There is a tyranny of expectations that oftentimes is self-imposed. Learning to be at peace with who we are is not typically the domain of younger people. If it were possible to put an older head on a younger person I would say “peace, be still.” There is a place of quiet. It comes when we lie down in the green pastures that is our life in Him. He has led us here and beside it runs still waters. The world in which we live is not real. It is a shadow of the reality of the Lord’s Kingdom. To walk in a place of quiet surrender is to walk in the Kingdom of God. Surrender what? The demands of this life and the expectations of this world. Yes, move in the world for needs must, but walk in the Kingdom. Lie down in the green pastures, and sit beside the still waters. Contemplate if you will the lilies of the field how they neither toil nor spin yet Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed in such glory as the splendor of this field. And the countless millions of sparrows, not a single one of them falls without our Lord knowing about it. When we truly take no thought for tomorrow and we live in a place where we seek to first walk in His Kingdom and in His righteousness then we can walk in a world that is without anxiousness and we can truly live in the moment for God above all else if the God of now. Our yesterdays are gone and there is no guarantee of tomorrow. Do not let the tyranny of our yesterdays become the chains that bind our tomorrows. If we do that we are binding something that does not belong to us. Imagine casting ourselves into chains, the very chains that the Lord Jesus came to break. He came to set the captive free, freed from our yesterdays and our tomorrows so that we could live free today. Brother, sister, are you walking in the freedom that was wrought for you on Calvary?
Archive for the ‘The presence of God’ Category
Free from our yesterdays.
Posted by appolus on March 26, 2019
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, The presence of God, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
The way of the remnant
Posted by appolus on March 25, 2019
Philippians 3:7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
The way of the remnant.
How many times was the Lord rejected? How many times was He ridiculed and scorned? How grievous the journey knowing the end? How savage the battle in the garden? How savage the treatment at the hands of Romans? How cruel the desertion of all of his friends, including his best and dearest? How indescribable the drinking of the cup? Yet even in the midst of one of the cruelest deaths known to man, He ministers. How deep the love that cries “forgive them Father?” How dead to the flesh a man must be to cry “hold not this charge against them.” How transformed must the flesh be that has a vision in the depths of being stoned by his countrymen? And brother Stephen was taken home loving those who bore the stones.
Would I respond in kind in the same situation? I pray that I would, I pray that every trial and tribulation I now suffer is a mile run by one who trains for a marathon. Can I see my trials as blessings? Can I walk counter to modern Christendom and count my trials as I count my blessings? Could I sing “Count my trials name them one by one, count my trials see what God has done, count my trials, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done” This is the deeper life brothers and sisters. This is the counter-culture. This is the way of the remnant.
This is the narrow path. This is counter to the way of modern Christianity. Shall we look to stay on this path? Shall we arrive at such a place as to rejoice in our sufferings? How can a man rejoice in his sufferings? Well, a man cannot, only a saint empowered by the Holy Spirit can.
There is no key or magic wand or instructions on how to rejoice in the depths of suffering. There is only encounter, there is only desire, there is only that thirst spoken of by David when he spoke of the deer that panteth after the waterbrooks. Make no mistake brothers and sisters, this place, this walk of the saints, this place of peace that surpasses all understanding is born out of fire. We have to encounter the Lord Jesus in the depths of the fiery furnace. We have to encounter Him when He reveals to us by His loving Spirit exactly who we are. Is there another way? No. It’s the narrow path, it’s the taking up of the cross, it’s the decision made in the garden of Gethsemane and even that is not it, there is still the death, even the death of the cross. Many men will die for the cause, but how many are willing to die for the cross?
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Look up-get up-and rise up!
Posted by appolus on March 21, 2019
I was thinking about my injured arm today, injured a few years ago in a car crash, had the ulnar nerve crushed. Had two major surgeries and the pain was hard to describe. The healing process has been a series of setbacks and recoveries. But slowly and surely each setback now is not as intense as before and the recovery is quicker. I was thinking about that as an analogy to those who are born again and have to deal with deep-rooted systemic and oftentimes generational dysfunction.
I know in my own walk with the Lord, many of the deeper rooted problems that come from being raised in a violent alcoholic house and my own addicted life before coming to Jesus have been healed just in the same way as my arm was. First there is the surgery ( being born again) Then comes the healing and recovery. Setbacks and recoveries, setbacks and recoveries. For those who have a desire to overcome they will triumph in Christ. He will lead you to victory in an amazing thing called sanctification. Thank you Father in heaven in the mighty name of Jesus and by the power of your Holy Spirit for your work in my life.
I personally found that the destructive aspects of my life were dealt with right away, drinking, cannabis, foul mouth, inability to love. The deeper rooted problems of personality and dysfunction of the mind was a deeper longer work. What was required of me was surrender, brokenness, contriteness and obedience. And even those, the Lord had given me along with my new heart. His faithfulness to complete what He has begun is above and beyond my ability to fully understand.
Maybe you are struggling today. Maybe you are disappointed in yourself….again….. but I want you to know this, your Lord and Father does not look at snap shots of our lives, He looks at our trajectory. He loves you and He loves His work in you and He does it for His own purposes and for His pleasure. So, look up, get up and rise up, there is a heavenly host that is cheering you on.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, The presence of God, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 2 Comments »
Shall we mourn?
Posted by appolus on March 19, 2019
In the golden stairway of the Beatitudes, the first promise is to those that are poor in spirit; but there is another step still deeper down on the way to God, and that is “Blessed are they that mourn.” It is needful that we shall mourn over our poverty, that we shall realize our need, that we shall be deeply troubled over our spiritual wretchedness, and that we shall come with such hunger that nothing less than all the fullness of Christ can ever satisfy us again. There are some spiritual conditions that cannot be accomplished in a moment. The breaking up of the fallow ground takes time; the frosts of winter are as necessary as the rains of spring to prepare the soil for fertility. God has to break our hearts to pieces by the slow process of His discipline, and grind every particle to powder, and then to mellow us and saturate us with His blessed Spirit, until we are open for the blessing He has to give us.Oh, let us wait upon the Lord with brokenness of heart, with openness of soul, with willingness of spirit, to hear what God the Lord will say! These days of waiting are important so that we may listen to God’s voice. We are so busy that we cannot hear. We talk so much that we give Him no chance to talk to us. He wants us to hearken to what He has to say to us. He wants us on our faces before Him, that He may give us His thought, His prayer, His longing, and then lead us into His better will. (From: Power from on High by A. B. Simpson)
How many churches do you know that mourn over their poverty? That realize their desperate need or are deeply troubled by their spiritual wickedness? How many churches do you know that are so hungry for the depths of God that nothing less than the fullness of Christ will satisfy them? These issues are not only applicable to the individual but most importantly they are applicable corporately. If we do not know or cannot acknowledge that we are spiritually wretched how can we be troubled by it? If we dwell in shades of grey but perceive it to be light how will we ever seek out the light of God? Corporate repentance is even more vital that individual repentance. Yet, it today’s success driven society where most churches have to tell you how good they are doing and how the coming year is going to be the best ever, this kind of moving in the Spirit is unlikely to ever take place. What a tragedy. Today we must have instant results and so the answer to our problems corporately is not acknowledging our spiritual wretchedness or admitting to our great need for the fullness of Christ in our midst, no, today’s answer is to add another program or change the ones that we have.
For the most part I believe that most institutions, most churches are relatively happy with what they have. And therefore that is what they have. To truly hunger for Christ in your midst requires a submission to brokenness. Allowing the fallow ground to be broken up, to acknowledge that we are dwelling in the depths of winter requires a deep humility. A contriteness that God so loves. He truly dwells with the broken and the contrite. For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones(Isa 57:15) You see who He revives? If we want to see the fullness of Christ in our churches then the very first thing that our churches would have to do is to mourn over their condition. Oh Lord may you release a holy dissatisfaction throughout the Body of Christ worldwide. May the light of your fullness overcome the dreary shades of grey that comes from self-satisfaction and ever more so as the gross darkness of this world closes in. Lord may you “grind every particle to powder, and then to mellow us and saturate us with His blessed Spirit, until we are open for the blessing He has to give us.”
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, The presence of God, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 1 Comment »
He who the Son sets free!
Posted by appolus on March 18, 2019
Joh 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Are you wearied of living in fear? Fears of all kind are the enemies of our soul, indeed oftentimes fear is the opposite of faith. In the end, fear is actually sin. I do not say that to bring condemnation upon anyone, simply to identify it and highlight how it can separate us from our relationship with the Lord. God does not condemn us in this but He would that we would live in the freedom that He has made us free with. When we run away from a situation or hide from it because of fear, it never solves the problem, it still lies in wait for us as we go around the mountain again. The obstacle must be confronted if we are to pass it by and move on upwards. Every single time we give into fear we are saying “Lord, you are not Lord of my life,fear is.” And in this we recognize the fact that we are slaves to sin and not servants of God.
We cannot be slaves and free men all at the same time. If the Lord has set me free, if He has come and opened up my jail cell, what was I doing still in the cell looking out through the bars at the world? Why had I not walked through the door that the Lord had opened? Was it safer for me to stay where I had become accustomed to? Even although it was a slavish miserable place, was it still preferable to me than to go beyond the horizons of what I had ever known? Yes, for many years it was. I was like the Israelite’s, threatened by armies or thirst or starvation, who wanted to turn back to Egypt with the rationale that at least in Egypt, at least in slavery, they could count on certain things. That was me.
There comes a time in our lives when we decide that we have to get up and get out of that cell. The Lord did not open it and free us just so that we could be technically free, He wants us to be actually free. I don’t know what is keeping you in that cell this day but we both know the Lord who opened the door. He bids us to step out of the shadows of the cell and slavery and to walk out and into the light of freedom. One step at a time, one day at a time, listen and follow Him one word at a time. Step by step. As you overcome in Him you will be putting distance between you and your former cell or self. There will come a time when you will look back and be astonished how far you have come in Him and how by the power of His Spirit you have overcome. You were called to freedom. Take that first step this day and deal fear a lethal blow by being obedient to the Word of God and His still small voice.
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Shining the light of God’s glory.
Posted by appolus on March 8, 2019
11 Cor 4:6For it is the God who commanded light to shine into darkness who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Can we know the glory of God? Can we even walk as Christians if we have never experienced the glory of God? We cannot be victorious Christians outside of this “knowledge.’ Those who have experienced the glory of God walk in victory. It is this victory that allows for joy even in the midst of suffering. For those who walk in the presence of God cannot help but radiate His glory. It is not something that is achieved by effort. If I radiate joy it’s because I am like the moon. The moon is a dead object, yet the light of the sun reflects off the moon and lights up a dark world. And just as the moon, by virtue of its position to the sun and the earth, radiates the light down into the darkness, then so to do those Christians who come before the throne and kneel before the King radiate the light from this glorious place into the darkness of the world.
Paul says in 2 Cor 2:14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place, for we are to God, the fragrance of Christ.
Do you walk in triumph? Do you diffuse the fragrance of His Knowledge in every place? If you have not experienced the knowledge of His glory then how can you radiate and reflect and diffuse the beauty of His presence and the manifest glory of who He is? If you have not stood in the manifest presence of God and glow from that encounter then how can you effectively share the reality of Jesus in your life? His life is life to us. Those whose hearts are veiled to this knowledge of His glory, who have not yet stepped behind the veil and experienced the glorious majesty of His presence cannot walk in the life of Christ that flows from that place.
Has God the Father shone this light in your heart? Have you knelt or fallen prostrate in the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus? Do you radiate? Do you diffuse the fragrance of God? Do you walk in the light of the knowledge of the glory of God? When we speak of knowledge we are not speaking about information? The knowledge of the glory of God is an encounter. It is not information it is an experience. Only by experiencing the knowledge of the glory of God can we be transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord ( 2 Cor 3:18)
This is the heart cry of our age. To stand in ”the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Let us lay aside everything else until we have stood in that light and been transformed from glory to glory. Let us not run the rat race but rather let us run the race that brings us into His presence. Only then share that with the passion that inevitably comes from such an encounter. People will be drawn to Christ by the light of the knowledge of glory that is in you, that is seared upon your heart, that makes you alive to the Spirit and dead to the world. Dear Lord in heaven pour out your glory into the hearts of men.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, The presence of God, the remnant, The State of the Chuch and Manifest presence, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 7 Comments »
Fields of Glory
Posted by appolus on March 3, 2019
Latest collaboration between myself and Aileen Gilchrist. I wrote this song based on a vision I had many years ago of what worship looked like in heaven.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christian poetry, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, poetry, praise, praise and worship, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, worship, worship music | 4 Comments »
Have you fallen down?
Posted by appolus on February 7, 2019
Psalm 42:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted in me? Hope you in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
Are you downcast today? Has the troubles of life, the trials of circumstances mounted up and overwhelmed you? Are you wandering in a spiritual wilderness? Perhaps you even feel abandoned by God? Has the multitude of your troubles somehow separated you from the presence of the living God?Is the only water you are experiencing right now the tears that fall in the shadows of the night, the darkness of your situation?
There is a term amongst shepherds called “casting.” It refers to a sheep on its back. If a sheep falls onto its back, it does not have the ability to get upright again. The blood will begin to drain from the sheep’s legs, and the weight of its body will press down upon its lungs and it will begin to suffocate. It will slowly die. Perhaps you feel like you’re on your back today? You do not have the ability to get up again. The situation and circumstances are out-with your control. You do not feel the presence of God, you feel alone and isolated, the joy is gone and you have lost you “song in the night.”
Let me tell you what the shepherd does when He comes upon a “downcast,” sheep. First of all He begins to rub their legs to bring some of the blood back to get the circulation going a bit. Then He takes one hand and grabs the two back legs, then the other hand and grabs the two front legs and hoists the sheep up and over His head and around His neck. He then carries the sheep until it has recovered and only then does He put it back down on the ground.
If you are downcast today brothers and sisters, cry out to the Lord with all the strength that you have left in you. Remember the days when you “used to go with the multitude. I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise.” I pray that today is the day that your joy returns, that you will have your song in the night.
Even in the midst of darkness, may your joy be complete in Him. The good shepherd of our souls who would take your chin this day, very gently and say “why so downcast,” my child, “put your trust in me,” see now I will lift you from this place and put you on my back awhile for when you walk with me for “my yoke is easy and my burden it is light and you will find rest for your souls.”
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 5 Comments »
The knowledge of God overcomes the world.
Posted by appolus on January 26, 2019
Ecc 1:18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
It is interesting that what man wanted, more than a relationship with God, was knowledge. And yet in much wisdom there is much grief. The more we know, the more our sorrow increases. Can you imagine the burden that the Lord Jesus carried? He carried the sure knowledge of how his life would end, how he would be betrayed, how he would be reviled and rejected. Yet in all of that He loved the multitude, He loved that same multitude that would turn on Him. He did good to those He knew would hate Him and spitefully use Him.
As hard as this would be for Him to live with, to walk daily with, we must remember that He also knew that death would not be the end of it for Him, he would arise from the dead. The life that He would then live, in the glories of heaven at the right hand of the Father would erase the horrors of what He had to witness and endure in this world.
Brothers and sisters. I don’t know what you know today. Perhaps you’re dealing with the knowledge of something terrible that is happening in your life or the life of someone you know and care about? Perhaps you asked for and were shown the horrors of how this world will end and the depths than humanity will plummet to? Perhaps a doctor has conveyed knowledge to you that has increased your sorrow? The antidote to the knowledge of this world, is the knowledge of the next. The Kingdom of God is not only future it is also now. We can walk in the sure knowledge of the Kingdom, we can walk in the glories of the eternal. We can lay down in the palm of His hand.
When we are found in Him, He is all of our tomorrows. When He is our joy and our peace and our rest, then the knowledge of this world and the things that have come upon us produces love in us. And perfect love casts out all fear. Thou shalt not be afraid of the terrors of darkness nor the arrows that fly by day. Nor shall you be afraid at the destruction that you see all around you, even if ten thousand were to fall at your side. For if you make the Lord most high your habitation then surely the darkness shall not touch you for even darkness is light to Jesus.
The Lord your God has set His love upon you. He has delivered you. He has redeemed you and called you by name. If He is for you then who or what shall be against you? Come and dwell in the secret place of the most High God. He dwells in lofty places with the broken and the contrite of heart. He is your refuge and your fortress, He is your strong high tower and in Him you shall put your trust. Call upon Him and He shall answer you and visit you in the day of your trial. He will enable you to finish the race. There is nothing that you will face that is too difficult for Him. Praise ye the name of God.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, The State of the Chuch and Manifest presence, the state of the church, theology | 2 Comments »
The King of China is the risen Christ- Pastor Wang Yi
Posted by appolus on January 17, 2019
This is an extract from Pastor Wang Yi’s sermon that saw him arrested a few weeks ago in China. The brother that shared it with me said that this man said more in this 6 min extract than most pastors say in a 60 minute sermon. I believe my brother was being overly-generous. The glorious gospel and its power is set before us. It transcends man, it transcends illnesses, it transcends institutions and governments and kings and rulers. It is the power of God unto salvation and it overcomes and overwhelms princes of the powers of the air and over regions. This truth revealed is why this brother in Christ was arrested.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 1 Comment »
The way of knowing God.
Posted by appolus on January 13, 2019
1Cor 8:1b Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies
It is interesting to consider that the very first act of defiance against God was carried out in a pursuit of knowledge.The results of that disobedience, that desire to know, separated man from God. Consider this Scripture that speaks of riches- But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.(1Ti 6:9)
You see that riches in and of themselves are not sinful or harmful. It is the desire to be rich that draws men into temptation and a trap, and releases many hurtful lusts which the Scriptures say drown men in destruction and perdition, which means eternal destruction. These are very solemn and frightening warnings. Now I would argue that knowledge, in and of itself is fine, but the pursuit of head knowledge in relation to God has the same kind of consequences. It draws men into the harmful sins of pride and ego and of course pride separates us from God, He resists the proud.
There is a way to know Jesus more deeply, it is found through suffering. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2Co 12:9) Here Paul is speaking about how the power of God may rest upon us. It is ironic that so much of the charismatic movement is taken up with a desire for the power of Christ yet rather than submit to suffering and infirmities and simply trust in God knowing that His grace is sufficient for us, they desire the opposite. They see no place for suffering or infirmities, to them it is a sign of a lack of faith.
Can you imagine if your pastor stood up next Sunday morning and asked the congregation is they desired the power of God in their lives. We can say with great probability that almost everyone would raise their hand to that question. Next he tells the congregation that in order to truly move in the depths of Christ, to be closer to Him and to have the power of Christ rest on them they must surrender to sufferings and trials and tribulations and infirmities, not only surrender to them but praise God for them for when we are weak, then He is strong and He is glorified in the midst of our own sufferings. How many would come forward to the altar for that call?
University and Bible college will not bring you closer to God. Head knowledge will not bring you closer to God. You can pursue degree after degree and masters and doctorates, but this desire for knowledge, for the sake of knowledge will draw you away from God. Those who suffer much for His cause, those who face trial and tribulation for His sake, those who have thorns in their flesh are humbled for if the Lord will give us an abundance or revelation we need to be in such a state of humility.
God’s remnant saints walk the way of infirmities and weakness. They know what it is to be persecuted and hated for His sake. They do not desire to impress men, they do not suffer from the fear of man, they are anointed with the fear and the favor of God. The pursuit of anything other than communion and intimacy with Jesus will lead us away from Him. No matter how righteous the matter is that you are pursuing, if it is not Jesus then you are in very real danger of falling into temptations and being caught in snares. Perhaps you have been pursuing something other than God. Today is the day to die to that pursuit and know that God’s grace is sufficient for you. Rest in Him, be found in Him, it is the greatest treasure that exists and it is the only way to know Him more deeply. Come into His depths this day.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
My Highest for His Glory
Posted by appolus on December 30, 2018
I was writing a book of devotions but have decided to put them on a specific page called “My Highest for His Glory.” I will publish three a week, one at the beginning, one in the middle of the week and one on a Friday. If you want to read them, click om the link below and then “like” the page, and feel free to share with anyone you think might need to be blessed. https://www.facebook.com/My-Highest-for-His-Glory-1520600…/…https://www.facebook.com/My-Highest-for-His-Glory-1520600074738714/?modal=admin_todo_tour
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 1 Comment »
Silent night and the glories of God
Posted by appolus on December 29, 2018
I know Christmas is over and many folks will be glad of it. I myself am not a big fan of what we call Christmas today, yet, one of my favorite hymns is Silent night. It was written originally as a poem by Joseph Mohr in 1816. In the very place that gave us Mozart from the city of Salzburg, Mohr was born into poverty and shame, being an illegitimate son of a soldier who abandoned the pregnant mother. He never became rich or famous and indeed the source of the song was unknown for decades after that. Hans Gruhber who composed the melody for the poem had a similar poor background. These two men from the very lowest parts of society, gave us the world’s most famous Christmas Carol, but to me it is not a “Christmas Carol,” but a song of worship and adoration. Consider these lines …………..
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!……………..
Radiant beams from thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
These are words of adoration and glory and beauty. Just imagine glories streaming from heaven above and being enveloped in them, or radiant beams of glorious light shining from the face of Jesus and manifesting themselves in grace that dispels the darkness. Even as i write this it brings tears to my eyes, my hand reaching up into the glories of heaven. I think of this song being sung at the very dawn of WW1 as the Germans and the allies come out of their trenches and embrace one another. The love of God Himself compelling them to lay down their arms and reach out to the “other side,” in love and common faith. And the great tragedy of darkness that followed.
Songs like this should be sung every week, then we too might catch a glimpse of glory streaming from heaven above with radiant beams of grace and mercy shining into a world that so desperately needs Jesus. When we keep our eyes on Jesus, every day is a day as unto Him.
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An atmosphere of hatred-the tipping point
Posted by appolus on December 23, 2018
Many years ago I watched a documentary about the rise of the third Reich. One of the women they interviewed said something I will never forget. It was in the 60s so it was more than 20 years after the war ended. She was asked why she had supported Hitler and why she attended the rallies and why she was so fanatical about him. She said the following “there was something in the atmosphere and we all breathed it in.” It was such an honest profound answer and in fact it was a spiritual answer even if she was unaware of that fact.
I remember when I was a teenager in Scotland. I had never been to a Celtic v Rangers game. This game was legendary. They were both Glasgow teams and the rivalry went back over one hundred years. There was an added element to their rivalry, in fact this was the major distinction of the two teams. Celtic was a “Catholic,” team and Rangers was a “Protestant,” team. This religious element only heightened the hatred between the two sets of fans. The “atmosphere,” at the game was supposed to be brilliant, such was the passion between the two sets of fans. I went to my first game when I was about 18. I discovered the atmosphere was one of sheer hatred. Even although I was completely neutral, I felt myself getting swept up in the “atmosphere.”
Today we are living in an atmosphere of hatred. One might argue, correctly, that rivalry between different groups such as blacks and whites, straight and gays, liberals and conservatives have always existed and have always been bad. I would agree but I would also argue that there is a tipping point. Once the tipping point has been achieved, it spills over into the atmosphere which then effects everyone to one degree or another depending on how much you give yourself to it. It is one thing to breathe it, it is quite another thing to breathe in deeply. The saint should be surrounded by rarified air, the air of love and grace, an atmosphere whereby one does not render evil for evil.
The tragedy of rendering evil for evil is all around us. If you hate, for whatever reason, you are being slowly eaten alive from the inside out. You have breathed in the poison. The great tipping point here in the States has been President Trump’s election. One side thinks their hatred is justified because the other side is so bad. Hatred, for whatever reason, no matter what side you are on, is a consuming fiery cancer The thing about hate is that either way it wins. And when the tipping point is reached and hatred runs amok, then the destruction of society inevitably follows. It could be World War one or two. It could be the Russian revolution. It could be the 1960s and the race riots. It could be Rwanda or the cultural revolution. There is an antidote and if we fail to seek it and to live it then we shall destroy ourselves and fall into the darkness. If you choose to breathe in deeply the air that is all around us and spew out more hatred into the atmosphere then your fate is sealed, or you could breath in the rarified air of peace and love as the Lord Jesus has commanded us saying……………
You have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Mat 5:43-48)
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
If I die
Posted by appolus on December 18, 2018
If I ever have to leave you
Just know that I’ll be there
I’ll be the bird that sings the morning song
And the sunlight in your hair
When you see the wind blow in the trees
And at night the falling star
And you hear the whispers in the breeze
You will know that I’m not far
For our love so true shall never end
It was birthed from God above
He took His ink and thus He penned
The story of our love
And so before the world began
Our story it was written
And across the heavens it did span
That you and I be smitten
So even though I leave you now
And my time on earth be finished
Yet listen love please here me now
Our love is not diminished
It was by His hand it came to life
This love that’s made us one
And forever you shall be my wife
And shine like the eternal sun.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christian poetry, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, poetry, revival, spiritual poetry, the crucified life, the deeper life, The presence of God, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
There is power in the name of Jesus
Posted by appolus on December 17, 2018
One of my favorite songs right now ( I have seasons of favorite songs/hymns) is “Break every chain.” The lyrics start out “There is power in the name of Jesus, there is power in the name of Jesus, there is power in the name of Jesus, to break every chain.” I love that. I could sing that and declare that for a month and never grow tired of doing it. I love every aspect of those words because it encompasses everything I know to be true. The very name of Jesus, there is power in it. It’s at the name of Jesus that the demons flee. It’s at the name of Jesus that the angels sing. There is no other name given under heaven, whereby a man might be saved. In the first year of my salvation every time I heard even the name of Jesus tears would begin to roll down my cheeks. I would be speaking to people in the church and praying inside, oh lord don’t let them say your name because I knew I would begin to weep and they thought I was emotionally unbalanced. Such was His power and the impact upon my life. I could testify from the highest mountains that He had broken every chain. Oh how sweet the light is to one who had dwelt so long in darkness. The light was luxurious and encompassing. I tell you, I wish now that I would weep every time I hear the name of Jesus.
There is one line from the song that the lady sings that I would like to challenge, and it may seem like a distinction without a difference and it does not stop me listening to the song and being mightily blessed by it. The line goes something like this “just declare this night that your chains are broken.” Now brothers and sisters, if that line were spoken as a testimony then I say praise the Lord and hallelujah. If your chains have been broken then I say declare it to anyone who will listen. If, on the other hand you are still in chains, then you can declare all night long and at the end of that night you will still be in chains. You see, there is no power in our own declarations when they are used as an incantation, for then the power would lie with us. Think of Paul and Silas in the dungeon. They were in stocks and chains. In the midnight hour they began to praise the living God, lifting up the name of Jesus. They were not declaring that their chains were to be broken and the doors were to be open. But look with me at what happens when they praise God in spite of their circumstances.
Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. 26 Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! (Acts 16:25-27)
Can you see that brothers and sisters? Can you see the great principle in action? There is power in the name of Jesus. When we praise His name, when we lift Him up, not our circumstances, He is glorified and when we are glorifying Jesus then down comes the power of God. The whole building shook, the doors flew open and their chains fell to the floor. Can you hear the chains falling? What are you burdened by today? What bondage do you find yourself in? Can I tell you, there is power in the name of Jesus. If you praise Him this day, if you lift Him up above your circumstances, if you glorify Him then He will glorify Himself in you.Those who have no strength, those who have grown weak He, by His power and by His glory He strengthens them. Even when younger men and women grow faint and grow weary all around you, you who wait upon the Lord, you who glorify the Lord, you who lift up that name which is above every other name, you shall renew your strength in Him and you shall run and not grow weary, you shall keep on walking and you shall not faint and you shall mount up with wings as eagles and dwell with Him in heavenly places.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, The presence of God, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 4 Comments »
The Essential Christian Loneliness
Posted by appolus on November 14, 2018
The man who has passed on into the divine presence is actual inner experience will not find many who understand him. A certain amount of social fellowship will of course be his as he mingles with the religious persons in the regular activities of the church, but true spiritual fellowship will be hard to find. But he should not expect things to be otherwise. After all, he is a stranger and a pilgrim, and the journey he takes is not on his feet but in his heart. He walks with God in the garden of his own soul-and who but God can walk there with him? He is of another spirit from the multitudes that tread the courts of the Lord’s house. He has seen that which they have only heard and he walks among them somewhat as Zacharias walked after his return from the altar when the people whispered ” He has seen a vision.” (Luke1:22) (Tozer)
Tozer rightfully identifies the loneliness of the walk of the saint who has stepped behind the veil so to speak. Certainly it has always been this way. Yet in these days this loneliness the saint feels, this isolation that plagues him can only get worse. For part of this loneliness has always been associated with separation down through corridors of time. In every age every group of saints has faced the challenge of their time and they faced it, for the most part alone or in smaller groups.
Now why do I say that it can only get worse? I believe that it will only get worse because this world is growing darker, darker than it ever has been before. There is coming a time such as has not been before. Before it is all over right will have become wrong, day will have become night and every saint who has walked in the garden of the Lord’s heart will be more isolated that any group of saints ever have been in the past. Can I suggest that when a saint is compelled deeper into the heart of God then that is a deep blessing. Yes in the natural sense of the Body of Christ we yearn for fellowship, deep genuine fellowship. Yet there is a an even more powerful force that grips us. This force lies at the center of who we are. If we were to drill into the center of who we are we would find this here. If we could see with spiritual eyes into the deepest parts of who we are we would see this. What is it? Its a gift that we received upon which everything stands. It is the Truth and our love for it.
And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2Th 2:10-12)
It is such a serious thing is it not, the truth? By it we stand or fall. Those who receive the love of the truth are saved, those who do not, perish. Now, if you have received the love of the truth, nothing will compel you to give it up. You have received it as a gift from God Himself and it burns in your bones. This is why there is more loneliness ahead in this world for the saint. For the world and indeed much of Christendom has turned its back on the truth. They are willing to trade the truth for the love of man and the acceptance of the world. We know that perfect love casts out all fear. This love, which we saints have received will do its perfect work. It will keep us in power and give us a mind that is not shaken by circumstances, a heart and a mind that stands upon the unshakable Word of God. Yet not just the Word of God but the dynamic reality of the presence of God.
And that is the separation. Only in like-minded saints can we ever find fellowship. Only that kind of fellowship moving forward will be acceptable. The reality is that there is an ever-widening gap between those who call themselves followers of Jesus and those who, as Tozer would put it, have seen as opposed to heard. On the road to Emmaeus two saints said ““Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” The Holy Spirit opens up the Word to His saints as they encounter the living God in their hearts. He leads them and He guides them and at the bottom of it all is Truth and the saints love for it. What is Truth? Jesus is Truth and in that Truth He give us life and that more abundantly and He shows us the way. If that way leads us down the dark and narrow road of circumstances and loneliness, then that will not stop us from going down that road.
And so the gap indeed widens for the genuine saint who has received the love of the truth. The world and all of its ways have forced itself into Christendom and demands allegiance. Not total allegiance to begin with for that old serpent is far too wise for that. Just a foothold, juts a little foothold that’s all, today, but tomorrow comes the stronghold and then the stronghold becomes the base from which total dominance of all the land becomes a reality. The genuine saint flees away from all of that and will find less and less places of refuge until at last he has no where else to run. Yet the man or the woman of God has found a hiding place that can never be conquered or taken. It is the high tower of the Living God. It is the shadow underneath the wing of the most high. It is the secret garden of the heart of promise given to us. There we walk saints. It is a place where we know. It is common to us. I have met saints from all over the world who ” know,” this place. And my spirit witnesses with theirs and theirs with mine.
Before this dark old world is finished with us saints we will have gathered there as the reality of this present world comes. There are but two worlds, two realities. This world and the Kingdom of God. When the Lord returns, which world will He find us in? Each world is exclusive and demands total loyalty. We are witnessing the stripping away of all of the pretense of this world. There is more stripping to come as the master of this world exposes himself for who and what he is. And antidote to this world and the father of lies is the Truth and our love for it. Let us stand fast in the coming days and follow the passion of our hearts no matter where it leads us.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, The presence of God, the remnant, The State of the Chuch and Manifest presence, the state of the church, theology | 7 Comments »
It’s at the name of Jesus
Posted by appolus on October 31, 2018
One of my favorite stories from the New Testament is from Acts 16 where Paul and Silas are in the dungeon. I have lost count of the number of times I have shared different aspects of that story. There is such a richness and depth to the fact that when we are in great darkness, when we are surrounded by trial and tragedy, when life has whipped us good, then down comes the Lord as we cry out to Him and begin to praise his in spite of our circumstances. I want to share another aspect of this story.
When Paul and Silas found themselves in the lowest dungeon, having been scourged and now shackled and at the midnight hour, they did not begin to preach and teach theology to the other prisoners around them. They began to lift up the name of Jesus. They lifted His name on high with their praises and all the other prisoners could hear them. How they must have marveled at what they were hearing. This was not natural, this was something supernatural. And yet something more dynamic was just about to happen. A great earthquake occurred, the very foundations of the prison were shaken and immediately all the doors of the prison were flung open. Can you see the richness and the symbolism of what is going on here? Praise releases power. Lifting up the name of Jesus brings down the presence of God. When the presence of God comes down then men are released from their captivity.
Now we know that the jailer assumed, when he saw the cell doors flung open, that all the prisoners has fled. It is a perfectly reasonable assumption. Prisons in those days were not pleasant places, they were places of extreme darkness and despair. If a prisoner suddenly found his door flung open and he could make good his escape then of course that is exactly what he would do. Yet on this occasion, every man was still where he was. None had fled. Now why? Brothers and sisters I will tell you why, they were now no longer held captive by doors and prison cells, they were held captive by the presence of the living God. Enter into the presence of God and no man in his right mind would ever want to leave that place. Can I ask you, have you been so captivated by the presence of God?
The presence of God is life itself. Imagine having dwelt all of your life in sin and darkness and suddenly you are surrounded by His marvelous light. Think of the women at the feet of Jesus having been forgiven for so much now loving so much that her very tears can wash the feet of Jesus. Imagine the woman with the issue of blood reaching out and grabbing onto the very hem of His garment and suddenly power, healing power is flowing and coursing through her whole body. This presence of God, once experienced can never be forgotten. We are now no longer captives of this world, we are now captivated by the beauty and the holiness and the majesty and the glory of God. And when that happens, we are going to stay right there, right where He is.
Do you want to be personally revived? Lift up the name of Jesus, glorify Jesus, speak of Jesus, testify of Jesus, raise Him up, look up to Him, remember and bring to mind everything that He has done for you. Praise Him in the midnight hour of your life and down will come His marvelous light. Do you want to be revived corporately? Lift up the name of Jesus. Stop all your programs and seek our His glory. Lift up His name and praise Him for all His marvelous works. Throw open to your gathering opportunity to stand and testify of His glory. Ask the saints to simply stand and tell everyone what He has done in their lives. Dont do it for five minutes, if you genuinely do it time will lose its meaning. You will suddenly look at your watch and hours and hours will have passed by because in His presence time does not exist. People will not want to leave. People will not have to be encouraged to come to a gathering where the name of the Lord is being raised up and His presence has come down. Do you really want it brothers and sisters? It is that simple and that profound.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, The presence of God, the remnant, The State of the Chuch and Manifest presence, the state of the church, theology | Leave a Comment »
You are not alone
Posted by appolus on October 25, 2018
You may feel very lonely saint, but you are not alone
There is one who walks with you and sits upon His throne
You may feel very tired, this old world has got you down
But the one who dwells within your heart will always be around
You may be troubled on every side but know you will survive
For remember you were dead in sin but now you alive
The light that dwells within you is the light from up above
He breathed into your very lungs and filled your heart with love
You may have battled with despair but joy comes in the morning
The darkness tries to lie to you and fill your heart with mourning
Yet deep within your very heart sits the one upon His throne
And then when all seems lost to you, you’ll find your not alone
He is our very present help in the times we are in need
For the one for whom the Son sets free is surely free indeed
Free to call upon His name in the darkness or in the light
He’s with us through deep waters and He guides us through the night
So precious saint consider this, consider His great love
Consider He came down to us from the glories of above
He loves you so He died for you He’ll never leave you alone
He forever intercedes for you before His Father’s throne
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christian poetry, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, poetry, revival, spiritual poetry, the crucified life, the deeper life, The presence of God, the remnant, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
Mercy in the midst of wrath.
Posted by appolus on October 24, 2018
In Jeremiah 27 we see the prophet coming up against the false prophets of the day. The chapter is set against the backdrop of a devastated Jerusalem where the temple has been sacked by the Babylonians and many of the vessels, the means of sacrifice and worship, have been taken away to Babylon. There are a few vessels left, a vestige of what had been, a reminder of the former days of glory.
We see a people who are in the very midst of judgement. God’s hand has moved and will move further still as He breaks down the hard clods of the people’s hearts who for a long time had wandered far from Him. Now in this chapter we see two entirely opposing positions. As hard as it is to believe, most of the people are still blind to their condition, it is true that the heart is deceitfully wicked and blind to its own condition. On the one hand we have Jeremiah telling the people that this invasion and destruction from Babylon is the hand of God moving and it will move further still. On the other hand we have the false prophets telling the people that this was not God but the enemy at work and that God will bring about a revival of His people and restore them to their former glory, by destroying the king of Babylon and returning the vessels of the temple which would restore the sacrifice and the worship.
Brothers and sisters, I want you to put yourself in the place of the people of Jerusalem. Judgement has certainly been unleashed. They see devastation and destruction all around them. Their whole system of worship and sacrifice has been almost completely destroyed by the world. There is little left to hold onto. One man stand up and tells them it is only going to get worse because this is the hand of God judging them, other men stand up and tell them no, things are going to get better, everything is going to be revived and restored and all of their enemies are going to be slain. If they listen to the first man they would have to look at themselves and then acknowledge that God was judging them, they were the perpetrators of their own destruction. If they listen to the false prophets, they would fool themselves into thinking that God was going intervene on their behalf and bring this all to an end and restore and revive them. Would you have ears to hear Jeremiah? Or would you, along with the false prophets, pick up stones to stone him?
Today Christendom is in the midst of judgement. For so many, that same wicked deceitful self-serving heart is still fooling them. They cannot see that God is not happy with the whole system and has come down to judge it. They harken after the “prophets,” who tell them that God is going to restore and revive their whole system. Wishful thinking does not move the hand of God. The hand of God is found in the midst of captivity and judgement. The prophet Habakkuk cries out to the Lord that in your wrath remember mercy. This scripture comes in the midst of great judgment. In these examples we see that God’s mercy is found in the midst of captivity and defeat. His mercy as well as His wrath brought about the defeat and destruction in the first place. Only in this place is the people’s hard and proud hearts brought low enough to cry out to the Living God. God dwells with the broken and the contrite.
One of the most famous Scriptures that well-intentioned people use to cry out to God to bring revival is 11 Chronicles 7:!4. The oft quoted verse says If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Yet, as happens frequently, the proceeding verse, for context, is left out. 2Ch 7:13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; You see, God is saying that if, when judgement has come, if His people, having suffered the full consequences of that judgement whether it be drought or famine caused by locusts or death cause by pestilence, should then humble themselves and turn from their wicked ways, then He would hear from heaven and heal their lands.
Brother and sisters, we are in the midst of judgment. There are false prophets who will tell you that God will move in revival and restore the fortunes of Christendom. It shall not happen, what little Christendom has left will be removed and it will be given into the hands of a wicked world. God has a purpose in this. He is separating unto Himself His people. A people that even if He slays them, yet shall they trust Him. A people whose trust is in Him and not in institutions. The Body of Christ. The gates of hell shall not prevail against His Church. In the midst of His refining fire the Body of Christ is sanctified. The cares of this life are merely burned away in the fire that God sends.
The religious are those who love this life and their ways, they will cry out to God to restore and reserve the way of the life that they have known and have pride in. God people will cry out for refining fire that burns away all the dross and all the wood, hay and stubble. Habakkuk says it best and describes exactly what mercy in the midst of wrath looks like Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. (Hab 3:17-19)
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, The presence of God, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 4 Comments »
A Call To The Remnant 