Saturday, August 23, 2008

Manifestations Following an Encounter!!

The whole Lakeland Outpouring and Todd Bentley have been really on my heart these last few days and I am interested that one of the predominant emotions that I am feeling is anger. Not anger with Todd Bentley - Todd is just a man. But anger with the human race and that includes me. Anger that we still don't see through the devil's schemes even though he's not very obvious and not very subtle and not indeed very novel. As soon as there is some spiritual life somewhere in the worldwide Church, the powers of hell conspire to attack the man's marriage. That seems to be strategy number 1. If that fails and the marriage survives, then hell will try tempting with money. Strategy number 2. Have I missed anything? Most of the spiritual casualties of the past seem to fall at those hurdles. Who knows what the other strategies would be!

Rob's closing message at the "Grace and Glory Conference" in Hong Kong last October was dealing with all the spiritual manifestations that will follow an encounter with God - and it was masterful. One of the things that is guaranteed to make me see red is when the response to a spiritual casualty is to clamp down on all spiritual life.

It wasn't the spiritual life that CAUSED the casualty - the cause was in RESPONSE to the spiritual life! Clamp down on the life and the objective of hell is achieved!

So here's Rob and my notes from Hong Kong;

"While we walk in intimacy with Him we are not in love with the manifestations but with the Manifestor. If it doesn't point to the blood of Jesus then it is a counterfeit lying demonic sign and wonder but if it is true then you will fall more in love with Jesus.

I am astonished at the fear and paranoia at false signs and wonders - it is so easy to discern whether it is of God or not! False signs and wonders will lead you away from God and genuine signs and wonders will lead you closer to Him! Those who don't know their God will be decieved!

They have head knowledge full of God but don't know Him. These are not days to be wondering whether this is God or not. We should know within seconds whether it is God! The longer you are under the anointing of the glory - the more you will change! (Daniel 8:15-16) - Gabriel is a high level arch-angel of communication. Daniel started off standing here but ended up on his face in a deep sleep. (Daniel 10:4) - The angel of the Lord is not a created angel but the Creator First-Born.

You will only hear the voice of God in the glory - you cannot hear it outside. This wasn't another sermon about God but a tangible experience of the Presence of God - we want and should want to experience Him!

Man will never understand women for we were asleep when she was created! Too many Christians want the church to be tidy and predictable but it is nothing but fear of looking ridiculous from indoctrination by Pharisees and Sadducees and Couldnt-Sees and Wouldn't-Sees.
You can take a theology certificate and put it on the chest of a demon possessed man and it won't come out. Demons will only come out when they encounter the glory! Formalism without power! Can we have a dignified miracle?! No! Show me your dead formalism in the Bible - all we will find are the Pharisees crucifying the Lord of Glory!

Let the petrified become fossilised in the Church of the Frozen Chosen!

When God comes into a room you will know it! What is the Church without power?! It is Anti-Christ! Church is meant to be preaching the finished work of the Cross, resurrection and a living God full of power! (1 Samuel 19:23, 24) - Saul sends soldiers to kill David and yet the soldiers couldn't do it because of the anointing. Saul went himself to do it and encounters the anointing and ends up prophesying for 24 hours SOLID! An evil king! The Church needs the oil of the Presence of God! (Genesis 15:12, Ezekiel 23:23) - "Glory of the Lord was standing there and I fell face down". (Acts 2:1-21, 9:3) - God hit Saul so hard that He knocked the "S" off and put a "P" on instead!

The man who wrote most of the New Testament got slain flat in the Spirit! Yet most academics reading the New Testament are asking if it is Biblical to fall under the power of God!

The Bible is the only foundation for true Christian doctrine, life and practice. How come then so few of these manifestations aren't happening today? Sadly if the subnormal appears for too long then the normal becomes the abnormal.
A simple reading of the Bible reveals that the absence of the power of God manifest is abnormal!

What manifestations can we then expect when the Presence and glory of God comes down?

1. An Impartation of God's Supernatural Life!

You don't need low voltage to defibrilliate someone who has died! You need high voltage and if they don't respond HIGHER voltage! That is revival!

When a Pharisee is comfortable in our churches - then we are in trouble.
We don't have a problem with wildfire in our churches but conservatism! Until we get to anywhere near the Book of Acts then we need to get wilder and wilder! Fire on our heads! Signs and wonders!

2. Impartation of a Gift that Makes You Strong!

(Romans 1:11).

3. Visions!

4. You Could Get Healed Emotionally or Physically!

5. Darkness Removed!

6. A Visitation of Jesus!

7. Comissionings!

A calling comes first and then prepares through much pain and rejection. Then in a day God can activate that calling and you will walk in the authority of that calling and never be the same again!

8. Blessing!

9. Ordaining Leaders!

It doesn't always have to be formal! God is sovereign and He is ordaining in these days who He wants! Elders are not the managers of churches! The church needs to be free from being deacon-possessed! Ordain something that is going somewhere and doing something! We need to say to some deacons; "Come out of this devil!". Let My people go so that they may worship Me!

10. Relief - The Impartation of Rest!

You could be delivered from the dictatorship of perfectionism!

11. Relief from Strivings!

12. The Personality of the Holy Spirit may rub off on you!

The fruits of the Spirit will come! Love! Joy! Peace! Patience! Kindness! Goodness! Gentleness! Self-control - and note that is the self-control of the Holy Spirit NOT what the Pharisees consider to be self-control!

These impartations will come to equip you through trials with great grace.

2 comments:

lydia said...

Excellent! This message is SO important - thanks for taking the time to put it up!!!

Don said...

Amen. Quoth CJ Mahaney, years ago: "The remedy for abuse is not disuse, but proper use!" The Bible is amazingly supernatural - let God's people become amazingly supernatural, as we connect ourselves with the Source of supernatural power.