Soon after my birthday trip to Trafalgar Square with Healing On The Streets, as here, I was blessed with a greater under-standing of God’s action plan: getting the full Gospel message in all its power into the public space. So I want to encourage fellow believers as well as stir those who are not yet Christians to discover more about our faith.
Insight 1
Knowing about God’s action plan gives impetus to our realisation of the spiritual contest going on within society to manipulate people’s thoughts and beliefs away from God.
This has been observed not only in the HOTS v ASA saga but also other spheres of UK government action. Thinking they’d curtail prayers in public for physical healing, the ASA banned HOTS leaflets but this blew up in their faces when the public’s attention and that of Parliament turned towards the issue (as here and here). Also, a substantial flaw was found in the ASA ruling. So, we can perceive the Lord’s hand in these events. However, the issue with the Equalities & Human Rights Commission about keeping religious beliefs well behind church doors, as summed up here by Gillan Scott, still bubbles away.
That struggle is also why Christians are in the European Court, Strasbourg, standing against governmental rulings (see here, here and here). We can understand that the spiritual enemy does not want anything Jesus did in public to be done in public today. Thus, he will attempt in every possible way to thwart God’s plans for returning Christian beliefs and activity to the public sphere.
On this issue political blogger Cranmer has rounded upon confused comments coming from Baroness Warsi, minister of State for Faith and Communities and Senior Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, that the British Government is proud to do ‘God’. His Grace writes:
It is ironic that this ‘Senior’ Minister of State…should boast that the UK Government ‘does God’ while their lawyers at the European Court of Human Rights have made it clear that the position of HM Government is that Christians should ‘leave their beliefs at home or get another job’.
David Cameron – like Tony Blair before him – appears to mistake freedom of worship for freedom of religion. The Baroness apparently grasps the difference, and yet she is part of that government which is arguing in Strasbourg that there is a ‘difference between the professional and private sphere’.
Whatever the Baroness may spout at the UN, the UK has seen a gradual shift from ‘freedom of religion’ to ‘freedom of worship’. The whole narrative surrounding religious faith has gone from being ‘in the world’ to the physical confines of a church, temple, synagogue or mosque.
Insight 2
Sunday morning’s service at Church of His Presence had a late change in its schedule. Pastor John had to be away and Jan Painter spoke on what the Lord’s saying about His plans for revival and taking His presence outside church walls. (Jan prophesied a fresh but return of the glory of God after that of the Brownsville revival.)
For well over an hour Jan conveyed her grasp of the Lord’s words and amongst several gems was this one:
“In God’s presence we become aware of Him, but He wants you to be aware that He is aware of you“.
Wow, how this adds another deeper dimension for our ministering healing! It seems, in my opinion, a lot of what she says about God’s work through The Bay Revival may well apply to HOTS because that team is also part of God’s worldwide action plan to get the full Gospel outside church walls.
Indeed, the Lord’s rebuke that Jan conveyed about believers letting a spiritual weapon fall into disuse also applies to all on-fire churches. (Ephesians 6:10-18 refers.) This is extremely relevant teaching and as the service closed most of the large congregation, no doubt plus online members, started practising this holy gifting.
Join this exceptional service by playing the above video. There are testimonies from deaf and blind folk being healed before Jan starts speaking at 1hr30min. [Takes few seconds to start but play can be advanced along the loading gray buffer bar.]
Insight 3
How can I convey what followed the previous two within days? At the first home group we attended of our new church the preacher brought a powerful text for discussion – the third chapter of Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus.
I received a ‘download’! It was almost visible! My New King James Study Bible heads this chapter as The Mystery Revealed, with sub-headings Purpose of the Mystery and Appreciation of the Mystery. I n t r i g u i n g !
As the chapter was read aloud and certain Greek words in verses 16 to 20 discussed, I grasped its direct relevance to all I’ve written above and in the preceding posts about HOTS.
All I can suggest for the earnest Christian is to meditate upon and ‘chew well’ the extra-ordinary depths of this whole chapter and ask for revelation. This Bible Gateway link to Ephesians 3 gives the Amplified Bible’s translation, thereby offering a good glimpse into the meaning of Paul’s apostolic teaching.
Just savour these verses then, along with the rest, chew and swallow the whole chapter and then the rest of this short letter:
10 [The purpose is] that through the church the complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers) in the heavenly sphere.
11 This is in accordance with the terms of the eternal and timeless purpose which He has realized and carried into effect in [the person of] Christ Jesus our Lord,
12 In Whom, because of our faith in Him, we dare to have the boldness (courage and confidence) of free access (an unreserved approach to God with freedom and without fear). – – – – –
16 May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality].
17 May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love,
18 That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it];
19 [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!
AMEN!
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