A great, not-to-be-missed event! Our appreciation goes to Jarrod and team for convening and organising it. To get an idea what it will be like, click here to see Jarrod’s video-clip of last year’s conference, and to link into accounts of our blessed time there.
I’d draw leaders’ attention to the afternoon Leadership Stream sessions.
HIPS AND BACK ARE HEALED
Paul Skelton had the privilege this week to catch up with Shirley Fraser who is one of our team members here in Bath.
Shirley shared how she has both received healing herself and is now seeing others healed out of that encounter with Jesus.
Paul: – Tell me, Shirley, how your hip used to be and what the doctors said before you were prayed for?
Shirley:- Eight years ago I was advised to get checked out medically, and as a result the doctors said that my bone density was really low, ever since then I have been taking medication which has been changed many times, but my hip was never any different and I have suffered a bad reaction to the tablets.
It got really bad In September 2012, to the point where I woke up one morning and I could hardly walk. The pain in my hip was so bad that I had to get an emergency appointment with the hospital in Bath and an X ray showed thinning of the bones and that a hip replacement might be necessary.
Paul:- What happened next?
Shirley:- I went to a conference but my hip was in agony and so I received prayer from a HOTS Bath member. The next day however I was still in a lot of pain, so they prayed again and 5 minutes later, to the shock of my friends, I was dancing completely pain free…..it was instant, it was a miracle. Since then I have had no pain or any problem walking or even dancing which I love to do.
Paul: – Wow, that’s awesome, what did the doctors say on your next visit?
Shirley: – I had another bone density scan in January this year. When I went to get the results, they looked at me rather shocked and said that it was “unbelievable”. They shared the medical details about there having been a 9.5 % increase in the T score at the lumbar spine, and an increase of 6.1 in the femoral neck which relates to a total hip T score of 10.4% improvement over all since the previous scan. These results have since been confirmed to me in an official letter.
She said that it was absolutely amazing that there had been an increase like this for a woman of my age and that I did not need to take the medication any more. The best they normally hope for is a slowdown in decrease, not an increase. I don’t have to go back for 2 years now. I was overjoyed; I also explained that I had received prayer
Paul: – So how has this healing affected your faith?
Shirley: – I now know for sure that prayer works! A few weeks later, I had some friends around to watch a film, but before we started a young girl with a really bad back pain was there. One of the others said,”Get Shirley to pray as she has been healed”.
So we prayed the way that we do on the streets and all of a sudden she said, “I need to test my back”. What amazed me was the way she started bending over and said, “I have not been able to do this” as she bent over to try it out, we heard her spine clicking into place as she was being healed, then she stood back up again completely fine. It was amazing!
I received a message from her recently saying that she has been completely discharged from the physiotherapist, before that she wasn’t even able to lay on the floor but afterwards she was in tears of joy as the pain had been so hard to bear.
Paul: – So what would you say to anyone else who has back pain?
Shirley:- Get some prayer. Since I have done the HOTS training I am seeing more people healed than I used to and I am now stepping into moving in healing as a daily lifestyle. A while ago I prayed for someone else who used to wear hearing aids for 17 years and now she can hear without them .
Paul: – That’s a great story, Shirley, a real demonstration of Father’s love being made real though healing encounters with him.
Thank you and praise you Lord for this healing and testimony of your love.
‘God-smacked’ again! Two friends told me about sensing light during prayer this week. To confirm and draw my attention to the importance of this, a 3rd report has now come! The opening scripture below from Glasgow Prophetic Centre has been stressed by many prophetical voices for the past year or so. In my opinion, therefore, it would be well to contemplate and weigh these words, to which I’ve added this appropriate shot.:
From a heavenly perspective I saw the nations below: within each nation were individual, bright, dazzling white lights, surging with power. These lights are individual people, glowing with hunger for God – those who are crying out for the more of His manifest presence. They burn brightly with a ‘white heat’ in the spirit realm, reflecting God’s light and life and transforming the atmosphere. And there are more than we would at first realise.
As we pour ourselves out and seek the more of God, He increases the intensity of that heat and light which radiates from us, emanating further and radiantly covering more area (in the natural realm).
I heard God say,
“I am drawn to those who are drawn to me. Just as one magnet is drawn to another, as you pursue Me with all of your heart I see you and respond to your heart cry of, ‘More Lord, increase in me’. I will increase the brightness of your shining. I will increase the reach of where and how you illuminate everything around you. I am increasing the reach of your shining.”
The Lord asks you today to pursue Him, so that the brightness of His illumination might be reflected in you. And to ask for the increase, the intensity – the luminosity of His magnificent brilliance – to be mirrored in you.
Proverbs 4:18 The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day
Footnote: Regular readers may not have had the opportunity yet to follow-up my recommendation to visit David and Emma Stark’s website and consider receiving their team’s daily word. Should you wish to do so, here’s the link for Lion Bites.
Amen…A note of this post by Tony was delivered by ‘God-incidence’ just now to my in-tray. It’s amazingly appropriate because, after waking this morning, I was contemplating how the Lord connects and reveals things to me as a thread or ‘train’ of scripture, teaching, thoughts and insights – but then the idea of them also being pieces of a jigsaw dropped (appropriately?) into mind! So thank you Lord for this vision, and to Tony for publishing it…
1 Corinthians 14:26 NIV
What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be
done so that the church may be built up.
The Lord showed me a vision 02/26/2013 and in this vision I saw people gathered around an oval table. The table was low to the ground so that you had to sit on the floor. The people I saw sitting there around the table each had a piece of a puzzle. As they all worked together, the image on the puzzle began to take shape and when they were finished, the picture was of Jesus Christ. He was the center of the meeting. Each one had to do his part in finishing the puzzle and it was not left to one person to do…
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What an outrageously provocative title!
It’s not mine but belongs to one of your fellow readers, T.E. Hanna, a theology graduate whose blog Of Dust And Kings publishes interesting discussions about God, His Kingdom and what it means to be human.
I like the way his theology ticks.
So I’d like to introduce T.E. to you through the following ‘guest post’, which was one of the first I read. His first two points and the last one match my own perceptions 100%.:
In 1989, Depeche Mode released their 23rd single in the UK, a hit song that quickly climbed the charts and would eventually be covered by such notable musicians as Johnny Cash, Jerry Williams, Nina Hagen, and Marilyn Manson. The song was entitled “Personal Jesus” and the steady rhythm of the chorus drummed out the following lines:
Your own personal Jesus, Someone to hear your prayers, Someone who cares. Your own personal Jesus, Someone to hear your prayers, Someone who’s there …reach out and touch Faith.
While Depeche Mode used the “personal Jesus” idea as a metaphor for codependent human relationships, the concept has nevertheless permeated western Christian culture. Testimonies typically hail back to the moment when one has “finally accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and savior” and the standard evangelism question points to the same idea: “Have you accepted Jesus as your personal savior?”
Yet Scripture knows nothing of a personalized faith.
Bear with me here, and let me clarify what I am NOT saying. I am NOT saying that we should not be impacted on a personal level by the Christian faith – we absolutely should. I am NOT saying that we do not come to Christ on a personal basis – we absolutely must.
However, the idea of a personal savior has taken on a life of its own, replacing the locus of the Christian life with our personal agendas and pushing Jesus to the margins. We customize, privatize, and minimize the Christian story, relegating Jesus to little more than “someone to hear your prayers, someone who cares.” This corrodes the very heart of the Christian faith, eating away at its life transforming power, and ripping Jesus away from His divinity in order to wedge Him into an idol fashioned after a hyper-individualistic culture. This simply won’t do.
Christians need to reject the idea of the personal Jesus, and we need to do it for 5 reasons:
The central cry of Jesus was never “accept me.” In fact, it was quite the opposite. Jesus walked a path which called Him to be despised and rejected, betrayed and belittled, criticized and crucified. The call of Jesus to His disciples and to us is to follow. Following requires leaving things behind and forging forward, laying down your life that you might find it, dying to yourself that your might discover the life abundant in the purposes of God. Acceptance is passive. Following is inherently active.
At the heart of spiritual formation is the move to become “Christ-like”. Often, this challenges our preconceptions and wars against our desires. Good. It is supposed to. The Jesus Way is a way of transformation, of exposing our darker side to the Light of the World that the shadows may be cast away and we may become luminaries of incandescent glory, reflecting the blinding rays of the Son. We must never customize Jesus, reducing Him to an eternal moral teacher that can give us a hand when things get rough. We must allow ourselves to be confronted by Him, restored through Him, and conformed to Him.
John Wesley once wrote that “Scripture knows nothing of solitary religion.” From Genesis to Revelation, we see the story of a God who is creating a people, not just persons. In the instances where we see individuals emphasized, they are emphasized for the purpose of the people. Abraham was called individually to carry the covenant for what would become the people of God. Moses was called individually to free the Israelite people. David was called individually to lead a nation of God’s people. The prophets were called individually to be the mouthpiece of God to His people. The disciples were called individually only to then be sent forth to gather a global people. The popular notion that Christianity is a personal affair, making the community of faith unnecessary, finds no basis in the pages of Scripture. It is only in community that we find accountability, corporate prayer, unified worship, and the edification of the saints. It is only in community that we become the Body of Christ.
So much of Christian rhetoric emphasizes the blessing of God and de-emphasizes the way of the cross. Much of popular Christianity is about seeking these blessings, about conforming God to our will, about how God somehow is charged with serving us. I am not diminishing the reality of the blessedness of God, but blessing is hardly the entire picture. Jesus completely inverts the concept of privilege, calling His followers away from notions of entitlement and into a life of servanthood. The reality of this is that, as we serve one another, we will be served in the process; but the notion that service is somehow owed to us is completely overturned. We, who claim ourselves as children of the greatest King who ever existed, express this most dutifully as servants.
The Christian concept of salvation does more than just look over its shoulder at a sinful past now washed clean. It does more than look at the present as we are engaged in a process of spiritual renewal. It looks to the future, at the outworking of our salvation expressed as a transformed people transforming the world. In other words, Christians are not just saved from sin, they are saved to God. We become active participants in the breaking forth of God’s Kingdom as the redemptive order confronts and exposes the manifestation of sin in society. To limit the concept of salvation to a personal experience (or worse, a personal event) truncates the fullness of what it means to be Christian. We are not just saved from a life of sin; we are saved for a world where sin still manifests.
The popular evangelistic rhetoric calling for people to “accept Jesus as your personal savior” needs to be overturned. It is only in the call to “come and follow” and to “take up your cross” that we begin to regain the deeper things which have historically defined God’s people. It is here, in the deep water, where Christianity comes alive.
So… reach out and touch faith.
What do you think?
How does the personalization of Jesus impact the Christian faith?
Read, and contribute to, several commendable comments from readers and T.E. by scrolling to the foot of this link to ‘Personal Jesus’. I trust you’ll be as blessed as me.
I read it after attending our church home group where we’d worked through Romans 6 in some depth. Thank you T.E for your five points which, together with that scripture, confirmed my objections posted in a discussion elsewhere, as mentioned in my post covering Steve Chalke’s apostasy (here).
After publishing three morsels of Lion Bites last Thursday I thought it may have been rather a rushed job, for my mind was on my next tasks. Upon reflection, I thought I’d been too hasty, especially as that was what it had been like all week. Even so, I was reminded to focus upon those encouraging words. And the Lord was to surprise me with yet more morsels…!
After bashing through a tedious task for an hour I went to buy a rare ‘treat’ – fish and chips! (It makes a pleasant change from a cooked evening meal.) Although it’s less than 3 minutes walk to the ‘chippy’ it usually entails a 10 minute wait at such a busy time.
So I took what I’m reading – Healing Unplugged. Billed as ‘Up close and personal: behind the scenes with Bill Johnson and Randy Clark’, this is a transcript of a teaching video where they interviewed one another on how their healing ministries started and developed. It is minimal on historical details yet the book provides lots of insights and advice. A fascinating read!
Nina and I have often heard both leaders’ exceptional teaching, and Randy is one of the most humble servants of Christ. So, waiting in the chippy I was thoroughly engrossed in reading about the confession of his shortcomings in faith for healing. He proceeds to tell Bill of a breakthrough in his understanding of the vital importance of corporate faith.
Randy spoke about his first visit to Bill’s church in Bethel, Redding California, when God impressed upon him to ask for healings the way that Abraham had asked for the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah to be spared, but Randy should count the other way round! That is, he was to ask for an increasing number of people to be healed as a number that he had faith for God to heal. (Genesis 18 refers.)
At first 25 were healed. Randy said to the congregation, “I just felt as though God spoke to me”. He asked them, “Do you think God is tired?”. “No!” they replied. “Do you think He’s run out of power?” he continued. “No!” they said. Again, he received the same impression from God and as the number was incrementally raised they ended up with 135 healings.
So someone asked why he hadn’t said one hundred at first. The answer was simple – he didn’t have the faith for that number. But his faith grew gradually by increasing the size of his request of God.
As his faith increased Randy would often use that strategy. On one occasion in a large church in Brazil a translator who’d seen him do that many times told him, “You need to ask for more”. “Oh yeah, how many do you think?” he replied. Randy told Bill she announced a huge number in the region of 150-200, “And she said it right out loud in front of everybody!”
How did Randy react and what happened? Continue below and discover an important principle about the miraculous that Randy was about to learn.:
WOW, what words of wonder to ponder with our fish and chips – a spiritual feast as well as bodily feast. Makes me wonder what else the multitude received from Jesus whilst His disciples handed round a few loaves and fish from a boy’s ‘butty-box’! (See John 6.)
Life’s far TOO short for NOT loving one another. I recall a morning’s teaching at a seminar on healing years ago near Streatley, Berks, where a delegate asked if forgiveness has any relevance. He was thanked for mentioning it because that had been overlooked and the trainer said, “Forgiveness is key to healing. Remember, Jesus forgave the soldiers as they crucifed Him!” Then I knew why I’d kept being impressed with a memory of an image of one of the Stations of The Cross that I’d seen as a boy. In her Catholic Church, my mother used to sit near the sculpted picture of Jesus being nailed to the cross! (Many years later Nina would be blessed with a demonstration of this truth, as here.) So, thank you Lord for your marvellous sacrifice for each of us.
The hospital was unusually quiet that bleak January evening, quiet and still like the air before a storm.
I stood in the nurses’ station on the seventh floor and glanced at the clock. It was 9 P.M. I threw a stethoscope around my neck and headed for room 712, last room on the hall. Room 712 had a new patient. Mr. Williams. A man all alone. A man strangely silent about his family.
As I entered the room, Mr. Williams looked up eagerly, but drooped his eyes when he saw it was only me, his nurse. I pressed the stethoscope over his chest and listened. Strong, slow, even beating. Just what I wanted to hear. There seemed little indication he had suffered a slight heart attack a few hours earlier.
He looked up from his starched white bed. “Nurse, would you –” He hesitated, tears filling his eyes. Once before…
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Jesus told the Jews who believed Him, , “IF you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32 emphasis added)
COME, take a train ride with me and consider the relevance of Jesus’ claim for today.
Why on a train? Another intriguing ‘train’ of thoughts and insights is about to pass by, like one of those old-time steam locomotives. They amble along, which allows time for passengers to chat as well as to explore carriages. I can rummage around looking for any interesting ‘cargo’ and such ‘trunks’ often hold hidden gems. Also, conversation with passengers may bring a confirmation, an affirmation or even a revelatory word from the Lord. So won’t you go back three weeks and share my latest ‘trip’ with me?
It’s a free ride, so no need to buy a ticket as we dash through to the platform where its entrance acts as a ‘portal’ and we jump back three weeks in time. On board this short, now moving train we’re welcomed by a kaleidoscopic collection of inter-linked thoughts and insights. Let’s check what’s in this first carriage before we move further along the train…
1st ‘carriage’
Here I sit to dig out of my briefcase some prophetic words I’d been given in 1996 (see Why I’m writing). This sheet of paper opens by stating how the day started with a call from someone who’d heard the Lord instruct them to call me with verses 3, 5 and 9 in the Book of Joshua. Re-reading that first chapter now, however, my gaze fixes upon verses 6 to 8 leading into verse 9 and some words seem to have an added emphasis, as below.:
[1After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2“Moses my servant is dead. Now then…]7…Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
My study Bible says this account of the Israelite tribes’ journey into the land that the God of Abraham had promised him and his descendants was written about 3,400 years ago! I note the fact that Moses’ closest assistant was told to keep entirely focused upon what Moses wrote and upon nothing else. Only by so doing would Joshua and all his people prosper, and God would be with them where they were about to go!
[What Moses wrote is known as the Pentateuch, a Greek term meaning ‘five-volumed book’ and derived from its Jewish designation, ‘five-fifths of the law’. The Israelites knew it as ‘Torah’, meaning ‘instruction’. It is the first five books of the Old Testament: namely Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.[
Then came an insight: the Torah was the only Standing Instruction this national leader had for his guidance. Furthermore, it was and is the word of God – Holy Scripture. That five-fold book was all they had to believe and follow as holy writ – unlike today with 61 more books comprising later history, poetry and prophetical writings inspired by God’s Holy Spirit. The first 5 books were all Joshua had to go on! Even so, God promised to be with him.
So, about 3,400 years ago Joshua had his instructions but must have gained so much more under the oversight of the Living God. Over the next 1,400 years the descendants of those ancient Hebrews received many more writings inspired by God. And then about 2,000 years ago, God once again drew alongside them as ‘Immanuel’. [A Hebrew word meaning ‘With us is God’ and a title for Jesus Christ, as used by the OT prophet Isaiah when he prophesied Jesus’ virgin birth 700 years earlier – Isaiah 7:14 refers.]
By the time this later Joshua (which means ‘saviour’) lived amongst the Jews as Jesus of Nazareth, their scripture had grown from 5 to 39 authoritative books, and which are known to Christians as the Old Testament. [Some traditional Christian denominations recognise a few more books: see How many books are in the Bible?]
Jesus taught the people with an authority greater than that of their priests because His words came direct from God. [See John 8: 25-39 for His declaration on this issue and which leads into the opening verse of this blog. The last part of v 32 is often quoted but ignores the specific condition for achieving freedom – ie. abiding in God’s word.]
Within a few decades of Jesus’ life another 27 books written by apostles and disciples were recognised as being inspired by God and collated into the New Testament as a complete Bible. So we Christians have a huge Standing Instruction.
Another insight comes: As in Joshua’s time, Jesus’ first followers had God’s promise to go with them, only this time they wouldn’t be going into just the small area of land at the eastern end of the Mediterranean. This time Jesus, the Son of God, commissioned His followers to ‘go to the ends of the world’ after the Holy Spirit would visit and stay upon them.
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. [Matthew 28:18-20]
Like Joshua, those Apostles’ and disciples’ Standing Instructions were based upon an existing body of authoritative scripture that was augmented not only by Jesus’ teachings but also by continuing personal direction from Jesus and the Father. That is, this time God’s promise to always be with them was not just for one person only but for many, and His Holy Spirit would be present within them as an endowment of power! Thus, they then lived and moved with God’s Spirit upon them.
2nd ‘carriage’
The week I’m re-visiting personal prophecies I also come across Bobby Conner’s word for 2013, Calling All Warriors. It stirs me deeply and seems so appropriate for today. (It also connects into the ‘warrior’ word from the UK Prophetic Council, as published here.)
Awaken Your Might by James Nesbit – purchase from http://www.jamesnart.net
On the Saturday, a mentoring day, I see an inspirational picture matching Bobby’s word. Also that morning, Dr Stone states that the 1st chapter of Joshua is important for these days. So I open my old NIV at that very place and grin. What do you know! As I do so Sharon emphasises her message by quoting the verses I’d just seen and which I’d highlighted many years ago (as in above image).:
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” [Joshua 1:9]
I’m astounded, as you may have realised from my published account of that day (here). Sharon prophesies that the Church will be moving into what it was always meant to be like, but it will not be easy – as when Joshua led the Israelites into their Promised Land.
3rd ‘carriage’
The next day at church our minister teaches about ‘Abiding in His Word’ – and for me this directly connects into Joshua again! As we considered in the 1st carriage, ‘Abiding’ was God’s Standing Instruction to Joshua, and repeated by Jesus to His followers! The minister then opens this topic by stating:
“The Bible is not a fence that contains God, that is used to restrict Him and His works – it reveals Him! It is guide-lines to indicate who He is and what He can/will do. The Bible is a platform from which He operates!”
Next, she quotes Bill Johnson of Bethel Church, California. (It so happens I’m reading Healing Unplugged, which is a deep discussion between him and Randy Clark about their personal healing ministries. We’ve listened enthralled to Bill several times for he greatly loves teaching from the Word, thereby giving listeners fresh insights.) Now, our minister quotes him as follows:
“It’s hard to have the same fruit as the early Church when you value a book they didn’t have more than the Holy Spirit, whom they did have.”
That reflects in part my earlier thoughts. Next, she goes on to refer to what Jesus told the Jews about God’s own testimony about Jesus being shown though the work He was doing for them:
“But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. 37And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. 38But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. 39You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life…” [John 5 NKJV]
Our South African minister Lindi summarises the meaning of verse 38:
“The abiding word that is written has to become real so that it becomes the manifest Word – and then you believe and see miracles!
Sometimes we pray for revival or change and when it comes we don’t recognise it. Or, we even reject it because it doesn’t fit into our (Biblical) box…
“The abiding word is what positions us for the next thing that God is going to do!”
Wow, all this is amplifying and enhancing my meditations during the week.
4th ‘carriage’
The very next day I’m prompted – and I don’t know why I should do so – to check that a link on an old posting is working. This is the source’s homepage for The Bridegroom Cometh, but I find it’s dead! So I check again a few hours later, but this time I’m so utterly astounded to see there the picture I’d bought only two days ago and hangs in the study! (As above under ‘2nd carriage’.) Moments later Nina enters the study, sees the picture on-screen and her jaw drops!
IS IT ANY WONDER I was absolutely stunned? (As first reported here)
What is our Lord and God saying and indicating?
Can you hear Him?
May I summarise?…
God gives plenty of instructions for us to meditate upon, to follow and live by so that we will always remain, or abide, in them. In addition to that He gives us Himself – so what more could we possibly ask or want?
Here’s one of my favorites on abiding from that very special, private teaching time in the upper room on the eve of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion.:
“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”
23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me…”
Then, when talking about His being the True Vine, Jesus again stresses the great importance of abiding in God’s holy word.:
“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love…”
These are from John 14 and John 15 respectively in NKJV, but it’s much better to read the whole event and thereby gain its full context. So why not invite the Lord to be with you as you read and meditate upon chapters 13-17 of the Gospel according to John?
May He be with you in Spirit…
Our train halts in a station for a quite a while and we take a break to walk around the station. Here we find a number of civilians and military personnel dressed as though they’re in the 1940s! We recognise one distinguished figure boarding as we’re called back on board and enter the 3rd carriage to continue on our journey (click to proceed).
Thank you to Tembisa for this link, which reinforces Steve Hill’s warning of a spiritual avalanche. It is an excellent analysis of a better approach to unhelpful, even dangerous, attitudes which could promote a false Gospel. Also, Hilary White’s linked article provides some keen insights into the Steve Chalke issue. More about this subject may be found in Gillan Scott’s solid review, Unconditional: Rescuing the Gospel from gays vs. Christians Debate. There are extensive comments on this and to his related posts, in which I’ve participated lately. I have, however, one ‘off-side’ reservation. It is recommended by Prof.Tony Campolo, whom I saw many years ago. In reading his Conversation about politics at the time of the last US elections, I was concerned over his using Ephesians 1:18-22 to stress God’s action through earthly politics whereas the verses are about powers in heavenly realms. I trust our professor will acknowledge the King’s soon return to rule on earth?
On 11th Dec 2012 Steve Hill wrote.:
This is coming to you from a man who has just passed through the valley of the shadow of death. Since my close call with eternity just a short while ago … everything has become clearer. I can hear His whisper. Unabated obedience has become my mandate. That is why I’m writing this word from the Lord..:
THE SPIRITUAL AVALANCHE THAT COULD KILL MILLIONS
A few days ago, after enjoying quality time with Jesus, I was surprised by an alarming vision. I saw a massive, majestic mountain covered in glistening snow. It reminded me of the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps. Its peaks were sparkling white and I was amazed by God’s attention to detail. It was so realistic I wanted to go skiing! But I sensed that there was more that the Holy Spirit was about to reveal. As I closed my eyes, I was in a winter wonderland bustling with thousands of vacationers. The ski lodge, condos, hotels and cabins were at full capacity at this popular resort.
Day quickly turned to night as the skiers, snowboarders and sports enthusiasts were settling in. Anticipation grew as the snow began to fall. Everyone headed to bed believing tomorrow would be a day of sheer enjoyment on freshly covered slopes. For an avid skier, the exhilaration of being the first one to race down a new blanket of snow is a dream come true.
Throughout the night, winter storms dropped several feet of new snow on the slopes. The night ski patrol was put on full alert. Their mission was clear. With the potential of killer avalanches they took to their posts.
I began to weep as the vision continued to unfold along with its spiritual application.
The ski patrol operated like a well-trained platoon. Some boarded helicopters manned with small bombs, others jumped on snowmobiles loaded with hand-held explosive devices. What seemed to be a strategic group of sharpshooters were stationed at the base maneuvering anti-tank weapons aimed at the snow-covered peaks. They fired their weapons at strategic points in the “avalanche zone” to force avalanches before the snow accumulated to a life-threatening depth. Left unchecked, the accumulation of heavy, dense snow packed on top of lighter snow could easily slide down with incredible speed and force, resulting in enormous damage and loss of life.
The Lord began to speak. I trembled. The fresh, new snow represented the false teaching that is steadily falling on the ears of the body of Christ. It has been, and is, a heavy snowfall. The skiers represented believers and non-believers, trusting the resort for a safe and memorable experience. As Christians, we have been warned to be sober and vigilant (1 Peter 5:8). However, the present, awe-inspiring teachings have lulled many into a deeper sleep.
The layers upon layers of snow have been steadily covering the solid traditional truth of Christ. The truth is that foolish teaching in these days will become so fashionable even the most dedicated believer could become deceived (Matt. 24:24). It’s happening before our eyes. One (of our) spiritual leaders said the other day: “You guys are old-fashioned ‘holiness,’ we are modern-day ‘grace.’ You live in bondage while we can do anything we want.
Pastors and teachers worldwide have succumbed to heretical teachings including universal reconciliation, deification of man, challenging the validity of the Word of God including His judgements, and even lifting any boundaries, claiming His amazing grace is actually “amazing freedom.” You are free to live according to your own desires. Sound familiar? “They had no king and did what was right in their own eyes” (Judges 17:6). These popular self-proclaimed ministers of the gospel are covering the “slopes” and will be held accountable for the spiritual death of millions.
Just as the ski patrol did in this vision, those who are aware of what’s happening must take swift and accurate action. Their weapons of warfare must be aimed at the peaks and the ‘avalanche terrain’ to dispel the lies. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers must be willing to drop spiritual bombs, fire anti-heresy missiles, and even drive into the danger zones armed with explosive truth to confront this potential avalanche. The generals of this generation must leave the war room and put their years of experience on the front lines.
Friend, I humbly encourage you to heed this vision and take it before the Lord. I’ve written it just as it was given. My responsibility is to share with the body of Christ His words to me. The ears that hear and the hands that obey are out of my control. This is not just Steve Hill telling a story. Most of what the Lord shares with me is personal and remains in my heart. But I sincerely believe that this is a warning for this hour.
Satan is “snowing the saints” but it can be stopped. In the vision I heard explosions. I saw dedicated Christian soldiers scrambling to do anything it took to bring down this avalanche before devastation occurred. One of the most powerful weapons we possess to combat this onslaught is the tongue. Let God set yours ablaze by preaching ALL the words in RED. If we take action now the result will be a tearing down of false teaching and a remaining layer of solid, God-given, Biblical instruction that will save the lost, heal the sick and strengthen Christians to do the true work of the ministry.
Footnote by RB
Underlining and emboldened text are added. My post of 12th December, Does David Cameron’s decision line up with the Bible?, closes with reference to Steve’s article. His stirring message at The Revival Reunion was about the implications of living in or near Sodom in Lot’s day, as it applies today. In passing, Steve mentioned a vow he’d made to the Lord as he was about to die. He vowed that, should he be restored back to life, he’d continue evangelising for the sake of millions of Muslim souls!
In the circumstances, therefore, it behoves every reader to take the preceding message extremely seriously, as though issued with the holy ‘imprimatur’ of Jesus Christ Himself.
Readers and visitors to this blog who aren’t Christians probably have questions about the previous post’s references to a spiritual enemy. Some explanation, therefore, would be helpful for those unfamiliar with the Holy Bible, or Christian doctrine. And, in fact, the good Lord already had that in hand for you! Some timely basic doctrine behind the last post has ‘co-incidentally’ turned up.
So without further delay, I repost an email received today – Part 6 of Rick Joyner’s series on The Great Commission (Jesus’ parting instruction to His disciples, Matt 28).:
THE BRIDE OF CHRIST
As we have been covering, “all authority in heaven and earth” has been given to Jesus, but He has not taken that authority over the earth yet. His kingdom is going to come, and His will is going to be done on earth as it is in heaven. All of heaven lives under the domain of the King. Only Satan and the angels who followed him have rebelled from the heavenly realm and were cast down to the earth when mankind rebelled against God. Now the only rebellion against God in all of creation, the physical or spiritual realms, is found on planet earth.
John wrote that the whole earth lies in the power of the evil one. It does presently lie in his power, but as we are told in Psalms, the earth and all it contains belongs to the Lord. The authority over everything in heaven and earth is under the Lord’s domain, but He has not yet taken His authority over the earth. He could have taken dominion over the earth immediately after His resurrection, but He did not for our sakes. He left it under the domain of evil for a time for one reason—to find those who loved Him and His truth even more than they loved their own lives. They will prove this by living for Him and obeying Him against the opposition of virtually all who are on the earth and hell’s minions as well.
The Lord is all-powerful. He could dispatch of the devil and all of his demonic hordes with the flick of His finger. The Lord could have cast Satan and his hosts into the lake of fire immediately after His resurrection. He had redeemed mankind, and the earth, and it was His to take. He left it as it was for another purpose—He is seeking a bride to rule and reign with Him.
Jesus is called “the last Adam” in I Corinthians 15:45. There was a legal reason for this. The first Adam had been given dominion over the earth. When Adam succumbed to the temptation and chose to obey the evil one instead of God, Satan was able to exert his power over the earth, and we become the slaves of the one we obey. We are told in Romans 6:16:
Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?
When man fell, all that was under his dominion fell with him, and the earth became the domain of the devil. It was a usurped domain, but this gave the evil one power over the whole earth. The reason why Jesus had to come as a man to redeem the earth was because authority over the earth was given to mankind. This is why Jesus always referred to Himself as “the Son of Man.” Only a man who walked in perfect obedience to the Lord could redeem the earth from the consequences of man’s disobedience. Jesus perfectly fulfilled this and took back the authority over the earth that had been lost by the first Adam.
We can have authority over something and not possess it yet. We could be given a car, the title could be put in our name, and it is at the dealer waiting for us to pick it up. However, until we pick it up, it is not in our possession even though it belongs to us. The title to the earth was put in Jesus’ name immediately after the cross. He just has not come to claim His possession yet in order to allow the conditions on the earth to help prepare His bride, the church, to rule with Him.
The bride of the first Adam lived in the most perfect conditions yet chose to disobey. The bride of the last Adam, Christ, will have lived in the most difficult conditions, and against the onslaught of all the powers of darkness, she will chose to obey. No other creation of God will have endured what she will have endured, and yet she will be faithful. This will be a witness to even the principalities and powers that their time is up over the earth. Even the angels will marvel at her and consider her worthy to be their judges. She will be a worthy bride and joint heir for the Son of God.
God does not tempt us with evil, but as stated in Jeremiah 20:12 and other places, He does allow us to be tested. A test is different from a temptation, though a temptation can be a test just as it was for Adam and Eve. We are tested by the Lord to help us grow and to qualify us for advancement, just as we took tests in school to see if we could be promoted to the next grade. Advancement in the Lord includes more authority. (RB’s emphasis)
As Francis Frangipane likes to say, “You never fail one of God’s tests; you just keep taking them until you pass.” That is basically true. Israel kept going in circles for forty years in the wilderness because they could not pass certain tests that were required before they could enter their Promised Land. Many Christians do the same thing and keep going in circles in their spiritual life because they keep failing the same tests. It is now time to pass the tests and go on to possess our Promised Land.
Links:
Lionheart – Richard Coeur de Lion! The above image spoke about my boyhood hero as soon as I espied it. Alone, it lay amidst paintings by James Nesbit at Dr Sharon Stone’s Mentoring Day last weekend. Whilst sipping a quick coffee after arrival, I saw the vendor getting her goods ready. “It’s mine!” I exclaimed and explained why. The meeting was just about to start and so the lady kindly put it aside for me.
This painting complemented several personal impressions and words over the last few years, as well as more recent words brought by prophetical folk (eg. my remarks about HMS Warrior here). But little did I know how it would plug straight into what Sharon was going to say, and into a few things recently happening as well as some destined for the following week! (See previous two postings and comments.)
Below are my notes, hastily scribbled in keeping up with Sharon as she delivered her message entitled.:
Having an enemy is a fundamental requirement!
This season suits God’s prophetic people better than any I’ve known, because we were made for seasons of conflict when people need to hear us and what God is saying. That is, it’s not so much a time for the ministries of apostle, pastor, teacher, evangelist as it is for the prophet.
More than at any other period, we now need to be on time with prophetic words.
Critics say spiritual warfare is no longer required as we can function from a position of ‘rest’. That’s deceptive because our use of weapons needs to be updated from ‘hand-to-hand’ to our enforcing Jesus’ victory by means of decrees from the ‘heavenly courts’. Our enemy – ‘that worm’ – is to be kept underfoot!
We’re at a new level of time. One where we become warriors and overcomers. So having an enemy is a fundamental requirement to achieving that goal !!
The spiritual enemy signals the part of our life (eg family/generational issues) in which he’s afraid of us because, were we single-minded in it, he would be overcome. That is, issues are not our weakness but our unrecognised strength – we just need to keep up the m o m e n t u m!
The present season is going to show who are heroes and who are cowards!
THIS SEASON IS WHEN THE WORLD AND CHURCH WILL SEE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CHRISTIAN AS OUR FAITH GOES ON TRIAL – AND GOD IS WATCHING HOW WE RESPOND AND STAND.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” [Josh 1:9]
[I’d already referred to the early verses in Joshua, which are highlighted in my Bible because they led into the personal prophetic words received in 1996 – as here]
THIS IS THE SEASON FOR THE CHURCH TO BE DEMONSTRATED IN THE WORLD LIKE IT’S NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!
In what we’re not, in all aspects of being a warrior, then we are to be fearless because Jesus Christ is in us and fulfills all that we need; as in 1John 4:4
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
Also, ‘for a great effective door has been opened but there are many adversaries’ (1Cor 16:9).
Whenever an enemy pops up this signals that we’re moving from one season to another through a ‘new door’. [Note: the ‘open door’ again!]
Footnotes:
Waiting upon the Lord a few weeks ago I had a vision of the huge dark green side of a mountain bursting up through the ground in front of me and close to my feet. I believe this may indicate the time has arrived for the manifestation of an open vision I had for the UK. That first vision meant that, as society fell apart, the solid rock that is Jesus Christ would appear (see Comments upon collapse of society). Hence, the imperative need for believers to take a stand upon The Rock.
Readers may wish to read > In case anyone’s puzzled or got questions…
Andy, I’m absolutely stunned by your including this particular illustration of armour with the word from Bobby. I printed a copy from Bobby’s site last week but several events prevented my reblogging it. BUT at the start of the weekend I bought the only copy of this picture at a meeting! After that I heard Dr Sharon Stone deliver a message on dealing with our enemy! My wife has now come into the room and her jaw dropped in amazement! Clearly, the LORD has a most important encouragement and instruction for 2013 – and there’s this inspirational video!!
Thank you to Tembisa at Jesus is Coming for this vision received by Susan O’Marra, and for this graphic. Swords and associated imagery of our Ephesians 6 armour (see below) have been coming to my attention of late. This account therefore gels with my spirit, so thank you Susan. Thus, I submit her ‘vision 1’ and the Lord’s word for careful weighing by fellow believers, and for waiting upon Him.:
On 01-01-2013, I awoke to a vision of a sword hovering in the air. It was being dipped into different things. The first thing it was dipped into was a vat of sand. The next was a container of wool. The third was a vessel of a silvery liquid. Over and over, the sword was dipped into each thing, one at a time, and repeated many times in it’s circuit of sand, wool, and oil. Then the final thing was the sword was then placed within the folds of a beautiful garment that hung in the air nearby.
Then, the Lord spoke:
“I am tempering you.
“I am rendering you impervious to cracks, to fractures, to schisms, and to divisions.
“I am hardening you to temptations and to demonic assaults.
“I am making you inflexible to compromise and to mixture of any kind.
“I am making you rigidly righteous, and strong in your faith in Me, so that I can wield you fully.
“I am polishing the last of the smudges in your personality that mar My image from being fully seen.
“I want you to gleam with Me in a new sensitivity and reveal a brighter countenance of Me.
“I am enfolding you into each other, My Robe, My Church, and I am adding into your layers a new corporate strength.
“I have tempered you each individually, now I will form you corporately into a formidable weapon for Me.
“This is the Year 2013, when I will form, I will assemble anew, and bring My End Time Army into full battle view.”
Scriptures:
Exodus 30:34 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight: 35 And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy: 36 And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.
1 Corinthians 9:25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
1 Corinthians 12:23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. 24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked. 25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
2 Peter 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
1 Peter 5:8 Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. 9 Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset–rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.
Ephesians 6:16 Lift up over all the [covering] shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one]. 17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God. 18 Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people).
Susan O’Marra 01-01-2013
Thank you to Chris for emailing a copy of the following from Daniel Kolenda, on behalf of Christ For All Nations. Here’s what evangelist Daniel wrote at the close of last week’s mission in the Ivory Coast.:
“It’s not often that I find myself without words, but right now I’m really not sure what to say. I’ve never seen anything before quite like what we experienced tonight.
“Often, when a sick person gets healed, it causes a great commotion in the immediate area surrounding that person. When those standing close to the miracle watch it happen right before their eyes, it has a profound impact on them. They often begin to shout, scream, cry, jump, dance etc. and we can usually hear and see from the platform that a miracle has taken place out in the crowd. We’ve actually become quite accustomed to this phenomenon over the years as it regularly happens after the prayer for the sick. But tonight was something altogether different…
“Before I had even gotten up to preach (during the boring announcements), this started happening all over the field a scale that is hard to describe. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as we watched wheelchairs, crutches and walkers going into the air EVERYWHERE! One after another after another after another until the excitement among the crowd of 250,000 rose to fever pitch (even now it’s emotional to recall what happened). The roar of the crowd kept growing louder and louder until those of us on the platform looked at each other with shock and awe! It was hard to believe what was happening!
“The blind, the deaf, the mute, the lame and those with all manner of sickness and disease were being spontaneously healed – without a single prayer being said and even before the Gospel was preached. It reminded me of something Evangelist Bonnke has often said, “Sometimes the Holy Spirit cannot wait for we preachers to finish our boring sermons – He itches to do great things!”…” (Click to continue reading Daniel’s report and videos.)
Fantastic! Praise You Lord. I love the bit about ‘boring announcements’ because I’ve always been unhappy with that approach to ‘mundane matters’ – in my opinion that’s a mistaken notion. Great that Holy Spirit came and took charge!
As the Lord is present where two or more are gathered then any event is something to look forward to and not regarded as boring business. It can be considered as the art of ‘Practising the Presence’, as in the works of the Carmelite cook, Brother Lawrence.
To return to Daniel’s comments; yes it is so exciting to witness something as astounding as a miracle happening before your very eyes! Having seen many testimonies aired on the TV and internet and being at events where some have occurred, miracles are such a marvellous example of ‘God in action’. (Read about and watch video clips on this blog at God Heals Today.)
Thanks be to Jesus for the testimonies in this report received from Paul Skelton, which is followed by a note explaining my personal interest for newer readers of this blog:
LOOKING BACK OVER 2012
Here’s just a handful of the many stories resulting from prayer from the HOTS Bath Team over the past year, both out on the streets and as members walk it out as a daily life style. :-
“I’d been feeling really hounded with facial twitching for the previous 16 days…. after
they prayed for me on Tuesday, the twitching stopped.”
“My back was prayed for …and it is 90% better. I have had problems sleeping because of it, but slept really well the last 2 nights.”
“We were chatting away when suddenly she turned and cried out as her back gave her
great pain… her eyes watered with the pain….I told her that our Father wanted to heal her of that and laid my hand on her and prayed and after a while she looked better. Later that day she sent me a text to say that her back was better!”
“I had badly sprained my knee the previous Saturday….. The prayer was an amazing experience and at such an unexpected venue. My knee pain immediately disappeared and I walked 2 miles on Monday, two days after walking around on crutches and three
days after being told by the GP it would take 4-6 weeks to heal!”
“Thank you for your boldness and frankness to demonstrate and proclaim the Kingdom of God out on the streets and for your amiable manner and the naturalness in which you shared with us and the people on the streets. It was a pleasure to experience the anointing for healing and evangelism you brought along.”
A Team Member’s Journey
I have been a Christian for over 25 years, studied the Bible and have been fully committed to following what the Bible taught, with a limited amount of success.
There was always an underlying frustration that I did not see the transformation in peoples’ lives that the Bible led me to expect, and I saw very little of the signs and wonders that Jesus promised would follow those who believed.
Surely Jesus promised “life in abundance” (John 10 verse 10) NOW, not “pie in the sky when we die”!
During this last year I got involved with a group of Christians who prayed for people on the streets. But first this required talking to people, mostly non-Christians, about Jesus, about God. This was a scary challenge to me since they don’t understand our church jargon.
As I simply told people how much God loved them, a surprising thing started to happen to me. What I was telling others started to hit home in my heart – God really loved ME! I had known this in my mind and could quote appropriate scriptures, but I now realised that my heart hadn’t fully got the message until now.
I now feel such a joy inside, which had not been there before. The frustrations I had experienced with people have somehow been exchanged for compassion and apprec-iation. So, this is why Psalm 16 verse 11 says “in His presence is fullness of joy”.
This is what some people feel when they first become Christians; the Bible becomes
alive as never before, and they can’t get enough of His presence, whether meeting together with others to pray and worship or by themselves. (Ed Humphreys)
LOOKING AHEAD INTO 2013!
Here are some of the ways you can connect with us this year:
HOTS Bath is a Reg. Charity No. 1133098
Footnotes by RB
This report is most encouraging because a year ago, within three months of this blog’s debut, a political ruling prohibited prayers for healing in public places. Consequently, my wife and I contacted Paul about including her testimony of healing on the HOTS Bath website. This was because she’d received her healing from permanent disability in that city before the days of HOTS. I’ve since supported and promoted his campaign against the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and which attracted Parliamentary interest. An official review found a substantial flaw in the ruling, as reported here.
Until now I’ve not mentioned the following more personal and related events:
An unexpected outcome to Paul’s publication was that an investigative journalist came to our house – an expert in exposing bogus claimants of the Disability Living Allowance! That is, some fully fit and able people use counterfeit permits and fraudulently receive the state allowance. He was fully expecting to see a permit on our car but didn’t – he was quite perplexed!
So we invited him in. Over ‘a cuppa’ we told him the full story and Nina showed him the documentation. Regrettably, the journalist didn’t get back to us. Did his editor squash his story?
More important, however, is this expert’s opinion that the proof of Nina’s healing is not that she is now able-bodied, but that she contacted the Dept of Pensions to cancel the allowance to which she’d been entitled because of her disability! That is, she is out-of-pocket. (The Dept’s computer system had no way of coping with such an about-turn!)
Therefore, I contacted the lady who’d made the original complaint to the ASA and gave her the reporter’s opinion of the incontestable facts. Although supposing herself to be an investigator of the supernatural, she hadn’t the slightest interest in our evidence or pleasure to learn about the healing. She thereby denied its truth and demonstrated her complete lack of integrity – a fraud herself. But what else can an atheist do?
Another outcome of this issue was the inclusion of Nina’s account on this blog within a library of accounts of healings, some medically inexplicable, with which we’re familiar. All of these may be found under God Heals Today. And whilst in Hull, we chatted with a lady who’d been healed from being fully wheelchair-bound for over 3 years (video)
The posting that set the ball rolling was Muhammed knows more than ASA! and, should you want to read it, the saga may be followed under the ASA tag. Other posts may be found under the HOTS tag and Healing/Miraculous categories. (Tags & Categories are listed on the Home page.)
To learn about our training day with Mark Marx, the founder of Healing On The Streets, and activity in Trafalgar Square click here.
Thank you Jarrod for such a superb reminder.
“Let us perceive The Lord. Let us press on to experience him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rain” Hosea 6:3
Hosea 6:3 teaches us how to change the climate in our lives. Here’s how to cause it to rain heaven:
Firstly, perceive the Lord. Take a moment to think about the fact that He is right by you, right now. His presence, His wisdom, His power is in the room where you are. His angels are around you. His help is at hand. He is closer to you than your skin!
Secondly, in the words of Hosea 6:3, “press in to experience Him”. Worship Him a little, make some requests, read and think about a few scriptures. Cast all your cares on Him and pause a few moments to listen for Him. Invite the “King of Glory…
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Hat tip to Mavis for advising that headlines in today’s Daily Mail refer to a miraculous escape during yesterday morning’s rush-hour on the South Bank, London, viz:
Two workmen last night thanked ‘divine intervention’ for their astonishing escape from death as a helicopter crashed into their crane and turned into a fireball.
The pair should have been in the cabin when disaster struck, sending burning debris cascading 700ft on to the rush-hour streets of London below.
Instead, Richard Moule and his colleague Nicki Biagioni were late for work – both had overslept for the first time in years – and missed death by minutes.
Regrettably, Peter Barnes and Matthew Wood were the only ones to have lost their lives when Pete’s helicopter inexplicably went out of control and crashed into the crane and ‘friendly giant’ Matthew was the unfortunate passing pedestrian down below. [See Daily Mail’s online account and photo library.]
About a dozen people only (!) were injured, as today’s Telegraph reports under 2-page broadsheet headline.:
‘Miracle’ of how so few died when fire rained down on the rush hour – The fact that only two people died when a two-ton helicopter crashed on to a busy road during the morning rush hour was nothing short of miraculous, police said.
Emergency workers who scrambled to the scene had expected the death toll to be “much, much worse”, but instead they came across a series of astonishingly narrow escapes, including a baby who was inches from death when a piece of wreckage smashed through his parents’ car roof on to the seat next to him…
Fate contrived an extraordinary set of circumstances to limit the death toll to the helicopter pilot and a pedestrian, including a red traffic light that kept the crash site almost entirely clear of vehicles.
“It doesn’t take a great deal of imagination to think what would have happened if that helicopter had crashed onto a bus or a heavily-occupied building,” said Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London.
[All emphases within quotations by RB]
I’ve commuted through and driven around this area many times when I lived in greater London, including the same areas as both families. Whenever I visit I can find my way around quite easily but am always surprised at so many tall buildings in our capital city. Nina reminded me many people escaped death during the infamous 9/11 Twin Towers attack simply because they’d been divinely warned and stayed away.
Traumatic as any unexpected death is for their family and friends, there has definitely been an amazing protective blessing over this accident – perhaps angels ‘arranged’ the fixed ‘stop’ light? It indicates the Lord had a hand in this, perhaps to prove His grace to everyone, believer and unbeliever alike?
Be amazed as you read the reports, see the images and consider the details…and then thank the good Lord.
I enjoy vintage Dilbert; but much better is this story which our dear friend Juliet related as it goes around NE Hampshire. If anyone knows its original source please inform Kenny so he/we can give the credit that’s due.
The surgeon sat beside the boy’s bed; the boy’s parents sat across from him. “Tomorrow morning,” the surgeon began, “I’ll open up your heart…”
“You’ll find Jesus there,” the boy interrupted.
The surgeon looked up, annoyed. “I’ll cut your heart open,” he continued, “to see how much damage has been done…”
“But when you open up my heart, you’ll find Jesus in there.” The surgeon looked to the parents, who sat quietly.
“When I see how much damage has been done, I’ll sew your heart and chest back up and I’ll plan what to do next.”
“But you’ll find Jesus in my heart. The Bible says He lives there. The hymns all say He lives there. You’ll find Him in my heart.”
The surgeon had had enough. “I’ll tell you what I’ll find in your heart. I’ll find damaged muscle, low blood supply, and weakened vessels. And I’ll find out if I can make you well.”
“You’ll…
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When the angelic host appeared to shepherds outside Bethelehem and announced the birth of Jesus they must have been aware of the full identity of this new-born baby. I’d submit that their understanding would have been quite similar to what an ex-pharisee named Paul – who never claimed to have met Jesus in the flesh – wrote years later to non-Jewish followers of Jesus. Paul was exhorting them to become like Jesus and in so doing gave away a fundamental insight. In the middle of a letter written whilst imprisoned in Rome, he wrote, as translated from Greek.:
Let this same attitude, purpose and humble mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God, possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God, did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained, but stripped Himself of all privileges and rightful dignity so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being.
And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself still further and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross!
Therefore, because He stooped so low, God has highly exalted Him and has freely bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should (must) bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue frankly and openly confess and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11 Amp – emphases RB)
This famous passage stands well on its own in explaining the divinity of Jesus Christ, but is much better read in its full context, which you can do here. The Amplified version is quoted because it gives a fuller appreciation of the original. A study of doctor Luke’s carefully researched account of the birth of Jesus (here) and of the early church (Acts of the Apostles), as well as parts of Paul’s letters attest to his acquaintance with Jesus as being through supernatural means. That is, I’m of the opinion Paul was often in direct contact with Jesus after His Ascension and was, thereby, blessed to receive heavenly revelations and Holy Spirit inspiration.
May the above holy scripture enable you dear reader, if you don’t know Jesus, to lead to a personal encounter like Paul and I had with Jesus. Or, if you’re already a believer then may it encourage you to follow Him more closely in 2013.
Richard's Watch 