WHAT WE CHOOSE

A week or so ago I was shopping with Karen at the air station commissary (I really enjoy our weekly food shopping with Karen) and I ran into a wonderful pastor friend (Pastor Young) and butcher at the commissary. I always so enjoy seeing him with his big smile and warm hug. It always should be a good time when two believers come together and greet each other; this is the communion that Paul was talking about when he said, "I speak as to wise men judge ye what I say. 16The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread." (1 Corinthians 10:15-17) Yes we are to keep the LORD's Supper (many call it communion) this is needed and good, but there is a greater communion supper that the LORD desires we keep every day of our life; the communion of the Saints as we keep the love feast with the bread of sincerity. Earlier in 1 Corinthians Paul tells us, "Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." (1 Corinthians 5:8) I believe this is the communion Paul was talking about (and what Pastor Young and I shared) because we can keep the ordinance of the LORD's Supper religiously, but if we do not keep the communion of the Saints everything else we do for God and in God will be for naught it will be the traditions of men. Keeping this communion is our choice. Whether we will have communion (not communication there is a huge difference) with this brother or that sister who has hurt or wronged us. If not then we will not be one bread, but be fractured, divided, and set apart from the Body of Christ. I have lived this thought. I have been in this situation with a friend I dearly love for over five years, but the LORD prompted me to email my friend (someone has to keep the fire burning) and we got together and had a great time. What communion (not just communication) we had for hours as we got caught up from five years, talked about times past and planned for future ministry, but just enjoyed each other in "sincerity and truth." You could say we tasted and saw that the LORD was good. But I digress, back to Pastor Young. Well we started talking and I made the statement, "whatsoever is planted grows" and as I was talking the LORD asked me why it grows? Now it is amazing as powerful as truth and the word of God is even if planted unless certain things happen it (not dependant on God) will not grow. Now that should give you a pause in your spirit. Growth of truth (as in God's words) has little to do with the seed it can only be life-giving it is the nature of God's word at all times. God's word has an ability, "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) It cannot be anything different no more or no less, but I wonder why God's word planted in our heart and mind does not grow? After all every Sunday at church people hear God's word and it goes through their ear and eye gate has they read the Bible yet it does not grow. Amazingly as it sounds growth of God's word in our lives depends not on the power of the word (it is God's word no word is more powerful) or even on God (nothing is more powerful than God), but is based on our desire or our non-desire of the word we have heard. As strange as it may sound we choose what we want to be planted and what will grow in us. By our own desires we choose what we feel, hear, see, and experience. So too is the word of God planted in our lives. If we do not like the word of God that comes to us (what we have heard and read) we will reject it and it will have NO chance of taking root in our lives no matter how powerful and/or "anointed" it was delivered. If it does not appeal to our character and nature then the chances of God's word hitting its target (our heart and mind) is slim to none. But if God's word is received and planted we must not allow it to set by idle, oh now we must water it with tears of forgiveness and solitude, we must dung it with effort and perseverance to keep it alive. Did you know having all truth is not as important as having a desire for truth? Now I know that is not what most churches teach, but maybe that is why there is not much spiritual growth and development in most churches. We will either reject or receive what we hear, see, feel, or experience. We choose almost everything in our lives. We judge then separate what we do not like. Just go to the food store (commissary for us) and take a look at the cucumbers, lettuce, green onions, etc. We judge the good ones from the bad ones, we then choose which one we like and the ones we do not like. Believe it or not God has little to do with His word being planted in our mind and heart. Funny how we think God measures our ability to keep relationships by the number of relationships we have, but no my friend this is absolutely wrong. God measures our ability to keep relationships not by the ones we have, but by the ones we have lost. In Luke Jesus shares the parable of the sower, but I believe most Christians miss the point of the parable, Jesus said, "A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. 6And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. 7And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it." 8And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." (Luke 8:5-8) The power and ability of the seed did not change it was the same seed in all situations. The ability of the seed to take root and be productive was not dependant on the seed, but on the choices made out from the heart condition and actions of the people the word of God was being sown into. Jesus explains the parable: "The seed is the word of God. (Not money as most TV evangelists say) 12Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.13They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.14And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. 15But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience." (Luke 8:11-15) It was the same word with four different results yielding different harvest based on what the people choose to do with the word. The folks that choose to receive it, "in an honest and good heart, having heard the word keep it." Keeping the word has nothing to do with God, but everything to do with the people choosing to receive it. I wonder why we think God makes things happen spiritually in our lives for us? For the truth to be known God has little to do with our spiritual growth and development; He (God) proves the opportunity, the training, past lessons learned, and the wherewithal, and we must choose to make the right choice. After all God has already given us everything we need to choose right. Peter tells us, "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Peter 1:3-4). Did you get that? God has already given us "all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue." What else if left? There is nothing else more God can give or do for us He has given us "all things." What if God made us choose right? Maybe that is what He needs to give us the ability to choose right. I think not. He has already given us the ability to do this now all we have to do is choose to do what He wants us to do. Written by David Stahl

A NEW SEASON

If we are feeling spiritually empty it may be the Lord’s intention for us to feel this way. The Lord often removes the old to make room for the new when we are about to enter into a new season, thus, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3) What a painful truth to wrap our mind and heart around, but. rather than being discouraged or complaining about our present struggles we should hold this sense of being dissatisfied (being spiritually empty) before the Lord in anticipation of a new and deeper spiritual experience which is beyond our present level of spirituality. Jesus shared these words with the multitudes that followed Him on what we call "the sermon on the mount." Now some have made this message from God (was not a sermon) more than what it really was, but in reality all Jesus was doing was just ministering to the people who were trodden down with life, maybe suffering from persecution, and carrying many burdens. This is the best we can do when we minister just share our thoughts and heart with the people from the word that God gives us and do only those things directed by Him, anything else can be showmanship and can easily reach into manipulation. Often we can feel There is a fresh stirring of the Lord’s desire for us to become all that He would have us to be. We are hearing a new message, beyond anything that we have heard in the past. Our part is to be spiritually open and receptive. “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches…" (Revelation 3:22) Hearing here more by our spirit and not our audible ear. One thing I am learning is anything new I read from the Bible and hear from our other ministers it is best not to allow our old bias to squash it in our thoughts and spirit. It is best to hold it before the Lord (even if we do not understand it) and allow the Holy Spirit to shine His light of truth on it and our heart and when it is for us we will be able to understand it or the Holy Spirit will reveal the error in it. Can you image the thoughts and misunderstanding the people had (probably some the same folks at the sermon the mount) when Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you." (John 6:53) Well if they had not continued to listen (held His words before them) they would not have had the opportunity to be saved and walk with Him. New does not always means bad, but make no mistake new most often means change and most people (especially Christians) do not like to change we are very happy in our old ways of understanding and doing things. Change is one of the hardest things for man to do when they have found success in doing things another way. We even make up sayings like, "if it is not broken then do not fix it." Well it may not be broken, but it can be improved on and that is what God is looking for in our lives improvement the first time he speaks. In the past there were times and places in which there was a substantial moving of the Spirit and many came to respond to the presence of the Lord. However, as soon as His presence lifted they left as their interest was in being blessed rather than in being changed. Funny how this can happen. As a small boy growing up in Pentecostal churches I remember moves of God where the Spirit of God (you knew it was not man originated) suddenly fell, but it has been some time since I have witnessed such a move of God. Two fast ones and slow one, announcements, take up the offering, about 15 - 20 minutes of good sermon (not a message from God), closing song, maybe altar call, and then blast out the door by 12:00 to beat the Baptists to our favorite cafeteria for lunch all directed by a service bulletin that nowhere says God can move when He wants. I hope this does not typify your service. Charles Haun (my teacher) told me a genuine move of God is 90% God and 10% man and the more man handles things the less of God is moving. When I was teenager living in West Virginia we use to attend a small Assembly of God Church in Wiley Ford. The Pastor was Howard Reckley how I loved this man. Well suddenly there was a move of God in the heart and lives of the 10 to 15 kids in the church. We would run down to the altar and praying hard weeping for hours. After school the first thing we would do before we went home was go to the church and spend time in prayer. God met us there in a great way, but the more we tried to formalize and orchestrate our getting together the less of the Spirit of God there seemed to be. Unannounced and in a sovereign way God came to us and the more we tried to do to get to Him the harder he was to be found until we loss interest in it all as you would expect of young teenagers. Many have experienced touches of a higher realm of worship and desire more, but it does not happen in the atmosphere of the worldly approaches (music, dance, lights, fog, drama, etc.) found within the present day Church. This limits us (which brings us to fulfillment and completion not freedoms and liberties) to praise (speaking words adoration to and about God) which can lift us into the higher realms of worship in the Spirit where we bow down, bring our head to the ground, or fall on our face before God which is the highest form of honor, respect, and love for God. I believe the Lord is beginning to unfold before us new levels of revelation as the age-to-come. Revelation as truth is never ours (it is owned by God, but shared with us) and is ever progressive. What I thought I knew (I did and it was real), but God opened another wrinkle, a new vein of understanding from that bit of broken bread to me. He is seeking to take us beyond our hearing sermons that relate to the past or to the future, but into the higher realm of prophetic revelation in which we are receiving a present living word for today. During the 1950’s, deeper-life Bible teachers like: John Wright Follette, A. W. Tozer, Walter Beuttler, and Oswald Chambers to name a few were criticized (there is always a price one will pay for revelation and for the greater revelation the greater the price) and judged because, as forerunners, they saw and understood that which was beyond was greater than what most were seeing or understanding in their day. As there were forerunners in that day there are those today who are reaching into the unknown who also must pay the price of not being understood. Now I am not saying I am a forerunner (probably not) as with John Wright Follette, A. W. Tozer, and Walter Beuttler I can think of others who have a greater revelation (in my most humblest of opinion) of understanding guys like Charles Haun, Wade Taylor, Bill Pepper, Jake Luffy to name a few. I hope you can name such great men in your life but please know when you say and do things that will require change by those who hear your words to come into a greater revelation the stones are coming your way. I think it was Oswald Chambers who said they build the monument to you in death from the stones they have thrown at you in life. They killed Jesus for telling the truth and for saying things for the people to hear. Still in John Chapter 6 we read, "Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?." (John 6:60) It was not the multitudes this time that followed Him, but now it was His disciples who spoke these words. Verses 61-62, "When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? 62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? But look at Jesus' reply to His disciples, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. (John 6:63) Jesus was willing to receive the stones of murmuring to be the stone of stumbling unto their salvation. And is the servant greater than the Master? There is a present urgency and need to present ourselves as being available to become a place of habitation for the presence and glory of the Lord, beyond anything that has previously been experienced or seen. This manifestation of His glory will impact the nations. Walter Beuttler said God told him if he builds God a temple He will inhabit it. May we pray together that we will rise above our present feeling of dissatisfaction, and be ready for that day. Written by David Stahl