"The Hidden Springs" by Arthur Wallis

One of the traditional charges against the Charismatic Movement in the 1970's and 80's was that there was no much Biblical depth to what the charismatic teachers taught. That charge is becoming less and less viable as Terry Virgo's recent invitation to the FIEC Council suggests. Interestingly enough one charismatic leader who escaped the charge (even Terry himself came under fire at a Westminter fraternal hosted by Peter Lewis for teaching on apostolic ministry) - was Arthur Wallis. Arthur Wallis was very much a statesman of the Charismatic Movement in the United Kingdom like Ern Baxter was in the USA. Arthur always taught with the Word of God first and foremost in his mind. It is with interest then that I present his teaching from a Restoration Magazine I discovered while re-organising some of my library. The theme of the magazine was; "The New Testament Prophet" and contributers to the magazine included David Mansell and Alan Vincent (who worked with Terry Virgo and what was Coastlands for a while).

"A prophet of God" - what does the phrase conjure up in your mind? Moses stretching out his rod to part the Red Sea? Elijah calling down fire from heaven? Or maybe Agabus predicting a severe famine throughout the world? In this article we are not so concerned with the spectacular revelations of the prophet, as with the hidden springs of his life and ministry. Or to put it more colloquially, let's find out what makes the prophet tick.

According to God's estimate being takes precedence over doing. In other words God's primary concern is with a man's character and only secondarily with his ministry. The reason for this is not far to seek. What we do must spring from what we are and if what we do appears more spiritual than what we are, sooner or later (and it is usually sooner) our doing is sabotaged.

This is vividly illustrated by the tragic history of Samson, whose spectacular feats against the Philistines were offset by his own carnality. In the end he spent his last days a prisoner of his enemies and never achieved a full deliverance for Israel.

Though the theme of this issue of the magazine is the NT prophet we shall find that all the basic principles that govern this NT ministry are to be found in what the OT teaches us, especially when we investigate the hidden springs. Let us look at the earliest prophets mentioned in the Bible.

We have to reach almost the closing book of the Bible before we learn that the first prophet in the history of mankind was Enoch. We would never have known if Jude had not told us (v14). We don't usually think of Enoch as a prophet but as the saintly man who walked with God for 300 years. Just to think that we consider ourselves if we have a day's unbroken fellowship with God! So Enoch set the standard, living as he did in the dawn of human history, for all successive generations of prophets. Someone has described him as an Alpine climber last seen heading for the summit. And of course we have the inside story. He didn't slip and break his neck. He made it.

1. The prophet is called first and foremost to a life of intimacy with God.

It wasn't that Enoch had it in him. The record in Genesis 5 makes it clear that he didn't start to walk with God till he reached what we now regard as retiring age. Life really began for Enoch at 65! That should teach us that it's never too late.

This brings us to Abraham. He is the first man that God ever called a prophet and in quite a surprising connection. Not because he brought some stupendous prediction like Enoch who prophesised the day of the Lord at the dawn of human history. A tribal king called Abimelech had taken Abraham's wife for his harem, thinking her to be Abraham's sister with the result that a judgement of barrenness had fallen on his household. God spoke to him in a dream and having explained the situation told him; "Now return the man's wife for he is a prophet and he will pray for you and you will live" (Genesis 20:7).

2. So the first thing that God ever said about a prophet was that he was a man who had access to God - not just a man who prayed, but a man who got his prayers answered!

It is significant that Abraham the prophet was also called "God's friend" (2 Chronicles 20:7, Jas 2:23) and this is clearly illustrated in connection with his prayer life. God was about to bring destruction on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for their heinous wickedness. "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?" God asked Himself. Why should He? Abraham was His friend with whom He was accustomed to sharing His secrets, so He shared this one with him. The result was what God intended. Abraham got involved. He wrestled with God in prayer. Although these two great cities were not saved by Abraham's praying, Lot and his family were, and that would have been one of Abraham's major concerns in his intercession.

This friendship, this intimacy with God is one of the most beautiful features of Abraham's life. God loved to walk with him under the stars and share with him His heavenly secrets. What exciting times they were. Sometimes the magnitude of what God promised him was enough to stagger his faith but "Abraham staggered not". God would say to him when he still had no child "and try to count the stars. That's how numerous your descendents will be". And on another occasion; "Look as far as you can to the north and to the south and to the east and to the west. All this land I am going to give to your descendents".

3. So the prophet is privilidged to share God's secrets and to what God plans to do. "Surely the Lord God does nothing without revealing His secrets to His servants, the prophets". (Amos 3:7 RSV).

The next great prophet in the line of succession was Moses.

We may think of him as the prophet par excellence of the OT for he enjoyed face to face communion with God beyond that generally experienced by prophets. God said of him; "I reveal myself to (a prophet) in visions, I speak to him in dreams. But this is not true of My servant Moses ... With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles" (Num 12:6-8).

To him it was revealed that the greatest prophet of all, the coming Messiah, would be a prophet like himself (Deut 18:15). Moses unique-ness is confirmed by his obiturary; "Since then no prophet has arisen in Israel like Moses who the Lord knew face to face" (Deut 34:10).

There are two expressions used of Moses that are characteristic and that must shape our whole thinking about the hidden springs of the prophet's ministry. The first we find in the above quotations from Numbers when God refers to him as "My servant Moses". Again and again he is called the "servant of the Lord". In coming to know God, the prophet's attitudes and inner disposition have been so shaped that all self-possession, self-importance and independence of spirit have been eliminated. His posture before the Lord is that of the servant waiting at the door-post to come to the master's call or to run to do his bidding or to stand forth to speak his word.

The other expression is "Moses, the man of God". From then on "man of God" became a synonym for a prophet. It is used of Samuel and of David, and of Elijah and of Elisha. Many prophets in the record are anonymous. We simply read; "A man of God came ...". What does the experience suggest? That here is someone whose relationship with God is deep and intimate and real. He knows God. A brother and I were discussing a young man in the church whose lack of spiritual progress was giving us cause for concern, when my friend remarked; "What he needs is a big dose of God". The same could be said of many believers. A prophet is someone who has had just that.

That is what we must have if we are to be a prophetic people. There must be a God-conciousness about us. We must feel at home in His Presence. Our fellowship with God must be one of reverent intimacy. Something of the inner life of the man of God must characterise the people of God.

Inevitably a man of God is someone in who a goodly measure of the character of God has been formed. There is a saying; "You can't walk with a miller without getting flour on your shoulder". You can't walk with God, spend time with God without something of God brushing off. There were many sons of the prophets at the time of Elisha but the woman of Shunem discerned there was something different about Elisha. She described him as a "holy man of God". When Elijah suddenly appeared in the courts of king Ahab with an ultimatum from heaven, no-one knew who he was or where he came from. So first he presented his credentials; "As the Lord God of Israel lives, before Whom I stand" (1 Kings 17:1). Here was an ambassador who had come from heaven's courts, who was accustomed to standing before the King of Kings.

4. These are the only true credentials of a NT prophet. He is a man who stands before God. He comes to men from God's Presence to speak God's Word. This is the secret of his authority.

There are those today, even as in the past, who claim to be the prophets, but who cannot produce these credentials. They have not been standing before God. They have not been hearing what God was saying. They speak the visions of their own mind, the thoughts of their own hearts and not from the mouth of the Lord. They may even speak what is true and biblical, but it is not God's "now" word. Listen to what God says about such; "I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their own message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. But if they had stood in My council, they would have proclaimed My words to My people" (Jer 23:21-22).

There is always a temptation to put prophets, whether biblical ones or present-day ones on a spiritual pedestal. "They must be of different stuff from us" we say to ourselves. James will not allow us to get away with such thinking. He tells us firstly that we must look on them as examples of a man who prevailed in prayer, he anticipates our objections by saying first of all that he was a "man just like us" (5:17). At one point he ran away in fear and then even gave way to self-pity and self-justification. Nevertheless he accomplished the will of God.

Let me say it again; the prophets are our examples. They are there to challenge and inspire us. We are to be motivated by the same prophetic spirit. How could it be otherwise if we are indeed a prophetic people. Prophets were never intended to monopolise the audience chamber of the King of Kings or to "corner fellowship with God". There are many councils over which the Almighty presides and if you are not called to stand before God in the same council as the prophet then be assured that there is one in which your name is called, and where God will share secrets that you need to hear. The health of that pot plant in your home is determined in great measure by what lies below the surface of the soil. You cannot have a healthy plant and an unhealthy root. Let me ask you, what have you got hidden beneath the surface? Is the hidden life robust and strong, or weak and sickly? Is our spiritual root system suffering from neglect? What about the hidden springs? Have they dried up? It is in this hidden area most of all that the life of the prophet should provoke and challenge us.

Once we are convinced that such a life of fellowship with God is for us too, the big question is how to get there. "You will seek Me and find Me", God is still saying, "When you search for Me with all of your heart". Those who have the experience are those who want it badly. There are scores and scores of true believers who would love it, yet they never enjoy it. Why? Because they don't want it with all their heart. Those who enter in are those who hunger and thirst for it. This is invariably where the failure lies. The remedy is to ask God to show us why we are not hungry for Him. It may be for the same reasons that the seed of the sower in the parable did not bring forth fruit (Luke 8:12-14). If so when we have dealt with all that He has shown us, we will find a growing hunger within. Otherwise it may be simply lack of motivation. We must ask God to show us the unspeakable honour and privilidge of being invited to stand before the God of the whole earth. "Blessed is the man you choose and bring near to live in your courts! What joy! What fulfillment! What fruitfulness! What harmony! What security!

Once we are really motivated there must come the discipline of curtailment. This is the discipline of the lumberjack who stops working in order to sharpen his axe.

Some of us will never find God in this way because we are much too busy working for Him. Our activism is our biggest hindrance. We must lay aside all our self-justifying arguments and learn all over again from the story of Martha and Mary what our Lord considers is the "one thing needful".

Finally we must learn to wait on God by restraining our much speaking in His Presence. Only so we can train our ears to listen. There are some 15 or more Hebrew words used in the OT that are translated "wait" but with various shades of meaning, such as to wait patiently, to wait in silence, to wait expectantly and to wait in hope. If we are constant and persevering God will draw near and speak. He will reveal Himself to us and we shall understand what it was that so captivated David that this fellowship with God despite the affairs of state became his consuming passion;

"One thing I ask of the Lord, that will I seek - that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple" - (Psalm 27:4).

"Send Revival" by Jesse Phillips

You always can tell that the Spirit of God is moving in a generation when the songwriters start coming forth and I am thrilled to discover that Jesse Phillips (my esteemed pastor-friend from the USA) has written a song - and what better subject than a cry for revival? It is available on You-Tube here;



Here are the lyrics;

"For every flame of love grown dim
And every passion that has died
For every prayer of faith that ceased
Ignite us once again inside
For every vision and godly ambition
Holy Spirit breathe new life

Send Revival
Send Revival
Send revival, Sovereign Lord
How we need You,Spirit, plead with You
Come revive our hearts once more

For every eye that needs to see
For every heart that now must know
For every city, land and place
To which the gospel now must go
And for your mission in this generation
Holy Spirit breathe new life

Come restore our first love
Come renew our hearts
In your time as you choose
We pray for revival".

As we grow older - and 2008 is another year - let's not face the horrendous fact that our love for God chills. Let us see 2008 as a stoking of the fire! Let us see the fires of revival in our hearts, our churches and our countries burn so that the ends of the earth will be covered with the glory of the Lord!

Remembering the Past!

One of the things I love about Rob Rufus's ministry (and Ern Baxter's) was their deep appreciation for the past. Not remembering the past in a sentimental manner believing that any new act or move of God must represent what happened in the past but praising God for what He did then and seizing the anointing of those periods and seeing it add to the glory and Kingdom of God in the present day.

I was thrilled to find this page from the Restoration Magazine 1978 that advertised Celebration Evenings that happened around the United Kingdom during the 1970's and early 80's. You will notice that my home church features - West Street Baptist Church in Dunstable (before it became New Covenant Church). We held regular "All Saints Nights" where guest speakers such as David Mansell, Arthur Wallis, Terry Virgo and Bryn Jones would come and speak. There was also much going on in Brighton.

We don't want to see a "return" to those days of the 1970's. They were a unique time and a unique season and God gave much that is to be appreciated and valued and learnt from. We want MORE!

Rob Rufus Prophecies While Preaching!!

Dr Martyn Ll0yd-Jones was always of the opinion that prophecy or inspired utterance that comes immediately - will often occur during preaching. I must admit that I haven't heard it that often at all - but I was staggered while transcribing notes from one of Rob Rufus's sermons from the "Grace-Hating Spirit" series - to hear him do exactly that. Prophecy. This is what he said;

"God is raising up people we have never heard of. There are no great names that will appear in these next few years. People are going to come out of obscurity who have been preserving their freedom and will be the new Joshua leadership that will take the church into the Promised Land. There are Moses leaders that took people out of bondage but sadly they didn't take them into freedom. They took them out of slavery but didn't take them into promised inheritance. There is coming a Church around the world that will not just come out of slavery but will go into promised inheritance and posess the land at this age".

He didn't even really pause while he was saying it - I had to pause while taking notes and go back and re-read what Rob said. This is such an incredible prophetic statement of what is to come! Rob has made statements before about his belief that there are to be no "great names" in the coming move of the Holy Spirit. God's desire and God's passion is to raise up a corporate people who are walking together, moving together towards the promised inheritance in signs and wonders and miracles!

Julian Adams Prophesies at Newfrontiers Prayer and Fasting!!

Thanks to the latest edition of the Newfrontiers magazine, we can all now benefit from this awesome prophecy that Julian Adams shared at Prayer and Fasting. It's got special significance for those in London:

‘I found myself standing alongside the River Thames and I saw the water levels beginning to rise. As it began to rise, it began to sweep over the banks and begin to rush the city.

I felt, specifically for the City of London, there is about to come an overwhelming sense of the presence of God and conviction. I felt God speak to me about bringing a new prophetic herald, a new prophetic voice, a forerunner in churches that will begin to speak out against immorality, injustice and sin, and there will be a sense of conviction that will begin to sweep over, specifically, London ... I felt God even say it will be a physical thing ... I could see physical floods beginning to happen all across the nation of England ... God would say to you I want you to know this is not something that is going to happen, it is beginning to happen. Revival is breaking out ...'

Come Holy Spirit!

A Question ...

I'm on an internet Christian list and read this extremely provocative question today:

"In closing, If signs and wonders are not following you, are you really a believer?"

Do you agree? Or disagree? If so - why?

"Face to Face Intimacy with God" by Rob Rufus

While we are waiting for Part 4 of Rob's series on the Holy Spirit ...

Preached on the 5th August 2007 - Isaiah 54.

Condemnation is a very dark demonic thing. No condemnation comes from God (Romans 8:1). We prove from the Scripture that all condemnation comes from the devil.

The most dangerous thing about condemnation is that it de-sensitises you to the Voice of God.

All the righteous anger of God's wrath was finished and poured out on Jesus Christ at the Cross. There is no anger left in God. If we say that God has got a bit of anger left then we are saying that Jesus' death on the Cross was no sufficient and we are blaspheming His sacrifice.

All condemnation is demonic - it is a devilish darkness that comes and it has been so successful in the Church world that the majority of Christians probably haven't heard the inward audible voice of the Good Shepherd even once.

My diagnosis is you don't understand grace and the New Covenant and you are living a mixture of Old and New Covenant. God never condemns you and even when you are feeling condemned, He wants to love you and speak to you. Allow condemnation in and it will confuse your faculties that allow you to hear His voice.

When we were born again it was a New Creation designed so that we can hear His voice and commune with Him. The still small voice of God can often happen while you are brushing your teeth or sitting on the toilet! When condemnation is broken off your life permamently you are entering an adventure where His Presence is upon you so strong that you feel you have hold on bare naked wires full of heavenly voltage. You have received an oath that He will never be angry with you again and never rebuke you again.

"I have sworn never to rebuke you again ... My unfailing love for you will not be shaken".

The symbol of God's peace with Noah was the rainbow. The first thing John saw was a throne and he saw a rainbow encircling the throne. Not 180 degrees like on the earth but 360 degrees. So wherever God looks from His throne He sees the symbol - peace, no judgement, peace, no judgement! Everywhere He looks He sees the symbol that says judgement is over. Then it says that the rainbow resembles an emerald - green. So this rainbow was covered by an emerald colour - a translucent colour over the colour of the rainbow. This colour green resembles something fresh and new. The Hebrew "Fresh" means "Translucent, fresh, green".

In the revelation of grace there is a place for daily fresh oil in the anointing.

When you understand that God has taken an oath never to be angry with you again, then you come into the throne room and you receive grace. Every day you live in a spirit of liberty! God said; "I swear I will never rebuke you again". That word "rebuke" means "condemn". God will never speak to you in a way that will split your personality apart and will divide you or destroy you. Many disintegrated Christians end up going to psychics so desperate are they to get their psyches re-intigrated. The devil comes to you and says; "I am God and I am angry with you". Christians who don't know their New Covenant take that as truth. We cannot boast in ourselves - many many pastors have come apart because they thought they were listening to the voice of God rebuking them for their sin. That sin has been totally rebuked on Jesus and all of the wrath has been poured out and exhausted!

The voice of the Father is always always kind and tender and loving. If you hear a roar, then it is the devil and that roar should be rebuked. My God in heaven took an oath that He will never be angry with me again. That spirit of hostility is not from my Father. We don't need a pastor to counsel me or a psychiatrists to fix me - just remember recovery will come quicker if you stand on the truth of Scripture.

That verse is never saying He will not correct us! There is a big different between correction and condemnation. Your sin has been punished completely on Jesus Christ. Plus God took an oath that He cannot reverse to never be angry again but Hebrews 12 says God disciplines those who He loves.

The corrections and disciplines of God are the most pleasurable experience you can go through.

Get addicted to His voice and His Presence! We have got to hear His voice regularly! "Father - don't go silent on me!". He will sometimes hide Himself temporarily so that we will run to Him. If you do not hear a word like "I love you Rob" and it is silence then pray;

BETTER YOUR CORRECTIONS THAN YOUR SILENCE!!

God doesn't have a culture of confrontation so very seldom will He point out something specific as long as we are pressing on eagerly into His Presence and longing to hear His voice. Jesus loves the Church! When you have a spiritual father they need to be a mentor ahead of you with a proven track record of success with years of stability and experience in these things. There comes a point when a father cannot be a father who teaches you anymore because there comes a time when a son must stand up and become a father himself. You should never have anyone trying to correct you who are jealous of you or don't like you. You need someone who will treat your secrets as safe and will love you unconditionally.

Many Christians are fragile and frightened and scared to be themselves because they have been let down and disciplined by people that didn't really love them and were jealous of them and irritated by them. Many Christians have an orphan spirit because they didn't have a father that would discipline them in true love and help them to grow in grace.

Our heavenly Father will never be angry again.

If this message could get into the 1 billion people who say they are Christians then the Church would be a different place. There would be automatic inner healing and stability in the Body of Christ and it should come from the pulpit, not a thousand courses out there.

(v10) "My unfailing love for you will not be shaken". The Hebrew for "love" means "favour, kindness, fondness, grace towards you". He is saying I will give you preferential treatment. My fondness and My affection to bless you to give you supernatural advantages in life will never be shaken. In the Scriptures, mountains often refer to problems. Yet here it says that the mountains will become level plains and the cry will be "Grace-grace-grace!". With this oath in your heart that God will never be angry and rebuke you again - His unfailing love for you will never change - you can see the mountains facing you be removed.

It is a lie that life is meant to be constant traumas! We are meant to go through whole seasons of peace and joy. While we go through seasons of tests - they are not meant to last your whole life. Speak to your mountains and hills and say "My God says you will be removed but His love will never be shaken"! The New Covenant is a covenant of peace! "Shalom" means "Nothing missing - nothing broken"! There is a constant process where your personality is becoming whole and complete in the New Covenant. In Australian culture you only share marriage problems when you are about to divorce - yet in the church you can be open and free from condemnation.

The Hebrew word "Compassion" literally means a Father fondling His child's hair. He has affection for us His Bride. He has tenderness for us!

I wish all of God's people could live in the full rich reality of this and we would see the full reality of the nations being saved.

The more you are free from condemnation the less you can hear the devil's voice. The more God's voice will come in your life the more you are free from condemnation.

(Hebrews 10).

Trance? That's New Age - no it's the counterfeit! Peter in Acts 9 fell into a trance and saw a vision in the heavenly realm. The Greek word speaks of "falling into a trance".

Spirit to spirit communication is faster than the speed of light and your thought process is not as fast as the speed of light. When God says "Come up - I want to speak to you" you are not to think we come up on our hands and knees - that is what demon gods demand of their subjects. But God is our Father and wants us to come up and commune in glory and peace and intimacy. Why can't all the people have this? They can! It's God's will! "I am drawing the hungry in now. The casual enquirers are loved but they will not see the glory of God".

The manifestations occur because people of God are pressing into the Presence of God.

As a church we are operating on 10% of our potential because 10% are carrying the faith for our meetings. When 100% are coming in with the faith to encounter God, our lives will never be the same again. Let the glory of God be stronger without Rob Rufus than ever before. If we are built around my personality then close shop. Don't miss a beat with us not being here! Overdo it and go for it! (Hebrews 10:12). When the church rises up in revelation and crushes the devil under our feet then this Scripture will be fulfilled! When that happens then Jesus is coming back shortly!

By one sacrifice He made perfect FOREVER! That's why He can say He will never be angry again! FOREVER He sees us as perfect! "I've just sinned Lord". But you are perfect! Every believer is a priest and holy means nothing to do with laws.

Holiness means your heart is captured with Jesus Christ and you become more like the nature and character of Jesus Christ! The deception the church makes is that God will relate to you on the basis of your law-keeping and holiness. If you think God relates to you on the basis of your holiness then God's relationship with you fluctuates. If that is the case then you are in serious deception. God will always relate to you as if you are perfect forever.

He will never withdraw His covenant of peace from us - this is our inheritance!! There is nothing on earth to hold my attention more than God's glory Presence.

If you don't regularly have His glory Presence then you are agitated and restless and will look for it in drugs, inappropriate sexual behaviour - because there is something within you saying that there is more to life than paying rent, paying bills. You will never be satisified unless you daily encounter God's glory Presence.

God has never stopped talking to you or loving you. Your worst sin will NEVER make Him pull back because it's already been dealt with at the Cross. Nothing in all of creation will make Him pull back but if you jam your airwaves with condemnation then you will think in your mind that He has pulled away.

God sees you as perfect FOREVER!

Rob Rufus - "Knowing the Person of the Holy Spirit" - 3

Here are my notes from the 2nd in Rob Rufus's sermon series - "Knowing the Person of the Holy Spirit - His Names, Titles and Operations". The notes from the first sermon are here and the second sermon is here. I am so thankful to God for the internet that makes it possible for me to follow with City Church International, Hong Kong - this incredible series!! Rob preached this sermon last Sunday on the 23rd September.

"This conference is Glenda's initiative coming from God. As we have travelled the world many leaders have asked to come and stay in our home in Hong Kong and learn about the grace of God and signs and wonders. It is an honour that they want to come - but this conference was birthed to serve the international community. But we are only 3 years old and we are hosting an international community! God will bless us as we serve them. Have sent out 1, 500 letters to Hong Kong church leaders. Hillsong host a conference for 2 weeks every year and doctors and dentist will take time off to drive delegates to the conference. God is calling us to show just such generosity. Let's go over the top with exaggerated kindness to make our international guests to feel welcome. This will be a trigger and a catalyst as we welcome the international community! We want a flood of Cantonese people coming.

I am tired of Christian celebrities and conferences that announce the coming of a guru. God is bringing a seaon where He is using the little people of the Kingdom who don't know what they are doing and have no self-confidence. This is the Kingdom. Once they have had a taste of miracles these people will go for more broken limbs and deaf ears.

"(John 5, 14) Jesus said that the people didn't have to believe Him if they didn't see miracles and just so the Church can stand up to an unbelieving society and say you don't have to believe us if you don't see miracles".

"Your Kingdom is not about knowing concepts and bible academics and cerebral information but Your Kingdom is about divine encounters that translate into doing the ministry of the Lord Jesus".

The apostle Paul didn't come parading his intelligence and academics but came with weakness and fear and trembling. His words were not wise and persuasive but with a demonstration of the power of the Spirit. To make change we must dial down on our enthusiasm for the flesh and increase our dependence on the power of the Holy Spirit. This week I tried to raise someone from the dead - I am happy to report that I failed because that offends me and provokes me because it should be done as a normal practice. Jesus said "Go out ... raise the dead ... freely you have received and freely give". The secret is humility and weakness. Dial down the enthusiasm of the flesh. You tried to make this thing happen. The flesh of man represents human ability. You can't take responsibility for raising the dead - you can't do it - but I can. You dial down the flesh and I will dial up the power of My Spirit.

"The whole theme of Galatians is grace versus law or human flesh versus the supernatural. Whenever you see the word "flesh" in Galatians it means human effort trying to be righteous under the law of God".

But sadly the NIV translated "flesh" as "sinful nature" and it is very misrepresented. The Bible talks of Jesus coming in "flesh" which would then mean He came in "sinful nature". In the book of Galatians it says if you walk in the Spirit you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh. If you get to know the nuances of the Spirit then you will not elevate your flesh or dial it up in self-righteousness. In Galatians 6 it talks of "sowing to the flesh ... sowing to the Spirit". Eternal life doesn't mean living forever - we will all live forever either in heaven or hell! (John 17) "This is eternal life ... that you know Him".

"Eternal life means that you have a divine encounter with the living God and that you live with God and know God and hear His voice!".

If you live in the Spirit then you will experience eternal life! Want to talk today about the Holy Spirit in different titles and different Names because His Names reveal different aspects of His character to us. Pull the Word out of me today - have had to walk through intense spiritual opposition today because of this word. It is time to hear this word today. (Galatians 4:6) "Because you are sons God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts that calls out "Abba! Father!". The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of His Son. That means that Spirit causes you to call out "Abba! Father!". It means "Papa!" or "Daddy!".

This isn't an academic doctrinal position but an experience - this is the Spirit of His Son bringing revelation that you are no longer a slave under law. God will no longer disapprove of you but you now have the FULL rights of a son!

Under the law God promises that He will not forget sin. Under grace and New Covenant He promises He will not remember our sins.

The Gospel is a revelation of how right you are with God through Christ Jesus. Jesus identified with you at your worst on the Cross so you can identify with Him at His best at the right hand of the Father.

Faith lives from the invisble realm where we are seated with Christ Jesus.

As you focus on grace there comes a mental peace to your life because grace takes the focus from your unworthiness to Christ's worthiness. It is not just Abba Father but it is a manifestation of the revelation that we have full rights as a son!

These truths are current now! All of that transacted - you move out from Old Covenant thinking into New. This doesn't just get you to heaven but brings mental peace on the earth.

The majority of people in South Africa are there who are mentally damaged and bruised because they were in shame-based churches who preached Old Covenant Law. If we do not preach the good news of the Gospel we are producing mental illness in the Church.

It is an incredible responsibility to preach and teach the Word of God. Much preaching and teaching is dressed up to look like New Covenant teaching but it is Law-based and Old Covenant.

Under the New Covenant if you are sinning currently and your sin stops God's favour on your life then your sin is more powerful than the favour of God.

Romans 5 says where sin abounds grace abounds much more. There are so few miracles in the church because there is so much flesh in the church trying to make you try harder. When the Spirit comes then revelation comes that we are sons with full inheritance. If you think that being holy means keeping the law and go on to break one, then God sees you as breaking every law. You lie and God sees you as not just a liar but an adulterer, an idolater, a murderer. But grace on the other hand sees you as permamently righteous! Grace abounds much more under the New Covenant!

Everywhere you teach this - alarms go off and people say "You are giving people a license to sin". I have checked the church out worldwide. They are sinning without a license! But in legalistic churches people just get better at sinning in secret.

Colossians 2 says we have been made complete in Christ! (2 Corinthians 3:7) - the ministry which brought death came with a fading glory. God has removed the ceremonial law of the 10 Commandments. What was written on tablets of stone? The 10 Commandments! We try so hard to keep the law but break one and we break them all! Try and sustain the flesh and you dial down on the supernatural! The reason the Israelites worshipped the golden calf was because they were self-righteous already. God brought them out of slavery already and announced the law already and told them to keep it fully. If you fully obey all the 10 Commandments the blessings will come! Israel should have said - no! We can't keep them! But they said - everything You say, we will do. So while God wrote the 10 Commandments they were worshipping the idol.

Please don't tell me law-keeping makes you holy. It doesn't. It makes you self-righteous.

The New Covenant starts in Acts 2 on the Day of Pentecost and they came down from the Upper Room drunk they were so full of God! The people down below had done something worst than a golden calf! They had crucified the Lord of glory yet got saved that very same day! Who could wipe out the 10 Commandments? God could. Colossians 2:14 - God cancelled the written code of the rules against you and nailed it to the Cross, triumphing over principalities and powers at the Cross!

When the Church preaches the Law to God's people, it re-arms a disarmed devil and gives condemnation rule in the Church again and cripples the working of the supernatural in the Church.

The Law was given (Galatians 3:23) to expose self-righteousness and to show them how unholy they were. People can see that the Law is standard exposing arrogance and pride and must throw ourselves on the New Covenant and the grace of God in Christ Jesus. People can sit and hear the message of grace but it's controversial because legalistic people ALWAYS want to bully and dominate people who are in grace. Pride says we can't embrace the message of grace because it looks like we have been wrong. That is being a Pharisee. They claimed they studied the Scriptures about the coming Messiah and yet He stood in front of them and because He was different they rejected Him. They were men of the letter - cerebral men. When you have the living Word of the Living Spirit - when something new shows up you have never seen before and it is God, you seize it. If it is a counterfeit then you can reject it and know it straight away. But if you live as a slave to religious systems you will worry and fret.

Look for the phrase; "Full rights as sons". (Galatians 4:1) "Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts crying Abba ... you are also an heir ...". Don't have a heart for religious calenders. Every day is a day to walk with God.

The first sign of legalism is that you lose your joy. What has happened to all your joy? The hardest thing as a preacher is to stir joy within a legalist.

Ishmael was born by ordinary means but Isaac was born by the power of God. Haggi and Sarah represent the two Covenants. The Covenant wrote on Mount Sinai produces slaves but the Covenant Sarah represents produces free men and free women. Who is your Mother? Romans 7 says we were married to the Law but then died to the Law! Some Christians commit spiritual adultary and go from the Law to Sarah. They don't know which one they belong to. Who is your Mother?! Haggi or Sarah? Even people of grace can be barren sometimes - you can have famine in the middle of favour. You are allowed to be joyful in barrenness!

Legalistic people love to dominate, control, elevate themselves as elitist and they love titles and control. They hate people of grace. They always point out your failures and your shortfalls and hate anything that encourages and uplifts.

Jesus the great High Priest wore ordinary clothes and let people call Him "Jesus". I am Rob. Not Pastor Rob or Rev Rob. That's why millions are leading institutional churches. But millions are gathering under the banner of grace. Don't be discouraged at the millions who are leaving.

It's better to be in the Caves of Adullum in David's Army than under Saul's legalistic rule.

The slavewoman's son will never share in the freewoman's inheritance. Kick the controlling spirit of witchcraft out! Get rid of condemnation! You are born under grace and have full rights as sons! Freedom! You don't need titles to be important but signs and wonders and the voice and Presence of God! What does the name Isaac mean? We are not children of the slave woman but the free woman! "Stand firm and do not let yourself be burdened again by a yoke of slavery". The yoke of slavery is the Law! We have churches around the world desperate for freedom but feel burdened by their sins. Everyone sins in this room! I don't encourage that - but even when you sin, you are STILL a son of God!

My obedience or disobedience does not make me righteous or unrighteous - my righteousness depends on the righteousness of the One Christ Jesus! Grace provides God's gift of righteousness!

The Law says "Do - do - do" to earn God's favour but grace says "It's DONE - you HAVE God's favour!".

Isaac means "Laughter". What is Sarah? Grace! What did grace give birth to? LAUGHTER! When the Toronto Blessing hit the earth, why did the majority of the Church call it blasphemy or evil? Why is joy frowned upon by most of the Church? Because they are children of Haggi. They felt elite because their failure to laugh is proof of their zealousness for God. Rather they are children of the slavewoman. When grace and Abraham got together they gave birth to laughter! What happens when you truly get a revelation of the grace of God? Laughter and joy will be birthed in your life!

Some teach that even if you don't have it now, just keep praising and He will give it to you. Error. Law - law - flesh - flesh! You have it NOW! You are not praising as a work of the flesh to earn it. You have it NOW! You are not praising to earn something! Maybe we have barrenness in our lives. Children - relationships - finance - husbands or wives.

When barrenness goes on in an area of our lives for a long time and are living in grace and believing in grace, yet grace doesn't seem to produce results, the temptation is to go back and try through the law to produce fruit. NO! If you are living in grace and haven't seen the signs and wonders in your life yet and are tempted to go back to a works programme of prayer and fasting and behavioural modification programmes you will drive yourself into insantity and become a religious nutter.

It is not your prayer and fasting that produces the supernatural in your life but rather your INHERITANCE in your life and one day you lay your hand on someone and miracles take place not because you have earned it but because of who your Father is.

(John 14:12) "I pray the Father and He will send you the Comforter who will abide with you forever". How many people can spend 9 hours in their prayer closet every day of the week? If that's what it takes to produce miracles then it is reserved for a few lucky full time guys. That's a works programme so that the Body of Christ will refer to gurus seeking them for themselves and what they do to earn the miracles.

Our heart in this church is to produce the Priesthood of every believer to run with the freedom of the New Covenant! Hong Kong needs it!

There are millions of God's people under the control of manipulating leaders who have taught the law and put them under such confusion and slavery and when they hear the light of grace and freedom and it is too much for those damaged souls and so they creep back into their pitholes of slavery. As a leader I need to be very patient and love and care for the people and bring them gently out into the glorious freedom and light of the Holy Spirit.

Don't come under the Law in trying to be free from the Law. The only One who can help you be free from the Law is the Spirit of His Son.

Revival For a Mission!!

As I understand church history much of the charismatic movement came under fire for promoting an introspective theology that the baptism of the Holy Spirit was a personal experience for a personal encounter with a personal God. That's partly true - but everything within me - my heroes such as Ern Baxter and Rob Rufus and Terry Virgo all argue that there is more to it than that. I was tremendously encouraged recently in reading a book called "Revive Us Again!" - this was a book published by Harvestime and edited by David Matthew with contributions from Bryn and Keri Jones, Terry Virgo, Arthur Wallis and David Mansell. It was David Mansell's chapter that thrilled me the most - in the chapter he presented a wonderful portrait of the Kingdom of God.

The book is out of print sadly - so here is the chapter reproduced;

"A radical goal for radical Christians" by David Mansell

"If future revival is not to run up a cul-de-sac we will need to be more radical than our predecessors".

We are looking praying and working for world revival. Anything less falls short of God's intention. Anything less would fail to bring in the kingdom and bring back the King. It would be a tragedy if this generation passed into history leaving behind only a memory and anothher book as an epitaph to a revival that came and went. The main point of Jesus' last words to His disciples and the apostolic preaching in the early chapters of Acts was an explanation of how God intended the Pentecost revival, which brought the church to birth, to progress.

Revival would lead to greater revival. Beginning at Jerualem, the fire would spread first to Judea, then to Samaria and then to the remotest part of the earth (Acts 1:8). The outpouring of the Spirit would be like the latter rain that swells the grain ready for harvest. There would be times and seasons, each time of refreshing rain being followed by another. Season would follow season just as spring would follow summer would follow winter and all would find their destiny in the autumn harvest. Through these seasons of testimony to the Lord Jesus in all the earth, together with times of refreshing from heaven, God would restore to His people all that the prophets had promised.

A time of repentance, turning to the Lord, refreshing and restoration would engulf the entire world so that God could send the Christ, the anointed King from heaven to claim His inheritance (Acts 3:19-21).

A Call for Radical Christians.

The story of revival is both thrilling and sad. Thrilling to see what God can do when He breaks into people's lives, sad to see how every wave of revival so far has finally spent its energy on the beach of religious self-interest.

Where future revival leads will depend very much on where we want it to lead. If it is to bring God's purpose for this world to it's appointed conclusion, we will need to be more radical than our predecessors.

Revival is like a flood. It will not run in the channels cut by our preferences, prejudices and traditions. When it comes, it overwhealms, invades, takes over and sweeps away all that lies before it. It is no use preparing a way for the Lord by prayer and humbling ourselves if, when He comes, He finds the route full of road-blocks and diversions to protect our private lives, personal hobby-horses and denominational entrenchments. God will never revive a fence.

He will never revive what He has sentenced to die.

In revival there is a dying as well as a bringing to birth. The chaff burns while the wheat is gathered into the barn. Being radical is not an end in itself; it is allowing God to do with us what He likes, when He likes and as often as He likes.

Being radical is removing now what God will remove, and doing now what God Himself will do when He breaks in with revival.

What are we waiting for? If we really want what revival will surely bring to the world, why not let it begin in us today?

Divine Breakthrough.

I once read in a church report on a two-week evangelistic outreach; "Nobody was saved but the saints were encouraged". The revival we are looking for will do more than encourage the saints! A glance at an atlas of world religion shows that after two thousand years of gospel preaching, billions are still totally unaffected. The Bible tells us to expect the following areas of breakthrough in revival;

1. The Gospel Preached.

The gospel will be preached worldwide in such a way as to challenge every ideology, expose every false religion and undermine every society based on evil, corruption and injustice. In their place will arise the community of the redeemed, having the glory of God.

Justice, love and racial harmony will spring like a fountain from hearts washed clean by the blood of Jesus and empowered by the abiding Presence of the Holy Spirit.

2. True Unity.

Unity of those who truly own Jesus as Lord will be a prominent feature. No ecumenism, no compromise, no cosmetic gestures, just one heart, one mind and one soul for Jesus.

3. Outpouring on Israel.

There will be a mighty outpouring of the Spirit on the nation of Israel. It's magnitude and effect on the world are described as "life from the dead" (Romans 11:5).

4. Islamic Nations Turn to Christ.

Isaiah prophesied that "In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egpyt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. In that day Israel will be the third along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. The Lord God Almighty will bless them saying, 'Blessed by Egypt My people, Assyria my handiwork and Israel my inheritance" (Isaiah 19:23-25).

5. Demonic Powers Overthrown.

Again it was Isaiah who prophesied, "In that day the Lord will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below" (Isaiah 24:21). Demons achieve their evil ends by controlling the hearts of men in general (John 13:27) and kings in particular (Daniel 10:13). They are the powers of this dark world, the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms against whom we stand (Ephesians 6:12). They control the whole world system (Ephesians 2:2, Revelation 18:2, 23). "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet" says Paul (Romans 16:20). The power of the Holy Spirit is the power to drive out evil spirits (Matthew 10:1, Mark 16:17). The evidence of the release from demonic strongholds will be striking. The whole realm of the occult will be exposed and lives set free from its snare. Heathen will be released from superstition to turn to Christ.

Society will be dramatically influenced. Drunkenness, addiction, homosexuality, fornication, blasphemy, greed, injustice and arrogance will be dealt a mighty blow as the spirit of repentance moves from community to community, town to town and nation to nation.

6. Nations Turning to Christ.

The Bible envisages times of national breaking in of God's Spirit (for example Zechariah 12:11 - 13:2). In the days of Jonah the entire city of Ninevah turned to the Lord (Jonah 3:1-10). Again we read in Acts 9:35 "All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw (Aeneas, the paralytic man who had been healed) and turned to the Lord".

Imagine the social impact; everyone in the town born again! Imagine this happening in nations throughout the world!

The Presence of God.

"Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down" prayed the prophet (Isaiah 64:1).

Revival is the coming of God Himself.

The prophet is sent only to prepare the way for the Lord to Presence Himself personally among His people - a Presence that will achieve what the ministry can never achieve, be it ever so anointed. Luke observes that in the early days of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit 'everyone was filled with awe' (Acts 2:43). This has characterised every revival since. 'The Holy Ghost descended on us; not indeed as a 'rushing, mighty wind' yet as the gentle zephry till it filled the whole place. So powerful was the influence that none of us could speak for some minutes. We all gave vent to our feelings in floods of joyful tears'

When God draws near, there is a deep sense of the reality of divine things and a need to be right with God, a seriousness yet a lightness of spirit that overwhealms the heart. Such awareness is experienced not only in meetings but also in the street, driving in the car or in a resturant. Suddenly God draws near, and one is almost overpowered with the awareness of it. When revival comes, we expect this Presence to abide on every heart and in every home where Christ is owned as Lord. So powerful is the effect of this divine Presence that sinners are seized with conviction and converted to Christ.

Angelic Appearances.

The Bible speaks of 'signs and wonders'. Sometimes these were miracles of healing while at other times the veil was drawn back so that what is normally invisible to the natural eye became visible; angels appeared. Angelic appearances and heavnly singing occur in times of revival. In the 1859 revival Evan Jones describes a meeting in which; "A heavenly sound was heard in the song of praise ... the song of praise continued for more than forty minutes without interuption'.

The same phenomenon occured at the Dales Bible Week in 1977. On several evenings after the meeting was over and the auditorium vacated and locked up for the night, heavenly singing was heard coming from the building at two or three o clock in the morning. This was not only reported by those on site; people living in the houses near the site complained about the singing in the early hours of the morning!

During the same week there were several angelic appearances, particularly to the young. One six-year old boy lost in the crowd and anxiously awaited by his parents suddenly turned up full of smiles. When asked how he found his way, he replied 'Oh a nice ghost in a shiny coat showed me the way'.

During a time of testimony another lad of six was asked what he enjoyed most about the Bible Week. He replied; "I liked it best when all the angels came and flew around the children's meeting playing their trumpets and praising God".

Realising Our Destiny.

Destiny implies destination. To speak of ourselves as a people of destiny we must know where we are going. Duncan Campbell wrote, "How many today are really prepared to face the stark fact that we have been outmanoevered by the strategy of hell because we have tried to meet the enemy on human levels by human strategy? In this we may have succeeded in making people church-concious, mission-concious or even crusade-concious without making them God-concious".

Our destiny is to bring God-conciousness to a God-oblivious world and we do it best when we stop trying too hard and are concious only of the Presence of God abiding with us.

When John the Baptist cried, "Look the Lamb of God" it was not to make a dramatic point in his sermon but because he saw Jesus literally approaching" (John 1:29). "Look ... I see heaven opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God" cried Stephen as full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God. God Himself had opened heaven and broken in to make the final appeal! The hearers were cut to the heart as they found themselves standing in the presence of a man standing in the Presence of God.

The Lewis revival in north-west Scotland saw this same drawing power of God's Presence among His people. As the little group seeking revival experienced the coming of the Holy Spirit in the middle of the night they opened the door of the building where they were meeting to discover that a crowd had gathered. God had brought conviction of sin upon the townspeople one by one and each made his way from his bed to the place of prayer to seek the Lord.

Revival will lead us to the fulfillment of our destiny - and all creation waits in eager expectation for this time when the sons of God will be revealed (Romans 8:19).

Rob Rufus - "Knowing the Person of the Holy Spirit" 2

Here are my notes from the 2nd in Rob Rufus's sermon series - "Knowing the Person of the Holy Spirit - His Names, Titles and Operations". The notes from the first sermon are here. I know that I am not the cautious type and verge on the waxing lyrical about anything that excites me - but I am not underestimating how the first sermon has changed my life and my relationship with God. Once again I am typing notes as I listen.

"The enemy wants us to focus on what God hasn't done instead of what God HAS done".

Lying spirits want to use behaviour modification to change externally instead of changing the heart and that is a religious spirit.

"Why does that which started in revival end up in most churches end up defending and protecting their brand of religion? Church history shows us that what starts in life ends in death all too often".

The transformation of your heart is the greatest legacy of the prophetic statement to come of external transformation. God says; "Tell the people they have changed!". Should we try and make others conform to what we want them to be? No!

"Condemnation is a lie from the devil - if you believe that lie even though there is NO condemnation, then condemnation will become an illegitimate reality in your life because you lend credibility to a lie".

80% of the mornings I wake up, the thing that gets me out of bed is the fact that the Holy Spirit wants to fellowship with me today. Personhood does not refer to having a body but having intelligence, a will. Those people who seek Him only for the power will be disappointed - when you seek Him for Who He is then you will have much power in your life - but it is a fruit of knowing Him as a Person.

You will never hear the Father or Jesus Christ speak in your heart without the Holy Spirit. Most Christians have a false Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Bible. You can know the Bible back to front but it won't help you unless you know the One who breathed it. Many people say to me, "Rob I have never heard God speak". What they are telling me is that they do not know the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives inside your re-born spirit. The devil speaks to your head and tells you to do stupid things.

The Holy Spirit is so awesome and lovely - He is just like Jesus in His nature. The Holy Spirit provides the power to administrate the plan of the Father. Every good gift comes from the Father through the Son's sacrifice at the Cross. It must come through Him but you can only receive it if you know the Holy Spirit.

"Under the Old Covenant if you touched a leper then you were unclean. Under the New Covenant if you touch a leper then they are healed".

Demon power that promises you much always comes with a price tag that will mean without a doubt that you will end up being destroyed. Around the world where people are listening to the voice of God -

"I have never known such a hunger for the authentic supernatural of God today in my 30 years as a Christian".

The new generation represented by young men in their 20's and 30's are seeing arms growing and miracles happening!

A new generation is rising in the earth saying; "We know there is a power encounter coming" and that generation will stand on Mount Carmel like Elijah and call down - not right doctrine, not right theology - but fire from heaven.

The disciples walked and talked with the Master Coach - Jesus Christ - every day and showed them the miraculous. They did it and they failed and He helped them. Every single day they walked with the Top Coach in the Universe yet they still made mistakes! For 3 and a half years they got taught on signs and wonders. Yet it was on the Day of Pentecost that they could finally step out in faith and see it happen.

I get 30 hours a year with you. Don't let the spirit of disillusionment kick in because we haven't raised the dead yet. We are in the New Covenant era. The Gospels were under the Law. People say that Jesus was preaching the New Covenant then they need to cut hands off and pull eyes out. He was preaching the Law at it's highest level to convict the Pharisees of their self-righteousness. He was introducing the coming of the New Covenant. When the Day of Pentecost came - that was the beginning of the New Covenant!

"Recently in Brighton, I went to 4, 500 people who were in a disposition and ready to respond. Most of them were leaders and they had been crying out to God for years. They lifted their sails and it was the easiest thing in the world!".

You can get stuff off CD's but you can never replace being in the room when the anointing is in the room. Isi de Gersigny (who will be speaking at our Glory and Grace Conference) goes up to heaven regularly and sees things in the Spirit. I want you to be exposed to her so that we can lift our level - lift our standard. Let's be so aware of what the Holy Spirit does that we can discern His movings. You can be in a move of the Holy Spirit but if you don't lift your sails and be being filled with the Spirit then you won't move.

"God wants to give us new sails - faith that you fan out in the glory of God - that we can fan out and receive the blowing of the Holy Spirit".

"A yachtsman is hunting the wind and constantly making sure his sails are at the right angle so he catches the wind".

We pray "Come Holy Spirit - blow" but we don't realise He is blowing 24 hours a day! We need to extend our faith and catch Him. Your life may be without form or void and has no shape but the Holy Spirit of God is hovering over every believer and when God says "Let there be light" - the Holy Spirit leaps into action and brings form and beauty. (Romans 8:14) "Led by the Spirit of God they are Sons of God".

"You can all the gifts and talents in the earth but if the wind does not blow on your talents then your talents will only take you as far as human ability. Human ability can take you as far as the moon but it can't raise the dead or open blind eyes or death ears or mend marriages".

Light can have healing properties! Laser light can do surgery. The Spirit of God seperates light from darkness. The Spirit of the Lord comes on us and we can stand there with a feeling of complete failure and then He comes and it all changes! If an unsaved person resists the Holy Spirit pulling them to the Saviour then they can never be forgiven because the Holy Spirit leads people to the Saviour! That is blaspheming the Holy Spirit - but the day you give in to the Holy Spirit and allow yourself to be led to the Saviour, you are forgiven. The Holy Spirit is indeed with you all the time but that isn't the issue!

"The issue is are you lifting your sails so the Holy Spirit can blow upon those outstretched sails of faith?"

The Spirit came on Gideon and this weak man who was hiding took an army of 300 and defeated the Mideanites. Don't take on insurmountable odds until He is moving in that way! Pick your battles! When the Spirit of the Lord comes then the trumpets can be blown and lights can be shone. There are a lot of Christians today in graves because they thought they could boss the devil around without the Spirit of the Lord. (Isaiah 59, 2 Cor 3:17).

"How do we know a church has got their sails up and are open to the moving of the Spirit? We can know that in seconds of walking in if that church is filled with a whole load of self-concious people who are critical, analytical, cerebral, formal and conservative and frightened of men then I know that we have got the operating of a religious demon here that has lied to these people and they have leant credibility to the lies and empowered those lies because they are believing a lying spirit and they are not operating in the Spirit of the Lord because where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty".

Open your eyes and think about average churches and what goes on in their Sundays! Some are brilliant - the Spirit of the Lord is moving all over the earth today - but for some they are so loyal and faithful that they won't admit that there is a control spirit here. You can't do cartwheels there and you can't do a thing!

"You will never get miracles in a conservative, formal atmosphere because people are too self-concious to be God-concious for the God of miracles to do things. But where the Spirit of the Lord is - there is freedom! There is liberty!"

The Spirit of the Lord is blowing on our sails and when He blows on our sails He raises the standard to the enemy! We can blow a trumpet and overcome insurmountable objects!

"We were created with a destiny to invade the realm of the impossible and demonstrate that all things are possible to them that believe! We were called to challenge these things!".

The mystery and the tenderness of the nature of God in the Trinity is an awesome truth. There is tenderness in the Trinity. The Father refers to the Spirit as "My Spirit". (Joel 2:28). "I will pour out My Spirit on ALL flesh". This dear Person has not yet been poured out on all flesh. On the Day of Pentecost Peter stood up and showed the 120 and the 3000 that received the Holy Spirit. 3000 are in the Kingdom of Heaven because the Father poured out His Spirit on them.

"The Day of Pentecost wasn't "all flesh" - it was 3000 but the day is coming when ALL FLESH will receive this pouring out of the Spirit and billions will come into the Kingdom of God".

The Greek word for "pour" is a word that a lover would use for their lover. "Pour out all my affections upon you". In the last days God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh. (Zech 4:5). "By My Spirit says the Lord of hosts". We can't win China by ourselves - but by My Spirit it can be done. Your Spirit can do all things. The Spirit of the Living God (2 Cor 3:3). We are a letter from Christ in the earth not with ink but by the Spirit of the Living God. That letter says something to the world! The Corinthians got things wrong but Paul says that they were a letter from Christ! "Spirit of the Living God fall afresh on me".

The Power of the Most High. We will see this in Luke 1:34-35. "You will be with child who you will call Jesus". Mary said "How will this be?". The angel replied; "The power of the Most High will overshadow you". The Most High God will bring His power to overshadow Mary and she would conceive.

"The power of the Most High will come on us and in the womb of our spirit we will see dreams and visions conceived. We will see millions and millions of people saved. We will see stadiums packed with people. We were raised to bring a revolution in the earth. The power of the Most High will come on us and effect the social climate of Hong Kong - prisons, education, the poor, China! Nations!".

"Church is not just a church sitting in a building but a people called to change society - "Let Your Kingdom Come - Let Heaven come into the earth realm". The only way that can be done is through the Holy Spirit".

Christians want to be equipped to do the job. One can coach us every day and He is called the Holy Spirit. He can coach us like Jesus coached the 12 disciples.

"The more miracles you get - the more dissatisfied you are going to be! What is a miracle? A miracle is a sign to the earth that we aren't just good people. The Gospel isn't about making bad people good but dead people alive. When you see cancers disappear and dead people get up then the world know that you are operating with something that is transcendent above the natural order. The reality of God cannot be dismissed!".

Society need a line drawn in the sand and they have to make a choice. Let your heart be naked before the Holy Spirit. The trouble with Adam and Eve eating from the tree - a cherubim came and stood before the tree of life and would not allow them to enter.

"You cannot enter the cloud of glory if you are self-righteous".

The reality of the Cross means I am righteous in the Father's eyes for ever and ever and my disobedience cannot disqualify the eternal sacrifice of the Son of God. The Father wants to give new sails here and take away old rigid canvas! We need new sails that capture the wind more effectively. Cry out to God for new sails of faith today!

Children - the Ignored Potential in Our Churches!!

Following on from my last post regarding Rolland and Heidi Baker, I was thrilled to receive an email from my friend Don who has had more contact with Heidi's ministry. He wrote this;

"This last February, Heidi spoke at the Awaken the Dawn conference we attended in Fredericksburg, VA. My then six-year-old daughter, Chloe, got to hear and meet her heroine -- she's loved Heidi ever since watching the videos and the "Mama Heidi" video made several years ago about the ministry. Attached is a photo I took of Heidi while she was talking with the little kids, before commissioning them to go through the audience and lay hands on people who needed healing. (There were healings!)".

I was amazed. The "Visions beyond the Veil" book I read yesterday also spoke of the immense power that God can manifest through children. Why is this? I think it's firstly because children are free from cynicism. They have no "horror stories" to hinder their faith and belief in the power of God. If the Bible says that God can heal today and that God can and does and will intervene in society then children will believe that. If the Bible says that when the Holy Spirit comes upon people and they go and lay their hands on the needy that miracles will happen then children will believe that!

So why then in my experience of evangelical churches, are children so frequently consigned to "Sunday School"? Why are we not teaching our children about the power and Presence of God? Why are we not praying for our children to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and to expect to prophesy or to speak in tongues? Why are we not praying for our children to be filled with the Holy Spirit - like wind fills a sail? And then seeing them released among us with their awesome faith to work miracles?

Let it be so soon Lord!

Rolland and Heidi Baker

Rob Rufus mentioned the name "Heidi Baker" during one of his sermons and when Rob Rufus mentions someone I am learning to to take notice! Rolland and Heidi Baker are missionaries who run Iris Ministries. Their lives were changed after meeting Jackie Pullinger in Hong Kong - they then went and began to work among the poor. But their ministry was not and is not simply social action. Their ministry has been characterised consistently by the power of God. Their website states;

"Today Rolland and Heidi cry out for a continuation of the visitation of God experienced by the children of H.A. Baker's orphanage in China long ago. That is beginning to happen, and more testimonies are accummulating than can be communicated! May the Word of God spread in power to the remote corners of the world, and may the the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind, people who have never before tasted the goodness of God, be drawn the King's great banquet!"

Rolland and Heidi Baker's ministry covers 5,000 churches all over Mozambique and into neighboring countries. They care for over 2, 000 children in their orphanages and He is revealing Himself to the children in dreams, trances and visions like I have never dreamt of before. I went into CLC in Birmingham and found a book by their grandfather H A Baker called "Visions Beyond the Veil". I read it on the bus and it affected me profoundly. Baker writes of his work in an orphanage in China and how God powerfully used the children.

Evangelicals are renowned for immediate cynicism and I am sure this post and the ministry of Rolland and Heidi Baker will be no exception. H A Baker himself was obviously aware of the potential for a cynical reaction to what the children reported. He presented six reasons why there is no natural explanation for the experiences of these children;

1. These wonders could not possibly have been the product of the children's natural minds.

2. These spiritual experiences, visions and revelations could not have been the working of the subconcious mind.

3. They cannot be explained by the psychology of mental suggestion from others. We ourselves had never seen such visions, never been in meetings where they had occured and never even read or heard of visions like the ones that were given to these children.

4. They did not get these things from one another.

5. There is no natural explanation for the fact that the content of the visions was in complete harmony and had numerous detail in content.

6. Neither can these experiences be explained as any sort of mental excitement, religious frenzy, natural emotion, nervous state nor any sort of self-produced condition. The Holy Spirit came in power upon normal children in a normal state of mind free from all the conditions just mentioned.

H A Baker is as unapologetic in his expectation for a reviving of the supernatural as is Rob Rufus. He writes;

"If ever there was a living God, if ever there were angels, if ever there was a wonder-working Christ, if the Holy Spirit was ever given, if the Bible is a supernatural revelation from God, then we should expect to experience the trances, visions, revelations and working of the Holy Spirit that were given in China.

They are normal experiences in the supernaturally founded, supernaturally filled and supernaturally directed Church of the New Testament - the only Church the Bible is interested in".

I want to deeply recommend the book. It is extremely short and only took me half an hour to read but the power invested in it exceeds many, many other books that are much longer. The one account I want to draw attention to is an absolutely awe-inspiring prophecy that a young Chinese beggar brought. H A Baker writes;

"This boy had been a beggar ... He had arrived at our doorstep in rags and filthy - in fact with more dirt than clothes ... One night there was an unusually strong sense of the Lord's Presence and heaven seemed very near. The boy I have just spoken about seemed to leave the earth and be caught up into heaven. Ushered into the Presence of the Lord Jesus he fell flat on his face before Him in humble adoration and worship ... the boy sobbed and wept with the deepest grief as the message was given to him; he spoke in a clear strong voice, speaking a sentence or two at a time.

The intonation of the voice, the choice of language, the penetrating power of every word was such that no one who heard it could have doubted that he was speaking by direct supernatural inspiration from God ... the boy said;

"I weep tonight. I am heartbroken. I am in deep sorrow because there are so few people who believe in Me. I planned and prepared heaven for everyone and made room for all the people in the world. I made the New Jerusalem in three enormous cities, one above the other, with plenty of space for all. But they will not believe Me. Those who believe are so very few. I am sad, so very sad.

If you have any friends, tell them to repent quickly. Persuade everyone to believe the gospel as soon as possible. But if people will not listen and will not accept your message the responsibility will not be on you.

Receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. If you will wait and believe I will baptize you. The devil deceives you by making you think that you will not receive the baptism but wait and seek and I will baptize you and give you the power to cast out demons and to heal the sick. Those who receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit are to preach and bear witness and I will be with you to help and protect you in times of danger.

Tell other churches they too should seek the Holy Spirit. All churches must press forward".

There are several ways to respond to these things as you learn about this ministry and learn about what is ACTUALLY happening in the world today. You can be cynical and err on th eside of caution. Or we can allow these truths to fill our hearts with faith and hunger and desperation that God will come and do the same in our lives, in our churches, in our towns, in our cities, in our nations!

If anyone wants to know more and hear more about Heidi Baker - here are two messages by her from You-Tube. She is speaking at Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship. I noticed that the same glorious thread of grace and glory from Rob Rufus comes through her preaching and speaking. Enjoy (as long as your theology allows you to listen to a woman preaching) ... ;)

Part 1


Part 2

Rob Rufus - "Knowing the Person of the Holy Spirit"

Having an hour or so to spare at my parents before I go to work, I thought I can do no better than to take some notes from Rob Rufus's latest sermon from City Church International, Hong Kong. He has just begun a mighty series called "Knowing the Person of the Holy Spirit - His Names, Titles and Operations" (Sounds kind of Puritan doesn't it?!). So here are the notes from Part 1 preached on the 9th September (I'm typing as I listen);

"The Church in it's purest form was birthed by God in a state of supernatural drunkenness, liberty and freedom and they never were more in the plan, will and pattern of God drunk in the Holy Spirit. As the Church got more and more sober and intellectual and cerebral and intellectual, the Church got more and more out of the pattern and the will of God".

The Church was birthed under the Anointing! Peter preached an ordinary sermon and 3,000 got saved. It isn't how clever or how spiritual we are - it is whether we have God in our midst. If we have a lot of God in our midst then a lot of things take place!

"What the Church calls 'decently and in order', they mean by that is conservatism, the control of man, noone gets saved, no devils come out of people, no one gets miraculously healed, no blind eyes opened, no deaf ears opened, no one is raised from the dead and no one gets excited about Jesus! That is 'decent and in order' - the order of the graveyard".

"We are decently and in order - of the Resurrection Life!".

What's just happened is the message. Last checked - God is in a good mood and He is planning on being in a good mood for the next billion trillion years because of the Cross of Jesus! Why are we wanting to let our lives be soaked and saturated in the Holy Spirit? One of the words speaking of the Holy Spirit is "baptismo". A cloth would be "baptismo" into a dye and the very fabric and substance of the cloth would come out a different colour.

"God wants to "baptismo" us into the glory so we are saturated, immersed, filled with God and wherever we go there is an outflow of the excessive abundance of the Presence of God!"

The more of God coming into your life - two things will happen - 1. You will have an intimacy with God. The word "intimacy" speaks of being "One". Intimacy with God exceeds every other desire and passion in our lives. Burdens and anxiety will lift off you when you are intimate with God. God said; "Son they are trying to get New Testament results through Old Testament methods. I will come through New Testament grace in New Testament power and THEN My people will pray and fast!". Revival has come! It's here! It is not the time to get caught up in the cares and worries of this world. We have been waiting 400 years for the inheritance that is ours! Don't waste this life now!

"We have crossed the Jordan and we are going in! If you are legalistic and stay on the wrong side of the Jordan, your manna is drying up and it's tough! We are no longer wandering in the wilderness eating manna, going around and around mountains! We have replaced desert with vineyards we never sowed, houses we didn't build, land we didn't buy - and milk and honey is ours now!".

In the heart of all this there are lukewarm Christians caught up with worries!

"We need to get away from Christians who have a form of godliness but deny the power!".

Lukewarm Christians who serve when it is convinient! So firstly we must know the Holy Spirit because of INTIMACY - secondly because of INFLUENCE. The Holy Spirit will give you influence. "3, 000 saved" - that is influence! There is an influence coming from another realm of glory! That is quite different from dry evangelism knocking on doors and trying to get people converted.

"New Testament evangelism is that you get drunk in the Holy Spirit, get so free in God with an influence of the Presence of God and THEN people's hearts are touched!".

Speaking to over 20, 000 people every week through our website. That is influence! Preaching and speaking on God Channel - that is favour! Shut the TV and the cell phone off and go and get into His Presence! This series on the Holy Spirit will be a 6 to 8 part series as we head towards our Glory and Grace Conference. Some of you have felt the Presence of God and not sure what to do with it.

"This isn't for special people or special moments - this is your daily inheritance and your daily privilidge. This isn't through the Father or the Son - this is through the Spirit and He is equal to the Father and the Son!".

There is only one God but three distinct Persons - the most transcendent and mysterious doctrine. You don't have to understand it!

"There are too many people thinking instead of drinking!".

The more you know the Holy Spirit, the more you fellowship with the Holy Spirit - He will reveal Jesus to you and you will have access to the Father and you will have encounters with heaven through the member of the Godhead on the earth. If you want encounters with Jesus it isn't about how much you do or do not sin, or pray or do not pray. This is the New Covenant - not the Old Covenant!

"The Holy Spirit is not third in importance - His function is third but His importance is not! He is a Person, not a power and not a force".

If the Holy Spirit is a power we will want to get hold of it BUT if the Holy Spirit is a Person then we will want Him to get hold of us. If the Holy Spirit is a power then we will want it to accomplish our will and whim BUT the Holy Spirit is a Person then we will want to surrender to Him in awe and wonder. If the Holy Spirit is power then we will feel superior and proud we have it BUT if the Holy Spirit is a Person then in His great love the Third Person of the Trinity has chosen to dwell within us.

One of the greatest workers of miracles in the last century was Kathryn Kuhlman and she said; "We do not use the Holy Spirit - He uses us. He is not looking for perfect or holy vessels - He is looking for yielded vessels fully surrendered to Him".

That is what holiness is - yielding to Him. The Father plans everything, the Son pays for everything at the Cross and every good gift comes from the Father. (James 1:16) "Comes from the Father" but it must come through the Son.

"You can only experience it when you walk in the Spirit and know the Holy Spirit. If you don't know the Holy Spirit you cannot receive the Father's blessing because they don't know the Holy Spirit".

Evangelical conservative legalistic Christians do not know the Holy Spirit because He must be walked with in daily occurances. We want to talk about His titles and His Names so we can get insight into what He is like and what He does so we can get to know Him.

He is known as the Holy Spirit - He is a Spirit who is holy. He will always treat you in a pure way - never in an abusive way. He will always treat you with purity, integrity - He is moral - never legalistic. Demonic spirits that the New Age operate by are lying spirits that promise power. Demons make people sick and so when psychics pray for you the demons will lift off and you can feel a measure of healing. The Western world is opening up to the New Age in an unprecedented way. The Holy Spirit is a Holy Spirit - a lovely, wonderful Spirit of God.

(Psalm 51:11) "Do not take Your Holy Spirit from me". David understood that without the Holy Spirit - he was finished. Many Christians today wouldn't even know the Holy Spirit had gone if He left!

Without the Holy Spirit, finite demons will get you addicted to all kinds of darkness but the Holy Spirit promises He will never leave us or forsake us. If Jesus won't leave us or forsake us then neither will the Holy Spirit because He is the revealer of Jesus to us!

"Much of the church will tell you that the way to a clear conscience is to "DO". Rubbish! It hasn't worked for centuries! That makes the people of God more condemned! (Hebrews 9) - You don't get a clear conscience by doing good and serving! You get a clear conscience by the power of God and the New Covenant".

"A perfect Saviour - a perfect sacrifice at the Cross perfectly satisfied the Father on our behalf and a perfectly satisfied Father gives you and me a perfectly clear conscience".

Our conscience is based on the eternal finished work of the Cross. The Father looks at me and says "Conscience clear!". Too many Christians don't have clear consciences because they don't believe the debt has been paid. There were people today in this room who were sitting passively watching people get blessed and hoping that one day they would be holy enough to encounter God - that is Old Covenant thinking!

"Legalistic self-righteous arrogance says we have a clear conscience because of what we do!".

The Father gives the Holy Spirit to people who don't deserve Him but He will give the Spirit in abundance! (Luke 11:13). He is also called the Spirit of God! (Genesis 1:1-3). Once the Spirit of God moves in your life things will take on form and order and beauty and light. (Romans 8:14). He is called the Spirit of the Lord! These different titles mean different things! (Judges 6:34) "The Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon". When the Spirit came upon Gideon - 300 men destroyed an army of 3, 000.

"The Spirit of the Lord comes on people like Samson and Gideon and you to defeat overwhelming numbers that oppose you. To stand here and believe we can touch China and influence millions of people around the earth because we believe He is the Spirit of the Lord. Numbers and opposition and sieges and mountains cannot hold us in IF we walk in the Spirit of the Lord!"

It MUST be the Spirit of the Lord coming upon you that will defeat the devil. You cannot face overwhealming numbers without the Spirit of the Lord.

He just wants to be with you because you have been justified freely through the blood of Jesus Christ! He can fellowship with you! You can't stop doing things wrong unless the Spirit of the Lord empowers you! It is stupid to say "Get holy and then He will come!". He WANTS to come to weak, sinning, demon-oppressed Christians and He will come upon you and you will rise up and face overwhelming numbers of opposition!

It is not enough to get baptised in the Spirit and talk in tongues. You have to get to know the One who empowers you to speak in tongues. We must want to know the Spirit of God who drives out demons and who leads us. We want to know the Spirit of the Lord who came on Gideon. We want to know this Mighty One who will raise up a standard against the Evil One! You can deal with the Mideanite army - 300 will chase them and hack them to pieces! (2 Corinthians 3:17) - "Where the Spirit of the Lord is - THERE is liberty!".

"The Holy Spirit never tries to manipulate or control you with guilt".

Where He is - there is liberty. When you go into churches and find self-obsessed and analytical Old Testament thinking Christians, that is a demonic spirit.

"Never try to fight a man or woman operating by the Spirit of the Lord! Never try and criticise any man or woman operating in the Spirit of the Lord even if their doctrine is wrong. Watch what happens to the opponents and critics who come against those operating in the Spirit of the Lord - it is fun to watch! Life gets very exciting when you know the Spirit".

"(Ephesians 5:18) - Present tense! "Be BEING filled!". It is no use being baptised in the Spirit at the end of the Second World War and spoke in tongues for 3 minutes! Be BEING filled with the Holy Spirit. Many think of an empty glass being filled with water - that is static and boring! That isn't what the Greek is saying! "I'm half full now I am full".

The language is of a big sail of a yacht being FILLED with wind! Christians in a move of the Spirit of God can sit motionless! But others lives are moving forward and being empowered! God wants to bless but they need their sail up - to be BEING filled! The sail is faith that because of the grace of God He can't help Himself but bless us!".

Marriages get changed! How to get your wife to treat you like a King - treat her like a Queen! There are so many things to talk about the Holy Spirit and we are heading towards the Grace and Glory Conference! Sails are catching wind and moving! No more talk of "trying to pray for the sick". When your sails are full and you want to pray for the sick, you can't help but pray! We will see holiness and revival when the sails are up and being filled! The unsaved don't have sails - they don't know Jesus or the Holy Spirit!

"We are the people of the Holy Spirit! We are His ambassadors!".

Every person on the planet soon will have this One who we are talking about poured out upon them! The pneuma of God - the breath of God will take you to more intimacy - more influence on the people of the earth.