Sure God has spoken. In fact God has spoken as clearly as I have ever heard Him yet here I am now still waiting, even frustrated to see His word fulfilled.
Ever felt and experienced this frustration. I have and I am.
Consider Abraham as a starter in this journey of promises,time delays and finally world changing results of such faith. Consider Davids call and most of scriptures heroes and I find God not just testing the word but more importantly the heart of the person the word was sent to. Ouch that can really, really hurt ones patience and confidence.
God has spoken so clearly about planting a church in Hamilton and yet since the time our team has wonderfully come together and taken shape I have experienced constant delays,distractions and spiritual attack.
Looking at a church planters list of 'most common mistakes made by church planters' , just this moment and guess what ; the first mistake is ' Taking spiritual warfare lightly'. No surprise I guess . Couldn't be more accurate ,so tonight at our church planters cell group we will be looking into ways we are living and actively using the weapons of our warfare.
Just reading Romans 4 and find these words related to Abrahams faith-' He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief- but being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.
This from the father of faith makes so much sense when faced with the journey of faith. The bible has such a capacity to relate,and then convey such powerful gems of truth that I find myself immediately surrounded by a cloud of witnesses that cheer me on knowing that they have walked on this pathway before.
Keep cheering guys-now's a really good time.
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About Me
- Fraser Hardy
- Palmerston North, New Zealand
- Married to Dale for 25yrs [can't have asked for it better]. 3 sons who are all taller than me. Two still at home...
Fraser's Itinerary
- 25th July - 1st August: Hosting Leaders Consultation
- 6th - 8th August: Apostolic Team meeting in Auckland
- 8th - 9th August: Auckland - Leading With Excellence
- 23rd - 26th August: Christchurch with Northcity Church
- 26th - 27th August: Hamilton - Meeting leaders and Initial Cell Church Meeting
- 4th - 7th September: Beyond Borders Conference in Palmerston North
- 14th September: At CCC for Baptisms
- 19th - 21st September: Hardy Family Reunion in Taupo
- 28th September: Porirua - Hope City Church
4 comments:
Planting churches is great, but what will they be like?
Things start out with good intentions, but there are some sad things that can happen, with people wandering off in to all sorts of questionable stuff.
Some years ago there was a thing called “Toronto Blessing” that church leaders everywhere promoted with people shaking, falling over, cackling, roaring, writhing like snakes, etc.
It seemed to put some people on tremendous high’s, supposedly a blessing from God, then they would come crashing down into depression.
I have heard of 2 suicides from people who followed that kind of thing.
One of the pastors from the source of “Toronto Blessing” in Canada, Paul Gowdy, put out a confession/apology to THE WORLD some years later, asserting his conclusion it was a deception that didn’t come from God - see http://www.discernment-ministries.org/TheTorontoDeception.htm
There is now strong evidence these spiritual phenomena are coming from something called “Kundalini spirit”, a “New Age”/occult/Hindu thing, see http://www.newchristian.org.uk/kundalini.html
Recently we have had another phenomenon called “Lakeland Revival” with similar, but more heavy duty manifestations. These have surrounded a man called Todd Bentley who was touted as the spearhead of a world wide revival.
However after observing his methods via the internet, youtube, etc., it seems more likely that he was a Warlock taking instructions direct from an “angel of light”, see http://vodpod.com/watch/716278-todd-bentley%E2%80%99s-ring-of-teleportation-fire)
Todd Bentley claimed to be able walk through portals of fire, converse with angels, dead Apostles, etc.
Yeah Right.
It sounds more like Tarot cards, or too much whiskey, or both.
2 Cor 11:13-15 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
At a New Zealand Promise Keepers event 2 years ago well known evangelist Bill Subrizky got all the men up who couldn’t speak in tongues.
Then he got them to practice saying aba-daba-aba-daba-aba-daba-aba-daba-aba-daba.
That mocks the Holy Spirit.
NZ AOG church superintendant Frank Houston was a secret sodomite and paedophile for 30 years, and when one of the victims tried to reconcile this, church leadership just blocked him and covered it all up. See http://www.christian-witness.org/aog/pf_nh.html and http://www.christian-witness.org/archives/van2003/bilby_restor16.html
(Frank Houston went to Australia and started a church that was subsequently rebranded into “Hillsong”, now run by his son Brian Houston.)
The church leaders covered up Frank Houston for 30 years by intimidating critics with “don’t have a critical spirit”, “don’t speak against God’s anointed”, “don’t be negative”, etc.
Planting churches should be a good idea, but there seems to be a lot of false spiritual ministry, and cover-ups for immorality going on in many of them.
>> Some years ago there was a thing called “Toronto Blessing”
There is also a phenomenon called “Tunnels of fire” which is just a concentrated version of the Toronto “Blessing”, where people “run the gauntlet” between rows of spirit channellers. See http://www.apologeticsindex.org/f29.html
Toronto “blessing” type ministry is attractive to many church leaders as a supernatural power they can dispense to people.
They become spiritual drug dealers, and many people get “hooked”.
Attempting to command, wave, and prod the Holy Spirit or Jesus into people is gross misbehaviour against God.
He will not be commanded by men or be indulged like a prostitute for drunken frolicks.
The phenomena isn’t a blessing from God.
It is an infiltration of occult power from the same source as Hindu “Shaktipat”. Google “Shaktipat”.
Toronto “Blessing” is wizardry and magic arts from familiar spirits (demons masquerading as friendly):
Lev 20:6 And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people. (KJV)
Rev 21:8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.
Toronto “Blessing” definitely didn’t come from the creator God, as he never imparts manifestations similar to mental illness or drunken / drugged, as that is a contradiction of a sound mind and self control which he has repeatedly endorsed in the Bible.
The only exception might be when God punishes someone by putting them into a drunken stupor, which would also be a warning to others:
Romans 10:21 …"All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people."…..
Romans 11:8 …"God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear"
Job 12:25 They grope in darkness with no light; he makes them stagger like drunkards.
Isaiah 19:14 The LORD has poured into them a spirit of dizziness; they make Egypt stagger in all that she does, as a drunkard staggers around in his vomit.
Isaiah 29:9-10 Be stunned and amazed, blind yourselves and be sightless; be drunk, but not from wine, stagger, but not from beer. The LORD has brought over you a deep sleep: He has sealed your eyes (the prophets); he has covered your heads (the seers).
Christians should not provoke punishment from God:
Isaiah 8:13 The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread
The Bible repeatedly asserts drunkenness as immoral.
The Bible does not endorse a righteous version of drunkenness, just as there is no righteous version of stealing, adultery or lying.
Rom 13:12-14 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
Rom 13:12-14 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
On the Day of Pentecost Christian disciples preached the gospel in various languages which impressed listeners who comprehended the message in their own language. (Acts 2:1-47)
However mockers accused the disciples of being drunk for speaking authentic languages the disciples normally didn’t know.
The false accusation of mockers should not be used to justify spiritual or physical drunkenness.
2 Cor 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Spiritual drunkenness blinds the minds of believers!
The Bible encourages us to test the spirits, and that should include using your mind to analyse the outcomes (manifestations) in conjunction with seeking what the bible says about it.
This is what a renewed mind is for.
1 John 4:1 … test the spirits to see whether they are from God…
Romans 12:2 …be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Being discerning includes being cautious.
“The fear of the Lord” includes being cautious.
God recommends this to protect us from harm.
Spiritual drunkenness ministries (eg. John Crowder) that encourage reckless abandon towards God are defying God’s repeating counsel in the Bible.
2 Cor 11:14-15 Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
Rev 20:10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Playing around with counterfeit “angels of light” (familiar spirits) might be bliss and ecstasy now, but if not repented of will lead to rejection by the Most High God forever.
The “big party” will occur in heaven after we die, not now (Rev 19:9).
Scripture asserts we now have serious work to do while remaining firmly sober.
2 Tim 4:5 …. keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
“Keep your head” includes not getting drunk.
Luke 12:45-46 … suppose the servant says to himself, 'My master is taking a long time in coming,' and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk.
The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
“eat and drink and get drunk” in that passage probably means self indulgence and spiritual foolishness while neglecting what God wants doing.
“Slain”……. churches are falling over!
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Toronto “Blessing” type phenomena produce manifestations such as mental euphoria, body vibrations, twitching, slurred speech, gibberish speech and sound effects, animal acts – dogs, chickens, lions, snakes, etc., staggering about, falling over (“slain”), and having uncontrollable/irrational laughter.
These are manifestations of the god of chaos – Lucifer.
People who participate are unwittingly practicing mockery of the Bible, mockery of God the Father, mockery of Jesus Christ and mockery of the Holy Spirit.
Participators who come to this realisation should repent and deliberately avoid any recurrences. They should also warn others, as it will be disastrous on judgement day for people who persisted in spiritually fornicating with Satan’s minions “familiar spirits”.
I was previously deceived about Toronto “Blessing” in a church I attended.
I tolerated it due to experiences I had at a Christian training school about 4 years prior, as well as not comparing it sufficiently against Bible counsel.
Pride could make a person unwilling to face the possibility they have been deceived, and then to remove themselves from the convenience of continuing in fellowship with others who indulge in false ministry.
It is God himself who gives divisive counsel:
Rev 18:4-5 "come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues.”
Will people heed God’s warning?
Sadly, many won’t because they are either in love with a false Christ who gives them tickles, or have insufficient “fear of the Lord”:
Prov 14:26-27 He who fears the lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.
Toronto “Blessing” type phenomena have been called “new wine”.
It is actually spiritual adultery, and therefore maddening wine:
Rev 18:3 the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries.
At the height of a Toronto “Blessing” era I experienced in the mid 1990’s, the church services were a madhouse of manifestations.
They used to have evenings where cushions were put all over the floor for all the falling over that went on.
“Slain”…….. churches are falling over!
The only “slain” from God is being killed for misbehaviour, as happened to Annanias and Sapphira see
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts%205:1-11&version=NIV
The Holy Spirit will be grieved by Christian people fornicating with spiritual sensations from the Devil: Eph 4:30 do not grieve the Holy Spirit.
Phenomena like Toronto “Blessing” push people towards mental illness, such as bipolar disorder, through giving them tremendous euphoric "high’s", (supposedly a “blessing” from God), then they come crashing down into unbearable depression when the "high" wears off.
This causes them to seek more of the “high” and become familiar spirit drug addicts.
Mental illness and demon influence are sometimes different names for the same thing.
This is how churches are becoming “Babylon”: Rev 18:2 “She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit”
1 Tim 6:11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
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