A tornado forms and picks up a hugh mass of water ...
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Irony
They're brothers. They live six blocks apart. And for 80 years, neither knew the other existed.Neither man had a clue what to expect that morning last March as they stood toe-to-toe, 42 stories above the city.The men were guarded yet friendly, as they sized each other up, trying to decide whether to shake hands or hug. After all, they were strangers.
God wants to use YOU
I want to repeat this because I feel that way too many believers have never grasped this fact- God wants to use YOU! We admire those whom God uses in various ways, and we love to read about saints whom God has mightily used in the past, who have since gone on to be with the Lord, but we have the toughest time believing that Almighty God actually desires to have US, individually, involved deeply in His plans. DEEPLY, not just a cameo appearance....The problem, in part, is that we see pastors, missionaries, and evangelists as the ones going out into the world (within their own callings) and making disciples of all men- and that's true, they're doing just that, but it's not ONLY those people who are called to do God's work! The Lord hasn't placed the same calling on everybody- not everyone is going to be a preacher, an evangelist, a bible translator, or a martyr (that's right- martyr...
Jim Elliot was speared to death by the very people he was trying to reach, yet his testamony is extremely powerful to this day, though he died a young man)- God's calling on YOUR life may be very different....
To witness of God's love to a lost world in your own sphere of influence (and we all have that 'sphere', dont we?), to make a difference in someone's life, to take a stand that happens to be unpopular- these are things we are all called to do on a daily basis, and they're wonderful. Do we treat them as such?
Maybe God has placed something within YOUR heart, some work that is so personal, so precious to you that you can scarcely speak of it- something that really moves you? Are you constantly on your knees, seeking the will of God concerning it? And that's really what I'm getting at here.
Know of a certainty that God longs to use YOU, and in a very personal way. Know also, that He would have you looking to Him, seeking that specific purpose that He has created you for. Do you feel too insignificant to even dare to ask Him? Ever hear of Moses the stammerer, or David, the youngest among brothers, overlooked by everybody but God?
Remember Gideon, 'least in his father's house'? How about Rahab- what kind of woman was she? Of course, I could go on and on- you get the point.
1 Corinthians 1:26 through 29 says, "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: THAT NO FLESH SHOULD GLORY IN HIS PRESENCE."
Who you are is no hindrance to God at all, unless you have an exaggerated sense of self-importance (and God is abl e to deal with THAT, too!)....
My peayer is that you can now see that God wants to use you for His glory, that He has a wonderful purpose and anointing specifically for you, no matter what your station in life, and that He LONGS for you to seek after Him, continually. Follow the Holy Spirit's leading, and He will guide you into your place in the body of Christ. I pray God's richest blessings for you as you constantly look to Him!
En Agape,
pastor Jim Ewing
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Here's a healing story you might find interesting
This begins in the winter of 1976. I was in a grocery store, passing the magazine aisle, when my eyes fell upon a 'gossip' type newspaper titled, "Midnight". I don't typically stare at the front page of magazines or newspapers, but this one was different, because it featured a photo of Brant Baker praying for a lady in a wheelchair. I certainly knew who Brant was, so I picked up the paper and began reading the accounts of a number of physical healings that had supposedly occured in various Shekinah Fellowship services. My eyes widened when I reached the last few paragraphs of the first column, as it told the story of the healing of a lady in the Seattle area (where I live). I will quote directly from the paper..."Take Caren Leanderson, a 32 year old Sattle, Wash. woman facing the possibility of undergoing a hyterectomy. Two Pap tests to detect cancer in women came up positive and Caren's doctor had little doubt s he was in the early stages of cancer. He scheduled more tests and said she would probably have to undergo surgery. One night, as her husband Roy prayed, he felt 'a special presence of the Holy Spirit' and knew the Lord was going to touch his wife.
They looked forward to Brant's services at their church. 'The second evening of the services, I went forward for prayer fully believing I would be healed', said Caren. "And as Brant prayed for me, the power of God came upon me'. Caren returned to her doctor confident she had been healed. Further tests proved negative, and there was no need for surgery." .....
Well, I bought the paper and read all of the fascinating accounts of the physical healngs that had occured in a number of Brant's services. I kept the paper for future reference....
Fast-forward to 1985, nine years after the article was written. I'd just received word that Brant Baker had recently passed away. In the midst of my sorrow, I suddenly remembered the article and found the paper.
The next day I looked in the phone book for Caren Leanderson, the Seattle woman who'd been healed years before. I found the number and called. Her mother answered the phone. Caren was on vacation with her husband at the time, but when I asked her mother if Caren had really had cancer and been healed, she replied, "Oh, yes. And test showed the cancer was gone and never returned. She's perfectly healthy after all these years." We talked on for a few minutes. She was saddened to hear of Brant's death, but was thankful for the way God had used him....
You know, it's funny- I never thought there was much truth in those kind of 'newspapers', but that particular one contained a wonderful story of a woman healed of female cancer by the power of God, and her own mother confirmed it to me some nine yers later! How 'bout that?
pastor Jim Ewing
View more photos here:
http://desertministry.multiply.com/photos/album/11/Rev_Brant_Baker
Thursday, November 27, 2008
The First Thanksgiving
In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast which is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. This harvest meal has become a symbol of cooperation and interaction between English colonists and Native Americans. Although this feast is considered by many to the very first Thanksgiving celebration, it was actually in keeping with a long tradition of celebrating the harvest and giving thanks for a successful bounty of crops. Native American groups throughout the Americas, including the Pueblo, Cherokee, Creek and many others organized harvest festivals, ceremonial dances, and other celebrations of thanks for centuries before the arrival of Europeans in North America.Historians have also recorded other ceremonies of thanks among European settlers in North America, including British colonists in Berkeley Plantation, Virginia. At this site near the Charles River in December of 1619, a group of British settlers led by Captain John Woodlief knelt in prayer and pledged "Thanksgiving" to God for their healthy arrival after a long voyage across the Atlantic. This event has been acknowledged by some scholars and writers as the official first Thanksgiving among European settlers on record. Whether at Plymouth, Berkeley Plantation, or throughout the Americas, celebrations of thanks have held great meaning and importance over time. The legacy of thanks, and particularly of the feast, have survived the centuries as people throughout the United States gather family, friends, and enormous amounts of food for their yearly Thanksgiving meal.
What Was Actually on the Menu?
What foods topped the table at the first harvest feast? Historians aren't completely certain about the full bounty, but it's safe to say the pilgrims weren't gobbling up pumpkin pie or playing with their mashed potatoes. Following is a list of the foods that were available to the colonists at the time of the 1621 feast. However, the only two items that historians know for sure were on the menu are venison and wild fowl, which are mentioned in primary sources. The most detailed description of the "First Thanksgiving" comes from Edward Winslow from A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, in 1621:
"Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, among other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed upon our governor, and upon the captain, and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty."
The pilgrims didn't use forks; they ate with spoons, knives, and their fingers. They wiped their hands on large cloth napkins which they also used to pick up hot morsels of food. Salt would have been on the table at the harvest feast, and people would have sprinkled it on their food. Pepper, however, was something that they used for cooking but wasn't available on the table.
In the seventeenth century, a person's social standing determined what he or she ate. The best food was placed next to the most important people. People didn't tend to sample everything that was on the table (as we do today), they just ate what was closest to them.
Serving in the seventeenth century was very different from serving today. People weren't served their meals individually. Foods were served onto the table and then people took the food from the table and ate it. All the servers had to do was move the food from the place where it was cooked onto the table.
Pilgrims didn't eat in courses as we do today. All of the different types of foods were placed on the table at the same time and people ate in any order they chose. Sometimes there were two courses, but each of them would contain both meat dishes, puddings, and sweets.
Our modern Thanksgiving repast is centered around the turkey, but that certainly wasn't the case at the pilgrims's feasts. Their meals included many different meats. Vegetable dishes, one of the main components of our modern celebration, didn't really play a large part in the feast mentality of the seventeenth century. Depending on the time of year, many vegetables weren't available to the colonists.
The pilgrims probably didn't have pies or anything sweet at the harvest feast. They had brought some sugar with them on the Mayflower but by the time of the feast, the supply had dwindled. Also, they didn't have an oven so pies and cakes and breads were not possible at all. The food that was eaten at the harvest feast would have seemed fatty by 1990's standards, but it was probably more healthy for the pilgrims than it would be for people today. The colonists were more active and needed more protein. Heart attack was the least of their worries. They were more concerned about the plague and pox.
People tend to think of English food at bland, but, in fact, the pilgrims used many spices, including cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, pepper, and dried fruit, in sauces for meats. In the seventeenth century, cooks did not use proportions or talk about teaspoons and tablespoons. Instead, they just improvised. The best way to cook things in the seventeenth century was to roast them. Among the pilgrims, someone was assigned to sit for hours at a time and turn the spit to make sure the meat was evenly done.
Since the pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians had no refrigeration in the seventeenth century, they tended to dry a lot of their foods to preserve them. They dried Indian corn, hams, fish, and herbs.
The biggest meal of the day for the colonists was eaten at noon and it was called noonmeat or dinner. The housewives would spend part of their morning cooking that meal. Supper was a smaller meal that they had at the end of the day. Breakfast tended to be leftovers from the previous day's noonmeat.
In a pilgrim household, the adults sat down to eat and the children and servants waited on them. The foods that the colonists and Wampanoag Indians ate were very similar, but their eating patterns were different. While the colonists had set eating patterns—breakfast, dinner, and supper—the Wampanoags tended to eat when they were hungry and to have pots cooking throughout the day.
Source: Kathleen Curtin, Food Historian at Plimoth
Happy Thanksgiving Shekinah Fellowship!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Witness
I'd like to briefly talk with you about witnessing...Precisely what it is and the necessity of every believer to be involved in it. First off, it need not be the daunting task that we tend to make it. Witnessing is simply sharing our wonderful Savior with others. It may take a variety of forms, both overt and covert, depending on how the Spirit of God wants to move in and through us at any particular time, as He sees the need...and that's really the key to understanding what witnessing for Jesus is all about- yielding to the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to use us as He wills.
As we walk in the Spirit, He will bring us opportunities to share Christ with others. He may have us simply share a word with someone, or a simple kind deed- planting a seed, as it were. Then, in the future, He'll send other believers that person's way, until finally, in God's time, the person, feeling the mighty convicting power of the Holy Spirit, will see their spiri tual need and surrender his or her life to Christ.
Or the Lord may use YOU to actually lead someone to Christ, after having dealt with that person over a period of time. You never know. The results are up to God, but we must do our part. Again, it's about being sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and being open to minister as He leads. Acts 1:8 says...
"Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth". We need to realize that we ARE living witnesses of the life of Christ as we walk with Him. My old pastor once said to me, "there are two things we can't do in heaven- sin, and witness...
Which do you think He left us on the earth to do?"... As we prayerfully look to Jesus and ask Him for opportunities to share His love with others, we'll be amazed at how He sends people our way- lost, hurtin g people who need the wonderful, unconditional love that only Jesus can give. May God richly bless you!
pastor Jim Ewing
BLINDNESS IN PART HAS HAPPENED TO ISRAEL
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. They that love Israel shall prosper. All Israel shall be saved, but not all who are of Israel are Israel. We who are saved are born again Christians and all Christians shall be saved, but not all who are of Christianity are Christians.The veil that is upon Israel makes them blind as a bat when it comes to their messiah. Even though they are God’s elect, they are blind. Not totally blind, but blind in part.
1 Corinthians 13 tells us that we as believers only know in part, which could also mean blind in part. All Christianity, all Israel, and even completed Jews that have found Jesus as their messiah have partial blindness.
If the natural olive tree (the Jews) are partially blind, how then can we (the gentiles) who have been grafted in think that we are not also partially blind.
Christians who love the Lord, but reject the work of the Holy Ghost are blind in the area of spiritual gifts. They are toward their Holy Spirit, like The Jews are toward their messiah. They do not accept gifts of the Spirit such as speaking in tongues, prophecy, and modern day apostolic authority. They see salvation in Jesus, but not baptism by Jesus. They see the road to heaven, salvation and water baptism, but are totally blind when it comes to the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
In severe cases of this type of blindness within Christianity they cannot see the gifts and callings of God that were found in the early church as being for today. They are blind in part to the things of God that go beyond simple salvation. They see the Holy Spirit at work in evangelism but, that is only part of His work. If they are unable to see, they are also unable to understand.
It takes faith to be saved and it takes faith to walk where you cannot see. The gift of tongues often surrounds the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It happens when a child like willingness to receive replaces the preconceived opinions of man’s intellect.
Have you ever sought the gift of tongues, and if not, why haven’t you? It will revolutionize your Christianity. No matter how old you are or what you think you know we all have partial blindness. Until Jesus comes again, we only know in part. When we come to terms with that truth we humble our self in the sight of the Lord. It is then that we become able to receive what we cannot see or even begin to understand.
Revelation may come as a threat to what you thought, or were taught to believe. And it takes a humble heart to adjust to new insight.
Can you find it within yourself to bring yourself to seek the gift of tongues? Begin this exciting new adventure in your walk with God and start now. Just begin! Whatever form begin may take, begin.
Tilson
Monday, November 24, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Be Kind
A guy who lives at Lake Conroe (50 miles north of Houston ) saw a ball bouncing around kind of strange in the lake and went to investigate.
"Confessions of a Gift Despiser"...
I had no difficulty believing in the gifts of the Spirit as described in 1 Corinthians 12, and the Lord even used me at times in manifesting some of them. However, after a few years, I began to listen to some of the well known radio preachers who believed that those gifts were not for today, and that they weren't really in operation after the apostles died off.
They would explain that we don't need the "sign gifts" today, as we now have the Bible- God's Word. I began to go along with that line of thinking. I even got a study bible with comments from one of those respected teachers.
This point of view, combined with the fact that I'd seen some pretty bizarre abuses of some of the gifts, and noticing that most of the false teachings t hat I'd seen in the church were brought in by Pentecostals, had me walking away from some of the most precious experiences I'd ever had with the Lord.
After a few years of "laying low' concerning spiritual gifts, I noticed that my walk with the Lord was lacking in the intensity that I'd once enjoyed. At first I thought it was because I was no longer a new believer, and that my walk with Jesus was now less emotional and more mature.
The teachers that I mentioned, although very knowledgable and well read, were lacking something that I was desperately seeking. While I was still getting into the Word a lot, there was a distance from God that I couldn't rationalize away...
I began to wonder why God would take the wonderful moving of His Spirit in the form of gifts away from His Church. Well, why would He? Had the Church matured so much that God figured that we no longer need His Spirit moving in and through us? How ridiculous to even think such a thing! I slowly began to move away from that "God doesn't do that anymore" belief, because no matter how much I got into His Word, I found that I missed the depth of His presence which often accompanies these gifts.
Oh, abuses still exist- let's not be naive about t- but I realized that you can't "throw out the baby with the dirty bathwater", and I decided that I wanted as much of God that I could possibly have- no matter what that entailed.
Well, my passion has returned, and I'm now a believer in the moving of God and in the gifts of the Spirit TODAY. I know that God wants to move freely among His people now more than at any time in history, and I want to be involved in ALL that He has for me- Accepting His forgiveness and grace, walking passionately with Him, and being willing to be used of Him as HE chooses to use me.
How about you? Do you want God to freely move in and through your life? Are you willing to let Him use yo u to minister to the lost- in HIS power? Will you allow Him to use you to minister to other believers in a supernatural way, if that's how He chooses to move? He's already given us all we need.
May God richly bless you-
pastor Jim Ewing
Isn't it great how the Lord deals with all of us
Isn't it great how the Lord deals with all of us differently, yet with the same goal in mind?Watchman Nee once said that God's purpose for every one of His children, from the moment we become born-again, is to break us of our self-will. We all have a will that He wants to conform to His own.
He will send circumstances our way that are designed to bring us to the end of ourselves, so that we will learn to trust not in ourselves, but in God alone. 2 Corinthians 1:8&9 says,"For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should trust not in ourselves, but in God which rasieth the dead."
We should continually seek to look to Him and trust Him in all of our circumstances, but we all struggle with the old nature, so God deals with us on an in dividual basis, fully knowing what it takes to bring each of us to our knees, and forcing us to look to Him- and away from ourselves.
One individual may be naturally head-strong, while another, very shy and reserved, or double-minded, or whatever. God must deal with each diffrently.
A sweet lady from my church once told me that God has to bring some people down, because they have such a high opinion of themselves, while others He must lift up, because they don't believe they're good enough to do anything for Him, or that God could possibly use them.
The lady was so right- both of these attitudes will hinder our relationship with the Lord, and so He must- and does- use our circumstances to draw our attention to Him. He always does it with our highest good in mind, and because He loves us very deeply and knows us intimately, we must remember that it is safe to trust Him with every detail of our lives- every moment of our lives.
Nothing brings more pleasure to the heart of God than for His children to confidently place themselves fully into His loving hands, knowing of a certainty that He knows just how to bring each one of us to where He wants us- in His way and time. He never said the road would be easy, but His way is always the right way, and He's promised to never leave us, nor forsake us...
Praise His name!
pastor Jim Ewing
Why Some Stuff Happens
This is what people say."God, He's the God of love. He is for us
and loves us. Why is He allowing this kind of
hardship to befall us? Why is God allowing
me to go through this kind of tribulation if
He exists? Where is God? I lived so honestly,
but why do I have to go through this?"
If we objectively think about this, we see
that people think that they are walking
God's path because they read the Bible and
give offering, regardless of the fact that
they live following their own thoughts
without knowing the precise will of God.
How could that path be the same as God's
when they do not have ears to hear the
voice of God and do not know the deep
heart of God? That is why God leads us.
What happens when a fish is caught in a
net while it is swimming in the sea? It becomes
entangled. "What did I just run
into?" It turns around and swims and it is
okay.
.
Then again while it is swimming
around, it runs into something. Then the
space becomes smaller and smaller, and
eventually it is captured. God puts us into
His net and leads us into His world. That is
why we run into things as we go on to do
something. When we turn around from the
frustration, it seems for a little while that
things are okay, but we crash into something
again.
It is because we are in God's
net. Our lives become much better when
we fully understand this.
Spiritual life is believing in
God. To have faith, we have to first realize
that our methods are wrong.
When you become
freed from your ways, you are able to
have the faith to believe in God. Right then
God works with power inside of us.
Regardless
of how your thoughts have been until
now, empty all of those thoughts and listen
to the Word God speaks to you. Incline your
ears to the voice of God. If you hear the
voice of God, it is no longer the path you
go. It is the path God takes.
Through hearing
the voice of God, Noah started to build
the ark, Abraham gained a son, and Moses
went before Pharaoh. They were not paths
of their own, but paths God showed them. I
hope that you will not take your own paths,
but walk the path of God.
Then again while it is swimming
around, it runs into something. Then the
space becomes smaller and smaller, and
eventually it is captured. God puts us into
His net and leads us into His world. That is
why we run into things as we go on to do
something. When we turn around from the
frustration, it seems for a little while that
things are okay, but we crash into something
again.
It is because we are in God's
net. Our lives become much better when
we fully understand this.
Spiritual life is believing in
God. To have faith, we have to first realize
that our methods are wrong.
When you become
freed from your ways, you are able to
have the faith to believe in God. Right then
God works with power inside of us.
Regardless
of how your thoughts have been until
now, empty all of those thoughts and listen
to the Word God speaks to you. Incline your
ears to the voice of God. If you hear the
voice of God, it is no longer the path you
go. It is the path God takes.
Through hearing
the voice of God, Noah started to build
the ark, Abraham gained a son, and Moses
went before Pharaoh. They were not paths
of their own, but paths God showed them. I
hope that you will not take your own paths,
but walk the path of God.
Friday, November 21, 2008
The most famous weapon of science fiction is rapidly becoming factWe now have a plasma beam weapon that can shoot thru a foot think steel plate at 100 miles away.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Liberty Where the Spirit
But even unto this day, when Moses isread, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless,
when it shall turn to the Lord, the
vail shall be taken away. (2 Cor. 3:15~16)
What does it mean here to turn to the
Lord? When I try to keep the law I am
turning to the law, not the Lord. Many
people today claim to serve God, but
are serving the law. We must live spiritual
life not through the law but through
receiving the heart of God.
Verse 17 says, "... and where the
Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." For
example, I would not feel free if I were
at your house. I would be afraid that you
would be uncomfortable if I rested on
your bed, and I would be careful and
worried that you might be upset if I were
to take the water out of your refrigerator
to quench my thirst.
If your heart and
mine become one, we are comfortable
and free no matter what we do. We are
free if we have the spirit of God because
we then have the same heart as
God. One who tries to keep the law can
never gain liberty in front of God. No
matter how well he keeps the law, he
cannot gain liberty before God. There is
true liberty where the spirit of the Lord
is.
God recorded the first law on tables
of stones, but He recorded the second
law in our heart. He puts His heart into
ours. If God puts the heart to hate adultery,
to hate stealing, and to hate hatred,
we will be led by that heart and we
can live like God. You cannot live like
God when you are led by the law, but if
you receive the heart of Jesus, your life
is automatically changed into a beautiful
and blessed one.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
I have your son in the palm of my hands....
My son, Jimmy is 13 years old. As I write this (early in the morning), he is on his way to Sea-Tac airport with his Pony League baseball team headed for Fullerton, California. I'm told that if they win that tournament, having won the last two major tournaments in the Northwest, then they'll be playing in the Pony League World Series the following week..
I can remember him coming up to me as an 8 year old boy telling me that he wanted to join Little League, and that he wanted to be a major league player some day. I tied to dissuade him, informing him that little league baseball is a huge step from playing ball in the yard with neighborhood friends. I didn't want him to be let down or humiliated, as some of the little league boys had been playing since t-ball, but he was persistent. A year later, and after much pleading (dad, I KNOW I can do it!), I finally relented, and he proved me wrong the moment he first swung that bat....
We'll se e what happens at the tournament this weekend, but as I ponder all of this, my mind wanders to when Jimmy was about 4. His mom was working late and I fed him some cold cereal for dinner- DINNER!
I'm a lousy cook (takes me an hour to cook Minute Rice) so I wanted to give him something quick and easy. As he poured the milk, I began to feel guilty and selfish. You know- "What kind of father am I that I couldn't even at least go to the store and buy him something decent to eat- you don't give a kid cereal for dinner, for goodness sakes!"
I wondered how he must be feeling at that moment, with such an incompetent dad. I actually began to cry quietly. At that very moment, before taking his first bite, he began to sing the little song he'd learned at church, "God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He's so good to me!"
I was overtaken with emotion and had to leave the room, and I felt God saying to me, "Don't worry- I have your son in the palm of My hands. You are not a perfect father, but Jimmy knows that he's loved, and as I take care of you, I also take care of him." Most parents will relate with how I felt. We ARE in the palm of His hands, and He cares for us more than we could know!
pastor Jim Ewing
Lest It Be Forgotten
Rear view of former slave revealing scars on his back from savage whipping, in photo taken after he escaped to become Union soldier during Civil War.Location:
US
Date taken:
1863
Praise God that our nation has come thus far. And that we are growing up.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
IMPARTATION
Recently, I received a teaching tape in the mail of a pastor who does not believe in the laying on of hands for impartation of spiritual gifts. He taught that when the Bible refers to Paul imparting some spiritual gift, that it was a mistranslation and that the word impartation, according to the Greek, should be replaced with the word share. To me it makes no difference when differentiations of a single Greek word vary in meaning as long the context of what is being said remains the same. When translating a single Greek word, the translation must remain consistent with other biblical truths.In the case of impartation of spiritual gifts or the sharing of spiritual gifts, what difference does it make if the results are the same? When we share, we impart. Something of God is transferred.
The Bible is full of stories that involve impartation. Sometimes it is through the laying on of hands. It could be anointing with oil, Peters shadow, Paul’s blessed handkerchiefs, Elijah lying on a dead boy or the hem of Jesus’ garment.
The Bible calls us the light of the world and the salt of the earth. Everywhere you go you impart light, and as salt you impart a preserving influence on the earth. Jesus said, "Freely you have received so freely give." Peter had something to give when he said to the lame man "Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee." He had something to impart: the healing virtue of Jesus Christ.
Paul admonished Timothy to stir up the gift that was in him by the putting on of Paul’s hands. A spiritual gift was imparted from Paul to Timothy by the Holy Ghost.
God does not need man in order to work a miracle of healing or to impart some spiritual gift but he does choose to use men and women to administer those gifts and callings.
David did not become the king of Israel until Samuel anointed him to be the king.
In Numbers 11, God took of the Spirit that was upon Moses and put it upon the seventy. It was God who initiated it. Every good and perfect gift comes from him. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
When we preach the gospel, God gives the increase. Only God can heal, and save, and anoint. When we preach truth, we impart truth. When we lay hands on the sick, we impart the healing virtue that only God can give but he uses ordinary people to do it.
God could speak with or without prophets but he has chosen to speak through his prophets that have been (as the scripture says) "since the world began." God has always used people to minister to people, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Teachers teach the word of God but only God can give the increase.
I have heard people say, "If God wants to save me, he’ll save me." No, you must respond to his invitation. Others say. "If God wants me to speak in tongues I’ll speak in tongue." Or, "If God has something to say to me he’s got my number, I don’t need some prophet."
If you become so religious that you cannot receive anyone who has a word from the Lord for you, you will most likely develop a deaf ear and all you will hear is yourself. You will begin to follow your own preconceived notions that stem from nothing more that your own opinions. You might even begin to doubt the scriptures, because after all, they were written by man.
Always keep in mind that God uses people to reach people. The scripture says, "How will they hear without a preacher?" The devil says, why go to church, you don’t need a preacher; you can stay home and hear God for yourself, or just watch it on TV. Speaking in tongues is weird and not for someone as sophisticated as you; anyway you have seen too many counterfeits to seek that gift; plus it’s to one - someone else, not you. Why even be a Christian, look at all those hypocrites out there. You don’t need to call the elders of the church to anoint you with oil and pray over you for healing, after all, they can’t impart anything.
Satan is a liar and the father of lies. He will always question the miracle of divine providence and will use any excuse he can to get you to stop seeking after the supernatural things of God. He attacks the supernatural move of God’s Spirit and attempts to take the miracle out of the miraculous.
If you are a born again, Spirit filled Christian, you cannot help but to impart what you have. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Rivers of living water will flow out of you to others. Jesus taught us that when we enter a house, we should let our peace rest upon it (impartation) but if they reject you, let your peace return to you and shake the dust off your feet.
Simon the sorcerer offered Peter money when he saw how Peter was used by God to impart the gift of the Holy Ghost. He said give me this power so that I too can lay hands on people to receive the Holy Ghost. Acts 8:18, "And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money."
When Paul came to Ephesus, he found certain disciples that he laid hands on to impart spiritual gifts. First and foremost, the gift of the Holy Ghost and then (as the Spirit divides severally as he wills) tongues and prophecy. Read it for yourself. Acts 19:6 "And when Paul had laid hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them and they spake with tongues, and prophesied." IMPARTATION Paul had the gift of the Holy Ghost, the gift of tongues, and the gift of prophecy. What he had he was also able to give, share, or impart. Jesus said, "Freely you have received, freely give."
The Lord said to Ananias in a vision that Saul had seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hands on him that he might be receive his sight. Ananias then went to Saul and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost (Acts 9:17).
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Paul’s healing, and the Gift of the Holy Ghost were given as a direct result of impartation through the laying on of hands, then Paul went out, in his ministry, and did the same. Could God have healed Saul and given him the gift of the Holy Ghost (gifts of the Spirit) without Ananias? Of course he could have, but the scripture clearly shows us that God chose to share / impart both healing and this gift of his Spirit through the laying on of mans hands. Saul, became Paul the apostle who later wrote two thirds of the New Testament. God gave the increase.
We cannot go around by our own will and expect to impart anything from God. We preach salvation, but we are powerless to save anyone. It’s the same way with any of the gifts that comes from God, weather it be the gift of salvation, the filling of God’s Spirit, or any other good and perfect gift. It must come from God according to his divine providence.
Jesus said, "No man can come to me except the Father draws him." God is willing that none should perish, and that all would come to the knowledge of the truth, but unfortunately many will still go to hell. It is also true with impartation. God is willing to give gifts to man, but in our religious endeavor to reach him, many times, we completely miss him.
Pastor, Tilson
The Creative Word
Believing God simply means to acceptthe Word of God. If we accept
the Word of God, we are also accepting
the power within it. When we
accept the Word of God, He is able
to accomplish all the humanly impossible
things in us.
God told Moses to lead the people
of Israel out from Egypt. He said,
"I will send you to Pharaoh to lead
my people, the children of Israel, out
from Egypt." Moses was very frustrated
upon hearing these words.
"Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, has a
huge army. How could I deliver the
people of Israel? This makes no sense!"
But God said, "I will send you to
lead them," and it was accomplished
because within those words was all the
power needed to accomplish them.
It seems that the rain simply falls
from the sky, flows into the rivers,
then to the oceans, and then back
up to the sky. However, this is not
only what happens.
When a seed is
sown, the water from the rain makes
it sprout, bloom flowers, bear fruits,
and provides food to the sower of
that seed. Likewise, each word that
proceeds from the mouth of God
does not return in vain, but accomplishes
what God has spoken.
However, people do not believe
this. They believe their thoughts and
their own power more than the
Word of God. Rather than hoping
that the Word of God would enter
to accomplish everything, people
have the thought of doing it themselves.
That is why problems arise in
spiritual life.
Although people have the Word
of God in front of them, with their
shallow minds, they think, "Will this
go well? I don't think it will go well.
How could this be, even if it is the
Word of God?" We have to throw
such thoughts away. It seems that
the Word of God does not fit my
thoughts and that it will not work,
but the Bible tells us that there is
nothing the Word of God cannot do.
Read the Bible, everyone.
As you
read each verse, believe that all the
words of the 66 books of the Bible
are the words of God. It is true that
man recorded the Bible, but because
it was recorded by men who received
inspiration from God, all 66
books of the Bible are the words of
God.
These words may seem impossible,
not because they are impossible
in reality, but because Satan led our
hearts to the opposite side from the
Word of God. Satan makes it seem
unlikely that the Word will be accomplished
to keep us from accepting
the Word of God.
People who are crumbled down
do not see the Word with their own
judgment. They simply accept the
Word of God exactly as it is. They do
not see whether or not the Word is
possible, but they believe that the
Word will be accomplished because
it is the Word of God. From then on,
the Word of God begins to work inside
that person.
All the people of faith lived experiencing
the power of the Word
through believing the Word.
Isaiah chapter 55 says this:
For as the rain cometh down, and
the snow from heaven, and returneth
not thither, but watereth the
earth, and maketh it bring forth and
bud, that it may give seed to the
sower and bread to the eater, So
shall my word be that goeth forth
out of my mouth: it shall not return
unto me void, but it shall accomplish
that which I please, and it shall prosper
in the thing whereto I sent it.
This means that all of God's
words that proceed from His lips
have the power to accomplish the
words spoken.
What has God said to you?
What has God said about you?
Do you listen to your own thoughts about you?
Or do you listen to what God says about you?
Who has power in their words?
By His Word the worlds were created.
Colossians 1:16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Psalm 148:5Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.
Revelation 4:11Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Bet you didn't know there is another internet
Gopher internetYes, I said the Gopher Internet. No, I don’t mean little rodent things.
You see, way back before these new-fangled graphical web browsers like Firefox and Internet Explorer were invented, there were two Webs. There was the world wide web, and then there was the Gopher web.
But alas, your browser most likely will not allow you access to the Gopher internet. Hence the appropriate name?
Sunday, November 16, 2008
This past Saturday afternoon, I had a very enjoyable meeting with past Shekinah Fellowship members Jud and Tara Hoyt. We talked for about three hours, discussing the Shekinah days from about 1973 on......I had seen photos of Jud in the comment section of this website, and realized that I remembered his face from way back in 1975 and 1976, when Brant Baker and the Shekinah Fellowship Miracle Ministry came up to the Seattle area for a series of meetings...
Well, when we discovered a couple weeks ago that we lived within minutes of each other, we decided to get together and talk and share memories. Tara and Jud's perspective was different than mine, in that they were right there in the middle of all the action, so to speak, while I was just one of so many people who were blessed by the ministry. I let both Jud and Tara know that, while Brant was undoubtedly anointed, I felt that the entire ministry team was anointed as well.
I remembered how blessed I was by the music that they shared all those years ago, and I wanted them to know that I so appreciated them and their part in Sheinah. As we spoke, they filled me in on some of the great (and sometimes funny) experiences that they remembered, and made me feel like I was right there with them at that time (and in a way, I was- having seen them minister in person a number of times, both in Los Angeles, and the Seattle area)...
Neither Jud nor Tara could have been any nicer, any more pleasant or warm than they were, and it was a real joy just talking and sharing with them. We will get together again, to be sure, as there is only so much you can discuss in a three hour visit, but I feel like I've known them for most of my life, and I wanted all who visit this website to know about these wonderful people of God.
God bless you all- pastor Jim Ewing
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
I Live In southern CA
Leashed alligator shunned after entering SoCal barHUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — Ever heard the one about the guy who walked into a bar with an alligator?
Our Hearts One With His.
All Things Are From GodThe Bible says that God created the
heaven and the earth. Yes, it is true
that God created the heaven and
earth, but there are rarely people who
believe that all the great and small
things that happen to them are
through God. The Bible says that God
created the light, the darkness, agony,
joy, and sadness. The Bible records
that all of these things were made
through God.
And without him was not any
thing made that was made.
There is nothing that is done that is
not through God. Before, I would often
become upset and angry at other
people, and think, "This problem happened
because that brother did not do
good things. Things are difficult because
of that sister." But even if that
brother was trying to hurt me, God
could have changed it to not be so. On
the other hand, even if a brother was
trying to help me, I could not be helped
unless God helps me.
After coming
to know this, the way I saw things
and people completely changed.
Joseph must have felt wronged
when he was sold by his brothers to
become a servant in the house of Potiphar
in Egypt. Joseph then began to
receive a certain amount of recognition
there and his life began to find
security. However, he ended up going
to prison through the scheming of Potiphar's
wife. Joseph may have
thought, "God, I feel so wronged!"
But later on, after becoming the governor
of Egypt, Joseph came to know,
"Ah, the reason for God sending me
to prison was a part of the process for
gaining all this."
Joseph and Apostle Paul were both
in prison. Perhaps Joseph complained,
but Apostle Paul did not. When Paul
and Silas were beaten and locked in
prison, they awoke during the night
and were neither sad nor afraid, but
praised God and prayed. It was because
they believed with assurance
that all things are done through God.
Because Paul knew precisely that such
things could not happen without God,
Paul praised God and thanked God.
Then an earthquake opened the prison
gates and the prison became a
place where they preached the gospel.
We could clearly see how God
was accomplishing His will.
Did Jesus Also Not Know?
As I read, All things were made by
him; and without him was not any
thing made that was made, in the Bible,
I came to know that things do not
happen through or because of a certain
person or people, but through God.
Nay, in all these things we are
more than conquerors, through him
that loved us. (Romans 3:27) What it
says before this verse is, "For the Lord
we are killed all the day long; we are
accounted as sheep for the slaughter."
It means that they face hardships.
We are killed all the day long; we
are accounted as sheep for the
slaughter. Nay, in all these things we
are more than conquerors through
him that loved us. (Romans 8:36-37)
"Yes, then even for this problem,
we are more than conquerors through the Lord! It will not be a
problem! It will go well if God helps!"
My heart became truly free from
my problems.
"God allowed this."
Why Did He Create
Darkness?
In the Bible, God created the light
and He created the darkness. Why did
God create darkness?
There are levels in spiritual life.
There are people who have themselves
as the center, trusting themselves and
following their own thoughts, and
there are those who have gone beyond
this to deny themselves and to be
free from their thoughts.
Although I was young when I received
salvation, I knew precisely that
I was evil and filthy.
"I am like a broken car. If there is
something I like, I continue to roll in
that direction even though I step on
the brakes. If there is something I want,
my heart continually goes there even
though I steer in another direction."
If a car continues to move even
though I step on the brakes and goes
in a direction different from the way I
have steered, that car is bound to get
into an accident.
I came to precisely
know, "If I believe my thoughts and
follow my heart, I will surely be destroyed."
From that day on, thoughts
did arise, but I did not believe those
thoughts.
"I should not follow these thoughts
or I will be ruined."
When I came to precisely know
this, I could not follow my thoughts.
When I became freed from my
thoughts, the guidance of God precisely
appeared and led me.
It is extremely difficult to enter the
level of denying ourselves. Therefore,
God makes darkness enter our lives so
that we will deny ourselves.
In Luke chapter 15, the younger
son takes the father's wealth to a far
away country and lives riotously.
While he had money and a full stomach,
he did not realize his wrongdoings
nor return to the father. To let
him know of his truly evil, filthy, and
dirty image, God gave him hunger,
pain, and darkness.
In terms of pictures,
the image of the prodigal son in
the pig pen is an extremely dark and
frustrating image, while the state of
the prodigal son returning to the
father's home to wear good clothes
and eat the fatted calf is a shining,
beautiful image.
I Thank God that He
Made Me Fail
God gives us pain. He gives us suffering.
He gives us sadness. Through
this, He leads us to deny ourselves. Because
we do not know ourselves well,
we think we live well through our intelligence
and greatness.
That is why
God uses darkness. Whether it be a
car accident, cancer, divorce, or failure
in business, God works through using
such things.
When people eat and live well,
they think that this is due to their own
greatness and intelligence, making
them uplift their own hearts. Therefore,
they only accept the Word of
God when it fits their heart and do
not when it does not fit. They are the
kings, they are the lords, and because
they believe themselves, they can only
live this way.
Some people say that
they cannot break their hearts when
they are told to. When some people
are told to believe that their sins are
washed away, they say that they understand
what it means, but they cannot
believe it.
It is because they have
themselves as their master. That is why
God made the darkness.
Like the lady who sold apples, like
the company president I just mentioned,
like the man with the infirmity
for 38 years in the Bible, like the thief
at the cross, and like the woman taken
in adultery, people who meet
hardships and know that they are
ruined are unable to believe in themselves.
People begin to change from
the time they become unable to believe
themselves. When people refuse
the Word of God because it does not
fit their thoughts and they live selfcentered
lives, God gives them difficulties
and pain.
But when people
crumble down through this, God begins
to work and people live truly precious,
blessed lives.
All things were made by him; and
without him was not any thing made
that was made. (John 1:3)
If God gives you agony, you have to
know, "This is not because of some
person, but it is from God," and know
the fact that it was through God.
We Need the Wisdom
to Accept that It Was
from God
One day God showed me my image
and I came to know precisely
what an evil, dirty, and pitiful human
being I was. From then on, it was not
me at work but Jesus was living and
working inside me. I was so joyful,
thankful, and peaceful.
God did not only create the light.
He did not only create happiness and
joy. He also created pain, suffering,
sadness, and agony, and gives some
people sadness and some people pain.
Through this, God leads us to come
before God to receive grace.
We are people who believe in God.
No matter what it is, you must throw
away what you see with your eyes
that say, "If I do this, it will go well. If I
do this, I will succeed," and you must
believe that all the things you go
through is from God.
If God allowed
you to be wronged, allowed you pain,
allowed you sadness, and allowed you
to go through agony, He does not do
so without a reason. God makes us realize
what pitiful people we are
through these things.
Sometimes, you
are mocked for not having one dollar,
and there are times you cannot do
what you need to do for the lack of a
few dollars. While going through such
heartaches, God humbles our hearts
more and more in order to lead us
into having faith in God.
There is nothing in this world that
is not made through God.
"And without him was not any
thing made that was made."
Whatever it is, we need the wisdom
to know that it is given from
God.
When you are in pain through
pain God gives you, and when you receive
hunger and spite that is given to
you, this becomes an opportunity for
you to receive the grace of God. As
these things pass, we come to know
that He is leading us to live the life of
having our hearts one with His.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Parrot credited with choking tot rescue
Since I have five birds this means something to me personally. A Denver area babysitter said her pet parrot may have saved the life of a 2-year-old girl by raising a ruckus when the toddler started choking.Parrot Credited With Choking Tot Rescue
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
You Are Going To Love This Free Feature
Gmail now has live video connectivity. From viewing videos on YouTube to screening family events, people love being able to watch something exactly as it happened. And as webcams have become popular, more and more of us are realizing that video is the next best thing to an in-person conversation. Today we're introducing Gmail voice and video chat, which lets you have free voice and video conversations right from within Gmail.The big telcos are not going to like this at all! Pawned by Gmail forsure.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Near-death experiences are real and we have the proof, say scientists
Jeanette Atkinson is surprisingly relaxed about the time she died and went to the edge of heaven.“I do not want to die again in the near future because I still have too much to do,” she says. “But I have no fear of death. “People see the pain and suffering of dying and equate that with death - but they’re not the same. Death is the progression of life.”Clouds
I have been a great fan of clouds since I was a little boy. Watching all the shapes drifting by and looking for imaginary animals and shapes of things in them. Since my job takes place outdoors most of the time I still watch the skies. I have always loved clouds. This is why I noticed that something was not right when NATO started to seed them with chemicals, something that is happening all over the globe. Every time I see the ugly signature of these evil people doing something in the sky I get deeply grieved. Especially since few people seem to notice or even care about it. I took a quick video of one of the white unmarked tanker jets as it did some spraying right above my home.Here is a video that I made 12, 29, 2004 when for some reason they did not do any spraying of the clouds. I got some awesome pictures and set them to some music which the musician was very kind in giving me permission to use his talent to set the mood that I felt while watching these majestic clouds going past me. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did, and that you will become a sky watcher. I hope that more people will become aware of the evil that has been taking place overhead. Those of us who are in our fifties know what real clouds should look like and can see that what we are seeing overhead these days are not natural.
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