Niels Prip – Blog

“You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.” John19:11

If the providence of God reaches to the small concerns of the world, we may be sure that the greater are also controlled by his providence. Our Savior taught that a sparrow could not fall without the Father’s permission, so we should not fear, for we are worth much more than many sparrows. This may establish our hearts under any personal sufferings or public calamities. When the storms and waves overwhelm the ship, our God is not sleeping, he is at the helm. He is steering, governing, and guiding through all these disorders to His own glory and our good. Do not wonder at how such abominations are allowed to happen, but wonder at the wonderful providence of God that these are not allowed more than they are. If God allowed the outrageous lusts of men unleashed, our streets would be continually filled with violence and murder. It is by God’s overruling providence that our streets are not continually filled with these, but we are able to enjoy our lives in safety. The wickedness of men presses hard upon God’s restraints, and where there are gaps in it, it breaks out naturally and violently. If this dam of divine providence were but broken down, a flood would break out until it overflowed the whole face of the earth, and would cover it with a deluge of impiety and profaneness. God who sets boundaries to the raging of the sea does not allow them to go any farther. When we see confusion in the world, we are apt to despond and cry out, ‘Lord, what will You do for Your great name?” God will glorify himself even by these things, and we do not need to be troubled. There is an invisible and wise hand that molds and fashions all. Put the whole frame and series of providences together, and it will appear most admirable and glorious.

Ezekiel Hopkins, Works, 111:386-388

April 7th, 2022-An open letter to Charisma News.

Daily as I browse through my emails I’m confronted with the latest ‘prophetic word’ from some sincere believer or leader declaring their latest impression or feeling as to what they believe God is saying. Let me be clear I’ve been around the prophetic for well over fifty years and have worked with some Godly giants in the prophetic realm. My own life has been greatly impacted by the prophetic ministry for which I am deeply grateful.

Over the past 10-15 years we have seen what I consider a cheapening of the prophetic. Impressions, feeling, urges, thoughts and pictures are now considered the ‘real deal’ and sadly accepted without question as the ‘word of the Lord;’ and yet they lack the authority and conviction of the Holy Spirit. My real concern is that those who give these prophetic words are seldom if ever held accountable. Here is where I must challenge those who publish these prophecies. Taking the Lord’s name in vain is a serious and responsible matter. Saying the Lord told me, or the Lord says, should be weighed very carefully and fearfully before uttering the latest image or impression that pops into your mind. Those who proclaim these words as well as those who publish them must be held responsible for their actions.

Recently Charisma published a prophetic word by Hank Kunneman along with the video of his prophecy. Kunneman prophesied the following:

“Do not believe the lies, for even over Ukraine, the media—their mouth is filled. Listen to Me, the media—their mouth is filled with war rhetoric. And there are those who are pushing for war, and there are those who would desire to even make it look like Russia has done something to the Ukrainian people, inside of their borders, to bring them to war. Yet, I am and I have been speaking to the leader of the Bear.

“I’ve been speaking to you, Putin, and you are listening. Therefore, watch. Do not be caught up in the war rhetoric the media is creating. And do not believe when they report certain things that would desire to frame a picture and bring Russia and Ukraine to the place of battle. For My voice is speaking louder, and I am declaring truth. And My truth shall expose the truth over Ukraine.

“My truth shall expose even greater what they have resisted [on]—that which comes by the expression of freedom. And My voice of truth will continue to pull out of their holes, and I will pull the sheets off, and I will continue to show you what has been done in secret.

“You say, ‘But Lord, what good is it if nothing happens?’

“I said, I am the Alpha, I am the Omega—the beginning and end—and I’m everything in-between, and I know exactly what I’m doing, and I declare game over. This prophetic word was released to Hank Kunneman on Feb. 22.

The sad reality is that his prophecy was entirely wrong. The media by and large were correct and as we now know Russia has declared war on Ukraine with the tragic result of death and destruction everywhere. If the ‘game is over’ someone needs to tell the citizens of Ukraine that! Well over three million have already fled for their lives with tens of thousands fleeing every day.

Charisma, please step up and hold these so-called prophets accountable. To the best of my knowledge, I have not read one word of an apology from either the ‘prophet’ or the publisher. This speaks volumes to the state of the prophetic today.

If nobody else will, I call for Hank Kunneman to give an account for his misleading word. “I am declaring the truth’ turned out to be false!

Paul taught us that it was the responsibility of those listening to the prophets to pass judgment on what they prophesied. It’s time we held these men accountable. Charisma, I’m asking you to do the same.

PS. I sent this letter to Charisma but never received a reply.

https://davidravenhill.wordpress.com/page/2/

2 Peter 1:20-21 “But, above all, remember that no prophecy in Scripture will be found to have come from the prophet’s own prompting; for never did any prophecy come by human will, but men sent by God spoke as they were impelled by the Holy Spirit.” Weymouth NT

The amount of Christian prophecy in our day and age should be a cause for concern. The sheer volume of prophecy on the internet, in books and on videos surpasses the Bible a hundred-fold or more, millions of websites. Why are we not concerned? Is God speaking that much today? Or are men prompted by their human will, by the soul and not the Spirit? Has it made us dull of hearing? Is there a famine of hearing the word of the Lord, like it says in Amos 8:11-12 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God, that I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, but shall not find it.”

The scripture in 2 Peter has some answers for us, and gives us insight into two types of prophecy. There is a valid type of prophecy that has been given by “men moved by the Holy Spirit”. And then there is a type of prophecy that does not come by the Holy Spirit. This type of prophecy is given by the human will, human emotions and it comes from the prophets “own prompting”. It can be made to sound like it is coming from God, but it is not. Many times, it is a pleasant word, that we like to hear.

The glut of prophecy has dulled our discernment. In an age where so many are so desperate to move in prophecy, we have thrown discernment out the window. Most of the prophecy that I have heard in my 50 years as a Christian has been given by a “prompting other than the Holy Spirit”. How has the church gotten it so wrong? Are we so desperate, that we embrace it? Being desperate for God can be good, but it can also open the door for a lot of error.

Hebrews 5:12-14 “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

In my 50 years in and out of the charismatic movement, I see we have not matured. We have not learned to discern between what is good and what is evil. Prophecy by the Spirit is good, prophecy from another source is evil. One is holy, the other is common or profane. We have been afraid to confront false words, thereby not exercising discernment, which is how we would have had our senses trained to discern.

Ezekiel 22:26 “Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.”

There are clear examples in the Bible, Nadab and Abihu, offered what is common and not commanded by the Lord. What they offered was out of their own prompting, out of a common source. It cost them their lives. Leviticus 10:1 “Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense, and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to His command”.

The only way that we can learn to distinguish between the holy and the profane and the common, is by the Word of God and by the Spirit. And by learning the ways of God. And we need some Christians who have the gift of discernment and are not afraid to confront and ask questions. It will not be a popular gift, like tongues and prophecy. But in these days, it is desperately needed. Pray that God will raise up true prophets and expose those that are common and profane.

Article from Art Katz Ministries: http://artkatzministries.org

I have for a long time been secretly irked in my inner man with the growing preoccupation of many of God’s saints to desire the ‘presence’ of God.  It is implied that this is the summum bonum of the faith, the high water mark of true spirituality.  In this supposedly ‘exalted’ realm lies the key to revelation, anointing and all that could be coveted for successful ministry.  My own disposition, however, is to receive His presence as surprise, and not something sought for in itself, lest this become the final hiding place of self now safely ensconced in ‘ultimate’ spirituality itself!

How much then, do I appreciate Oswald Chamber’s remark, (My Utmost for His Highest, June 2nd ), that “The abiding awareness of the Christian life is to be God Himself, not just thoughts about Him.”  In this state, one looks at “everything in relation to God, because the abiding consciousness of God pushes itself to the front all the time” – whether felt or not!  This characterized the apostle Paul and Jesus Himself even when ultimately tested at the Cross.  The cry, “My God, my God, why has Thou forsaken Me?” is not the statement of the momentary lapse of the Father, but the supreme moment of the Son’s son-ship in an obedience that did not falter whether present or absent.  It might well prove to be our own.  The kind of abiding consciousness of God is the province, I suspect, only of those whose whole life, purpose and reason for being is the Lord’s.  Those who are yet independent entities with their own designs, however ‘spiritual’ and ‘consecrated’ will prefer a ‘presence’ to augment that spirituality and confirm them in their ‘dedication.’Can it be that many of the spurious revivals of our time have given opportunity to the enemy to duplicate, in the soul realm of the naïve and unsuspecting, coveted experiences –  the result of which have neither fostered maturity nor been enduring?  Better, I think, to have one’s secret life hid with God in Christ with that “pious mind that views all things in God and God in all things” (Charles Spurgeon: Treasury of David, vol. 1 p.381).  The one who is anxious to obtain the ‘presence’ risks haunting doubts about himself should he fail, and forfeits the very peace where “the abiding companionship of God” waits to be enjoyed.

Article from Art Katz Ministries: http://artkatzministries.org

URL to article: http://artkatzministries.org/articles/esteeming-the-presence/

Henri Nouwen in his book, The Way of the Heart, says “Solitude is the furnace of transformation”. I often look forward to finding a time to be quiet with my Bible, away from the noise of the world and even the noise of church. As Psalm 55 says, ”Oh that I had wings like a dove, I would fly away and find rest”. As we read the New Testament, we are told in many places about Jesus going off into the wilderness to pray and be alone.

Our current culture is on overload, smart phones, endless visual stimulation, endless music-even in the church. We are hardly ever just quiet, everywhere you go, everyone is glued to their smart phone. I have often said, what if we came to church and didn’t ask God for anything? What if we just waited on Him? That will not fly in most churches today since the program must go on.

Psalm 130 says, “I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in his word do I hope. I wait for the Lord, more than the watchman for the morning, more than the watchman for the morning”. Isa 40 says “But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint”. There is a rest that we can enter in to as we wait for the Lord. I for one, need that rest. It is important for me to find that place of rest, that place of refuge that God has for those who wait upon Him. Oh that sweet place of rest, where God speaks quietly to our hearts.

I remember years ago moving to Pensacola, coming to the Brownsville Revival. There was many a night that I had to leave the revival meeting so I could go and find a quiet place to find the Lord. Revival was exciting and loud but left me empty in many ways. At that time my greatest need was Jesus, and I found myself needing to get away from the noise and the hype. I just need to be quiet and wait on the Lord, it was the only place that I found the strength to carry on. There is a thing call “social exhaustion”, we have to guard against it. We have to escape to a quiet place; we have to wait for the Lord.

The verse in 1 Corinthians 14:1 is almost always translated as “Earnestly desire Spiritual gifts”. The funny thing is that the word “gift or gifts” is not used at all in 1 Corinthians 14 according to the original Greek. The translators added it to give their understanding of what they thought the text was trying say. Many translators translated it that way. But Greek is precise language and there is a difference between the Greek words “pneumatika” (of the Spirit or things of the Spirit) and the word “charismata” (gift). Paul uses the word “pneumatika” in 1 Corinthians 14:1 for a reason. In fact, in all of 1 Corinthians “charisma (gift or gifts)” is only used 7 times, while “pneumatica (things of the Spirit)” is used 15 times. Again, Greek is a precise language and Paul was trying to make a point. That point being made in 1 Corinthians 13. If you don’t have the “things of the Spirit” such as “faith, hope and love”, your gifts mean nothing.

There are some translations that do say “Earnestly desire the things of the Spirit.” Things of the Spirit vs Spiritual gifts, the difference between the two is important. “Earnestly desire the things of the Spirit’ is a better translation. It is more encompassing. It goes beyond just the “gifts” of the Spirit, yet it does include them. The Literal Standard Version says “Pursue love, and earnestly seek the spiritual things, and rather that you may prophesy”. Young’s Literal Translation says “Pursue the love, and seek earnestly the spiritual things, and rather that ye may prophecy”. The Literal Emphasis Translation says “Pursue love, and be zealously earnest of the spiritual things, especially that you may prophesy”.

The same is true of 1 Corinthians 12:1, most translations say “Now concerning Spiritual gifts brethren”. But the word “gifts” is not in the Greek. Again it is the word “pneumatika” (things of the Spirit). The first 3 verses of 1 Corinthians 12 don’t really make any sense with the use of the word “gifts”. But Young’s Literal Translation makes more sense, 1 Corinthians 12:1-3 “And concerning the spiritual things, brethren, I do not wish you to be ignorant; ye have known that ye were nations, unto the dumb idols — as ye were led — being carried away; wherefore, I give you to understand that no one, in the Spirit of God speaking, saith Jesus [is] anathema, and no one is able to say Jesus [is] Lord, except in the Holy Spirit”.

When I was first saved in the Jesus Movement/Charismatic Movement in the early 1970’s, a central part of the focus was on “gifts”. You had to get the gift of tongues or prophecy. The books on the gifts were endless. We wrongly put too much emphasis on the gifts and not enough about all things of the Spirit. It is still the case today. There were many who supposedly have a gift but do not have any fruit of the Spirit. I think Paul addressed that problem in 1 Corinthians 13 when he said, “without love we are nothing”.

“Earnestly desire the things of the Spirit” encompasses all things pertaining to our walk in the Spirit. We are to desire that! We are to be Spiritually minded. Which means becoming holy, like Jesus and the Father. They are so different from us, but the Spirit will help us to become more like Them-compassionate, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in faithfulness and truth, forgiving wrongdoing and sin against us. As we desire the things of the Spirit, God changes us and the Spirit helps us as we grow “to a mature man, to the measure of stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ”.  Ephesians 4:13. That is the goal of Paul’s teaching, to bring us from “babes in Christ” to “full maturity”.

by A.W. Tozer, 1950

“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers
among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies … “2 Pet. 2:1
Whatever it may be in our Christian experience that originates outside of Scriptures
should, for that very reason, be suspect until it can be shown to be in accord with them.
If it should be found to be contrary to the Word of revealed truth no true Christian will
accept it as being from God. However high the emotional content, no experience can be
proved to be genuine unless we can find chapter and verse authority for it in Scriptures.
“To the word and to the testimony” must always be the last and final proof.
Whatever is new or singular should also be viewed with caution until it can furnish
scriptural proof of its validity. Throughout the twentieth century quite a number of
unscriptural notions have gained acceptance among Christians by claiming that they were
among truths that were to be revealed in the last days.
The truth is that the Bible does not teach that there will be new light and advanced
spiritual experiences in the latter days; it teaches the exact opposite! Nothing in Daniel or
the New Testament epistles can be tortured into advocating the idea that we of the end of
the Christian era shall enjoy light that was not known at its beginning.
Beware of any man who claims to be wiser than the apostles or holier than the martyrs of
the Early Church. The best way to deal with him is to rise and leave his presence!
Copyright 1950 A. W. Tozer
From “Renewed Day By Day – A Daily Devotional”
Compiled by G.B. Smith, Copyright 1980