•2:02 PM
Stagnation is the opposite of growth. The Spirit guides into all truth.
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:" (John 16:13a)
This is another one that's just for the kids. It's kinda my life story in a nutshell.
I was saved out of spiritual darkness when I was just barely 18 years old. I had been involved in occult-type stuff (see earlier blogs), and was saved while reading a commentary on the Book of Revelation.
That commentary was written by a fundamental Baptist preacher who was a cessationist (Spiritual gifts aren't for today), and a hyper-dispensationalist (Jesus' teachings aren't for today, only Paul's epistles are for today). I read and/or listened to many, many of his teachings. This fella was HUGE on believing the Bible. And that is the main thing that I learned from him. The Bible is God's Book. Period. (What a great foundation the Spirit was laying for me!)
I spent the next year or so reading this same fellow's commentaries and sermon pamphlets; I was also going to college. While at college that first year, I experienced the invisible fiery whirlwind of the Spirit (and heard the rushing sound of invisible wind). And God, to me became a little bigger.
I was reading the Bible non-stop at this time, in large doses. After 2 1/2 years (and a torn cruciate ligament), I dropped out of college. I was hanging out with a certain friend quite a bit at this time. I experienced several moves of the Spirit while we were praying. The biggest, and longest-lasting, was when the Lord 'dumped on' me one night while I was praying by myself. I know that I was filled with the Spirit in a huge way. I also know that many would call this a 'baptism' of the Spirit. From what I have read, I would have to agree. I did not experience any of the gifts of the Spirit at that time, just a humble servant's heart. The witness of God's presence has been with me every waking moment since this time. Others find Christianity a struggle, but I never have. It flows from me.
At this time, I also had some demonic encounters that I won't go into here. Soon, I was going to a Baptist church every once in awhile with the same friend. While there, God spoke to me on several occasions. Once, he told me not to judge the way another person was praying. They were, Father God, praying, Father God, like this, Father God. I thought, Father God, that it was silly, Father God. But, Father God showed me that it wasn't. His child was talking to him, and it was none of my business. :)
From there, I started going to a Bible church. Here, I heard of healings - spines straightened, incurable diseases cured, and lots of souls saved. And God was very big. I became involved with Child Evangelism Fellowship, and saw almost a hundred souls saved that year. I also saw God stop the rain, multiply food, and intervene 'angelically' to prevent a young girl from killing herself. God was very Big. I think I experienced all of the gifts of the Spirit at this time, but was hesitant and quiet about it. They weren't taught about openly, and all I knew was what I read and studied out myself.
Then the Lord had me go to a conservative Baptist college. Also, cessationist but not hyper-dispensationalist. Here, I got to live under the rigors of 'standards' and 'tithing' and a bunch of other legalistic stuff. From here, and the next couple of churches that I was at, I learned that folks like a Spirit-filled preacher as long as they don't know the whole story. LOL
I remember sitting across from a Baptist pastor over dinner, with me telling him stories of the stuff I'd seen God do. I'd thought that we would 'swap' stories, but it turned into a monologue; he didn't have any stories to tell apparently. When I was done, he just looked at me and said, "WHO are you?" He thought I'd stepped out of the pages of the Bible, I guess. He compared me to George Mueller. He was wrong of course. It was just that he'd never run into a believer who believed before.
The Lord taught me a lot about preaching at this time. And about doing the different chores that are necessary around a church. A very practical time.
Baptist to secret Charismatic to Baptist again. I had even renounced speaking in tongues while in college.
I then studied out (intensely) the Rapture, the Day of the Lord, and prophetic things; God brought me back to the belief of John Bunyan, Spurgeon, George Mueller, etc., that the Rapture occurs at the Revelation. This had some interesting ramifications that followed logically from it. If the Rapture occurs at the Revelation, then the Tribulation is not for Jews only. And if the Tribulation is not for Jews only, then the church will go into the Trib. If the church goes into the Trib, then there is NO 'Church Age' (an un-biblical term and thought). If there is no 'Church Age' then the imaginary 'parentheses' at the end and at the beginning of the Church Age don't exist either. And...that means that the Kingdom of God that Jesus preached is the same that I should preach! Jesus sent out the 12, then the 70, and then the 120. Each time promising that miracles and signs would follow! Each time, Jesus told them to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom, even saying in Matthew that "this same gospel of the kingdom" would be preached in all the world!
The miraculous events of the Gospels literally poured over into the book of Acts, and out into the present day!
Then, after getting the left foot of fellowship for believing that the Rapture occurs at the Revelation, I ended up at a good Baptist church. Grace and love were there. I taught Sunday school. The Lord spent the next 3 years teaching me about freedom and identity in Christ. Christ in me the hope of glory!! I studied out the revivals. God taught me about friendships and acceptance. He let me minister to the folks there even as they ministered to me.
And, now I am at Heritage Christian. Basically, another Bible church. Here they talk about the gifts, but not in excessive ways. At the weekly prayer meeting, the gifts of the Spirit are in dramatic evidence. The Lord gave me a vision at one of these of the royalty of a the believer. It was awe-inspiring. Perhaps the craziest thing was when the Lord had me pass on a word to a woman who was grieving over her children (they had been taken away from her many years before). I had of course heard of such things, but never believed it. Then, all of a sudden the words came out, "The Lord wants me to tell you that just as the Lord rebuked the fig tree and it began to whither at that very moment, so the bitter root in your heart has begun to whither at this moment." I couldn't believe it when it came out of my mouth! I laughed out loud. God had spoken to someone through me in a very real way. Like passing on a note from the Throne of God. Crazy!
In the mean time, I am learning more and more about my identity in Christ. More about living by the Spirit, without the legalism of the Law. I love it!
And currently, the Lord is taking me back over the teachings on healing yet again. This time in a more thorough way.
I am not sure what the Lord is doing, or where this will lead, but I can say this - the Spirit continually guides into greater and greater truths. He is always guiding into a bigger view of God, a greater trust of the Bible, and a more spiritual worldview. He leads into witnessing and missions. He leads into a greater knowledge of Jesus.
And I can't wait to see what's next!
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:" (John 16:13a)
This is another one that's just for the kids. It's kinda my life story in a nutshell.
I was saved out of spiritual darkness when I was just barely 18 years old. I had been involved in occult-type stuff (see earlier blogs), and was saved while reading a commentary on the Book of Revelation.
That commentary was written by a fundamental Baptist preacher who was a cessationist (Spiritual gifts aren't for today), and a hyper-dispensationalist (Jesus' teachings aren't for today, only Paul's epistles are for today). I read and/or listened to many, many of his teachings. This fella was HUGE on believing the Bible. And that is the main thing that I learned from him. The Bible is God's Book. Period. (What a great foundation the Spirit was laying for me!)
I spent the next year or so reading this same fellow's commentaries and sermon pamphlets; I was also going to college. While at college that first year, I experienced the invisible fiery whirlwind of the Spirit (and heard the rushing sound of invisible wind). And God, to me became a little bigger.
I was reading the Bible non-stop at this time, in large doses. After 2 1/2 years (and a torn cruciate ligament), I dropped out of college. I was hanging out with a certain friend quite a bit at this time. I experienced several moves of the Spirit while we were praying. The biggest, and longest-lasting, was when the Lord 'dumped on' me one night while I was praying by myself. I know that I was filled with the Spirit in a huge way. I also know that many would call this a 'baptism' of the Spirit. From what I have read, I would have to agree. I did not experience any of the gifts of the Spirit at that time, just a humble servant's heart. The witness of God's presence has been with me every waking moment since this time. Others find Christianity a struggle, but I never have. It flows from me.
At this time, I also had some demonic encounters that I won't go into here. Soon, I was going to a Baptist church every once in awhile with the same friend. While there, God spoke to me on several occasions. Once, he told me not to judge the way another person was praying. They were, Father God, praying, Father God, like this, Father God. I thought, Father God, that it was silly, Father God. But, Father God showed me that it wasn't. His child was talking to him, and it was none of my business. :)
From there, I started going to a Bible church. Here, I heard of healings - spines straightened, incurable diseases cured, and lots of souls saved. And God was very big. I became involved with Child Evangelism Fellowship, and saw almost a hundred souls saved that year. I also saw God stop the rain, multiply food, and intervene 'angelically' to prevent a young girl from killing herself. God was very Big. I think I experienced all of the gifts of the Spirit at this time, but was hesitant and quiet about it. They weren't taught about openly, and all I knew was what I read and studied out myself.
Then the Lord had me go to a conservative Baptist college. Also, cessationist but not hyper-dispensationalist. Here, I got to live under the rigors of 'standards' and 'tithing' and a bunch of other legalistic stuff. From here, and the next couple of churches that I was at, I learned that folks like a Spirit-filled preacher as long as they don't know the whole story. LOL
I remember sitting across from a Baptist pastor over dinner, with me telling him stories of the stuff I'd seen God do. I'd thought that we would 'swap' stories, but it turned into a monologue; he didn't have any stories to tell apparently. When I was done, he just looked at me and said, "WHO are you?" He thought I'd stepped out of the pages of the Bible, I guess. He compared me to George Mueller. He was wrong of course. It was just that he'd never run into a believer who believed before.
The Lord taught me a lot about preaching at this time. And about doing the different chores that are necessary around a church. A very practical time.
Baptist to secret Charismatic to Baptist again. I had even renounced speaking in tongues while in college.
I then studied out (intensely) the Rapture, the Day of the Lord, and prophetic things; God brought me back to the belief of John Bunyan, Spurgeon, George Mueller, etc., that the Rapture occurs at the Revelation. This had some interesting ramifications that followed logically from it. If the Rapture occurs at the Revelation, then the Tribulation is not for Jews only. And if the Tribulation is not for Jews only, then the church will go into the Trib. If the church goes into the Trib, then there is NO 'Church Age' (an un-biblical term and thought). If there is no 'Church Age' then the imaginary 'parentheses' at the end and at the beginning of the Church Age don't exist either. And...that means that the Kingdom of God that Jesus preached is the same that I should preach! Jesus sent out the 12, then the 70, and then the 120. Each time promising that miracles and signs would follow! Each time, Jesus told them to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom, even saying in Matthew that "this same gospel of the kingdom" would be preached in all the world!
The miraculous events of the Gospels literally poured over into the book of Acts, and out into the present day!
Then, after getting the left foot of fellowship for believing that the Rapture occurs at the Revelation, I ended up at a good Baptist church. Grace and love were there. I taught Sunday school. The Lord spent the next 3 years teaching me about freedom and identity in Christ. Christ in me the hope of glory!! I studied out the revivals. God taught me about friendships and acceptance. He let me minister to the folks there even as they ministered to me.
And, now I am at Heritage Christian. Basically, another Bible church. Here they talk about the gifts, but not in excessive ways. At the weekly prayer meeting, the gifts of the Spirit are in dramatic evidence. The Lord gave me a vision at one of these of the royalty of a the believer. It was awe-inspiring. Perhaps the craziest thing was when the Lord had me pass on a word to a woman who was grieving over her children (they had been taken away from her many years before). I had of course heard of such things, but never believed it. Then, all of a sudden the words came out, "The Lord wants me to tell you that just as the Lord rebuked the fig tree and it began to whither at that very moment, so the bitter root in your heart has begun to whither at this moment." I couldn't believe it when it came out of my mouth! I laughed out loud. God had spoken to someone through me in a very real way. Like passing on a note from the Throne of God. Crazy!
In the mean time, I am learning more and more about my identity in Christ. More about living by the Spirit, without the legalism of the Law. I love it!
And currently, the Lord is taking me back over the teachings on healing yet again. This time in a more thorough way.
I am not sure what the Lord is doing, or where this will lead, but I can say this - the Spirit continually guides into greater and greater truths. He is always guiding into a bigger view of God, a greater trust of the Bible, and a more spiritual worldview. He leads into witnessing and missions. He leads into a greater knowledge of Jesus.
And I can't wait to see what's next!
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