IF you go back to the very first days you see patterns emerge. The Sanhedrin called in the Disciples and told them to stop. This kind of fits and starts movement in the church for the first 300 years caused many factions. Paul wrote of it. "Some of Paul, Some of Apollos".
Then "Organized" religion took over the movement. At first it seemed a good thing. Then it became a political system, corrupt and even dangerous. Dark ages followed. These aberrations created factions and even allowed for the emergence of a false religion, Islam.
Even during these times from time to time God would break out or break thru and people would see Him move. The desert fathers found truth. Some would proclaim it. For that they lost lives or were burned at the stake.
Every time God tried to show himself new those in the Church rejected and persecuted it. The statement "those from one move of God will reject the next" was proven true.
Then the reformers came along. New move. New opening up of the Truth of God. Rejected by many. And criticized. The religious tried to put it down. New divisions.
Over and over thru the centuries. Even to the last few hundred years. Awakenings. Revivals. All sprouted up. All manifesting a new glory of God. Yet eventually religion, old wine skins, crushed and neutered that move of God. However it left behind people who were convinced that last move was the ultimate move of God. Anything after that can't be God because it doesn't look like the last time.
Azuza street. Powerful but rejected by most Christians. Until it proved to be strong. Now Pentecostal Christianity is the Norm. In all it's manifestations.
Several recent moves have been missed. I'm old enough to remember the great Healing Meetings with Oral Roberts and all the others. Rejected by most evangelicals as weird and radical. Yet now Healing is part of most evangelical theology.
And in the past several decades the moves that have emerged when they did were rejected by most Evangelicals and religious Christians (even Pentecostals).
- The Charismatic Renewal and Jesus People
- The message of God's Purposes for your Prosperity
- The Cleansing of the Church by Scandal in the mid 80's
- The Laughter revival starting with Rodney Howard Browne
- Toronto Blessing
- Pensacola Outpouring
- The Kansas City Prophets and the Prophetic Voice being brought to the Church
- The House of Prayer Harp and Bowl intercession
- The Apostolic and Prophetic Foundations being restored
- The House Church Movement
- The Lakeland Outpouring
Each of these brought new accusations of being ungodly. Evil. Demonic. You have no further to go than the Internet to find all kinds of blogs lambasting each of these moves of God as not just wrong but evil. The problem is as each of these manifested, the ones before need to keep God in a Box becomes critical. They had already built a church or a movement around the last one and any new move is threatening to their status quo.
It's ancient history. Yet it repeats itself to this day.
Here's the Prophetic Part:
We see a scene in Heaven where the Beasts, Elders and Angels bow down and cry HOLY. Meaning UNLIKE anything we ever saw before. Completely different. Uncompared to anything else.
Revelation 4
8Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." 9Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
11"You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being."
It happens over and over again. The population of Heaven is constantly amazed and responds in worship and bowing down crying Holy.
Why? Because the Man Christ Jesus on the Throne reveals himself again and again in a fresh way to those around the Throne. He makes himself known by new and different ways; and each time it stuns those who see Him revealed.
In heaven there is no fear of deception. There is no wondering if this is good or bad (a curse of judging between good and evil from that dumb tree in the Garden). They know this is Jesus and respond.
NOW it's here once again on our blue planet.
On earth as it is in Heaven is come. Heaven touches earth and Jesus finds new ways of reaching His precious ones. Those new ways are dubious for those with eyes blinded by religion.
Here's the Prophetic Reality. Father God is NOT going to slow down in finding new ways to reveal Himself to those who will come to Know HIM. He is going to manifest His Glory to whomever and however He can. He is going to find new ways to touch earth to seek and save those who are lost. He is doing it in the Muslim World. Not using the Old Wine skins.
Father is right NOW doing a brand new thing. MOST of the Evangelical Community and many Pentecostals will miss this move of God as they always do. It has already begin manifesting. It is glorious. It will be very different. It will be criticized. Yet, the religious will miss it like the Jews of Old did, "not recognizing Him in the day of His visitation".
Who blinds them? Satan. He will use religion, tradition, politics, power, fear and money to deceive them.
This doesn't mean those who miss God's move will go to Hell. They'll make heaven but they will mourn for the loss they have experienced.
Open your spiritual eyes. See what God is Doing RIGHT NOW. Look around you. The signs are everywhere.
I won't describe them. IF you have eyes to see and ears to hear you know what it is. IF you don't even if you are saved and heaven bound, you will pass Him by and not even see Him as so many must have when Jesus was among us in the flesh. He is constantly revealing Himself in whatever way it will take to whomever He can. It will always look different from what YOU remember from 1978, 88, 98, 08. It's a NEW day in the Spirit. Every Day is.
Do not be guilty of little faith and little regard for the move of God. Do not pass Him by. Be careful of your Criticisms of what God is doing.
He may not like it. Seek to Please the Lord.
AND that my beloved is the WORD OF THE LORD
2 comments:
Excellent word brother. As a young man I observed this trend and I cried out to God, "Please, allow me to always be on the cutting edge of what you are doing."
Thank you for your Kindness. I HOPE more people will read this. I have carried this word around for a very long time. I am sad for the Body of Christ in America. It's ossified. We don't have any understanding of the Moves of God. It won't be a problem in Heaven. It's not supposed to be here on earth, but it is.
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