The hot topic these days in the media but even in Christian circles is the coming crackdown on religious freedoms, even perhaps to the point of full scale persecution against believers in America. Yes this is a real threat but I seriously wonder if this is the biggest or most serious threat to Christianity in the west? I believe that Government persecution and removal of our rights are in fact “small fry” issues compared to the unseen enemy “giants” that are presently wreaking havoc in the Christian church – seemingly crushing everything in their path!
Over the last 25 years or so I have watched as this present darkness of spiritual forces have systematically slaughtered and brought untold ruin to Christian families, churches and entire movements! There has been a steady decline in the western church and like many of you I have wept as I have lost friends in the fight. Some of my friends who I grew up with have long since abandoned their faith and many of them are now divorced and others have turned to homosexuality. I have even had some tell me that they don’t believe that God really even exists anymore! It has been heart breaking to watch as so many believers (including close family) have slowly drifted away from the Lord to pursue other things.
But it’s not just “regular Christians” – I have also watched as friends who are Pastors and Christian leaders, have turned their backs on the Lord and completely abandoned their faith. Some are now “Success Coaches” chasing money and others have even become “ministers” in the new age movement, opening themselves up to the occult. And then there are the great company of men who were once mighty in God, who served the Lord with pure and un-defiled motives, but they too have become casualties, swept up in the rat race of success, money and fame, all under the guise of “ministry”.
We must pass out of the realm of the natural and into the realm of the spiritual. We must pass from a knowledge of the understandable to a knowledge of the inconceivable. We must rise from the visible to behold the invisible. We must hear the inaudible and grasp the intangible, explore the unsearchable and declare the unspeakable. (George Warnock)
May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. (Eph 3:18-19)
To walk in the presence of God is to walk in the Spirit of God. His presence, His glory, His majesty, experienced, is what ruins men for the things of this life. There are bodies of men dedicated to disavowing His presence experienced. They know much of the length and breadth of Gods word but they know nothing of the heights and depths of His glory. God is raising up His remnant saints who know the fulness of God……….bro Frank
I believe with all my heart that Gods remnant children are being raised up all over the world. They are being separated, like the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the tares. Many of them are in a sort of desert, not of their own choosing, but by the calling of God. In that desert they are learning to depend upon Him entirely so that when the time comes, persecution and so on, that even if none go with them, still they shall follow. Yet that does not change the fact that they have a sincere and genuine desire to have genuine fellowship with those of like-mind, meaning those who burn with a passion for the Lord and are hungry and thirsty for His presence and simply just cannot do business as usual anymore.
This is the process of God calling His own. This is the process of counting the cost. Certainly, when the Lord was crucified, one would have to be found outside the walls in order to be identified with Him. To be outside the walls, to be detached from the system is not an easy or a simple thing, it comes with great cost and indeed if it did not it would not be the decision that it is. This calling is only going to get more intense as we move forward, as the day of the Lord approaches. Yet the Lord has called us to gather together, and all the more as we see that day approach and that is why I believe you will begin and are beginning to see a visible representation of these called out children.
This is the reply to this post from a dear sister who testifies to its reality in her life………… ” I know this is an old post, Frank, but it speaks so profoundly to me. How often has being called out of the system been commented on by others as simply a sort of laziness about attending church or perhaps a bitterness because of strife among members. How can I describe the heart wrenching decision it required, the loneliness and isolation that resulted, the abandoning of an entire culture my life revolved around, the shunning by those who were once friends? How often have I had the Hebrews 10:20 verse thrown at me? So often that I took this verse to the Lord for understanding. What a glorious meaning this verse actually has! How surprised I was the “forsaking the assembling of ourselves together” was referring to the very assembling you are talking about in this writing.
The very words used here are used in 2 Thessalonians 2:1 being translated there as “our gathering together unto Him” speaking of the Day of Christ even being echoed in the Hebrews scripture when it says, “as ye see the day approaching”. Following Christ has always been the call to come out, lay down our lives, pick up our crosses and follow only Him. As you have said so many places, in each generation there has been such an assembly. That is the general assembly and church of the Firstborn we draw near to – that is the assembly we dare not forsake. THAT is the assembling of ourselves together IN Him. And the dreadful warning given in Hebrews for those that forsake this assembling together – this being gathered unto Him – and draw back! You have but to read the rest of the chapter to have the unbidden prayer roll out from the heart smitten by the enormity of this glorious call, “Oh God, may I be accounted worthy to stand before the Son of Man in the general assembly of just men made perfect and Jesus Christ the mediator of a new covenant in that day!” “For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and not tarry.” Heb 10:37″
In Numbers chapter 13 we see the story of the spies sent in to spy out the land by Moses. In verse 23 we see that they come to the Valley of Eshcol , near Hebron. Now Eshcol means cluster. It was from that valley that they took a branch with one cluster of grapes. Now, the Bible says it took two men to carry one cluster of grapes, they had to put a pole through it and carry it on their shoulders. This was an extraordinary fruitful place. Can you imagine the contrast between the desert and this valley? It must have seemed like heaven itself.
Now brothers and sisters, we know that the majority of spies gave a bad report, not least because very close to that valley dwelt the Anakim, the giants. It was also in this region that the Patriarchs were buried. So we can see just how significant this particular area was. By their burial in this land, the patriarchs were keeping watch and giving claim to the land of promise.
And so what can we take from that? Where the truth and promises lies there is great riches, great abundance. Yet, barring the way to this abundance is the fear of giants. We know that there is an abundant life to be had in Jesus. We know that the Lord came to give us life and that more abundantly. But let’s be honest brothers and sisters, how many saints do you know who are living that abundant overcoming life in Christ? Is it not true that out of the twelve spies, only two had the audacity, the faith and the boldness to go and take the land right away? Perhaps that ratio holds up till this very day? So many, held back by their fears, their lack of boldness. There it is , tantalizingly close, an abundant rich valley with fruit so large it takes two men to carry a cluster of grapes, yet the decision is to turn back into the desert.
Brothers and sisters. There continues to be an anti government movement within Christendom. At the center of this hatred for government seems to be taxes and the Federal government and Obama-care. Now, can we say we are standing on solid ground if we are caught up with land disputes and cattle grazing rights and other such worldly things?
Believers down through the centuries, have paid taxes to any manner of evil governments, starting with Rome. When the Romans extracted taxes from the vanquished nations and from property owners, do you imagine that the money was used for Godly enterprises? Nero himself used to dip Christians in oil and then set them ablaze to light up his parties at night. Should Christians and Jewish people have paid taxes to Nero’s government?
At the very heart of the conception of the American experience lies rebellion and taxes. Nothing has changed, it is still the same. The Word says that God is not mocked, what a man or a nation sows, it surely reaps.Yet in this vast nation there are millions of genuine saints and I thank the Lord that there is, for it is the light of the western world. Ravenhill suggested that a mere 5-7% of this nation was actually Christians. I think it may be more like 20%. Yet even if it is only 20%, that is almost 60 million genuine saints. God is calling His saints, His remnant saints to be readied for the final days of the ages. A great darkness draws near and the Satan himself is on the verge of unleashing evil on a scale never seen before or even imagined.
In an age where many in Christendom claim to be apostles, what are some of the basic signs of an apostle? Apostles tell the people hard truths, very often things they do not want to hear. An Apostle in the early days of the church could show you the stripes on his back. The apostle suffered more than anyone yet encouraged the saints even in their chains. Lastly, an apostle was marked for death because he was such a threat to the enemies kingdom. Yet even in the midst of their dungeons, you could hear the apostle praise God because they had learned to be content with the typically dire circumstances they found themselves in to the glory of God. They had entered into the sufferings of the Lord.
As I was walking tonight, I pondered my place in the river. Now, in Scotland, I grew in the shadow of the mighty River Clyde. It touched all of our lives. We lived by the estuary and it was probably four miles wide and tidal. It was teeming with life, we even saw whales in there every now again. Glasgow, at the head of the river was at one time the second largest city in the British empire and so many ships sailed up and down the river carrying goods to and from every corner of the globe. Almost all of the men of my home town, Greenock, worked in the ship-yards building some of the largest ships in the world. So you can see how this river helped to shape me growing up as it touched every aspect of our lives.
And so in my writing and poetry I relate very well to rivers. Two rivers dominate my life as a Christian and they are polar opposites. One is the river of God and it has always been my goal to be fully abandoned to this river, not just ankle-deep nor knee nor waste but fully immersed in the river that flows from and too God. I have always wanted to be in the very midst of it where the current simply takes me where it will. The other river is the river of life. This I have always struggled with. It has always seemed to me that I am swimming up the river of life. It’s current flows in the opposite direction to my spirit. I think about the salmon. The tremendous journey it undertakes to come back to the point where it all began. The salmon is driven and overcomes every obstacle or dies trying as it returns to the place of its birth.
So there to me is my dichotomy. In life I swim against the current and it can often times be exhausting and weary. It has been that way all of my life. I wonder if it will ever end but I know the answer. Like the salmon, the journey must be completed. I am driven by a force that draws me home, the hand of God. And yet there is a place in God where there is no effort at all and I am going down river in the current of the Holy Spirit. It is effortless and liberating and is a place of rest. I cannot separate these two rivers, one I feel in the flesh and the other I feel in the spirit. Yet I know this, they both lead me home. And whatever obstacle comes against me in an effort to stop me going further, deeper, closer to the source of life itself will be overcome or I will die in the process and even then I will be home. What comes by nature to the salmon, has come to me by way of the Spirit.
I will never leave you
Can you hear Me?
Can you hear Me in the wind?
Can you hear me?
I will never forsake you
Can you see Me?
Can you see Me in the sunset?
Can you see Me in the heavens?
Can you see Me in the ocean waves?
Can you see that I’m the one who saves ?
I am always near you
Can you hear Me?
Can you hear me in the waterfall?
Can you hear Me when the choir sings?
Can you hear me through all the noise?
Can you hear my still small voice?
I will give you rest for your soul
Can you see Me?
Can you see me in the dawn?
Can you see me in the baby born?
Can you see me on the mountain high?
Can you see my glory fill the sky ?
I can see you Lord!
I can see your glory fill the sky
So vast, I ask myself who am I?
I wonder and fall down upon my face
So small, but yet known by you
My God, my King my everything, my faithful and true
I can hear you Lord!
I still my soul and hear you through the noise
I diligently listen and hear your still small voice
Just one word from you overflows my soul
Each syllable is manna from above
It fills me and fills me and fills me with love!
I see you and I hear you
You walk with me each day
You light my path and feed my soul
You are the one who made me whole
You are my Truth my life my way
You came to me and you came to stay.
The song on the video was written last year after I cried out to God. As was walking I remembered this testimony………..
“A man I know of, went into the supermarket to buy his wife a rose. It was his practice to do this every week. He picked the rose that he wanted and made for the checkout lane. As he walked toward the line , the Holy Spirit spoke to him, that small still voice from the Shepherd. “Give the rose to that woman.” Immediately the man resisted. “Lord, that makes no sense. What if she thinks I am hitting on her? What if she thinks I am crazy? What if others hear and think I am a weirdo?” There was such a resistance in his flesh, yet he knew the voice of the Lord, and he knew he had to be obedient. So, he took a deep breath and walked over to the lady and said to her “The Lord wanted you to have this rose.” The woman looked at him for a second, then looked at the rose, and as she reached out to take it, she began to weep. She explained.”My husband died several months ago. Every week , for years, he would buy me a rose. This morning I was feeling so lost and forgotten, I cried out to God and asked Him if He had forgotten me, I told Him that I needed to feel loved.” The man cried too. You see how the Lord loves us? You see how He speaks to His people?”
Well that morning as I was walking and remembering that story, I said to the Lord ” I need a rose Lord.” Later that day I got a call from a dear saint who I had not heard from for over a year. The conversation really lifted my spirits and this person really likes me. You know how it is nice every now and again to talk to someone who thinks you are special? 🙂 Anyway that is where the lyrics for the song ” I asked for a Rose, He gave me a Garden,” came from. Maybe you need to hear from God today. I pray that He talks to you through this song. Aileen Gilchrist wrote the music and sings it with the anointing God has given her
In the Scriptures there are a few different stories of women with alabaster boxes that anoint Jesus, one story says His head is anointed and another His feet. Some say it was Mary Magdalene and some say it was not. Putting that aside, we do know a woman approached Jesus who had been caught up in many sins and we have supposed over the centuries that this woman had been a prostitute, perhaps the one thrown down at the Lord’s feet. I believe this to be so and we can imagine the horror of the Pharisees that this woman was in the same room as Jesus, never mind coming close to Jesus and touching him. We also know that the Apostles themselves were none too happy with the pouring out of expensive oil, most of all Judas of course.
I would like you to think of this for a moment. A prostitute comes to Jesus and has in her possession, an oil, a fragrance that is worth about a year’s wages. In today’s terms, we see something that may represent the value of an expensive, brand new car. She takes this possession of hers and she pours it out for Jesus. If this woman was indeed a prostitute, then we know where she probably got the money for this oil. Can you imagine this scene. A lifetimes savings, something that would represent this woman’s security for her future, simply poured out over Jesus. This is an incredible thing. This oil is the results of a lifetime of sin. She comes to Jesus and in exchange for a lifetime of sin, which she simply pours out at the feet of Jesus, she receives an eternity of love and forgiveness. And the fact that she was such a ” great sinner,” only meant that she received even more love and forgiveness. Brothers and sisters, this brought me to tears as I considered the open arms of Jesus to the sinner, to the sinner still in his/her sin.
” It is amazing how unbelieving a believer can become. One might as well call Christ a liar, and His apostles false witnesses of God, as to deny that God is going to have a Body functioning in absolute unity of the Spirit, with each member in his proper place, and all members working together as one harmonious whole. Here again, there is only one reason why ” believers” refuse to believe it, and it is because we have never seen it wither in our own experience or in the history of the church…….The churches long and bitter history of disunity and strife does not prove that God’s word means disunity when it speaks of unity. If God said it, it is going to come to pass; and if Jesus prayed for it, all the devices of Satan cannot prevent the glorious fulfillment of that prayer of faith.” ( George Warnock)
I read this passage from George Warnock the other day as I was reading a small book by him a friend and brother from Canada sent me. He sent it a couple of years ago and I am just getting around to reading it. It is always exciting when God confirms a word that He gave to you and that is what the above passage was for me. The Lord burned the above truth into my spirit last year. I was out walking in the springtime last year and I came to the entry point of a path that I walk. I was amazed when I looked down the small hill. The path was gone, and had been replaced by a raging river that could not be crossed. The Spirit of God fell on me and He began to show me things.
The Father’s heart is more understandable when we are father’s or parents. We always want the best for our children. We always want them to be safe. Our greatest desire is to hear their heart. The smallest communication on an emotional level is treasure beyond measure. If that is our position, if that is what brings us the greatest joy, now imagine our Heavenly Father whose thoughts are so much higher than our thoughts. Praise God, we were made in His image and He breathed life into us. All good things come down from the Father of lights. That word “light’s,” from James1:17 is better translated “rays of sunshine.” Even on cloudy days, rays of sunshine can break through.
This is the Father’s heart, He never changes, He is always our Father and He always wants the best for us. He desires, today, right now, even a single thought sent to Him. Can you imagine how you would feel if your child, young or adult came to you right now and whispered in your ear ” Dad, I love you,” or ” Mom, I love you,” for no particular reason. Joy would fill your soul and reach the deepest parts of who you are. How can we reach deep into the heart of our Heavenly Father? A gentle whisper, through-out the day ” Father, I love you,” for no particular reason. Expressions of our unconditional love like these are like musical notes sent heavenwards. Let us create today, a symphony together, from all over the world , with mere whispers to the Lord that brings great joy to the Father’s heart. ” Take joy my King, in what you hear, let it be a sweet, sweet sound, in your ear.” http://youtu.be/FcezxpnqFLY
It’s funny what i can learn from Daniel, my Down Syndrome son. Many years ago he came down and asked for a chocolate cookie. Well he had already had his quota so I said no. He went away and came back a few minutes later and told me that God said he was to have a cookie. Now it’s hard to argue with thus says the Lord. For years after that he would say ” God said.” He had confused his own will and desires with God and realized that ” God said,” carried some weight. Unfortunately for Daniel it did not carry weight with his dad and there was no cookie that night and no positive response to ” God said,” unless it was good for him.
How many of us have, over the years, confused our own will and desires with God’s will? How many times have you heard from brothers and sisters ” thus sayeth the Lord,” when they were clearly following their own path? Discerning the voice of God, it is a huge part of who we are in the Lord.
mediately the man resisted. “Lord, that makes no sense. What if she thinks I am hitting on her? What if she thinks I am crazy? What if others hear and think I am a weirdo?” There was such a resistance in his flesh, yet he knew the voice of the Lord, and he knew he had to be obedient. So, he took a deep breath and walked over to the lady and said to her “The Lord wanted you to have this rose.” The woman looked at him for a second, then looked at the rose, and as she reached out to take it, she began to weep. She explained.”My husband died several months ago. Every week , for years, he would buy me a rose. This morning I was feeling so lost and forgotten, I cried out to God and asked Him if He had forgotten me, I told Him that I needed to feel loved.” The man cried too. You see how the Lord loves us? You see how He speaks to His people?”
A Call To The Remnant 