heaven's tree book club

September 5, 2012
"The anointing of the Holy Spirit is His actual presence upon us for ministry. The purpose of the anointing is to make the supernatural natural"
Today is the rare small group for the Cantonese-speakers. I say rare because we never know on which day and how often we meet. My dad had wanted it to be weekly, but so far it has been two or three weeks apart. I see in this group no hunger for Christian fellowship, and no hunger for the things of God. It is a sad state to be in. Nevertheless we met. When the pastor leads, he has a prayer time and then a time of worship songs. Since the pastor is in Asia, all the preferences of the older women came out. No one wanted to sing worship songs and only my dad prayed during the prayer time. This is really sad. There is no hunger for God, no hunger for the supernatural. The highlight if you can call it one is that they had cake and ice cream for my dad's birthday and later on we had a full banquet style meal at Far East. In total, the meal cost more than the birthday dinner for my uncle on Monday. Whenever I have meals like that, I am really uncomfortable to know we just spent that much on a lunch that could feed a family in Indonesia for four months. Although there was no healing today, I feel neutral. I do continue to be tired throughought the day.
"God's covenant promise, "I will be with you," has always been linked to mankind's need for courage to face the impossible. There is no question that the presence of God is what brings us great comfort and peace. But the presence of God was always promised to His chosen ones to give them assurance in the face of less than favorable circumstances.
He is the great treasure of mankind. He always will be. It is this revelation that enabled the revolutionary exploits of the apostle Paul. It's what strengthened a king named David to risk his life in order to transform the system of sacrifice and worship. Moses needed this assurance as the man who was sent to face Pharaoh and his demon possessed magicians. They all needed incredible confidence to fulfill their callings.
Joshua was faced with filling the big shoes of Moses, who was the man with whom God talked face-to-face. And now, Joshua was to lead Israel to where Moses was unable to go himself. Goal's word to him was one of great encouragement and exhortation. It ends with the ultimate promise, "I will be with you."1
Gideon was also given an impossible task. He was the least of his family, winch was the least of his tribe, which was the least in Israel.Yet God had chosen him to lead Israel into victory against the Midianites. His encounter is one of the most interesting recorded in Scripture."
Those words "I will be with you" are powerful in Scripture. Moses, Gideon, Joshua, and the apostle Paul are just some ofthe men who received the promise and went on to accomplish great things for God. "I am with you" is also encouragement for people in difficult circumstances. Right now, with my health condition, those words are an essential promise. However, in my more tiring moments, I feel forgotten by God. How do we even know that God is with us when life isn't going well?
"I used to frequent a local health food store. It was the kind that had strange music and many books by various gurus and cultic spiritual guides. I did business there because of a commitment I made to bring the light of God to the darkest places in town. I wanted them to see a contrast between what they thought was light and what is actually Light. Before entering, I would pray specifically that the anointing of God would rest upon me and flow through me. I would walk up and down the aisles praying quietly in the Spirit, wanting God to fill the store. One day the owner canae to me and said, "Something is different when you come into the store." A door opened that day that gave me many opportunities for future ministry. The anointing upon me equipped me for service.
Jesus was walking down a crowded road with people from all sides trying to get close to Him. A woman reached out and touched His garnaent. He stopped and asked, "Who touched Me?" The disciples were startled by such a question because to them, it had such an obvious answer—everyone! But Jesus went on to say that He felt virtue, (Dunamis), flow from Him. He was anointed by the Holy Spirit. The actual power of the Spirit of God left His being and flowed into that woman and healed her. The anointing was resident in Jesus' physical body the same as with every believer. The faith of that woman put a demand on that anointing in Jesus. She was healed, because the anointing breaks the yoke."'
A very popular verse for receiving an offering is,"Freely you have received, freely give."" But the context of the verse is often forgotten. Jesus was referring to the ministry of the supernatural. Listen to the implication: "I have received somethmg
that I am to give away!" What? The Holy Spirit. He is the greatest gift anyone could ever receive. And He is living in me.
When we minister in the anointing, we actually give away the presence of God—we impart Him to others. Jesus went on to teach His disciples what it meant to give it away. It included the obvious things, such as: healing the sick, casting out demons, etc. But it also included one often forgotten aspect: "When you go into a house...let your peace come upon it."There is an actual impartation of His presence that we are able to make in these situations.This is how we bring the lost into an encounter with God. We learn to recognize His presence, cooperate with His passion for people, and invite them to receive salvation.
He has made us stewards of the presence of God. It is not as though we can manipulate and use His presence tor our own religious purposes.We are moved upon by the Holy Spirit, thereby becoming co-laborers with Christ. In that position we invite Him to invade the circumstances that arise before us.
The more obvious ways are in preaching or praying for people's specific needs. Don't underestimate this important tool. By looking for chances to serve, we give the Holy Spirit the opportunity to do what only He can do— miracles. I don't see everyone I pray for healed. I'm not batting even close to a thousand. But there are many more healed than would be had I not prayed for anyone!
Give God a chance to do what only He can do. He looks for those who are willing to be smeared with Him, allowing His presence to affect others tor good. A visiting minister recently told us,"The difference between you and me is this: if I pray for a dead person and they are not raised from the dead, I pray for the next dead person too. I don't quit!"
Jesus said,"If I do not do the w_orks of My Father, do not believe Me."sThe works of the Father are miracles. Even the Son of God stated it was the miraculous that validated His ministry on earth. In that context He said,"...he who believes in Me...greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father."'The miraculous is a large part of the plan of God for this world. And it is to come through the Church."
This is a powerful presence to be walking in God's annointing and to be full of the Spirit's power. I have not frequented the most darkest places but I wonder if I pray for God's annointing then go to some of the darkest places. How will that go? I do remember one instance when I interned at a day program for the developmentally disabled. A man in his twenties had very strong outbursts of anger and swear words. For some reason he would always gravitate towards me and engage me in conversation. He said that I was different and that I had a positive vibe. I would like that to be true of my life whereever I go to carry the presence of God and draw people closer to faith. I know of some people like that who have that kind of immediate impact. I want to be a man of God with a healing presence.
"The fullness of the Spirit was the goal of God throughout the law and prophets. Salvation was the immediate goal, but the ultimate goal on earth was the fullness of the Spirit in the believer. Getting us to heaven is not near as great a challenge as it is to get heaven into us. This is accomplished through the fullness of the Spirit in us.
 Jacob, an Old Testament patriarch, was sleeping in the great outdoors when he had a dream that contained one of the naore startling revelations ever received by man. He saw an open heaven with a ladder coming down to earth. On the ladder were angels ascending and descending. He was frightened and said, God is here and I didn't even know it.'2 That statement describes much of what we've been witnessing in this revival for the past several years—God is present, yet many remain unaware of His presence.
I have witnessed God's touch upon thousands of people in this present outpouring—conversions, healings, restored marriages, addictions broken, and the demonized set free. The list of how lives have been changed is gloriously long, and increasing daily. Yet as these have been changed, there have always been those in the same meeting who can hardly wait for the service to end and get out the door. One person recognizes God's presence and is forever changed, the other never realized what could have been."
Getting us to heaven is one thing. It is another thing to get heaven into us as the author states. I am guilty these days of being the person described who can't wait for the sermon to end. I have been really dry spiritually for a long time. God could have shown up and I totally not realize it. These days I am blind to the activity and working of God but I don't want it to be that way. I want to see and experience the fullness of God. I want to be like Jacob who realizes that surely God is in this place. It is a sad reality to be in when we sit in church and feel spiritually dry.

"For us to become all that God intended, we must remember that Jesus' life was a model of what mankind could become if it were in right relationship with the Father. Through the shedding of His blood, it would be possible for everyone who believed on His name to do as He did and become as He was. This meant then that every true believer would have access to the realm of life that Jesus lived in.
Jesus came as the light of the world. He then passed the baton to us announcing that we are the light of the world. Jesus came as the miracle worker. He said that we would do "greater works" than He did.14 He then pulled the greatest surprise of all, saying, "right now the Holy Spirit is with you, but He's going to be in you."13 Jesus, who illustrates to us what is possible for those who are right with God, now says that His people are to be the tabernacle of God on planet earth. Paul affirms this revelation with statements such as, "Do you not know that you are the temple of God?""' "...and you are a dwelling place of God."17"
"I believe angels have been bored because we live the kind of lifestyle that doesn't require much of their help. Their assignment is to assist us in supernatural endeavors. If we are not people of risk, then there is little room for the supernatural. Risks must be taken to pursue solutions to impossible situations. When the Church regains its appetite for the impossible, the angels will increase their activities among men.
As the fires of revival intensify, so do the supernatural activities around us. If angels are assigned to assist us in supernatural endeavors, then there must be need for the supernatural. Risk must be taken to pursue solutions to impossible situations. The gospel of power is the answer to the tragic condition of humankind. John Wimber said, "Faith is spelled R-I-S-K." If we really want more of God then we must change our lifestyle so that His manifested presence will increase upon us. This is not an act on our part to somehow manipulate God. Instead it is the bold attempt to take Him at His Word, so that as we radically obey His charge, He says Amen" with the miraculous. I challenge you to pursue God passionately! And in your pursuit, insist on a supernatural lifestyle—one that keeps the hosts of heaven busy, ushering in the King and His Kingdom!"
 
"His world has been breaking into ours with regularity in salvations, healings, and deliverances. The manifestations of that invasion vary. They are quite fascinating, and too numerous to catalog. While some are difficult to understand at first glance, we know that God always works redemptively.
On many occasions laughter has filled a room, bringing healing to broken hearts. Gold dust sometimes covers people's faces, hands, or clothing during worship or ministry time. Oil sometimes appears on the hands of His people; and it especially happens among children. A wind has come into a room with no open windows, doors, vents, etc. At some locations, believers have seen an actual cloud of His presence appearing over the heads of worshiping people. We've also had the fragrance of heaven fill a room. In my own experience the fragrance of heaven filled our car while Bern and I were worshiping on a short trip. It lasted for about 30 minutes, and was a smell that I could actually taste, similar to granules of sugar sprinkled on my tongue. I have seen the small gems that suddenly appeared in people's hands as they worshiped God. Since early in 199S we have had feathers fall in our meetings. At first I thought birds were getting into our air conditioning ducts."

"Whenever I teach on pursuing a gospel of power someone occasionally fol1 was my message with an affirmation of our need for power, but reminds everyone of the priority of knowing the God of power. True words indeed. Power has little pleasure if there is no intimate relationship wdth God. But that comment is often religious in nature. Someone who has a passion for the power and glory of God intimidates those who don't. My hunger for His power is only surpassed by my desire for Him. It's been my pursuit of Him that has led me to this passion for an authentic gospel.
Something happened in me that won't let me accept a gospel that isn't backed with signs and wonders. Is it because I have caught a revelation of miracles on the earth? No! It caught me. I have discovered there isn't any lasting satisfaction in life apart from expressions of faith."
Prayer:
Father, I believe that the authentic Gospel is accompanied with works of power and healing. I want my life to be all that You intend in not merely going to church on Sunday. Forbid that I be a mere Sunday Christian. Father, I want the Holy Spirit to flow power out of my life to bring healing to the nations. I hunger for a deeper relationship with You and a powerful witness of signs, healings, and life-change. There is so much more to the Christian life than I am experiencing and I right now feel board and spiritually empty. I want to see Your release of power to bring hope to this city and healing to people who are hurting. I want to have spiritual vision like Jacob who suddenly was aware of Your presence. Help me to take radical risks of faith and to go where You are at work. I have been so discouraged for lack of healing and lack of meaning in my life to this day. Father, I desire more of You and more of Your presence and power in my life.