicans and the harlots (The stones that the builders rejected, the people that are not at all a people shall) go into the kingdom of God before you.

Matthew 9:15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them?
Did it ever strike you as being a little odd that Christ speaks of the “children of the bride Chamber” Feasting and not mourning when the bride has not yet been given to the bridegroom?

Matthew 12:27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out?
Here Christ speaks of casting out of demons being done by who? By men? By ordained preachers only?  By trained and qualified deliverance ministers?  No. The sign that Jesus is speaking of here is that children are casting them out. I will testify here that as a child between the age of 15-16 the Lord gave me revelation understanding and power to cast out a demon.  And it came out of a young woman of 17-21 years old.  I came out within a minute or two and it was done without my commanding it to leave or saying any such thing.

Mark 9:14-18 And when He came to His disciples, and He saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. (the disciples) And straightway all the people, when they beheld Him, were greatly amazed, and running to Him saluted him. And He asked the scribes, What question ye with them (My disciples)? And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.

I would respectfully suggest here that the disciples here no longer possessed the faith of a small child – that the multitude and the scribes became their focus – I suspect the disciples were seeking to exalt themselves and their ministry to receive the praise of these men. How many times do we see Christ doing the exact opposite of the disciples in this passage what I refer to is Christ sending off everyone before performing a miracle? Or telling the recipient of the miracle to tell no man.

Mark 9:19-20 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.
Christ is rebuking his disciples here as being faithless, and wondering aloud how long He must stay with them until they finally believe. We need to see here that the disciples had lost their child-like faith and now were trying to stand up as young lions in their own power and strength to do this thing and because this was of their own flesh, and not from the standpoint of a powerless child confounding the power of the devil The disciples endeavor was powerless.

I will say that I have a sense that when Christ was speaking to these faithless, powerless young lions – he told them this kind cometh out but by prayer and fasting (a bread and butter doctrine of the Word of Faith Movement.)  What I see Christ saying is that if you don’t have the faith of a child, you can work this out in prayer and fasting and thereby you can still do this.

Compare this with John ‘s disciples coming and complaining that Jesus disciples did not fast. And Christ saying as long as they are with the bridegroom they will not fast.

Deuteronomy 32:20 And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.

David himself was called as a child and did what no rational man or even the bravest of warriors could do, --as a child David stood up in faith risking life and limb to fight against Goliath.  Later when David became the King of Israel in childlike fashion he delighted in the Lord, and David danced before the ark in delight and excitement as it approached Jerusalem. David set up a tabernacle where he delighted in the Lord. When children sin, and children make mistakes and they realize their errors they quickly confess them and with great tears repent and then go about doing their best to change. David did that in his horrendous sin with Bathsheba and the cold blooded murder of her husband Uriah the Hittite. 

Because David delighted in the Lord he saw into the mysteries and depths of God like few others in Scripture. And David tells us that he visibly saw the Lord like Moses, Abraham and Isaiah did.  Gradually I have been having greater and greater respect for David as I have seen that he was a great prophet, whom the Lord himself constantly mentioned by name as one He delighted in.  

When we see the word delighteth we need to understand that the world is more than to like, to fellowship with or even to love as in Apageo as a sacrificial or unconditional love.

We need to see that delighteth it is the love of a child, with a shining glow in their eyes, it is that squeal of delight in the smallest and simplest of things. – It is a purity of giving of their heart and spirit – and not based upon the token that is received.

Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Psalm 18:18-20 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay. He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; (child-like innocence) according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

 Psalm 37:3-5 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Again what is it that a small child really desires? They desire to be loved. They desire to make their parents and those around them happy. And anything that they have or receive they naturally want to share those things with everyone. This is very different from the selfish and self-serving attitudes of most teens and adults or the core message of the prosperity Gospel.

Proverbs 19:10 Delight is not seemly for a fool;

1 Chronicles 15:28-30 Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making a noise with psalteries and harps. And it came to pass, as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, that Michal, the daughter of Saul looking out at a window saw king David dancing and playing: (Delighting in the Lord as a child) and she despised him in her heart.

What is it about Pentecostals and Charismatics that fundamentalists most despise? Is it not their childish emotion and delight before the Lord. Is it not their dancing and playing and doing undignified things before God? Is it not their singing and praying in tongues magnifying the Lord? And what is the first casualty of revival? Is it not the Childish Emotion, is it not the dancing playing and undignified things they do before God, is it not singing and praying ecstatically in tongues? 

Unless one has been around small children for some time they can not appreciate these things. My oldest son used to sing about using the potty, and he used to sing in abject excitement when he sitting on it pooping. It was a delight and an excitement to him. Did we rebuke him? No. Did we tell him he had to act solemn when doing this? No. We let him delight in it. And actually this continued for quite some time – as he used to do that, even in public restrooms when he was a few years older.

Song of Solomon 2:3 As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.

Isaiah 58:13-15 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. 

Jeremiah 9:24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

1 Corinthians 13 ¹Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have no Delight in the Lord as a child, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. ²And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have no Delight in the Lord as a child,, I am nothing. ³And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have no Delight in the Lord as a child, it profiteth me nothing. ⁴ Delight in the Lord as a child,  suffereth long, and is kind; D Delight in the Lord as a child, envieth not; Delight in the Lord as a child, vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, ⁵Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; ⁶Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; ⁷Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.  ⁸ Delight in the Lord as a child, never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. ⁹For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. ¹⁰But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. ¹¹When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. (And this was a greivieous error and greatly displeased the Lord.) ¹²For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. ¹³And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is Delight in the Lord as a child,

Revelation 2:4-5 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
Let us now take a closer look at the church of Ephesus in the Book of Revelation. When Christ charges this church with the loss of it’s first love, at first glance it hardly seems to the church of this hour as a sin unto death. – at least when compared with the salvation message that is preached today there we are told that a desperate and lonely Christ will accept anyone regardless of how corrupt and laden with sin they are.

But we see in this passage Christ rebukes this church for losing their first love, and tells them except they repent He shall remove the church’s candlestick. We need to understand that He is saying that like the fallen Adam that this church no longer delighted in the Lord. They went through the motions and did what was required of them but the no longer delighted in their first Love and that in and of itself is the difference between whet and tares, between the five wise and the five foolish virgins and the difference between worship and worship in spirit and in truth.   And that is the very thing that Christ spoke in the Gospel of the two sons who both did not delight in the Lord, when He said that Publicans and Harlots would enter the kingdom before them.

Matthew 21:28-32 But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.

 ³¹Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

I am so completely overwhelmed that the Lord has so above and so beyond any expectation I could have ever thought of or imagined would speak these things to me. Not because I am somebody – far be it from me. I am the least of the least. Separated unto the Lord. Cut off from my brethren, for I am nobody completely unworthy to even hear such things.  

When I was young in the Lord, two burning questions emanated in my heart of hearts and these two questions have been with me until this day. The first question was a two parter. Where is the power of God that we see in the Prophets, in Christ and in the Apostles? And why was what we were doing is different from what I read of in the bible? 

And the second question was what was it that God saw in David, Daniel Peter James John and others that turned his head towards them. What was the quality that God saw in there men that he chose to reveal and manifest himself to them?

 I now see the Lord has seen fit in such a marvelous way to answer these questions. I now fear for in this also I see even more how far I fall short of His glory. I am overwhelmed.

And finally in Christ we see also this very quality that is so beloved of the Father in these last two scriptures especially when they are put side by side.

Psalm 40:7-8 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

Isaiah 42:1-2 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.