Divorced People in Ministry? What does the Bible say? What about Benny Hinn? How should we then live after a Divorce in Ministry among us?

I have been listening all week from the Holy Spirit to get the mind of Christ regarding an issue that torments churches, denominations and Christian Ministers who are the victims and sometimes even the initiators of divorce.

Some denominations and church groups point to passages in scripture as basis for saying, “We will ordain neither Minister nor Pastor who has been divorced”. None. That’s final.

And at the other extreme, there are those who say, Divorce is a natural outcome of some marriages, it must be accepted and does not affect the way a Minister or Ministry does the essential works of God. It matters not at all. It plays no role in ministry selection or ordination. It's incidental.

I am not of either camp. I say with Prophetic Authority that neither is the mind of the Holy Spirit of God. I do so by Study of Scripture and a grasp of the heart of God towards men. It’s always a heart of Compassion. Not towards the divorced alone, but toward those who are affected for good or evil by the event, particularly in ministry.

Regarding divorce. There are three event time lines that must be considered to measure the nature of continued ministry after divorce.

1. A person has lived a life of sin and rebellion. During this time he or she goes thru a divorce. Or an abortion. Or a hundred other consequences from Sin. If that person then repents, comes to Jesus then "OLD things are passed away. Behold ALL things are become new". If you have any struggle with that, I suggest you go to your Bible and tear out page 763 or whatever page that passage appears in your big black book. It’s a settled issue. The process of being born again makes all sin of the past null and void. Never happened before the throne. The devil, even a religious devils, has no place to participate in accusation with effect. They are silenced. That person is fully qualified to minister at every level scripturally.

2. A person who is a committed Christian, trying hard to live a life for Jesus and then because of a multitude of sins and events on both sides of the marriage a marriage dies. The marriage is fought for. The efforts trying to come to reconciliation never bear fruit. The end of the marriage occurs. The scar is made. That person is now carrying the scar, the wound, the pain of a past divorce. Self examination is essential. It’s impossible not to go thru that. During that time self recrimination will reign. Some is of the accuser. Some is the Spirit of God using this pain (God never wastes pain) to help the Christian find new hope for a better way. Brokenness occurs and the pain is real, even if the divorced individual remarries; there is always the understanding that if ONLY I had tried harder I might have not have gone thru this. As has been said in a previous writing, the scar is the result of the sin. The scar is NOT the sin.

Over time, the brokenness and recovery will cause a man or a woman to be doubly, perhaps triply diligent if they should ever marry again. They become the biggest advocate for Holy sound foundation marriage of anyone on the planet. Like the evangelism of an ex smoker. I need a person who has come from pain telling me and others how to avoid the pain they have gone thru. They have earned the right. And in some ways, they are better equipped to enter into worship with the pain they have than I might be feeling pretty smug about having it “All Together”. I knew a woman who shortly after becoming a Christian had an abortion. She did it in an impulse of pain and sin. She then realized what had happened. She had been deceived by the enemy. To this day she is one of the most militant ministers to those facing unplanned pregnancy out of what she did that you will ever meet. She took her pain and turned it against the enemy who deceived her into it. If I called her name you would know it.

A person who has healed can and often will minister with power and grace to those who suffer from the same scar. And should.

3. Then there is the platform minister who is high profile who is seen as a role model and a leader by those in his flock and those on the outside who admire him or her. These people carry an extra burden. The burden James, the brother of Jesus, spoke of when he said, “Let not many of you be teachers”. When you talk of shoulds and shouldn’ts with authority you have to be able to stand scrutiny.

When a High Profile minister or ministry is divorced in the middle of his or her high profile ministry, what should they do? Their focus must be on the sheep following them. Those who look to them. Those who hold them as those who they would “Follow me as I follow Christ”. What of That? There are some realities. They must step back for a while in recognition of what has just happened. They must not treat this as some incident without consequence. No matter the incident. Look at Ted Haggard. Look at Jimmy Swaggart. Look at those ministers arrested for Drunken Driving. They all were scarred by the situation. The sin led to a stain, a scar that is going to be with them for the rest of their lives. It has had a permanent impact on how they minister to people. Things will never be the same. We must come to grips with what happens when a high profile minister in a high profile ministry has to deal with the consequence of sin. The souls of those who look to them are in Jeopardy. If they fail in this there will be blood on their hands.

The first two examples above are clearly dealt with. The confusion in the Body of Christ is what about this last situation? The very situation that Benny Hinn is involved in at this moment makes this salient. If I had the capacity to speak into his life, I would say no different from what I am saying here. This is not being judgmental, this is holding situation and behavior up against the mirror of the Word of God and allowing the Spirit of God to reflect reality, not cultural relativistic reasoning.

If in the unfortunate circumstance that a visible leader ends up in a divorce and the reconciliation never happens, the mess is exposed, what should they do? I have many good friends who are in ministry who have been in exactly this situation. Most handled it pretty well. Some not. There are the recent high profile folks like Todd Bentley, Paula White and Charles Stanley. Of course the list is far too long. And with the Benny Hinn news, it’s too current for any of us to find helpful to kingdom work.

There isn’t much to worry about what our witness is to the world or how they view us. That's not the Holy Spirit's prime concern. If we carry the marks of Christ we will be despised and rejected. That’s not the concern. The concern is for those saints of God who look to these great men and women with admiration and a desire to become what they have become in Jesus. The Follow me as I follow Jesus syndrome. There is no out on this. The bar is much higher for them.

What must that be? If a man or woman of God faces this permanent scar, this result of sin on many sides, how should they confront and deal with it.

I believe by the Holy Ghost there are answers. They may not be pleasant but they are true. That man or woman must not treat their ministry above the covenant they made at the altar. To do so sends a false message to those who look up that marriage as a convenience but that ministry trumps all. That’s not true. Worse it give evil license to one who says, “My ministry will go on despite the troubles in my family, my marriage, my”. Hogwash. It won’t. To pretend otherwise is gross deception. It was for Jimmy Swaggart. It was for Jim Bakker. It was for Todd Bentley. It is for Paula White. It is for Charles Stanley.

The ministry a divorced high profile person has will never be the same after a divorce. It can be greater, IF, the steps to allowing the Holy Spirit’s cleansing to take place. The Glory of the Latter house can be greater than the former. I’m astounded that people in Ministry think that they can pray in Tongues for fifteen minutes and all will be well. It’s not so. It’s a process. A process that requires time, reflection, repentance, restoration and humility far beyond what any of them believe. I think Jim Bakker got there. Perhaps Charles Stanley. The rest. Not yet. It’s not something someone else can “bring you thru” as some have tried. It is a personal repentance and rebuilding that is not a program. No one can Program a restoration. Holy Spirit is offended by the whole idea that a man or others can take a person suffering this scar and restore without consequence.

The scar is there. The person must embrace the scar. It is who they are now. Pretending it doesn’t exist if foolish. Probably deception. To pretend that things are just as they ever were and move on in ministry is denial. To imagine that this scar is a permanent disqualifier is an illusion made of self righteousness.

Many flawed people were used mightily of God despite their flaws and scars. King David. King Saul. Apostle Peter. Thomas the Doubter. John Mark. The rich young ruler who many believe was Barnabas. And others who were at first enemies of Paul but after time became big supporters of the cause of Christ. The same is true of many saints of today, but fewer than before.

So, what if… what should be done. First time. I don’t know how much time is needed, but time is. If the marriage has a chance to be saved, time to work on that to the exclusion of all else. Those who are on the other side of this will testify that saving what they had would be far more valuable than the joys of any second or third marriage.

Plus the scar wouldn’t be there. That ghost from the past wouldn't haunt them.

What can a person in ministry who suddenly is faced with impending divorce? Like Benny Hinn is right now. What should he or she do? That changes all priorities. At that moment in time and for the foreseeable future, the full time ministry of that minister becomes his family, his wife, his marriage. He must spend all his time, suspend all other activities; become sold out to this effort. Nothing that moment takes priority over that issue.

I have been asked, could I? Not only could, did. When faced with impending divorce 28 years ago, I quit my job, I took my wife away. We set aside our children 7 and 10 years old with reluctant family. Left house and home for months and went away to figure out how to solve this rift. It was crucial. My ministry was my family. Nothing else had priority. Not healing the sick. Not people needing salvation. Not people needing guidance. Not people needing the Holy Ghost. All that was tertiary to the need of restoration. We worked hard. It took years to get it right. It doesn’t always work out that way. I wish it did. But to pretend that a minister can just go on with business as usual and without consequence if foolishness. I would say the same to Benny Hinn if I had the chance.

In the Church is pretty hard on workaholics who sacrifice children and family on the altar of “Success”. Why do we give ministers and ministries a pass? We can’t. They are guilty of the same sins.

I have never understood the idea that God’s call is so important that we can or should offer up our covenant marriage relationship on the altar of that call as a sacrifice. To do so is an abomination. That says that God’s intent is to destroy families for the sake of the Call on people's lives. I know there’s a song that talks about the sake of the call. Its bad theology if we thing there is something Holy about abandoning the wife of our youth for the call of God. God HATES divorce above the honor of any call on a person’s life. The ministers of God have got that idea wrong for a long time.

The higher the anointing on any person’s life, the higher the level of responsibility there is for that person. We can’t have reckless ministers just deciding what is right for them. They must hear from the Spirit of God. Most do not. Deafness occurs.

There must be a time, however long it takes were if the marriage doesn’t work out, that the person is able to come broken to the pulpit and thru tears minister the Love and Mercy of God to people who need to see this. They are then ready to return and will do great exploits.

To do any less tramples under foot the blood of Jesus. It treats our fleshly ambitions as more important than the capacity for Holy Ghost redemption and restoration. I know several who have gone thru this process and are till still going thru it. Tim, Theresa, Marlon, Terrance. Others. They know who they are. I respect and honor them because they waited on God before returning to the Pulpit or taking the Pulpit. They minister out of their personal pain and suffering. I couldn’t do what they do. I minister on this side of the Scar.

In the end, the divorce is a scar. It must heal. It’s harder when not given time or sunlight to heal. It is not a badge of honor. It is recognition of the humanity of the minister. Like a drunken driving conviction. Like an abortion. Like Theft. Lying. And the power of the Repentance and Restoration in testimony.

Should a divorced minister marry again? Paul the Apostle says, if it’s possible NO. That wasn’t a rule, it was a suggestion. It’s better if you are going to serve God to avoid marriage, particularly again. Yet, it is not good for man (or woman) to be alone. So in that case, rather than burn with lust (as has happened too often in the Catholic Church) it’s better than a minister be married.

Soon? Probably not. Give it time. After all hope of any kind of reconciliation is lost. Then, privately, with no flowing gowns, in a quiet time, marry for love and devotion. Make a covenant with confidence that God is in it. Some of the Big weddings for second marriage I have seen (Juanita Bynam) are an offense to God. I hardly have to be a prophet to say so, but since I am I am, I do. It is honoring the death of a covenant and the creation of a new. What message would be sent if a widow was remarried with a grand and glorious ceremony that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars after the death of her first husband? Someone would have the right to question IF that was in order and if it didn’t dishonor the memory of the passed spouse. What about the passed covenant? When a divorce without reconciliation is consummated it is the spiritual equivalent to becoming a widow or widower. Treat it as such.

If a man or woman cannot stand being alone for lust a minister has the responsibility to be remarried. It’s better if they don’t. If they do, it should be honorable and small. Honoring. If a man or woman in ministry is married to one person, they are husband or wife of ONE. ONE, even if there was a death or divorce before.

A minister who has dealt with all the issues resulting from his or her divorce has the right and at some point the responsibility to follow the call of God on his or her life. BUT, it must be in order as defined above. This is not looked upon lightly by the Father. It’s a serious issue. Repentance for the sins that led to the divorce from both sides must be dealt with.

THEN

With the Holy Ghost and Power we must move ahead with the mandate given us. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19.

It’s his purpose for all of us, but first we must be made ready. Lord Prepare ME to be a sanctuary, pure and Holy, Tried and True. With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living, sanctuary, FOR YOU.

About Divorce and Remarriage and Ministry...and Benny Hinn

To answer the question regarding people who are divorced or divorced and remarried and their role in ministry, we must first be certain we understand Jesus and his teachings on divorce and remarriage. They are hard teachings, yet if we look carefully at what he said and what others said by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the Bible perhaps we can come to understanding in properly judging what is right and wrong, proper and improper, Biblical and Unbiblical regarding divorce that one who ministers with that scar. I have not given biblical references, but if you have a question where I got this, I can. I'm assuming my readers are biblically literate and understand the allusions I make. On the other hand, if demanded, I will include all the Bible Bullets.

Can anyone who is a minister be divorced? Many are. Many do? They were once at a point in their lives where things happened that led to a difficult and undesirable end. That end caused pain and suffering only one who has been thru it can understand. There were mistakes. The marriage might have been fought for by Counseling. Time. Patience. Sometimes no matter the efforts at reconciliation, a marriage dies.

Now they are Divorced. The sin is not the divorce, sin is cause of the divorce. Pride, stiffneckedness, infidelity, anger, unforgiveness, bitterness and a thousand other sins of the spirit will lead to the woundedness, and it leaves a nasty scar. It's the same application of all kinds of things that lead to all kinds of sin and death. Its part of the curse of sin that we must constantly have dealt with in our lives. Let me be clear. The Bible never calls divorce a Sin. It's a scar. A wound. A blemish. Like might happen if a person was in an automobile accident and now carries the scar of that disaster. The Scar is not sin. Perhaps the one injured was the driver, perhaps the one driving was drunk and in the accident that resulted there was a scar left. The scar is the result of sin

Sin carries consequence. If you drink too much and get cirrhosis of the liver, the cirrhosis is the wound, not a sin. The drunkenness is the sin. If you rob a convenience store and are shot by the owner for your attempt in sin, the hole in your side is not the sin, the act of robbery was.

Of course sometimes, not as often as we think, people are sideswiped by a divorce experience. They are surprised by a divorce filing as Benny Hinn says he was. I won't cast stones. I will ask the obvious question....How can a man or woman ever be surprised at a divorce filing if there is intimate communication going on in the marriage at an intentional level? Not paying attention may well be a sin of omission. This deals with all the things about "Falling Out of Love".

So, what then? Is divorce the ultimate unpardonable sin (even though it's not a sin, it's a scar). Of course not, there is only one unpardonable. The way some treat it, it seems to be. I make no excuses for divorce. I don't wink at it. I don't go soft on Divorce. I recognize it as a scar. A scar that may not need to be shown to just anyone. It's a private matter but it needs to not be hidden either. There is a spiritual balance, particularly for one in ministry. Avoiding the accuser of the brethren is best accomplished by SONSHINE.

If Jesus paid for our SINS, does that include the ones that lead to the scar? The scar from the drunk driving accident, the scar from the alcoholism, the scar from the aborted robbery? Did Jesus sacrifice on the cross where he not only took our sins, he became SIN for us, was it sufficient? Does propitiation cover that sin?

I'll let YOU decide. I already know the answer.

Now, the BIBLE does say many things. God hates Divorce. Because men have hard hearts Moses allowed for it. The Levitical law was pretty specific about who could and could not minister at the altar. These requirements are previous to the better covenant.

Jesus was asked by Pharisees about Divorce. They asked about a specific type of divorce called "Any Cause" divorce that was practiced by men in Jesus day. Men could divorce their wives for "Any Cause"...just say, I divorce you and turn the wife out on the street. It was a brutal practice. It wasn't recognized by Jesus; "Any Cause" divorce. In fact he said, if a man divorced his wife under these principles he causes that woman to commit adultery because the divorce wasn't recognized.

Jesus does talk about what causes there are for legitimate divorce. Adultery being key among them. Now, what does THAT mean? Adultery can be a pretty wide swath. Jesus said that if a man (He means Women too) looks at someone with lust in their heart they have already committed adultery. Adultery means a diversion of affections. A loss of. A death of a covenant to Cleave only unto their spouse.

God looks badly at easily broken covenants. He values covenants. He's a covenant keeping God. Yet, he knows that we are flawed people with sinful natures. We have all broken covenants. Large and Small. If you don't believe it, have you ever lied to someone about anything ever. You broke a covenant to tell the truth. I won't belabor the point.

In conclusion, God hates Divorce, Divorce is a scar. God hates that his children are suffering scars. He wants us to avoid being scarred. He warns against breaking covenants, including marriage. He warns us against being flippant about these things. I know few people that treat divorce lightly. I know people who break covenants without much thought.

Divorce for any reason results in a death. The marriage dies. The covenant broken is death to a vow taken. They are after divorce as if they were made widow. It's over.

Does God allow for the widowed to be remarried? To serve? To be loved? To have a companion into old age?

Or to Minister before God?

That's the question I will take up last. It's not as easy as you think. It takes deep discernment. There are principles. We must know the answer clearly to decide if we will permit a divorced person to minister from the Platform. Divorce is not without consequence...yet.

Reflections on Divorce and other things God Hates Part ONE

In response to the News regarding Benny Hinn and Divorcement, Part One

There are things according to the Bible that God HATES. All of them were condemned by Jesus. They carry with them a capacity to send someone to an eternal hell without repentance. Some are even listed as so exceptionally evil that Jesus in the Book of revelation has a list of these sins that will send you into the lake of fire.

Jesus is pretty serious about the kind of things he wants us to avoid. I will attempt to clarify them in this writing.

Proverbs 6: (16) These six [things] Jehovah hates; yea, seven [are] hateful to his soul; (17) a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, (18) a heart that plots evil plans, feet hurrying to run to mischief, (19) a false witness who breathes lies, and he who causes strife among brothers.

He seems to be pretty uptight about these seven things. They come up again and again. God doesn’t use the word HATE very often. But this is one of those times.

A Proud Look (sometimes translated HIGH EYES)
Have you ever heard the phrase, "he looked down on someone else"? This phrase is an outgrowth of the concept of "high eyes." When one's eyes are HIGH, they LOOK DOWN. It is a picture of a person with his neck stretched high and looking down with disdain or disgust on someone who is of lower status than he is. It is an outward symbol of PRIDE. A PROUD LOOK comes from a PROUD HEART. Those who have a PROUD HEART are ones who think that they are inherently better than others. God hates this.

A Lying Tongue (False Witness)
What is a "witness"? It is a testifying about the deeds of someone else. So a "false witness" or a "witness of falsehood" is testifying falsely about the deeds of someone else. It is making a false accusation. For example, if Mr. Smith says that Mr. Jones committed adultery but has no proof, then Mr. Smith is guilty of bearing false witness against Mr. Jones. Now we have seen this many times when we've encountered religious people, haven't we? They will hurl out the accusations as fast as they can speak or type, as the case may be, but when they are asked for proof of these accusations, they suddenly go silent, or they'll say, "You know what I'm talking about" or speak in generalities. But an accusation, a witness, a testifying, of the deeds of others without proof is a false witness. And God says He hates a false witness who breathes lies. Let those of us who have been the ones falsely accused take heart, for Jesus Christ was falsely accused as well. He was told by the religious people of His day that He was of the devil. The accusers were of the Devil… that’s one of his names. The accuser of the Brethren. When you bear false witness you are in partnership with the devil.

Revelation 21:8 ...and all liars — their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.

Hands that Shed Innocent Blood
This is the sin that propagates murder, abortion, and all kinds of things meant to harm or hurt other people. Robbery, Rape and all violent actions come under this cover. In addition, it’s persecution of the innocent or even if they are guilty, taking advantage of their guilt. Words can kill as well. Reputations destroyed have caused blood to be shed. This is dangerous ground.

A Heart that Plots Evil Plans
This is pure and simple scheming to accomplish an end, even a well intentioned end, one a person feels justified in. If it has to be done in the dark, in quiet whispers, in secret it’s evil. It reveals the heart behind the schemer. And God Hates This.

Jeremiah 17:9, KJV The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Feet that Hurries to Run to Mischief
This is talking about those who have no self-control, who are running to and fro to do one evil thing after another. As soon as they've done one evil thing, they are off doing another evil thing. It's interesting that God includes both the one who thinks a lot before doing evil deeds and the one who doesn't think a lot before doing evil deeds. And these deeds do NOT have to be bank robberies or vandalism. They can be going into situations willy nilly without thinking and stirring up all kinds of trouble. God HATES this. Those who run to mischief are lacking self control.

A False Witness who Breathes Lies
We have already covered this earlier. But there is a further dimension to this. It’s called Talebearing. Sometimes things are TRUE. Factual. Even problematic. One who engages in this is little different than one who gossips. God hates Gossip. More in a little bit.

One who Causes Strife among Brethren

Titus 3:10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him.

A pastor friend of mine was once counseling a very divisive person. The pastor concluded with the startling statement, “...and besides that, GOD HATES YOU.” I imagine that the man he was counseling was shocked. But the Bible clearly declares that “...the Lord hates ... a man who stirs up dissension among brothers”.

Two things that cause people to stir up strife or contention or discord or quarreling are PRIDE and ANGER. How do these things cause strife? Well, let's first think about PRIDE. Someone who thinks he's better than others will easily get into an argument to show his superiority or if his pride is at stake. Proverbs 13:10 says that contention comes by pride. And what about ANGER? Someone who is an angry person will easily get into contentions with others arising out of his anger at another person. Proverbs 10:12 says that hatred stirs up strife, and Proverbs 30:33 says that the squeezing of wrath brings out strife.

If there are people among you who are always stirring things up the Bible says in Romans to mark them well. A friend of mine says Spray them Yellow.

Romans 16: (17) And brothers I exhort you to watch those making divisions and causes of stumbling contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and turn away from them. (NOTE the causes of stumbling are not the doctrine, it's people who stir things up and cause stumbling that had been taught and ignored)

Gossip is a sin in this context. Gossip is often half truths or lies told as truth. Its harmful stories told one to another and in the end it harms the person who is being gossiped about and causes the person gossiping to become stained. Gossip is a sin. It’s easy to see why.

There is one just as big as gossip. It’s the sin of Talebearing. Talebearing tells others something that is TRUE but has no business being talked about. Unless there is some danger (like a child molester) this should be kept silent about. God is pretty clear about this.

Proverbs 18:8 says, "The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly."

Leviticus 19:16 says, "Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people. . .

" Every Christian has the duty to deny his own desires and seek to edify other Christians (Rom. 14:19; Philip. 2:3).

Talebearing runs wholly contrary to Christian edification. Talebearing (carrying and telling tales) spreads all sorts of hurtful information around, and Satan uses such information to hinder and tear down God's work. A victim of talebearing, according to Proverbs, is a "wounded" person. God forbid that a Christian should wound another Christian, but it does happen all the time! Some Christians live as though they think God has "called" them to bear tales on other Christians. Many "Christian" newsletters are dedicated to informing the body of Christ on the latest news about someone's ministry or personal life. There are many nice words and phrases used to justify such conduct, but the Bible word is TALEBEARING.

God HATES TALEBEARERS.

Gossip, Lies, Dissensions and Talebearing are pornographic activities. They strip people naked before others. They commit the sin of causing someone to be exposed when they had no desire to be. It's the same as if you took someone out in front of everyone and at the point of a gun forced them to strip naked.

There are other things God hates… One is Divorce. I will get to that in my next writing. Be aware however that unless you are clean in all the other sins God hates, you need to see other things God hates with the same despair as one who has gone thru the death of a marriage.

Here's where an important scripture comes into force:

Luke 6:³⁷"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. ³⁸Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

Many people have the mistaken idea that this has to do with Giving Charitably. Verse 38.
In context however, if you read the text, this has to be about Judging, Condemnation, forgiving... if you give good or evil, men will pour into your lap a measure much greater than you imagine. You will be judged, condemned, forgiven or not....And it will overflow in your life.

This is not a pretty sight. I don't want to be there....neither do you. Let he who has ears to hear, hear what the Spirit of the Lord is saying.

Part two on Divorce and Ministry will follow soon.

Empty "Spirituality" Paves the Way for the Coming Revival

This observation from "Hot Air" blog seems to anguish that people are Spiritual but don't attend church. That the number one "christian" affiliation among young people today is Unaffiliated.

It's trendy. It's the thing to do. It's not too constraining.

It's also empty.

Only Jesus can fill that spot in a person's heart. So, when Father breaks thru and the trials come, Jesus will be all there is. And Jesus will be enough.

Father will have to take away all hindrances. That will undoubtedly be some of the mess we see as "organized religion". Those of us (in the Church) in the Way are for the most part in the way of people who are lost.

Only by offering what people are looking for without the "strings" will be created the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth according to Father's design.

It won't look like what you thought it would.

It will be Glorious.

Reflections on Ministry and Marriage

In the light of recent news I have been silent about the situation. So, instead of speaking directly to the circumstance which may be more complex than any of us know, what does the Word say?

In ministry there is a marriage order, Ministry comes below the Marriage. I know many great men and women of God who are able to keep this in order. And many more who do not. The Divine Order is: God First, Family Second, Career Third. A man or woman serving God has to understand that the call of God on their lives is a profession, a career. It must in God's order come below family. Devotion to God is first. I know God, He isn't in the business of destroying families. His order is '''You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.' And, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Luke 10:27. Who is more your neighbor than your family. I don't even see Career on the list. Ministries get confused when they think Loving God is equivalent to working for God. This is common, I know people who busy feeding the poor and starving their own children.

If a person is going to dedicate his life to service in Christ it would be better if that person didn't have a wife and kids. At least that's what Paul the Apostle advised in most of Chapter 7 of 1 Corinthians:
Now concerning the unmarried, I have no command of the Lord [i.e., the Lord has not spoken directly on this] but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. I think that in view of the impending distress it is well for a person to remain as he is. Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek marriage. (1 Corinthians 7:25-27

I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord; but the married man is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried woman or girl is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit; but the married woman is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord. 1 Corinthians 7:32-35

Ministry, particularly national ministry, builds fiefdoms. Every church, every ministry fights this. People are given responsibility. They don't want to disappoint the man or woman of God they are submitted to, so they become territorial, even to offense. They build internal kingdoms. A worship leader becomes protective of his or her status. An administrative pastor will put in place systems and structures that are not family friendly. Spouse and Children are left out by structures and mini kingdoms inside the ministry.

The "Preacher's Kid" syndrome becomes harsh reality, but it goes beyond the preachers kid. Many wives or husbands find the aquarium of life too much to handle when their spouse is in ministry.

People treat the spouse of great ministries as either disappointed by unrealized expectations or even worse as a competitive sport. He or she is either NOT as anointed as the national minister or he or she is trying to be.... Both sides are failure.

There is no GOOD place for the spouse of a national ministry figure to be. Either you have to appear on the platform as an accessory, or you have to have your own (competitive) ministry or you have to stay deep in the dark shadows. None of these are good for marriage or ministry.

The only real way for a marriage to survive a successful ministry is for the visible national minister to go very much out of his or her way to honor and respect in Love the wife or husband of their life. Anything else has shipwreck on it. He (in this case) must be willing to lay down his life for his wife above his ministry. That's Bible. Look at the link above, ministry and marriage are a bad fit.

An old adage is "A wife can double or halve your ministry". That's true. I would rather say, "A ministry can double or halve your marriage". I have known a few that it did double. Most were halved.

Divorce pushes a HUGE reset button on a ministry. It will for Benny Hinn if this goes to completion. It does most of the time. I know of none for whom it was just incidental.

These things are nearly always attacks of the enemy. The Holy Spirit will give a warning. He will send Nathans to declare danger signals over the Man or Woman of God. Mostly they are ignored. Busyness is the cause of spiritual deafness and Ministry is very busy.

I am grieved by this more than you know. Some of the players in this are known to me. I won't mention them.... but this is personal. It would have been better if they had never engaged.

"For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to receive this, let him receive it." (Matthew 19:12)

Apostle Marlon Hester asks a Question I want to Answer

A few days ago Apostle Hester posted an important question. When and how should communion be ministered. This is an important topic and one that needs to be reviewed by the Church of Jesus, particularly those filled with the Holy Ghost. We have lost touch with our ancient roots by this move of God in the Spirit. It must be restored to the original intentions. Here's what Apostle wrote:

Practical Procedures in Ministering Communion:

1. The Place: The original Passover took place in the house of the Israelites. The Lords Supper originated in a private house. The believers broke bread from House to house (Acts 2:46). Paul broke break in an upper room (Acts 20:8) where they no doubt had a love feast also. Early believers had to break bread wherever they could as the Romans forbade Christians to own property in time of persecution. The place is "where two or three gather in My Name" (Matthew 18:15 - 20)

I will leave the other 3 for others the share about:

2. THE TIME
3. THE DAY
4. HOW OFTEN?

2. THE TIME: Paul the Apostle informs us of the time. It should be a meal taken seriously. Not a "Snack". It should have consequence. It must be at a time when people have come together in fellowship. Or even a few. It is a time when examination of one's self and even one's relationship to others must be spiritually checked. This time must be solemn in that it is a time of Unity. We all drink and eat of the Body and Blood and we become the Body and Blood as it were in unity. The eating and drinking of the Communion feast must be done at a time when reflection and repentance has taken place. Time is not a clock... Time is not a Chronos. Time is a Kairos. An Appointed time.

There have been times when it was Spontaneous to take communion together in a small group. As a family. When someone needs a touch from God beyond the presence of other believers. It is a supernatural connection that happens which must not be taken lightly or flippantly. Paul warns of taking it unworthily. I have seen it become so routine in some places, so lightly esteemed that I have feared for those taking it without discerning the Body and Blood of Jesus present in the manifestation before them.

This is not a Catholic thing. This is a test of supernaturally discerning. I came to this understanding long ago with a now Passed Assembly of God Pastor who rejected the simple Symbolism and Representation remembrance theology of the elements for something more. Many now see that is so. It's a wave moving thru Pentecostals and needs to be embraced. There is a supernatural element of connection within the Communion service. If we perceive it we can be healed, receive revelation and restore unity.

3. THE DAY: What DAY should communion be ministered. There are two parts of this. First is it should be ministered when people come together. Some have used the communion table as a pathway to healing and restoration by communing alone every day. The Meal that Heals. There is something to that. I have. All alone. On a daily basis for a while. But only for a season. It is a coming together, Assembly experience.

There is not a DAY of the week that it SHOULD be done. Just as there is not a DAY of the WEEK when we SHOULD assemble ourselves together. We come together when it is declared that we will. And many times that MAY include communion. The idea that is can only be ONE day is a misnomer. It can be any day, but there should be some days that it is more appropriate to administer the sacrament. Days recognized by the Church as traditional days of communing. Ash Wednesday. Maundy Thursday. Thanksgiving should certainly be a day of Communion. And others perhaps. For certain Sunday Service when All the Body you are attached to has come together in unity, it is appropriate that from time to time communion be ministered.

4. HOW OFTEN? Paul says "as Often". There is a danger in this. When it becomes routine, when it become mundane, when it reaches the point of being ordinary it's too often. The balance is that all the cautions of 1 Corinthians 11:27-32 need to be considered. That consideration must be made carefully and with intention. Otherwise it could be treated like small change, as it were trampling the body and blood of Jesus underfoot by tradition and routine.

I worry that much of the very traditional church in the world does just that. Treat communion as routine, without reverence or understanding of the power inherent in the taking of the Body and Blood of Jesus as Paul describes. I also worry about the Evangelical mainline and some pentecostal churches who in an effort to distance themselves from the supernatural nature of the communion ministry have made it a remembrance without any power. A Form of Godliness.

I do NOT understand all the mystery within this. I have worked hard to grasp what I see in scripture and tie it to what I know happens. Healing, restoration, strength, life, sin remission and many other things seem to happen when communion is properly administered.

There is so much here, it is a changing paradigm. The danger is to make the Communion Ministry a replacement for intimacy with Christ. BUT, there can be no true intimacy without the communion table. It's not either or. Many traditional faiths wrap all their intimacy around the Eucharist. Many Pentecostals wrap their intimacy around worship and prayer. Then one side eschewing the other.

It is not either or, it is both and. We must recapture the awe of the supernatural power that is in the act of communion and use that to make Jesus more real in our lives. Not worshiping elements, worship music, good preaching or 24-7 prayer. It must be the full spectrum.

I don't believe Paul would have spent time on this issue if it wasn't important. Nor would would I.

What Happens When you become Baptized in the Holy Ghost

When a person is Baptized in the Holy Ghost things change. Not feelings. Things change. For me and many others it is a bigger change than when we were saved. Being saved moved me from Death to Life. The Baptism in the Holy Ghost made if VERY real.

The Baptism of the Holy Ghost brings hope. It’s a new dimension of life in God as new hope is manifested. That hope will change the level of Persistence for MORE of God. During the last move of God the words, More Lord were a manifestation of this persistent hunger.

But there are more manifestations of the Baptism in the Holy Ghost that we must be aware of. They are a part of the Promise of the Father…. Jesus is the Baptizer but the Father is the one who Promised HIM to come. All of the following are from the Word of God. The Baptism of the Holy Ghost will lead to:

Faith…. As we pray in Tongues, as we pray in the Holy Ghost our faith will increase. When I am going into a tough circumstance in ministry, particularly regarding spiritual opposition, I will pray in Tongues.

Prayer….Praying in Tongues will release me to become more a man of prayer than I was before. I can pray as the Spirit leads. My mind is unprofitable. But my spirit prays. I am a conduit for Him. I don't have to come up with what to Pray about, I can just pray.

Peace…Many times as I find myself in turmoil, I pray in the Holy Ghost and find the peace of God descend on me…. It’s a wonderful thing. The gift of tongues offers a cleansing of the crisis in my life as I allow HIM to flow thru me. He washes over me.

Fellowship… When I pray in tongues I become keenly aware of the presence of God in my life by the Holy Spirit. I no longer feel alone. He is right there with me. In me. Beside me. Guiding me. Leading me.

Unity….When I pray with other Spirit Filled believers in tongues there is a unity that comes that may not happen if we prayed in English. I have had prayers that I have been part of where I didn’t agree with what was being prayed. Not wanting to be disruptive I stayed silent. But when many of us pray together in tongues there is a bond of unity as the Spirit prays thru us.

Opens the doors to all giftedness….The gift of tongues will develop faith to enter into additional giftedness. The same faith it takes to speak in Tongues is the same faith you need to prophesy, speak a word of wisdom or word of knowledge. Any of the gifts. You can’t fully enter into All the gifts without the Baptism of the Holy Spirit… or at least not very easily.

Spirit Warfare…sometimes when there is a difficult situation that you are facing alone or even as a group, praying in a strong tongue will release the angelic warriors as the Spirit of God speaks a heavenly language thru you in warfare. This is when we are stirred to interceed for someone a long way off.... we do it in warfare. You may be wakened in the middle of the night, a person come to mind, and you pray in the Holy Ghost for that person.

Spirit Worship…. the Holy Spirit will release a new level of worship. Much of it will be manifested revelation as you become more free… but the gift of Tongues will allow you to worship in Spirit and Truth in ways you couldn’t have before. Singing in the Spirit isn’t possible without the Gift of tongues. When it happens and you hear it you are hearing what heaven will sound like.

Prophetic Release …. the gift of tongues will sometimes manifest in a public meeting out loud. IF it does, then it’s good protocol for someone to interpret the utterance. The gift of interpretation is one of the gifts of the spirit as is the gift of the tongue. Every Baptized Holy Ghost believer can and perhaps should develop this as time goes on. The prophetic is essential, but as we move ahead we must know that sometimes God uses a tongue and interpretation as an equivalent for the prophetic in a public meeting.

Being understood and discerned in the Spirit…. Sometimes if I hear a person praying or speaking in tongues and I hear them, it helps me comprehend who they are in Jesus. There have been times when hearing someone pray or speak in tongues binds me to them.. Other times I get the nature of the Spirit of the person I am with by that. And sometimes it causes me to understand who they are in Christ. From that I respond accordingly.

The gift of Tongues and the Ability to Speak a Foreign language….there have been many times when people have heard someone speak a language they did not know in the hearing of a person who’s native language was that. YET, that language was never learned. We saw that in the Book of Acts. However, even in the natural, if a person is Baptized in the Holy Spirit and he or she has to learn a new language, it is easier to learn it when you have been baptized and speak in tongues. The same faith it takes to step out, open your mouth and speak a heavenly language is the same process by which you learn to speak Japanese.

Self Control…. once a person is Baptized in the Holy Ghost, they will often find themselves so overwhelmed that they have to become very self controlled. The gift is subject the person carrying the gift. It will develop maturity and self control as you walk in the gift.

All the Fruit of the Spirit flow out of the Baptism of the Holy Ghost…. That doesn’t mean you become instantly full of Joy, Peace, Love, Long suffering etc. But you will be on the path. And it’s easier when the Fullness of the Spirit is in you. Fruit bearing.

You will hear from God in your spirit more easily…..once you have the Baptism of the Holy Spirit you will find yourself sensitive to the voice of God in you. It will manifest still and small but you will know it in ways you didn’t before. And the more you hear and listen, the more you will hear.

The word of God will come alive….everyone I know who has received the Baptism of the Holy Ghost says the same thing. Everything in the Bible came alive. When I read the word it leaped off the page. Spoke to me directly. You will understand the Bible like you never did before.

You will develop confidence in what to say….When you are put on the spot, as you walk in the fullness of the Spirit you will find yourself ready in and out of season on what to say at any time. "Give no thought when they bring you before men as what you will say"…. That’s the Holy Spirit’s job.

Your ability to sin decreases….being baptized in the Holy Ghost won’t stop all sin in your life, but there is a restraining power that goes with the Holy Ghost’s presence. It will operate even in your life. You will become worse at being a sinner. Sinning will get harder to get done.

You will understand the Trinity spiritually….You will begin to understand that Holy Spirit is a person. A being. God. There is only once that all of the trinity was present and manifest on earth at one time. At the baptism of Jesus, the Holy Spirit came down as a dove and the Father spoke from Heaven. As you get to Know Holy Spirit, you will come to grips with the Trinity.

You will occasionally operate in some of the 9 Gifts of the Spirit… some more than others. But from time to time you will be called on to operate in one of them as the need arises. It’s a manifestation. All of them are gifts to be used as the Spirit wills for different needs.

This brings me to the single question I answer most regarding Holy Spirit Baptism. DO YOU HAVE TO SPEAK IN TONGUES TO BE BAPTISED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT?

The answer to that question is a yes and a no. IF you are dumb, can’t speak, can make no sounds, have no equipment for speaking then if you are Baptized in the Holy Ghost you will not speak in tongues. Yet you can be fully Baptized in the Spirit with all the gifts present but not all manifest.

However if you can speak, and you have received the Baptism of the Spirit and you NEVER EVER speak in tongues then it’s probable you were never truly Baptized in the Spirit. Or you are walking in disobedience. Not a good place to be. The Spirit is prompting you to speak out, and you resist. Pride can be the only reason. That would be sin. To him that knows to do and does it not….to him it is sin.

If you are called on by the Spirit of God to manifest healing, a word of wisdom, a word of Knowledge, discerning of spirits, or any of the other giftings you would most likely be willing to move ahead in that. It’s safe. On the other hand, the more you move ahead in obedience particularly in Tongues, the more God can and will use you by the other eight gifts.

Ultimately, if you are filled with the Holy Spirit you will Speak in Tongues. Or suffer the fate Sampson did… the Spirit will withdraw and you will not know….

Heaven is still secure, you’ll just walk in less.

And, when I consider all the benefit to speaking in tongues and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, I can’t imagine why getting hung up in pride would keep you from all the benefits of this mighty gift of the Spirit.

Being Baptized in the Spirit was not a suggestion from Jesus…. He spoke to over 500 people to go to Jerusalem on the day of ascension. Yet only 140 were then when the Dunamis came.

It’s the same today.

Be ye continually FILLED with the Spirit of God.

I would that you ALL spoke in tongues…Even as I do..

Jesus and The Prophesied Greater Works Conundrum

I love the great saints of the past. I love reading about them, thinking about them and in many ways imagining what must have been like THEN. Smith Wigglesworth, John G Lake, Martin Luther, Andrew Murray.

Then some more recent in contemporary remembrance. Keith Green, Billy Joe Daugherty, Oral Roberts, Kathryn Kuhlman, Leonard Ravenhill, and many others who have passed from the scene in more recent years and live in our own memories.

And some who we treasure still, who will soon step from time into eternity. Billy Graham comes to mind. And others who have seen fullness of years who soon will go to the Father.

Some of US are getting older and the days draw nearer for us than before.

Jesus before he returned to the Father said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”

I have been haunted spiritually by this....what does that mean? Not theologically, not in scholastic seminary thought. Spiritually, in the Mind of Christ which I possess (so do you); what does that mean?

A glimpse is coming to me. It's a glimpse of the "Elijah - Elisha" succession. Elijah did great and mighty works, Elisha got HIS anointing double from Elijah... So he did Greater works than his predecessor did... out of the Anointing of Elijah.

Jesus by the Anointing of the Christ (Messiah) pours out on every generation a portion to men, then as the generations pass one to another those who pick up that anointing can and do receive a double portion of it as they press in. We can do everything through Christ (who is the name of the anointed one and the name of HIS anointing), who gives me (US) strength as that anointing passes to us. But, like in Elijah, it is that anointing that passes from generation to generation, Elijah to Elisha. It all roots in the Christ, Jesus. And we operate in it, but it is multiplied, amplified and spread abroad supernaturally as the Sons of God are multiplied amplified and spread abroad. Greater works.

So, I am considering the meaning of this as the recent past graduation to heaven of saints well remembered. Oral Roberts.... Double Portion passed....means expect a greater outpouring of Healing and trust in God for provision in THIS generation that has picked up the Mantle.

Billy Joe, Expect a greater Love for the Body of Christ and an increase of Shepherd's hearts toward the People of God that pick up this mantle.

Kathryn Kuhlman... is Benny Hinn's mantle larger than Kathryn? And who will come from that? I met one last weekend.

Keith Green.....I am a scion of that tree in many ways. Authentic passionate Christianity. Not religion. Double portion. And in many ways Keith came from Leonard Ravenhill's Mantle.

I have left out so many.

Then what of Billy Graham..... what to expect when that day comes? I prophesy a greater outpouring of Souls Harvest than you can possibly imagine as that Mantle is passed. Different from the crusades of the past. More intense. Even more fruitful.

Except a seed fall to the ground and die... new will not come.

It's coming greater and greater.

We miss those saints of the past. When I read of Lake and Smith, their lives in the Spirit, I want to be like that. I want to live in that anointing from Jesus.

Then, one day, I find myself there, where they were. So do you.

Greater works....we can LIVE like this!

Rattled By the Weekend with Pastor Paul Teske

I have been around Pentecost thirty years. I knew the Happy Hunters back in the day. Seen lots and lots of healing services. Conducted a few myself.

Yet, what I saw and experiences was unlike what I have seen in the past. This was not a bombastic thing. I have been to Benny Hinn meetings. This wasn't like that.

There was no "Big Man" on the platform that ministered to people. The night before we had an equipping meeting. About 40 people were invited using the same criteria that was defined in the book of acts for those chosen to be deacons.

There was a training and equipping time. Anointing. Empowerment. Very Ephesians 4 oriented.

Then the night of the healing meeting, a time of worship. And, then some teaching. Some preparation. THEN, he called up the ministry teams that had been developed the night before.

THEY laid hands on the sick. There was a track to run on. One of which I approve. My theology has always been that you declare healing over a person. Jesus didn't pray for the sick and neither should we. We should declare the healing power of Jesus.

Neither Pastor Teske nor the Sr Pastor laid hands on anyone during the meeting.

It was amazing. Perhaps a hundred came forward for healing. People were set free. Many received the Baptism of the Holy Ghost.

AND MANY WERE HEALED.... I actually couldn't believe my eyes.

This in an LCMS Lutheran Church.

I was touched by the purity of it all.

This is a departure from what has been the pattern in many good Pentecostal healing services I have been part of over these last decades. I had a conversation with Teske, he's the real deal. I think God must be using him in this way because he's in a denominational environment so much of the time.

On the other hand, in a few weeks he is going to be at Morningstar with Rick Joyner. So he ministers to Pentecostal groups a lot as well.

It was quite a time. I am rattled by it all. My paradigm has been tipped over. We Holy Ghost folks who have lived in this so long are supposed to have a corner on this thing...right?

Stay in your Lane, Don't Look to the Left or Right

From New Wineskins

What must one do and keep in mind
(and at least as importantly, NOT do and NOT keep in mind)
as the finish line gets close, perhaps within sight?

Let’s pick up on a theme with high Biblical resonance:

Staying in your lane.

One of the radical revelations Jesus made in his earthly ministry, most pointedly in the Sermon on the Mount (aka, the Beatitudes) was that it was not enough to physically stay in your lane (i.e., not murder, steal, commit adultery, etc.) but that God’s standard is that we keep our minds in our lane as well. Merely thinking that you’d like to kill, lie to, steal from, or have have sex outside of marriage with someone is tantamount to actually doing it.

(The impossibility of achieving this for more than a few waking hours on one’s own, much less throughout our allotted threescore and ten helps shed light on the necessity of Christ’s work for us on the cross, enabling us to cling to it resolutely.)

In the photo above we see a clip from the classic 1981 film, Chariots of Fire (a reference to God’s provision for the prophets Elijah and Elisha in 2nd Kings). Harold Abrahams (played by Ben Cross, who more recently played ‘Sarek’, Mr. Spock’s father, a Vulcan elder, in the latest Star Trek movie) looks to his left and loses because of it.

Note how his body follows his eyes, distorting his stride and sapping his forward momentum. The film focuses on the psychological roots that lead him to do this — a combination of works-based theology, egotism and envy. Abrahams, a real historical figure, is a good deal more complex than this, but the point stands: focus ahead; don’t obsess.

EARTHQUAKE in THE CHURCH - a Word- by Phil Buck.

January 27, 2010 - Prayer time for the Church, at our home.

I heard a word in my mind saying, There’s coming an earthquake of the magnitude 7.0 that was experienced in Haiti, only it is coming to the Church. I have sent many warnings down through the portals of time, that this day was coming, and now is here, even at the door. The earthquake will start from outside the Church, and then will permeate the Church from within. Prepare, prepare there will be destruction as would never have been imagined.

The rubble of the buildings of man will crumble to the ground. The teachings of man will have come full circle. There will be people that have bought into the man system and will be destroyed in the rubble of the collapse, some spiritually and others both spiritually and physically. For they have believed a lie and will suffer the consequences of their doing.

Of those that have escaped, I see a long line extending beyond my vision to see. They are the walking wounded from all religious persuasions, that were not caught up totally in the man-centered religious system of beliefs. But being exposed to the system has left its mark in various forms on each one.

I see this line in my minds eye, people lined up at the entrance to a white tent. This is where they are coming to receive life spiritual life from inside the tent. Those inside the tent are like doctors and nurses, ministering to the wounded, hurting spirits of each one. As they help them heal, with the proper perspective and focus of the gifts they have to offer, then they are sent from the tent whole and ready to minister to others as they were ministered to.

"Now behold the ones on the inside of the tent, before they stepped inside the tent they had nothing to offer in and of themselves, but as they stepped in they received the power to work the works for which I have call them to. This is a special people that have closed themselves up with me. Yes, and some have been in preparation all their lives for this time and this mission".

"I want you to see those in the tent, for they are those that have given everything to Me. These are they that this day I’m calling my people to come out of the religious systems of man and into the marvelous light of my Son Jesus. Will you be counted as numbered among those in the tent? Or will you be one of the many in the long line?"

"Come away with me this day and give your all to me for the line is long and is now just beginning to form. They need your gifts, your love & your sacrifice of service. Will you be there for them?

Or will you be among them?"

-Phil Buck,
Indiana, USA.

On the Horizon

Persecution of Christians in the USA and Europe is about to manifest like never before

Revival will come out of the persecution

Judgement that will come on the nations because of this persecution

Fall of the European Union. Renationalisation. Economic collapse of the USA.

Failure of the Country of Mexico ... internal warfare.... Eventually the USA will become a protector

Islam deteriorates into a fanatic lawless political religious system....and falls apart slowly

Christianity breaks out among Muslims and in Israel causing former foes to stand together in Jesus

Today's American Christianity thru the rear view mirror will be seen as an ineffective insipid powerless past no one will ever want to return to....the new Christian Church coming out of the revival springing from persecution will live in all the fullness of the Holy Ghost. All others will fall. There will be no more nominal church except as empy museums.

The Catholic Church will experience a fresh wave of the Spirit of God....making the Catholic Charismatic Renewal movement seem tame....Many flawed theologies will fall. The concept of ecumenism will seem silly in the light of the unity in the the Gospel that will prevail.

The earth's Climate will change... more.... but not at all like is predicted. It's all part of the groaning of Creation.

Jesus will be seen in dreams visions and visitations in ways never understood before. Christians will have 3rd heaven experiences more and more. Angelic visitations will be routine.

The old Japanese Poem,

The barn's burnt down,
Now I can see the Moon

will better be understood in this coming day as

The building burnt down
now I can see the Church

More to come....

Jesus Prophesied that there would be Earthquakes in DIVERSE places - Illinois is Diverse

Today's earthquake of 3.8 in Northern Illinois has significance in Prophetic terms in the context of Jesus Prophetic utterance. His warning is still valid:

"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!' "

It would be foolishness to ignore the warning of the Master....Watch and Pray.... the Illinois Earthquake we experienced today was a harbinger of HIS coming in the clouds. Time is short.

Mark 13:5-37
"Watch out that no one deceives you. 6Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many. 7When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in diverse places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

9"You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

12"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

14"When you see 'the abomination that causes desolation' standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out. 16Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 17How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 18Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again. 20If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. 21At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it. 22For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect—if that were possible. 23So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.

24"But in those days, following that distress,
" 'the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
25the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.

26"At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

28"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30I tell you the truth, this generation[e] will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

32"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Be on guard! Be alert[f]! You do not know when that time will come. 34It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

35"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!' "

Arising Of A Generation Of Modern Day Hoseas - Ching Co

Cebu Philippines
February 7, 2010


The prophet Hosea was a man called by God whose life was a reflection of the current state of the nations of Judah & Israel. His marriage to a prostitute, the naming of his children, the redeeming of his adulterous wife, in short his lifestyle was an expression of the heart & longing of God for His people. He was a walking living testament from God in their time.

We are now living in that time when God is calling for a new generation of modern Hosea's to arise . People who are willing to obey Him like Hosea. People who God can direct in ways that will also reflect God's intent & desires for the nations.

These modern Hosea's will not only speak out God's word, but THEY WILL LIVE OUT GOD'S HEART Like Hosea of the past, they also will become living expressions of God for the nations for this current time.

LIFESTYLE INTERCESSION

There is a spiritual battle going on the heavenly for the heart, mind, and soul not just of people but also for the destiny of nations. The enemy has unleashed all his forces to trap people (believers included) & nations into his web. He has used, is using and will use any method to deceive, enslave, and to deviate people & nations so that God's will & purpose for them can't be fulfilled.

The devil has been busy sowing the seed of discord, greed, complacency, impatience, hatred, bitterness, confusion, and every other despicable acts that is contrary to the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. Today many of the people including believers are trapped in these webs. Like during Hosea's time, we are also guilty of these sins today.

Hear the word of the Lord, O People of Israel! The Lord has filed a lawsuit against you, saying : ' There is no faithfulness, no kindness, no knowledge of God in your land. You curse and lie and kill and steal and commit adultery. There is violence everywhere, with one murder after another. That is why your land is not producing. It is filled with sadness, and all living things are becoming sick and dying. Even the animals, birds, and fish have begun to disappear. Don't point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame. ... Alcohol and prostitution have robbed my people of their brains.”(Hosea 4:1-4,11- New Living Translation)

God is calling His people anew, to live a lifestyle that is IN TOTAL OPPOSITE to the lifestyle of the world. They will be called the GENERATION OF MODERN DAY HOSEAS. They will not only speak these truths, but they will live it as well. In this way, God will use the lives of these people to destroy the work of the enemy in the midst of the nations.

THE ASSIGNMENTS

There will be a call to live a life opposite to what the world offers. Different persons will be led to live in a different ways as the Holy Spirit will direct.

• Some will be led to stop using their credit card for a season and to use cash.
• Some will be led to spend only for basic needs & to stop buying for wants.
• Some will be led to minimize time spend on televisions, computers.
• Some will be led to stop watching sports shows.
• Some will be led to use the public transport instead of using their cars.
• Some will be led to use the stairs instead of using the elevators.
• Some will be led to talk less & listen more.
• Some will be led to smile more.
• Some will be led to eat more natural foods instead of processed foods.
• Some will be led to cut down on desserts or sweets.
• Some will be led to eat less meat and more vegetables.
• Some will be led to start exercising.
• Some will be led to say “sorry” more to spouses, children, family or friends even when they are not the one at fault.
• Some will be led to spend more time with their parents.
• Some will be led to start saving water. Every drop counts.
• Some will be led to start using energy more efficiently.
• Young people will be led to protect the sanctity of relationship.

Any other small acts that the Holy Spirit will lead or direct.

A WORD OF CAUTION

BEWARE OF THE NAAMAN SPIRIT:

We must be careful to avoid the 'Naaman spirit'. Since most of the things God wants His people to undertake are so mundane, ordinary and simple. Like Naaman, we might be tempted to want to ignore them or belittle them and overlook the importance of obeying them.

Every act done in obedience to the Holy Spirit's leading , though simple outwardly will be like a mighty hailstorm targeting the specific stronghold that the enemy has already build in our midst.


BEWARE OF CONDEMNATION:

God knows that even with the simple tasks assign to us, we will fail to do them at times. He WILL NOT GET MAD at us when this happen. Beware of the spirit of condemnation when we fail. THIS IS NOT FROM GOD.

Like any other good habits, God knows that it will take time for each assignment to become a lifestyle. And He also knows that at times we will not be able to comply with them. For we are human beings and not robots & we can be affected by different factors & various events that happen around us and even by the state of our body and mind.

So when we fail Him at times. GOD UNDERSTAND that this is part of the process of learning and He will continue to comfort us and encourage us to press in& not to give up. HE WILL NEVER CONDEMN US.

IMPORTANCE OF SMALL BEGINNINGS

We must not look down on small beginnings. For only those who will be faithful in the small things will get promoted to do bigger things.

In the comings days, you will hear the Holy Spirit more clearly than ever before. It will not be in a show of supernatural manifestation but it will be in THAT GENTLE VOICE impressing His thoughts to you. You will sense Him directing you in the everyday work that you are doing. He will help you set your schedules and the details of what you are to do that day. He will direct you moment by moment. All we need to do is to OBEY THAT LEADING no matter how simple the task may sound.

This is God's way of training His people this season. Day by day, moment by moment. A little step here and there. As we continue to obey Him, we will see a new pattern of living emerging in our midst which is in line with the heart & mind of God.

This is the way that God has chosen for this season to fight the spiritual battle before us. He is calling His Modern day Hoseas to be willing to walk with Him where He leads them. And though our eyes may not see much difference in things around us. We can be sure that GREAT THINGS ARE HAPPENING IN THE HEAVENLIES.

Posted by Julie Gilbert on Openheaven.com

Prophecy: I hear the Lord say Spiritual Blindness will make SOME Christians unable to see or discern as the day draws near

It's very early Sunday Morning. I hear the Spirit of God say:

Blindness is being placed upon some who call ME Lord. Who bear MY name. Who represent ME in this day. This blindness will even cause some who I called from before the foundations of the earth to be deceived.

This deception will manifest itself in discouragement, in cynicism, in wrong actions, in attempts to follow what they think is my Spirit, but is in fact the spirit of a MAN. They will believe they are following MY leading, but it is only another man's spirit.

There will be leaders clothed in religious authority who will say "this is the way walk ye in it". They will seem to be speaking with understanding. They will have impressive credentials and education that will seem to carry with it the capacity to say, "this is the way". Yet, they are blinded and are leading blind people into a ditch. Do NOT follow them unless you hear ME clearly in their Words and Actions.

This is not about eternal salvation with ME; this is about the attempt of YOUR enemy to sideline and neuter you on this side of the veil. To keep you from the DESTINY of good works I created for you to do from the foundation of the earth.

Many good intentions are wastes of time. Bats at the wind. Many well meaning efforts are misguided. Now is the day more than ever before when men and women who call Me Lord must hear from ME by MY Spirit. There is no other option except failure and suffered loss. Wood hay and stubble burned in the fire. My sheep must learn to hear MY voice and none other shall they follow when they do. I communicate with you Spirit to Spirit. If you are not well filled, well wired, well connected you will NOT be able to hear or see ME. You will be blind.

The last month since the shaking in Haiti has demonstrated the difference darkness makes. The attempts at blinding MY people by the enemy are obvious. The enemy is out to steal, kill and destroy. It is a perversion of MY will for them. Good intentions without MY leading are an opportunity for the ENEMY to trap you in a snare. Even a man I picked became a son of Perdition because he became deaf and blind and out of his flesh of Good Intentions tried to manipulate circumstance which is witchcraft. He thought he was doing right. He walked with Me. He even betrayed ME with a kiss. He could have turned from his blindness. He could have repented and met with me on the shores of Galilee with the others. I would have restored him as I restored Peter. His testimony would have been greater than all the others in many ways. But his blindness led to his ultimate destruction.

Walk carefully in this hour. Listen for Me NOW more than ever. Many voices are jostling to crowd out MY still and small in your heart. Keep your spiritual eyes on ME and I will give you sight. As you keep your focus on me, you will begin to see those things that are invisible to the blinded. You will see things that only those overflowing with ME in MY Spirit are able to see.

There are fewer opportunities to make well intentioned mistakes and escape without consequence. The bar is raised. Walk wisely. You must be ready to Obey when I SAY from behind you in a still voice with a lamp shining only a little way ahead on your path......This is the way, walk ye in it.

There is no security in any other. I alone hold the keys to death and life. I place them in YOUR hands. Choose well. Trust Me. Be bold but Walk Wise.

Prophetic Implications of the Arrests in Haiti

The arrests of the Baptists in Haiti for "Kidnapping" 33 children (child trafficking) is a glimpse into the future of what will amplify the great divide between the Fallen Secular World and Christians. This divide that will cause persecution and attacks by the enemy to increase. It's a sign.

Jesus warned of this in Matthew 5:

7 God blesses those who are merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
for they will see God.
9 God blesses those who work for peace,
for they will be called the children of God.
10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

11 “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you[c] and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. 19 So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

20 “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!

The prophetic implications are in our culture today, doing good is seen as doing evil. Just listen to the conversation on the part of many who write and speak about this event. Americans are calling for Life Imprisonment for these people. No pity for what was obviously a clumsy act born of zeal to do "Something". They were misled and somehow decided to work outside the system. I don't question their good intentions. In a world that calls good evil and evil good, good intentions are seen as evil. It's the time we live in. There is a parallel universe made up of the world, the flesh and the devil that is at war with the saints.

He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. Revelation 13:7

Two weeks ago by the Holy Spirit I was told to instruct Christians to Stand Down. I hoped other prophets would hear and speak into well meaning people's lives. Apparently this group didn't have a prophet in their midst. Or they chose to ignore the Agabus in their midst.

Unless you are going under the auspices of a well connected experienced missions organization with sound mature leadership, the Holy Ghost instructed Christians to Stand Down. But there are hundreds of people who have by hook or crook placed themselves in harms way. The Spirit of God warned of this too.

Do not be surprised by all this. Why does the secularist hate the gospel? Because it is light shining in a dark world, and the darkness hates the light. Christ exposes the world’s sin and reveals its true nature, and then all are left without excuse for their sin. When we do good things the only defense they have is to call it evil.

John 15:18–25 18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. 20 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 “But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. 22 “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 “He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 “If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. 25 “But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’

By the anointing of the Holy Spirit, I declare to you that this arrest and kidnapping will be used for good. It will bring a random house into order. One that tries to do it's own thing without direction. It will also be a prophetic sign in Haiti. This imprisonment in the light of the good done there by Christians around the world and by the USA is an example. IF this is not reversed quickly, you can count on the wrath of the Father to come down on the heads of those who persist in this lack of mercy.

Matthew 18
²³"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents^g]">[g] was brought to him. ²⁵Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

²⁶"The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' ²⁷The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

²⁸"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.^h]">[h] He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.

²⁹"His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'

³⁰"But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. ³¹When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

³²"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. ³³Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' ³⁴In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

³⁵"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

Many of the world's banks are ready to forgive Haiti's national debts. The world after the earthquake has come and shown magnificent mercy. It is seen by the Father how secularists and the Haitian Government are dealing with this situation. I speak to the powers of the air.....In Jesus name, Have Mercy, Forgiveness, Let My People GO~

Or prepare for Judgment.