With the GRACE AND PEACE FROM GOD You Have FIRM FOUNDATION

GRACE AND PEACE UNTO YOU

Farewell Message to Glad Tidings Tabernacle, Greer SC

Although our assignment at Glad Tidings is complete and they now have a permanent Pastor, this Blog will continue. This was my final message to the wonderful saints at that church and we will be in each other’s hearts forever. The Lord has a great future for that church and we are honored to have had a part in paving the way for the things God will be doing. 

Ecclesiastes 7:8   The end of a thing is better than its beginning; The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

The theme I shared in several messages when I first started at Glad Tidings was on Grace and Peace unto you. The expression, “Grace to you and peace” is used in eleven epistles in the New Testament. Such frequent repetition is worthy of lengthy meditation. The Lord knows how desperately we need these two in order to get through the realities of life on planet Earth.

Rev 1:4   John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come

Heb 4:16   Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace; that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

I have wonderfully watched many of you receive this grace as you’ve gone through some tough trials of life over the past year. There is something very powerful about grace, and something so wonderful about the fact that God wants to give it to us when we need it.

Peace starts with Jesus, the Prince of Peace,

Isa 9:6   For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The complete fulfillment of this verse is hard to see if you look at the condition of the world today. Let us ever remember that we have dual citizenship as born again believers. Though we may be Americans, our eternal citizenship is in the Kingdom of God.

Rom 14:17   for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Peace is a key attribute of the Kingdom of God, it is ours as we walk in the Holy Spirit.

Matthew Henry said:

What blessing it is which he pronounces on all the faithful in these churches: Grace and peace, holiness and comfort. Grace, that is, the good-will of God towards us and his good work in us; and peace, that is, the sweet evidence and assurance of this grace. There can be no true peace where there is not true grace; and, where grace goes before, peace will follow. 

Philippians 4:5   Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

6   Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

7   and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

I urge you to continue to yield to, continue to experience, God’s grace and peace no matter what life throws at you.

My wife reminded me that part of our call in life is to lay foundations. Looking back over the past year we’ve done that. I’ve always tried to bring spiritual truths down to where we live, where the rubber meets the road. You’ve been taught the 16 Fundamental Truths, exhorted to walk in the Spirit, to be a people who hear the voice of the Lord and walk in loving obedience to the Lover of our Souls.

Over the year you were taught those fundamentals of what we believe and the application of them to life. I taught on the Tabernacle in the Wilderness exemplifying our roles as priests and kings. We talked about worship as detailed in the 1^st 7 chapters of Revelation. We talked about the gifts of the Spirit and God’s gifts of the 5 Fold ministries to the church. The love and respect you have demonstrated to Johanna and I are indicative that, as Melody once said, that you put what you are taught into practice. What a wow for a pastor to hear that.

I want to remind you of this prophetic message the Lord spoke to my heart about 4 years ago. At the time I was uncertain about the application so I just wrote it down. I ran across it a few months ago and saw how it applied to Glad Tidings and the rich history of revival in the church.

Dig wells for revival is coming. Dig wells for my glory will be poured out. Prepare your hearts for the blessing of the Lord that makes rich and adds no sorrow. For sooner than you expect you shall find fulfillment says the Lord. Your dreams, your visions, and the desires I put in your heart shall come to pass. Dig wells for the river shall flow for a time and the rain of heaven shall fall for a time, so dig wells to contain it for a long time.

Clean out the hard drive between your ears and make room for wisdom and knowledge of the Lord.

Proverbs 11:30   “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise. “ 

In closing I exhort you to blend in with the new congregation, serve and love the new pastor as you have us. May there never be a distinction between those folks and y’all. You, plus all the Lord sends here, are Glad Tidings. Your roles will change but your servant hearts will grow.

Also, may desperation for real revival burn in your hearts. Those of you have experienced it in the past, like us, can’t stand the smoke. 

Always desire the real stuff, not the fluff.

Finally, you are a rare and wonderful bunch and we will always love y’all. You, Glad Tidings, have a firm foundation and we know you will be a great blessing in the future. Y’all are just too deep in our hearts and always welcome in our home.

GOD’S PROMISE OF POWER TO BE HIS WITNESSES

THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

GOD’S PROMISE OF POWER TO BE HIS WITNESSES

 If you prefer, the 30 minute audio file of this message is:  https://1drv.ms/u/s!AorNyYbt-j75aQwfPJ_gLw9Nbhs

Try to imagine what life would be like if we had something we really wanted—and even needed—yet could not possibly obtain on our own. Do you ever ask yourself questions like:

·         “If only there were a way...”

·        “I’m such a shy person; if only I could witness better”

·        “I sure wish I could help that coworker who is struggling at home, but I just don’t know what to say”

·        “Sometimes I struggle in myself, not living up to what I know God wants me to do.”

 Almighty God wants everyone to know Him as more than some vague concept, more than God way up there in heaven, more than some spooky mystical bunch of garbage that people fall into and end up worshiping some fancy piece of wood or stone. 

 Well, how do people find this out?

It’s usually by someone telling them. Just spouting out a bunch of nice sounding words you learned from a book or someone told you is pretty ineffective in bringing about the change of heart that has to happen for someone to come to Christ. Coming to Christ transcends the intellect; it is not a mind game. We are saved by grace through faith and faith is not an intellectual decision. Remember how we get that faith? Rom 10:17 says that it is the result of personally hearing from God.

The capability to communicate with God, and for Him to inspire you to speak in such a way as to build up someone, exhort or comfort anyone, in a way that goes beyond the intellect, starts with receiving His gift of the Holy Spirit. This goes beyond the indwelling of the Spirit that happens at salvation, it is an immersion, a saturation of your now alive spirit man in the power of God. 

https://www.michaeljkruger.com/taking-back-christianese-

5-just-ask-jesus-into-your-heart/

The Baptism in the Holy Ghost is a promise from God to every believer. It should be emphasized that this supernatural power is a promised gift for every believer. Because it is a gift, it is received, never earned. 

Some verses about the promise:

Indwelling

John 14: 15   “If you love me, obey my commandments.

16   And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.

 17   He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you.

Baptized into

Luke 24: 46   He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,

47   and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

48   You are witnesses of these things.

49   I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Acts 1: 4   On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 

5   For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 1:8   But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Does Acts 1:8 sound like a wishy washy, maybe kind of thing? Of course not, it is as definitive statement as we saw in Gen.1 when God said, “And let there be…” and there was

The Promise is for all believers:

29   Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

Peter was speaking to a group of people, not long after he received this gift, and take note of their reaction and what he says to them. It shows how God moved through the spoken word of a believer who was baptized in the Holy Ghost:

Acts 2:36   “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

37   When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

38   Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

What Happens when you receive this gift?

The pattern for what happens when experiencing this gift is spelled out through the book of Acts. In chapter 2 we see the very dramatic event on the day of Pentecost, from which we get our label as Pentecostals. There are several additional examples of believers receiving this gift. These include:

Acts 2:1   When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.

2   Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

3   They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 

4   All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

The Baptism in the HG provides people with the supernatural capability to do things you could not ordinarily do, starting with speaking in tongues.

Acts 8:14   When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria.

15   When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit,

16   because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Here we see another way the Lord gives this gift.

Acts 8:18   When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money

19   and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

20   Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!

What was it that Simon the sorcerer saw that provoked him to act with such ignorance (or was it stupid selfishness trying to maintain his control over the people?).It is a safe assumption to say that they spoke in tongues, especially in the light of these other verses.

Acts 10:44   While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.

45   And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.

46   For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God.  

Acts 19:1   And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples

2  he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”

3   And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.”

4   Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”

5   When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

6   And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. (NKJV)

Results in the believers lives of receiving this gift

The gift is not just for you to have fun with it, or just to build yourself up in faith (1 Cor. 14:4). Remember we talked about Acts 1:8. Being filled with the spirit is God’s gift of power to be a witness of Jesus. This requires power over temptation so that your life is the evidence of God changing lives.

 Most importantly we are given this power to be witnesses of Jesus. Our lives change as we are empowered by the Spirit of God. We should be intensely motivated to share the Gospel and praying for every opportunity to do so with more than words.

Remember, all you have to do is ask in faith, understanding in your heart that the Father wants you to experience Him in a supernatural way that will change your life for good and forever.

Luke 11:11   If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?

OUR GOD GIVEN HOPES AND DREAMS AWAIT US

Our God given hopes and dreams await us 

AS WE actively watch and wait, 

growing in oneness with HIM.

This is the 2nd blog on the theme of STAYING UNDER THE CLOUD IN ONENESS WITH GOD

My wife came across a prophetic blog post by Mario Murillo. This word from the Lord filled my soul with renewed expectation and hope for what my heart yearns deeply to see. Every promise listed and things we are desperately watching and waiting to see. There are many thousands it applies to but I felt as though this was addressed to me and my wife.

But to the righteous core—the faithful pastor—the diligent intercessor, come these mighty words of life: You will shine like the sun! Your enemies will be driven back. The funds for God ideas are being released! Your children will be carried back to you. While many mourn and weep you will see a bumper crop…even out of dry ground!

https://mariomurilloministries.wordpress.com/2019/02/21/why-all-the-lies-are-now-being-exposed/?fbclid=IwAR3c8lfdWW8wV2JguLah2QXqIHFIvCQ6ZHFwQuURjtVIfMRAAzhUGIOquh8

In my last blog I wrote of how the broken things in our lives get fixed as we grow in oneness with God. This message picks up on that theme as it relates to Watching and Waiting on the Lord, being careful of His timing; allowing Holy Spirit to guide us in making decisions. The faithfulness and diligence the prophet specified as the condition for the promise above of are the natural by-product of growing in oneness with Him. Keep in mind that both the verbs watch and wait can be passive or active and always involve, in this context, communicating with the Father.

A Bible school teacher / preacher, Walter Beutler, a man who experienced the Presence of God in ways few people do, was quoted as saying that the Lord told him, "You go, you pay. If I send you, I'll pay." How often have we made bone-headed decisions because we didn’t take the time to hear from God about whatever it was? I am sure we can all say, “Guilty as Charged.” Think of the difference between starting something on our own initiative as compared with His initiative. Sometimes the Lord just might bless it or more than likely He used it to teach us a lesson, to bring some correction. Our intellect is insufficient.

Jeremiah 29:11   “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.(NLT).

Isaiah 55:8   “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. (NLT)

https://slideplayer.com/slide/7612335

We need to continue to learn to think like God does, to go through the Romans 12:1&2 changes. Think of the difference of the outcome of the creation story and some dumb attempt you made to try to accomplish something of little value. God is mentioned thirty-two times in Gen. 1. Everything starts with God. Everything was good because, “in the beginning God.” Look at the oneness that exists between Jesus and the Father expressed in these verses from John 10, they will provoke you to progressing in this oneness process:

28   I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me,

29   for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.

John 10:30   The Father and I are one.”

Marriage is also a picture of this oneness,

Genesis 2:24   Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

https://biblestudentsdaily.com/2016/09/09/study-2-the-pillar-of-cloud-by-day-and-the-pillar-of-smoke-by-night

For today’s School of the Spirit Lesson, open your textbook to. Numbers 9, verse 16 until the end of the chapter, Moses redundantly explains the process of following the cloud, of waiting and watching that cloud so that we know which way to go.

Numbers 9:22   Whether the cloud stayed above the Tabernacle for two days, a month, or a year, the people of Israel stayed in camp and did not move on. But as soon as it lifted, they broke camp and moved on.

23   So they camped or traveled at the Lord’s command, and they did whatever the Lord told them through Moses.

The cloud of God’s presence rested over the Tabernacle in the wilderness during the day and the Fire of God at night. When the cloud or the Fire lifted it was time to hitch up the wagons and follow the cloud. They rested in their tents for as long as the cloud was there. It could be a short time or a very long time, they never knew but they were always watching and waiting. With that in mind, what do we do when we have decisions to make?

Ø  Are we impulsive and decide on what seems the most logical, practical or pleasurable?

Ø  Are knee-jerk shortsighted “solutions to a problem” ever a good long term solution?

Ø   Do we get hot headed and react, doing something stupid and/or hurtful?

Ø  Do we at times think nothing will ever happen unless we get out there and make it happen ourselves?

Ø   Maybe we take time to think it through and make a decision based on whatever facts we’ve been able to put together.

We’ve all made these blunders multiple times and what were the chances that the results were in line with God’s best? Whatever decisions we make in life, our steps need to be steps of real faith, nor presumptuous steps of our own choosing. The last one in the list above is a good thing to do but we still need to hear from the Lord. We flippantly take consolation in Rom. 8:28 even when we didn’t fulfill the condition for the promise, I.E. walking in that calling.

Romans 8:28   And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

We must always be watching and waiting to see what direction the cloud is moving. When it’s still we watch and wait for movement. When it’s moving we watch and wait for when it stops. Who here has patience to do this all the time? I didn’t think I’d see any hands. We have to wait and listen for God’s still small voice, His gentle prodding, or His shove to get going. If we’re staying under the cloud, in step with God, our steps will always be steps of faith.

Hebrews 11:6   But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Romans 10:17   So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Ever think about what God was doing during those times when the cloud stayed put for a long time? Perhaps the most important thing He was after was that His people learn to spend time with Him that He might get them ready for the next part of the schlep to the Promised Land. Whether moving, or still, He will be revealing Himself to us, drawing us further into oneness with Him as we watch and wait.

Isaiah 40:31   But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Ever notice that sometimes God’s answers to the questions we ask Him are answered almost instantly. More often we experience the harder part of the process, the many other times when we wait much longer than our flesh wants to. Just as the Israelite's experienced that cloud and fire, the Lord wants us to experience a life of listening faith, of watching and waiting, of sensing His moving and hearing His voice. Are there 2 sets of footprints in the sand next to each other? Are our footsteps next to His, not wandering around, not lagging behind or running ahead?