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Ere The Lamp Of God Go Out In The Temple Of The Lord......

One of Israel's darkest days was not the slavery or Egypt or the failure at Kadesh Barnea. The darkest day in Israel's history is when she lost the presence of God from among her midst. The Ark of God, the symbol of this presence, was lost the Philistines as a result of sin. Eli and his sons represent leadership whose carelessness and wickedness caused the ark to be lost. The modern church cannot let the light of the Lord go out in the temple of the Lord. That is important both corporately and individually. We are the New Testament temple of the Lord.

By Chris McDonald

1 Samuel 3:1-4 - And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision. And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; [3] And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep; [4] That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.

It's a terrible thing to be a people away from God. There is nothing worse than to be a blessed people like Israel was and be astray from the purposes of your Creator. This journal regarding this time in Israel's history I will try by the help of God to bring to you is a tale of such a time and a call and plea to us in the modern church to not let the "light go out." Losing the ark of God was Israel's darkest hour. It was darker than the time when she was in slave pits in Egypt; darker than the time when the people worshipped a golden calf while Moses was in the mount; darker than the time when thousands perished in the wilderness as venomous snakes were sent throughout the camp by God to judge the people; darker than the time of the judges when the people "did what was right in their own eyes" before the Lord; and darker than the failure at Kadesh Barnea when the unbelief of 10 spies caused a generation to perish in the wilderness. The ark was a symbol of the presence of God. Losing the symbol was not the issue - losing the power and presence of God was.

As we enter a new year we draw closer to the rapture of the church. We draw closer to the end of this age when the curtains of harvest will come down and judgment will be released throughout planet Earth to bring Israel back to her redeemer and to judge man's sin and rebellion. We are in a transitional time in the Body of Christ. This transition is not a transition from one fad to the other as much of what we see today is. This transition among the true body of believers is a time of preparation to the great harvest spoken of in scripture by the prophets and the apostles:

Joel 2:28-29
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: [29] And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

Acts 2:17-20
And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: [18] And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: [19] And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke: [20] The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:

This is harvest time upon planet Earth. The greatest thing the church has to offer the world right now is not its programs, not its activity, not its softball teams, not its contemporary Christian concerts, not its piousness or its arrogance. The greatest thing the church of the Lord Jesus can offer the world today is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. This gospel that shall be preached is not a gospel of words but of POWER. It's a gospel that Jesus saves, Jesus heals, Jesus baptizes in the Holy Ghost and Jesus is coming again. It's a gospel that preaches that Jesus came to not only forgive sinners, but to set sinners FREE by the power of His death, burial and resurrection. It's a gospel that centers on the CROSS and the power of the HOLY SPIRIT as the only avenues for man's deliverance. It's a gospel that does not depend on psychology or any other humanistic effort to bring victory to man's heart and life.

Hear what I say to you preacher. NO AMOUNT OF MONEY YOU SPEND RIGHT NOW ON WORLD MISSIONS to get the gospel out is TOO MUCH. No amount of money we spend on evangelistic outreaches to tell souls about Jesus is too much. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the LIGHT that can not go out in the temple of the Lord. That gospel is fueled and empowered by the HOLY GHOST. That light is the light that will break and penetrate the darkness of men's hearts and souls. Man does not have two, three, four, five or eight answers to his problems.

2 Cor. 4:3-6
[3] But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. [5] For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. [6] For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

1 Cor. 2:1-5
And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. [2] For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. [3] And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. [4] And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: [5] That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Hebrews 2:1-5
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. [2] For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; [3] How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; [4] God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?
[5] For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.

There is only one answer to the ills of humanity and that is the LORD JESUS CHRIST and Him crucified. The blood of Jesus still sets men free. The blood of Jesus still sets men free. The power of the Holy Ghost is still real today. The Holy Ghost is still real today. And (before) ere the lamp of God go out.....in the temple of the Lord....we need to take inventory of our lives and churches to see how bright that light is burning!

The Light In The Temple

As the writer of this narrative tells us, Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. The word of the Lord was precious in those days. Samuel's ministry was in the Holy Place of the tabernacle. If one approached this tabernacle, they would see the brazen altar at the door. Directly after the altar, they would see a bronze laver of water where the priests would wash themselves before entering the Holy Place. We are saved by the blood of Jesus (the brazen altar). After we are saved, we have the need for daily WASHINGS of the brazen laver. Jesus said we are washed by the water of the WORD OF GOD. This is a dirty filthy world. The spirit of this age infects us very easily, thus the need for cleansing. As Samuel entered into the Holy Place he would see on his right the table of showbread where sat 12 loaves of bread called the "bread of the face." The 12 loaves typifying the 12 tribes of Israel, were a type of Christ. The loaves typified that we must "partake" of the crucified Lamb as our sustenance and also the fact that all of God's blessings come through National Israel! It was through the children of Abraham, Isaac and JACOB that "all the nations of the earth shall be blessed."

It also speaks to us that man shall not live by "BREAD" alone, but by every WORD that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Nothing else will satisfy us and nothing else will sustain us on this journey. As Jesus said in John 6 - we must "eat his flesh, and drink his blood." No, that does not mean when you take communion Catholics you are partaking of the Lord's body.

It means a daily death to ourselves and a daily identification with HIM. We cannot leave any part of our lives in place. HE MUST HAVE ALL OF US. We must have a daily impartation of JESUS. There is no substitute for that.

As Samuel viewed the table of showbread he saw ahead the altar of worship where a sweet aroma rose to God as the priests took the fire of coal from the brazen altar, placed it on the altar of worship and beat the spices out. This process was a type and is a type of the intercessory work of Christ. Hear what I say to you today. That coal of fire from the brazen altar is a type and picture of the fact that ALL the intercessory work our Lord does for us today is a result of HIS FINISHED WORK AT CALVARY. All of His intercession would mean NOTHING had He not died on that cross. ALL of the work of the Holy Spirit in His intercessory work here on earth would mean NOTHING if He were not interceding for us based on the finished work of the Son. ALL TRUE WORSHIP MUST HONOR THE CROSS! Hear that neighbor. Hear that preacher. Hear that "Christian" entertainer. Your talent may sway the crowds and grant you applause, but the only power on earth that can set the captive free is the power of the cross of which that brazen altar typified. Glory to God. I feel that as I write this.

ALL WORSHIP must be in SPIRIT and in TRUTH. What is truth? Is it a doctrine? Is it a movement? Is it a church? Is it a denomination? Is is written words on a wall or handed out in a bulletin? NO NO NO NO NO. The truth is a PERSON and that person is JESUS CHRIST. And the SPIRIT OF GOD only works on our behalf as we identify with HIM! And identifying with HIM means we have identified with HIS DEATH, HIS BURIAL and HIS RESURRECTION!

Philip. 3:5-10
Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; [6] Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. [7] But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. [8] Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, [9] And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: [10] That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

And then on Samuel's left there would sit the Golden Lampstand. Called the golden "candlestick," in some translations, it was a lampstand of beaten gold (Exodus 37:17; Numbers 8:4) with middle shaft and three branches on each side, making seven lamps in all.

Exodus 37:17
And he made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the candlestick; his shaft, and his branch, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, were of the same:

Numbers 8:4
And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the Lord had showed Moses, so he made the candlestick.

Each branch and shaft were adorned with flowers, supposed to resemble lilies, with large knops (knobs) resembling pomegranates, and smaller knops representing almonds. The lampstand is supposed to have been about 3 ft. high and 2 ft. wide. It was to be set on the south wall of the holy place (Exodus 26:35), opposite the table of showbread on the north, so light would be reflected toward the table on which were the twelve loaves symbolizing the twelve tribes.

Exodus 26:35
And thou shall set the table without the veil, and the candlestick over against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south: and thou shall put the table on the north side.

The light was to burn perpetually, being serviced each evening and morning (Exodus 27:21; Leviticus 24:1-4), so the lamps were large enough to hold the oil needed for a whole day or night. A blue cloth and a covering of badger skins was placed over the candlestick and vessels in travel (Numbers 4:9-10). See Exodus 30:27; Exodus 31:8; Exodus 35:14; Exodus 37:17-20; Exodus 39:37; Exodus 40:4,24; Leviticus 24:4; Numbers 3:31; Numbers 4:9; Numbers 8:2-4; Hebrews 9:2. A type of the Holy Spirit, the lamp stand stands in type for us a believers today as the Holy Spirit's illumination of the WORD and the WORSHIP of the Lord Jesus.

Exodus 27:21
In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the Lord: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

Leviticus 24:1-4
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, [2] Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually. [3] Without the vail of the testimony, in the tabernacle of the congregation, shall Aaron order it from the evening unto the morning before the Lord continually: it shall be a statute for ever in your generations. [4] He shall order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before the Lord continually.

Listen closely to what I am about to say. The part of the candlestick that produced the light was the OIL. Pure olive oil, beaten "for the light" caused the lamps to burn continually. Aaron was ordered by GOD to make sure the lights were ALWAYS BURNING. They had to go in both morning and evening to "trim the wicks" of the light and "pour fresh oil" into the knobs so that the priests would always see what they were doing within the Holy Place. The reason this was so important is that all this ministry took place "BEFORE THE VEIL" of the testimony or literally BEFORE GOD!

The oil is a type of the Holy Spirit. The candlestick a type of the individual believer and in a way a type of the corporate body of believers as well. Jesus address the seven candlesticks in Revelations 2 and 3 as addressing HIS BODY. We cannot at any cost let the light go out in the temple of the LORD! That temple of the Lord is a type of the New Testament believer today. God no longer dwells in a temple made by hands, but HE DWELLS among US and IN US and through US. We no longer come to a tabernacle to worship, we ARE the tabernacle of worship. And the only way we will stay out of darkness is that the light never goes out in the temple of the Lord. As the writer wrote, Samuel ministered 'ere' (before) the light went out in the temple of the Lord.

The light went out in Israel's day. The word of God became precious in that time because there was very little true word from heaven. As I write these words I cannot help think with a broken heart are we in the same boat today. I know the modern day church boasts of hearing from God. I know we as the modern church boast of our big buildings, our huge payrolls, our huge attendance records, our 5 services on Sunday to hold everybody, our multiple activities that keeps the people coming back, our "state of the art" ministries that are on the "cutting edge" of what God is doing today. But I have to ask the question is if we hearing such monumental things from God why are we still dying? And why is the nation around us dying? And why is there sin rampant among the Body of Christ without many preachers even blushing about it anymore?

I am going to bring it down even closer to home. Why is it that the church of the living God has become divided into camps that cannot even agree on what day it is because we fight the Holy Ghost in our churches? Why is it that some churches will allow you to be a member in good standing even if you dip, smoke, cuss, watch dirty movies, drink, do drugs, sleep around and even put you in leadership with such issues, yet that same church would shove you out the door quicker than I can say Pentecostal if you received the baptism in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking with other tongues and stopped the cussing, stopped the drinking, stopped the fornicating, stopped the dipping and stopped the drugging?? ERE THE LAMP OF GOD GO OUT neighbor, before the Lamp of God goes out in our churches we need a fresh infilling of the HOLY GHOST! We need fresh oil in our lamps so we can SEE.

We don't even know we're in darkness. We're blind and don't know it. You say "how dare you say that, the modern church is the richest, the wealthiest, the biggest it's ever been, we don't need all that Holy Ghost stuff." And I say to you as Jesus said to the church at Laodicea:

Rev. 3:17-19
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: [18] I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see. [19] As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Anoint your eyes with EYE SALVE. That eye salve is a type of the HOLY GHOST, the OIL for the lamps! Without the Holy Ghost we cannot see. Without the Holy Ghost in control we cannot preach. Without the Holy Spirit we cannot teach. Without the Holy Spirit in control we cannot sing. Without the Holy Ghost in control we cannot minister.

And little by little by little by little the Holy Ghost has been pushed out of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Assemblies of God recently sent a questionnaire out to several residents of a northern Tennessee city to see what the public wanted in a church. A good majority of the responses came back with the statements that people felt "uncomfortable" with the "Pentecostal" experience and felt very awkward if someone spoke in tongues and gave messages of prophecy while they worshipped. The people said they wanted a church where they could feel "comfortable." Well isn't that interesting, the church asking the world what we can offer them to make them feel comfortable??????????????????????????????????? God help us.

The district presbyter proceeded to take the input and go to a local pastor of one of the largest Assembly of God churches in this town and tell him that he needed to tone down the "Pentecostal" nature of his services and keep 'tongues' to a minimum. He told this pastor that the AOG wanted to get more people into their movement and the way to do that was to make the churches "user-friendly." Neighbor, I can hardly write this without biting nails, but I'm sharing it with you for a reason. If we're not careful the light is going to go out in the temple of the Lord. As a result of this light going out in Israel, the ark of God was taken and the presence of God was removed from Israel. Thank God for this preacher who resigned on the spot and told the presbyter that he had to obey GOD and not man. Thank God for this preacher who told the AOG that he could care less of making his church user-friendly but he wanted to make his church GOD-FRIENDLY! He wanted to please God. He didn't care if nobody came he was going to preach the mighty gospel of Jesus Christ and that gospel including people getting baptized in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking with other tongues.

If the light of God goes out in our churches then neighbor the world outside is going to die! The light is going out, the light is going out. The Holy Ghost is NOT a denomination. The Holy Ghost and His ministries do not belong to Pentecostals only. It is a ministry the Lord has given to ALL His Body. Baptists, I love you but you need to heed what I am saying to you. You are fighting the power of Almighty God preacher when you stand in the pulpit and slam the moving and operation of the Holy Spirit. People like Hank Handergraff who constantly question the validity of the power of God today are standing on dangerous grounds.

Preacher you may not understand everything there is to understand about the Holy Ghost but hear what I say to you, you had better stop calling what is of God of Satan and then labeling what is Satan GOD! You are on dangerous dangerous dangerous dangerous grounds. I don't blink nor do I wince when I say that the reason is deader than last Sunday's bread is you have stopped the flow of the OIL of the Holy Ghost. You have stopped the oil and the anointing and the power of the flow of the Holy Spirit. And Pentecostals you should be ashamed of yourself for getting into the ditch with the part of the church that has denied this power for years because you want to be like them!! THE LIGHT IS GOING OUT ON US and we don't even know it. It cannot cannot cannot cannot cannot cannot go out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The light cannot go out. If it goes out, the people who will die and go to hell as a result will curse us at the judgment!! They will ask us preacher why we didn't allow God to be in control of our services instead of man?? They will ask us why we tried to do everything decently and in order but we forgot to understand that God sometimes may do things "messy" so that He can bring ORDER to a situation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Israel lost the ark of God because she allowed the light to go out in the temple of the Lord. We are going to lose the presence of God in our lives if we do the same. Sadly, the presence has left many churches already and no one even notices it. We don't even notice the Lord Jesus is not in the midst of us any longer. We don't even care. We have the machinery, we have the money, we have the means to carry on business in the church without needing a move from heaven. But neighbor hear me - in this modern-high-tech age we still need the POWER OF THE HOLY GHOST! We still need the POWER OF THE HOLY GHOST to be the church of the Lord Jesus! I am not glorifying gifts nor am I saying to you you have to speak in tongues to be saved, but if we resist the Holy Ghost in one area we as might as well resist Him in all areas. We are grieving Him by our unbelief, we are quenching Him by our resistance, and as Israel did so long ago, we are close to vexing Him to the place He has departed from many of our fellowships and even entire denominations.

Eli Was Laid Down In His Place, And His Eyes Began To Wax Dim, That He Could Not See

As we have stated before the circumstances surrounding Samuel's prophetic call and the existing condition of Israel are a warning for us today in the modern church. The lamp of God was going out and soon afterward the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant. Eli, the judge and High priest of Israel, had died and a child would later be born to Phinehas his son who's name says it all, Ichabod meaning "The glory of God has departed." We will discuss this more in detail later. In principle this story parallels many of the conditions within the Church in history and serve as a prophetic picture of our own time. The setting was at evening time, the light from the Lamp of God was shining less brightly in the temple and there was "no open vision" (revelation). It is very unusual that the lamp of God would have been going out at the very time of day when it normally should have been freshly fueled and burning its brightest. The Church can learn valuable lessons from this story. We are approaching the end of the age (evening) and before the lamp of God goes out we need to take fresh inventory of our walk with God and pour fresh oil into our lamps.

Proverbs 20:27
The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.

Psalm 119:105
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

This generation will rise up and condemn the leadership of the modern church for its blindness if we don't fill our lamps with oil. The light cannot go out in the temple of the Lord. Why? Because the temple of the Lord is where the Ark of God is.

And Ere The Lamp of God Went Out In The Temple Of The Lord, Where The Ark Of God Was

The temple of the Lord is where the ark of God was in Israel's day. The correlation is simple. If the light goes out, the ark goes and that is what happened to Israel during her darkest hour. The sad thing then as it is today is that Eli was so blind he didn't even realize the care of the lamp stand had eroded to this point. His sons were so wicked they could care less and the modern preacher who does not preach with the anointing of the Holy Ghost on his life could care less as well. The lamp of God stands for two things:

The word of God
The spirit of the believer

The lamp is not what gives light - it's the OIL! We must be filled with the Holy Ghost. We must be FILLED with the Spirit of God. This is a daily filling, not a weekly, monthly, 10-year or 20-year experience. It's a daily walk with the Father and communion with the Son.

As a result of the light going out, Israel's ark was taken. Her sworn enemy the Philistines set themselves in array in battle against God's people and God's people were SMITTEN before them. We are in the same battle today and sad to say we are losing the battle today because we don't even realize the light is going out and the ark is gone! We don't war with flesh and blood but against the powers of darkness that are after our children. That's why this message is relevant. I'm not trying to make you Pentecostal. I'm telling you that the only power in this universe able to withstand the powers of darkness is the power of the Holy Ghost! My God why would our churches want to fight the only power on earth that will set captives free??????

The Battle Ensues

1 Samuel 4:1-16
And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Eben-ezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. [2] And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.

Some 4,000 men died in this battle. After this shocking defeat the elders of Israel speak and ask why the Lord has allowed them to be smitten. It's interesting that after 9-11-2001 many "elders" within the Body of Christ were asking "WHY." We should have been asking "WHAT LORD WOULD YOU HAVE US DO??" That's religion. It's always asking "why" this and "why" that. When the light is out in the temple of the Lord and there is no Holy Ghost power that is what you're left with - RELIGION!

The elders go fetch the ark thinking the object itself will save them in this battle. When the ark comes into the camp the people shout so loud that the "earth rang again." When the Philistines hear it their response is the world's response to the church today "WHAT DOES THIS NOISE MEAN??" That is about what our worship and activity sounds like to the world today - NOISE. The reason it sounds like noise and it's not changing the society around us is the fact that the light has gone out in our temples and the ark of God has left the confines of our buildings. We know NOT what we worship any longer. We have substituted TRUE worship for ungodly entertainment. We have substituted HOLY GHOST inspired and unction-based preaching for user-friendly sermons that no longer convict but make people feel comfortable in their condition. This is spiritual DARKNESS and adultery!!

1 Samuel 4:3-6 - And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies. [4] So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubim's: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. [5] And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. [6] And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the Lord was come into the camp.

The Philistines understood the ark of the Lord had come into the camp. If the world can understand it, why can't preachers of the gospel discern when the ark has left??? I want to ask that question again. If the enemy of the Lord KNEW and understood when the ARK OF THE LORD came into the camp, why is it that so-called preachers of the gospel cannot discern when the ark has LEFT US?????? We sing our songs and the HOLY GHOST is not there. We preach our sermons and the HOLY GHOST along with JESUS stands out side our churches begging to get in and MOVE. God help us, God help us. Revival is not found in a man running up and down an aisle or bringing in a "specialist" to preach a few minutes. It's a move from heaven. It's an outpouring of the Holy Ghost on our hearts and souls, our homes, our churches, our LIVES!

Woe Unto Us, For God Has Come Into This Camp....Be Strong And Fight Like Men!

1 Samuel 7-11 - And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore. [8] Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. [9] Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight. [10] And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. [11] And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

The power of the ark of the Lord scared the Philistines. They were afraid of the God of Israel. But instead of running, their fear turned them into men who figured if they were going to go down to this God of Israel, they would go down like men and fight to the death. NEIGHBOR, this is the nature of the battle we are in in these last days. This is fight for the souls of men that is neither fair nor is it blood less. People are dying. People are getting hurt. People are wounded in their spirits. Our children are perishing as Hophni and Phinehas were. Our foundations are being attacked. People are departing from the faith, giving HEED to seducing spirits and doctrines of DEVILS. This is not a Sunday school picnic or tidily winks. This is eternity. This is spiritual warfare. It's not cowboys and Indians. It's the conflict of the ages that we are in the middle of and the only power on this planet that will keep us in this fight and out of darkness and despair is the power of the HOLY GHOST!

What Is There Done, My Son?

1 Samuel 4:12-16 - And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head. [13] And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out. [14] And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli. [15] Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see. [16] And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son?

A man from Benjamin runs from the army back to Eli and the people in Shiloh. The Bible says Eli "trembled for the ark of God." The sad note on that statement is that it was too late - the ark was already gone. Preacher it will be too late to tremble for the presence of God when it's gone. You can keep preaching your unbelief and your sardonic sarcasm of the things of the Spirit to your people, but the presence of Almighty God is about to depart from your church. The church needs to be trembling before the ARK OF GOD NOW before the lamp of God goes out in the temple of the Lord. The presence of God is what gives us the LIGHT, the HOLY GHOST. Eli sat by the wayside "watching." That's what we seem to be doing a lot of today - "watching" in the church. "Watching" for this, and watching for that. God help us. Every fad under the sun that trickles down from headquarters seems to be the fashion and theme of the day. The messenger ran home with his clothes rent. He found the leadership (ELI) by the wayside watching. That is a picture of the two streams in the Body today. There is a group of people right now as I write this in deep intercession and travail for the days we are living in.

Another stream sadly is like Eli. They preach a gospel that requires nothing, says nothing and does nothing. No unction, no word from heaven, no anointing and no POWER. They sit and WATCH and hope things happen. They watch for the denominations they belong to to make sure the church rolls are full. God help us. But all the while the lamp of God has gone out and the ark of God has been taken from the house of the Lord. Eli didn't know what had happened and he asks the young messenger "What is there done, my son?" It's a question we need to ask ourselves today!

The Message Of The Messenger Is The Warning To The Church Today

1 Samuel 4:17
And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.

The messenger returns to Eli with three statements that show us what happens and will happen if the light of the lamp goes out in the temple of the Lord:

There has been a great slaughter among the people
Thy two sons are dead
The ark of God is taken

There Has Been A Great Slaughter Among The People

If the light goes out in the temple of the Lord as it did in Israel's day I can guarantee you that there will be great slaughter among the people. Listen to me friend. The church's NUMBER ONE OUTREACH and ministry is the LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL. It's not entertainment. It's not sports. It's not even leadership conferences as important and great as those may be. The church's main outreach and ministry is NOT even displaying the gifts of the Spirit for the world to see as wonderful as that may be as well. IF THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT are not pointing people to Jesus then that church or individual ministry is more than likely chasing "another spirit" or "spirits" instead of the HOLY GHOST!

We recently did a tape regarding abortion and Dr. Raymond Finney stated that nearly 42 MILLION babies have died since Roe V. Wade was passed in 1973. That was the law the Supreme Court upheld which basically legalized abortions in this nation. Aids has claimed nearly 1 million people worldwide. Deaths from alcohol, drugs and suicide are in the millions as well. NEIGHBOR THERE IS A GREAT SLAUGHTER AMONG US. People are dying in sin and their only hope is the mighty gospel of Jesus Christ. You can close every abortion clinic in America and pass every anti-Abortion law you want to but sad to say that will NOT STOP ABORTION! Abortion will be stopped when the hearts and lives of the people involved in this - the man, the woman and the doctor - are changed by the power of God and set free from sin by the BLOOD OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST! We cannot legislate freedom. Law has never saved anyone nor will ever save anyone today. Yes, we need law. Law is the fabric of society and God-ordained. But when it comes to spiritual matters, the law only does us good if our hearts are in tune with THE LAW - the laws of GOD!

Violence corrupts this earth. Men kill each other for things like stop watches and less money than you would need to purchase a coke. There is a great slaughter among us. Suicide rates are going up - even in the church - because the LIGHT IS GOING OUT! THE LIGHT IS GOING OUT! THE LIGHT IS GOING OUT! Preacher when you resist the HOLY GHOST you are putting out the LIGHT!!!

Church, if the light goes out in our fellowships and congregations, the people who will die first are our own people! The world which already sits in darkness will ultimately perish as well. Judgment BEGINS at the house of GOD FIRST! The church has been placed on this earth to be the LIGHT that brings men out of the darkness of sin! There is no other substitute!

Thy Two Sons Are Dead

Secondly, when the light goes out in the temple of the Lord, our children will perish. The generation of young people in our churches right now are BORED with what they see and feel. That is why we have had to resort to all sorts of foolishness to keep their attention and attendance in our churches. It used to be that the power of God was enough to keep them. They saw things like people getting healed, people getting delivered, people getting saved, people receiving the baptism in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking with other tongues. Those are SPIRITUAL matters that will keep them. If we have to entertain them to get them in we will have to keep entertaining them to keep them. That is not God's WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God's way is for the light of His Spirit to burn so brightly and powerfully that all those who come into the sanctuaries of our churches and tabernacles of our fellowship will feel the ILLUMINATION of the Spirit and want to return.

Contrary to what you've been told the youth are NOT the church of tomorrow. Friend, we are not promised tomorrow. They are part of the church TODAY! They are a vital part of what the Lord is doing in Planet EARTH now! We can't wait for tomorrow to teach them righteousness and holiness and show them the power of God in our lives. The sons of Eli perished because of sin and the fact that the LIGHT was going out in the temple of the Lord. Our sons and daughters are perishing too.

I've said this recently and I will say it again. If the church of the living God doesn't stop fighting the Holy Ghost 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 and the baptism in the Holy Ghost. 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 perish in this last days battle if the light of God goes out in the temple of the Lord! YOU mom and dad are those temples!!!!! IF YOU KEEP DENYING THE POWER OF GOD BEFORE THEM THEY WILL PERISH!! THERE IS NO OTHER PLACE TO TURN FOR THEIR DELIVERANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 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 sons, Josh, Brandon and Caleb, 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. We cannot let the light of God go out in the temple of the Lord!! We cannot let the light go out!!" Our children will die neighbor 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. Up until 1999 when me and their 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 ministered at a local church we attended. 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. This past year Brandon received the baptism in the Holy Ghost and now speaks in tongues as the Spirit of God gives the utterance. No, he don't understand everything about it as no 10 year old would. But he just accepts the fact it's real and it was for HIM TODAY! He recently had another supernatural encounter with the Lord where the Lord touched his little heart and made him tremble under the power of the anointing.

Most seminary graduates are denying the power of God and are leading many down a road of destruction - including the youth - who will one day perish if the light goes out!!!! WHY IS IT MY 10-YEAR OLD UNDERSTANDS GOD IS REAL TODAY AND PREACHERS CAN'T????????????????????????????????? Preachers hear what I say to you. I plead with you to repent and preach the WORD OF ALMIGHTY GOD WITHOUT FEAR OR FAVOR and above all things GET THE ANOINTING and the UNCTION OF THE HOLY GHOST IN YOUR LIVES so that unction and anointing can be loosed on this generation of dying young people. Our children will perish if the lamp of God goes out in the temple of the Lord. 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.

I'm not ashamed to pray in tongues in front of my kids. I'm not ashamed to lay hands on them when they are sick and pray God's healing power over them. I'm not ashamed to just call them together sometimes and just lay hands on them asking the Lord to touch them in supernatural ways and reveal His mighty GLORY to them. I remember a night many years ago now when one of my sons was sick that the Lord got me out of bed about 4 a.m. I went into the room where he was sleeping in and just laid my hands on him and started praying in tongues. In that self same hour the fever he had lifted. If we're driving in a car and my little Brandon or Caleb falls asleep Ill just lay my hands on them and start interceding over them in the Spirit. I also pray in front of them and have spoken in tongues while praying for them and with them. 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. I know in my life I have have just as many failures as successes but this one thing I do know. My sins are forgiven and placed under the blood of JESUS CHRIST and that blood has set me free today from the powers of darkness. The devil may think he's winning but he's only getting a few jabs in - the CHAMPION - OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST- has knocked him out!!!!!!! GLORY TO GOD. I feel like shouting.

Listen to me neighbor. Listen to me parents. Listen to me pastors. Our children are watching us and they are listening to what we are saying. And they will be our judges. And they will perish if we allow the light to go out in the temple of the Lord. 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 die if the lamp goes out in the temple of the Lord.

The Ark Of God Is Taken.....

The third thing the messenger told Eli when he returned from the carnage was "the ark of the Lord is gone (taken0" and Israel has fled before her enemies. Let me talk to you a minute about that ark. The ark itself was just an object. There was absolutely nothing magical about that cabinet that had the mercy seat on top with the cheribums facing each other looking down on the broken law, Aaron's rod and the manna from the wilderness. It represented though the PRESENCE AND THE POWER OF GOD It was where GOD DWELT!

Psalm 80:1
To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim-Eduth, A Psalm of Asaph.
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwells between the cherubims, shine forth.

Psalm 99:1
The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.

This Psalm tends to indicate that even in the Millennial and eternal temple the Lord will have His throne between the cherubim (Ezekiel 43:7; Zech. 6:12-14).He has always dwelt there in Israel's economy and Moses' tabernacle. This is the place the priest could only come ONCE a year. This is the place where the very SHEKINAH GLORY OF GOD rested between the cherubims above the mercy seat. That mercy seat is where the BLOOD was sprinkled on the Day of Atonement. CHRIST IS THAT MERCY SEAT TODAY.

The picture is clear as crystal. The power of God rests on the finished work of the CROSS! The power of God and the presence of God rests on the FINISHED WORK OF THE CROSS!! Everything we have today is a result of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything we have been given by God - be it healing, be it salvation, be it the baptism in the Holy Spirit - is a result of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus. The Holy Spirit was sent to testify and to bear witness this to the believer while on earth and to empower the believer to REST in that same finished work and to allow the presence of God to DWELL among us and IN US and work THROUGH US.

But when the light goes out, and we stop preaching the cross and we stop sending forth LIGHT into this dark world - then the ark of God will be taken from us. The ark of God will be removed from us. Some of you reading this attend churches that haven't had a salvation experience in YEARS. Some of you reading this are attending churches that has not had a healing in YEARS. Some of you reading this attend churches that the Holy Ghost is not allowed to work and if he is allowed to move it's only in the confines of man's stupid ceremonies and plans. God help us if we're reading the bulletin and the Holy Ghost wants to bring conviction and see someone saved. God help us if the choir special is messed up and the Holy Ghost would rather see people healed! God help us if the preacher's sermon is NOT what the Holy Ghost wants. (Its a dead sermon being preached by a dead preacher to a dead congregation anyway) Why don't we let the HOLY GHOST take control and allow the ARK OF GOD to come back to our churches?? When the ark is there people are saved! People are healed! People are delivered! People are set free from the powers of darkness and set free from the shackles and chains of SIN! Satan doesn't dwell where God is!! Satan has to FLEE in the name of JESUS!

But when the ark is gone and the glory has departed, people die a slow religious death that ultimately always degenerates into self-righteousness among our people. We are so SMUG in the church today-even in Pentecostal circles - even though the ark has been taken. This is not a time for us to be smug and arrogant. It's a time for us to TREMBLE as the PSALMIST said before the Lord who dwells between the cherubims, lest His ark be taken and the people perish.

Eli Breaks His Neck, Ichabod - The GLORY IS DEPARTED FROM ISRAEL

1 Samuel 4:18-22
And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.
[19] And his daughter in law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her. [20] And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it. [21] And she named the child I-chabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. [22] And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.

As I bring this journal to a close, we see the news hitting Eli in such a way that he falls off his seat backwards by the side of the gate and "breaks his neck" and dies. Not to sound cruel or cold but that is what has got to happen to this sickening fad-chasing in the church. The days that are ahead are going to be filled with much peril and danger. The days ahead are going to require a people who are in tune with the Spirit of God unlike any time in their history. The days ahead are going to require leadership that is sensitive to the ARK OF GOD and the presence of God!

His daughter in law hears the same news and it sends her into travail "for her pains came upon her." Neighbor, the "pains" are about to come upon us if the light goes out in the temple of the Lord. She has a son but 'does not even regard it' because of the tragedy that befalls Israel as the ark of God is gone now and the GLORY HAS DEPARTED. She names her son I-chabod, which literally means "the glory of God has departed." It's a title that has been written upon many church doors and many lives today.

Neighbor, this journal is meant to stir you and I into checking our lamps! The priests were required to do three things twice daily with the lamps in the temple of the Lord -

Trim the wicks
Pour fresh oil into the candle holder
Make sure all the ashes and soot are cleaned out so the light can burn purely

Some of us needs our wicks TRIMMED by the Holy Ghost. That speaks of REPENTANCE. The light is going out in some of our lives because of sin! Sin will cause the light go out! Sin in the lives of Eli's son caused Israel to backslide into oblivion and darkness. We need to TRIM OUR WICKS and repent! The Holy Ghost has come to first and foremost CONVICT OF SIN!

John 16:8-10
And when he is come, he will reprove (CONVICT) the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: [9] Of sin, because they believe not on me; [10] Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

That is His most important office! That is the work He is doing in us today in the body of Christ to get us ready for the rapture of the church which is soon to take place. If we are going to be a light to this world we cannot have the soot and the dirty ashes associated with the world on us. The blind can't lead the blind! And a sinful church can't lead a sinful world out of the ditch and darkness it's in!

Secondly, we need to make sure we have fresh oil in our lamps. Friend, you need to be FILLED with the Holy Ghost. I don't care what your denomination has told you or what they believe. Being filled with the Spirit is NOT an option, it is a command by God!

Ephes. 5:17-20
Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. [18] And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; [19] Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; [20] Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

And I could care less who is reading this that don't agree with what I am going to say next but when you are filled with the Holy Spirit (which is a SECOND and SUBSEQUENT WORK AFTER SALVATION) you WILL SPEAK IN TONGUES as the Spirit of God GIVES THE UTTERANCE! Tongues are not the only sign of a spirit-filled life but they are a SIGN that you have received the infilling of the Holy Spirit according to Acts 2:4 and Acts 1:4-5. It is part of the children's "BREAD." It is the power of God inside of you - the HOLY SPIRIT praying HIMSELF through you to GOD! The Baptist denomination especially is very opposed to that statement and that's quite ok to be frank. The Baptist may think they have the market on world evangelism because they pass out tracts and their churches are growing. But growth is not about numbers. It never has been about numbers. Some of the largest churches in the world are deader and colder than a doornail and polar bear's nose on Sunday. The only power on earth that will bring in the harvest is the power that the Baptist world fights. Sadly, the Pentecostal world has decided that since the Baptist world is killing them in the numbers game that we have got to get into bed with them and deny the very power of God that made us different in the first place.

Some of you may read that and say "that's not a very unifying statement brother McDonald." Uh, neighbor, TRUE UNITY IS NOT the sickening "everybody is going to the same place" and "everybody believes the same thing" line you hear today. Everybody Don't BELIEVE THE SAME thing. There is not a market on the truth by anyone. THE TRUTH is a person. TRUE UNITY is found in JESUS and JESUS CHRIST came to set men free from sin and that they might be FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST!

Ephes. 2:19-22
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; [20] And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; [21] In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: [22] In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

He has built us together to be a "HABITATION OF GOD THROUGH THE SPIRIT." That's why you're saved friend. That's why you are born again so that he may fill you with HIS POWER so you can be a witness for him in this earth in these last days that are ahead of us. We need fresh oil in our lamps. If you have been filled with the Spirit that experience does not need to be a 5-year old experience. It does not need to be a 5-week old experience. It does not need to be a 5-day old experience. It needs to be a DAILY WALK WITH THE LORD and a daily infilling of the Spirit. You need to speak in tongues every day. You need to pray in tongues every day. You need to allow the Holy Spirit to BUILD YOU UP ON YOUR MOST HOLY FAITH.

Jude 1:17-25
But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; [18] How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. [19] These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. [20] But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, [21] Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. [22] And of some have compassion, making a difference: [23] And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. [24] Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, [25] To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

I'm here to tell you today if we will hear His voice and obey Him, He will KEEP US FROM FALLING! The days ahead will require us to be BUILT UP in our most holy faith!

Lastly, the priests would clean out the candle holders and snuff dishes to make sure the soot and ashes were removed. Ashes are a sign of a fire that once burnt. Smoke is a sign of a fire that once existed but now is going out. Many of you reading this were once on fire for God. The light BURNED BRIGHTLY. The light burned so brightly many of you preached this gospel with a fervency that shook hell itself. But now through discouragement and sin that light has flickered out and only smoke remain. Neighbor, the Lord wants to relight that fire today! ERE THE LAMP OF GOD GO OUT IN THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD. YOU AND I ARE THAT TEMPLE TODAY. That light cannot go out in our hearts and lives because it is the only hope for humanity. It is the LIGHT OF THE WORLD the Lord Jesus Christ and the light of HIS GOSPEL which can set the captive free.

In Closing, A Smoking Flax

Isaiah 42:3
A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.

Matthew 12:20
A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.

These two verses are matters for a future journal in themselves but as I close today I want to mention them briefly. Isaiah prophesied that a bruised reed he would not break and SMOKING FLAX he will not quench. The allusion is to a wick burning with feeble flame from lack of oil, almost extinguished. Such wicks can be put out easily as mentioned in Isaiah 43:17 where tow is the same word rendered flax here. The Messiah would not quench the flickering, weak light and hope of Israel until He sent forth judgment unto victory (Matthew 12:20). It also speaks of the individual believer today. Jesus is not going to quench a smoking flax...rather, He's going to bring it forth back to victory!

Isaiah 43:17
Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow.

Jesus said "I WILL NOT PUT THAT SMOKING FLAX OUT!" "I WILL NOT QUENCH THE FIRE" but I will BLOW ON THAT smoking flax again and allow it to send forth judgment unto VICTORY. Some of you reading this are smoking flaxes and bruised reeds. Jesus wants to relight your fire today. Neighbor hear me today. THIS LIGHT CANNOT GO OUT IN THE TEMPLE OF GOD. THIS LIGHT CANNOT GO OUT IN THE TEMPLE OF GOD. THIS LIGHT CANNOT GO OUT IN THE TEMPLE OF GOD. NO MATTER THE COST, NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES MAKE SURE YOUR LIGHT IS BURNING BRIGHTLY RIGHT NOW.

Some of you are very discouraged and I know that light is not burning like it once did. He wants to "BLOW" on that light through the power of the HOLY SPIRIT. The Holy Spirit is the OIL, the FRESH OIL, that He wants to pour on you today to make that light shine brightly for His Kingdom!

Matthew 5:16-18 - Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 6:22
The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

1 Cor. 3:16
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

You need to have fresh oil today. And ere the lamp of God go out in the temple of the Lord, we must make sure that light NEVER GOES OUT! In Him, Blessings and Shalom. Pray with me please:

Heavenly Father, the light is going out in my temple today. Father forgive me for the sin that has caused this light to not burn as brightly as it has in the past. Pour fresh oil in my candle holder today so that the light may NEVER GO OUT and I will be a witness for you in your Kingdom. FILL ME WITH THE HOLY GHOST. I believe that You didn't just come to die to save me from sins and deliver me from the powers of darkness but You came to make Me a fit habitation for YOUR SPIRIT. I believe that today and want to receive the precious gift of the Holy Ghost. I pray that you baptize me in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking with other tongues. I receive this gift just like I did salvation - FREELY and by FAITH. I know You want me to burn brightly for you and I don't want the lamp of God in my heart to go out in the Temple of your Holy Ghost. I submit my life to you today oh Lord and ask you to make a fit vessel for your habitation and Spirit. Prepare me to be a sanctuary for you! In Jesus name, Amen.

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