Here is a great series by David Ravenhill, worth a listen. This is part one.
Posted in Church in Crisis, Deeper Life | Tagged David Ravenhill, Leonard Ravenhill, surviving the anointing, the anointing | Leave a Comment »
Romans 11:22 Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise, you also will be cut off.
The Visitation and Kindness of God
The days of Jesus were days of extreme mercy and kindness to those who received Him. Oh the blessing to those who received Him. He brought miracles, healing to the sick, hope for the downtrodden and forgiveness of sins. When John the Baptist’s disciples asked Jesus if He was the One, His response in Luke 7:22 was “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM. And blessed is he who keeps from stumbling over Me”. We are told in Luke 11:44 that many “did not recognize the time of His visitation”. His coming was going to usher in a New Covenant, and they would not have it. Matthew 27:20 “But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death.”
That time had been predicted, and invaluable blessings were promised as the result of His advent; but they would not know it. They rejected him, they put him to death, and it was just that they should be destroyed. (Barnes Commentary)
The Vengeance and Severity of God
Those days of extreme mercy were going to be followed by days of extreme vengeance. We are told in Luke 21, that Jesus foretells of the destruction of those who did not believe and the destruction of Jerusalem. Luke 21:20-24 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is at hand. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains and let those who are in the midst of the city depart and let not those who are in the country enter the city; because these are days of vengeance, in order that all things which are written may be fulfilled”.
The severity of this judgment is told in Matthew 23:23-36. Verse 34-36 says. “Therefore, take notice, I am sending you prophets and wise men [interpreters, teachers] and scribes [men educated in the Mosaic Law and the writings of the prophets]; some of them you will kill and even crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues, and pursue and persecute from city to city, so that on you will come the guilt of all the blood of the righteous shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah [the priest], the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. I assure you and most solemnly say to you, [the judgment for] all these things [these vile and murderous deeds] will come on this generation” (Amplified).
To me it is staggering! The blood of Jesus, the blood of the prophets and the blood of the martyrs were going to be laid at the feet of that generation. The killing of Jesus would bring the day of vengeance that would culminate in the utter destruction of Jerusalem and the utter destruction of the Temple. Jesus not only told them that they were going to be held accountable for His blood and the blood of the prophets and martyrs, but they were also so blind to the truth that they themselves called out and said, “His blood be on us and on our children”. Matthew 27:20-25 In their passion of hate, they uttered these words, they cursed themselves. It is interesting in Acts 5:28 that the high priest and elders were complaining that the Apostles were trying to lay the blood of Jesus at their feet. “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us”. Their hate was so strong that they themselves wanted Jesus’ blood to be upon them and their children, but now they complained that the Apostles were doing just that. It was too late for the high priest and leaders and all of Jerusalem that did not accept Jesus, their destruction eminent, About forty years later, the Romans brought a severance vengeance and destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. Josephus also tells us that one million Jews died in the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The severity of God.
Hebrews 3:7-11 “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers tested and tried Me, and for forty years saw My works. Therefore, I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known My ways.’ So I swore on oath in My anger, ‘They shall never enter My rest’”.
We ourselves have the opportunity to accept Jesus; His kindness is still towards all who are needy. His compassion and mercies are new every morning. We all can behold the the kindness and severity of God; to those who reject Him, severity, but to you who accept Him, God’s kindness, and we must continue in His kindness; otherwise, we also will be cut off.
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Isaiah 32:1-2 “Behold, a king will reign righteously, and princes will rule justly. And each will be like a refuge from the wind, and a shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dry country, like the shade of a huge rock in a parched land”.
Isaiah 25:4 “For Thou hast been a defense for the helpless, defense for the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat”.
Many years ago, while I was in a very severe testing in my life, a dear friend/mentor told me that one day I would be “like the shade of a huge rock in a parched land”. He told me to meditate on those verses in Isaiah. Now years later, as I look at these verses, I see that the testing of the Lord is what forms us. We become conformed to His image and learn obedience through testing and suffering. Even Jesus “learned obedience through the things that He suffered (Heb 5:8)”.
Isaiah 50:4 says, “The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of disciples, that I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple”.
Oh, to be such a disciple! To have learned of the Lord how to be like Jesus, “to sustain the weary with one word”! To be a refuge and shelter from the storms of this life! To have rivers of water “flowing from our innermost being” (John 7:38). To be like a “shade of a huge rock in a dry and parched land”!
We can be these things to those around us. In our churches, in our lives outside the church and in our families. We have something in us that the world does not have. We have the Spirit, and it can flow out of us to show mercy to all around us. Lord help us to be more like You!
Posted in Worship in Cirisis, Worship, Praise and Music | Tagged bible, christianity, conformed to His image, faith, god, jesus | Leave a Comment »
No Lasting City
We are told in Hebrews 13:14 that “For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come”. What a great encouragement and hope that is! When we compare that “lasting city” to our current city, they are light years apart! Maybe we don’t talk about “that city” as much as we should. We are told in Philippians 3:20 “But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ”.
I was born in Denmark and was a citizen of Denmark. I was seven years old when we moved to America. I had left behind my grandparents, my aunts and uncles and all my cousins. It was quite a large family that we had left behind. I never saw most of those relatives again. I never saw my grandparents again.
While I had moved to America, my citizenship was still in Denmark. While this analogy may not be perfect, my heart was in Denmark. I longed for that country; I longed for my grandmother in particular. All that I loved was in that country. Now as a Christian, I long for my Savior, I long for my new “country” in Heaven.
Are we too enamored with this life that we do not speak too much of the next? We have a citizenship in a “lasting country” that is so much better than our current country. Our world is filled with so much evil. It is hard to even watch the news or read it online, even accurate news is filled with evil. Have we forgotten that our citizenship is in heaven? Maybe we should talk more about the “everlasting city”, maybe we should talk more about what God has prepared for those that love Him and love His appearing.
Philippians 3:20 “But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ”. We are to eagerly await His return. And if we die before His next return, we are to continue seeking that “lasting city”.
Colossians 3:1-2 “Therefore, since you have been raised with Christ, strive for the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things”.
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Spurgeon commenting on Psalm 18 and King David-“Being possessed of poetic genius, he served the Lord by composing this Psalm for the use of the Lord’s house; and it is no mean work to conduct or to improve that delightful part of divine worship, the singing of the Lord’s praises. Would that more musical and poetical ability were consecrated, and that our chief musicians were fit to be trusted with devout and spiritual psalmody. It should be observed that the words of this song were not composed with the view of gratifying the taste of men, but were spoken unto Jehovah. It were well if we had a more single eye to the honour of the Lord in our singing, and in all other hallowed exercises. That praise is little worth which is not directed solely and heartily to the Lord. David might well be thus direct in his gratitude, for he owed all to his God, and in the day of his deliverance he had none to thank but the Lord, whose right hand had preserved him. We too should feel that to God and God alone we owe the greatest debt of honour and thanksgiving.”
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In my life, I have tried reproving men in leadership on more than one occasion. These times were accompanied by prayer and genuine concern for that person. Proverbs 9:8 says, “Do not reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you, reprove a wise man, and he will love you”.
Unfortunately, a couple of these times I was not met with love, but anger, accusations and deception. What is that? These were men that I loved and labored with in the ministry, men that I thought would respond in love and acceptance due to our relationship. Certainly, when you rebuke a scoffer or a nonbeliever, it results in anything but love, that is a given. But when you reprove a brother, there should be humility on his part to consider the reproof and act with wisdom.
This proverb is a tell-tale sign of who is wise and who is not. These men were very appealing and excellent teachers, well liked and thought of as anointed. We need to be careful about who we follow; someone can be quite well known and yet lack wisdom and humility.
To be continued
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For our gospel-believing Christian circles in general, I fear there is an alarming lack of spiritual discernment. Because we have shut out the Holy Spirit in so many ways, we are stumbling along as though we are spiritually blindfolded. Ruling out the discernment and leadership of the Holy Spirit is the only possible explanation for the manner in which Christian churches have yielded to the temptation to entertain. A W Tozer—Tragedy in the Church: The Missing Gifts
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Ezekiel 33:30-33 “As for you, son of man, the children of your people are talking about you beside the walls and in the doors of the houses; and they speak to one another, everyone saying to his brother, ‘Please come and hear what the word is that comes from the Lord.’ So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain. Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not do them. And when this comes to pass—surely it will come—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”
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By David Ravenhill
If you were to ask an average believer how many of them stole something this past week. I’m sure the vast majority of them would look at you dumbfounded at the very suggestion. We are all well aware that stealing is forbidden by God and made it to His top ten list of commandments. ‘Thou shalt not steal’ ranks just below ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery’.
Now if stealing is wrong, and it clearly is, then stealing from God Himself would be the ultimate theft. Right!? According to the Prophet Malachi, God accused His people of robbing Him. The robbery was in their tithes and offering which they either withheld completely or replaced with inferior offerings.
Just in case you’re not familiar with the passage I’m referring to, here it is:
‘But when you present the blind for sacrifice is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would He receive you kindly?” says the Lord of hosts. “But now will you not entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us? With such an offering on your part, will He receive you kindly?” Malachi 1:8,9
God was clearly upset with His people and the way they were treating Him. God goes on to say.
“…you bring what was taken by robbery, and what is lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I receive that from your hand?” says the Lord. But cursed be the swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord, for I AM A GREAT KING…Malachi 1:13,14
The point I’m trying to make here, is that in the New Testament, our sacrifices are no longer in the form of four-footed animals but through our praise and worship. Here is how the writer of Hebrews refers to it.
“Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips that give thanks to His name. Hebrews 13:15
Nothing perturbs me more than going to church and having to listen to God’s people barely uttering a word of praise. The vast majority of people are not even singing and those that are can barely be heard. Almost every Sunday I go home with a pit in my stomach telling myself. ‘We robbed God again’, We robbed God again’. If that’s how I feel, then I wonder how God feels?
God had to remind His people that He is a GREAT KING. He’s trying to tell them to honor Him as such and not treat Him as though He’s not that important. If you turn from Malachi to Matthew just a few pages on but 400 years later, we have the account of the three Magi announcing to King Herod that they were on their way to worship the King of the Jews. Where they bringing the blind and the lame? No, they brought Him gold, frankincense and myrrh; a sacrifice and offering worthy of the KING.
Keep in mind that under the Old Testament economy the priest was responsible for examining every sacrifice prior to it being offered. If the sacrifice was blemished in any way it was to be rejected; only the very best sacrifice was acceptable. No wonder we read the Psalmist saying,
‘Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.’ Psalm 19:14
Today, we no longer bring our sacrifices to an earthly priest but directly to the Lord Himself who is our great High Priest. He is the one who decides to accept or reject our sacrifice of praise. Unless we are doing our very best to offer Him as perfect a sacrifice as possible, then we are no different from God’s people in Malachi’s time, who substituted the lame and blind instead of offering the best of their flock.
We read in Proverbs
“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Proverbs 3:27
If we apply this verse to God Himself, then surely, He deserves the praise and honor that is due Him. God is worthy of so much more than just singing a few self-centered songs we refer to as worship. Worship should focus solely on God’s greatness, majesty, holiness, righteousness, and power. I love the lyrics of that song that says ‘Let’s forget about ourselves and concentrate on Him and worship Him’. I’m convinced if we truly did just, that we would experience so much more of His presence in our services.
Throughout God’s word we are exhorted to ‘Make a joyful NOISE to the Lord.’ Or ‘SHOUT joyfully to God, all the earth.’ Or ‘O clap your hands, all peoples; SHOUT to God with the voice of joy.’ Nothing should excite us more than being in His presence and then in turn to let Him know how much we love Him.
One last thought. Imagine being asked to take charge of preparing a large family Thanksgiving meal. Family members will be driving in from various places, some even flying in from overseas for the occasion. Chances are we wouldn’t find you shopping for a turkey the same day of the meal, or trying to decide at the last minute whether or not to serve cake and ice-cream or apple pie for dessert. No doubt you would have been planning for weeks or at least days before.
Worship should be considered as the greatest of all Thanksgivings. The ‘first fruits’ of any service, is the time we set apart, to give thanks to God for all His benefits. It is the responsibility of the worship leader to take the necessary time to pray and prepare for this very special occasion. Every detail should be thought out in advance and not simply thrown together at the last minute. Each song should be skillfully knit together to produce a seamless tapestry of worship fit for the King of kings. The task of the worship leader is to cast up a highway of song that leads the congregation into the very presence of God. Songs should be considered as steps with each song lifting us higher and higher until we find ourselves in awe of His glorious majesty.
The role of the worship leader, is in many ways, as important or even more important than the one delivering the message. The worship time is God’s time, and should be treated as such, while the remaining time is for our benefit and spiritual growth.
A word of wisdom here to those leading worship – let the songs do the work. In other words refrain from talking except for your initial welcome. Now a word to those in leadership. Don’t hijack the worship by veering off into some type of ministry time, that can come later in the service. Prophetic words or words of knowledge won’t perish if not used immediately. There is a time and place for everything so let’s not short change God by interrupting the service and thereby robbing God of all the honor He deserves.
If I’ve ruffled a few feathers please forgive me. I’m simply trying to right a wrong that has invaded the church for far too long. Let’s WORSHIP HIM!
Posted in Church in Crisis, Worship in Cirisis, Worship, Praise and Music | Tagged bible, David Ravenhill, faith, god, jesus, what is true worship, Worship | Leave a Comment »
It is an interesting story, the story of Elisha and Naaman the leper. Naaman reluctantly went and dipped seven times in the Jordan River and was healed because there was a prophet in Israel. He also realized that there was only one God, the God of Israel.
When Naaman offered Elisha a gift, Elisha told him “As sure as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing” (2 Kings 5:16). After Naaman had left, Elisha’s servant Gehazi went after Naaman and lied to him in order to get a gift of silver and clothes. When Gehazi returned, Elisha confronted him because in his spirit he knew what Gehazi had done. It did not fare well for Gehazi when Elisha asked him in 2 Kings 5:26-27 “Is it a time to take money and to receive clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female servants? Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence, a leper as white as snow”.
The story speaks for it self, Carl Keil, a German theologian in the 1800’s says this in his commentary on II Kings-
“Was this the time, when so many hypocrites pretend to be prophets from selfishness and avarice, and bring the prophetic office into contempt with unbelievers, for a servant of the Lord to take money and goods …that he might acquire luxury and goods for himself.
What a rebuke! A rebuke our so-called modern prophets should heed with all their marketing strategies, their endless books, DVD’s, expensive conferences and material. Well did Micah tell of their error! Micah 3:11 “Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe, her priests instruct for a price. And her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the LORD saying, is not the LORD in our midst? Calamity will not come upon us.” It is a stark realization that today’s so-called prophets have many followers, and there is pride in the fact that they claim that the Lord is in their meetings and in their “words”. Micah clearly rebukes them and exposes their error. In like manner, our modern prophetic movement needs rebuking!
The world is in dire times, economic collapses, rising unemployment and homelessness, more and more people are hurting. We live in a world where people need Jesus, the need the true Gospel. Where will they hear it? Will we bring them into a church that is wrought with error and mixture? Where are the true prophets of God? Is this the time to for making money? There are several instances in the Bible where some of the greatest prophets rejected money. Where are they now? These days it’s almost always all about the money. We need to pray for more discernment!! And then use it!
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