Rabu, 27 April 2016

The Power of Appreciation

The Power of Appreciation
(En Español)
Some of us cannot communicate with our loved ones. Why? Part of the reason is that we are unappreciative of them. You see, just as God requires us to "enter His gates with thanksgiving" (Psalm 100:4), so we gain access and the "right to speak" into the hearts of our loved ones through genuinely appreciating the good things we see within them. We must learn to be thankful for the people God has given us.
If you are not thankful for your teenagers, for example, your disappointment with them will ultimately drive them from you. Take time with them and sincerely communicate the things you appreciate about them. There are many good things about them that they need to hear you acknowledge. I am not saying we should not correct our children, but we must balance correction with appreciation and praise, reinforcing their sense of self-worth and value.
Because God has created us to be social creatures, we are born with an inner desire for acceptance. In fact, most of us probably desire acceptance more than righteousness.

By appreciating our loved ones, we affirm and settle the search for acceptance that compels them toward ungodly associations. Just as when property "appreciates," increasing in value, so appreciating our loved ones removes destructive tendencies created by self-hatred and fear of rejection. We inspire them to become better, not by harping on what is wrong with them, but by appreciating them. Appreciation causes their inner self worth to increase naturally.

There is something like radar inside the human heart that senses the displeasure of others. Displeasure and ingratitude are like a repellant to human relationships. People think, "If I cannot measure up, if you cannot see anything good in me, I'll go where people will accept me as I am." Thanksgiving, on the other hand, brings our loved ones closer to us, rather than driving them away.
Speaking of the people the Father put in His life, Jesus prayed, "Thine they were, and thou gavest them me" (John 17:6, KJV). One translation reads, "They are your gift to me" (v. 24 NAB). Jesus did not think of His disciples as always falling short or as a hindrance; rather, He welcomed them into His life as a gift of His Father's love. Did they fail Him? Yes. Often. But He received them as a gift from God Himself.
Likewise, your loved ones, your pastor and church are gifts from God. When Christ ascended, the Bible says "He gave gifts to men" (Eph 4:8). Your leaders, if they are godly men and women, they are a gift from God to you. Tell them you appreciate them. Indeed, I am deeply thankful to God for my wife and her love and support. Likewise, I thank God for my children and the people I served at my church; our pastors, elders and deacons are wonderful people. Are any of them perfect? No, but I appreciate them as gifts from the hand of God Himself.
I know married couples, however, who wind up discussing all that is wrong with their relationship every time they talk intimately. Why not stop talking about it and just do what is right? Do you understand? Ingratitude is "relationship repellant." Thanksgiving, on the other hand, is the doorway to oneness.
We ought to be the happiest, most joyful, earthshaking individuals the world has ever seen. God is for us. He has written our names in the Book of Life! That alone is more than enough to make us invincibly thankful, happy, glad and joyful.
Some of you have been gossiping and grumbling. It is time for a fast. From what? From grumbling. For the next thirty days, each time you are tempted to complain, find something for which to be thankful. Make lists of people and things for which you are thankful to God. Let's put an end to grumbling and complaining and become a people who possess the wonderful life of God!
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Adapted from Francis Frangipane's book, A House United available at www.arrowbookstore.com.
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Save up to 45% this week
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A House United
Church splits, strife and division. Have you experienced the trauma of division? Hell itself was created when Lucifer's ambition broke rank with God. If you have experienced strife, either in your home or church, A House United will guide you out of division and into the way of peace. Francis Frangipane, speaking as a father to the church, shows the importance of unity and how to build on the foundation of the nature of Christ.
Special Note: We sold our previously released book It's Time to End Church Splits to our friends at Chosen Books. The new edition, now called A House United, has been somewhat revised. A new final section, which includes three chapters, has been added.
Book - $8.75 (Retail $15.00)
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When the Many Are One
How the Christian community - driven by grace, unified in love, and activated by prayer - can bring revival and change the world.
Our best efforts will not stop the flood of problems in our cities if we remain isolated from each other. In a season when external forces are causing disunity and division, Francis Frangipane calls us back to oneness with Christ, and through Him oneness with other Christians. With the character and power of Christ in our midst, the Church can again bring transformation to our communities, our nation, and our world.
Book - $8.75 (Retail $15.00)
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When the Many Are One
and
A House United
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House of Prayer
Audio Series

This classic series from Francis Frangipane helps us to not only understand the power of redemptive intercession but to walk in it to the glory of God.

 
Message Titles:
A House of Mercy  |  Zeal for God's House  |  The Intercessor's Vision
Standing Before God  |  Prayer Warrior  |  The Life of Vision
If My People will Pray  |  A Call to Prayer
CD Audio Series - $17.36   (Retail $28.00)
MP3 Audio Series Download - $8.68    (Retail $14.00)

Jumat, 22 April 2016

THE MOVIE is ON YOUTUBE - Please Share It

More good news this week. Torben Sondergaard's powerful movie
'The Last Reformation' is now on Youtube for everyone to watch.
Please share it on Facebook or wherever. Here is the link-


https://youtu.be/zka4DUYeJ5g


God bless you all,

Andrew Strom.

Rabu, 20 April 2016

TRAINING WEEKEND - Hamilton, NZ - STARTS FRIDAY

TRAINING WEEKEND - Hamilton, NZ - STARTS FRIDAY

Just a reminder to those living in the region - our Training Weekend
starts in Fairfield, Hamilton this Friday night at 7:00pm. I know
some people are travelling from other cities just for the Saturday
sessions only. That is fine. But certainly you will get more out of
it if you can make the whole weekend, my friends.

And yes - the healings have continued happening in the meantime.
Praise God! As I said, we believe God wants to release the "whole
body" to do the work of the ministry. The days of the 'one man band'
are coming to an end.

DETAILS of TRAINING WEEKEND:

DATES:  22nd - 24th April, 2016. (Starts at 7:00pm on Fri 22nd).
VENUE: Te Whanau Putahi baptist hall, 37 Oxford St, Fairfield,
Hamilton 3214.
COST: Entry is no charge.
START TIMES:  7pm Friday, 10am Saturday, 10am Sunday.
FACILITATORS: Chris Bradley, Andrew Strom and Mike Taylor.
TEACHING TOPICS:  Healing the sick, casting out demons,
baptizing, preaching the full gospel that the apostles preached...
CONTACT: Chris Bradley - 027-2230850.

This is a very practical, hands-on weekend. Please come
"PRAYED UP" - expecting great things from God rather than man.

We look forward to seeing you there if you can make it, my
friends. Please let your contacts know.

God bless you all.

Andrew Strom.

Senin, 18 April 2016

It's a Package Deal

It's a Package Deal
(En Español)
In 1983 I was asked to serve as pastor of a Faith church. I had been away from the ministry for three years, and I had no idea what a "Faith" church was, except that faith as a biblical concept seemed fairly sound. So I agreed.
I should add, this was not just any Faith church; it was a satellite-dish-in-the-front-yard Faith church. Painted across the top of the dish in huge, bright red letters were the words, "Jesus Is Lord."
I should also explain that my three-year hiatus between pastorates was due, in part, to a deep sense of failure I was carrying. A member of my former church died from a virus that within four days left her completely paralyzed. I had been with her, fasting and praying during this time. But when she died on the fifth day, the helplessness I felt crushed my confidence in prayer. It was the most traumatic experience of my young ministry.
After she died, I didn't know how to acknowledge my inner devastation, so I pretended my faith was still functional -- but it wasn't. For months I still prayed for the sick, outwardly continuing to mimic the behavior of one who really believed. But inside, my secret cry was not a prayer of faith, but a whimper: "Please, God, don't let my unbelief make their condition any worse!"
Satan truly exploited my experience with death. In fact, I was so beat up, I took responsibility for her dying. In my mind, I was a shepherd who failed to heal a sheep. I had failed this woman, her family and God Himself. The only honest thing to do was leave the ministry.
It wasn't long after the woman died that my family and I left Michigan and moved to a little farmhouse in Iowa. Yet, even though I wanted to return to the ministry, the call to return would have to come from the Lord's initiative. It was three years before I received the invitation from the pastor of the Faith church.
Here I was, a man with a stronghold of unbelief teaching in a Faith church. It was an awkward time. Each month the church would watch special teaching seminars via satellite. Sooner or later, every faith teacher in America taught us their truths; each sermon, it seemed, was structured upon either the "mountain moving" faith of Mark 11:23 or the "prosperity" faith of 3 John 2.
I tried to appear polite and supportive, but inwardly I was growing more and more troubled. I was convinced that much of what we were receiving was either false or unbalanced teaching. By the ninth month, I found myself particularly agitated by what seem to be a complete distortion of a "faith" Scripture.
In our dark sanctuary, illuminated only by the light of our projection television, I quietly uttered an angry complaint, "Lord, these faith preachers are constantly misusing that verse!" Hardly was the thought out of my lips when, like a lightning bolt, the word of the Lord flashed into my mind. He said,
"At least they're using them!"
It was true. I had never taught from the verses these preachers were using. Until that moment I hadn't realized how void of real faith my heart had become. There was almost no expectancy in my voice of prayer.
In the very next moment the Holy Spirit spoke again to my heart. Reproving my self-righteousness, He said, "I will always speak to you through imperfect people. The moment you judge an imperfect person you simultaneously disqualify yourself from receiving from them."
That night I repented, not only of unbelief but of pride and fault finding, and as I did, my faith was restored. During that following year, our church saw people healed of cancers, deaf ears and arthritis! I am thankful to God for what He restored to me through the faith movement.
Through Imperfect People
The Lord used this situation to teach me a great secret: much of my spiritual progress does not come directly from God. I have learned to humble my heart and hear Him speaking through imperfect people. It has pleased Him to hide His manifold wisdom in a variety of denominational perspectives. I know that the more I humble myself to others, the broader my understanding has actually become.

Some will ask, "Aren't you afraid of being deceived by imperfect teachers?" When a teacher is truly off the mark, I will question him privately. And if I know for certain that a minister is a charlatan, I will follow Jesus’ instruction in Matthew 18. But God knows, there are enough critics to keep us all on the straight and narrow -- and I am thankful also for them! But, if we truly expect to find the kingdom of Heaven, we must remember, Jesus said it is treasure hidden in a field. I have discovered a great find: we are the field in which is hidden the treasure of Christ. If we want the treasure, we cannot be offended by the dirt that surrounds it. It’s a package deal.
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Specials this week
The Three Battlegrounds
Any time the Spirit of God's kingdom is truly manifested in the earth, it will ultimately confront the strongholds of hell. Indeed, wherever evil spirits have either a foothold or a stronghold, you can expect that the overcoming church will be engaged in warfare, and expect also that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church that Jesus builds.
In this book, Francis Frangipane explores the three arenas of spiritual warfare that the maturing Christian will face: the mind, the church and the heavenly places. It provides a foundation of insight, wisdom and discernment on the nature of the battle and the keys to victory.
Book - $8.77 (Retail $12.45)
Ebook - $7.77 (Retail $12.45) 


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This Day We Fight!
Revised and expanded edition
There is a time for peace and a time for war. We are in a war, and you better not put down your weapon or you will become captive to sin, fear or unbelief.
Francis Frangipane tells us that the call of God is a call to war. Yet, the enemy uses human passivity to seduce God's warriors. This book is anointed to help the reader get their fire back. The Holy Spirit is ready to impart a fresh anointing to God's people - an anointing that will activate the "war mode" in the church.
Book - $9.88 (Retail $15.00)

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Both books - $16.55
(Retail $27.45)

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Jumat, 15 April 2016

The Bridal Call | Be Ye Transformed by the Renewing of Your Mind, Pt. 1


Dear friends,

We've just released the first video in a new series of recordings of "The Bridal Call" video blog! Follow the link below to watch them free on our media site!

In this video, Pastor Steven L. Shelley shares a Word the Lord gave him about dealing with the junk in our lives - our thoughts, our attitudes, and our perceptions. Be blessed, as Pastor delivers a timely Word of direction for the hour in which we're living!

The Four Biggest Mistakes I've Made in Marriage

The Four Biggest Mistakes I've Made in Marriage


In March, my husband Kyle and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary. We got married during our seminary's spring break in 2000, went away on a lovely honeymoon, and then settled into a seminary house so small that our couch touched both walls in the living room and we could have a conversation with each other from any two points in the house. Those were the days.

The day we chose for our wedding has proven to be both incredibly fortuitous and incredibly difficult, as one year into marriage my husband became a college and missions pastor at a church, and guess when most college and mission trips are? Yep. Spring Break. We've spent many an anniversary with other people or apart from one another, sometimes even on separate continents. On our second anniversary, we were staying in a hostel in Austria, separated into girls' and guys' bunk rooms, and everyone on the mission team chipped in money so we could stay in a hotel together for a night. On our 14th, I was in Ethiopia, leading a team from our church as we served at a missionary hospital, and he was home holding down the fort. I tried to send him a Happy Anniversary email, but the electricity and internet blinking in and out prevented me from doing so.
The choice of our wedding date may have been our first mistake in marriage, but there have been many more I've made that have been of much greater consequence than how we spend our anniversaries:

Mistake #1: System Shut Down
In the beginning of our marriage, I had few conflict resolution skills. I also had not ever learned how to share my hurt feelings in a direct, unemotional way. My go-to response to these things, then, was what my husband eventually nicknamed System Shut Down: I would speak around my feelings, sending flares up in a variety of disconnected directions, often blaming and accusing my husband. When he inevitably didn't understand what I was feeling--because I never really said it directly--I would, in my frustration, completely shut down. I'd stop talking, forcing him to beg with me for my communication, and punishing him with my silence for not being able to read my mind.

Looking back, I realize I was insecure, afraid to share my true feelings because I assumed they invalid. I also had never exercised any ability to pinpoint what it was that was actually bothering me in the first place, thus the emotional flailing followed by System Shut Down.

One day I was struck by the thought that my husband couldn't read my mind. He needed me to verbalize as straightforwardly and specifically as possible what I thought and felt in our conflict and communication. Making him fish around indefinitely for my thoughts and feelings as evidence of his love was not fair to him. This realization came with a challenge: I needed to be assured that my feelings were valid, but I also needed to prayerfully consider what I was actually feeling before going to my husband. Prayerfully considering enabled me to not only discern what specifically was bothering me, but whether it even needed to be said at all. If it needed to be said, I could say it directly and without manic emotions, prepared in advance with words and with the intention to forgive, listen, and ask for forgiveness.

Mistake #2: Overnight Mind Change Will Happen
Before I got married, I remember thinking that the struggles I had with temptation in my thought life regarding boys, confidence, physical appearance, and sexual desires would finally be over when I said I do. I was surprised to find, however, that my mind didn't change the moment I got married. As a married woman, I still noticed that other men were attractive. I still wanted to be thought of as attractive. I even struggled with the idea of never again experiencing the thrill of a new dating relationship. I was surprised by temptation, because I believed that an open and right avenue for physical and sexual intimacy (marriage) would instantly negate temptation's power in my life.

At first, I assumed this unforeseen temptation meant something was wrong with me. No Christian woman had ever warned me of it, so I was ashamed at being the "only one". But then I read 1 Corinthians 10:31: "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man," and I knew I was not the only one. In considering why I desired to be attractive or to experience the thrill of new love, I discovered that my idols had come with me into marriage. When a godly friend confessed to me that she was thinking of a male co-worker too much because she enjoyed his attention, I knew that I too needed not only godly friends I could discuss this with and who would ask me hard questions, but I also needed to be constantly on guard and take every thought captive in order to honor my husband and honor the Lord. I'd always wondered how affairs got started, and now I knew: they start in the mind. This is where temptation first whispers in singleness and in marriage.

Mistake #3: Marriage is 50/50
I went into marriage believing it to be a two-columned endeavor: one column with my name on it and the other with his. Everything marriage incorporated, therefore, should be divided evenly under those two columns.

Although this works relatively well for chores, housecleaning, and even breadwinning, the 50/50 philosophy doesn't translate to the heart of marriage at all, because it basically teaches me that if he's not doing his part, I don't have to do mine. Scripture depicts marriage differently than this cultural idea. Biblical marriage insists that I not keep a ledger of who is doing what and only respect, submit, and serve when my husband is loving and leading me. Biblical marriage calls me to give 100% to my husband as a way of loving the Lord Himself. Only in putting to death my self-serving, self-honoring record keeping could I forgive my husband, serve him without looking to be served in return, sacrifice for him when his needs were encroaching on mine, and seek to please him. 50/50 fights for self; seeking the good of the other in marriage is what best displays the gospel.

Mistake #4: Not Believing Him
When my husband speaks encouraging and thoughtful words to me, my first response has often been to negate him in my head. Instead of receiving his words as true and real, I've instead thought of the evidence of why he's wrong. When he says, "You are beautiful," I think of how I need to lose weight. When he says, "You are a great mom," I think of what I need to be doing better with my boys. When he says, "God is using you," I think of how I've failed Him. Sometimes I've even negated Kyle out loud: "Well you have to say that, because you're my husband."

One day, in response to my negativity and my unwillingness to receive his words, Kyle said gently, "Do you think that I'm a liar?" His words pierced me through. Of course I didn't think he was a liar. And his words to me, if I accepted them, could be life-giving, heart-swelling words. Why not just accept them at face value and receive his words as the gifts they were intended to be? It was a wonderful (and simple) lesson for me: believe and receive what he says.

Now it's your turn. What mistakes have you made in marriage and what has the Lord taught you through them?

A 20-YEAR-Old PROPHECY

A 20-YEAR-Old PROPHECY
by Andrew Strom

It is now 20 years since we first got on the Internet and started
our website and also this List. One of the very first things I put
on that website back in 1996 was my first book, "THE COMING
GREAT REFORMATION" - which was subtitled, 'New Insights
into the Coming Worldwide Shaking, Reformation and Street
Revival.'  No doubt some of you have read it.

I think it is often good to go back to prophecies written years ago
and ponder what is happening now. One of the things I wrote
about in that book was the coming of a move of God that would
take us back to the fulness of "Apostolic teaching" - the teachings
of the apostles in the Book of Acts. Until we get the fulness of
those teachings and the anointing to teach them in a truly
'apostolic' way, I believe the fulness of the "Church" (in the truest
sense of that word) will continue to elude us. We may see some
things restored, but we will not see the fulness of the "Church"
until 'Apostolic teaching' is restored first.

Below is a kind of "prophecy" but also a teaching from that 1996
book about what we can expect in any true end-time Revival-

"APOSTOLIC TEACHINGS and PRACTICES"
by Andrew Strom (1996).

"This is to be an `apostolic´ move. As it was in the beginning, so
it will be also at the end... One of the most basic and obvious of
these apostolic teachings, I believe, will be to restore the original
meaning and purpose of the Lord´s Supper and also Believer´s
Baptism. Both of these are seen by many Christians merely as
something akin to a symbolic ritual, performed in `rememberance´
or just out of obedience to Scripture, rather than because they
have tremendous spiritual impact from God´s point of view. In
reality, there is actually NOTHING that Jesus has instituted in
the New Testament that is merely a "symbolic" act or a `ritual´
that we are to perform. Such things belong to the Old Covenant,
not the New. Everything that Jesus has instituted in the New
Covenant has tremendous spiritual value and life-giving power, if
only we can partake of these things by faith, as He intended.

When we partake of the Lord´s Supper, we are supposed to be
partaking afresh of the "bread of life" (the word of God) and the
cleansing power of the "blood of the new covenant" (see Mt 26:
26-28, Jn 6:48-58, 1 Cor 10:16- 17, 1 Cor 11:23-30, etc). We are
to take this fresh impartation of spiritual life to ourselves by faith,
as we eat and drink of the Lord´s Supper. Why do you think the
early Christians partook of the Lord´s Supper "daily" in their
gatherings `from house to house´? And why do you think Paul
warned the Corinthians that some of them were `weak´ and
others had died because they had not discerned the "one body"
that they were to be partakers of, and were therefore "eating
and drinking judgement" upon themselves? (1 Cor 11:27-33).
There is real spiritual power in the Lord´s supper! This is not
just some symbolic ceremony. We are clearly to be continual
partakers of the "one body" of Christ, broken for us (and divided
amongst us at Communion), and also the cleansing, empowering
"blood of the new covenant".

Believer´s Baptism (by immersion) is another thing that has lost
it´s true significance over the centuries. We are told often that this
is essentially a "symbolic" death-and-burial ceremony for the
believer. There are many believers today (even `Spirit- filled´ ones)
who think so little of baptism that they haven´t even "got around
to it yet" at all. But what is God´s view of believer´s baptism?
Does He regard it merely as `an outward symbol´? I think not!
We are told in Rom 6:3-6, "Do you not know that all of us who
have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His
death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death...
We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful
body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved
to sin." It is clear from this and many other Scriptures that from
a spiritual point of view, baptism is an event of tremendous
impact and importance.

Can we claim to have truly "died with Christ" if we have not been
baptized by immersion? No, we cannot. Can we claim to have
been spiritually `cut off´ from our sinful body, so that we might no
longer be enslaved to sin? No, Scripturally we cannot. And how
else can we "reckon" ourselves to be `dead to sin´? I believe that
rather than being some kind of "symbolic" death, God sees
believer´s baptism as being a very "literal" spiritual death - a
`cutting off´ of the sinful body of the believer. Why else would Peter
tell the assembled crowd on the day of Pentecost, "Repent, AND
BE BAPTISED in the name of Jesus Christ FOR THE FORGIVE-
NESS OF YOUR SINS..."? (Acts 2:38). And why else would Paul
be told, on the day of his conversion, "Arise and BE BAPTISED,
AND WASH AWAY YOUR SINS, calling on the name of the Lord"?
(Acts 22:16)...

Today, when people want to become a Christian, they are told to
simply "ask Jesus into their heart", or "give their heart to the Lord".
You might be surprised to learn that there is literally NOT ONE
example of anyone in the New Testament being told to do anything
like this at all. For instance, there are many, many examples in
the book of Acts of people becoming Christians, and yet NOT
ONCE are any of them told anything that even remotely resembles,
"Just give your heart to the Lord". Instead, people in Bible days
were told, "Repent, and be baptized... and you shall receive the
gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38. See also Acts 8:12-20, Acts
8:35-39, Acts 10:44-48, Acts 19:1-6, Acts 22:16, etc). In the
coming Revival, just like the book of Acts, repentance, water-
baptism (by immersion) and baptism in the Holy Spirit will be
expected to occur IMMEDIATELY someone believes the gospel.
Until all of these things have occurred, they will simply not be
considered a true, New Testament Christian. This is clearly the
only tenable Scriptural position on the matter. What a shockingly
inadequate and unscriptural gospel the church has been preaching
up until now!

I believe that another huge change in emphasis that will come in
with the new move of God will be in the area of sacrificial giving to
the poor. In the book of Acts the writer (Luke) devotes a tremendous
amount of space to the way in which the early believers sold any
excess land, houses or possessions, and gave to the poor
(especially to the orphans and widows, etc). From the space that
Luke devotes to this subject it is clear that this was a major
emphasis of the early Church. And of course, it had always been
a major emphasis of JESUS in the first place! To the `rich young
man´, Jesus had said, "Sell what you have, and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me" (Mk
10:21). To his disciples He had said, "Sell your possessions and
give alms" (Lk 12:33), and, "How hardly shall they that have riches
enter into the kingdom of God!" (Mk 10:23)... You have to admit,
none of this sounds like much of a "prosperity" doctrine, does it?..

The above are just some of the more obvious and fundamental
apostolic teachings that I believe will be restored in the coming
Revival. These are not obscure doctrinal points. They involve some
of the most basic and fundamental questions of the New Testament:
What do we tell people to do to become a Christian? Why do
people need to be baptised in water? Why do we partake of the
Lord´s Supper? What does Jesus require us to do with our
possessions? All of these are PRACTICAL questions which
impacted hugely on the everyday life of the early Church. No
doubt there will be other fundamental teachings that will also be
restored, when the new apostles arise to establish a true "New
Testament" Church once again, in our time."  [-End of 1996
Prophecy/ Teaching].

Onward to a true "apostolic" Revival, my friends. Onward to a
truly 'Great' Reformation. I would be most interested in your
comments.

Special blessings to all,

Andrew Strom.

GREAT QUOTES on THE HOLY SPIRIT

GREAT QUOTES on THE HOLY SPIRIT

"How little chance the Holy Ghost has nowadays. The churches
and missionary societies have so bound Him in red tape that they
practically ask Him to sit in a corner while they do the work
themselves." - C.T. Studd

"Destitute of the Fire of God, nothing else counts; possessing Fire,
nothing else matters."
-Samuel Chadwick

"What the Church needs to-day is not more machinery or better,
not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom
the Holy Ghost can use, men of prayer, men mighty in prayer.
The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men.
He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint
plans, but men, men of prayer."
-E.M. Bounds

"What has hell to fear other than a God-anointed, prayer-powered
church?" - Leonard Ravenhill

"Everyone recognizes that Stephen was Spirit-filled when he was
performing wonders. Yet, he was just as Spirit-filled when he was
being stoned to death."
-Leonard Ravenhill

"The church that is man-managed instead of God-governed is
doomed to failure. A ministry that is college-trained but not Spirit-
filled works no miracles."
-Samuel Chadwick

Minggu, 10 April 2016

IT is HARVEST TIME

IT is HARVEST TIME
by David Wilkerson

"When he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on
them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep
having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest
truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; pray ye therefore the
Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest"
(Matthew 9:36-38).

Jesus declared, "The fields are ripe, and the harvest plentiful. It's
time to begin reaping." At that moment, the great, final spiritual
harvest began. It started as a harvest among the Jews and
Gentiles of Jesus' generation. And this same harvest is going to
last until Christ returns. As I read this passage, I wonder: what did
Jesus see in his time that caused him to say, "The harvest is
ready, so now is the time to reap"? Did he see a spiritual
awakening in Israel? Was there revival in the synagogues? Were
priests turning back to God? Were scribes and Pharisees being
convicted? What evidence was there that the harvest was ripe?

The Gospels don't reveal much evidence of any spiritual move
toward God. If anything, they show the opposite. Jesus was
mocked in the synagogues. The nation's spiritual leaders rejected
him, questioning his integrity and divinity. One religious crowd
tried to throw him over a cliff. And Christ himself upbraided Israel's
cities for not repenting at his message: "Woe, Chorazin! Woe,
Bethsaida! Woe, Tyre and Sidon! Woe, Capernaum!" As for the
multitudes, they were embroiled in chaotic despair. Scripture tells
us, "When he saw them, they were distressed and downcast, like
sheep without a shepherd." Here was a society that was fearful,
stressed out, depressed. The people ran about wildly, like
scattered sheep, looking for help anywhere they could find it. Yet
it was at this very point of great distress that Christ declared, "The
fields are ripe, and the harvest is plentiful."

Do you think Jesus' words about a ripe harvest apply today?
Where do we see evidence that fields are white and ready to be
reaped? Are nations repenting? Is there a great stirring in our
society? And is the organized church waking up? Are religious
leaders hungering for revival, seeking Christ anew? Is there a cry
for holiness in this generation? With few exceptions, I don't see
any such things happening. Yet, none of these is what moved
Jesus in his time. Rather, he was moved by the sad conditions he
saw on every side. Everywhere he looked, people were
overwhelmed with distress.

In fact, as Christ gazed out over Jerusalem, he wept. His tears
were over the hardness and spiritual blindness he saw. Here were
a people headed for judgment, with no peace, only fear and
depression. And he prophesied over this scene, "Your house will
become desolate." Jesus actually gives us a picture of what the
last days would look like. Now, this period began at his ascension,
and it will end only when he comes again. We're getting very close
to that point now. And Jesus described it to his disciples when
they asked him what signs to look for. They wanted to know the
condition of things as the very last days were approaching. Christ
answered by speaking of famines, earthquakes, tribulations,
nations divided. False prophets and false christs would deceive
many and lead multitudes astray. Believers would be hated for even
mentioning Christ's name. And the love of many would grow cold,
with some falling away because of the bold increase of sin and
lawlessness. "Upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;
the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear,
and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:
for the powers of heaven shall be shaken" (Luke 21:25-26). In short,
Jesus is describing here the most anxious, depressed,
stressed-out generation of all time.

So, are his prophecies happening even now, before our eyes?
Think about it: this generation is full of anxiety and worry.
Multitudes are fearful as they watch incredible disasters unfold:
hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, mudslides, tornados. Entire
nations tremble with fear over the threat of terrorism. And heart
failure is the number-one killer in the world today. False religions,
false prophets, false christs are leading many astray. Millions are
turning to Islam, with nation after nation infiltrated by Islamists.
You would have to be in total denial if you didn't see that everything
that can be shaken right now is being shaken. In the midst of all
this upheaval and turmoil, I hear Jesus' words: "The fields are
white. The harvest is plentiful." I'm convinced he's telling his
church, "People are ready to hear. This is the time to believe for
a harvest. Now is the time for you to start reaping."

Christ is the Lord of the harvest. And if he declares the harvest is
ready, we must believe it. It doesn't matter how wicked this
generation becomes. It doesn't matter how powerful Satan seems
to have grown. Our Lord is saying to us, "Stop focusing on the
difficulties around you. Instead, raise up your eyes. It's time for
you to see that the harvest is ready."

Jesus understood man's heart, knowing we forget God in times of
prosperity. Christ knew that in times of distress and calamity,
people are forced to face eternity. Suffering, fear and hard times
ripen people for hearing and receiving the gospel. Consider the
context of his words: "When he saw the multitudes.because they
fainted.then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is
plenteous" (Matthew 9:36-37). This truth has been demonstrated
throughout the history of God's people. Moses reprimanded his
generation, saying, "God led you. He increased your numbers.
And he greatly blessed you, giving you green fields, honey, butter,
milk, sheep, oil, fruit. But you grew rich and rebelled. You lightly
esteemed the Rock of your salvation, and forsook him." "But
Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxed fat.thou art
covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and
lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation" (Deuteronomy 32:15).

Scripture tells us Israel was brought low after this. Yet, in their
distress, they called upon the Lord, and he delivered them: "Then
they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out
of their distresses" (Psalm 107:6). Consider also David's testimony:
"The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly
men made me afraid. The sorrows of hell compassed me about:
the snares of death prevented me. In my distress I called upon the
Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple,
and my cry came before him, even into his ears" (Psalm 18:4-6).
Trouble, distress and perplexity have always birthed a cry for help.
This has been the pattern throughout the centuries. You remember
what happened after the twin towers in New York fell: churches
were packed. Prayer meetings were held in Yankee Stadium.
Congressional leaders gathered on the steps of the Capitol in
Washington, praying and singing, "God Bless America."

For a season, God was the talk of the nation. Fear and distress
had made people think about finding truth. And that sums up the
law of the harvest: THE DARKER THE DAYS, THE WHITER THE
HARVEST. In Indonesia and Sri Lanka, radical Islamists had
refused to allow any outsiders into their territory. But after the
tsunami disaster, many opened their doors to Christian relief
workers. Why? God saw fields that were white and ready to be
harvested. The fact is, no country is closed to Christ. And no
people are unreachable. No religious power on earth can stop the
harvest. That's why Jesus tells us not to fear, even though
mountains may fall into the sea.

Think about the cataclysmic events of recent world history. The
Communists in Russia thought they had rid their country of God.
But Jesus had said to them, "All you did was help the harvest."
Christ is alive and well in Russia today. China also tried to outlaw
God, only to ripen a harvest of millions of believers. Recently, the
Ukraine fell out of corrupt hands, and is being led by a man who
speaks of Christ. The New York Times now calls Belarus the most
Communist-dominated nation on earth, yet Christians there are
praying their country is next. God has seen all these fields as
ready for reaping!

This same principle was true throughout Israel's history. When
Moses told Pharaoh, "Let my people go," it was because God had
announced harvest time. The moment had come for Israel's
deliverance from captivity. But Pharaoh responded, "Who is the
Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the
Lord, neither will I let Israel go" (Exodus 5:2). Pharaoh represents
Satan's demonic system, including false religions and oppression
that hold people under bondage. Before Israel could be delivered,
the powers of darkness had to be shaken. So God struck Egypt
with nine natural calamities. Yet those nine disasters only
hardened Pharaoh's heart. Finally, there came a calamity so
devastating, everyone in Egypt - from the rulers down to ordinary
citizens - knew this wasn't just nature out of control. It was God
speaking. The Lord had sent an angel of death. And in one night,
the eldest son in every Egyptian family died. Pharaoh's son was
included among them. The very next day, Israel paraded out of
Egypt. Here was the harvest that came just before judgment.

Centuries later, when Jesus announced the ripe harvest in
Jerusalem, he knew judgment was about to come. Years hence,
Titus and his army would invade the city, and 1.2 million people
would be killed. Many would be hung on crosses, and the city
itself would be burned to the ground. This is why Jesus warned his
generation, "You say there are four months before harvest. But I'm
telling you, the harvest has to begin now. You have to be about the
will of God, because the greatest calamity is at your door. I'm
commissioning you now to finish my work. The time to start reaping is today."

How did Jesus describe the calamity that was to come? "Then
shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning
of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be" (Matthew 24:21).
Yet, before that calamity came, it would be time for the harvest.
The concept of "harvest" was central to the church-growth
movement of the 1980s. More than two decades ago,
church-growth experts began focusing on new methods to bring in
the harvest. They declared, "The church is no longer relevant to
modern society. It's too traditional, too out of touch, and needs to
be updated. We have to become more contemporary. We can no
longer afford to think in small terms." So the 1980s were
proclaimed to be "The Decade of Harvest." And out of this
mentality was born the "seeker sensitive," mega-church movement.
Almost overnight, huge churches began to spring up all over the
country. Many such churches suddenly had congregations
numbering in the thousands or ten thousands. Some built huge
campuses resembling shopping malls, including restaurants and
other conveniences.

What was called "narrow thinking" was now replaced by corporate
thinking. The people's morals were no longer to be challenged.
Instead, the church was to become "need-centered," ministering
to people's needs as they stated them on surveys. Worship
services incorporated the latest technologies, "contemporizing"
the music and offering theatrical productions. Pastors illustrated
their sermons with film clips from the most recent movies, some
of them R-rated. It looked as if the great harvest was underway.
But the "Decade of Harvest" proved to be building on the wrong
foundation. A pastor named William Chadwick had led a church
that thrived on these principles. But over time, he grew convicted
about being so numbers-focused. He authored a book titled
Stealing Sheep, in which he cites some alarming statistics.

The most remarkable figure was that, in ten years' time, there was
no appreciable growth among evangelical churches. Instead,
mega-churches were made up mostly of transfers from smaller
churches. People came for the exciting new contemporary worship
and the programs catering to baby boomers. Many of these
"switchers" were Pentecostals. Worse, the mega-church
movement had an awful effect on smaller churches. These didn't
have the resources to compete with huge churches, which offered
all kinds of bells and whistles with their need-centered programs.
Slowly, smaller churches' numbers dwindled, and many ended up
shutting their doors. A recent study by the respected Barna
Research Group shows that the church isn't just stagnating, it's
growing worse. One alarming fact is that fewer baby boomers are
attending church than before. Simply put, the church-growth
movement has ended up going backward instead of forward.
Finally, there is one statistic that startles me more than any other.
That is, only a minute number of Christians has ever won a soul
to Christ. This brings Jesus' words up to date that "the laborers are few."

In every city where I travel nowadays, pastors ask me how to build
a strong, growing church. As I look around their city, I see poor
neighborhoods, teeming with downtrodden people bound by sin. I
know that God has promised to empower us as ministers, if we
would only go into these nearby harvest fields to reap the souls.
You can build a great church with those poor and weak who are
being set free from Satan's bondage. Years ago, I found the
harvest to be ripe in the ghetto. It happened when I went to the
neighborhoods where gang leaders, drug addicts, poor widows,
alcoholics and prostitutes lived. Now, many of the most powerful
soul-winners I know are former gang members like Nicky Cruz. All
over the world, they're winning multitudes to Christ.

Imagine a scenario on the last day Jesus spent on the earth.
Suppose that just before Jesus ascended - as he envisions the
church and the harvest prior to his return - he foresees a falling
away. His soul is grieved, because he sees rampant backsliding.
Instead of reaping a white harvest, his people spend their time and
energy seeking worldly success and material things. So Jesus
says to the Father, "They won't get the harvest in. All the white
fields lay dormant. I'm going to send a host of angels to do the
reaping." The Father agrees, and suddenly thousands of celestial
beings appear on the earth, glowing with supernatural radiance.
What a sight this would be: otherworldly beings, clothed in glory,
speaking in churches and in public. You see them interviewed by
newspaper reporters, on the radio and on TV. They talk of the
Cross, the Resurrection, the Ascension, Christ's love, and a final
judgment to come. And they speak with such eloquence and
conviction that everyone is enthralled. They're like so many
Jonahs, wooing and warning the world.

Now suppose that after a short time, these same radiant angels
become enthralled with the world around them. They're taken in by
fine foods, material goods, wealth and security. And soon they
start striving for success, fame and fortune. Before long, they
become jealous of each other, showing anger, pride, envy and
covetousness. In other words, they become just like the church
today! I ask you, how much influence would they have on the
world? How could they expect to bring in a harvest, being so
caught up in worldliness? Their testimony would be discounted.
And they would be drained of all spiritual power, going about
discouraged, fearful and doubting. Tell me, why would anyone
want my gospel, if they saw me in this kind of state, stressed
out and joyless? Why would they believe my message, "Jesus is
sufficient, my everything, my constant supply," if I'm always fearful
and worried, with no peace?

No one would listen to a word I said. Instead, they'd wonder,
"What difference is your Christ? He doesn't seem to be much of
a physician, if you're always in this kind of condition." Beloved,
our countenance counts. Listen to what Christ says of his bride,
in the Song of Solomon: "O my dove.let me see thy countenance,
let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance
is comely" (Song of Solomon 2:14). Christ is saying to us, in
essence, "I want to see your smile." Does that describe your
countenance? There is no supposing why we don't experience a
great harvest of souls. Jesus made it plain: "The harvest is ripe,
but the laborers are few." Yet, why are there so few laborers?
Churches today are packed with believers who claim Christ is
their very life. Millions of dollars are spent on building worship
centers everywhere.

The truth is, if we're not capable of reaping souls - if our lives don't
reflect the transforming power of the gospel we preach - then we
have discounted ourselves as laborers. Our walk with Christ
should offer proof to the world that God's promises are true. As
laborers, we are the harvest instruments in the Lord's hand. In the
days of Christ, such an instrument was a scythe, a long, curved,
single-edged blade with a long handle. It was forged by a
blacksmith, who put it into a fire, then placed it on an anvil, where
he pounded and bent it into shape. Then the whole process was
repeated again and again, until the cutting edge was filed with a
rough-edged surface.

The parallel is clear: God is forging laborers. He isn't just pounding
away at sin. And this forging process explains why the laborers
are few. The majority of churchgoers are like the thousands who
volunteered to go with Gideon in the Old Testament. God saw fear
in many of them, knowing they wouldn't endure the fire, the
pounding, the hard times. And out of the thousands who followed
Gideon, only three hundred were chosen. The same thing happens
today. Those who are truly called to harvest are called to endure
the refining, shaping fires and the continual hammering. Yet not many do.

The disciples were empowered by God in their mission. Where did
the disciples start their ministry? According to this passage, 
Jesus sent them to the distressed, the poor, those who were
bowed down with sin, bondages and life-controlling habits. I think
of the Teen Challenge drug and alcohol rehabilitation ministry, with
its 500 centers worldwide. And I think of scores of other reapers
who have gone to other countries and seen miracles of salvation
as they've ministered to the neediest, poorest, most devil-bound
people. They're starting to reap exactly where Jesus started his
harvest: among the lost sheep, the captives, the brokenhearted,
the prisoners, the lepers, the blind, the poor, those who mourn,
those with a spirit of heaviness, those who are distressed and disconcerted.

Consider Paul's words: "Ye see your calling, brethren, how that
not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many
noble, are called: but God hath chosen the foolish things of the
world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things
of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base
things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God
chosen, yea, and things which are not.that no flesh should glory
in his presence" (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).

Dear saint, Jesus knew what we were going to face in these last
days: a generation steeped in sin far more than any other.stress
and loneliness such as has never been experienced by man.
financial disasters, rampant divorce, militant homosexuality,
immorality that would bring a blush to even the worst sinners just
thirty years ago. This is why Christ seeks laborers who have
submitted to the fires and forgings. He wants a people who'll stand
before the world and proclaim: "God is with me! Satan can't stop
me. Just look at my life. I've been through fire after fire, pounded
again and again. But I've come through it all more than a conqueror
through Christ, who lives in me. What I have preached has
worked for me. I am living proof Jesus is all-sufficient!"

~David Wilkerson.
www.worldchallenge.org/

The Holy Spirit and Fire

The Holy Spirit and Fire
(En Español)
As Christians, we are fascinated by the Holy Spirit. He teaches, guides, gives gifts, brings forth fruit and, among other things, comforts us on our journey. However, one aspect that is rarely discussed is the baptism of fire. John said that Christ would "baptize . . . with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matt. 3:11).
Peter tells us we should not be "surprised at the fiery ordeal . . . which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you" (1 Pet. 4:12). Indeed, Jesus said, "Everyone will be salted with fire" (Mark 9:49).
The church in America for too long has followed Casper, the friendly ghost, instead of seeking the fire of the Holy Ghost. We have turned limp at the thought of our own cross; we faint when we think of suffering or sacrifice. Beloved, it is time to embrace the fire of God's presence. It is the fire that purifies our sacrifice.
Ahead of us are days both great and terrible. Understandably, many Christians are looking to the rapture of the church. Yet to escape God's judgment is not to escape His fire. Consider: Paul wrote that the day of the Lord "is to be revealed with fire." He said that "the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work" (1 Cor. 3:13).
Yet let us stay encouraged, for our God is a consuming fire. He is coming to baptize His church again in fire, but in the fire is the place of intimacy, of power and of deliverance. Even as the prophet Isaiah wrote:
"When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning, then the Lord will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy. There will be a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain" (Isa. 4:4-6).
Yes, our God is a consuming fire, and our walk with Him is a firewalk.
Lord, I repent for wanting Your blessings without desiring Your fire. I ask for the fire that purifies, that burns away my old nature. I ask You to fill me with the fire of Your holiness. Make me one with You in the fire of Your passions. Amen.
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In this book, Francis Frangipane explores the three arenas of spiritual warfare that the maturing Christian will face: the mind, the church and the heavenly places. It provides a foundation of insight, wisdom and discernment on the nature of the battle and the keys to victory.
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More GREAT QUOTES

More GREAT QUOTES:

"Preaching truth without the anointing of the Holy Ghost is helping
the devil to damn souls. There's nothing on earth today so
deadening as preaching without heaven's anointing. Refrain from
preaching unless you know that the dew of heaven is on your soul."
-- Duncan Campbell

"Cowards never won heaven. Do not claim that you are begotten of
God and have His royal blood running in your veins unless you can
prove your lineage by this heroic spirit: to dare to be holy in spite
of men and devils." -- William Gurnall

"Any concept of grace that makes us feel more comfortable
sinning is not biblical grace. God's grace never encourages us to
live in sin, on the contrary, it empowers us to say no to sin and
yes to truth." -- Randy Alcorn

"Get rid of this bunkum about the 'carnal Christian'. Forget it! If
you're carnal, you're not saved." -- Leonard Ravenhill

"I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever
cease to exist either in Europe or America. But I am afraid lest
they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion
without the power. And this undoubtedly will be the case unless
they hold fast both the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which
they first set out." -- John Wesley

"When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, lest it find a way into
my heart." -- John Wesley.