This book company offers free Christian books for review – you join, read a book, post the review on a public site like Amazon and your blog, and then earn the right to review another book for free.  Apparently more books are offered, the more grades you get for your review.  

Please consider going to this link:   http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/bloggingforbooks/reviews/view/11069  

and grade my review.  They do ask for an email address, but do not use it for anything but to make sure you only vote once.

Thank you so much.  

If you don’t want to go to the site, my review follows:

 

What a treasure trove of information for understanding John 15.  Using a blend of vineyard stories, personal examples, Scripture and wonderful charts and graphs to open up the secrets of the vine for women (although men would also benefit from this book).  

Verse by verse we examine this powerful passage of Scripture to understand how God is the vinedresser, Jesus is the vine, and we need to be grafted into the vine.  All that God does in our lives is to lovingly help us to produce much fruit.  God uses many methods to cause us to produce fruit from discipline and rebuke to removing obstacles to make room for more abundance.  As we cooperate with God’s plan and produce fruit, we abide even deeper with Him. 

One of the most helpful parts of the book for me was a list of tools to abiding.  Although God works with us uniquely, studying His word, regular talking with him and a spiritual journal can help us to grow in Him.  And the moment we make a move to God, things emerge that try to prevent us from abiding, what Darlene calls Abiding Busters.  She provides Scriptures to help us combat these busters.  We have seasons of Discipline, Pruning and Abiding with God, and each season brings us to deeper levels. 

This book is perfect for a Bible study, coming equipped with a study guide.  Both new Christians and seasoned believers can benefit from this study.  I highly recommend it.

 

Hope this book review is helpful.

Heather

Taught May 27, 2011

Before we began, Pastor Don prayed out the Spirit of Offense.  Someone asked about suicide and if a person who committed suicide could be forgiven or was it a mortal sin.

Matthew 16:21-23 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”  But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Pastor Don pointed out that offense has a good and a bad side.  We can be offended at inconsequential things, or we can be offended by the things that are not of God’s Kingdom or plan.  Sometimes in the Church we are trying so hard to be inclusive and loving that we overlook things that are not of God, sins in the Church that need to be addressed.

1 Corinthians 5:1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife!

Paul became aware about a situation in the church of Corinth that was so bad, that not even the pagans would permit it.  A man was having sex with his father’s wife.  We have to assume it was the father’s second wife, not the mother of the son for that would be incest.  

1 Corinthians 5:2 And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you.

You are proud and not dealing with this to remove the sin.  This church fell into the same error that is evident in many churches today, we think of God as forgiving sins, and therefore any sin will be forgiven.  God does not condone sin and there will be judgment.  When a person is saved, their lives should begin to look more and more like what God wants for them.  We do sin even after we are born again, but we need to repent and move beyond the sin.  We are works in process. God will not condone this circumstance. It needs to be addressed for the sin of this man can affect the whole church. In churches we cannot overlook sin and what is against the Word of God, we are to judge and deal with the sin.

1 Corinthians 5:3 For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. 

Even Paul, from a distance has judged this as sin that cannot be condoned.  We are not to be soft on sin – we can love the sinner, but not condone the sin. When someone is dealing with private sin, we want to get into their lives, help them fix themselves back up and get back into the race.  We win them with love, but point out the sin.  Paul’s already judged this sin, and the Church in Corinth should have done something about it.

1 Corinthians 5:4-5  In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

We need to remove the covering of protection from over the person.  God is not required to protect a person in disobedience.  With the cover of protection removed, the effects of his sin and satan’s actions will begin to affect the person.  The enemy, satan may kill the body of the person, but they will still maintain their salvation. But the destruction of the body can prevent further sin.  It seems harsh, but is really loving.  And who knows, maybe the person will be shocked back into obedience to God as they face the repercussions of their sin. If the person sticks close to God and doesn’t reject their salvation, they will still have their spirit enter Heaven.  

When you are saved, your spirit is saved, but your flesh (mind, will, and emotions) still needs to come under obedience to God.  That is a process that occurs as we turn more and more of our lives over to God.  If our heart is right, the flesh will at some point come under control of the spirit.

We are told to confess our sins one to another, to repent (which means to turn 180 degrees around) and change.  We may still be in sin, but if we are repenting and making steps toward change that is vastly different from deliberately choosing sin.  God knows our heart.

If a person deliberately sins and doesn’t repent, and the Church says nothing to them, it affects the whole congregation.  If one man sleeps with his father’s wife, and nothing is done, the congregation sees that and some other members may wonder what else they could do and get away with.

1 Corinthians 5:6 Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 

This one man’s sin affects the whole Body and the sin will spread in the church if not addressed.

2 Corinthians 5:7-13 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.  I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.  Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”

The person must be judged and removed from the congregation so his sin does not spread.  We know that there is sin in the world, but when sin enters the church, it is important for it to be judged.  If the person refuses to change their behavior, to repent of their sin, for their own good and the good of the congregation they must be asked to leave.

Is it forever?  Not always.  In this case, the man changed and Paul asked the church to accept him back into the congregation.

2 Corinthians 2:1-3  But I determined this within myself, that I would not come again to you in sorrow. For if I make you sorrowful, then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me?  And I wrote this very thing to you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy, having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all.

Paul writes to the people that he didn’t want to come to them until he knew that they were in obedience to God and he could come to them happy.  He didn’t want to beat them up.

2 Corinthians 2:4  For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you. 

Paul sent the letter of correction because he loved them.  He had to address the sin so that it stopped it from becoming a greater problem for the church. Public sin needs to be addressed publicly, but if a person is in private sin one can address it privately with the person, so it doesn’t become public sin. 

2 Corinthians 2:5-6  But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be too severe. This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man, 

The church in Corinth listened to Paul and everyone in the church addressed the sin.  But even with such a banishment, the punishment, according to Paul is not to be too severe, just sufficient to pull the man back in obedience to God.

2 Corinthians 2:7-9  so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. 

Now that the man has changed his behavior, Paul instructs the church to forgive and comfort the man so that he is not overwhelmed by sorrow and he be driven away from God.  

Not only was this man judged, but the Church was judged and passed the test, of addressing sin.  Paul says the church is not to be overly hard on this man.

2 Corinthians 2:10  Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, 

If the church forgives him, Paul forgives him too, in the presence of Christ.

Why?

2 Corinthians 2:11 lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

We need to be wise and aware of satan’s devices and not let him take advantage of us.

2 Corinthians 2:12 Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord,

Paul was able to continue preaching the Gospel, and doors were opened because Paul acted in obedience to God.

 

There is the possibility of the covering of God being removed from people because of unrepented sin. If people do not obey and examine their lives to see what sins need to be dealt with, the covering is removed and their lives become a mess.  Instead of recognizing that it is their sin causing the problem, the person could begin to think that the world was against them. When the man began to repent, he began to come more in alignment with God’s plan.

Pastor Don pointed out that sometimes a person makes a bad decision.  If a person decides to kill themselves it is because of the influence of satan.  We don’t know what happens in a person’s mind between the act of suicide and their death.  It is possible that they repent of their act and either someone comes to save them and their lives are turned around, or they die, but are still saved for they turned to God.  We won’t know, because there may be others who do the same act and don’t repent, don’t turn to God and their outcome is hell.

Workers of iniquity and evil sin in a premeditated way, and they do not desire to repent or change their ways.  There is a difference between workers of iniquity and a person who is a sinner who succumbed in a moment of weakness. 

We know that in the presence of the Lord the heart changes.  We can’t know what happens in a person’s spirit, we can see the flesh, but we can’t see their last encounter with God.  

God is the one who knows the ultimate end of a person’s life.

I hope this helps you.  Pastor preached a sermon on this recently.  I will try to find it and put the transcript up for you for further edification.

Praying your day is awesome.

Heather

 

April 29, 2011

Joy began the Bible study by asking us what was in our refrigerators? Was there stuff beyond the expiration date?  What things in our lives are beyond the expiration date?

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Notice that this passage says REASONABLE SERVICE  not unreasonable sacrifice.

Romans 12:1-2 AMPLIFIED   I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].

The only way to be transformed is by cleaning out everything that is beyond its expiration date by the renewing of the mind.  

 The Greek word for renew is anakainosis.  (Heather’s note – this word is only used twice in the New Testament – in Romans and in Titus)

It means to make new, to renovate.  When you renovate a building you need to gut it first, then you can renovate.  You can’t build without taking out the old.

When we come to Christ we are new creations. We can’t just put a sheet over our old selves.  

In construction terms, we need to tear out, down to the studs, then we can put up new sheet-rock.  To tear down is work and it makes a mess.  If we let God tear our lives down to the studs, and then rebuild it is a complete transformation, a metamorphosis (like a caterpillar to a butterfly)  When the butterfly emerges, the caterpillar no longer exists.  In the cocoon, the old caterpillar’s body turns into gore that is transformed into the new body of a butterfly.  The cells reorganize.

We have a person who reads the Greek Bible at our studies and translates directly from the text.  She said that the text implies that we do not take the shape of and grow on it, but that we have the different shape because of the renewal of the Word which you put on, and it is according to the perfect will of God.

What appears is of God, not our might.  For example, we can’t help a butterfly transform.  If we cut into a cocoon and try to help a butterfly out, the butterfly will die, for the struggle to emerge from the cocoon pushes fluid into the wings of the butterfly.  

You can be born again in the Spirit, but parts of you are still of the flesh – parts of you have not been torn down to the studs.

2 Corinthians 5:17 AMP Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!

You can only have the New if you clean out the fridge.  A lot of thoughts are not renewed, it is our choice to remove them or not – to get there quicker or slower.  Becoming new is a process.  If we hold on to unforgiveness, we cannot be renewed.  

One of the last things to go is OUR STORY.  We have excuses about why we can’t do better – it is because this happened to me, or that person didn’t do something for me, or whatever.  We carry our story around.  I would do better if I could, but I can’t.  Our story clogs up our fridge, and keeps us stuck.

Ephesians 4:23-24 AMP  And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude], and put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God’s image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness.

We have to take off anything of the old in order to put on the new.  God has already perfected his own.  But to have restoration does not mean to throw patches on the old, we need to go back to God’s original blueprint for our lives, to what God saw in us before we were created in our mother’s womb, before the foundation of the World.  

So, if you missed it, go back to the blueprint and do a whole new plan.  God’s going to create the new, not do a makeshift patch job.

We want to be strong, to stand and say I want what You (God) wants, not get by on my version of what I think is right.

Colossians 3:10 AMP And have clothed yourselves with the new [spiritual self], which is [ever in the process of being] renewed and remolded into [fuller and more perfect knowledge upon] knowledge after the image (the likeness) of Him Who created it.

We get renewed in the vision that God has for us.  See ourselves as He sees us before the foundation of the World – that’s the new man.  We are not off the clearance rack, God custom tailors us, so we are instantly comfortable.  Joy spoke about how she received a custom tailored suit and how it fit her perfectly.  When she purchased clothes off the rack she had to learn how to be in them, where they pulled and bound.  But a custom tailored suit flowed with her.

Athena  translated her Greek Bible for this passage and said, that that it translates that we have been dressed with the new man, continually renewed, and molded into what the Creator envisioned for us, and it reveals the perfect knowledge of God when all is done.

We believe we are “special”  and pride and a sense of unworthiness can keep us from being submitted to God.

We sometimes take on a spirit of infirmity, a spirit of specialness, which is how we get attention.  People treat us special because we are weak or sick and we want that specialness.  The spirit of infirmity seems sweet but leaves a bitter aftertaste.  Some magnify their disability, sickness, and helplessness, and their story.

The devil wants us to remain crippled. God’s blueprint is for us to walk tall and straight.  

Every trial and opposition gives us the opportunity to choose to identify with the spirit of infirmity or the God’s blueprint.

There is a spiritual root of disease.  We can look at our family history, beliefs, and sayings to see where the root stems from.  It is a Job factor, that which I greatly feared has come upon me.

What is in your fridge?  If it is the old, it hasn’t passed away.  We need to clear out the fridge.

What I say about it or what he says doesn’t matter – what matters is God’s view.

How do we renew our mind?  We use the Word of God.  If what we are believing or saying doesn’t line up with the Word, discard it.  Only what God and the Holy Ghost says.  

We are made of a Soul (mind will and emotions) our body and our spirit.

If we are operating under the Soul our mind will say I’m taking that on, our will will insist or refuse and our emotions will take us on a roller coaster ride.

Our words matter -we want to bypass the soul and give strength to the Spirit by saying what God says about our situation.  We need a new operating system

HG7.0  (Holy Ghost 7.0)

We want to let our Spirit be our operating system and not let our mind, will and emotions rule our lives. We want to take our minds captive, say not MY will but THY will be done, and for the emotions, we want the fruit of the Spirit.  Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge].

We want our emotions rooted in the Holy Ghost instead of the flesh.  Galatians 5:19-21 Now the doings (practices) of the flesh are clear (obvious): they are immorality, impurity, indecency, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), selfishness, divisions (dissensions), party spirit (factions, sects with peculiar opinions, heresies), envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

The choice is ours.  Flesh or Holy Ghost?

Have a blessed day.

Heather

These are notes from our Friday afternoon Bible Study taught April 22, 2011 by Pastor Don Moore

Jesus rolled our stone away and we are still sitting in our tombs.

Romans 1:1-5  Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,

There is so much information in this passage.   We have received Grace through the Work of Christ, it is more than unmerited favor, for grace implies empowerment.  The apostleship is not new, for Jesus built His church through the sent ones, the ones sent to carry out the will of God in obedience and faith.  

Pastor Don pointed out what a miracle that was, that who the people of His day perceived to be an obnoxious Carpenter believed that His Gospel was going to be preached globally.  We need to give our will over to His will.  When we are willing and obedient we will eat from the good of the land.

ALL NATIONS for HIS NAME – purposeful authority of His Name.

Romans 1:6-7  among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints:  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is a letter by Paul to those who are called to be saints.

Romans 1:8-9 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,

To all the whole world.  Remember, Paul prays without ceasing.

Romans 1:10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. 

Notice this important point – Paul wants to visit them, but only if it is in the WILL OF GOD. 

We have a habit of saying if it is in the will of God, but for things that we should know are the will of God.  For example, when people pray for the sick to recover they often say if it is the will of God.  Of course healing is the will of God, but our unbelief can block the healing.  We need to know what God has promised those who obey Him.  We can find the blessings in Deuteronomy 28 and 30 to see the curses and the blessings. 

For Paul, he is speaking about a specific will of God toward his circumstance – whether or not he will be able to visit the Romans.  He doesn’t know when, how, or the circumstances, but he hopes to visit.

When we know the Father’s will it is correct to pray the will of God.  

It is incorrect to ask God for something good and then ask if it is His will.  It is ALWAYS His will to give you good, if HE gets the glory for it.

Romans 1:11-12 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established— that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

Paul wants to minister the prophetical office of apostle to them.  He wants to impart a prophetic Word by the laying on of hands.  

If God gives you the urge to govern, a job, a venture, a church, a relationship, He examines the fruit of it, and if it glorifies Him, He opens the door for us.

We want to obey Him.

Rome, at that time, was filled with fleshy meat eaters, and Paul was setting the stage for his arrival.  He would be put under house arrest and during this time write a lot of his letters to the churches.  

Hope this blesses you.

Heather

These are notes from a Bible study taught by Pastor Don Moore at Living Word Chapel on April 15, 2011.

Pastor Don has been speaking about the ministry gifts Christ gave to the Church.  On this day we studied what is required and expected from the prophetic ministry.

Jeremiah 1:1  The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin,

A prophet must speak and share what God has told him to share.

Jeremiah 1:2-3 to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.

These words were given prior to the captivity of the Israelites.

Jeremiah 1:4 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: 

The Word of the Lord – God was speaking TO JEREMIAH.  Jeremiah had at least seven scribes who traveled with him and wrote down what Jeremiah told them the Lord said. Some scribes were mental scribes who memorized the passages of Scripture.  Others wrote the scriptures down.  What Jeremiah said, the scribes took down accurately.  This is God calling Jeremiah to the role of prophet and telling him what to do.

Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” 

Jeremiah was to be a prophet to the nations, not just Israel. He would visit Egypt and Canaan, and the Word records his messages to the nations.  Not only did he minister back then, he is ministering to us today, even in West Hurley or wherever else we are reading these Scriptures.

Jeremiah 1:6 Then said I:  “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” 

An Israelite youth was someone under 29 1/2 years old.  Only after 29 1/2 years could a youth minister in the Temple.

David was anointed and appointed before he was 29 1/2 years, and he faced Goliath as a youth, a youth who was already anointed to be king.  He was anointed years before he stepped into this role.

Jeremiah 1:7 But the LORD said to me: Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. 

God gave Jeremiah instructions.  1. He was sent with a message – the message will be specific to whomever God sends him to minister. It could be a prophesy over a nation, a person, or whomever God wants to speak to.  Jeremiah is to deliver God’s message.  2. God commanded Jeremiah (and Jeremiah obeys), and 3.  He must speak.  When God tells us to say something we need to obey and speak what God tells us to speak – nothing more, nothing less.

A prophet may not be sent to perform healing, deliverance, or dealing with the sick.  He is sent to talk, to speak God’s truth.  Sometimes he may do other things, but his primary purpose is to say what God tells him to say.  His message is not voluntary, God is sovereign. Our obedience is not optional.  God will tell us what to do, when to do it, if we do not choose to obey Him, there are consequences.

Jeremiah 1:8 Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you,” says the LORD. 

4. Do not be fearful. When a prophet delivers a message it is not always well received by the ones hearing it.  The prophet is not to be afraid. He can deliver messages to Kings and dignitaries, and even if the King doesn’t like the message, don’t be afraid.

Pastor Don said that one of the biggest fears of people is public speaking.  People don’t like speaking to crowds.  Don’t be afraid to deliver God’s Word.

God promises the prophet that He will deliver him.  God will be with you.  Say what God tells you to say, if it doesn’t go over well, God will get you out alive.

Jeremiah 1:9 Then the LORD put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me: Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. 

God will put the words in our mouths.

Jeremiah 1:10  See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.

God has sealed the word in the prophet.  The prophet is set OVER, is superior to the nations and kingdoms of the earth.  He is an Ambassador for the Kingdom of God. God protects those who represent the Kingdom of God.  There are some apostles with prophetic anointing.  We are to raise up people to fulfill all the roles in the five-fold ministry.  The prophet is to speak a word for a specific time, a specific group of people, and to speak as an ambassador of God.   God gives the prophet the message he must deliver.  In the day of Jeremiah, the Holy Spirit would come and rest on the prophet at the time that he was to speak.  Today the role of the prophet is different, for we have the Holy Spirit residing in us.  Jeremiah was speaking when the people were under the time of the Law.  

We, because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, can come quickly into the Spirit, and we can stir up the gift that is in us through speaking in tongues, meditation, prayer, the Word.  We have discernment of the Holy Spirit, and we speak what the Holy Spirit says, not what the flesh says.

Our Kingdom of God is far superior to man’s kingdoms.  When the prophet speaks, the wise king takes notice.  

God’s voice registers with our spirit so that we recognize the voice of God, but because it is filtered through our flesh, at times we may miss the mark.  God speaks Spirit to spirit, but our mind interprets what the Spirit tells it.  But the Holy Spirit is greater than the words we speak.  Pastor Don pointed out that sometimes he preaches something from the pulpit and people come up to him later and thank him for the message.  When asked, the tell him what they heard, and it is not what he spoke, the Holy Spirit spoke an entirely different message to them.  

We can hear the same word and two people will get two different interpretations from the same word, and both can be hearing from God.  If the heart of the person is spirit filled, he will hear what God has to say.

The second half of verse ten speaks of six stages of the prophesy, and the seventh is the Work of God, 

1. Root out, 2. Pull down, 3. destroy, 4. throw down, 5. build, and 6. plant.

ROOT OUT – It is uncomfortable, but to make a field ready for planting, what is not needed must be rooted out.  Root out the hidden behavior, the roots, those things that we hide behind the surface.  Jesus, the ultimate prophet, spoke to the churches in the book of Revelation.  He pointed out the areas the churches were weak in.  For example, you have left your first love or you are lukewarm.  When we have something in us that is not of God, we want to let Him root it out of us so that we are fully able to serve Him.

PULL DOWN – what is not of God will be pulled down. When Jesus comes, He is going to pull down all the pagan practices that are prevalent in the church. He is going to pull down the traditions that do not have a Biblical basis. One example is that churches with steeples, especially ones on hills with steeples.  That is a pagan practice, and phallic symbols.  

The prophet is not a gardener.  He comes in and says what needs to be done, and it is the pastor, the shepherd that does the work.  The shepherd will root out what the prophet points out must be changed.  The shepherd will pull down something that is being put in the place of truth, what needs to be pulled down.  We need to know what God said and didn’t say.  If God didn’t do it, pull it down.  If you are holding on to wrong thinking, pull it down.  

TO DESTROY – Some things need to be killed.  Sometimes it may be people, God had the Israelites go into Canaan and destroy people – but in God’s timing, for they had shown that they were not going to change and line up with the truth.  

Simon the sorcerer had to be rebuked for trying to purchase the gifts of the Spirit.  Ananias and Sapphira were killed for lying to the Church about selling their goods and giving them all to the Church.  They lied to the Holy Spirit.

THROW DOWN – When things are put in the place of God or when they thing that people are more important than what God wants, there needs to be a throwing down, so that there is nothing to interfere with God’s plans, not to stand in the way of the Word of God. Sing or say what the Holy Spirit says to do, not what we want.  Sometimes we can get bored with a song or hymn, but if it is what God wants, we must sing it from the heart.

BUILD AND  PLANT – We build and plant, not in the physical, but in the Spirit.  The prophet builds a vision/plants a vision.  This occurs in the Spirit.  Then the people connect with the vision and the pastor supervises the working toward the vision.  

All of these aspects of the prophet are essential for the Kingdom to grow.

 

I hope this teaching blesses you as it does me,

Heather