Our Children Will Be Our Judges
There is a line being drawn in the sand as we near the end. It's a line that is dividing a church which believes in the supernatural power of God to deliver and a church that denies that power. The power of God on the earth today is the Holy Spirit. When a church or individual rejects the Holy Spirit there is a vacuum that is created. The enemy is more than happy to fill that void with demonic influence. In the end, if we reject the power of God, our children will be our judge for it is they who will pay the highest price for our unbelief. The only hope for bound humanity is the cross of Christ through the power of the Holy Ghost.
By Chris McDonald
Matthew 12:27-28 - And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. [28] But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
As we write this journal we are celebrating (March 9, 2001) the Feast of Purim in Israel's history. Purim is also known as the Feast of Lots and celebrates Israel's national deliverance from complete extermination at the hands of Haman. You can read the story of Esther and Mordecai in great detail in our feast lesson and our journal, Esther, Purim, The Church, And The Jews. Haman's efforts would not be the first attempt nor the last attempt by Satan to completely annihilate the Jewish race. Pharaoh had tried to do it earlier and as history progressed Jew-haters came and went with the wind. Then in 1939 an evil dictator gone mad named Adolph Hitler came to power in what many thought to be an elite, educated and enlightened country of Germany without much resistance. Hitler plunged not only Germany, but the entire world into a world conflict that remains the deadliest tally of human lives lost to war in human history.
Another element of the war was Hitler's demented and demonic pursuit to kill the entire Jewish race and erase the name of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob from the face of the planet. Stories from the Holocaust include details of soldiers singing Christmas carols while gassing millions to death in death camps at Treblinka, Auschwitz and others. The Holocaust of the 1930s was one of the most vile acts of human depravity mankind has ever known. But what made it even more vile was the role that the German church played in carrying out this horrible demonic attempt to murder millions of God's chosen people.
While Christianity itself did not create the Holocaust, people who went under the guise of Christianity actually made it possible. Without Christian anti-Semitism, the Holocaust would have been inconceivable even in the worst bigots among German's elite. Hitler and the Nazis found in medieval Catholic anti-Jewish legislation a model for their own, and they read and reprinted Martin Luther's anti-Semitic writings. It is instructive that the Holocaust was unleashed by the only major country in Europe having an equal number of Catholics and Protestants. Both traditions were saturated with Jew-hatred.
A more striking development came three years before the Holocaust, when at the early part of the century after the Azusa Street Revival and the Welsh Revival, the major church authorities in Germany actually wrote and signed a document rejecting this move of the Holy Spirit. Essentially they told the Holy Spirit, "Don't come here." That action created a vacuum in the Spirit world over Germany. Since the religious leadership rejected the move of the Holy Spirit, there was plenty of room for a spirit of antichrist to move in and operate. The result - the election of Adolph Hitler due mainly to the support of Germany's liturgical church system. People say it all the time - "How could some of the finest people in the world of Germany have allowed the Holocaust to happen?" Well, it was simple. The spirit of antichrist was able to fully work. The power of the Holy Spirit was turned away and when you turn away the power of the Holy Spirit the result is DARKNESS.
The name "Christ" means "anointed One," and embraces His anointing of the Holy Spirit. The term "anti-Christ" also carries the meaning of "anti-anointed one, or anointing." The spirit of antichrist will always resist the anointing of the Holy Spirit! It's the same anointing that rested on Jesus when He walked the earth. That anointing set captives free, opened blinded eyes and raised the dead. That same power and anointing rests on His church today, or at least the part of the church that believes in the power of God and welcomes it. The same principle that applied to Germany and their acceptance of a demonically inspired leader applies to our generation today. The decisions we make concerning our acceptance or rejection of God's power will greatly affect our children, our homes, our churches, and our nation. If we don't fill our lives with God and stop fighting the Holy Spirit's work on the earth, then the enemy will be only too happy to oblige our rejection of God and fill our lives and nation with destruction. If the watchmen will not stay awake, the city will be taken.
No one can deny the pain and desolation that exists in America today. Our inner cities are cursed with addiction, poverty, hopelessness and fear. Crime rules many neighborhoods. Our children are dying from violence, drug overdoses, AIDS and various forms of abuse. The enemy has even plundered the homes of Christians. Divorce is ripping families apart. Sons, daughters and grandchildren are being taken captive - some into perversion, some into drugs, some into cults and the occult. Many young people are openly denying CHRIST. Great confusion has swept over our youth.
And while this is happening the adult generation of the CHURCH, especially the selfish, cliquish, Pharisaical church in the west, sticks its finger in the face of God and tells God basically what Germany said in 1936 - "DON'T COME HERE!" You say, well our church would never tell God not to "come here." WHEN YOU DENY THE POWER AND OPERATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN YOUR CHURCH YOU ARE TELLING GOD 'DON'T COME HERE!" God is a SPIRIT, the Holy SPIRIT IS GOD! And folks, unless the children feel a touch from heaven and taste the power of the Holy Ghost, they will never be set free from their bondage. Furthermore, as Jesus said, our children will be our JUDGES! When they stand before a Holy God lost and condemned to hell, they will turn and CURSE US for our stiff necked doctrines that cut off the power of the Holy Ghost in our churches that could have made a difference in their lives.
The powers of darkness are determined to steal our inheritance - OUR CHILDREN! There is a call to arms against the forces of evil, and the only ones who can effectively wage war in power are those who know the name of Jesus and are filled with the Holy Ghost.
If Satan Is Casting Out Satan...
When Matthew recorded these words, Israel had hardened her heart against the Lord Jesus. The religious leaders of Israel had already determined to kill Him. Everything He did was an affront to their traditions and "law." He had just delivered a man possessed of the devil, which had made the man blind and dumb. When Jesus touched Him, he both spoke and saw. Wow, what a statement. I feel the anointing of the Holy Ghost on that one - WHEN JESUS TOUCHED HIM, he spoke and saw. I'm reminded of a beautiful, anointed song as I write this:
When Jesus Comes, the tempter's power is broken
When Jesus comes, the tears are washed away
He'll take the gloom and turn it into gladness
When Jesus comes, you'll never be the same.
Despite the miracle the religious were angry. Jesus knew their thoughts and feelings which accused Jesus of doing the miracle, not by the power of God, but by the power of Satan. Jesus then responded to them by saying, "If I by the power of Satan am casting out Satan, then he is fighting against himself." Jesus said even Satan's kingdom would not be able to stand if that was the case.
The Western Church in most circles in this 21rst Century has hardened its heart toward the ministry of Jesus. We sing about Him, we preach about Him, we talk about Him, we use His name on our bulletins, we even discuss Him in our Sunday school classes and teach others about Him - BUT WHEN IT COMES TO EMBRACING HIS ANOINTING, the church fights with everything in it to keep it out! We have entire denominations that deny the power of the Holy Spirit and His gifts. Sadly, even many Pentecostal denominations have stepped back from totally embracing the power of God. Preachers are no longer preaching on the mighty baptism in the Holy Spirit because we are afraid to offend our affluent members in the church who are offended by such things that usually happen when the Holy Spirit moves.
What would most of our churches do today if a person truly demon possessed person walked in the door and was set free? What would happen if a drug addict came in and asked for prayer and the power of God came down and caused him to start vomiting out the demons inside him? Would we worry about our carpet more than his soul? Would we do like the people at Gadara and ask Jesus to leave our "coasts?" We can't even handle people speaking in tongues in our church, I'm positive we wouldn't handle this! To be frank with you most demons avoid our churches because most of the people inside the church are probably so full of demons anyway they don't need any more company. This is the hour we are living in and the fight we are facing. We either will believe in the power of God or the power of Satan. And the battle lines are just going to get more pronounced before Jesus comes. There will be no gray areas to hide in.
There are some preachers today who actually label what the Holy Spirit is doing as demonic and of Satan. Jesus warned these type leaders in this same passage that speaking against the Holy Ghost in that manner was not a good choice for those seeking eternal life. He said anything we said against Him, the Son, would be forgiven, but when and if we deliberately speak through a hardened heart against the Holy Spirit we have committed an unpardonable sin.
Matt 12:30-32 "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.
31 And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
(NIV)
Friend, you may not understand
everything that takes place when the Holy Spirit is moving and operating. NONE
OF US DO. I've been in the Pentecostal movement for 15 years now and to be
honest I feel like a novice and a child still. I'm still learning the Holy
Spirit NEVER fits into our box. Just when we think we have Him figured out, He
goes and moves in a new, fresh way that keeps the skeptics busy and the
unbelievers in awe. You may not understand speaking in tongues or prophecy or
people falling under the power of the Spirit. BUT YOU HAD BETTER WATCH WHAT YOU
SAY ABOUT THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT! PREACHER, IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BELIEVE
IN THE POWER OF GOD THEN BE IGNORANT AND DON'T BELIEVE. BUT STOP TELLING YOUR
PEOPLE THAT THESE THINGS ARE OF SATAN AND THEY PASSED AWAY WITH THE APOSTLES.
You will pay a price for your unbelief but YOUR CHILDREN, or followers will pay
a higher price.
Being With Jesus
The
Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking with other
tongues has become one of the most attacked doctrines in the
Bible other than the rapture. Since the outpouring of the Holy Ghost in Los
Angeles, California, Azusa Street in the early
1900s, the mighty Pentecostal experience of speaking with other tongues has come
under attack, not so much from the world, but from evangelical circles within
the church which
have refused or rejected the experience. Most people who speak in tongues today
are labeled fanatics, unlearned and ignorant, while others are even accused of
being of Satan. Interestingly enough, this was said of Peter and John when they
stood before the religious hierarchy of their day who were questioning the power
by which they had caused a lame man from birth to walk.
Acts 4:13-20
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they
marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. [14] And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. [15] But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, [16] Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it. [17] But that it spread no further among the people, let us
threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. [18] And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. [19] But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. [20]
For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
The
bondages our children fight and deal with today will not go away with a three-point sermon, a
cute prayer and an offertory hymn. We are engaged in a spiritual battle beyond
comprehension. It’s a battle for the souls of our children that will only be won on a spiritual plain. The
power we are fighting is the power that will set men free! The power the church
is fighting will deliver the alcoholic from alcohol. It will deliver the drug
addict from drugs. It will deliver the one bound by pornography from perversion. It will cause the thief to stop stealing. It will cause the liar
to stop lying. It will cause the religious to know Jesus more intimately and in
real truth and grace. It will put life in our dead Sunday school classes on
Sunday and church programs.
The greatest threat to the power of God that will change society is not society. It’s backslidden, mossy-back, pharisaic, religion. It's religion and churchism that stands in the way of God and what He wants to do in this last hour. Most of the church is like the "church" council in Acts chapter 4 and the group Jesus was addressing in this passage in Matthew. They couldn’t argue over the miracle that had taken place - a demonically possessed man who before could not speak or think now could SPEAK and THINK. Luke records in Acts chapter 3 a man lame from birth was healed by this same powers through the hands of Peter and John. He stood healed in front of the religious. Instead of praising God, they had to “confer among themselves” about it. Peter and John says, “whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more unto God, you be the judge.” Then they say something that is very key - “WE CANNOT BUT SPEAK THE THINGS WHICH WE HAVE SEEN AND HEARD.” The church has a hard time arguing away that millions of people have been touched by the power of God. Millions have received this glorious experience of speaking in tongues as those gathered did on the day of Pentecost in the Bible. (Acts 2:4) Luke also mentions this experience throughout the book of Acts. Paul also gives great attention to it in his epistle to the Corinthians. Others have been set free through words of knowledge, prophecy, gifts of healing, and other gifts of the Spirit. Do you know that the Pentecostal movement is the LARGEST religious movement in the WORLD right now?? It's getting bigger and bigger everyday friend - WHY? Because it was foretold in scripture that in THE LAST DAYS God would POUR OUT HIS SPIRIT UPON ALLLLLLLLL FLESH! Friend, we're in that time now. Let me change that, we are just on the brink of that time now. We are seeing a glimpse of what is coming. AND WE CONTINUE TO WANT TO FIGHT THIS??????
I was at a
church not too long ago in Central Tennessee whose doctrinal pamphlets stated
“we cannot believe this (the baptism in the Holy Spirit) is real just because
so many people have experienced it. We don’t believe in experience, we believe
in the Bible.” Well, if we don’t believe in experience, then we don’t
believe in salvation. Salvation is an experience. If we don’t believe in
experience, then we don’t believe in people rededicating their lives to the
Lord. Rededication is an experience. If we don’t believe in experience, then
we don’t believe in healing (many don’t). What would many evangelicals have told
the lame man that got healed in Acts 3 if he were here today? “You’re experience
is not valid because we believe that type of "stuff" went away 2,000 years ago with the
apostles.” Do you think he would really care what we believed? HE WAS HEALED!
We Are Going To Get What We Ask For
About 6 years ago now I remember a local prayer meeting of Pastors in a small Southern Georgia town. One of the guests at the meeting was a Southern Baptist missionary whose son was a classmate of mine in High school. During this prayer meeting another guest, an Episcopalian priest who had recently had such an encounter with the Holy Spirit his entire diocese was jolted at its core, was praying for the imparting of the Holy Spirit on those who were hungry for God. What a sight, a Southern Baptist missions director going up for prayer from a Spirit-filled Episcopalian. TELL ME IF GOD ISN'T GOOD OR WHAT? As the priest laid his hands on my friend, the power of God hit him and he fell backward in the Spirit for several minutes. I could hear a deep moaning coming from his inner being as the power of God just washed all over him. I remember his cries as he lay on the floor. They were cries not for himself, but for his son, my classmate. I watched him and started weeping when I heard his prayer for his son's soul. He began to speak with other tongues during this prayer and we all knew that afternoon God had visited us.
After it was over I went up to him and put my arm around him and asked him about his son. He held his head down and started crying again. He began to tell me that about 3 years earlier his son had gotten caught up in the occult and was now an active participant in the "psychic hotlines" that all of us see everyday on TV. He said "my son is very good at what he does. I've watched him literally tell people their future." I said "how did that happen, I thought he was a strong Christian. He was raised in a Christian home." His dad wept again. He said, "Chris, I have spent all my life as a Southern Baptist missionary FIGHTING this power that touched me today. I at one time even disfellowshipped pastors who had had similar encounters with God. My son through the years heard me degrade those who would embrace such. Over time he turned away from anything that resembled the power of God. I taught him to shun EVERYTHING and EVERYONE who even hinted at believing in the supernatural workings of the Holy Spirit. My son is now using this same type power - but he's using it for Satan and he is bound." We prayed and wept together again and moaned in the Spirit for his son.
Friend, listen to me. I don't condemn my brother in the Lord or his son. But I will tell you point blank - IF THE CHURCH OF THE LORD JESUS DOES NOT STOP FIGHTING THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WE ARE GOING TO GET WHAT WE ASK FOR! Our kids are watching the devil display his power everyday through the medium of witches, warlocks, psychics, soothsayers and other occultist practices. Power is appealing. BUT WHAT DO WE OFFER THEM AT OUR CHURCHES? Do they see the power of God on display or do they hear sermons and messages that DEGRADE and DENY the supernatural working of the HOLY GHOST? Don't think those people on television are faking it. They are listening to demon spirits. Demonic power is just as real as God's power. God's power is greater but don't be a fool and think satan does not have in his arsenal an enormous amount of energy to deceive millions.
My Baptist friend sad to say experienced the same thing Germany experienced when it told the HOLY GHOST "Don't come here." AND WE WILL EXPERIENCE THE SAME THING TODAY TOO! Who do you think the causality will be in all this? It will not be our church programs, or our church softball teams or our church dinners or our charismatic dancing services - IT WILL BE OUR CHILDREN.
Another example of this is a friend of my wife's who when she found out Lisa and I were getting married had a serious problem with my belief and acceptance of the Pentecostal experience of speaking in tongues. She told Lisa point blank "I wouldn't have cared if he had been a rapist, but he's PENTECOSTAL! How could you betray your church like this?" Lisa had attended a Southern Baptist church all her life before meeting me. The friend I speak of had a son who was bound by pornography. She had done everything short of cutting the young man's legs off to keep him from sneaking out of the house. For a period of several months she would lock him in his room at night without any television or radio or anything. But the problem still existed.
You see, you can't quarantine sin! The minute the young man was let out of the room - guess where he ran off to? He went right back into pornography. Locking him up didn't change him or set him free. THE POWER OF THE HOLY GHOST WOULD HAVE. This mother however as so ANTI-ANOINTING and anti-Holy Spirit she had choked and fought the very power the young man needed for his deliverance. I had offered to go lay hands on the boy and pray over him but she refused. She even volunteered to give Lisa and me both books about the negative aspects of speaking in tongues. I graciously declined and told her I didn't need a book to tell me the experience of the Holy Spirit was false - I HAD TASTED THE WATERS and they tasted just FINE! (Lisa by the way received the baptism of the Holy Spirit this past year - GLORY TO GOD) We still pray for the boy's deliverance but he is paying the price for his parent's unbelief! PARENTS HEAR ME GOOD - your children are going to be YOUR JUDGES one day. You're unbelief and stiff-necked attitudes are killing your youth!
My Sons And Stepdaughters
Acts 2:17-18 - 17 "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
(NIV)
As I write these words I am crying so hard right now I can hardly see the screen. I don't gloat or rejoice in the two previous stories I just told you. I hurt for both families. I think of my two sons, Josh and Brandon and my two stepdaughters, Sara and Libby. God help me and Lisa to NEVER be ashamed of your power in front of our children. Help us to NEVER deny You before them. Even if we don't understand everything there is to understand about the gifts of the Spirit, please help us not to FIGHT AGAINST THE POWER THAN CAN SET OUR CHILDREN FREE! God help the church in this hour to stop pushing YOU OUT and being deceived into thinking our activity is a sign YOU are there. We cannot be delivered Lord Jesus without Your Spirit setting us free from our delusion. Our children are going to be our judge. Our children are going to be our judge if we don't repent NOW and open our doors to the HOLY GHOST!
My little Libby and Sara my oldest stepdaughter makes me so proud at times. I'll watch Libby in service at our new church in Knoxville, Knoxville Christian Center. Up until 1999 when me and her mother married, neither Lisa, Libby or Sara had even heard of the baptism in the Holy Spirit other than negative comments made from the pulpit of their pastor at the time. I remember a service in early January 2000 when Ruth Fisher, an 85-year old evangelist who used to work side by side with Kathryn Kuhlman. I remember the first night the Lord touched Libby she was sitting on the back row and just started weeping in the middle of the service. She looked at her mother and said, "Mom, what is happening to me? I can't stop crying." Sara the oldest of the two put her hand on Libby's shoulder and said, "Libby, its ok, it's just the power of God." Another one of Sara's classmates shortly after that incident at church was making fun of people who spoke in tongues. Sara spoke up boldly and said "you better stop making fun of the power of God - my step dad speaks in tongues and I know it's real." Whew, talk about a little pride in your children. I've been driving in the car with Libby and out of the blue she'll ask me about what it's like to speak in tongues and what it means. She is so hungry for God. Her little heart is so tender and open I know it's only a matter of a short time before God reveals Himself to her just like He did Samuel so long ago. GLORY to the Lamb forever for that.
My son Brandon also has a heart after God. I know he has asked the Lord Jesus to come into his little heart even at the tender age of 8 and be his Saviour. Brandon tells me all the time how he prays for me when he goes to bed at night. I'm thinking dear God my 8, 11 and 13-year old kids have more knowledge of the power of God than most seminary graduates who stand behind pulpits and lead thousands every week. Most of the seminary graduates are denying the power of God and are leading many down a road of destruction - including the youth - who will one day BE OUR JUDGE! I've had dreams of Joshuah, my 11-year old son, receiving the Holy Spirit baptism in a service where I was able to witness it. I KNOW THE LORD HAS HIS HANDS ON MY CHILDREN - and God help me if I do ANYTHING to cause them to not believe in the supernatural power of God and deny that power before them.
Folks, listen, I'm not bragging on my children but I am bragging on the Holy Ghost! You see I've not been ashamed to pray in tongues in front of my kids. I've not been ashamed to lay hands on them when they are sick. I remember a night long ago when Josh was sick the Lord got me out of bed about 4 a.m. I went into the room he was sleeping in and just laid my hands on him and started praying in tongues. I do the same with Brandon. If we're driving in a car and he falls asleep Ill just lay my hands on his little leg and start interceding over him in the Spirit. I also pray in front of him and have spoken in tongues. I've tried by best to not be ashamed to obey the spirit of God and prophesy over them in their sleep. I've not been ashamed to have them see me lay out in the floor of my living room moaning and groaning in the Spirit. Why? Because the promise of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is for our SONS and DAUGHTERS. And that promise is one I'm claiming for MY sons and daughters!
And even saying those things I regret not showing them even MORE of the power of God. I regret not being a BETTER example of the power of God in living a more holy, dedicated life. Our children are watching us and they are listening to what we are saying. And they will be our judges. Do you know the only hindrance to Joel's promise of the Spirit's outpouring on our sons and daughters? It's the unbelief of the parents! It's the unbelief of the "adult" church. It's the unbelief and stick necked teachings of pastors who are willingly ignorant of God's power and His Spirit. It's one thing to be hungry for more of God even though you may not know everything there is to know about God's power. It's another thing to actively FIGHT AGAINST the moving of the Holy Spirit and keep the power of God in check and in some cases completely OUT OF OUR CHURCHES we are leading. That's like putting our fingers in a broken dam at Niagara Falls. It's NOT GOING TO WORK! And our children will be our judges.
How Will Our Children Cast Them Out?
Matthew 12:27a - And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out?
Jesus asked the Pharisees a simple question. If His power was not of God as they claimed, and it was of Satan, then how would their children cast out devils? I believe Jesus was also speaking to this generation as well. I wonder if He was asking us that if one generation rejects the moving of the Holy Spirit, then with what power will the generation that follows it be set free? Folks, there is no other power to save but the LORDS! The moving and operation of the Holy Spirit is not one of three multiple choice answers for our children who are bound by drugs, alcohol and pornography. IT IS THE ONLY ANSWER! We cannot disenfranchise ourselves from the Holy Spirit in our churches and expect the results that only the Holy Spirit can bring - souls saved, bodies healed, tormenting spirits cast out, bondages broken!
As I write this a 15-year old has recently shot two students to death at a California school. All the politicians and pundits will argue over whether he should be tried as an adult. But the issue here is the power that was controlling him to shoot those kids in the first place. His actions, along with the actions of the other school shootings over the past five years, were a rebuke to a deluded church world that has lampooned and laughed at the Holy Ghost. We mock those who speak in tongues and operate in the gifts while our kids are dragged deeper and deeper into a dark oblivion that only the HOLY GHOST can rescue them from. There are thousands just like this young man in California bound by such a spirit of anger that could explode into murderous violence at any time. Our children are judging us for our unbelief. The only source of deliverance is Jesus Christ. But if we as the church deny that power, then what power are we going to turn to to set our children free? What power are we going to offer our children? A softball team? A Wednesday night pizza party? A Saturday night trip to a local hockey game?
Listen good. Our programs will not set them free. Our softball teams will not set them free. Our seminars and conventions will not set them free. It's not in man's ability or his own power that break the chains of darkness. Preachers hear me. You keep inflicting unbelief on your congregation and they will continue to wander down a road of destruction. You may have huge crowds and big buildings and they may be coming in by the scores. But remember this. It doesn't matter how many that come. It matters how many of those who are coming are truly born again and are set FREE from sin by the power of the blood of Jesus. And what brings that freedom to us in reality? The power of the HOLY GHOST!
Romans 8:11-21 - But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwells in you. 12] Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. [13] For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. [14] For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
John
8:32-36 - And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
[33] They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. [35] And the servant
abides not in the house for ever: but the Son abides ever. [36] If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
The way the Son sets us free is
through the power of His Spirit. Calvary paid the price for this freedom. The
blood still sets us free. It's the HOLY GHOST who produces the reality of that
in our hearts and lives and points us back to the source of our freedom -
CHRIST! But if we reject this power, what power will we turn to?
If I Cast Out Devils By The Spirit Of God, The
Kingdom Has Come To You
Luke 10:9-11
- Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.' 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say,
11 'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.'
(NIV)
Luke 11:20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.
In this statement, Jesus not only clarified the source of His power, He gave Israel and the CHURCH today a veiled warning. The way they would know the Kingdom of God had come to them was through the healing and deliverance power of the the Holy Spirit. Jesus called the Spirit the "finger of God."
Whenever the Kingdom of God has come to any nation, any church, and any individual and it is rejected - the only remedy and option that is left when we reject the power of God IS JUDGMENT. Israel rejected the Kingdom of God and they were judged as a nation with blindness that has lasted to this day. In addition, Jerusalem was trodden down in A.D.70 by Titus and until 1967 when Jordan released its grip on the city had been under Gentile domination for nearly two centuries.
Matt 21:42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: "'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? 43 "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed." 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables, they knew he was talking about them. (NIV)
How many movements have dried up by the wayside simply because they have rejected the Kingdom? Listen friend, you say well we believe in salvation and we teach our people that Jesus is Lord and we believe the Bible is the infallible Word of God. GOOD FOR YOU! But just because a church believes in those things does not mean that church has embraced the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is not "meat" and "drink" but it is the POWER OF GOD!
1 Cor 2:4-5 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power,
5 so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power. (NIV)
1 Cor 4:20 20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. (NIV)
Rom
14:17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,
(NIV)
Paul attributed his success in the
KINGDOM to the power of the Holy Spirit. He prayed that the church at Rome would
experience the Kingdom of God the same way - through the POWER OF THE HOLY
GHOST!
Rom
15:13-19 - May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
14 I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.
15 I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me
16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
17 Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. 18 I will not venture to speak of
anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done--
19 by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of
Christ. (NIV)
We cannot say we are fully
proclaiming the gospel of Christ like Paul did if we are denying and rejecting
the moving and operation of the Holy Ghost! Our children will be our judge if we
do!
The
Kingdom Of God Must Be Accepted Just Like Our Judges - CHILDREN
Mark 10:15 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
16 And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
(NIV)
As I close this journal I want to talk about my little Libby again. I have watched her these past two years as she runs to the altar when our Pastor asks for people to come forward to be prayed for. Never having known anything about Pentecost she goes forward and raises her hands. The little tears run down her face from time to time and I know the Lord is touching her at this young age. God only knows what is ahead of her. I look at her innocence and simple faith in our Master to hear her prayers and touch her. She hasn't gotten old and religious like most of us adults who in our older years have become cynical and bitter. Libby is going to receive the baptism in the Holy Ghost very soon - I believe that. I'm praying for that, as well as for my two sons, Josh and Brandon, and my other stepdaughter, Sara. Sara doesn't show as much emotion but as the saying goes, "still waters run deep." Sara will also be used mightily of God.
I'm rebuked at times by the simple faith of my step-daughter. How many times have I missed my visitation of the Kingdom of God because of a hardened heart of unbelief? How many times have I been ashamed to go forward to have people intercede over me because I was afraid of what others thought? How many times have I rejected the power of God in my own life by not heeding the convicting touch of the Holy Ghost as He gently warns me and deals with me of weaknesses in my character and integrity? Is the shooting of our school children the reaping the church is getting for its unbelief? Is it a reaping of the untold millions of innocent babies in America? Is God judging us through our children?
For us to receive the Kingdom of God, which is POWER, not just words, we must become like a child. We must cease our criticism of what God is doing just because we don't understand it and just receive it. I don't want to open this can up here but there are certainly things that go on in the name of the Holy Ghost that are NOT OF THE HOLY GHOST. But I have TOTAL FAITH in my God to keep me on the path of truth and life than I have fear of the enemy to deceive me. As long as I am pursuing the source of the power - THE LORD JESUS, He is the WAY and will show me the TRUTH which will set me free and bring me eternal LIFE!
I remember what Mahesh Chavda said in his discussions on the "watch" he hosts each Friday night in Charlotte, North Carolina. He said that we are not to be afraid of whatever the enemy is doing, but always focus on the GREATNESS and AWESOMENESS of the Lord Himself. We should NEVER focus on the enemy first, but focus on the LORD first. When we look at God first and take courage from Him; THEN we can look at whatever the enemy is doing and just laugh like Abraham laughed when he looked at the barrenness of Sarah. Our intercession and prayer will never be fearful and weak-kneed if we have beheld the GLORY and MAJESTY of our CHRIST JESUS. Even in the presence of our enemies, we can look at the Lord and be steeped in His river of anointing, courage and glory. Then we are ready to fight for our children and see their deliverance.
In Closing
As I bring this journal to a close and I've just scratched the surface here, I want to share a vision a well-known author was given not too terribly long ago. In this vision the Lord showed him two congregations. One congregation was on fire for God, interceding, giving, worshipping, full of faith and glory, full of power, unified and in love with Jesus. A second congregation the author saw was weak, divided, angry, sinful, bound by all types of bondages and demonic forces, unbelieving and hurt. The author turned to the Lord who said "this is the same congregation, the difference is the shepherd." The Lord went on to say that the shepherd over the first congregation lead the people and taught the people to depend on the Holy Spirit in their lives. He believed in all the operations and ministries of the Spirit and flowed in the gifts. He taught the word of God to the people without fear and favor and always pointed them to Jesus. The Lord told the author to look at the second congregation again. It was the same people except with a different shepherd. This shepherd condemned the Holy Spirit and His gifts. He was fearful and always paranoid about who was seeking his place of leadership. Anyone who he saw as a threat was quickly removed. He started telling people how to live - not based on the word of God - but by the pattern of his own life. The Lord solemnly spoke to the author and said this: "These shepherds will give an account for the way they have tried to become the Holy Spirit to my people. They have ROBBED ME of my GLORY when they produce unbelief in those who follow them. I have wanted to heal many in their flocks but because of their unbelief they have told those under their leadership I don't heal any more. I have wanted to fill many with My Spirit but the shepherd has taught them error instead of truth concerning the functions of My Spirit. My sheep hear My voice and they follow ME. The good shepherd leads the sheep, a hireling always seeks to control the sheep and keep My Spirit away from them."
I wonder if this vision could also be used to paint us a picture of what is happening to the children in our homes and in our churches? Have we through our own bitterness and unbelief brought judgment on ourselves through them? Will they one day stand at the judgment bar of God and rebuke us for our lack of faith? Will many who are in hell rebuke us for the times they visited our churches and felt nothing in the way of conviction because the Holy Spirit had departed? Will many who died bound by sin rebuke us because we choked the power of God out of our Churches by our dead theology and tradition? Folks, our children are going to be our judges. If the Lord Jesus has come to us with the finger of God and cast out devils - we had better not try to stand up and reject it - for it is the ONLY power through which our children will be able to be set free from the devils in their generation.
Oh Lord, I feel such an awesome burden at this moment for this generation that is coming up before our eyes in 2001. Lord, please forgive your church for its lack of faith and rejection of Your Spirit. Your ways are not our ways Father. We don't understand everything You do and the way You do them, but Lord please help us receive You as a child. We repent of the times we have missed the Kingdom of God through our criticism, doubt, blasphemy and cynicism. We repent as a Body Lord of the times You wanted to move in our churches and we as leaders stopped it because we were afraid of what the Spirit of God would do in changing our people. We repent of the times Lord we have spoken things against the Spirit of God and caused people to stumble and fall by our false teachings. We repent of being blinded to our own need because we have become self-sufficient and feel we no longer need the Holy Spirit among us. LORD, WE NEED YOUR SPIRIT AMONG US. LORD we hunger and THIRST for the SPIRIT of GOD to be not only among us but IN US and work THROUGH US. Most of all Lord Jesus, we want the Spirit of God to rest upon our CHILDREN. Baptize them Lord in the mighty baptism of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking with tongues. Let the power of the Holy Ghost come forth not only through their mouths Lord but give them a Spirit of prophecy to speak to the dead church of today. Let the words of the babes and suck lings become our wisdom. Let the mouth of the babes speak forth the power of God in this last hour. Forgive us Father for being ashamed of you to our relatives and family. Forgive us Father for being ashamed of your power to those around us. Forgive us Father for taking for granted the precious gift of the Holy Ghost you have blessed us with. Forgive us Father for not obeying Your Spirit and walking in the SPIRIT and living IN THE SPIRIT. Cleanse our temples Lord and make us fit vessels for You for Lord we do not want our children to be our judges. We want our children to be filled with the Holy Ghost and power! In Jesus precious name, AMEN.