September 6, 2012
"While most of the Church is still trying to become as Jesus was, the Bible declares, "As He is, so are we in this world!'1"
There was a moment this morning that made the difference for me. I had felt as though I had been forgotten by God in recent weeks. The areas of impossibility for me at this time are in the areas of employment, singleness, as well as regaining health. Yesterday in my e-mail account I had received an e-mail about a career fair at my old university campus. That would appear normal because this is the first week of school. What was beyond normal was this morning I had received an e-mail from a sister who writes to me about four or five times a year. That makes each letter a real Spirit-led moment and all the more priceless. The e-mail was encouraging not just because she was praying for me, but that she had included the web site of an organization whose goal is to help people with disabilities find employment. I had never known of such an organization. Unemployment for the blind population stands at 75% and I am part of this alarming figure. I feel hopeless at times. But because of this e-mail I feel not just a little bit more hopeful, but I really sense that God has not forgotten me. It was truly a God moment and a faith builder to receive this e-mail.
"Jesus was the suffering servant, headed tor the cross. But Jesus is triumphantly resurrected, ascended, and glorified. In the Revelation of Jesus Christ,John described Him in this way: "His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters."2
The "as He is, so are we" declaration is far beyond what any of us could have imagined; especially in light of the glorified description of Jesus in Revelation, chapter 1 .Yet, the Holy Spirit was sent specifically for this purpose that we might attain... "to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."3
The Holy Spirit came with the ultimate assignment at the perfect time. During Jesus' ministry, it was said, "The Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.4 The Holy Spirit comforts us, gives us gifts, reminds us of what Jesus has said, and clothes us wdth power. But He does all this to make us like Jesus. That is His primary mission. So why didn't the Father send Him until Jesus was glorified? Because without Jesus in His glorified state there was no heavenly model of what we were to become! As a sculptor looks at a model and fashions the clay into its likeness, so the Holy Spirit looks to the glorified Son and shapes us into His image. As He is, so are we in this world.
The Christian life is not found on the Cross. It is found because of the Cross. It is I lis resurrection power that energizes the believer. Does this dimmish the
value of the Cross? No! The shed blood of the spotless Lamb wiped out the power and presence of sin in our lives. WE HAVE NOTHING WITHOUT THE CROSS! Yet, the Cross is not the end—it is the beginning, the entrance to the Christian Life. Even for Jesus the cross was something to be endured in order to obtain thejoy on the other side!3 The great majority of the Christian world is still weeping at the foot of the cross. The consciousness of mankind remains fixed on the Christ who died, not on the Christ who lives. People are looking back to the Redeemer who was, not the Redeemer who is.1'
Suppose I had been forgiven a financial debt. It could be said I have been brought out of the red. Yet, after my debts are forgiven, I still am not in the black. I have nothing unless the one who forgave my debt gives me money to call my own, and that's what Christ did for you and me. His blood wiped out my debt of sin. But it w^as His resurrection that brought me into the black.
Why is this important? Because it profoundly changes our sense of identity and purpose.
Jesus became poor so that I could become rich. He suffered with stripes to free me frona affliction, and He became sin so I might become the righteousness of God.s Why then should I try to become as He was, when He suffered so I could become as He is: At some point, the reality of the resurrection must come into play in our lives—we must discover the power of the resurrection for all who believe.''
This opening part to the chapter appears somewhat confusing to me. I am not too sure what the author is trying to say but I do get how he makes a distinction between the Jesus who was and the Jesus who is. He is saying that we should not look to the Jesus on the cross but to the risen Jesus who is the glorified Jesus. I think he has a point. Many Christians really focus a lot of attention on the cross. Which is not to say the cross is not important. There is a book I read and then gave away called the cross-centered life. There are many pastors who advocate living a cross-centered life. This emphasizes a kind of dying to self which is important. Conservative preachers often preach about dying to sin. This is important. I think this author is trying to emphasize the Jesus who is the picture in Revelations, the Jesus of power and authority.
"One who embraces an inferior cross is constantly filled with introspection and self-induced suffering. But the cross is not self-applied—Jesus did not nail Himself to the cross. Christians who are trapped by this counterfeit are constantly talking about their weaknesses. If the devil finds us uninterested in evil, then he'll try to get us to focus on our mi worthiness and inability. This is especially noticeable in prayer meetings where people try to project great brokenness before God, hoping to earn revival. They will often re-confess old sins searching for real humility.
In my own pursuit of God, I often became preoccupied with ME! It was easy to think that being constantly aware of my faults and weakness was humility. It's not! If I'm the mam subject, talking incessantly about my weaknesses, I have entered into the most subtle form of pride. Repeated phrases such as,"I'm so unworthy," become a nauseating replacement tor the declarations of the worthiness of God. By being sold on my own unrighteousness, the enemy has disengaged me from effective service. It's a perversion of true holiness when introspection causes my spiritual self-esteem to increase, but my effectiveness in demonstrating the power of the gospel to decrease.
True brokenness causes complete dependency on God, moving us to radical obedience that releases the power of the gospel to the world around us.
I struggled for many years with self-evaluation.The main problem was that I never found anything good in me. It always led to discouragement, which led to doubt, and eventually took me to unbelief. Somehow I had developed the notion that this was how I could become holy—by showing tremendous concern for my own motives.
It may sound strange, but I don't examine my motives anymore. That's not my job. I work hard to obey God in everything that I am and do. If I am out to lunch on a matter, it is His job to point that out to me. After many years of trying to do what only He could do, I discovered I was not the Holy Spirit. I cannot convict and deliver myself of sin. Does that mean that 1 never deal with impure motivcsr No. He has shown I Innself to be very eager to point out my constant need for repentance and change."
"Such a revelation brought me to pray- in the following manner:
Father, you know that I don't do so well when I look inward, so I'm going to stop. I am relying ou You to point out to me the things that I need to see. I promise to stay in Your Word. You said that your Word was a sword—so please use it to cut me deeply. Expose those things in me that are not pleasing to You. But in doing so, please give me the grace to forsake them. I also promise to come before You daily. Your presence is like a fire. Please burn from me those things that arc unpleasing to You. Melt my heart until it becomes like the heart of Jesus. Be merciful to me in these things. I also promise to stay in fellowship with Your people. You said that iron sharpens iron. I expectYou to anoint the" wounds of a friend" to bring me to my senses when I'm being resistant toward You. Please use these tools to shape my life until Jesus alone is seen in me. I believe thatYou have given me Your heart and mind. By Your grace I am a new creation. I want that reality to be seen that the name of Jesus would be held in highest honor."
I like this prayer that the author includes, the center and power of change and transformation becomes God. He alone can bring the change. Like the author, I am prone to self-examination and this leads to discouragement. I see now how unhealthy this can be because I cannot change myself. It leads to discouragement when I see all the ways that I fall short. This prayer shows total dependance on God both to change and to reveal those areas of sin.
"Apart from Christ, we are unworthy. And it's true that without Him we are nothing. But I'm not without Him, and 1 never will be again! At what point do we start thinking of our worth through His eyes? If it's true that the value of something is measured by what someone else will pay, then we need to rethink our worth. Do we ever acknowledge who we are before Him? Please don't misunderstand, I'm not encouraging arrogance or cockiness. But wouldn't it honor Him more it we believed that He actually did a good enough job in saving us, and that we really are saved? Jesus paid the ultimate price to make it possible for us to have a change in our identity. Isn't it time we believe it and receive the benefits? If we don't, we'll break down in our confidence as we stand before the world in these final days. The boldness we need is not self- confidence, but the confidence that the Father has in the work of His Son in us. It's no longer a question of heaven or hell. It's only a question of how much of hell's thinking I will allow into this heavenly mind of mine.”
This quote spoke right to me. I struggle with confidence a lot. Partly because of all the measures of success I fall short on. I am handicap which means I can’t drive or read printed material or do a lot of things that require sight. I am currently jobless. I live at home. More than ever I must realize that confidence does not come from myself but from the Father. I like how this quote ends. It is hell’s thinking entering into my heavenly mind. So much of hell’s thoughts are lies to the children of God. Hell’s thoughts are like a massive assault on someone when he is struggling with health issues and financial issues and singleness issues.

“Doesn't it honor Him more when His children no longer see themselves only as sinners saved by grace, but now as heirs of God: Isn't it a greater forna of humility to believe Him when He says we are precious in His sight when we don't feel very precious? Doesn't it honor Him more when we think of ourselves as free from sin because He said we are? At some point we must rise up to the high call of God and stop saying things about ourselves that are no longer true. If we're going to fully come in to what God has for us in this last days' revival, we will have to come to grips with the issue of being more than sinners saved by grace. Maturity comes from faith in the sufficiency of God's redemptive work that establishes us as sons and daughters of the Most High.
As He is, so arc we in this world. The rev-elation of Jesus in His glorified state has at least four overwhelming characteristics that directly affect the coming transformation of the Church; these must be embraced as a part of God's plan in these final hours.
Glory—This is the manifested presence of Jesus. Revival history is filled with stones of His manifest presence resting upon His people. He lives m all believers, but the  glory of  I lis presence comes to rest on  only a few. It is
sometimes seen and frequently felt. He is returning for a glorious Church. It not an option.
Tongues of fire were seen  on the heads of the apostles on the day 0r Pentecost. In more modern times, fire has been seen blazing from the top of church buildings when the people of God are gathered together in His name At the Azuza Street revival, the fire department was called to extinguish a blaze only to discover that the people inside were worshiping Jesus. Water couldn't put it out as it was not a natural fire. All the powers of hell cannot put it out The only ones capable of such a thing are those to whom that fire has been entrusted. Well meaning believers will often use control as a means to bring this fire into order, thinking they are serving God. On the other hand, some will turn to hype to fan an emotional flame when the fire is no longer there. Both are expressions of the carnal man—and when the carnal man is in charge, the glory of God must lift.
If the Father filled the Old Testament houses with His glory, though they were built by human hands, how much more will He fill the place that He builds with His own hands! He is building us into His eternal dwelling place.
Power—To be as He is involves being a continuous expression of power. The baptism in the Holy Spirit clothes us with this heavenly element. As clothing is on the outside of the body, so that power is to be the most visible part of the believing Church. It is the power of salvation—for the body, soul, and spirit.
Many in the world around us seek for help from the psychic and cultist before coming to the Church. They also reach for medical help, legitimate and otherwise, before they ask for our prayers. Why? For the most part we are not clothed with heaven's power. If we had it, they would see it. If they saw it. they would come.
The power vacuum in the Church allows cults and false prophetic gifts to flourish. But there will be no contest when such counterfeits go up against this Elijah generation that becomes clothed with heaven's power on the Mount Carmel of human reasoning.
Triumph—Jesus conquered all things: the power of hell, the grave, sin, and the devil. He was raised from the dead, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and was glorified above all. Every name and power has been placed under His feet. He calls us His body—and this body has feet. Figuratively speaking. He is saying the lowest part of I lis body has authority over the
iVehest part of everything else. This victory doesn't mean we live without bat- I   . it simply means our victory is secured.
The attitude of those who live from the triumph of Christ is different than those who live under the influence of their past. The only part of the past that we have legal access to is the testimony of the Lord." The rest is dead, buried, forgotten, and covered under the blood. The past should have no negative effect
B
on the way we live, as the blood of Jesus is more than sufficient. Living front the victory of Christ is the privilege for every believer. This realization is at the foundation of a Church that will triumph even as He has triunaphed.
Holiness—Jesus is perfectly' holy—separate from all that is evil, unto all that is good. Holiness is the language through w-hich the nature of God is revealed. The psalmist penned the phrase, "in the beauty of holiness." Holiness in the Church reveals the beauty of God.
Our understanding of holiness, even in certain seasons of revival, has often been centered around our behavior—what we can and cannot do. However, what in the past incorrectly has been reduced to a list of "do's and don'ts" will soon become the greatest revelation of God the world has ever seen. Whereas power demonstrates the heart of God, holiness reveals the beauty of His nature. This is the hour of the great unveiling of the beauty of holiness."
Prayer:
Father, these are four traits which Your church must embrace and that must be a part of the body of Christ to represent You to the nations. Glory, power, triumph, and holiness all demonstrate who You are. It shows Your nature and otherness in a world of counterfeit gods. Yet, men and women seek lesser things before they consider You. The church is powerless today it seems. We do not see healings in a society so full of health problems. Father, let my generation be the Elijah generation that stands up and manifests Your glory and healing presence. Renew our minds that the lies of hell would not saturate our heavenly minds. Establish us firmly in our identity as Your beloved and precious in Your sight. Father, let Your church demonstrate Your glory, power, triumph, and holiness in the world. Help us to be Your agent of change and healing in our neighborhoods.

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.

September 4, 2012

the Lamb that was slain the reward for His suffering. —the Moravians
Today is my dad's birthday. It was a very ordinary day in terms of what happened even though it was my dad's birthday. That is the kind of man he is. He doesn't want a lavish party or vacation or gifts. We pretty much stayed home all day with the exception of a morning and evening stroll along the creek. Sometimes, in these moments, I wish my dad would long for the supernatural. It is hard to get someone so drenched in powerless Christian to hunger for what he has never seen or tasted. I too have not seen God's power, but I have a growing hunger for God's power.
"Revival is the atmosphere in which Christ's power is most likely to be manifested. It touches every part of human life, breaking into society with sparks of revolution. Such glory is costly, and it is not to be taken lightly. Nevertheless, a powerless Church is far more costly in terms of human suffering and lost souls. During revival, hell is plundered and heaven is populated. Without revival, hell is populated.. .period.
Let me illustrate the necessity of signs and wonders in our quest to see our cities transformed and the glory of God fill the earth. Without the following, the world suffers, God is grieved, and we are the most to be pitied:
1. Signs and Wonders reveal the nature of God...
A primary purpose of the miracle realm is to reveal the nature of God. The lack of miracles works like a thief, stealing precious revelation that is within the grasp of every man, woman, and child. Our debt to mankind is to give them answers for the impossible, and a personal encounter with God. And that encounter must include great power.'
We are to be a witness for God. To give witness is to "represent." This actually means to re-present Him. Therefore, to re-present Him without power is a major shortcoming. It is impossible to give an adequate witness of God without demonstrating His supernatural power. The supernatural is His natural realm. Jesus was an exact representation of the Father's nature.3 His re-presentation of the Lather is to be a model tor us as we learn how to re-present Him.
The miracle realm of God is always with purpose. He doesn't come up0 people with power to show off or entertain. Demonstrations of power are redemptive in nature. Even the cataclysmic activities of the Old Testament \vere designed to bring people to repentance.
 Healing is never only one-dimensional. While a miracle may change one's physical health, it also sparks a revolution deep within the human heart. Both reveal the nature of God, which must never be compromised through powerless Christianity."

I have never been a part of revival although I would like to be. God's power is really not seen today in the western church. Can we see God where there is no encounter with His presence? I think of the Exodus story and how when God showed up, the people would tremble in fear. We don't have encounters like that today. The fear of God is not present in society. It sounds so logical what the author says about witnessing. We are to represent God. To represent God we need to demonstrate His power. Without the power of God, as the author states, the world suffers, God is grieved, and we of all people are to be pitied. Powerless Christianity is not a good witness to the world. Signs and wonders show the nature of God. What exactly does it show about God? I reflect upon the healings and I think of how it reflects His compassion, sovereignty over nature, and His desire to be known and relational.
"2. Signs and Wonders expose sin and bring people to a decision...
"When Simon Peter saw it [the miraculous catch of fish], he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"3
Peter had been fishing all night with no success. Jesus told him to cast nets to the other side of the boat, which doubtless he had already done many times. When he did it at the bidding of the Master, the catch of fish was so great it nearly sank the boat. Peter called for help from the other boats. His response to this miracle was, "I am a sinful man."
Who told him that he was a sinner? There is no record of sermons, rebukes, or any such thing in the boat that day—just good fishing. So, how did he come under such conviction for sin? It was in the miracle. Power exposes. It draws a line in the sand and forces people to a decision.
Demonstrations of power are no guarantee that people will repent. One only needs to look at Moses to realize that sometimes the miraculous only- causes our Pharaohs to become more resolved to destroy us when they see power. Without acts of power, the Pharisees might have forgotten about the Church that was born from the blood of Jesus poured out at the cross. Power stirred up the zeal of opposition in them. We must be sober minded about this: power often causes people to decide what they're for or against. Power removes the middle ground.
Mercy ministries are absolutely- essential in the ministry of the gospel.They are one of the ways the love of God can and must be seen. Yet they are not complete without demonstrations of power. Why' The reality is this: the world will usually applaud such efforts because they know we should be doing them. We must realize the s.id truth—it is common for people to acknowledge the fndness of the Church and still not be brought to repentance. But power f rces the issue because of its inherent ability to humble mankind.
 Jesus said, "If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin."4
Is He saying that sin didn't exist in the hearts of the Jews until He performed miracles? I doubt it very much. He is explaining the principle revealed in Peter's repentance. Power exposes sin and brings people to a decision. When power is missing, we are not using the weapons that were in Jesus' arsenal when He ministered to the lost. The outcome? Most remain lost. Power forces people to be aware of God on a personal level, and it is demanding in nature."
I love this second point. God's power forces people to recognize their sinfulness. However, I like how the author says although people are made aware of their sinfulness, it does not mean they will come close to God. Peter came close to Jesus, but there are many whose hearts get hardened. God's power reveals His holiness and awesomeness. It is in a very personal level. Like Peter, God spoke right to his profession of fishing. For another person, it would be totally different. God's power is absent today and I propose that it shows the lack of faith encounters in the American church. 

"3. Signs and wonders bring courage...
The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle. They did not keep the covenant of God; They refused to walk in His law, And forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them.'
A very profound part of the Jewish culture was shaped by the command to keep the testimonies of the Lord. The family itself was driven by the ongoing revelation of God contained in His commandments and testimonies. They were to talk about the Law of God and what God had done when they went to bed at night, rose up in the morning, walked along, etc. Just about any time of the day was a perfect time to talk about God's wondrous works.
To insure they didn't forget, they were to build monuments that would help them to remember the invasion of God into their lives. For example: They piled stones to mark the place where Israel crossed the Jordan River.'' That was so that when their young ones would ask, Hey Dad...why is that pile of stones there? They could respond with the story of how God worked among them.
The testimony of God creates an appetite for more of the activities of God. Expectation grows wherever people are mindful of His supernatural nature and covenant. When the expectation grows, miracles increase. When the miracles increase, testimonies increase as well. You can see the cycle. The simple act of sharing a testimony about God can stir up others until they expect and see God work in their day.
The reverse is also true. Where they decrease, miracles are expected less if there is less expectation for miracles, they happen even less. As you can see there is also a possible downward spiral. Forgetting what God has done by removing the testimony from our lips ultimately causes us to become fearful in the day of battle. The story of the children of Ephraim is tragic because they were thoroughly equipped to win.Theyjust lacked courage.Their courage was to come from their memory of who God had been to them."

I love testimonies. I am eager to hear of testimonies of how God is at work locally and in the world. Sadly, we don't have very much locally but I get many e-mails about God working in other places. These testimonies help us hunger for more of God and build our faith. We are to talk about God's works not just once a week but it is to be a continuous thing throughout the day. It is sad that we do not see God at work in our lives and how we talk about lesser things. We really need to stir up a hunger for God.

"4. The supernatural is the key to the sin cities of the world...
Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."
This passage of Scripture makes a distinction between religious cities and those known for sin. The religious city* had a numbed awareness of its need for God, while the sinful city was conscious that something was missing." Religion is even more cruel than sin.
The cities that Jesus addresses here saw more signs and wonders than all the rest combined. The miracles Jesus perfornaed were so great in number that apostle John said recording them could fill up all of the books in the world. This gives us perspective on the rebuke of Jesus upon the hard-hearted cities.
Jesus was limited in what He could do m Nazareth because of their unbelief.'"Yet in Chorazin and Bethsaida, His miracles appear to be limitless, which suggests these cities had a measure of faith. His stern rebuke didn't appear to
e because they didn't appreciate His working of miracles. They must have. Their problem was that they added such a move to what they were already ztninfc instead of making Him the focal point of their lives.That's what religion does. Like Jesus said, they failed to repent and change their way of thinking, /alter their perspective on life itself).
Many enjoy the move of God, but don't genuinely repent, (change their life's perspective, making His activities the focus and ambition of their lives). The revelation that came to them through the miraculous increased their responsibility, thus requiring change. It never came.
The anointing in Capernaum was so great that some translations say they were exalted to heaven. Could He be saying that the miracle realm around them was so great that it made their city the most like heaven of any city on earth? If so, Capernaum became, for a brief season, the example of—on earth as it is in heaven.They made room for His great work, but never made the adjustment in their lives to make it their main focus.
But there is another message contained in this story.Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom would have repented had they been exposed to the same dimension of outpouring] Did you hear it? Tliey would have repented! It's a prophetic promise for today. Miracles on the streets of the "sin cities" of the world will cause them to repent! It is this secret that gives us access to the heart of these great cities! The San Franciscos and the Amsterdams, the New Orleans and the Rio de Janeiros of this world will repent. ..if there is an army of saints, full of the Holy Ghost, walking their streets, caring for the broken, bringing the God of power into their impossible circumstances. They will repent! That's a promise. They sinaply await those with the message of the Kingdom to come."
Point number four is very interesting. I have skipped through this particular passage at times and did not realize its significance in the context of signs and wonders. Indeed, religion that is empty of God and turning from sin is worse than sin. I also think of San Francisco as I have spent a lot of time in this city. I cannot talk about the other cities. Other cities have a reputation for lawlessness. New Orleans is an example but I have not been there. There is hope for these cities. It is possible like in the previous point that mighty works can be done but people do not repent. Mighty works of God by themselves do not bring people closer to God at least not for everyone. Empty religion is uneffected by the presence and power of God. The author goes through many more points, but they can all be summarized by the one in which I close this entry.

"5. Miracles reveal His glory...
"This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory: and His disciples believed in Him. ""
Jesus attended a wedding where they ran out of wine. As yet He hadn't performed any of the wonders for which He would later become known. Mary- knew w ho her son was and what was possible. So in this time of need His mother, Mary, turned to Him and said, "They have no wine." Jesus responded

to her savins, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My h
•    o > n0Ur
has not yet come." But then Mary did something amazing—she turned to to servants and said, "Whatever He says to you, do it!" i3 Her faith just made r0o for the extravagance of God! Jesus followed this with the miracle of tur11Ul the water into wine.
Now what really happened? It's important to remember that Jesus only jjj what He saw His Father do, and He only said what He heard His Father say When Mary first mentioned the need for wine to Jesus, it is safe to say He noticed that the Father was not involved in doing any miracles for that wedding Besides, He knew that this wasn't His hour...the time to be revealed as the miracle worker. That's what brought the response, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with me. My hour has not yet come." Mary, however, responded with faith and had the servants ready to do "...whatever He says to you."
Jesus again looked to see what the Father was doing and now noticed that He was turning water into wine. So Jesus followed His lead and did the miracle. Her faith so touched the heart of the Father that He apparently changed the chosen time to unveil Jesus as the miracle worker. Faith moves heaven, so that heaven will move earth.
According to John 2:11, this demonstration of God's power released the glory of God into that location. Signs and wonders do that. They release the glory of God into our cities.The need—be it physical sickness, poverty, oppression, etc.—represents the impact of darkness. The miracle displaces darkness and replaces it with light—glory. When miracles are absent, so is the glory of God, which is the manifested presence of Jesus.
As glory is released, it displaces the powers of darkness and replaces it with the actually ruling presence of God. The house is clean and swept and becomes filled with the furnishings of heaven.13 As the powers of darkness are removed they must be replaced with right things, or the enemy has legal access to return- making the last state of the man worse than the first. Miracles do both—they remove the ruling influence of hell while establishing the ruling presence of God.
How will the glory of God cover the earth? I believe that, at least in part, it will be through a people who walk in power, bringing the testimony of Jesus to the nations of the world. There will be a generation that will catch this and will invade the world system with this living testimony of who Jesus is!"
Prayer:
Father, display Your glory by Your mighty works in this city. Invade the places of darkness with Your light and glory. Move heaven so that heaven may move earth. I pray for an out-pouring of Your Spirit upon this dry and thirsty land. Father, I want to be a man of God who moves in Your power and authority to bring hope and healing to the nations. Help me to represent You in being a powerful witness of Your love and saving power. Lead me away from empty and meaningless religion which is not from You and move me towards vibrant Christianity full of power and Your presence. Reveal Your glory to me. Help me to see You at work in my life and in the world. I hunger for You and for Your miracles. I don't want a dull faith. Your mighty works help to give us courage and faith. Help me to build a testimony of Your works and wonder. I want to tell of Your mighty deeds but these days, I don't experience Your presence and power. I long to be healed of my physical condition and perhaps this very next day You will heal me. I promise to speak continuously of this healing all the days of my life and all the credit goes to You.

September 3, 2012

September 3, 2012

"Powerlessness: Unnecessary and Unbalanced"

"I'm not impressed with anyone's life unless they have integrity. But I'm not happy with their life until they are dangerous.1 As much as I have the ability to do so, I'll not let those around me get away with just being nice people!"

It was early on in my current health condition that six joints were effected probably around late May or early June. For the past 8-10 weeks my wrist has been fine until last night. I never knew how difficult things are with wrist discomfort especially in my dominant hand which I use to eat or carry things. Typing is difficult. Eating is difficult. Even walking is difficult because I need to steady my weight when pushing the walker. So what happens to our faith when things aren't getting better and instead it gets harder? This is where we're suppose to trust God that He's still in control and He's going to provide a solution soon right? This is the season of my life where I just don't know. I don't know if God is still in control. I don't know if He'll come through. This is where I am convinced that apologetics is not the answer. We can philosophicially reason with people, but faith is a matter of the heart as well as the mind. God, right now, appears to have forgotten me. I hate to complain, and I suppose more than ever I have taken on a negative and discouraging tone. What is more, I don't have a system of positive support to counteract all the negativity that has flooded in these several weeks. I can see how and why my patients during my clinical internship struggle so much without positive supports, without meaningful activities, and without a sense of hope or direction. I am at that place now and it is a kind of hell on earth.

My university e-mail account expires today. I spend close to six hours cleaning my inbox. I went through over 1000 e-mails and it was a monumental task to delete everything and now my e-mail account is deleted and no more. I cannot look back to yesterday and stay there. I must move forward in faith to what God has for me. I saw His faithfulness in my life while at Robert's but I cannot lingure there for too long. Forgetting what is behind and straining for what is ahead, I press on.

It was nice to be out tonight. It was my uncle's 82nd birthday and there were about 60 relatives who were at Fortune House. It is good to have a mix of both young and old. It is my mom's side of the family and so it is completely buddhist, agnostic, or atheist. They are nice people. They are friendly people. My nephew held the door open while my dad pushed me through the door. One relative even took out one of the chairs so that my wheelchair can fit at the table. I enjoyed being out and being surrounded by my relatives. The food was pretty good too. I bring up my relatives because they appear very much like Christians I know. Most Christians I know are nice people. We avoid using certain four letter words. We give to our chosen charities. We help grandma across the street. So what's the difference? Integrity is important. We need that. It is interesting when the author says he is not happy with someone until they are dangerous. I am sure he does not mean dangerous in the negative sense. He means dangerous in the sense that their lives show God's supernatural, redemptive, and healing power. There were two men that captured my attention as an undergrad from two different fellowships representing two different denominations, one baptist, the other pentecostal. Both were full of the Holy Spirit. The baptist who was in the same evangelism class with me led many to faith each week we went out for street evangelism. The other was deeply involved in healing ministry and many healings were done in the power of the Holy Spirit. These men were "dangerous". 

"Many believers have made it their primary goal in life to be well-respected citizens of their communities. Good character enables us to be solid contributors to society, but most of what is recognized as a Christian lifestyle can be accomplished by people who don't even know God. Every believer should be highly respected AND MORE. It's the and more part that we're often lacking.

While character must be at the heart of our ministries, power revolutionizes the world around us. Until the Church returns to Jesus'model for true revolutionaries, we will continue to be recognized by the world merely as nice people—while it is overcome with disease and torment, on its way to hell.

Some Christians actually have considered it to be more noble to choose character over power. But we must not separate the two. It is an unjustifiable, illegitimate choice. Together they bring us to the only real issue—obedience.

Once, while teaching a group of students about the importance of signs and wonders in the ministry of the gospel, a young man spoke up saying, "I'll pursue signs and wonders when I know I have more of the character of Christ in me." As good as that may- sound, it comes from a religious mindset, not a heart abandoned to the gospel of Jesus Christ."

One problem with Christianity in the western world appears to be that it has become a religion rather than relationship. I saw this in New York. It is very obvious who had an intimate relationship with God and who simply showed up at church. The ones who just showed up talked mostly about sports and current issues and were disinterested in the things of God while the ones close to God were the encouragers who were always sharing about their relationship with God and what God had been revealing to them. The first movement is the one away from religion. Then we need to move in the direction of power. The power of God will indeed revolutionize the world.

"Character is shaped through obedience.Jesus commanded His disciples to go, and in going they were to teach all that they had been taught. And part of what they were taught was specific training on how to live and operate m the miraculous.5 They were commanded to "heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons."4 And now they were responsible to teach this requirement as the lifestyle for all who were to become followers of Jesus Christ. In this way, His standard could remain the standard—the norm for all who call upon the name of the Lord for salvation.

Many consider themselves unworthy of God using them in the miraculous, and therefore never pursue that realm. Isn't it ironic that Christians will disobey God by not diligently seeking after spiritual gifts—they won't lay hands on the sick or seek to deliver the demomzed—because they realize their need for more character? In none of the commissions of Jesus to His disciples did He deal specifically with character.

Is it possible the reason there are so few miracles in North America is because too many before us thought they had to become better Christians before God could use them? Yes! That single lie has kept us in perpetual immaturity because it protects us from the power-encounter that transforms us. The result is we have converts trained and over trained until they have no life, vision, or ingenuity left. This next generation of converts must be handled differently We must help them by giving them their identity as world changers, provide them with a model for character, passion, and power, and open up opportunities to serve.

Mario Murillo puts it this way, "When he picks up a Bible, his focus will not be on emotional healing or self-esteem. He'll ask you where the trigger is and how you fire it. When he reads the Word, he will want to apply it to the taking over of neighborhoods for God!""

There are a lot of Christian books on self-esteem and emotional healing, many by Christian psychologists. This is not to downplay the importance of emotional health. I too have adopted the mindset that I need to be well before I can be effective in ministry,. I do not agree with the author that the reason why there are so few miracles in America is because we think we need to become better Christians first. I think one of the big issues of our time is faith. I've been to a lot of churches in California and New York in my 13 years in higher education.I've been to nearly 100 churches ranging from very liberal to very conservative. Very few churches teach on healing and the power of God to heal. From the conservative church we hear about sin and God's holiness. From the liberal church we hear about social justice and God's compassion for the poor. We simply do not receive teaching on this area of God's supernatural power to heal. As a result, we have Christians who are either seeking holiness or seeking justice or somewhere in between. Consequently, we do not see Christians empowered by the Holy Spirit to bring forth kingdom power into our communities. We're not having a positive influence in our world.

"Many believe His power exists only to help us overcome sin. This understanding stops very short of the Father's intent for us to become witnesses of another world. Doesn't it seem strange that our whole Christian life should be focused on overcoming something that has already been defeated? Sin and its nature have been yanked out by the roots. Many constantly call out to God tor more power to live in victory. What more can He do for us? If His death wasn't enough, what else is there? That battle has already been fought and won! Is it possible that the process of constantly bringing up issues dealt with by the blood is what has actually given life to those issues?

Many in the Church are camped on the wrong side of the Cross. The apostle Paul spoke to this issue when he said, "Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." 'The word reckon points to our need to change our minds. I don't need pow-er to overcome something it I'm dead to it. But I do need power for boldness ' for the miraculous and tor the impossible.

Part of our problem is this: we are accustomed only to doing things for God that are not impossible. If God doesn't show up and help us, we can still succeed."

I believe this is partly true. We do spend a lot of time wrestling with sin. I am often reminded of my sin throughout the day. I think also that the cross did deliver us from sin. I disagree however that the author takes a light stance on sin. Yes, we are dead to sin, that is the penalty of sin, but we are not dead to the presence of sin. Many Christian leaders have fallen within recent years from secret sins which became very public. I do like when the authors says that we do things that often do not require for God to show up. I think of worship services. When we observe a worship team and a local band, they appear to be doing the same thing, singing, and playing instruments although the lyrics might be a little different. When we hear a pastor preach versus our professor give a lecture they appear to be doing the same thing although the content may differ. The difference as we know is God's power. This primarily happens with the healing of the sick, the raising of the dead, the casting out of demons which I have not seen in any North American church. We rely on God for the supernatural.

"So great was the disciples need for power to become witnesses that they were not to leave Jerusalem until they had it. That word power, dunamis, speaks of the miracle realm. It conies from dunamai, which means "ability." Think about it—we get to be clothed with God's ability':

The remaining eleven disciples were already the most trained people in signs and wonders in all of history. No one had seen or done more, except Jesus. And it was those eleven who had to stay until they were clothed with power from on high.When they got it they knew it.This power came through an encounter with God.

Some, because of their fear of error, have said it's improper to seek for an experience with God. After all, many deceived groups have come from those who based their beliefs on experiences in conflict with Scripture. Under the guidance of such attitudes, fear becomes our teacher. But why aren't those same individuals afraid of belonging to the doctrinally stable camps that are powerless? Is this deception any less dangerous than that of the power abuser? Will you bury your gifts and tell the Master when He comes that you were afraid of being wrong? Power and character are so closely aligned in Scripture that you cannot be weak in one without undermining the other."

"Continuing with this theme we have the command, "Do not quench the Spirit.""'This mandate is focused on our need to follow His leading.To quench means to "stop the flow" of something. As the Holy Spirit is ready to bring salvation, healing, and deliverance, we are to flow with Him. Failure to do so hinders His efforts to bring us into the supernatural.

If He is to be free to move in our lives, we will constantly be involved in impossibilities. The supernatural is His natural realm. The more important the Holy Spirit becomes to us, the more these issues will be paramount in our hearts.

At some point we must believe in a God who is big enough to keep us safe in our quest for more of Him. Practically speaking, many Christian's devil is bigger than their God. How could a created, fallen being ever be compared with the infinite Lord of glory? It's an issue of trust. If I focus on my need to protect myself from deception, I will always be overwhelmingly aware of the power of the devil. If my heart is completely turned to the One who is "able to keep me from falling,"1 He is the only One I become impressed with. My life reflects what I see with my heart.

So how do we walk in the power of God? First, we must pursue Him. The life of power is a life of abiding in Christ, (staying plugged into our power source). The hunger for the demonstration of power must not be separated from our passion for Him. But realize this, our hunger for Him in part must be seen in our lustful pursuit of spiritual gifts.1" That is His command!

In this endeavor I must passionately desire life-changing encounters with God, over and over again. I must cry out day and night for them...and be specific. I must be willing to travel to get what I need. It God is moving somewhere else more than where I live, I must go!"

  "Biblical passion is a mysterious mixture of humility, supernatural hunger, and faith."

"Jesus healed everyone who came to Him.To accept any other standard is to , .    fjte [jiMe down to our level of experience, and deny the nature of the One who changes not."

"As for the ministry of power, whatever I receive from God I must give away. You only get to keep what you give away. If you want to see people healed, look for those who are sick and offer to pray for them. While I am not the healer, I do have control over my willingness to serve those in need. If I minister to the needy, I give Him an opportunity to show His extravagant love for people. The ministry of signs and wonders will go nowhere if we are afraid of failure. As Randy Clark puts it, "I must be willing to tail to succeed."

 Jesus said that we must receive the Kingdom like a child. The life of power is at home in the heart of a child. A child has an insatiable appetite to learn. Be childlike and read the works of those who have succeeded in the healing ministry. Stay away from the books and tapes of those who say it shouldn't or can't be done. If the author doesn't walk in power, don't listen, no matter how proficient they may be in another field. An expert in biblical finances is not necessarily proficient in signs and wonders. Maintain respect for that individual's place m God and his or her area of expertise, but never waste precious time reading the stuff of those who do not do what they teach. We have grown fat on the theories of classroom Christians. We must learn from those who fust do it!

Someone once brought a book to my office that was critical of the revival that started m Toronto in January of 1994. I refused to read it and threw it away.You might say."You're not very open minded."You're right. I am responsible to protect what God has given me. No one else has that assignment. Burning within my soul is a piece of the original flame from the day of Pentecost. It's been handed down generation after generation.That tire burns deep inside, and because of it I'll never be the same again. My passion for Jesus is growing continually."

"If we teach, preach, or witness and nothing happens, we must go back to the drawing board—our knees. Do not make excuses for powerlessness. For decades the Church has been guilty7 of creating doctrine to justify their lack of power, instead of crying out to God until He changed them. The lie they came to believe has given rise to an entire branch of theology that has infected the Body of Christ with a fear of the Holy Spirit. It deceives under the guise of staying undeceived. The Word must go forth with power. Power is the realm of the Spirit. A powerless Word is the letter not the Spirit. And we all know, "The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."" Lives must be changed in our ministry of the Word. Keep in mind that conversion is the greatest and most precious miracle of all.

"Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power."" If the gospel is powerless, it is because' human wisdom has had its influence."

Prayer:

Father, I love this author. I love this author who stimulates something inside of me to hunger for more of You and more of Your power. I am given a vision and a taste of Your supernatural presence and power and I am not satisfied with anything less. There is a brand of powerless Christianity invading the church rendering her disabled and mute in a suffering society. Jesus healed all those who came to Him and I come to Jesus eager and desperate for a healing touch that will restore my life and body. Slowly, with each passing day, I grow more agnostic because I don't experience Your presence and power. I cry out tonight for more of You, more of Your power to bring hope and healing not only to my life but to all present in my life. Father, I don't want a dull and meaningless faith. I want and hunger for a vibrant and supernatural faith of purpose, power, and abundant life of Christ. I don't want to settle for anything less. Each new day I see my need for you as now my wrist is bothering me. I am weak, but You are strong. Father, I cry out for Your healing presence and touch in my life.

September 2, 2012

The Works of the father
"Unless I do the works of the Father, do not believe me."
"For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil."
It is interesting that this chapter is about the Father. It is my dad's birthday on September 4th which is this Tuesday. I let one of the church sisters know that it is my dad's birthday because this is the first and only church I know that publically recognizes birthdays and sings happy birthday during the personal sharing time before the sermon. As far as I know, no one has every sang happy birthday to my dad in his 64 years. Not only did they sing, but the children made a cake and card and presented it to him. It is funny that I felt happy that my dad was appreciated and loved by the church. It is strange because I was not the one being honored. There is this intricate relationship between the father and the son. Many people say I look like my father. Of all three brothers, I have the highest resemblance to my dad. That should mean not only a physical likeness, but I should also resemble him in attitude and behavior.  
"For hundreds of years the prophets spoke of the Messiah's coming. They gave over 300 specific details describing Him. Jesus fulfilled them all! The angels also gave witness to His divinity when they came with a message for the shepherds: "For there is born to you this day...a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."3 Nature itself testified to the arrival of the Messiah with the star that led the wise men.4 Yet with this one statement, "Unless 1 do the works of the Father, do not believe me,"3 Jesus put the credibility of all these messengers on the line. Their ministries would have been in vain without one more ingredient to confirm who He really was. That ingredient was miracles.
Jesus gave people the right to disbelieve it all if there was no demonstration of power upon His ministry. I hunger for the day when the Church will make the same statement to the world. If we're not doing the miracles that Jesus did, you don't have to believe us.
Even As a Child, Jesus Knew His Assignment
The verses mentioned at the beginning of this chapter deal with two subjects—doing the works of the Father, and destroying the works of the devil. These two things are inseparable. T hey help to clarify the purpose for Christ's coming. He was driven by one overwhelming passion: pleasing His heavenly Father."
Those two things are inseparable, doing the works of the father and destroying the works of the devil. Jesus did both. He destroyed the works of the devil most powerfully by dying on the cross and rising from the dead. I believe it is a calling also to the church to do the works of the father and to destroy the works of the devil. I think however that we are doing the works of the devil and destroying the works of the father. I hear so much gossip and criticism behind people's back. I see prayerlessness and faithlessness in the church. There is materialism and the chasing after the American dream. Some churches are like dating meat markets where the motive is to find a date. We are faced with temptations of all kinds. The second thing I love about this passage is the idea of miracles to confirm the credibility of the ministry of Jesus and the desire for that to be true today. If it were, than most ministries would appear to have no credibility. Especially in the conservative church, we see no healings, no transformations, and today, very few people coming to faith. The church seems to be no different than a consert or lecture hall. Some even call the worship team a band. The secularization of the church is perhaps one of the biggest problems thus far in the 21st century. There is no power of the Holy Spirit that validates our ministry and that God is with us.




"Most of the Pharisees spent their lives serving God without ever discovering the Father's heart! Jesus offended these religious leaders most because He demonstrated what the Father wanted. While the Pharisees thought God was concerned about the Sabbath, Jesus worked to help the ones the Sabbath was created for. These leaders were accustomed to the miracles of the Scriptures remaining in the past. But Jesus broke into their comfort zones by ushering the supernatural into their cities. With every miracle He showed the entire religious community the Father's business. For them to adapt, everything would have to be overhauled. It was easier to brand Him a liar, declaring His works to be of the devil and eventually killing this One who reminded them of what had to be changed.
Understanding that the Father's business has to do with signs and wonders is no guarantee that we will truly fulfill God's purpose for our lives. It is much more than doing miracles, or even getting conversions. The supernatural interventions of God were done to reveal the extravagant heart of the Father for people. Every miracle is a revelation of His nature. And in that revelation is embedded an invitation for relationship.
The Pharisee's error is a very easy one for us to repeat.They had no understanding of the Father's heart. And much Christian activity exists that has no relationship to that supreme value. In this present hour we need much more than to learn how to identify- our personal gifts or discover ways to be more successful in ministry.We need the Father Himself.We need His presence"
I think of the passage in the sermon on the mount where some come to Jesus after death and said did we not cast out deamons in Your name and Jesus says to them, I never knew you. That has always been a strong statement to me. It means that ministry by itself and even successful ministry is not the centrality of Christianity. It is relationship with God. We can serve in church and even bring many to faith, but in the end, it isn't about those things. It is about relationship. The teachers of the law incredibly missed that and they missed the heart of the Father. We need the Father Himself alongside us and with us in our moment by moment life. Without His presence, our ministry is powerless. Much of what goes on in church lacks the presence and power of God.

"The gospel is the story of the Father wooing the hearts of mankind eh His love. All the other stuff we do overflows from that discovery."
"We can travel the globe and preach the gospel, but without a personal revelation of the Father's heart we're carrying around secondhand news—a story without a relationship. It might save people because it is truth, but there is so much more. Jesus, at the age of 12, taught us that lesson: we must be about our Father's business. And the Father's business flows from His heart. When we discover this, we find both the jov and the power of all ministry—we will find His presence.
The renewal that started in Toronto in 1994 has since spread around the world. It has both the Father's heart and the presence of the Holy Spirit as major focal points. In a sense, they are the same, or should we say they are different sides of the same coin. His presence always reveals His heart.
In the same way that Jesus revealed the Father's heart to Israel, so the Church is to be a manifestation of the Father's heart to the world. We are the carriers of His presence, doers of his will. Giving w'hat we have received releases Him into situations previously held in the grip of darkness. That is our responsibility and privilege."
"Everyone in our community is a target for God's love. There are no exceptions. The testimonies of radical transformation come from evety sector of society and every conceivable place—school, work, home, the malls and stores, and even the parks, streets, and homeless camps. Why? There is a growing company of people who have the Father's business in mind. They consciously take Him wherever they go.
When Jason, one of our students, was asked to come to the courthouse to serve on a jury he went with the Father's business in mmd. As he walked from the parking lot to the jurors' building, he saw two young men who looked troubled. The Lord began to talk to Jason about the older of the two. As Jason ministered to him, he addressed specific problems he had with his father.
realized that Jason couldn't have known this information without God show, ing it to him.22 Therefore, the young man received Christ.
Jason finally made it to the jury selection building. During a long break he began to pray for God's leading. He noticed a man on the other side of the room seated in a wheelchair. It was the electric type that moved by a toggJe switch on the armrest. After a brief conversation with him, he found out he too, was a believer. Jason encouraged him with God's promises and then asked him to look at him. They held hands and prayed. Strength came into the man's body as the pain left. Jason told him to stand.
The gentleman asked, "What if I fall?"
To which Jason responded, "What if you don't?"
It was enough to bring the courage needed, and in plain sight of all the others in the room, this man stood to his feet, waving his arms about. It had been years since he was able to stand. Jason turned to the crowd and declared, "God is here to heal!"
Before the day was over, two others had received the healing touch of Jesus. That is the Father's business, and every believer has a part to plav in carrying out this privileged assignment."
Prayer:
Father, thank You so much for revealing Your heart to humanity through the person of Jesus. By healing the blind, deaf, sick, and raising the dead, You not only show Your power over death, but Your compassion and love for people. Father, it is all about relationship more so than what we do in our lives. I want that closeness that men and women had with You like Peter and like John. Jason in this story shows Your heart for healing and compassion. Father, I desire this annointing to heal others and to spread Your love and compassion. Like Jesus, I want to do Your works and to destroy the works of the devil. I cannot do this alone. It is a monumental task. I need Your presence and power to do Your work. I need also Your healing in my own life. It is the second day of September and I still pray and long for breakthrough in my healing, in my joblessness, and in my singleness. These things right now are impossible for me, but possible with You. Help me to believe and not doubt in Your power and presence.

September 1, 2012
"Any revelation from God's Word that does not lead us to an encounter with God only serves to make us more religious. The Church cannot afford "form without power''for it creates Christians without purpose."
Today was a very ordinary day. There were no revelations, no God encounters nor was there discouragement or depression. My dad, mom, and I went for our usual morning walk along the creek. There were no appointments, and no meetings. I was suppose to check out the disability ministry today but pushed it back a week because I have really been battling with insomnia these days and feeling very tired throughout the day. I've been waking up around 4:00 and unable to sleep again. I began trying liquid magnesium since Thursday at night before bedtime and it shows some improvement. My highlight of the day was going to Orient Restaurant which had closed for six months for unknown reasons. Everyone was saying how great it was when I was in New York and today I got to try. The food is pretty good and the service even better. I find it very sad that the highlight of my day is going to a new restaurant. Christians without purpose, form without power. More religion, less Jesus. I would have to say that my Christianity is without purpose and power. The statement form without power is a nice illustration. I see it as simply being religious. Going to church, singing some songs, giving to the offering, simply doing religious things but lacking the encounter with God and the supernatural life. I find this sad and disturbing.

"Jesus, the model teacher, never separated teaching from doing. He is the pattern for this gift. God's revealed Word, declared through the lips of an anointed teacher, ought to lead to demonstrations of power.
Nicodemus said to Jesus, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."1 It was understood that God's kind of teachers don't just talk—they do. And the doing that is referred to in John's Gospel is the performing of signs and wonders.
Jesus established the ultimate example in ministry by combining the proclamation of the gospel with signs and wonders. Matthew records this phenomenon this way: "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people."2 And again, "Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people."3
He then commanded His disciples to minister with the same focus—the twelve were sent out with, "And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give."4 He commissioned the seventy by saying, "And heal the sick there, and say to them,'The kingdom of God has come near to you'.'
The Gospel of John records how this combination of words and supernatural works takes place," The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own"
"It's apparent that we speak the word, and the Father does the works—miracles!
As men and women of God who teach, we must require from ourselves doing, with powerl And this doing must include a breaking into the impossible—-through signs and wonders.
Bible teachers are to instruct in order to explain what they fust did, or are about to do. Those who restrict themselves to mere words limit their gift, and may unintentionally lead believers to pride by increasing knowledge without an increased awareness of God's presence and power. It's in the trenches of Christ-like ministry that we learn to become totally dependent upon God. Moving in the impossible through relying on God short-circuits the development of pride."

"In 1987 I attended one of John Wimber's conferences on signs and wonders in Anaheim, California. I left discouraged. Everything that was taught, including many of the illustrations, I had taught. The reason for my discouragement was the fact that they had fruit for what they- believed. All I had was good doctrine.
There comes a time when simply knowing truth will no longer satisfy. If it does not change circumstances for good, what good is it? A serious reexamination of personal priorities began. It was apparent that I could no longer expect good things to happen simply because I believed they could...or even should. There was a risk factor I had failed to enter into—Wimber called it faith. Teaching MUST be followed with action that makes room for God to move.
Things changed immediately. We prayed for people and saw miracles. It was glorious, but it didn't take long to discover that there were many also that weren't healed. Discouragement set in, and the pursuit with risks decreased.
On my first trip to Toronto in March of 1995.1 promised God if He would touch me again. I would never back off. I would never again change the subject. My promise meant that I would make the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, with the full manifestations of His gifts—the sole purpose for my existence. And 1 would never stray from that call—no matter what! 1 le touched ine, and 1 have pursued without fail."

I never saw it through this lense. Traditionally, in the Chinese American church and perhaps the more conservative denominations missions and evangelism is merely preaching and sharing verbally. We never hear about the signs and wonders, the healings and casting out of evil spirits. We simply, in our western rational minds do not talk about this. It is clear though both from the example of Jesus and the power He gives to His disciples here that the preaching of the Gospel must accompany the demonstration of kingdom power through healing. The question now becomes why don't we see the kingdom power in our own lives. Where is the power of God. It is interesting that this day I received a devotional which was from a very conservative church. They talked about miracles in a very negative way. Macarthur years ago wrote a book against the charismatic movement. I was conservative then and people who have little need for God tend to be more conservative in their Theology. They tend to be well-educated, in fairly good health, married, and financially stable. I wam only generalizing, but the movement of the Holy Spirit is most powerful among the poor and undereducated and those with many difficulties. We desire an out-pouring of the Holy Spirit in our lives and community and pray for revival. I want to see Christians with purpose, not merely sharing what they believe, but demonstrating the power of the kingdom. I totally see this pride potential in conservative churches. Note, it seems like I am really against the conservative church recently. I have spent my entire life and am still now in conservative churches so I see firsthand powerless Christianity and it is my heart's longing and prayer that we move out of this empty religion. Going back to Macarthur because he is a really good example, when we hear his sermon which is almost an hour long, we get a lot of knowledge. We get the historic, cultural, linguistic and Theological context. I feel really educated after reading a Macarthur book or listening to a Macarthur sermon. Knowledge is not a bad thing but as this text says it can lead to pride and worse than that it empties the power of God in our lives if all we have is Bible knowledge. The author is right in that knowing truth cannot satisfy. It is truth plus faith that transforms us from the inside out.

"To make matters worse, those who speak subjectively of an experience are often considered suspect, and even dangerous. But God cannot be known apart from experience. Randy Clark, the man God used to initiate the fires of revival in Toronto in 1994, puts it this way: "Anyone who doesn't have an experience with God, doesn't know God." He is a person, not a philosophy or a concept. It's time for those who have encountered God to stop pandering to tear by- watering down their story. We must whet the appetites of the people of God for more of the supernatural. Testimony has the ability to stir up that kind of hunger.
As our ministry teams travel around the world, we have come to expect certain things. Healing, deliverance, and conversions are the fruits of our labors. While healing is seldom the subject we teach on, it is one of the most common results. As we proclaim the message of the Kingdom of God, people get well. The Father seems to say, Amen! to His own message byr confirming the word with power." Peter knew this when he prayed for boldness in his preaching, expecting that God would respond by "extending His hand to heal, and signs and wonders would be done in the name of His holy servant Jesus.'"' God has promised to back up our message with power if our message is the gospel of His kingdom.
The problems we face today are not new. The apostle Paul had great concern for the Corinthian church, for they were being enticed by a gospel without power."
This passage speaks right to the conservative devotional I read this morning. This morning's teaching was doctrine without power. It suppressed the power of God for only an intellectual faith. I love it when the author sees God not as a philosophy or an idea but a person and we have an experience with a person. We have an intimate relationship with a person. The Gospel is the Gospel of power and transformation. Each person Jesus came encountered left radically changed and fully healed.

"Paul makes a stunning statement clarifying the right choice. He said, "The Kingdom of God is not in word but in power."11 The original language puts it like this—"The Kingdom of God is not in logos but in dunamis.' Apparently they had a lot of teachers who were good at speaking many words, but displayed little power. They did not follow the pattern that Jesus set for them. Dunamis is "the power of God displayed and imparted in a Holy Spirit outpouring." That is the kingdom!
Two chapters earlier Paul lays out his ministry priority as bringing the people of Corinth to a place of faith in God's Power'2 (dunamis). Here he addresses how they were set up to fail if things didn't change. Any time the people of God become preoccupied with concepts and ideologies instead of a Christ-like expression of life and power, they are set up to fail, no matter how good those ideas are. Christianity is not a philosophy; it is a relationship. It's the God encounter that makes the concepts powerful. We must require this of ourselves.13 How? We must seek until we find."

"What was the cause? They didn't allow the Scriptures to lead them to God. They didn't understand...not really understand.The word know in this passage speaks of "personal experience." They tried to learn apart from such an experience. They were the champions of those who spent time studying God's Word. But their study didn't lead them to an encounter with God. It became an end in itself.
The Holy Spirit is the dunamis of heaven. An encounter with God is often a power encounter. Such encounters vary from person to person according to God's design. And it's the lack of power encounters that lead to a misunderstanding of God and His Word. Experience is necessary in building a true knowledge of the Word. Many fear experience because it might lead away from Scripture. The mistakes of sonae have led many to fear experiential pursuit.1' But it is illegitimate to allow fear to keep us from pursuing a deeper experience with God! Embracing such fear causes a failure to the other extreme, which is culturally more acceptable, but significantly worse in eternity.
God does as He pleases. While true to His Word, He does not avoid acting outside of our understanding of it. For example, He's a loving God who hates Esau.1 He's the One who has been respectfully called a gentleman, yet who knocked Saul off of his donkey1" and picked Ezekiel up off the ground by his hair.1'' He's the bright and morning star2" who veils Himself in darkness.21 He hates divorce,32 yet is Himself divorced.23 This list of seemingly conflicting ideas could go on for much longer than any of us could bear. Yet this uncomfortable tension is designed to keep us honest and truly dependent on the Holy Spirit for understanding who God is and what He is saving to us through His book. God is so foreign to our natural ways of thinking that we only truly see what He shows us—and we can only understand Him through relationship.
The Bible is the absolute Word of God. It reveals God; the obvious, the unexplamable, the mysterious, and sometimes offensive. It all reveals the greatness of our God. Yet it does not contain Him. God is bigger than His book."
"The pride that comes from mere Bible knowledge is divisive. It creates an appetite for one's own opinion. "He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him."2'' Those trained without a revelation that takes us to Him are trained to speak from themselves, for their own glory.This drive tor knowledge without an encounter with God wars against true righteousness.
Not only does righteousness suffer, so does our faith."How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?"2 That desire for glory- from man somehow displaces faith. The heart that fears God only—the one that seeks first His Kingdom and desires God to receive all honor and glory—that heart is the heart where faith is born.
The mission of heaven is to infiltrate earth with its realities. All teaching is to lead us to that end, for training in the Kingdom is not without purpose. We arc being trained to run the family business."
Prayer:
Father, I love this chapter. I love this chapter because it speaks of You as totally sovereign and powerful. Consrvative Christianity has stripped You of Your power. They say signs and wonders are not for today. They say all we need is the Bible and we use it as a roadmap for life. Very little is mentioned if at all about the Holy Spirit, the true source of power. Conservative Christians are afraid of the Holy Spirit because He is unpredictable and we like our worship services structured. Father, I am tired of empty and purposeless religion. I desire Your kingdom of both word and power. I desire a vibrant faith, to daily encounter You in my life. I don't want an academic and boring faith of mere Bible study. Father, I don't even know how to get there but what I do know is that conservative Christianity is powerless and empty. Help me to renew my faith and experience Your power and presence. The month of August is over and I saw so little breakthrough. It is the first of September and I continue to pray for breakthrough, breakthrough in my healing, in my singleness, and in my joblessness and ministry.

August 31, 2012
(The Anointing and the Antichrist spirit
I read a devotional today from Harvest that spoke directly to my faith situation. It spoke of the enemy's small but powerful influences to neutralize and weaken our faith. I have a growing emptiness inside for God. I feel really empty at church. The sermon, worship, and gathering doesn't effect me. I often wonder if it is me or my environment and certainly both contribute to the condition. I feeul spiritually dull and really need something to bring me back. Right now, I spend almost my entire week at home and certainly the isolation has a lot to do with how I'm doing both emotionally and spiritually. It is August 31, the last day of August. No breakthrough came today and none this month. God seems to have forgotten me. I am slowly dying spiritually.

"The word anointing means "to smear." The Holy Spirit is the oil of God that was smeared all over Jesus at His water baptism.1 The name Jesus Christ implies that Jesus is the One smeared with the Holy Spirit.
But there is another spirit that works to ambush the church in every age. This power was identified by the apostle John when he said, "Even now many antichrists have come."2 The nature of the antichrist spirit is found in its name: anti, "against"; Christ, "Anointed One."
Jesus lived His earthly life with human limitations. He laid his divinity aside3 as He sought to fulfill the assignment given to Him by the Father: to live life as a man without sin, and then die in the place of mankind for sm.This would be essential in His plan to redeem mankind. The sacrifice that could atone for sin had to be a lamb, (powerless), and had to be spotless, (without sin).
The anointing Jesus received was the equipment necessary, given by the Father to make it possible tor Him to live beyond human limitations. For He was not only to redeem man, He was to reveal the Father. In doing so, He was to unveil the Father's realm called heaven.That would include doing supernatural things. The anointing is what linked Jesus, the man. to the divine, enabling Him to destroy the works of the devil. These miraculous ways helped to set something in motion that mankind could inherit once we were redeemed. Heaven-   that supernatural realm—was to become mankind's daily bread."
Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and by doing so revealing the Father to the world. Jesus lived a supernatural life while existing in a fully human body. It is possible by the Spirit of God to live a supernatural life. As I have reflected on previous chapters, I do not see a manifestation of the Spirit's power in the lives of Christians today, at least not in the denominations that I have been a part of.
"God is our Father, and we inherit His genetic code. Every believer has written into his or her spiritual DNA the desire for the supernatural. It is our predetermined sense of destiny. This God-born passion dissipates when it has been taught and reasoned away, when it's not been exercised, or when it's been buried under disappointment.
The spirit of the antichrist is at work today, attempting to influence believers to reject everything that has to do with the Holy Spirit's anointing. This rejection takes on many- religious forms, but basically it boils down to this: we reject what we can't control. That spirit has worked to reduce the gospel to a mere intellectual message, rather than a supernatural God encounter. It tolerates the mention of power if it's in the past. Occasionally it considers that power is appropriate for people in far away places. But, never does this spirit expect the anointing of God's power to be available in the here and now. The spirit of control works against one of God's favorite elements in man: faith. Trust is misplaced as it becomes anchored in man's ability to reason.
It is the antichrist spirit that has given rise to religious spirits. A religious spirit is a demonic presence that works to get us to substitute being led by our intellect instead of the Spirit of God. Being led by the Holy Spirit is an ongoing God encounter. Religion idolizes concepts and avoids personal experience. It works to get us to worship past accomplishments at the expense of any present activity of God in our life. That spirit often feeds on the residue of past revivals. Its favorite tactic is to cast in stone an ideology learned from previous moves of the Holy Spirit. For example: it values tears and despises laughter. Sounds like idolatry, doesn't it? Anything that will take the place of dependence upon the Holy Spirit and His empowering work can be traced back to this spirit of opposition."
Wow! This passage entirely describes my spiritual state. The spirit of the anti-Christ has powerfully influenced me. I am overwhelmed by disappointments of God, empty and tired of religion and worthless sermons. I desire an encounter with God and not empty religion. It is not about being doctrinally correct as much as being in relationship. So many theologically conservative churches are spiritually empty. I seriouslly need to find a way back to God and turn away from empty religion.

"After all. now they had the tablets of stone. Then, as today, the real issue is the priority we place upon His presence. When that's intact, the supernatural abounds, but without it we have to make up new doctrines for why we're OK as we are.
In New Testament terms, being a people focused on His presence means that we are willing to live beyond reason. Not impulsively or foolishly, for these are poor imitations for real faith. The realm beyond reason is the w7orld of obedience to God. Obedience is the expression of faith, and faith is our claim ticket to the God realm. Strangely, this focus on His presence causes us to become like wind, which is also the nature of the Holy Spirit/ His nature is powerful and righteous, but His ways cannot be controlled. He is unpredictable.
As church leaders, this hits us at our weakest point. For most churches, very- little of what we do is dependent upon the Holy Spirit. If He were not to show up, most churches would never miss Him. Billy Graham is credited with saying, "Ninety-five percent of today's church activities would continue if the Holy Spirit were removed from us. In the early Church, ninety-five percent of all her activities would have stopped if the Holy Spirit were removed." I agree. We plan our services, and call it diligence. We plan our year, and call it vision. I'll never forget the Sunday that the Lord informed me that it wasn't my service, and I couldn't do as I pleased. (Planning is biblical. But our diligence and vision must never include usurping the authority of the Holy Spirit. The Lordship of Jesus is seen m our willingness to follow the Holy Spirit's leading. He wants His Church back!) But how can we follow Him if we don't recognize His presence?
The more pronounced His presence, the more unique the manifestations of our God encounters become. Although the manifestations we experience while encountering I lim are important, it's God I limself we long for."
As I read this, I think of the book by aPastor Chan called the Forgotten God. Very little is talked about in conservative circles about the Holy Spirit. We talk about God the Father and Jesus, but missing is the Holy Spirit,. We need to attend the charismatic churches for that. It seems to be that we conservatives lack the priority and the presence of the Holy Spirit. We can attend the same church for ten years and nothing ever changes and it is all man-driven, from the amount of songs we sing to the order of the service and even the length of the sermon. It is totally man driven. There is no reliance of the Holy Spirit. If there was, it would be unpredictable. People would have an encounter with God as they did in the Bible. We lack the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the conservative church.

"The antichrist spirit has a goal for the Church—embrace Jesus apart from the anointing. Without the anointing. He becomes a safe religious figure who
sure not to challenge or offend us. Paul described this deceptive possibility s "having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!"12
plow can people who love God be offended by the anointing of the Holy Spirit?
 1. He moves like wind—apart from our control.13
 2. His thoughts are very different from ours. The scripture states that our logic and His are not just different, they are opposed to each other.14 Let's be honest...they are worlds apart!
 3. He refuses to be restricted by our understanding of His Word.
Every time we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, we fly in the face of the antichrist spirit. While the foolishness of some who claim to be Spirit-led have made this adventure more difficult, we nevertheless are assured of succeeding if it is truly our passionate desire. He'll not give a stone to anyone who asks for bread."

Prayer:
Father, there is the Spirit of the anti-Christ in the church, that empties the church of the Holy Spirit's power and presence. It is empty religion without the power of God. I hunger for Your presence and power. I desire this supernatural life and experience. I feel so tired of empty religion and grow more and more agnostic by the day. It is now the end of the month and there was no breakthrough that I had prayed for and desired this month. I am really discouraged and disappointed that You appear to have forgotten me this month. It is soon September, and Father, please renew my faith and help me to see Your love and grace.