Saturday, January 21, 2012

From Apostle Barbara Yoder Today - Established Doctrine emerges From Experience Breakthrough in Revival

I went to hear and see Apostle Barbara Yoder at Pat McMannus's Church in Aurora today.

Lots of good insight. I enjoy her prophetic insight. Meeting Pastor Pat was a treat.

The core teaching she gave that struck me was this. A church or moment's doctrine results from the manifest revival and what led up to that event. If a Movement (I'll call it denomination because it's what that is all about) experiences great growth, they will always look back to the past to figure out why it happened and declare that you can't have real revival unless you:
  • Travail in intercessory prayer
  • Have Extraordinary worship
  • Street Evangelism
  • Feed and clothe the poor
  • Take Communion every Sunday or 4 times a year or something in between
  • Pray the Rosary, Lords Prayer, 23rd Psalm or speak in tongues without ceasing
  • Get everybody Baptized in the Holy Ghost
  • Baptize Adults after conversion only
  • Baptize Babies soon after birth
  • Get converts while they are young (Sunday School Movement)
  • Educate, Sunday School,or in general train up folks intense discipleship
  • Great Teaching and Preaching (look at the 70s)
  • Develop a shepherding, disciple making something
  • Tabernacle of David 24/7 Prayer and Praise
  • Signs, Wonders, Healings and Manifestations

All of these things are good. Not ONE of them are the KEY to revival alone. A hungry desperate heart is all that counts. If we are desperate enough, revival will come. As Apostle Barbara said, "You have to be twice dead and then plucked up". In the plant world, that's pretty dead. We must die to all our machinations and formulas on how to do it. We can't engineer revival.

Yet frankly it is amusing, if you look at church history so many traditions and doctrines came out of corporate experiences that lead to beliefs that lead to doctrines all of which can be supported by Biblical evidence. Hence we have a zillion denominations all manifesting a historical revival root.

I have often said that it's lucky I didn't get saved eating ice cream in a rowboat. Otherwise I would have to start the Ice Cream in a Rowboat denomination. Don't want to do that.

Aren't Christians amusing? I think it's time we get over our bad self and tell ourselves the truth...we have messed up the word of God by our traditions. Jesus said so.

How about sticking to the Knitting?....or is that another tradition (denomination)

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