Thursday, September 15, 2016, 7:30 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Broken and Contrite.” Speak, Lord, your
words to my heart. I read Revelation 16
(ESV). Then, the Lord reminded me of something which took place in my life 12
years ago, at this time of year. He reminded me of how concerned I was that so
many preachers and teachers of the Word were teaching a false gospel message
that was leaving people still in their sins, without God, and without hope.
They were (are) keeping people still in the dark, ignorant of the truth, which
will result in their eternal punishment.
At that time, I was training
for ministry with the C&MA, and I was working toward consecration (much like
ordination). I was at the district conference in 2004, at this time of year. And,
the Lord spoke to me at that conference. And, he called me to something else –
something I would never have imagined that I would be doing. He called me to
write down what he teaches me from his word each day, and to post it on the
internet. Via the internet I could share what God was teaching me with people
all over the globe, most all of whom I have never met in person, but hope to
meet one day in heaven. And, he has had me share his full (true) gospel message,
too.
In reading Revelation 16
today, I realized that this whole chapter in Revelation is mostly about God’s
judgments being poured out on the earth and on its inhabitants. In vv. 5b-6 it
says this:
“Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was,
for you
brought these judgments.
For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets,
and you have
given them blood to drink.
It is what they deserve!”
It is true that these false
teachers of the people have shed the blood of the people of this earth merely
by teaching a false gospel absent of true repentance and true Biblical faith in
Jesus Christ, which would result in obedience to Christ’s commandments. Many of
them are also guilty of much persecution and rejection of God’s true ministers
of the gospel, who are telling people the truth instead of feeding them lies
which tickle itching ears. And, many of these true messengers of the gospel are
being killed for their faith and testimonies for Jesus Christ, too, or else
they are being falsely accused and ostracized by many who are following after
the teachings of humans over the teachings of Christ – many who God is going to
judge for this. And, I believe this serves as a warning, and as a caution to
make certain you are following Jesus and not man, and his gospel, and not the
gospel according to man. True faith involves repentance and obedience.
WHAT GOD SAID TO ME AT DISTRICT
CONFERENCE
September 13-16, 2004
Monday night:
Rev. FT spoke. He said something like this: “The word of God is ‘contemporary.’
We need to call on God and hear from God and then we need to preach the word of
God, because that is what people need to hear – that is what will satisfy the
hunger of their souls, not the teachings of man. We need to hear what God is
saying to us and then we need to tell the people what God tells us we should
tell them. And, we need to not fear their response. We need to trust God with
the results.”
Tuesday morning:
During my quiet time with God he said to me: “Call on my name. If you do what
is right, will you not be accepted? Walk with God. Do everything I command you.
I will remember you and no harm will come to you.”
Tuesday Morning Devotions:
Rev. PN spoke. He quoted the passage in Acts which said, “David served God’s
purpose in his own generation.” Rev. PN said, “What we’re going to do we need to do NOW!” Then, he quoted from I
Tim. 2:7: “And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle… and a
teacher of true faith…” He said Paul had a clear sense of God’s purpose for him
and an urgency for getting it done.
He continued by saying something like
this: “Because of God’s grace we want to serve him. Christ’s love compels us.
Because of God’s grace we are liberated. Loving God’s gifts means loosing his
power within us. God has made us unique by giving us a special gift set, but
sometimes we are afraid to allow God to use us in our gifted areas. God urges
us and presses us to be what he wants us to be. It’s a conspiracy of adults
that keeps us trapped into thinking we cannot be who God created us to be. God
knows what gifts we have and our state of limited usefulness, and he wrestles
us out of our beds of self-doubt and into His light. Fan into flame the gift of
God within you. Loving God’s work means letting it go – it’s not ours – it is
his. He may have something else for us to do that we have not even thought of.”
Tuesday morning business meeting: Rev. PN shared the President’s report in the form of a video
presentation. He showed some clips from The C&MA Annual Council. Among the
speakers at the Council were Anne Graham Lotz and a man whose name I did not
get, but who was not from the C&MA. Anne preached on being called, not to
ministry, but to Jesus. The man I referred to preached about the C&MA’s
need to plant more churches state-side. He said that C&MA churches overseas
outnumber the USA churches 7 to 1. He said that obviously our efforts overseas
are successful, so maybe we should look at what we are doing right over there
and do it here. He (I believe it was him) said that we don’t need to ask God to
send more workers, but that we need to use the workers we have.
I could not help but think, in light of
the fact that Anne Graham Lotz spoke at Council, and the fact that the C&MA
utilizes women more in leadership roles in churches overseas than they do
stateside, that if they would just release their US women to do what they allow
their overseas women to do, that God could do a mighty work here in the USA in
the C&MA in their church planting efforts. If they would just release their
women to prophecy, as God said that he would pour out his Spirit upon all men
and women and his daughters would prophecy, that they could reach a whole lot
more people for Jesus Christ, and that not so many of their churches would be
closing their doors, perhaps.
Tuesday evening:
The speaker spoke from Habakkuk 2:1-4. Verses 2-3 spoke to me: “Then the Lord
replied: ‘Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a
herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks
of the end and will not prove false. Though it lingers, wait for it; it will
certainly come and will not delay.’”
Wednesday morning: During
my quiet time with God I was going back over my notes from Tuesday evening and
I remembered reading something like that passage from Habakkuk in my
grandmother’s journals. She said it often: “We are not to become discouraged
and feel that God has forgotten his promise to us or has failed to fulfill our
vision. For if the vision tarries, wait for it, for it will surely come and
will not tarry.”
Another passage Grandma Jones quoted
often was: “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has
anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the
brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness
for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of
vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who
grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil
of gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of
despair.” This is God’s calling on my life!
Wednesday morning devotions: The speaker said we don’t have a right to question God. We
don’t have a right to say “why” when things don’t turn out the way we think
they should or when a trial lasts longer than we think it should. He preached
from the book of Job. He said that Job initially trusted God but as time
progressed he began to question God. He said that it was absolutely imperative
that Job did not know why. Otherwise it would have nullified the test. He said
that whatever we are going through is so much bigger than we could ever
imagine. Then, he went on to encourage us to stand firm, to press on and to not
lean on our own understanding. He said that this all happened “for such a time as this.” He said, “It is NOW your time! Blessed be the
name of the Lord!”
Wednesday evening:
FH was the speaker. He said something like this: “Have you climbed any trees
lately? God is asking this of all of us. He has a tree he wants us to climb.
How big is your Jesus? The Church is in crisis – the crisis of Supremacy. It is
indistinguishable between the lives of evangelical Christians and the world.
The only hope for the Church is revival. We need tree climbers who want to get
a closer look at the Supremacy of Jesus Christ. We have an enemy. Revival will
come when we return to the Supremacy of Jesus Christ. Churches are relying too
much on the teachings of men. Col 2:8: ‘See to it that no one takes you captive
through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and
the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.’ Jesus Christ is the head of the Church.”
In summary, this is what God said to me at district
conference:
- Preach the Word of God, not the
teachings of man.
- Listen to God, hear what he is
saying, and then obey him.
- Tell the people what God tells you
to tell them and leave the results in his hands.
- Walk with God and obey his
commands.
- What you are going to do, do it
NOW.
- You were appointed by God as a
herald and a teacher of true faith.
- God has given you a clear sense of
his purpose for you and an urgency…
- Fan into flame the gift(s) of God
within you.
- Give your ministry over to God –
it is not yours; it is his.
10. God may have something else for you to
do that you have not even thought of.
- Find out what the church is doing right
overseas and do it here in America – we do not need to call more workers.
We need to use the workers we have. That includes empowering our women
like the church does on the mission field.
- Write down what God shows you and
then wait on him to bring it about.
- Don’t ask God “why,” just trust
him – stand firm, press on.
- What you are going through is much
bigger than you can imagine.
- NOW is your time! – For such a
time as this I was placed upon the earth…
- Be a tree climber and get a closer
look at the Supremacy of Jesus Christ.
- The Church is in crisis – the
crisis of Supremacy.
- It is indistinguishable between
the lives of evangelical Christians and the world.
- We need to get back to the basics
– we need to put our focus on Jesus and the cross of Christ instead of on
the teachings of man.
Broken and Contrite / An
Original Work / May 13, 2012
I come before You, Lord, my Savior,
With humble heart and crushed in
spirit.
I bow before You, I implore You,
Heal my broken heart, I pray.
Love You, Jesus, Lord, my master,
You are the King of my heart.
Lord, purify my heart within me;
Sanctify me, whole within.
Oh, Lord, I long to obey fully
The words You’ve spoken through Your
Spirit.
I pray You give me grace and mercy,
Strength and wisdom to obey.
Father God, my heart’s desire,
Won’t You set my heart on fire?
Lord, cleanse my heart of all that
hinders
My walk with You, now I pray.
Oh, Jesus, Savior, full of mercy,
My heart cries out for understanding.
I want to follow You in all ways,
Never straying from Your truth.
Holy Spirit, come in power,
Fill me with Your love today.
Lord, mold and make me;
Your hands formed me;
Live Your life through me, I pray.
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