I have been wrestling to be sure that my desire, and passion and focus on sharing what I know with others is from God and not from me. I have been destructive in the past by following my own ways.
At the beginning of service, on some day in March, I was just listening to the songs. The music here is so inspirational. The Pastor, and his wife, and the quire and the bass, and the drummer, ... it is so beautiful. And the congregation is so much into the music and praise. And they too sound beautiful. And I sense a mild sweet aroma, and a mild breeze, a warm rush-but-mild rush, and a warmth, an embrace, it's the embrace of the Holy Spirit, I believe. And I see with my mind a picture; it's a picture of a war.
While I am in an embrace from the Holy Spirit I see a picture. It is not violent, yet it is war.. and it is very large beings. I see a face, a beard, a nose, a blur, other faces, a few swirls, some smoke.... passive, pastel... stillness.... like a photograph.
I feel validated in my mission. I sense it is right to contest the powers and principalities in high places; not flesh and blood. I sense concurrence and permission, and agreement in this mission to share with God's people. I feel this in tandom with the warm embrace. Only I need to let God open the doors, and let God lead me on this apostlolic path.
I feel relieved. I feel content. I feel confident. This is the first validation for me that my passion is good, my focus is right, and my path is straight to truth. I have entered an open door.
The pastor begins tpo speak his sermon. He talks about Acts, in the way the apostle Paul gave praise and song while locked up in jail prior to his release.. He spoke how praise comes before deliverance.
He then spoke about Job, and how Job gave honor and praise to God before deliverance, how he was tempted to condemn God for his suffering and yet defended God as a righteous God...
The pastor then was very enthusiastic and began giving examples of how a camel cannot fit through the gates of a city unless it gets down on it's knees and peels off any excess luggage, or baggage so as to squeeze through the gate; which is very narrow, and few there be that find it....
King James Bible Matthew 7:14
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
And then the pastor talked about KJV Ephesians 6:12 and how our struggle is not against flesh and blood ..., but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. ...
The pastor then cried out, "Who will stand with me?" (against them)
I cried out. I knew. This was the second validation of my mission. I knew this was not part of the pastor's planned sermon. I knew the pastor and I were on the same page. We're almost always on the same page. I wish I could just do a main storage dump and transfer all of my thoughts to you in an instant...
After the service was over, I went to find Myles. I asked him about his sermon. I asked him if he had planned his sermon about Job in advance. (I knew he id not)
He answered, "No. That was spontaneous."
I replied, "I knew that! I knew it. That's why I asked."
Myles responded, "I did plan the part about the apostle Paul... I have notes on Acts one and two if you'd like to see them. But the part on Job, I have no notes."
I told Myles that I had heard his sermon; about the principalities in advance of him saying it....
This was the third validation for me; that my mission is good.
You know what my mission is? Part of it is this website. Part of it is to gather similar experiences from others and then share it all with those who need encouragement.
My mission is to bring challenge and truth and growth to a church. This church, and others if God is willing. I am to share some thoughts with the leadership that can change the world. I respect the pastors. I submit to them. I will not open any message of this magnitude before God opens a door.
Some say a goal is 30,000. (thousand) I say no. That goal is not looking high enough. I see 100,000,000 (million) souls working and bearing fruit due to the ministry of this church. I see 300,000,000 (million) hearing the message. However, I think the scroll needs to to be heard and understood and accepted by the leadership of this church prior to the deliverance of all those souls.
WAY-AFTERTHOUGHT..
On another occasion, (a Wednesday night 3/26/08) The pastor spoke about how some churches have certain weaknesses. Such as some deny the gifts of the spirit and some only teach doctrine and do not have the spirit, and how some try to keep up with the jones' .. so-to-speak..."
Yes. I agree. However, I feel "every church" of God has some weakness unique to them.. And when we as a church body begin to share our strengths with their weaknesses and they begin to share their strengths with our weaknesses, then we will have what the apostle spoke of:
Eph. 4:13
…until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become MATURE, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ....
When our churches reach this unity in the faith,
then I believe the end shall come and we will see the return of Jesus Christ.
International Standard Version (©2008) Ephesians 5:25
Husbands, love your wives as the Messiah loved the church and gave himself for it...
Want to know about heretics and the unity of faith?
... more about it, signs of the times:
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/unityofthefaith.html
(1) Quoting this source: "Those who are entrusted with overseeing the Church of Jesus Christ have a God-given responsibility to bring the flock into unity with the core doctrines of the Faith. If they are not doing that, but instead bringing winds of doctrine to bear on their flock, the Bible says this will cause disunity in the Faith. Those who do this are called “heretics” or the “divisive ones” in the Word."
Sandy Simpson
I agree. I believe the threat is much greater than some might realize. For if we come to a unity in faith (among world churches) and that faith misses some major piece of doctrine, then the powers we battle against in high places will be pleased... they are counting on it.
pbatus
Revelation 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding ...
1) Quoting from public ARTICLES is legal under copyright laws. Reproduction of other public written materials is subject to the copyright and publication restrictions of the original author. Confirmation and permission received by eMail 3/26/09
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