My guess is that it was about 18 months ago the Holy Spirit illuminated John 3:8 so we came to understand this was not simply a random verse (as if there really were such a thing) in the midst of a conversation Jesus was having with a Biblical scholar. John 3:8-The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from or where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit., is presented by Jesus as the norm for a person who has been born again. This is the norm, not the exception! There are at least two levels higher. This is entry level. We will be right back to that.
The world does not, cannot, understand those who are born of the Spirit. I received an interesting comment yesterday, from a man I have had a professional relationship with for the past few years. I had updated him on what we are doing and our vision for the future. He embraced most of the concepts and as we were parting he said, "You are a very interesting man." I said I would take that as a compliment. He assured me it was intended that way. What he was communicating to me is that he did not exactly understand where I was coming from or where I was going, or at least he did not understand what motivated me. I respect this man, his general attitude, and his professional abilities, but from previous conversations, I know he is not born of the Spirit. He cannot be expected to understand my motivations.
Those born of the Spirit do what the Spirit directs them to do. Of course we all have fleshly parts so we are not "on" 100% of the time. We just keep trying to get it right. What the Holy Spirit directs does not always make sense to our rational minds initially. However, it will always make sense untimately if we follow the direction.
We said John 3:8 is entry level stuff. There are at least two levels higher. The first level is a Revelation 12:11 Christian who, "...did not love their lives to the death."
Before I finish that thought, I have to tell you what just happened because it is kind of how my life has been going lately. I wrote the first part of the previous paragraph, but did not have time to look up the verse before I left the house to run a few errands. Standing in line at one place I looked at the tee shirt the young man ahead of me was wearing and it said, "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony" Revelation 12:11. I immediately recognized that as the first half of the verse quoted above. Okay, back to the point.
I know people who think they would like to be done with this world and spend the rest of eternity in the heavenly kingdom. Maybe my theology is not as good as theirs or who knows, but I am just not ready to die yet. I am not afraid of dying, but I would rather not. In fact if I knew where I am going to die, I would avoid that place at all costs. So perhaps I am getting close to John 3:8, but Revelation 12:11 is still too much of a reach for this feeble mind. But wait, there is more.
Hebrews Chapter 11 is all about faith. You can read it yourself for context if you need a refresher. After giving a brief definition and explanation of faith, the author writes what is commonly referred to as "The roll call of faith." He comments on the faith of people throughout the Bible. He writes of the things they endured for the faith. Then we come to verse 38, of whom the world was not worthy. The world was not worthy? I did not write that. I quoted it.
Those folks lived with such a vision and revelation of God's eternal kingdom that whatever happened to them while they were on earth simply did not matter. That is way beyond me. Because of that attitude, the world was not worthy of them. The world could not understand them, death was an event in an eternal life, and they lived lives that made all others seem insignificant by comparison.
Of course you know I cannot quit without encouraging everyone who reads these words to examine his or her manner of living to determine what kind of life you are living. I used to be young and now I am, well, sort of old. I believe I am doing a better job of living a life pleasing to God than I have in the past. It certainly is not a perfect life. I suppose the world is still worthy of me so I will keep trying and learning and getting better at it by God's grace. Now I think I am done. God bless.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Cracks Are Beginning to Form
Admittedly we are speaking by faith here, seeing things that have not yet manifested in time. When a spirit, such as the religious spirit that covers the Santa Maria valley, is present, the darkness it causes is like a shell covering the area, protecting it's territory and not allowing any new birth to happen. God also uses that shell as an incubator to grow a stronger church that will thrive when the shell is finally broken. We are talking about the spiritual realm here. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (1 Corinthians 2:13) One can never understand these things with the mind, nor can they be perceived with the senses.
I am about as slow a learner as anyone I know. I will be sixty years old in just four weeks. I probably should not have spent all those years confessing to be a late bloomer. It would be great to have learned a lot of these things much earlier in life. Nonetheless, enlightenment is creeping up and beginning to run all over me. In the spirit, I can literally see the cracks in the shell beginning to form. I would have thought, according to all the teaching I have heard, that it would take some massive spiritual warfare with fasting and praying and standing in the face of one spiritual presence or another for a long time before there would be any movement. What I have come to understand is something much different.
All that is necessary to defeat an evil spirit is to not participate with it. The Holy Spirit can then begin to direct the action behind the scenes, moving people in, out, and around and even having people come in from outside the area. We have mentioned Tom Demaree of Pentecost Walk in these pages. The previous post acknowledged Shari Norvell from Cessors (short for intercessors), but did not mention her husband Scott who directs a parallel ministry called Terraforming. If you are not familiar with that ministry, you owe it to yourself to find out more about it. (http://www.terra4ming.com/) In fact, all three of the people mentioned above are what we like to call John 3:8 Christians. The world does not understand them. The Holy Spirit called them to come to Santa Maria to help us defeat the religious spirit. We cannot even be sure if they recognized exactly why they were here. They were simply answering the Holy Spirit's call on their lives.
Most of my life, I have heard things like, "When God closes one door He opens another." It is not that I did not believe that, I was just a little short on experience. I had a lot of doors slam either in front of or behind me and I only recall one time that I knew beyond doubt God had done it. Now I am living the experience.
I have had several people offer me condolences on the loss of my job a couple weeks ago. Were I still at the Central Coast Rescue Mission, I would still be frustrated that I could not fulfill what God was calling me to do. In fact, I have only within the past few days heard from the Holy Spirit some of the new things He wants me to do. Several people are going to be blessed beyond what they even know to think or ask, and more will be after that. The best expression is probably some variant of, "I am blown away" by the larger things the Holy Spirit is speaking to me now. I will not have room to tell you about all of them now and prudence dictates I wait a few days anyway. I sort of think there is one more change yet to come.
Some of you will understand when I say a part of what I am called to do right now is to be a testimony against some people who are cooperating with the religious spirit. (Imagine the criticism I am going to get for making that statement.) By the way, please send those criticisms as comments to this post. It is our practice to publish all comments as they come to us without editing them. In fact, this time there will not even be any rebuttal to your comments. We will let them stand or fall on their own merits. You may even post them anonymously if you choose. Please allow me to add my disclaimer here. I cannot promise that some of the regular readers will not post rebuttals to your criticisms. I have lately been hanging around with some people who sincerely desire to be John 3:8 Christians themselves. The end.
I am about as slow a learner as anyone I know. I will be sixty years old in just four weeks. I probably should not have spent all those years confessing to be a late bloomer. It would be great to have learned a lot of these things much earlier in life. Nonetheless, enlightenment is creeping up and beginning to run all over me. In the spirit, I can literally see the cracks in the shell beginning to form. I would have thought, according to all the teaching I have heard, that it would take some massive spiritual warfare with fasting and praying and standing in the face of one spiritual presence or another for a long time before there would be any movement. What I have come to understand is something much different.
All that is necessary to defeat an evil spirit is to not participate with it. The Holy Spirit can then begin to direct the action behind the scenes, moving people in, out, and around and even having people come in from outside the area. We have mentioned Tom Demaree of Pentecost Walk in these pages. The previous post acknowledged Shari Norvell from Cessors (short for intercessors), but did not mention her husband Scott who directs a parallel ministry called Terraforming. If you are not familiar with that ministry, you owe it to yourself to find out more about it. (http://www.terra4ming.com/) In fact, all three of the people mentioned above are what we like to call John 3:8 Christians. The world does not understand them. The Holy Spirit called them to come to Santa Maria to help us defeat the religious spirit. We cannot even be sure if they recognized exactly why they were here. They were simply answering the Holy Spirit's call on their lives.
Most of my life, I have heard things like, "When God closes one door He opens another." It is not that I did not believe that, I was just a little short on experience. I had a lot of doors slam either in front of or behind me and I only recall one time that I knew beyond doubt God had done it. Now I am living the experience.
I have had several people offer me condolences on the loss of my job a couple weeks ago. Were I still at the Central Coast Rescue Mission, I would still be frustrated that I could not fulfill what God was calling me to do. In fact, I have only within the past few days heard from the Holy Spirit some of the new things He wants me to do. Several people are going to be blessed beyond what they even know to think or ask, and more will be after that. The best expression is probably some variant of, "I am blown away" by the larger things the Holy Spirit is speaking to me now. I will not have room to tell you about all of them now and prudence dictates I wait a few days anyway. I sort of think there is one more change yet to come.
Some of you will understand when I say a part of what I am called to do right now is to be a testimony against some people who are cooperating with the religious spirit. (Imagine the criticism I am going to get for making that statement.) By the way, please send those criticisms as comments to this post. It is our practice to publish all comments as they come to us without editing them. In fact, this time there will not even be any rebuttal to your comments. We will let them stand or fall on their own merits. You may even post them anonymously if you choose. Please allow me to add my disclaimer here. I cannot promise that some of the regular readers will not post rebuttals to your criticisms. I have lately been hanging around with some people who sincerely desire to be John 3:8 Christians themselves. The end.
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