Why does God whisper to us?

We are entering a time like never before where we must learn to hear God’s voice. Brother Ian has given us a great teaching and example of what that looks like. It is a long read, but I can promise you well worth your time.

http://ianvincent.wordpress.com/2013/05/04/why-does-god-whisper-to-us-3/

By Ian Vincent

Why does God whisper to us?

It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter. Proverbs 25:2

If a king had to shout at his servants to get them to do anything it would indicate he is not highly esteemed or honored. But if the king only has to whisper a word and his servants scramble into action it indicates the king is honored by his servants. The servant and friend of God who will obey even the slightest prompting or whisper of the Holy Spirit is truly a person who loves and honors and fears God.

The immature wrongly think that if God has to thunder or shout at them to get them to do something then it means they are important, but they are ignorant of the fact that when they ignored His gentle promptings they were dishonoring Him.

It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: It has to be this way as it’s a matter of His glory. His glory is in the fact that He conceals. …But the honor of kings is to search out a matter. When we put all our being into seeking God and what He is saying to us, it both honors Him and honors us.

(Even though God lives inside us He never directs us to look inwardly to find Him. The Holy Spirit never causes a person to pray to God in them, but rather to God the Father who is in heaven, hallowed be His name…)

A more pertinent example of the difference in honor between whispering and shouting would be simply the case of a father and a son working together, and the father quietly asks, Son, would you come over here and lend me a hand? But the son ignores. Maybe he thinks that because his dad spoke so gently that really he doesn’t need any help or it’s not urgent. Again the father asks and is ignored. Then he shouts and the son jumps up and rushes over to help. That’s a shame on the son, right? He dishonored his dad by misjudging him. When he ignored his dad he was judging his dad.

If we ignore the gentle quiet voice of the Holy Spirit, then have we judged God? We have judged Him as a person who is not so close to us. We have judged Him as distant and detached and not as indwelling and abiding in us. To hear and heed the whispers of God we need to have faith in His true nature that even though He is Almighty God, He dwells with the humble and lowly, and is so acquainted with them that He expects them to know the whisper they hear in their spirit is actually the voice of their Father. But a person who doesn’t really know the true nature of the Father will be expecting to hear the voice of God thru more spectacular means.

It seems like a paradox that God Almighty can be present in a Christian and yet they find it hard to hear His voice.

Many say that to hear the voice of God all one needs to do is open the Bible and read it. That’s true when we are talking about establishing the truth which is in Jesus; however it is not always true when it comes to living your life led by the Holy Spirit. The Bible is not a substitute for the Holy Spirit but they work together. Yet there are Christians today who do claim to be led by the Bible and yet their lives are not led by the Holy Spirit. We should remember that when we read the Bible, if the Holy Spirit were not our personal tutor then we would not understand a word.

It would be foolish to try and depersonalize the Holy Spirit and say that He does not speak to us today when in fact He communicates everything that God has to say to us when we are submitted to the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ rules our lives by the ministry of the Holy Spirit revealing His Truth and Words to us. When our life is yielded to Him, He shows us where to go, what to speak, what to do…. everything.

It’s not just you and the Bible. The Bible does not tell you all the details of what the LORD wants you to do. Obviously, He never intended that you would have to open the Bible every moment to find out when you should pray, who you should pray for, whom you should speak to, and every detail of our life. If you have truly bowed the knee to Jesus Christ then you can only live by His guidance which is by the leading of the Holy Spirit. If you have not truly bowed your knee then it won’t really matter to you whether the Holy Spirit guides you or not. It’s not just you and the Bible. It’s you, the Bible and the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Many saved evangelicals today are not filled and not led by the Holy Spirit as per the New Testament examples, so it is not surprising that many don’t understand what it means to be led by the Holy Spirit. Which is a vicious circle, yet it is His grace alone that breaks thru that closed loop. All saved people have the Holy Spirit indwelling, but not all are filled with the Spirit. And such people do hear the voice of the Holy Spirit to a certain extent, understanding the Scriptures to a certain extent and having assurance of salvation, but they often don’t realize that it is He who is speaking to them. They just think it is their own thoughts speaking to them.

This is where our closed-loop kicks in. When a person thinks that it is their own intelligence or diligence in study which is the vehicle by which they have understood what they think they understand, then they have been deceived by their own ego. That’s what closes the loop and forms the vicious circle and cuts them off from hearing the Holy Spirit – their intellectual pride. They are more self-taught than taught by the Spirit.

He whispers so that He can only be heard if we are close to Him

Why does God whisper to us? Why doesn’t He shout? As that way His voice would be unmistakable, right? He whispers to us so that He can only be heard if we are close to Him, if we’re in the place where we should be: in the quiet place of rest, the rest of faith in Him, in heart communion with Him. But His still small voice is so quiet that we can easily shrug it off as being just from ourselves.

For the King to whisper it means He only wants you to hear Him if you’re close to Him, and you are close to Him if you believe Him and love Him, He is closer than your own heart. Then it’s clearly a question of love and of honor. If man will honor Him then man will hear Him. If anyone really wants to hear His voice, they will.

It means God will not communicate with those who refuse to honor Him. If a man says he wants to hear from God but he doesn’t want to live close to God then he is going to be deceived for God will not fellowship and talk with such a man who wants a distanced relationship with God.

Many times we hear His voice but we don’t take heed. What can we learn from this? Why do we sometimes miss Him? Because there was a mixture in our life, crowding Him out to a certain degree so that His voice was indistinct among other voices or things craving our attention. But these missed opportunities are really golden opportunities to learn the way He relates to us; how He wants us to relate to Him according to His wisdom.

We sometimes mistakenly think that as we mature in the Lord He will speak in a louder voice to us, but it isn’t so. Rather, as we mature we grow to honor Him more, and esteem His communion and fellowship more and more precious to us; therefore we can hear more clearly because hearing His voice is so precious to us. If hearing and obeying His voice is extremely precious to you; more precious than anything in this world, then you will hear.

But to the self-willed, hearing God’s voice is irrelevant and they even contemptuously consider such a thing is a sign of weakness.

Another reason some believers struggle to hear God’s voice is that they haven’t yet fully and unconditionally surrendered their own agenda to take up His agenda – not denied themselves and taken up their cross to follow Jesus wherever he goes. They’ve already made up their mind what they’re going to do and made their own plans, so then God doesn’t disturb them with His plans.

When God speaks to a man or woman in their spirit it is the most wonderful thing in this life. But it’s reserved for those who will honor Him with their lives, with the obedience of their whole heart and soul and mind, it is the honor He gives His friends.

The promptings of the Holy Spirit

The still small voice of the Holy Spirit, His gentle promptings and impressions, though they are so quiet and we can easily ignore or miss them, yet they are the big thing. Interesting how God works, that the biggest thing comes to us as the smallest thing. (How God was manifest in human flesh and was born as a baby)

That quiet impression is the Creator God speaking to you! The natural mind expects the voice of God to be some momentous event, like thunder on the mountain and so obvious that no one could miss it. But the oh-so-gentle prompting to send an email of encouragement to someone; to make a call; to go visit some one – whatever: responding and obeying His promptings is the heart of walking with and following Jesus.
But notice how when we discuss this there is delineation between walking by the Spirit and walking by the intellect alone. Our intellect must be renewed by and submitted to the rule of Christ – His peace ruling and reigning in our hearts.

Subjective Guidance

Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia, After they were come to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit permitted them not. And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, beseeching him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel unto them. Acts 16:6-10

…forbidden by the Holy Spirit

…but the Spirit permitted them not

…seen the vision

This is subjective guidance. In this particular case the Holy Spirit did not use any Scripture in order to communicate God’s specific will and guidance to Paul. The anti-charismatic people could criticize Paul that he was being led by subjective spiritual experiences and not by the Word of God. Or was it OK for Paul to be led by subjective experiences because he was an Apostle, but it’s not OK for us today? They are asking us to believe that the Holy Spirit has changed since then in the way He communicates the will of God to Jesus disciples, which is a false teaching. The Holy Spirit has never changed the way He communicates.

The Holy Spirit is the only way in which The Father thru the Son communicates with His people. Hearing the voice of God may throw some people off. They may think it implies hearing voices in your head, like a psychiatric patient hears voices. Then let’s use the word communication. Is there a spiritual (Spirit to spirit) communication between The Shepherd and His sheep? Does the Shepherd communicate with you in your spirit and not just your mind?

Unless you see a Scripture will you say that the Shepherd has not communicated with you?

If you answer, No, then just check that you are truly one of His sheep, who hears His voice and follows Him wherever He goes. The Truth of the Scriptures always influences everything we are hearing from the Holy Spirit. Any subjective guidance will always be strongly consistent with the nature of Christ as revealed in Scripture. If there is any inconsistency or contradiction with the nature of Christ as revealed in Scripture then it is not the Holy Spirit we are hearing. And in all I’m saying here I’m appealing to the Truth of the Scriptures as the last word.

Yes, you may be disgusted by the abuses and falsehood associated with people who claim to hear the voice of God as if they were talking on the telephone to Him. So am I. Yet don’t let such abuses and error make you rebound off into error by ricocheting off on in the opposite extreme and becoming just as unbiblical as they are.

Yes, some who claim to be bible fundamentalists are very unbiblical.

Interpretation of His guidance

…Concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel unto them. Acts 16:10

Concluding that… Paul had to interpret the vision or dream as being a message or direction from God. He had to draw a conclusion from the vision to interpret its meaning. This is quite helpful. We need to know whether God is speaking to us thru various means and to know that He requires us in each instance to interpret what He is saying to us.

Hearing God’s voice requires interpretation. Paul concluded what God was telling him thru the vision. So hearing the voice of God can also mean coming to a conclusion about a turn of events.

Hearing the voice of God is deeper than an experience. I’ve only used the term subjective experience as a concession or a bridge for the sake of communication, but it’s not the best definition. It would be more accurate to say that God communicates to us or speaks to us by causing us to know something in our spirit.

A Witness

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.. Romans 8:16

This is another aspect of what it means to hear the voice of God – a witness from the Holy Spirit. Are we earnestly seeking to do God’s will, and consequently do our spirits witness with the Holy Spirit concerning the things the Holy Spirit wants us to do? A Spirit-filled Christian will wait on God and always seek God for His witness. Those not filled really do not have sensitivity to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and they trust more in their own judgment and intellect and feel confident to make decisions without any witness of the Spirit.

The fact that most of evangelicalism rigidly follows set programs shows there is little practical evidence of the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Some who go to such Churches may experience the guidance of the Holy Spirit in their personal lives, but the Church they attend has not yet figured out how the Church corporately can be led by the Spirit. God’s pattern for the Church (1 Cor. 14) was so that we would always have to seek and find the guidance of the Holy Spirit and hence grow in the practical ability to hear God’s voice and find His will and guidance.

He designed the Church with this as one of the ends or goals: Assembling together is supposed to train us to be led by the Spirit. As you fellowship in a 1 Cor. 14 type Church, slowly you will become far more sensitive to the witness and guidance of the Holy Spirit than if you remain seated in the audience of a traditional church: Obeying God’s direction for the Church results in spiritual growth in every member. When men rejected the counsel of God and set in concrete their traditions then people became far less sensitive to the Holy Spirit. If you follow traditions you no longer need the Holy Spirit to guide you moment by moment, and thus you never learn to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

If you read 1 Cor. 14 again I pray you will see that this requires a total dependency on hearing the voice of God. Read it again and then ask, why does God require it done this way? What did He have in mind?

~ Ian Vincent

An Atheist Speaks the Truth: How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytise?

I’ve noticed that a lot of times what Christians call witnessing, is nothing more than a condescending attitude. They will say something trite like, “Well, Jesus loves you anyway and wants to save you.” You can almost see them putting a notch on their belt as if to say, “I’ve done my part,” as they go about their merry way. This type of attitude is not only one of lukewarmness, but it is not love.

Hear the words of one who does not believe in God, yet, speaks the truth:

“I’ve always said, I don’t respect people who don’t proselytise. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there’s a heaven and hell and people could be going to hell, or not getting eternal life, whatever, and you think, ‘it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward,’…how much do you have to hate somebody to not  proselytise? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that? If I believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming to hit you and you didn’t believe it, that that truck was bearing down on you, there’s a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more than that.”

This atheist, whether he knows it or not, has just given us a great little sermon. I’m not so proud  as to deny truth no matter who it comes from.

needhim:

Be Ye Angry And Sin Not

http://www.ravenhill.org/beangry.htm

By Leonard Ravenhill

If you attend church at all, you will undoubtedly hear a thousand sermons on “Be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18) for every one sermon you hear preached on “Be ye angry, and sin not” (Eph.4:26). This is a command! It is not a defense for a bad temper. It is not an excuse for an explosion of bitterness from your bruised ego for personal rejection. I am talking here of Holy Anger. God gets angry: “The anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses” (Exodus 4:14); “God is angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11). (If you must have a bumper sticker, try this last statement for a while — but be sure that you increase your insurance before you do so.)

The blessed preacher St. Paul walked down Main Street Athens, the intellectual capital of the world of his day. Acts 17:16 says in the sleepy Elizabethan English of the King James version, “His spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.” The Amplified [1] says it this way, “Now while Paul was awaiting them at Athens, his spirit was grieved and roused to anger as he saw that the city was full of idols.” Such anger needs to come back to us today. I admit right here that I am downright angry. I am angry that Christ is wounded in the house of His friends.

HERE IS AN EXAMPLE      Our home is less than 100 miles from Dallas — the “Athens” of the theologians. Therefore we are vulnerable to the students who come from the seminaries there, distressed, disgusted, and despondent over the low state of spirituality in their particular classes. A professor in one such seminary tells the preacher-boys, “Remember that preaching is now a profession, and not to be viewed or represented by a sweating evangelist in a sawdust-carpeted tent. Now the preacher has status like a doctor or a seasoned lawyer.” Begone such idiocy! Preaching is not a profession — it is a passion! Paul sets the standard, “Woe unto me if I preach not the Gospel!” I am angry that these professors want the world’s smile on our holy calling. But no man called to the ministry needs a status symbol. He is, by the very nature of his calling, in the highest calling.

I am further angered by a statement by Bruce Cook — the former advertising agent for Coca Cola, who engineered the “I Found It” campaign. Here is his horrible comment, and it angers me: “Back in Jerusalem when the Church started, God performed a miracle there on the Day of Pentecost. They didn’t have the benefit of buttons and media, so God had to do a little supernatural work there. But today, with our technology, we have available to us the opportunity to create the same kind of interest in a secular society.” [2] This wretched interpretation makes me bristle. So buttons and modern media are as likely to start a Heaven-Born Holy Ghost Revival as was the Upper Room invasion from heaven? What is this but “Christian humanism”? WE are capable of producing the same thing as the Blessed Holy Spirit?

HOMOSEXUAL “CHRISTIANS”      I am angry when I read a letter from my friend and neighbor David Wilkerson announcing this near unbelievable perversion.

“Homosexuals now claim more than 50,000 members in their ‘all homosexual’ churches. The Metropolitan Community Church is one of many homosexual denominations springing up across the nation. I sent an observer to one of their annual ‘Holy Ghost’ conventions in Dallas, Texas. What unbelievable blasphemy!       “Each delegate, as they registered, was given a packet which included, among other things, two ‘boy’ magazines of all nude men and a list of all the gay bars in Dallas — so that delegates could leave the evening service, go to their selected bar, and connect with a lover for the night. And those delegates call themselves ‘ministers.’ How they did sing! They praised the Lord with enthusiasm; but their evangelist corrupted the Gospel beyond comprehension. He said, ‘Sure, Paul condemned men who changed the natural use and burned one toward another. But that’s not us. We didn’t change anything. We were born this way. So, come out of your closets. Be filled with the Holy Ghost, and enjoy your homosexuality!” [3]

My anger over this is intensified when I read that the cutback in federal spending will cause some old folks to miss meals. Yet the same federal folks on the 5th of May, 1981, gave the Metropolitan Community (homosexual) Church $380,000 of our tax money to operate four resettlement centers for Cuban refugee homosexuals.[4] (Just let the true Church of Jesus try to get the government to give us a dime to rescue men from an eternal hell!)

CLEAN UP AMERICA?      I am angry also when I hear preachers crying with great emotion, “Help me clean up America,” when they dare not try to clean up the Church — riddled as it is with carnality and sensuality. I am angry and grieved when preachers weep over the TV that their income is decreasing, though I’ve never seen them weep on TV over the millions of lost souls they address every week. The God on TV is an inoffensive, undemanding God, wanting to give but requiring nothing in exchange. There is no need to take up your cross and follow Him.

“THE MUSH GOD”      Nicholas Van Hoffman has a penetrating column on the “Mush God” of today. Read it, friend. Read it twice and maybe you will weep as he speaks of the gross representation of the Holy Deity. Here is Van Hoffman:       “The Mush God has been known to appear to millionaires on golf courses. He appears to politicians at ribbon-cutting ceremonies and to clergymen speaking the invocation on national TV at either Democratic or Republican conventions. The Mush God’s presence is felt during Brotherhood Week and when Rotarians come together. He is the lifeless deity President Carter was referring to when suggesting peace might come to the Middle East because the Egyptian president and Israeli prime minister both worshipped the Great Mushy One.       “The Mush God has no theology to speak of, being a Cream of Wheat divinity. The Mush God has no particular credo, no tenets of faith, nothing that would make it difficult for believer and non-believer alike to lower one’s head when the temporary chairman tells us the Reverend, Rabbi, Father, Mufti, or So-and-So will lead us in an innocuous, harmless prayer, for this god of public occasions is not a jealous god. You can even invoke him to start a hooker convention and he/she or it won’t be offended.       “God of the Rotary, God of the Optimists’ Club, Protector of the Buddy System, the Mush God is the Lord of secular ritual, of the necessary but hypocritical forms and formalities that hush the divisive and the derisive. The Mush God is a serviceable god whose laws are not chiseled on tablets but written on sand, open to amendment, qualification, and era-sure. This is a god that will compromise with you, make allowances and declare all wars holy, all peaces hallowed.” [5]

MORE ANGER      My Holy Anger and burning indignation is fueled by articles like this from the pen of a “Wiseman” from the East — the Bhagwan Shree Ragneesh, writing from the Meditation Center that bears his name. [6]

“SEX — never repress it. Never be against it — rather, go deep into it with great clarity, with great love. Go like an explorer. Search all the nooks and corners of your sexuality and you will be surprised and enriched and benefitted. Knowing your sexuality, one day you will stumble upon your spirituality [or get V.D. -L.R.] then you will become free. The future will have a totally different vision of sex. It will be more fun, more joy, more friendship, more a play than a serious affair, as it has been in the past. [The "serious affair" mentioned here must mean marriage. -L.R.] Sex is just the beginning, not the end. But if you miss the beginning, you will miss the end also.”

What logic and what warning! Why not miss the end which is torment here and hereafter? I wonder what folks who have tried this teacher’s method think about it. Does he have “revival crusades” with living, bright-faced “witnesses” telling of their rapturous emancipation from the “bondage of purity and a good conscience”?

SAVE WHOSE CHILDREN?      I am not angered that the Moral Majority boys campaign against abortion. I am angry when the same men who say, “Save OUR children” bellow “Build more and bigger bombers.” That’s right! Blast the children in other nations into eternity, or limbless misery as they lay crippled from “OUR” bombers! This does not jell.

I am angry that the pulpiteers can roar from their pulpits against political injustices, yet whisper about the wrong doings in their own fellowship — also that sin is called by other names. God has no mild views of sin, so let’s get back to biblical language. The soothsayers in the world are dangerous, but the “smooth-sayers” in the pulpit are equally dangerous. We now call iniquity “infirmity.” Wickedness is just “weakness”; adultery and fornication, just “having an affair.” Lust is called “love.” Sodomy is now being “GAY.” The Harlot is not called a “Whore” anymore; she is inoffensively named a “Call Girl.” These are not terms for every sermon, but they have some kind of intimidation and disgrace attached to them, which makes the preachers afraid to use them (and sinners afraid to hear them). But the Bible uses them!

I am angry when I hear preachers saying, “We had our best concert ever last week when the ‘ZYX Singers’ came to our church. The main auditorium was jammed with extra seats and we had to run extensions into the church hall for the overflow!’ Yet, that same popular, prosperous church can comfortably seat its prayer meeting in just about the smallest room in the facility. What a slap in the face for a prayer-answering God! What a public declaration that the offering from the concert patrons is more important than prayer!

I am angry with people who withhold their own money from the Lord, but then turn His House into a Flea Market to raise church funds. And believe me, I am stirred, sick, and angry when I try to realize that 90% of Gospel preaching is to only 10% of the world’s population.

MORMONS GET “MORE MEN”      “Newsweek” for April 27, 1981, states:      “This year the Mormons will field more missionaries — about 30,000 in all — than any other church in the United States…their single purpose is to labor 16 hours a day, 6 days a week, spreading the Gospel according to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.” [Now notice the discipline attached to this effort.] “The discipline imposed on Mormon missionaries is as unique as their message: no movies, television, or popular music; no phone calls to parents or girlfriends; no dates — and no going anywhere alone. Under this quasi-military regimen the L.D.S. missionaries have carried the faith across the U. S. into six continents.”

I am angry at this false zeal, disturbed and deeply troubled that we have to make so many Christian Youth Camps a miniature Olympics to entice kids to so-called Bible study. Dare we try to get kids away from TV, sports, etc., for a week of solid concentration on eternal things? It seems more correct with the emphasis on sports and church programs, and church leagues of bowling, baseball, etc., that we should be singing: “Onward Christian Sportsmen — forget about the war — look at all the prizes — you’re contending for!” [7]

I am angry when I think that the government will subsidize a science effort to find out where man came from but will not give a dime to tell men where they are going. God, baptize us with a Holy Anger that will set us on a course of hell-disturbing, heaven-enriching intercession!

All these sad events I have mentioned would be taken care of by a heaven-born, sin-convicting visitation of the Spirit.

I am angry at the devil’s monopoly of this age.       I am angry that the Church sleeps on.       I am angry that the Church, in many (and maybe most) cases, is an entertainment center. Lord have mercy! “Wilt Thou not revive us again, that Thy people may rejoice in Thee?” (Psalm 85:6)

Murderer’s last request: Preach to me

http://www.wnd.com/2012/10/murderers-last-request-preach-to-me/?cat_orig=faith

Moses Paul, an Indian, was executed on Sept. 2, 1772, for the murder of Moses Cook on Dec. 7 of the previous year. At his execution, he requested that a sermon be preached by Rev. Samson Occom.

Comple version found here: http://www.learner.org/amerpass/archive/9000s/9024.pdf

By the melancholy providence of God, and at the earnest desire and invitation of the poor condemned criminal, I am here before this great concourse of people at this time, to give the last discourse to the poor miserable object who is to be executed this day before your eyes, for the due reward of his folly and madness and enormous wickedness. It is an unwelcome task to me to speak upon such occasion; but since it is the desire of the poor man himself, who is to die a shameful death this day, in conscience I cannot deny him; I must endeavor to do the great work the dying man requests. …

Sin is the transgression of the law: This is the Scripture definition of sin. Now the law of God being holy, just and good; sin must be altogether unholy, unjust and evil. If I was to define sin, I should call it a contrariety to God; and as such it must be the vilest thing in the world; it is full of all evil; it is the evil of evils; the only evil in which dwells no good thing; and it is most destructive to God’s creation, wherever it takes effect. It was sin that transformed the very angels in heaven into devils; and it was sin that caused hell to be made. If it had not been for sin, there never would have been such a thing as hell or devil, death or misery.

And if sin is such a thing as we have just described, it must be worse than the devils in hell itself. Sin is full of deadly poison; it is full of malignity and hatred against God; against all his divine perfections and attributes, against his wisdom, against his power, against his holiness and goodness, against his mercy and justice, against his law and gospel; yea against his very being and existence. Were it in the power of sin, it would even dethrone God, and set itself on the throne. …

My poor unhappy Brother Moses, as it was your own desire that I should preach to you this last discourse, so I shall speak plainly to you. You are the bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh. You are an Indian, a despised creature, but you have despised yourself; yea you have despised God more; you have trodden under foot his authority; you have despised his commands and precepts; And now, as God says, be sure your sins will find you out. And now, poor Moses, your sins have found you out, and they have overtaken you this day; the day of your death is now come; the king of terrors is at hand; you have but a very few moments to breathe in this world.

The just law of man, and the holy laws of Jehovah, call aloud for the destruction of your mortal life; God says, “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood of man shall his blood be shed.” This is the ancient decree of heaven, and it is to be executed by man; nor have you the least gleam of hope of escape, for the unalterable sentence is past: The terrible day of execution is come; the unwelcome guard is about you; and the fatal instruments of death are now made ready; your coffin and your grave, your last lodging are open ready to receive you.

Alas! Poor Moses, now you know by sad, by woful experience, the living truth of our text, that the wages of sin is death. You have been already dead; yea, twice dead: By nature spiritually dead. And since the awful sentence of death has been passed upon you, you have been dead to all the pleasures of this life; or all the pleasures, lawful or unlawful, have been dead to you: And death, which is the wages of sin, is standing even on this side of your grave ready to put a final period to your mortal life; and just beyond the grave, eternal death awaits your poor soul, and devils are ready to drag your miserable soul down to their bottomless den, where everlasting woe and horror reigns; the place is filled with doleful shrieks, howls and groans of the damned. Oh! To what a miserable, forlorn and wretched condition has your extravagance folly and wickedness brought you! i.e. if you die in your sins. And, Oh! What manner of repentance ought you to manifest! How ought your heart to bleed for what you have done! How ought you to prostrate your soul before a bleeding God! And under self-condemnation, cry out, “Ah Lord, ah Lord, what have I done?”

Whatever partiality, injustice and error there may be among the judges of the earth, remember that you have deserved a thousand deaths, and a thousand hells, by reason of your sins, at the hands of a holy God. Should God come out against you in strict justice, alas! What could you say for yourself? For you have been brought up under the bright sunshine and plain and loud sound of the gospel; and you have had a good education; you can read and write well; and God has given you a good natural understanding: And therefore your sins are so much more agg[r]avated. You have not sinned in such an ignorant manner as others have done; but you have sinned with both your eyes open as it were, under the light even the glorious light of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

You have sinned against the light of your own conscience, against your knowledge and understanding; you have sinned against the pure and holy laws of God, the just laws of men; you have sinned against heaven and earth; you have sinned against all the mercies and goodness of God; you have sinned against the whole Bible, against the Old and New Testament; you have sinned against the blood of Christ, which is the blood of the everlasting covenant. O poor Moses, see what you have done! And now repent, repent, I say again repent; see how the blood you shed cries against you, and the avenger of blood is at your heels. O fly, fly, to the blood of the Lamb of God for the pardon of all your aggravated sins.

But let us now turn to a more pleasant theme. Though you have been a great sinner, a heaven-daring sinner; yet hark and hear the joyful sound from heaven, even from the King of kings, and Lord of lords; that the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. It is the free gift offered to the greatest sinners, and upon their true repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ they shall be welcome to the life they have spoken of: It is offered upon free terms. He that hath no money may come; he that hath no righteousness, no goodness may come, the call is to poor undone sinners; the call is not to the righteous, but sinners calling them to repentance. Hear the voice of the Son of the Most High God, “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

This is a call, a gracious call to you poor Moses, under your present burden and distresses. And Christ alone has a right to call sinners to Himself. It would be presumption for a mighty angel to call a poor sinner in this manner; and were it possible for you to apply to all God’s creatures, they would with one voice tell you, that it was not in them to help you. Go to all the means of grace, they would prove miserable helps without Christ himself. Yea, apply to all the ministers of the gospel in the world, they would all say, that it was not in them, but would only prove as indexes, to point out to you, the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Savior of sinners of mankind. Yea, go to all the angels in heaven they would do the same. Yea, go to God the Father himself without Christ, he could not help you, to speak after the manner of men, he would also point to the Lord Jesus Christ, and say, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.” Thus you see, poor Moses, that there is none in heaven, or earth, that can help you, but Christ; He alone has power to save, and to give life.

God the eternal Father appointed Him, chose Him, authorized and fully commissioned Him to save sinners. He came down from heaven into this lower world, and became as one of us, and stood in our room. He was the second Adam. And as God demanded correct obedience of the first Adam; the second fulfil’d it; and as the first sinned and incurred the wrath and anger of God, the second endured it; He suffered in our room. As He became sin for us, He was a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; all our stripes were laid upon Him; yea, He was finally condemned, because we were under condemnation; and at last was executed and put to death, for our sins; was lifted up between the heavens and the earth and was crucified on the accursed tree; His blessed hands and feet were fastened there; there He died a shameful and ignominious death; there He finished the great work of our redemption: There His hearts blood was shed for our cleansing: There He fully satisfied the divine justice of God, for penitent, believing sinners, though they have been the chief of sinners.

O Moses! This is good news to you in this last day of your life; here is a crucified Savior at hand for your sins; His blessed hands are outstretched, all in a gore of blood for you. This is the only Savior, an Almighty Savior, just such as you stand in infinite and perishing need of. O, poor Moses! Hear the dying prayer of a gracious Savior on the accursed tree: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” This was a prayer for His enemies and murderers; and it is for you, if you will now only repent and believe in Him. O, why will you die eternally, poor Moses, since Christ has died for sinners? Why will you go to hell from beneath a bleeding Savior as it were? This is the day of your execution, yet it is the accepted time, it is the day of salvation if you will now believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Must Christ follow you into the prison by His servants and there intreat you to accept of eternal life, and will you refuse it? Must he follow you even to the gallows, and there beseech of you to accept Him, and will you refuse Him? Shall He be crucified hard by your gallows, as it were, and will you regard Him not? O poor Moses, now believe on the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart, and thou shalt be saved eternally. Come just as you are, with all your sins and abominations, with all your filthiness, with all your blood-guiltiness, with all your condemnation, and lay hold of the hope set before you this day. This is the last day of salvation with your soul; you will be beyond the bounds of mercy in a few minutes more.

O what a joyful day would it be if you would now openly believe in and receive the Lord Jesus Christ; it would be the beginning of heavenly days with your poor soul; instead of a melancholy day, it would be a wedding day to your soul: It would cause the very angels in heaven to rejoice, and the saints on earth to be glad; it would cause the angels to come down from the realms above and wait hovering about your gallows, ready to convey your soul to the heavenly mansions. There to taste the possession of eternal glory and happiness and join the heavenly choirs in singing the songs of Moses and the Lamb: There to set down forever with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of God’s glory; and your shame and guilt shall be forever banished from the place, and all sorrow and fear forever fly away, and tears be wiped from your face; and there shall you forever admire the astonishing and amazing and infinite mercy of God in Christ Jesus.

Paris ReidHead: Christian Humanism

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Paris Reidhead: Set Free

Have you been bought yet?

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Joyce Green: Finding my place

This woman and her husband (who since have gone to be with the Lord) have blessed me with the truth more than any other over the years.

Come join me for church this morning by watching the videos.

I know some of you will hear exactly what you have been needing. I know I have.

My prayer to those who take the time to watch and listen: Father in heaven, You see Your many children who feel they have no place. They struggle with the desire to belong and be accepted. They are the ones who will not compromise the truth for the sake of acceptance either within the world or with those in teaching lies. My prayer for each and every one is that we come to know and realize we are accepted in the Beloved and that is more than enough. I pray that each finds their place hidden in You. Bring healing to all those who have been hurt. Break the chains of unforgiveness, the chains of bitterness, the chains of anger. Lord, bring the gift of repentance to all those who desire to call upon You with a pure heart. Release us from our any idols we may have set up through vain imaginations. Help us to be children of light in the darkness to come. Light bearers for truth. Jesus, may You set the captives free today! God bless each and every one with Your truth and Your truth alone. Help us to pick up our cross –whatever that is for each of us –and die to self so that You may live through us.

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A video not for the squeamish Christian

Too many times, I have heard people say they do not like a shouting preacher. What about preachers who literally are crying out for your very soul? Are we to ignore such men? I think we dare not.

If we are not working out our salvation with fear and trembling, maybe it is because we have become compliant in our faith. Do we dare neglect so great a salvation? Friends, too many times I neglect. If God is a consuming fire then why are we not consumed? It is because of His great mercy and nothing more. But the day is coming where all flesh, all things not done in Him, for Him, through Him, by Him will burn. EVERYTHING! God have mercy on us all. Have mercy on me, oh God! Have mercy on me!

I was not led to the Lord with words of “you sweet wonderful thing you. God has such a plan for your life.” No! I was won by the fear of an Almighty God who loved me enough to show me I was on my way to hell.

His judgments are righteous. His judgments are true and if for some reason I find myself cast in outer darkness one day, it will be because He is a just and holy God. There is none like Him. 

KeithTruth:

Repentence and Rest

No frills here. No emotional pleas. No manipulation. Just the simple truth spoken by a woman that had a heart for God.

This woman’s teachings have blessed me greater than any other teacher. She died of a brain tumor in 2007. If you take the time to listen to this series, I can almost promise you, you will never be the same. If you are one that has no church right now, then please consider listening this to this woman. Let your soul feast on the truth of God! The annointing breaks the yoke!

This series was back in the 1980′s.

Sidebar: BFAM co-founder Joyce Green’s personal testimony was first released as, “Repentance and Rest” and later as “Walking with Jesus”. Joyce went home to be with her Lord in 2007 but her words speak on across the internet, to a new generation of “whosoever will”.

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David Wilkerson: The Vision

This vision was in 1973. Look where we are today.

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Leonard Ravenhill: The Annointing

How many of us at one time or another, knew that God had put something so deep, so rich in us, that we wanted to be able to shout it from the rooftops? Only to begin having it squelched by man. When this happens, it is man setting up THEIR image of what we are to look like. Never let man put their yoke on you! Never! Whatever God has called you to do, do it with all your heart. If He has called you to sit with the sick, do it. If He has called you to take a meal to someone, do it. Whatever it is. There is none great or small. The only One great is Jesus.

illbehonest:

Joyce Green: The Wedding Supper

Joyce Green was a remarkable Godly woman. No thrills with her. Just simple Godly truth delievered with grace and mercy. I never got to meet Joyce personally. But I did get to talk to her a few times over the phone. When the church was teaching me to rebuke everything that was coming between me and my dream of being a mother, Joyce made it clear that God was trying to get at something in me. She told me, “You have created an image of yourself as a mother and God may never have meant for you to be a mother. It is possible that God is trying to get at something in you that you can’t take to heaven.” Her words delieverd so mercifully, rung like bells of truth. I began to weep and weep and told her, “Yes, yes, I have created an image. And the image is not true. Whatever Your will is, Lord, let me cling to that.” See, I had to die at what I thought was God’s will for me. When I did, THEN only was I able to move on and live in the present.

Since that time many years ago, Joyce has gone to be with the Lord.
Her teachings still remain with me. She was the first woman I could receive anything from after trying to receive from the many on TBN and other “teachers.” I hope she will be a breath of fresh air to you and may her words ring as truth and set you free!

“Some of you are trying to confess yourself out of your crucifiction. You’re trying to make positive confessions, financally you’re in a mess and you’re trying to make positive confessions to get yourself out the crucification God has ordained for you. In case you haven’t noticed it, it’s not working…the positive confession He wants you to make is, ‘Oh Lord, I’m in a mess. I’m not even sure how I got here. But Lord, the only way out of this mess is for You to deliever me after You have taught me what You want me to learn from this experience.”

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“His invitaiton for you and me, is ‘Come and die. Come and give up all your dreams and aspirations. Give up all of your idols. give up all the addictions. Come and give up all of the things that have bound you.’… You know what an idol is? An idol is anything or any person that you love more than you love Jesus.”

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“One of the things we forsake is fear. Isn’t that good? When you come to Jesus, then He becomes your fear. He becomes your dread, then He becomes your sanctuary…We give up the things that are killing us so we can recieve and partake of His life. which flows through us.”

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Be Still by Leonard Ravenhill

The Fire

It Will Cost You Everything

A few months ago, the Lord began giving me a revelation of what it meant to love Him above all on this earth. I thought I had “arrived” until recently I had been tested and realized if I can not forgive or/and love, then I am nothing. To put Jesus above all means even accepting His will in times of pain and tribulation. In short; the willing to suffer along with Him for His sake and for His Kingdom.

Oh Lord, where else can I go?! I believe Lord, help me with my unbelief!

IllBeHonest:

Paul Washer: Joy from Christ, not your performance

Someone told me I need a revelation of joy. I’m sure I do, for I am convinced I will not have joy until I leave this earth. I am very honest when I say, I have found life very serious and hard from childhood days. Even more so, the past two decades.

May the annointing break the yokes off of those of us who find it hard to have joy. May we find the power of God in our lives to not only stand, but to have true joy.

UnPopularity

Hell

Joel Osteen vs. Paul Washer and PERSECUTION

I’m sure this will make some people angry. But, they both can not be right now, can they? I don’t think so. Decide for yourselves which Gospel is the truth for all nations, especially among the poorest and the persecuted. I think the answer is simple.

If the world loves the people you esteem in the church, be careful. Because Jesus said we would be hated for his Name’s sake. Does the world love your teachers or do they despise them?

Still have trouble knowing which gospel is true? Then watch the following.

Time to wake up BLACK AND WHITE…

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