Monday Musings 9/24/2013
Have you ever found yourself sitting down and saying to the Lord, What is Truth, Lord? I often watch a particular preacher on TV and because I don't always watch it at the same time, there are different programs that come on after that program so I sometimes get a taste of different preachers and teachers. This is the season of specials times in Israel's history: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Feast of Tabernacles. I have to admit my understanding of these three times is extremely limited. So it was with interest that I caught the jist of a couple programs talking about these events today. I was late getting into the first one as it was the one preceding the program which I had turned the TV on to watch. But as the talk about Tabernacles progressed and it talked about the importance of meeting the needs of the poor and downtrodden, there was that plea for money with the promise of double blessing if you gave to their organization. I was glad it was time for the program I had tuned in for to start, so I switched channels rather sick to my stomach. Later in the day I left the channel on after listening to a certain program, and the new program was again about these events, particularly Feast of Tabernacles. And sure enough, it turned into a plea for money for their programs, with the insistence that giving to the poor at this ONE TIME OF THE YEAR is COMMANDED of the Lord and that a person wouldn't want to miss that double blessing, or a blessing period by being disobedient.
My own understanding of Feast of Tabernacles is somehow tied up with the Lord inhabiting our "tents" or our "dwelling places" just like the Israelites set up "booths" which they tabernacled in during the Feast of Tabernacles while they celebrated the harvest. How that fits in completely I don't know and I won't argue with anyone because I really don't have an understanding which I have enough confidence in as far as it relates to Feast of Tabernacles to even make a very knowledgeable statement. But this I know. The feasts are fulffilled in Jesus Christ and in 2013 He calls us to deal with the poor and the downtrodden on a daily basis, not just once a year according to some TV evangelist who wants our financial support. Plus He has come to tabernacle in this house of flesh that He might preach the gospel unto the meek; to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. That would seem to be a 24/7 responsibility that we have who dwell in Christ and in whom Christ dwells in us. But then, maybe I am missing something,and of course I am: the fullfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles will come when the final harvest is reaped and then Jesus will come to reign upon the earth with His saints. Multilevel fulfilment of the commandment relating to the Feast of Tabernacles. Today I am rejoicing in "my booth", my abiding place in Christ, recognizing He is Lord of the harvest. Come Lord Jesus Come....Maranatha...and not just at the Second Coming Lord but today, come into your Tabernacle and manifest yourself in me and in my brothers and sisters. Teach us your ways Lord!!
Ah,and yet another thing,which is so closely connected to that Isaiah prophecy. I have been teaching a bible class on the Kingdom of Heaven/God and keep coming across this term that seems to have been taken so far out of context of the scriptures, and that word is the GOSPEL. I am beginning to be aware that THE GOSPEL, refers in scripture over and over to the Gospel of the Kingdom, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and at times just The Gospel.
Romans 1:16 iis a scripture that I have heard preached a lot lately.
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The anointing comes to preach the gospel/good news of the Kingdom to the people. The King has come! He dwells among men today by His Spirit. We who are His, dwell in Christ who is seated at the Right Hand of the Father and I am in Christ and Christ is in me even as He is in the Father and the Father is in me. And this is the welcome that comes to both Jew and Gentile. You have been reconciled and in you God desires to do His will on earth as it is in heaven.
Ok, so what?
Please bear with me brothers and sisters. I am hungering for what God has provided for us IN CHRIST JESUS,every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. I am longing to see the Will of God as it is in Heaven be made manifest upon the earth, so as to "bear witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ." Everywhere Jesus went preaching the "GOSPEL" people were healed, delivered and raised from the dead. In the Epistles, it says that as Paul and Barnabas continued to speak freely and boldly in the Lord Who continued to bear testimony to the Word of His Grace granting signs and wonders to be performed by their hands." (Acts 14:3) So the Gospel is not separated from the signs and wonders granted by the Lord as a result of preaching the Gospel.
So if this is the message of the Kingdom, that the King has come who heals the sick and raises the dead and casts out demons, why then do we yet hear people asking God to heal them? Recently I heard the testimony of a lady who had waited 21 days for the Lord to heal her. But she is no longer suffering and is "healed." It was told how hundreds maybe thousands have been praying for her healing and deliverance. Yet something in my spirit said, Error...?????
Recently I heard a pastor talked about how we can't engineer the timing of the Holy Spirit, that we must draw near to Him and in His time He will come and heal and deliver. Then the congregation went through the song service which was all about "It will be worth it all when we see Jesus"...Over in the glory land, and other songs about when we get to Heaven. My heart was crying out, "Lord, Lord, your Word says that you want to manifest what is in Heaven into the earth NOW. I know Lord it won't be the time for the kingdoms of this world to become the kingdoms of our God and King.But your word says your anointing is present to set the captives free, heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead NOW. I don't see that happening here and don't believe your Word says we are to wait for it in the Millennial or sometime in the future."
So I asked of the Lord:
"What Lord of this situation? I thank you Lord for healing the lady with the kidney stone and I thank you that you do "hear our prayers." But is this the plan and purpose you have for this day?"
And I was deeply blessed and contrite as a result of what I understood the Lord to say: And it was something like, These are my children and they have asked me according to their faith. I am their Father and I hear their prayers. But I would that you grow up in Me and begin to walk in My Kingdom ways and preach forth the Good News of My Kingdom!!
Yes Lord!!
When the service was over, God poured out a blessing. Between Sunday School and church I made my usual trip to the Ladies Room and as I turned to go into the hallway a sweet lady was coming out and I about ran into her. She seemed to be barely moving and told me that it was all she could do to negotiate the bathroom and wasn't sure how she'd make it to the platform to play the piano. I asked her if I could pray for her. And I spoke strength in Jesus Name into her body and breath into her lungs that she might have abundance to go to the piano. And off she went and I went on my journey to the Ladies Room.
After the service was over, that sweet pianist stopped by the pew where I was still standing, talking of course. And she told the ladies that she had so much strength to play and that she was even able to sing and that she hasn't been able to sing in a service for months. She often has her oxygen by the piano...but if she did today she didn't need it. She thanked me for praying for her. But it was God manifesting His Word in the NOW!!
Our God is Awesome...she didn't have to wait and wait for strength to accomplish God's will that day.He made it available through what I will call" the gospel of the Kingdom." The King is here. Our sins are covered by the blood, He is desirous to have a relationship with us and will show us so with the greatness of his love poured out in healing, deliverance, etc.
How many times in another congregation the Presence of the Lord was what I call "heavy" in the place and the pastor called folks to the altar who had needs. Then he prayed as if the Spirit of the Lord wasn't there to meet those needs and prayed "TO HEAVEN" instead of allowing Heaven to manifest the healing and deliverance that was available by the Spirit of the Lord!
Am I walking in all that yet? NOPE...I am just learning to "walk in Him" and when I am abiding in Him by faith, there is an increased confidence that He will back His word when i speak it forth. I heard an apostolic minister commission someone recently and he said to them, "I trust the Lord's work in your life and I will back every word that you say. "
My Father will back every word I say when that Word comes from the Throne and is what He is saying and doing in the heavenly. For MY FATHER, who is in Heaven, is one with Christ and I am one with Christ, so if I speak forth what HE is saying He will do what He says!! That means I have to know HIM more than intellectual assent but be able to see and hear what He is doing and saying.
It seems to me that we have entered into a new season in the Body of Christ. Many of those whom I call "mentors" have begun to speak forth and speak into lives. One of my dear so called mentors refers to it as "praying on" or praying into people versus praying for! They who preach this Gospel are told in the scriptures that they are to "live by this gospel." And seeing what my "mentors" are going through and what I myself have been facing this year so far, it means more than earning our living by the fruit of our ministry, if it means that at all!. It means we shall live and move and have our being IN CHRIST just as we preach the gospel of the Kingdom to others that He is here, to be all that He, the I AM is. It means we will learn to speak the Word into our own bodies even as we learn to speak the Word into other people's bodies. And many apostolic and prophetic people are learning to trust His Word even when they don't see immediate manifestation and yet, they are seeing an increase in the anointing for that very type of healing when they pray for others! I prayed on another lady in service yesterday and have no idea what was manifested in her life. We pray his Will and trust Him to confirm it with signs and wonders. They are to follow the good news we preach and pray into lives!
Does God hear the prayers of those who still ask him for this and ask him for that, ask him to heal them, when the Spirit of God is poured out waiting to perform His Word in their lives? Of course, because he is our Heavenly Father; he knows we are but children, though he clearly wants to grow some of us up i Christ Jesus. I saw this over and over, people being healed when congregations prayed for their healing just as Maybelle was after 21 days. It, however, reminds me not to compare or judge others, but to be obedient to the Word of the Lord as it stirs in me and as my heart goes out to the poor, the sick, the lame, the captives. Help me Lord, I am trusting you to make the way that allows You to confirm your Word in my life and in the lives of the brethren!
I do welcome discussion and comments on this article. There are many sides to this issue and most of my life I have been hearing about the various points of view. But with each point of view, there seems to be a lack of "manifestation" of God granting the signs and wonders through the hands of those preaching the Gospel. Recently a pastor told how early in his preaching years he preached a sermon on the 10 (maybe 14) things necessary for healing, or the things that keep people from being healed. He said that one time the Lord asked him why he was binding up His people? Then the Lord said, My blood covers all of those 14 things, once and for all. There is NO qualification for healing, etc, except to receive freely what I gave freely.
Today a lady told me that there are so many aspects to the "healing thing." I understand her point of view as they prayed for healing for their daughter who had major medical issues and they didn't see it and it challenged their walk with God. I suffered an injury recently when I fell off a slimy step and landed with my back on the corner of a concrete block and not sure what my shin hit. I am walking in the healer. I am in Him, and am walking out His life on a daily basis and I have confidence that healing is flowing through my body. What the process of getting what is "mine" in Christ, into this house of flesh down through the heavenlies, isn't well known to me but I know it IS, because HE IS THE I AM and I AM IN HIM. Seeing it or not seeing it isn't pertinent. What is pertinent and true is WHO HE IS and WHAT HE SAID, and walking BY FAITH in what is TRUE in the heavenly realm. It isn't saying what is in the earthly realm isn't but confessing that what is True and Life is what is true in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus and believing Holy Spirit IS delivering it because of all that was done at Calvary and the Resurrection Life that I partake of now, seated with Him in heavenly places.
Meri Ford
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