Maui

What would you have done?

Beautiful sister walks out on awards night.
http://theblacksphere.net/2014/01/christian-grammy-nominee-natalie-grant-walks-grammys/

The Beatles Abbey Road History And Live Abbey Road Web Cam

 (I dust this post off and represent it ever so often because I like it)

England Web Cam Of The Crossing At Abbey Road

Abbey Road Studios Live Web Cam

The Beatles last album as a group had a picture of them crossing here. Today you can see people crossing there still...you get live video feed of the tourist taking pictures of themselves on a very busy street. A bonus is you can see if it is raining or sunny or night or day as opposed to where you are located. Don't know why it is so fascinating to watch, but it is...

http://www.abbeyroad.com/Crossing

Update:
They are redoing their website so until they get it right you can still view the cam here.

 Guess what the original name of the album was supposed to be - Everest.  As in Mt. Everest.  They were supposed to fly to Nepal and have their photo taken there. "So Ringo said, 'Why don't we just shoot the cover outside and call it Abbey Road?' Like many a Ringo suggestion, it won out."

 Rather than go to

all the trouble, they just decided to go outside, have their photo taken in the street, and call it Abbey Road.

During the recording of what was to be their swan song, The Beatles toyed with several titles, and Everest, a reference to the brand of cigarettes their chief engineer, Geoff Emerick, smoked, was the favorite.

The cover photo was one of 6 taken by Scottish photographer Iain Macmillan, friend of John and Yoko Lennon, who had previously worked with Yoko on some of her off beat art projects.  The police blocked the street while the Fab Four walked back and forth across the street during mid-day break on August 8, 1969.  It was over in a few minutes, but the resulting photograph made the "zebra walk" the most famous in the world and a major tourist attraction in London. The picture was taken outside the Abbey Road recording studios at 11.35 am on August 8, 1969 for the cover of the Beatles final album.

http://artnectar.com/2010/07/funny-photo-beatles-iconic-abbey-road-album-cover-spoof/

It was the first Beatles album to use 8 tracks in the recording process – when you look at what was created before Abbey Road – Let It Be, Sgt. Pepper’s, the White Album, you can see why this album was sonically and acoustically superior. "The group was disintegrating before my eyes. It was ugly, like watching a divorce between four people" Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick, on the mood before Abbey Road, After a while, I had to get out."

"Oh, it was a nightmare. I was becoming physically sick just thinking of going to the studio each night. I used to love working with the band. By that point, I dreaded it. Getting out was the only thing I could do."

A year later, however, he was drawn back to work with Martin and The Beatles with the promise that the band would be on their best behavior. Emerick missed a few sessions for the album that would eventually rename EMI Studios, but in the end, he says, "I'm glad I came back for the final bow. To have missed being a part of the Abbey Road album, I'd still be kicking myself."

"After Let It Be, which I understand was not very pleasant for anybody, Paul was very keen to make a record the way the band used to. He wanted George Martin and I behind the console and everybody working together. He said things would be better than what they had been."
Did you take Paul at his word, that there would be a spirit of harmony?
"Yes, I did take him at his word. And John said the same thing to George Martin. In the back of my head I might have had some reservations, like, 'Well, we'll see…' But I was surprised and pleased at how everybody got along."

Did you have any idea while you were cutting Abbey Road that it would be The Beatles' last album? Was anything said to that effect?
"I didn't think it would be the last one. And nothing was said to indicate that, at least not to me. As far as I understood it, we'd be working on another record in the new studio I was building at Apple. The band was getting along better. The mood wasn't bubbly and fun all the time, but it was a hell of a lot better than during the previous year.
"The only hint they gave me or anybody was on the album cover, where they're walking across the street. For people who don't know the geography, they're actually walking away from the EMI Studios - or Abbey Road, as everybody knows it now. This was intentional on their part - they didn't want to be seen as walking toward the studio. When I saw that photo, I did think to myself, 'They're sending a message.'
"By that time, they'd been literally incarcerated at EMI. They grew to truly hate the place. It certainly wasn't the most luxurious studio in the world. It was cold and quite uncomfortable, and EMI was always quite slow to embrace new technologies - we were the last to get four-track and eight-track recording decks. In fact, Abbey Road was the first album where I got to use an eight-track console."

I'm curious: The Beatles were the biggest band in the world - still are, really. Couldn't they have told EMI, "We want a better consoles, better accommodations"?

"No, it was against the rules at EMI. I remember at one point they wanted some covered lights in Studio Two, a bit of mood lighting, and the word they got back was 'We can't do that sort of thing.' So the band ended up setting up their own little area in Studio Two, with little lamps of their own and things to make it more homey."

"You could really see the joy in their faces as they played; it was like they were teenagers again. One take was all we needed. The musical telepathy between them was mind-boggling."

The question, though, is who would want to buy Abbey Road? It's no secret that competition for studio bookings is now fierce - let's not forget that it's now possible to make a decent-sounding record in your bedroom with Garage Band etc - so making money from the studio could be difficult.

Whoever does take ownership of Abbey Road, though, will be getting their hands on a sizeable slice of recording history, and that's got to be worth something...

Let it be.

While musical Easter eggs really shined during the CD era, there were plenty of examples that predated the introduction of lasers to music-playback devices.

The world first cottoned to the idea thanks to the Beatles, whose sound engineers used the form to override the wishes of the musicians themselves.

 An act of quiet defiance by one of those engineers gave Abbey Road listeners a little surprise at the end—and the world its first "hidden track."

Little, literally: "Her Majesty," the song that closes out the second side of the record, was just 23 seconds long.

A simple acoustic ditty by Paul McCartney, the song was basically a loose end from the medley that defines the back half of that album.

 It was a nice enough song, but there was nowhere to put it in the midst of all the other songs on the record, so McCartney ordered engineer John Kurlander to remove it from the album.

He did, but later added it to the end of the album after a few seconds of silence.

“The Beatles always picked up on accidental things. It came as a nice little surprise there at the end, and he didn’t mind," Kurlander later recalled.

Another recording engineer with ties to the Beatles is responsible for at least two other types of vinyl-era Easter eggs.

George Peckham, who worked at Abbey Road on many of the band's records, helped the comedy troupe Monty Python figure out a clever vinyl-pressing trick they had batted around for a while but failed to figure out on their own: The three-sided record.

Peckham pulled off the trick on the band's The Monty Python Matching Tie and Handkerchief, which came out in 1973.

 The record featured a concurrent groove, which made it so that it would play different music based on where you placed the needle.

The goal was confusion—something assisted by the fact that both sides of the record are labeled "Side 2." The comics basically wanted listeners to trip upon the third side by accident.

“We had these visions of stoned fans, of which there were a lot in the early '70s, having the shock of their lives when brand new material was playing on a record they had had for months," Python's Michael Palin recalled.

 "Some people thought there was an alternative version because they would hear talk of these mysterious sketches that they had never heard on their record. It drove people mad.

 This was precisely why we did it, of course."

 http://shekinahfellowship.blogspot.com/

Calvary Chapel May Have Reached It's Full Extent

I went to Calvary Chapel one Sunday morning. I listened to pastor Chuck Smith teach from the Bible.
 The last time that I spoke with him was a few years back. God had me give him a prophecy. It was on that Sunday morning.

 I believe God had me say to him, "Chuck, you will see the full extent of your Calvary Chapel family with your own eyes." My heart was beating fast as I delivered the message to him in the presence of the self appointed entourage that had gathered around him as usual. Some approving and others perhaps not of my delivery of what I believed God would have me to share with Chuck.

Oden Fong confirmed the message a day or so after I had given it to Chuck. Oden told me that it "was from the Lord."

A few years after that Chuck went on tour with the 60's Christian band "Love Song" to visit all the Calvary Chapels. So I guess the message was correct because Chuck had seen all of the Calvary Chapels with his own eyes before his graduation to heaven.

So does this mean that since he saw, what at the time of the tour was, all of the Calvary Chapels, that there will no longer be Calvary Chapel church growth?

Apparently there is something going on right now that threatens the CC empires future as it were. Pastor Chuck Smith believed in the operational "Moses model." But only a portion of it where he was in the Moses role so to speak.

He did not have a young "Joshua" as would have been fitting in with the complete Moses model.He left no young Joshua with his explicit directions, only his son in law who took over the helm by default so to speak.

 Now please don't get me wrong, I love Brian Broderson. I think that he is a wonderful man of God who is fully capable of teaching the Word of God. But I do not believe that he is the Joshua of the Calvary Chapel Moses model of Chuck Smith.

You see Chuck always took the easy way out. Taking all things to the throne of God and letting go. Fully trusting that somehow someway that God was going to work it out. That was his way always of dealing with anything that confronted him. Not that it is wrong in any sense.

And yet Chuck was always reluctant to take charge as it were. This left some people feeling as if Chuck just did not care and that he was not being responsible. In reality he was, even though he did not seem to take any action.

I think Chuck believed that God was going to sort out the Joshua aspect Himself.

OR...perhaps he knew that all of the Calvary Chapels that he visited while touring with Love Song were the "full extent of his Calvary Chapel family."

Here is just a peek into what one man thinks of all this. This man obviously has some experience at public speaking and knows how to get his point across. He is a professional like Alex Jones is a professional. I can't say that he is right or that he is wrong. Only that something is apparently taking place behind the carefully constructed and maintained public facade of what is known as Calvary Chapel. And this man has been chosen to be the spokesman for some of the factions that have banded together to prop up the image so beautifully maintained all these years of Calvary Chapel.

Is Calvary Chapel starting to crumble into oblivion? Leaving behind the shell of it's former glory like so many other churches have over the centuries?

Pure Logic and Deduction

Help Stop Chemtrail Geoengineering. It is bad for people who breathe.

More from the Skateboarding Cat

The internet solved a twenty year old mystery from Gandma

First Theraputic LSD Study in 40 Years Has Positive Results for all 12 Participants

The powers that be have been Chemtrailing an unusual amount this year over California skies. I suspect it is to maintain the high pressure system that is a component of the artic loop system they are bringing to our east coast. They have maintained the high pressure system for the last 13 months and it has created the worst drought in California history. One of the side effects is we are having lower air quality and people are starting to notice. So what do the powers that be do? They have their spin doctors rev up some good spinners... 
"What goes around comes around – quite literally in the case of smog. The US has outsourced many of its production lines to China and, in return, global winds are exporting the Chinese factories' pollution right back to the U.S. From the article: '...the team combined their emissions data with atmospheric models that predict how winds shuttle particles around. These winds push Chinese smog over the Pacific and dump it on the western US, from Seattle to southern California. The modelling revealed that on any given day in 2006, goods made in China for the US market accounted for up to a quarter of the sulphate smog over the western U.S..'"

Fortunately more and more people on facebook are becoming aware of this silent danger to every living creature on the planet. Just look up and start watching the skies above you. Here in southern California they have been Chemtrailing nonstop for days...long lines spreading out across the sky.

I first witnessed this spraying activity around 1986 when we saw the checkerboard pattern being sprayed above us in the Mojave Desert. By noon they had a perfectly clear sunny day turned into a very overcast day. I have a picture I took back then where you can plainly see the woof and warp pattern. I have been watching them spray the skies ever since. At first people though I was crazy when I pointed it out to them but after they saw it happen over and over again they too came to realize that something was not right.

And now there is something else that needs to be addressed. Radiation levels across America are spiking. Could the spraying be the cause?

"The Supreme Court issued a ruling that might help marginally curb patent madness. Ruling on a case between Medtronic and Mirowski Family Ventures, the court rules that the burden of proof in patent infringement cases is always on the patent holder. This is true even in the specific case at hand, in which Medtronic sought a declaratory judgement that it was not violating the Mirowski patents."

 "During a debate on the UK's Intellectual Property Bill, the Prime Minister's Intellectual Property Adviser has again called for a tougher approach to online file-sharing. In addition to recommending 'withdrawing Internet rights from lawbreakers,' Mike Weatherley MP significantly raised the bar by stating that the government must now consider 'some sort of custodial sentence for persistent offenders.' Google also got a bashing – again." The article goes on to say "Weatherley noted that the Bill does not currently match penalties for online infringement with those available to punish infringers in the physical world. The point was detailed by John Leech MP, who called for the maximum penalty for digital infringement to be increased to 10 years’ imprisonment instead of the current two years."

 American Pastor Saeed Abedini Moved to Political Prisoner Ward in Deadliest Prison in Iran – Health Concerns Grow

 https://www.facebook.com/freesaeed

 You can donate safely to this organization and know that there will be no mansion built in Dana Point, Ritz Cove, California or in any other kings of the earth neighborhood. Nor will you be financing someones "Roman citizen" type lifestyle. You will actually be helping those who need help.

Important New Information Regarding Barnabas Aid

"The idea seemed good to me; so I selected twelve of you" Deuteronomy 1:23

We are very pleased to report the leadership of Barnabas Aid quickly contacted us following our report yesterday on their ministry. While initially we were not able to get a response from the ministry, this appears to have been a result of miscommunication within their staff. Today we have had a substantive and transparent discussion with the ministry's leadership and have received a copy of the ministry's UK parent's audited financial statements. We expect we will soon receive the audited financial statements and form 990 for the US arm of the ministry shortly as well. While we have not yet had the opportunity to fully review this new information, we will report on it as soon as we can. Our preliminary assessment following our dialogue with Barnabas Aid's leadership is more favorable than what we reported in yesterday's update. Fundraising costs have apparently fallen in the most recent year while donations have increased significantly - a very good combination. Additionally, the subsidy coming from the UK based parent to the US arm of the ministry has fallen to 29% of its revenues in fiscal 2013 ended in August and will likely fall again  going forward. Furthermore, due to the crisis in the Middle East and in Syria in particular, Barnabas Aid has reacted aggressively by dipping into its savings to provide much needed aid as quickly as possible to those being persecuted. We will have a further update just as soon as we are able evaluate the financial statements we have just now received. Meanwhile, we wanted our readers to know Barnabas Aid has responded very quickly to our initial concerns and has been very open and straightforward in answering our questions. Additionally, as we noted in our update yesterday, we believe Barnabas Aid does very worthy work on behalf of persecuted Christians around the world.

Anarchy

Mixture of Oil 2/3, gas 1/3, rag bottle, the tools of anarchy. In this video it can be seen how horrible this is. Yesterdays riots in Kyiv, Ukraine. 

After another night of violence, Russia tells Europeans not to interfere in Ukraine: Russia has called on European governments not to interfere in the political crisis in Ukraine. The statement followed another night of violent clashes between anti-government protesters and police in Kyiv (Link is slow @ times)

“Dear subscriber, you are registered as a participant in a mass disturbance.” Text message sent to Ukrainian protesters in Kiev

Why Christians Should Share Christ With Others

Can't Evangelize In Heaven

Everyone In Heaven Is A Believer

There is something that you will not be able to do in heaven. You will not be able to share your faith with a nonbeliever. Why? Because everyone in heaven is a believer. When you take your last breath here on earth, you will never again be able to share with a lost person.

"Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter."
Charles Haddon Spurgeon

"The Son of Man has come to save that which was lost."
Matthew 18:11

If it is the utmost importance for Jesus to reach the lost, shouldn't it be a major priority for you? 

Three million years from now your fine car, good job, nice home won't matter. What will matter is who is in heaven and who is in hell. Today, every day, some 600,000 people will die and enter eternity. You can make a difference to some of them. Therefore wouldn't you want to reach out to as many of them as you can, while you still can?

"Preach the Word. Be ready in season and out of season."
2nd Timothy 4:2-8

"I would sooner bring one sinner to Jesus Christ than unravel all the mysteries of the divine Word, for salvation is the one thing we are to live for."
Charles Haddon Spurgeon

"Oh my friends, we are loaded down with countless church activities, while the real work of the church, that of evangelizing the world and winning the lost, is almost entirely neglected!"
Oswald J. Smith

We should desire to be used by God in what really matters to His heart.

Jesus talked with the woman at the well first about natural water, then about living water. He went from a natural topic to a spiritual one. When apostle Paul was giving his sermon on Mars Hill, he mentioned an altar he saw with the inscription "to the unknown God." He took something natural around him and turned it into a supernatural conversation. Shouldn't we?

Didn't someone lead you to Jesus?

"Why does the church stay indoors?"
Samuel Chadwick

"I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes..."
apostle Paul

For "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? 

And how shall they hear without a preacher? ...As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!"
Apostle Paul

People believe when the good news is preached and the Spirit of God touches their hearts. So preach the good news as God through Paul tells us to! We should want to see people in heaven so much that we would be willing to do anything for them to know Jesus.

What is the value of a soul?

"To be a soul winner is the happiest thing in the world. And with every soul you bring to Jesus Christ, you seem to get a new heaven here on earth."
Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Every breathing person you will ever meet needs Jesus.  

Use the breath that God has given you to furthur His kingdom here on earth.

There can be not getting around this scripture, no rationalizing away the sharing of your faith:

Proverbs 11:30The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

He that winneth souls is what? Then conversely he that does not win souls is what?

I know of a pastor who came to the conclusion that evangelism is only for some Christians but not all Christians.  

This man of God had a small church. As he reached out in evangelism his small church grew fast, and I mean fasssst! As more and more people came into his church and caught his model of evangelism and shared their faith out in the highways and byways of life, his church grew exponentially. Then one day he decided that he wasn't very good at evangelism so he gave it up and concentrated on teaching the bible instead of his former evangelistic efforts. He said,

*Quote*
"As I started reading and studying the Word of God, I could not find the Scripture that
said the primary purpose of the church is the evangelization of the world; I still can't find that Scripture.

 But I did find in Ephesians 4 that God has placed gifted men, apostles,
evangelists, prophets, pastor-teachers for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry, the building up of the body of Christ. This brought into my life a tremendous philosophical change as far as my concept of the purpose of the church was concerned.

Rather than seeing the primary purpose as being the evangelization of the world, I saw
that the purpose of the church was for the perfecting of the saints, making the believers strong, bringing them into maturity, feeding them, loving them, strengthening them so that they would be able to engage in the work of the ministry, for I realized that God has called all of us and placed us into His body and He has a plan and purpose for each of us."
*Unquote*

I disagree! 

No major battle has ever been won without a plan, without a strategy, the battle we are talking about (winning a soul to the kingdom) far surpasses any other of the battles in life that we might encounter. 

 The above is called "lifestyle evangelism" and lifestyle evangelism is one of the great cop outs of our fellow Christians. When you realize your Position in the vine, aware of your unconditional eternal security being you will begin to work toward others coming in to the kingdom. You will in fact get the message out instead of being "Keepers of the aquarium rather than fishers of men." 

Jesus told his disciples to "GO and make disciples of people of all nations...teaching them.." It is clear that they went from town to town and house to house in proclaiming the good news or gospel about Christ and His kingdom. Jesus' words: "A workman is worthy of his wages." Luke 10:7

Paul at Acts 20:20 "I did not hold back from...teaching you publicly and from house to house." Paul's NEXT words show that he was ministering to nonbelievers. He says: But I thoroughly bore witness both to Jews and to Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus

Explain how the Jews and Greeks that Paul was bearing witness to about repentance, (by going from house to house among other things), was simply an encouraging visit amongst fellow believers.

Randolph O. Yeager wrote that Paul taught "both in public assemblies [de'mo'si'a] and from house to house [ka'ta'] Paul had spent three years in Ephesus. He visited EVERY HOUSE or preached to all of the people. Here is SCRIPTURAL WARRANT for house to house evangelism as well as that carried on in public meetings. A similar use of ka'ta' appears at Luke 8:1, which speaks of Jesus preaching "from city to city and from village to village."

Remember that at Acts 5:42- in addition to going "from house to house," (In the same sentence and verse), they were also preaching and teaching at the Jewish temple.Were they just having "fellowship with believers" at the Jewish temple too?They were preaching to unbelievers in both cases. Just two of the many ways they followed Christ's example of a bold preacher of the gospel.

You'd have to ask as well if these disciples were just visiting with fellow Christian why Jesus would say:"When you are entering into the house, greet the household...if (He) is not deserving, let the peace from you return upon you. Wherever anyone does not take you in or LISTEN TO YOUR WORDS, on going out of that house or that city shake the dust off your feet." Matt 10:7, 11-13

Those were some unfriendly "fellow believers". Paul said "I did not flinch from...teaching you publicly and from house to house."- ACTS 20:20, Byington.

Then in the next verse, (21), he says that he was "Testifying both to Jews and to Greeks repentance toward God." It seems clear that those "Houses" didn't contain fellow believers, at least not initially.

"House to house dissemination of the gospel characterized the first-century Christians from the beginning (cf. Acts 2:46, 5:42). ... [Paul] had thoroughly discharged his responsibility both to Jews and Gentiles at Ephesus, and they were left without excuse if they perished in their sins."- The Wesleyan Bible Commentary, Volume 4, pages 642-3.

"He (Paul) was not content with teaching and discoursing in the synagogue and the market. He was ever diligently teaching from house to house. It was a house-to-house, hand-to-hand, face-to-face contest with evil, and to win men to Christ, that he waged in Ephesus." Biblical scholar, Edwin W. Rice.

One thing I recall about the early days at this pastors church was the sense of all of us young people participating in the birth of new Christians. We would bring others to church with us and pray for them as the "altar call" was being given, 'every eye closed and every head bowed', we would be in deep prayer that the Holy Spirit would move upon those present who did not know the Lord yet.

 Then the invitation would be extended for everyone that had raised their hand to come forward and bear witness to their acceptance of Christ before everyone. O, I can't tell you of the joy and the excitement of seeing others receive Christ.

All of us young people were so turned on to going out and sharing our faith with others at the beach and everywhere else we would go. We would see so many other Christians out on the streets sharing their faith. Then we would bring them to church to hear the gospel message where they would then get an opportunity to respond to the call of God through our pastor while we prayed fervently.

Then you can imagine our frustration when suddenly the altar calls were no longer and the excitement of everyone participating in evangelism as a Christian family sort of fizzled out.
Evangelism was relegated to once in a while crusades while the main emphasis became bible study. It was if a spiritual 'birth control' pill had been taken by the Church!

Today you hardly ever see Christians street witnessing. In fact, when was the last time you even saw anyone out in public with a bible, except at church? 

 Is it any wonder that the Church is losing the battle for souls in America?
 Is it any wonder that church attendance is waning across the land.

That Church reproductive model that I first witnessed as a 17 year old worked! The church grew and grew. There was such an alive environment every night at that church. Today, if I go there, to that same church, there is a "worship team" that everyone kind of just sits there and listens to. Everyone claps after each song as if they are watching entertainment instead of worshiping together like we used to do.

 People go in and go out. No after glow like there used to be. Sure some people linger and stick around talking but it is nothing like it used to be.

The Angels Rejoice When Theres A Soul Saved.

The angels of heaven rejoice greatly when anyone passes from judgment into salvation (Luke 15:10). Shouldn't we as Christians rejoice too? Shouldn't we weep over the lost? Shouldn't we ask the Lord of the field to send laborers into His harvest (Luke 10:2)? Certainly!  

The salvation of others is the goal of your efforts.

A lot of us used Chick Publication Bible tracts to help share our faith with others...

 http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0055/0055_01.asp

 http://chick.com/reading/tracts/1075/1075_01.asp

 This Was Your Life

"Chick tracts are everywhere One constant throughout my life is those pesky little Chick tracts that I seemed to find no matter where in the world I went! Even when I was stationed in Japan, there they were. By His grace I am found at last. Thank you for being there all of my life."

 An E-Mail

"Over twenty years ago my brother and his wife gave me several of your tracts. After reading THIS WAS YOUR LIFE! the Holy Spirit convicted me so strongly that I knelt down at the foot of the bed and repented of my sins and confessed Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior."
Alabama E-mail

Spiritual Gifts Are Presents To Be Opened By All Of Us Christians

The Gifts Of The Holy Spirit Are For Today

As an evangelical I believe in the fullness of the Holy Spirit and the exercise of all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I believe that the cessation of particular gifts is not taught in Scripture. I believe that the church is desperately weak and anemic because of the lack of these gifts.

I desire for those who believe in the gifts of the Spirit to come out of the closet and to begin to proclaim and practice these gifts in local churches. My prayer is that the church of Jesus Christ might be renewed. I have no preconceived notion of what that must look like, only the conviction that it is much needed.

Lonnie Frisbee the evangelist visited a fellowship once that was out of control. He shouted out loudly, "Stop toying with the gifts!" Abuses in the name of the Holy Spirit are everywhere it seems. The result is not good when God's people withdraw and relegate the exercise of the gifts to a small room behind the block wall instead of during the main service.

There is no place in Scripture where it states that the gifts of the Spirit have ceased. Recently a group of well intentioned Christians got together to support the idea that there are no gifts available today and that is because we have the Bible. On the surface it sounds very reasonable as they quote:

1 Corinthians 13:10

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁰ But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

The "perfect" cannot be taken to mean canonized Scripture. Paul is contrasting the partial with the complete, things that befit a child versus things that commend adulthood. The focal point for advance is the appearance of the "perfect." 

The Greek word teleios simply means "end," "purpose" or completion." Inherent in the word is no concept of a written record. This is simply a theological deduction.

Along with the faulty conclusion of 1 Cor 13:10 as a foundation, they deduced from Revelation 22:18-19 that prophecy ceased to exist with the closure of the canon.

 However, John's prohibition is not all prophesy, but to the deliberate falsification of the one given to him by the Holy Spirit. That Revelation is the last book in our New Testament canon does not mean it was the last to be written or the final prophecy given.

To state that some gifts have ceased and others have not is to go further than Scripture allows. The gifts belong to the church and will continue to belong to the church until the end of the age. Theological viewpoints do not determine the gifts nor do they activate or deactivate them.

Satan wants to divide the church. He will take any opportunity to breach the wall. A church without the gifts is harmless and no threat to him.

Some abuse of the gifts cause a reaction to retreat into the security of uniformity with no exercise of them other then just reading about them in the Scriptures.

The gifts are not weird as they have been made out to be. To despise these gifts, either by theological negation or practical skepticism, will leave us wholly unequipped to meet the battle. Our ancient foe, the devil, has not ceased his struggle to subdue the light of God. 

God does all things well. What He has appointed for His church has behind it wise purpose and meaning, for the mere reason that He is the One who has appointed it. 

Part of the joy we have is discovering the purpose and meaning which God had in mind when He appointed the gifts for His church. If God's Holy Spirit is to function fully in our lives, we must have an open heart and a consuming desire to know all we can about the nature and role of the Holy Spirit. His gifts and His ministries to the body of Christ.

The gifts of the Spirit, the weapons of our warfare, can destroy any force the devil might use against the body of Christ. 

You have to want the gifts of the Spirit. God will not force them on you. When you do receive them, have respect for them. Learn what God has said about them; then you will have great wisdom in the operation of these gifts, and they will remain with you. They are a vital part of your life as a Christian.

When our Lord Jesus came to this earth to conquer it and redeem it, He functioned only within the framework of the gifts of the Spirit. His total ministry on earth was not as God, but as a man, functioning in the gifts of the Spirit. All of the "miracles" Jesus performed were the result of a gift of the Spirit functioning at that time.

Jesus said:
"He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father."
John 14:12

The ministry Jesus performed on this earth was directed, guided, and energized by the Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit that you and I have today. We can expect to do the same works Jesus did if we follow, line upon line and precept upon precept, everything the Word of God teaches.

Each one of us Christians has the right to every gift of the Holy Spirit. They are provided for the total body of Christ, and you are a part of His body.

The gifts of the Spirit cannot be earned. They are called "gifts" to reveal that there is only one way to obtain them: They are given to the church by God. These gifts are not optional. The people of the church in the past missed God by deciding for themselves whether or not they would accept them. The gifts of the Spirit are not placed at the disposal of the church on a take~it~or~leave~it proposition. We either take them or lose what we have.

How can the church do greater works than Jesus did if it does not have the gifts of the Holy Spirit? If the church no longer has the gifts, if they ceased somehow, then Jesus lied to us about being able to do greater works than He did. Because He did everything by the gifts of the Holy Spirit as a man and not as God. Therefore we must have the gifts to do the same.

Some people have the idea that everything Jesus did was because He was God, but they are 100 percent wrong! The amazing ministry of Jesus Christ is a perfect example of a ministry that functioned within the framework of the gifts of the Spirit.

If Jesus had performed His earthly ministry because He was God, then you and I could not follow His example because we are not God. But the remarkable thing is that He confined His ministry within the framework of the gifts of the Spirit.

I use the word confined because, as the Son of God, Jesus was not required to operate in this framework. He did not have to function through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He could have spoken worlds into existence as was done in the beginning. But He deliberately confined Himself to minister within the limits of the gifts of the Spirit, and He did so for one purpose; that He might be a perfect example to you and me.

If what Jesus did, He did because He was the Son of Man and used the Holy Spirit to do it, then you and I can do it, too. If the ministry of Jesus was directed, guided, and energized by the Holy Spirit, then we can have the same kind of ministry because we have the same Holy Spirit.

Jesus functioned under the nine gifts that are in the New Testament, so can we.

What are the gifts of the Holy Spirit?

 What Is Baptism of The Holy Spirit?

Discernment?

Spiritual Gifts Series: The Gift Of Discernment

A very good question.

The Bible teaches that all Christians should grow in spiritual discernment.

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.- Hebrews 5:12-14

Paul told the Thessalonians:Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.- 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22

While he encouraged the Thessalonians not to discount or dismiss the Holy Spirit - by despising that which was being taught as coming from God (prophecy) - Paul instructed them to test everything.

In other words, if someone preaches or teaches something that he or she claims was inspired by God, we are not to despise it - which would result in quenching the Holy Spirit.

However, we are to carefully examine that which is being taught.

Earlier, Luke called the people of Berea - where Paul and Silas had been sent to preach - "more noble-minded that those in Thessalonica," because they received the word with great eagerness, examining [anakrino] the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men.- Acts 17:11-12

Thus the Bereans did not quench the Spirit, but rather tested what was being taught, using Scripture as their guide.

The only way to grow in spiritual discernment is by relying on the guidance of the Holy Spirit who indwells every true Christian, and by stuyding God’s Word, the Bible.

These two go hand-in-hand.

The Bible provides the standard against which all teachings must be tested:All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.- 2 Timothy 3:16-17

This reliance both on the guidance of the Holy Spirit and on God’s Written Word should keep Christians focused on God.

If Christians were to rely only on their ability to listen to the Holy Spirit, they would leave themselves open to all manner of private teachings and interpretations - without any rules by which to rest such revelations.

At the same time, it they were to rely only on their own ability to interpret and apply the Scriptures, they would leave no room for God’s guidance in revealing to them the riches of his Word.

As Christians our focus should always be on the living God, with whom we have an interactive relationship.

No Christian is an island. There is much to be learned from one another, as we share the wisdom and insights God has revealed to us from His Word, by His Holy Spirit.

Sadly, though, many Christians leave the responsibility for discernment almost completely up to others. Their guidance comes primarily from televangelists, authors (and, more often than not, their ghost writers), their pastors, or their favorite websites.

That’s like being spoon-fed by someone else - marking one as an infant, rather than as a mature Christian:For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.- Hebrews 5:12-14

By all means, let’s learn from one another - eagerly receiving the word, while also examining everything carefully.

Christians who believe that the Spiritual Gifts are still available today, see the gift of "distinguishing between spirits" (discerning whether they are human, from God, or demonic), to be a special form of discernment (revealed, instead of learned):Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.- 1 Corinthians 12:7-11

In Moses day there was the pillar of fire by night and the cloud by day. They followed the pillar of fire at night. The desert can get real cold at night, if you refused to follow the fire you got cold. The desert can get very hot during the day, if you refused to follow the cloud you had no shade and fried in the hot sun overhead. Therefore it made very good sense to follow the pillar of fire and the cloud where ever they would go.

Spiritual discernment : calling on the Holy Spirit to lead or give direction on a matter. It is how the Spirit shows the church or its people what God wants them to do and be.

There is discernment of :

gifts,

spirits,

actions,

intents,

the spirit of the times we live in.

Discernment is more than just a skill. Discernment is a gift from God before it is anything else. Yet there are clearly skills you put to use in using your gift, and you can become better at it through training and experience.

Discernment is more than just a process. Even for the most 'material' or 'nitty-gritty' matters, there is a Spirit at work nudging us, leading us, even pulling us by the nose ring. Even for the most 'spiritual' matters, there are disciplines, methods, processes, means, and tools which the Spirit can work through to help us discern rightly. Discernment isn't usually a sudden zap from beyond, but something which emerges from hard work.

Learn to discern. Yearn to discern.

We have to discriminate between what is true and what is false, ... between what is primary and what is secondary, between what is central and what is peripheral.

When the Spirit is on the move, it's characterized by:

Christ-centered spirituality in every aspect of life;

Rejection of all prejudice, class/ethnic/educational barriers, exclusiveness, and denominational warfare. When it follows the Spirit, the Body of Believers knowingly chooses to counter-model prejudices by living without regard to them.

bringing attention and worship to Jesus Christ, and awareness of God's/Jesus'/Spirit's work.

An unusual level of passion, energy, or impact.

These are the main things to look for in discerning about something:

it is governed by love, for if it is not, it's worthless ( 1 Corinthians 13:1-3);

it centers us onto Jesus the Christ and Lord ( 1 Cor 12:3), and His good news;

it directs us to Scripture, not away from it ( Isaiah 8:19, 20);

it builds up the church and its members ( Ephesians 4:11-12), giving it power, wisdom, character, boldness, and unity.

it helps create in us a love of righteousness, a heightened sense of sin, and a turning away from known evil.

'Discernment' is sometimes used as a catch-word for speaking against others (as with some 'discernment ministries'), or to defeat them in a struggle for power or influence, or just to pick at them until they quit or retreat. Discerning eyes look for whether something that's labeled 'discernment' is done from love, or whether it just is a clanging gong or a noisy cymbal. Jesus didn't call us to love ideas, he called us to love people. John put it as bluntly as he could :

"One who does not love does not know God, for God is love." (I John 4:8)

When discerning, the Christian must keep in mind why he/she is doing it. Ask yourself, "If I raise this issue, how am I pointing people to Christ? How am I helping them grow in the Spirit? In what way am I loving them?" If there's no answer to those questions, or if you have to stretch far and wide to come up with a complicated or weak answer, then it's best not to speak. Indeed, it's time to focus on listening, because it may be your time to learn.

The New Testament passes along the testimony of those who knew Jesus and His mission in person. For the early church after the apostles, for the Reformers, and for us today, believers turn to Scripture because they know the Spirit speaks there. It is Scripture which shows us the Spirit's priorities, and Scripture which shares with us the vision of the coming Kingdom. The Spirit works through Scripture, not against it.

Through the Bible, you can discover wisdom and direction. Without it, you'll fail to distinguish God's Purposes and Word from your purposes and words. This is true of what you think and do today, and it's also true of the past, including the most treasured of traditions. If the new or the old stands against Scripture or is used to thwart its central thrusts, we must stand with Scripture, or we will fall for anything.

This 'Scripture principle' is not there to hold the Spirit in chains. It's to be used in the light of freedom in Christ, knowing that Scripture does not directly address most matters. Instead of demanding direct 'Scriptural warrant' for a practice or course of action, it's better to seek these signals :

that Scripture does not speak against it;

that the practice or teaching conveys the Gospel, and is fully in keeping with the root and heart of Christian belief found in Scripture;

that it turns the focus onto Christ, not persons, ideas, ideologies, organizations, wondrous signs, or activities;

that it is truthful, not rooted in a lie or distortion.

If these are all true, then no direct warrant is needed from Scripture, tradition, or for that matter, sometimes even from common sense. The Spirit has every right to lead us into new things that look like folly. The Holy Spirit is sovereign. Discernment is about finding out if it's the Holy Spirit and not someone else's folly.

There are some people who could stuff themselves with Scripture until it came out their noses, and they'd still refuse to let the Spirit teach them anything. They're not discerning at all; they're seeking support, not truth. For the rest of us, the patient, prayerful, steady study of Scripture brings many rewards. The Spirit rewards such diligent listening by developing within us an understanding of why God acted in the past. Since the same God is acting today toward the same purposes, this gives you a sense of what God is doing now and what role you may have in it.

The Scripture principle is not a substitute for the Spirit. It works only because the Spirit works through Scripture. We rely on this truth when we read the Scriptures in earnest prayer. Without the Spirit's action, the Bible's pages would lay still, moving your life no more than a dictionary or encyclopedia. If the Spirit is working in us, the Bible is aflame with truth and vision for every corner of our lives and for the whole world. The Spirit wants us to study, to trust, and to shape our lives according to what is in Scripture; to steep it into our souls, to live by the contours and the world vision of the Scriptures. No one can prove that the Bible is the authentic story of God's dealings with humanity. That has to be shown to each of us by the Holy Spirit.

Anyone who denies the authority of the written Word in/for the church comes real close to bypassing the Christ who is the living Word of God, and who is what the written Word is about. We cannot just nakedly 'go by the fruit' of the Spirit, because it is Scripture which tells us what fruit we are to look for, and in what contexts they are the work of the Spirit. Without the Bible, we can't accurately recognize what is from God, or tell it from what's fake.

There is another warning to be given here. You can have God-gifted leaders, go through prayerful discernment, decision-making, and accountability processes, and even have things start to go well. But the surest way for them to turn wrong is to start telling others that your decisions are "God's will". That's something known in the distant future, if at all. It's a pretty big boast, if you think about it : you know what the Almighty knows. Most believers and non-believers alike rightly dismiss such talk. And pride does come before a fall. Decision-making isn't always a matter of the thunderous "Will Of God", and even when it is, you may not have it right. This is a reason the Spirit builds humility into people.

Scripture shapes an authentic Spirit-led experience, and sets the bounds for it. When looking for the course and purposes of what God is doing, Scripture ranks first.

Discernment is more than the work of an individual person. The Spirit acts within the gathered believers (the Church) so they can discern what to do and be. Within that context, specific persons may be given the gift for leading the church as it discerns. Such gifted people are given a 'spiritual eye' for cutting through facades and confusion, for getting to the heart of the matter. They listen closely, notice what's happening in the world around them, and instinctively know what place it has in God's plans. Someone who's gifted in discernment of spirits can find where evil lurks in good things, and where the Spirit is working when things are going wrong.

When the church was starting out, there was only one way she could learn the faith: on her feet. The church had to learn while she was doing. The Spirit had to teach the Christians how to love at the same time as moving them to act on that love, and teaching them mercy at the same time as empowering them to live merciful lives.

Christians sometimes forget that what we teach and discuss is inevitably our own understanding of Scripture. Other understandings, if drawn from Scripture and open to be judged by Scripture, are possible and even faithful. We discern to learn.

That's why it's so valuable to have the input from 2000 years of churchgoing Christians (tradition) and the billion Christians of today (fellowship). Meaning springs out of life; the Spirit's way is lived and experienced. Even more: it is lived and experienced as a part of those who believe in Jesus and his good news, a Body of Followers whose members are formed and shaped in this way, as found in Scripture. This community teaches each other, recalls history, shares their experiences, and affirms each others value. It (sometimes) has the strength to say no and to get each of us to amend our understandings and change our ways when we're going astray, and to show a more excellent way in all things.

When you're being checked by the church, you're being checked by others who have also done patient, prayerful, steady study of Scripture. The Spirit didn't give a sense of God's purposes only to you but also to others, in a slightly different way for each of them. If they didn't study God's ways, they won't have that sense, and thus are a less trustworthy part of the discernment process. (You'll never find out one way or the other unless you listen carefully, and have the guts to put away any defensive reactions you might have.)

Church actions should be set up to discern the right direction before it acts, to keep effective tabs on it while it acts, and to debrief after it acts, taking whatever disciplinary actions or clarifying lessons are needed. Do this, expecting that the Spirit will lead, if really asked and really given a chance to lead.

One drawback of the church's role in discernment is that it is made up of people. (It's a benefit in more ways, but here's one way it's also a drawback.) People are strange, and sometimes do wrong. They are not all-knowing, and have badly-damaged understandings. They can be fooled. People love to be sweet talked, to be showered with puffery and to get their egos stroked. They push aside what's bad news for the camp they're in. It's easy to become a yes-man or get stuck in the 'no' position. These facts must be kept in mind when discerning with the church. But remember too that these things are also true of you. Your role in discernment requires checking and re-checking and cross-checking, and so does the church's.

Neither you nor the communicated Word nor the Church local or universal are the bridge between the biblical events and our putting the Word into living effect. It is the Holy Spirit's doing.

Like everything else in this world, our discernments are bound by our imperfections and thus can be false or shallow or merely mistaken. But it helps greatly to have the right attitude toward it :

Make sure you can be held accountable by specific trusted people, on small things as well as large ones;

Allow those others to actually do it. Don't fight back nor blindly accept, but pay attention and be a servant about it;

Be ready to hold others accountable, if need be - even if that makes you uncomfortable.

This way, you become less bound by attitudes and actions which block your discernment.

One of the keys to discernment is surrender. If you treat "I" as the emperor of all things, you won't be in the right place to find out what God wants of you. In fact, this selfish imperial view of existence lies at the heart of all sin : we act as if we're God, even though we certainly know better. The emperor 'I' has no clothes. So we need to set aside what we want and what we've been taught, and join with Jesus in His prayer in the face of His most ultimate decision : "Yet not as I will, but as You will." (Matt 26:39).

Another key to discernment is a 'sense of peace' about something. That peace must take place not by itself, but within the rest of the framework of discernment, or it's not divine. Yet the absence of such peace is, by itself, bad news. Such peace and security comes and grows with prayer. Peace is a gift God is more than happy to give. God wants us to have some sense of security about what we do. Since God is not a God of confusion, it will not do in God's purposes for God's followers to be confused, or be confusing.

Some hints which confirm: --- a chance encounter with just the right person; --- a thought or conviction that keeps growing; --- something from the Bible which comes to mind; --- something said in conversation which keeps coming to mind; --- an opportunity which suddenly opens up. --- it 'bites back', becoming harder to stop the more you or anyone else tries to hold back.

These hints mean nothing by themselves, but can mean a lot when taken together.

A decision empowers you to act. When you don't decide, you give power to someone or something else to make the decision. So if there is not a clear sense of direction from the Spirit, it could be a hint that God didn't want you or your church to decide anything. If so, then let things happen as they will, leaving it in the hands of others whom God is calling forward. It is just as likely, though, that you're just ducking the question. The best way to discern the difference is :

if the search for leadings from the Spirit finds nothing or almost nothing (as against having an unclear or conflicted sense of leading);

if there is a specific someone who is clearly stepping forward;

if that specific someone is doing this out of concern or love and not a drive for power.

It may take a lot of humility to admit that you are not God's chosen one and you don't hold the reins of power. But in fact, you don't; God does, and God will work through people other than yourself or your group.

There is a harbor in Greece with a very narrow opening that has shallow rocks on both sides of the opening just under the water that can't be seen. If one doesn't know exactly where to enter this protected harbor there could be hull damage. There are three lights set up on poles about 50 feet from one another in a straight line. The helmsman knows that if he sees three lights he is off course, the same if he sees two lights. When he sees only one light he knows that it is safe to proceed into the harbor because he is lined up with the narrow entrance perfectly. All the lights line up and appear as one.

Discernment is like that. One light is our sense of inner peace by the Holy Spirit. Another light is the Word of God. And the other light is confirmation through others or through the 'highlighting' language of the Holy Spirit. when they all line up as one it is safe to proceed forward.

Remember: "When in doubt, DON'T.

"God never gives us discernment in order that we may criticize, but that we may intercede." ------ Oswald Chambers

"I never learned anything while I was talking."------ Larry King

"Conflating modern-day intuition, etc. with the real Spirit is like confusing a gentle breeze with a tornado. If the real Spirit were really working in the post-apostolic church, it would be just as ambiguous as a cyclone." ------ online comment.

"Discerning and acting on God's will does not mean you'll never have difficult days or feel lousy sometimes. But choosing to live in alignment with God makes you more joyful, compassionate, and peaceful, even on bad days."------ Debra K. Farrington, *Hearing with the Heart*

"The majority of historic heresy is based on an interpretation of the written not the living word. The 'living word' -- which is the Word in action through the gifts of the Spirit -- is all application and totally subjected in interpretation to the body of Christian truth, not an elevation of subjective over objective truth." ------ Ron Zess (online).

More of Jesus let me learn More of His holy will discern; Spirit of God, my teacher be Showing the things of Christ to me.------ ('More About Jesus', EE Hewitt, 1915)

(1) Have you had the experience of thinking you were being led by God to do something, and it turned out not to be so? What were the consequences? Looking back on it, what could/should have alerted you to this?

(2) What kind of matters have you sought God's guidance about? How has the result surprised you, if it did?

(3) Have you ever used "God's will" as a cover for your own plans or ideas? Are you doing so now? What led you to do it? (Please, don't talk or think about when others have done so; that just breaks down into the blame game. Talk about yourself.)

(4) Take a look at 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21. It says 'Don't quench the Spirit' and 'test all things'.

How do they fit together?

How might these be seen as working against each other?

Have you ever been involved in an activity or a church where one was used to render the other as void? How? Why? Did you take any action?

(5) List the people you would most likely turn to when you're making a tough personal decision? What is it about them that would cause you to turn to them?

(6) For church-goers and cell members : how do the members of your church/cell use each other as a way of discernment?

Monday Is Prophets Day Today Because A Tidal Wave Of The Holy Spirit Is About To Come!

Gift Ministry Of A Prophet

Ministry of a Prophet

In spite of the fact that prophets were vital to God’s purposes in the Old Testament, the need for them today has been called into question because of the presence of the gift of holy spirit in every believer.

There is a distinct difference between the manifestation of prophecy and the gift ministry of a prophet. 

 

Many people are familiar with the ministries of apostles, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. However, if we are to have everything that the Lord wants us to have as his Body, we must understand the ministry of the prophet and have prophets functioning in the Church.

 

In spite of the fact that prophets were vital to God’s purposes in the Old Testament, the need for them today has been called into question because of the presence of the gift of holy spirit in every believer. On the Day of Pentecost, God began to unveil something He had hidden from mankind (and the Devil)—the Administration of God’s Grace (Eph. 3:2). Today, in the Administration of Grace, the Lord Jesus Christ seals with holy spirit every person who gets born again (Eph. 1:13). That means every Christian has the ability to hear from God and prophesy (Acts 2:17 and 18,. 1 Cor. 14:5 and 24).

For many people, the immediate reaction to hearing that every Christian can prophesy is to think that prophets are no longer necessary.  

However, a more detailed study of Scripture (and indeed, the evidence of correct practice in the Church) reveals that is not the case. For example, Ephesians 4:11 says that the Lord has placed prophets in the Church along with the other ministries of apostles, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Furthermore, there are other verses in the Church Epistles that mention prophets, such as 1 Corinthians 12:28 and Titus 1:12. 

 

Acts confirms what the Church Epistles teach, and shows that prophets were active and important in the Church 

 (Acts 11:27, 13:1, 15:32, 21:10). Surely the Lord would not have specifically placed men and women in the Church with the gift ministry of a prophet if they did not perform a distinctly different role than other Christians who were operating the manifestation of prophecy.

In contrast to the manifestation of prophecy every Christian can operate, the gift ministry of a prophet is a specific calling of the Lord on a person’s life. Thus the call to be a prophet is a job assignment, given to someone whether he wants it or not. The Old Testament scriptures make this very clear. 

 

Isaiah knew he was called from birth: “…Before I was born the LORD [Yahweh] called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name” (Isa. 49:1b). Amos describes the call of God upon his life: “…I was neither a prophet nor a prophet’s son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the LORD [Yahweh] took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel’” (Amos 7:14 and 15).

 

In regard to prophets in the Church, the book of Acts confirms what Ephesians and Corinthians state doctrinally, that the Lord selects and specifically calls some men and women to be prophets. Prophets were important in the establishment of the church at Antioch, the first church recorded that was composed of both Jews and Gentiles (Acts 11:27). 

 

It was the prophet Agabus who foretold that there would be a severe famine in the Roman world during the reign of Claudius Caesar (Acts 11:28; this famine is documented in secular Roman history). Prophets were vital in getting the revelation from the Lord to set apart Paul and Barnabas and send them on their first missionary journey (Acts 13:1-4). 

 

The prophets Judas and Silas are specifically mentioned as exhorting and confirming the disciples in Antioch (Acts 15:32-KJV). It was Agabus the prophet who so graphically portrayed what would happen to Paul in Jerusalem (Acts 21:10 and 11). In fact, the only foretelling in Acts is given either by prophets or by the apostles Peter and Paul. 

 

The book of Acts and the Church Epistles show clearly that the Lord still works through called prophets. 

They are not “just another believer because every Christian can prophesy,” as some have stated. Evangelists still exist in the Church even though every Christian can share his faith, there are still pastors even though every Christian can help people who are hurting, and there are still prophets in the Church even though every Christian can manifest prophecy. Prophets are charged with being spokesmen for God just as they were in the Old Testament, and today they speak also for the Lord Jesus Christ. 

 

Once we understand that the ministry of a prophet is the Lord’s doing, and that they are very important to the health and well being of the Church, we should be very interested in recognizing who they are and what we can do to help them in their job of being spokesmen so we can have the word of the Lord among us in a more powerful way.

 

Now that we know the difference between the manifestation of prophecy and the ministry of a prophet, we need to understand how that difference plays out in the Church. All prophecy, whether from a Christian operating the manifestation of prophecy, or from a called prophet, will be as the Spirit gives utterance (Acts 2:4-KJV).

 

 All true words of prophecy come from God or the Lord Jesus Christ, never from the speaker’s mind. In the case of the manifestation of prophecy, the Lord limits himself to giving words of “…strengthening, encouragement, and comfort” (1 Cor. 14:3). 

 

However, that is not the case with the ministry of a prophet. Called prophets speak the message the Lord gives them, whatever it may be. Both the manifestation of prophecy and the ministry of a prophet are used by the Lord in the Church today (Eph. 4:11).

 

A quality the prophet must have is the courage to deliver God’s message no matter what the content. Because the fallen nature of man is constantly bringing him downward, a good portion of a prophet’s work comes in the form of reproof and correction.

 

 This can easily be seen by reading the prophetic books and noting what the prophets said. Things are no different now in the administration of Grace than they were in the Old Testament. The sin nature of man exerts a strong influence, which is why there is so much reproof and correction even in the Church Epistles.

Speaking words of reproof and correction is rarely a blessing. The heavy nature of many prophetic utterances is why revelation from God was often called a “burden.”

The prophet must also develop the wisdom to deliver his message the way the Lord would have it delivered. 

 

This means that he must endeavor to have the heart of the Lord for people. Because prophetic utterances can have a huge impact on the one receiving the message, it is very important that the prophet deliver the message with the same heart as the Lord would if he were here personally. 

 

That does not mean that the message will always be gentle (“…Get behind me, Satan!…” was hardly gentle), but it does mean that it will be delivered the way the Lord would have it delivered.

It is a very difficult task to distill to doctrine the communication that a prophet receives by revelation and how it should (or perhaps should not) be communicated to others. 

The mature prophet knows that sometimes the Lord communicates to him in a manner that is meaningful only to him, and a literal recitation of it would only be misunderstood by a listener. In such cases, the prophet gives the Lord’s message, and not the literal vision or revelation he received, so that the listener gets the message that the Lord meant for him.

Just as prophets get lauded and praised when their prophecies are a blessing, they are derided and persecuted when their prophecies are unexpected or unwanted. Prophets must accept this in order to forestall temptations of disobedience, self pity, envy, bitterness, and hardheartedness, and to be able to see and hear clearly the revelation that the Lord wants communicated.

 

Each prophet must develop his own relationship with the Lord Jesus so that the Lord can communicate to him in a way that he understands, even if others do not.

 

 There will be times when it would be detrimental for the prophet to repeat exactly what the Lord gives to him because the images would be misunderstood. Each prophet must learn from experience how to correctly understand the messages and images he receives from the Lord, and then prophesy to others in a way that is helpful and appropriate.

There has always been spiritual advice available, both good and bad. That is why the Bible mentions and forbids the practice of divination, consulting mediums, astrology, etc. (cp. Deut. 18:9-13).

 

 Kings have always surrounded themselves with men who claimed to have supernatural knowledge. Pharaoh of Egypt is one example (Gen. 41:8) and Nebuchadnezzar is another (Dan. 2:1-3). Even though the majority of the sources of spiritual advice most people today know about are demonic, there is also spiritual advice available from the true God.

Where are the prophets who call out the ministries in our churches? Where are the prophets who advise our army and our government, and indeed, give personal advice and direction so people will see that there is a God in heaven? 

 

In Amos 3:7, God said, “Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.” Yet, today, much happens without any prophetic input at all. Every Christian can hear from the Lord, and should push himself to do so. But we also need to pray and ask the Lord to continue to add prophets to the Church so that we can have more of his words and wisdom as it applies to specific situations.

“Lord Jesus, if it was God’s heart in the Old Testament not to act without telling His prophets, that must be your heart today. Yet there are so many areas in which we are blind and deaf. Has our sin driven you away from us? Have our efforts to know you been half-hearted and self-serving? Help us to be deserving of your active participation in our lives.

 

 Help us to want to hear clearly from you. Lord Jesus, raise up and energize a company of prophets, men and women who will boldly and clearly bring your words to your Church."

 

Amen.