"Rest" by Ryan Rufus

This sermon was preached on Sunday 19th April 2009 at City Church International in Hong Kong.

"We are just going to have a mellow preach this morning and try and not be long. The word of the Lord this morning that He gave me this morning is "Rest". That's it! That is it! So thank you, that was quick eh? There is not much to do when you rest. But Steve was praying that out in the prayer meeting this morning and I was really excited about that because I had written it on my hand. "Rest". It didn't manifest there but I felt the Lord saying that His word this morning to City Church International is "Rest". Rest is two things. Firstly it is a theology - the rest of God. And the rest of God is also a living reality. I don't want to just know the theology of the rest of God - I want to experience the living supernatural reality of the rest of God. I want to enter into the rest of God and God wants CCI to enter in and live in the rest of God! The living supernatural reality of the rest of God. As I speak this morning I just believe that His rest - that supernatural reality - is coming upon us. So receive that right now!

Lord, we just release Your Presence of peace and of rest upon each person right now in the Name of Jesus. We are not looking for a cleverly crafted word. God gave me this word in 5 minutes this morning! We are looking for You and Your Presence and Your peace and Your rest. Those that might be uncomfortable with this kind of a meeting - Holy Spirit we pray that You would just dissolve all their discomfort right now and let them be comfortable in Your Presence with You.

I had a long week this week - working Monday to Friday and very working very hard. The only day I had to prepare for today was yesterday and I felt this pressure that I had to get up Saturday and prepare for Sunday with the goods. I felt God said "No just have a day of rest - watch movies and get couch time". Ryan loves couch time! Just rest and watch movies! God said "Don't worry I will give you a word". That can be scary if you have got to preach the next day. What happens if He doesn't give you a word and you get up looking like an idiot?! Maybe I do care a little bit - but I would rather just communicate what God has and it could be the simpliest word but as long as it comes with His Presence and His impartation then you can say one word - "Rest" - and it can change your life. So Lord keep releasing that rest! The Bible says "Strive to enter into His rest". So it is the only thing we are told to strive for! How cool is that? Strive to enter into His rest. For everyone who enters into His rest ceases from his own work. Ceases from his own work!

God created the planets and the galaxies and the universe in six days and the Bible says He rested on the seventh day. It wasn't because He was tired. It just meant He stopped working on the seventh day. It was finished. The Old Covenant is a six day covenant - a working covenant. The Law is a working covenant. The New Covenant is a seventh day covenant and is rest! A rest covenant! It started when Jesus said "It is finished!". It is FINISHED! We entered into a seventh day Sabbath day covenant! God only showed me that this morning - I have never studied that anywhere! We are in a Sabbath - seventh day - covenant!

That means our work has finished! Grace says "Stop working". And just believe.

Jesus said this is the work that the Father requires - to believe on the One He sent. Not to go and do this or that or to keep the 10 Commandments. Not to try and be holy. Not to try and not sin or win the world for Jesus. He says THIS is the work - to believe on the One He sent. Grace says "Stop working".

God says come and lift false burdens that we are carrying. We have a passion to serve Jesus and live for Him and do stuff - I do! But the enemy can get behind that and say "You are not doing enough. You need to do more". He will start to drive us and we get into false burdens and think we have to be more holy and change more. "God wants me to change more!". God says "Stop trying to change!". God says to CCI this morning; "Stop trying to change!". God doesn't want you to try and change. Stop trying to change yourself! I don't know if I even have a theology of changing! So much emphasis on changing in the body of Christ!

I think the more we see Him and the more we see who we are in Him and the more we see where we are seated in the heavenly realms in Him - the more that realm begins to flow through our lives. We don't need to change! We just need to see Him. Sanctification is not about trying to sin less and less - it is about living from your eternal position in Christ more and more. Sanctification isn't about trying to be holy. I am going to preach about holiness. I am going to preach on being holy. And I am going to re-define what holiness really is because the church has got holiness really wrong! Holiness has got nothing to do with sin at all! The church has made it all about that.

What's the first thing you think about when I say - holiness? Don't sin! That is the 10 Commandments right there. If that is what you are living under then that is the 10 Commandments.

If I sin then I am not holy. If I don't sin - then I am holy. It's rubbish! Sin has got nothing to do with holiness at all.

I am going to leave that there! Otherwise I will end up preaching that whole message! Holiness has got to do with where you are seated. That is what holiness is - where you are seated in Christ! Living holy is simply living from the place where you are seated in Him. That's holy living. I will explain more about that the following week. It will release you completely from trying not to sin. Just see who you are and where you are! Not sinning is the by-product of holiness.

The religious world is putting pressure on pastors to preach more on holiness and congregations more to try and stop sinning and be more holy and it is putting pressure on churches to live under the 10 Commandments and is totally bogus and it needs to stop in the body of Christ! Stop teaching "holiness" and stop teaching obedience! Stop teaching sinning less and teach more on who we are in Christ and where we are seated - perfect in Christ! 100% righteous in Christ forever more! Seated with Christ on a throne and made holy!

Hebrews 10 says you have been made holy! You can't be anymore holy! You are holy! If you are born again then you are holy. The seventh day covenant! That is a good one! It could be totally heresy but ...! We are in a rest covenant! The work is finished!

Stop trying to complete your holiness and complete your righteousness! Stop trying to complete blessings and approval from the Father! You have got it all! You have got the faith of the Father! Let's just cease from our works!

Ryan if you preach that then it's going to lead to passivity! It will lead to fatalism! Graces says "If you never did another thing for God for the rest of your life then He would still love you and approve of you and be pleased with you!". That is it! That is what Grace says! If you never did another thing for God for the rest of your life then He would still love you, accept you and approve of you!

Because He is not relating to you on your performance - He is relating to you on CHRIST'S performance and you are in Christ and He is pleased with Christ, loves Christ and is happy with Christ. You are in Christ and "accepted in the beloved".

You don't have to do another thing for God to get Him to accept you or to get Him to love you. He loves you completely and utterly and fully! We live with this thing in our mind that if we are not praying enough or winning the lost enough then God is a little bit unpleased with us! That is a LIE from the devil!

If you never read your Bible for the rest of your life and praying another prayer to God for the rest of your life or never tried to win one more person to Christ for the rest of your life then God would still fully love you, accept you and be pleased with you!

But then won't Christians not want to do anything? No! Actually it takes all the "have-tos" off Christians! I don't want to live my life by someone saying "You have to do this". That is the 10 Commandments again! Grace takes all the "have-tos" off us and says we don't have to do another thing! You don't have to live for God or try and stop sinning! It takes all the "have-tos" off and when they get taken off then all the "want-tos" begin to come out!

Grace awakens your spirit to all the goodness that God put in there at the point of salvation and draws those things out!

Because my spirit is being made perfect in Christ - Ephesians 4:23 - says we have been created after the very nature of God. My spirit has got the nature of God in it! So many people preach that we still have got a sinful nature and that is a load of rubbish! My spirit is part of the new creation order and that means nothing from the old got put back into my spirit.

When my body dies and I go to be with the Lord then my spirit will be instantly with the Lord and nothing will change in my spirit! Because it's already part of the new creation order! So nothing has to change in my spirit! Nothing of the old - no evil or sin or unbelief - my spirit is made perfect in Christ!

When you take the "have-tos" off the Christian then all those things in my spirit - the nature and love and passion of God and fire of God is all there! And that wants to come out! Grace awakens those things to come out! It is good! If this is the first time you have heard anyone say anything like this then I don't blame you for being a bit shocked!

We at CCI are a bit used to this but most of the church doesn't preach this stuff and they have been lying to you. It is not because they are evil. Most times they are doing their best with good intentions. A lot of legalism in the church is simply because of bad theology. When you haven't seen your salvation and you haven't seen what God has done in your spirit then you feel like you have to move Christians to action. "Do this!". All these clever manipulation techniques are used to get Christians into action. But they fail! The only thing that should move us is the Spirit of God in the inside of us and that connects with who I am! Grace moves me! Unmerited favour moves me! Not external pressure! God took off external pressure and external restraint and put internal restraint!

Believe it or not a born-again Christian doesn't want to go out and sin! A born again person wants to get rid of sin and struggles with sin and doesn't like sin! The flesh and mind still like sin but your spirit doesn't like sin! Sin is foreign to your spirit! The more we live by our spirit the more we can overcome sin. The more we don't walk into sin! God isn't trying to put external restraint on us when He has already put internal restraints for us to live by that! Maybe someone needed to hear that. The more you preach this stuff, the more those "want tos" rise up and the more people are empowered to be Spirit-led. If you are putting "have-tos" on people then you are not teaching them how to walk by the Spirit but by denominational law and church conformity. You are putting pressure on people to conform.

No one has a right to tell another Christian that you have no right to drink alcohol! Maybe God told you not to drink alcohol! But if you say to another Christian we are not allowed then that is external and if they bow the knee to that then they didn't do it because the Spirit led them to do it but because someone put pressure on them to do that. You can't say to someone you need to pray every morning for one hour. You have to read your Bible! God might have told you to do that but He might not have told your neighbour to do that! You have no right to put that on other people!

God is trying to take false burdens off us and get us to move by the Spirit and not by the pressure of man. God doesn't want us living and moving by the pressure of man but by the Spirit and by His voice. We enter into that rest! Can you feel yourself right now entering into that rest? Some say I am not happy - I have still got that problem and that can become our focus. God says get our focus off that and stop trying to change this or that. God says I am not even putting pressure on you to try and change that!

All I want is for you to see Me! That is all God wants!

Maybe someone else put that pressure on you! Just see God! Just see how good He is! How awesome and loving God is! See how happy He is with you! God takes absolute delight in loving you! That was such a revelation to me! I think Dad preached that a few weeks ago. We all hear that God loves us! Some think God has to love us because He saved us! Actually God has delight in loving us. It brings God pleasure to love us and He enjoys doing it. Have you heard that in your spirit? God delights in loving us! God is happy with us!

Lots of people say that Christians should live with a sense that God is not happy with them and if they have that sense then it will move them to try and live to get God to be happy! That is manipulation - it is demonic and witchcraft! "We have got to have more sin conciousness because then people will feel like they are sinners and will be moved to get rid of sin!". That is WRONG! So many people preach that!

If all you hear about is repentance and what you have got to repent of then your entire focus is on how short you have fallen from God and how useless and how unhappy God must be with you. That is awful. We should be focused on how perfect we are in Him and how right we are with Him. How perfect He is! And how we are in Him and how much He loves us and how much He is blessed by us! God is smashing some mind-sets here this morning. Some things we need to let go of. If we don't get grace references points in our life then we come in here and hear grace preached and think "Yes this is awesome - I love it" and go out and then people carefully put "What about this scripture?" into our minds and then we get knocked around and end up back in a place where we are not reigning in life and feeliing the pleasure of heaven on us. Once we get certain things established in our hearts then it will be like reference points that we will not be moved on. People can throw any clever slants on Scripture they like but we will always live in a place where we know that God is happy with us, likes us, and we are 100% righteous!

Some of these reference points are; teaching about the gift of righteousness. You have to understand it! You have to understand total forgiveness and understand propitiation. God has already poured out all wrath and punishment on Jesus fully. That means He will never ever judge or punish us! People say you are sick because you did this sin or that sin. No that is rubbish! God will never EVER punish you again because He fully punished Jesus! The gift of righteousness - you are 100% righteous in Christ! Hebrews 10; "perfect FOREVER" by one sacrifice! That means righteous! Perfectly righteous! He doesn't just "see" you righteous but knows all your sin is behind that. No - He has MADE us righteous. We need to see ourselves 100% righteous because that is how God sees you all the time. That is a reference point. Get it established even when we sin and mess up! That must get established and you won't be moved!

People will say "Ah you did that sin, you are not righteous, you have got to go and repent and confess and get right with God". It's rubbish! Strive to enter into His rest! Nothing else!

It will lead to being Spirit-led and it will lead to supernatural initiatives from God!

How many programmes does the church run - this programme and that programme!? It is so that Christians are doing something and not wasting their time! "You need to be a good steward of your time". God says - no enter into my rest! And I will give you supernatural initiatives! You are not being a good steward of your time if you are doing things that you don't even have faith for. When all the "have tos" are off and you are walking by the Spirit - then He can come even in a dream! God gave me an assignment in a dream! It changed my life! It was in a vision! He can drop a business idea! A guy at Bill Johnson's church wasn't doing much with his life and the only thing he could do was archery. One night God woke him up and gave him a new design for a bow. He invented this bow and has one of the highest selling companies of bows! That is incredible! God will wake you up and give you something! Rest! Go to sleep and let God wake you up!

I have never done so much for God since I have been in Hong Kong and learnt about rest and grace. I feel I have done so much for God since being here! I just waited for God to give me supernatural initiatives and He does! And you just follow!

Some of you look like you need some rest! We have been flat out lately! It is appropriate God speaks to us about rest at this time! Let's go into our future in rest! It doesn't mean passivity or fatalism but doing exploits for God! It is doing HIS exploits for God! Those are the big and powerful ones! God is speaking this morning! He is speaking! There is leadership and God speaks through them. Sometimes you can hear Him through your leaders but ultimately you want to hear Him for yourself! When Kylie and I came to Hong Kong big leaders were saying "No" - but we came and we are glad we came! God speaks through them and we are not undermining that. Dad preached last week and the first place of authority is the voice of God. Second is the Word and third is man.

Faith is Conducting Heaven's Influence Into The Earth - Part 7

This quite awesome sermon was preached by Rob Rufus at City Church International on Sunday 5th April 2009.

"The Good Shepherd".


At the "Glory and Grace Conference" - people became slightly like the Bible - we're not there yet. They were much more drunk in the Book of Acts in the original church! People got so drunk in the Holy Spirit on the Wednesday or the Thursday night at "Glory and Grace" that they rolled down the driveway where we were meeting and staggered through the streets and people in the coffee shop reported them to the police. This is a true story! The Hong Kong police came and saw members of this church staggering drunk in the street - no alcohol on their breath at all! They said; "What are you doing?". And the people said; "Oh no, ha ha, we have just come from a church meeting! And we are so happy!". The police said; "That's fine - carry on - carry on". Those must be anointed police to recognise that these people were not drunk on alcohol that leads to stupid things but drunk on the very essence and nectar and atmosphere of the glory realm that believers are set for for all eternity and that was a little experience of the glory! And people were drunk for hours! Some actually lost their cool drinks! I saw coke cans rolling down!

I wanted to read so many testimonies and emails that have been coming in from all over the world of the after-effects of the "Glory and Grace Conference". There are healings and testimonies - I will read them out next week maybe. Of people deaf hearing - the first Sunday back! Miracles, fresh message of grace being preached around the world in different churches! I would love to read about some miracles that happened here - people from this church and others went into resturants in Hong Kong and shared the gospel. Gold started appearing on their hands and they started showing unbelievers the gold appearing in their hands! That is signs and wonders evangelism! It is giving them something to be fascinated by so they say "What is this?" and then you have a right to speak the truth! I would love to read you a letter from a small opal mining town in South Australia where they are having revival because of City Church International Hong Kong and the downloads off our website and aboriginal people are getting set free from generations of curses and issues! I would love to read you all the good things that God is doing! But I want to get straight into the message because we have a wedding here today at 12:00.

Open your Bibles if you feel like it! How many of you remember that when Peter the apostle was speaking at Cornelius's home and Paul when he was speaking against his accusers and they spoke about Jesus and they said this; "This thing about Jesus never happened in a small corner in Israel but it was noised abroad for the whole of the nation to hear about!". In Acts chapter 4 when the disciples are arrested for the miracle of that man that was crippled at Gate Beautiful and they said that this teaching and talk about Jesus has filled the whole city and we forbid you to preach in His Name!

You and I were not born to live quiet little Christian lives in the corner somewhere meeting for little chicken dinners after church, for cute little Christianity! We were born and we were destined for the world to know that the greatest event that has ever happened is not some celebrity coming to Hong Kong - but it is Jesus Christ the Redeemer of the Nations! In the New Covenant God has changed the way He looks at the world! He is now not counting men's sins against them! He has reconciled the entire world to Himself and He has cancelled the law at the Cross!

Are all going to go to heaven? No! That is the tragedy! There is one sin that He could not die for and that is the sin of unbelief in Jesus. But He has forgiven the world! He is not judging the world! The tsnuamis are not God - it is the earth creaking and cracking under the stress of first Adam's fallenness! But our God is in a good mood and He is pouring out His Spirit on all flesh and all who call upon the Name of the Lord will be saved!

We were called to make a riot! We were called to go to prison or we were called to have revival - but we were NOT called to be ignored!

The church is ignored in many parts of the world until signs, wonders and miracles start happening! Until boldness comes on the people and they get so full of love that they can't help it anymore! It is not about them anymore and their retirement fund and their happy little life! They are so full of the overflow of the goodness of God that they MUST tell people who are half-way to suicide, depressed, on drugs, on excess alcohol - they MUST tell broken people that I have been redeemed, I was broken and HE rescued me! And I have seen the dead raised and I have seen blind eyes opened and the deaf hearing and I have seen cripples come out of their wheelchairs and it wasn't me - it was the God I met!

And most of us will have to say that I didn't meet Him in church! Because church doesn't preach this Jesus! Church preaches another gospel, another Jesus and another Spirit! They teach something that is comfortable for little small-thinking religious bigots who would gather every Sunday and be happy with their little fellowship and to hell with the world and don't let the world find out about us! No - let the whole world find out, not about us, but about the One that we worship!

We are impacting nations from Hong Kong! You should read the email! Miners down there in the opal mines, working in dark tunnels with MP3's in their ears - listening to "Glory and Grace" - listening to City Church messages on grace - and singing! They say they are singing and shouting down there in the opal tunnels! Other testimonies and miracles! I want to talk today and it is going to be Part 7 on "Conducting Heaven's Influence into the Earth". One of the biggest revelations for me is the picture of our Lord in a specific way. Jesus and God Almighty are pictured in many, many tremendous images. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, He is the Lamb of God, He is the Captain of the Host, the Warrior King! But the picture He is most pictured in throughout the Old and New Testament - by far the most often used picture of our God is that of a "Good Shepherd"!

You need to come into the revelation I have come into! One of the biggest privilidges in recent months in my life personally is the rediscovery that the best that I am is that I am a sheep in His flock. He is the Chief Shepherd and yes I am a shepherd, but I am a sheep! Under the Chief Shepherd! Many pastor/shepherds have problems because they don't see that they are sheep! First we are sheep with sheep needs and the greatest privilidge that I am discovering is being a sheep in the flock of the Good Shepherd. The Bible talks about goats and sheep - goats are those that are very independent and it is a representation of pride. Goats find their own paths on the rocky cliffs and they go where they want and when they want. Sheep find safety and security when they have a good shepherd leading them! We call them "dumb sheep" but maybe we should call them "humble" because they are followers of the shepherd! They trust that shepherd's integrity has absolute authenticity and that shepherd absolutely has designed a master-plan for their lives that is not going to lead them through death and destruction and breakup and pain! That He has a green pasture for them and He has still waters for them and if they follow Him they will lack for nothing!

When David, this great warrior king who could cut people's heads off - when he found out about Saul's offer to him; "200 Philistines" - this man who wrote the Psalms! - went and cut foreskins off men he had killed with his own hands! That is a man I love! I like those kind of men! I like those men and want more men like that in the church! Not to kill because you are not allowed to do that. But I am tired of effeminate men in the church. I want men, rugged, crazy, bold men! Every wife tries to tame her men because she wants him to be more considerate then she tames him and resents him for being so tame and then runs off with some ugly guy because he climbs mountains and is rugged and adventerous. God called men to do what the Man Christ Jesus did and go into the Temple and kick tables over and crack a whip and say "This is MY Father's house! You Pharisees! You brood of vipers! You are so clean on the outside but on the inside you are stinking corpses!". The man! We have a man in the church today! Where are they?! Sitting politically correct in so-called false unity! Not rocking the boat! Well Jesus is shaking the boat and breaking the boat! He is breaking the religious boat!

There are millions going to hell because of the politically correct men in the church! Sorry - this isn't part of my message! There are women who are so awesome all over the church world because they have had to stand up because of the absence of men!

Hong Kong needs more Chinese men strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might! We have so many beautiful Chinese single sisters! For the lack of men with some chest on them and some boldness!

And they will say; "I want to follow a man like that! He is decisive and courageous! Boy I want to follow him!". He is not dominating and he will never punch me! But he will punch a man that tries to hurt me! I punched a high-ranking United States officer of the marines in Australia. As a Christian pastor! So his face was bleeding! Why? Because he crossed the line and tried to do something that my wife wasn't encouraging. You say "Oh that isn't Christian Rob". No, I know but a son of God does those things.

I don't want to be a Christian! I want to be a son of God!

The point I am trying to make is being a sheep. This man called David - the warrior king - said "The Lord is my Shepherd". There are so many people who are so full of; "I am an apostle! I am this and I am that!". No - you are a sheep and He is the Shepherd! And I shall not lack for anything! And David didn't lack for anything - for wealth, for victory, for armies, for friends, for the anointing - he never lacked because he said "The Lord is my shepherd. He makes me lie down in green pastures". The word in Hebrew for "green" is the word for the anointing. It means "newness, freshness".

The new anointing of the New Covenant is different to the old anointing of the Old Covenant. The old anointing reminds you of your sins. The New Covenant reminds you that you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus! The Old Covenant anointing reminds you of everything that is wrong with you. The New Covenant anointing reminds you of how perfectly right you are with God all the time because it is in Christ Jesus! The Old Covenant says "I will not remove the iniquity of the guilty" and imputes your sin to you. The New Covenant does not ever impute your sin to you but it is declared; "Your sins He will never remember!".

He makes me lie down in realms of the NEW! There is a newness today happening in this church. New, green pastures! New! "Beside still waters". That doesn't mean stagnation. The Hebrew word means "restful waters". The Hebrew word for healing has it's root word in "relaxation". It is when you enter into rest there is healing in your life. "He makes me lie down next to restful waters in green, new fresh anointing that I am righteous in Christ".

Anyone who knows the voice of the Good Shepherd, the voice of religion they will not follow! The voice that condemns you, the voice that says "Do harder, you are not doing enough, come on try harder". That is the voice of the church. It is not the voice of the Good Shepherd. HE makes you lie down in green pastures and next to restful waters. He will always lead His sheep by rest. He never drives you, He never manipulates you, He never makes you do a thing. He leads you by rest and when there is unrest - that is Him letting you know; "Don't make that decision!". I don't care if it is a big decision - do I leave this country and go to that country or marry this or that person or change this or that job. EVERY decision must be made out of rest!

If you let rest lead you by the Good Shepherd's leading then you will look so clever! People will think you are so well educated! People will say; "How did you invest then just before everything went up? And how come you pulled your stocks out then just before everything went down? Did you study? Are you highly educated? Do you have a great IQ and talents for the investment world?". No. I am a sheep and the greatest privilidge is to be a sheep because I am not a goat. I don't pride myself on independence and I have looked at goats and I have been a goat and there is a trail of depression, broken relationships, hell, addictions, no I never want to be a goat again! He makes me lie down in green, new pastures and restful waters! And He guides me with rest!

I have seen the educated goats and highly talented goats lead frustrated lives of failure in their marriages and everything they do is frustrated yet they are most educated and clever people! Because they don't know what it is to be a sheep and to trust the integrity and the goodness of this shepherd.

When we were deciding on "Glory and Grace" and we had to make up our minds about 7 months ago - we started planning. The economic credit crunch had already kicked in big time. And we had to decide whether to meet again in this hall or go to the 800 seater hall. I was already getting friends ringing me and saying they wouldn't be able to come because finances were difficult. Pastors weren't being paid salaries. And I remember Marike, Glenda and I went and looked at the hall and they were inside. I was standing outside and I said; "Lord I am not gambling with the church's money. I haven't given everyone an opportunity to decide whether they want to have this conference or whether to meet in that hall. It is therefore not my right to gamble with City Church's savings". And if we fell short of the budget - because I was calculating that hall was $65,000 and hundreds of thousands to run the conference with speakers, hotels and advertising - I said I would pay it out of my own pocket. I said; "Lord do we hire this hall?".

And as soon as I said that, peace! Restful waters! Rest! "Go ahead!". And when Marike and Glenda came out I said, "That's it! We are signing!". The next few months leading upto "Glory and Grace" people were cancelling and letting me know that they couldn't come - even key people. Then our website collapsed! It was hacked into and destroyed! And I thought "What are we going to do?". And I felt "Rest!". You know what? The conference came and the building was full! There were signs, wonders and miracles that many people in their entire Christian lives had never seen! Lives were changed! Not only was the budget met but we put into the savings accounts of City Church International a nice healthy figure of finance numbers that was left over! Not into my account! This church's account! And people thought; "Rob is such a good conference leader! He is so clever! So experienced! We can trust this man - he knows what he is doing!". No! I was a dumb sheep! I just listened because if He had said "Don't take that hall" and if there was unrest then I would have not taken the hall.

Don't keep being a goat making stupid decisions of independence and then when hell beaks loose you say "It's the devil!". No - it's not the devil! It's the goat! Goats butt here and butt there! "Rob I know that's true BUT there's an economic downturn!". He restores my soul! If you could look at the state of the average person in Hong Kong I think you would be shocked and horrified. If you look out at a yacht on the marina you can see their sails but below the surface there are barnacles stuck that hinder their passage through the water. If you could look at the state of people's souls - what is that? Their soul hasn't been restored and has wear and tear year after year but if you follow the Good Shepherd then He restores your soul. Why has the church got so many "inner healing" seminars and so many "Cleansing Streams" seminars and all kinds of supplements to the Cross, all kinds of things to add-to rather than the simple?

Did the apostles have all of these seminars and all of these supplement ministries? Or did they just preach the Cross and the power of the Holy Spirit and the revelation that you are not under law but grace and the manifestation of the Good Shepherd turned up and healed their broken hearts!?

This introspection - go back to your mother's womb, go back to your past, back to your budgies cage where it committed suicide. Please! We have got to stop this! It is anti-Christ, it is anti the Gospel and it is anti the finished work of the Cross and I haven't seen anyone helped by it yet! The proponents of it are the most insecure people! It is the truth! I have been leading churches for over 30 years and I have seen and watched these things and have watched the people who have led them and I haven't seen convincing results! But I have seen a people emerge when this Gospel is preached and this Good Shepherd is revealed and the goats repent and become sheep. Stop sticking your head into a sausage machine and then turning the handle yourself! And coming out the other side; "It's the devil!". No it is your goat thinking that got you into the problem! I was too busy to let the Shepherd do this or that! We just sit and watch stuff instead of learning about the anointing of the New Covenant. He leads me in the pathways of righteousness for His own Name's sake! This is for His Name sake! It is not the sheep that keep the Shepherd! It is not the sheep that are responsible to make the Shepherd look good! It is the Shepherd who feels responsible to make the SHEEP look good! If He has a lot of sheep walking around crippled and half their hair is off and they are mangy then it doesn't make the Shepherd look very good does it? It is for His own Names sake!

The pathways of righteousness that He leads us in - righteousness theologically and accurately - means the gift of His righteousness!

He leads me in pathways of ever increasing revelation that I have the righteousness of God as a free gift! For Romans 9 and 10:1-4 says Israel sought after righteousness according to the principle of the law and never gained righteousness. The Gentiles who did not seek righteousness obtained righteousness and then in Romans 10:2-3 says that Israel was zealous but their zeal was without knowledge and they did not submit to the gift of God's righteousness but sought to establish their own righteousness but those who look to Him will never be put to shame! WE have the righteousness of God and this Good Shepherd will keep leading you in that pathway of understanding the righteousness of God!

Remember that little woman who touched the robe of Jesus and she had 12 years of bleeding. She touched His robe and felt power come out of His robe. What does Isaiah 61 say? It is a Messanic prophecy about Jesus - it says that He will be clothed with the robe of righteousness. What did she touch? She touched His RIGHTEOUSNESS. She touched the hem of the robe which is the colour blue for the Israeli rabbi - the colour of grace. She touched righteousness and when she touched it - 12 years of bleeding stopped. But not her righteousness! She was led in the pathways of His gift of righteousness.

What did Jesus say? Matthew 5; "Stop being so worried, stop taking care of this and worrying about that, and running after this and burning the candle at both ends - you are overworking! This is what the pagans do - they try to store up and have!". He said; "You seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things ...". The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack NOTHING! I lack no love, no finance - I am not in debt. I lack no health. I am not a goat but a little dumb sheep and all I have to do is what my Father shows me and do whatever He tells me! If there is unrest then I don't do it! I don't leave, I don't go, don't preach, don't say unless there is rest! Seek first the kingdom and not your righteousness!

The church will say; "Get more righteous - righteousness is your performance!". There is NO such righteousness in the New Covenant - that is OLD Covenant righteousness earned by the law! Paul said; "I don't want a righteousness that is by the law but one that is apart from the law that is by faith in Jesus Christ!". There is no other righteousness except imputed righteousness that is a gift!

Seek first the Kingdom and HIS righteousness. The more you seek that to understand it and be led in the pathways of the revelation of righteousness for His Namesake then all things will come to you. That would stop about 90% of pastoral counselling in the church world! Most problems are goat problems! That doesn't mean you don't come for counselling unless you be seen as a goat! No I need counselling sometimes and if we have goat problems then this is a grace church and we love goats! A little bit of goat in all of us! She touched the robe of His righteousness and 12 years of bleeding stopped. Now I just want you to think of something here and this is very important for your future.

God said through Isaiah - Israel you are seeking a righteousness that is by the law. Israel your righteousness to Me is like filthy rags. He didn't say your sinning is like filthy rags. He said your RIGHTEOUSNESS - your morality - you trying to be good enough to earn blessings - you trying to keep the law to be good enough - your righteousness is like filthy rags! Am I being crude or biblical? What is the Hebrew? Anyway who has studied the Hebrew there knows that filthy rags is referring to a woman's menstrual cloth. That is what it refers to. That is God! I am not being crude. Women have menstruation cycles a few days every month and it is healthy and beautiful and glorious and it is God and it brings fertility and it is wonderful. It is God's design. But He said; "Your righteousness is like filthy menstrual cloths. Paul said self-righteousness is like faeces or dung or poo (Philippians 3). The modern church with it's Victorian morality can't take Bible words anymore - it has become so politically correct.

Where has the laughter gone in this place? All I am doing is speaking and reading Bible to you. Your efforts to please Me with all your works and your absence of faith in what happened at the Cross is like dirty menstrual cloths. There was a woman who had a menstrual cloth on for 12 years. You can't give birth when you are bleeding for 12 years. The Church has got it's menstrual cloth on and it hasn't come out of the Dark Ages yet. It is still not finished in the Reformation. It has got so much menstrual cloth, it is bleeding on the inside because of the savagery of condemnation, guilt and accusation by the law. 12 years of wearing a menstrual cloth, 12 years of not being fruitful and not giving birth to dreams and visions and signs and wonders and miracles and all paralysed! She touched His robe of righteousness and 12 years of bleeding stopped like that. He leads me in the pathways of righteousness for His Name sake!

You know why you have goats? Because they are people under law and angry with the church because they don't realise He loves them. When you realise this is a Good Shepherd and I might have a hurting heart and might sit under grace message for a few months and the hurt will still be there but it is getting less and less and you are getting healed! You may have decisions that took years and years to get into and you are not getting out of it - seek first His Kingdom! Touch the robe of His righteousness and that menstrual robe mentality is gone! Now people that receive the grace message - all it is doing is equipping you. It is not guaranteeing you immunity to condemnation! How many of you have found that out? That equipment is not a passive thing in your hand! You hear the message of grace and some frothing at the mouth, insane man preaches it year after year and you sit there and are getting equipped but what you DO with that equipment is not my responsibilty.

We that receive the message of grace love to believe we are not self-righteous in any area. "Praise God I go to a grace church and I believe I am the righteousness of God that is in Christ Jesus! There is NO self-righteousness in me! No filthy menstrual cloths over my head!". Oh yere? You want to look me in the eye and tell me there is NO area in your life that you are not self-righteous in? Come on. Anyone want to do that today? Let's find out who has got self-righteous areas in our lives. I believe deeply at many levels that I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus even when I have messed up and made a mistake - I am still the righteousness of God. It is a permament standing in Christ. Do I have any self-righteous areas in my life? Unfortunately - yes. Where? Not telling you!

Here is the litmus test - this is how you know which area you have self-righteousness in. Any area in your life where you have worry, anxiety frequently - that is an area where you are living in self-righteousness. Let me say that again. The pagans and heathens - most of these precious Hong Kong and expat people - 99% of people in this city take thought and worry. How do you know that someone is a heathen and self-righteous? Worry. Anxiety. What shall we wear? What's my image? How will I pay the bills? He said; "Take no thought!".

No worries mate! I am sure that Jesus was an Aussie! He said "Take no worries mate!". Tell them! Be honest! Let them see the real face! God doesn't have faces that He hides behind! He has a beautiful face! Let people see the real you! Let your anger out! I would rather you punch me and we kiss and make up later than this false artificial politically correct rubbish! I don't want people saving face! I want people to be angry with me! I want reality! Stop worrying about this and that but seek first the Kingdom of God!

What is the Kingdom of God? The Kingdom of God is the reign of God - the Good Shepherd leading your life!

It's not a pretense that He is leading your life when it is convinient! But I want to marry this person! Unrest! But I want! Don't! Oh He doesn't know what He's talking about! We really follow the Good Shepherd! That is His beautiful peaceful government! Not you trying to be holy, obedient or good enough!

His righteousness and His obedience and His holiness and His obedience and His fulfilling the law given to YOU as a gift! When you believe that it will start changing the way you live! You will have greater victory over sin and addictions and the control of addictions!

Any area you have anxiety or worry in - you are being self-righteous because in that area you do not believe you are the righteousness of God. Those who believe I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus have such a secure self-image and a trust in this Good Shepherd that they are not going to worry about going down.

When this woman with a menstrual cloth on her for 12 years touched the robe of righteousness - her bleeding instantly stopped.

In (v34) of that chapter He turned to her and said; "Daughter!" (a believer) "your faith has made you well - go in peace and be freed from your suffering". When you read that you don't get the full meaning of what Jesus was saying. I promise you this - the New Testament was written in Greek primarily and the Old Testament in Hebrew. In the Greek - and it is easy to find - when He said; "Daughter ... go in peace and be freed from your suffering" - He did not say "Go in peace". The Greek word for "in" is "en" - He said; "Go eis" which is "Go INTO peace". Go into the realm of peace! Go into the reality of peace and your healing will be permament! The English says; "And you will be freed from your suffering" but He says; "Go into peace and your healing will be permament". I can guarantee you that it was her self-righteousness that drove her into stress-worry and anxiety that finally caused 12 years of bleeding - that He knew He could stop that flow of blood by the power that came out of Him but if she doesn't go into peace, which is going INTO the righteousness of God then she will get that same condition back again.

Any area that you have anxiety or worry in - then in that area you are not seeking first His righteousness but your own and your own hard work and own earning and own deserving and your own leading to guilt, condemnation, worry and anxiety. How many you truly believe that it is the will of God and it is possible for believers to spend all of their lives without worry and without anxiety? How many of you believe that is a possibility?! Is it happening in the Church!? Christians are some of the most depressed people I have met! Because they are under laws and rules and regulations! They know how to act on Sunday and "Hallelujah, praise God" and go home and have weird depressions and ideas and worries. That is not the Kingdom and Jesus didn't die for that! Go INTO peace! What is the Kingdom? Romans 14:17 - righteousness! The whole book of Romans is speaking about not being self-righteous but receiving the gift of righteousness! Righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit!

When you believe you are righteous then peace comes and joy comes in the Holy Spirit! I am committed to having no areas in my life where I live with self-righteousness! I don't want a menstrual rag over some areas of my life. Every area of my life I want to believe that I am the righteousness of God! Every area! No worry and no cares! "Though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death". That staff brings them in close and the rod would beat the living daylights out of any wolf. When He says "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death" - He is not saying that God leads you through the valley of the shadow of death. The implication is that it is sheep that decide to take short cuts! It is sheep that want to be a goat today and end up walking through the valley of the shadow of death! Even when we end up in that valley then this Shepherd doesn't say "To hell with them" but He comes into that valley and picks you up and carries you back on His shoulders celebrating and having a great party! The Bible says He will abundantly party and according to forgiveness Ephesians chapter 1 says; "He forgives us according to the riches of His grace!". If you want to know how much you are forgiven then find out about the riches of His grace!

People will worry if you are not worried! Just follow the Good Shepherd! Follow the Good Shepherd into new green fresh revelation, restful waters, restore your soul, you will touch His righteousness and that eternal bleeding will stop and wholeness will come into your soul.

The man and the women who can conquer condemnation and religious guilt by believing the grace of God is a man or woman that the Lord will appoint to be a commander-in-chief on this planet. That is what David said - anyone who can go up and rescue Jerusalem from the Jebbusites, the oppressors, the condemners. The man who will go up by the watergate and rescue Jerusalem from the Jebbusites; "I will make commander-in-chief". The man that can defeat the oppressor, the spirit of heaviness will in Hong Kong be a commander in chief because there are millions living under the oppression of the Jebbusites.

Not only over the church but the unsaved - because they suffer guilt and oppression! There are husbands that work so hard and feel so guilty that they are neglecting their children. I say this to you - any decision you make motivated by guilt is a disasterous decision. Religion will motivate people to do things by manipulating them with guilt and it makes them twice as subject to the Jebbusites. The husband or wife that can understand that guilt and condemnation are of the devil and not from the Good Shepherd - when a partner sees them feeling they are neglecting the children and that wife or husband learns that they are being rude, irritable and unkind then they don't take it personally because when there is guilt in your life then anxiety, worry and depression will follow. They may be irritable with you but inside they are feeling guilty because they are neglecting the children because they are working so hard. The husband or wife who realises the worst thing they could do is put more guilt on them - that is a commander in chief husband or wife and he will not let the Jebbusites have any more room. A husband or wife who realises that any decision made out of guilt will bring destruction on this home - but they instead realise they must take the guilt off their partner and their partner will worship the ground they walk on and be amazed but you are really just a sheep walking and following.

I know pastors that leave the ministry because they feel guilty about the people that leave their church and can't meet the needs of everyone. Every church has got someone leaving saying there is not enough love here. Pastors who leave - and hundreds left Jesus! - but He didn't make a decision to destroy His ministry. The man that gives up his job that is so busy because his wife is complaining and then they have nothing and the wife complains that there is not enough. I have seen men and women give up careers because they feel guilty about neglecting their children and then they make their children gods and give their children everything. I watch those children grow up and those children grow up confused and messed up. You can motivate people out of guilt but they are doing it as hostages. It is not the amount of time you spend with your children but the amount of peace on your life while you spend time with your children. I say this to people - make NO decision based on guilt from children, people, anybody. Wait for the orders of rest and peace. Follow the Lamb and not the pressure of guilt. Your kids won't appreciate you spending time with them based out of guilt but the little time you can give to them because you are no longer self-righteous and bound by worry and anxiety and depression but free and full of peace and joy in the Holy Spirit then they will appreciate that time - whether it is half an hour or an hour! They will appreciate it! If out of peace the Lord says "Leave" and you leave governned by peace then you will be under the government of heaven.

Faith is Conducting Heaven's Influence Into The Earth - Part 6

This sermon was preached by Rob Rufus on Sunday 29th March 2009 at City Church International.

"Increasing In The Anointing"

"Most people have never seen a prophetic ministry come amongst them and call out the region where someone lives and then give the street name and then the number of their house. Most of us have only seen William Branham doing that in the 1950s on DVD or video and many people didn't even know who William Branham was. But a true prophetic ministry came amongst us. And he didn't call out someone's address to prove that God knows where we live. God is not the mafia! "I know where you live!". He says those details to alert them that everything else now is God. This isn't just some little charismatic prophecy. "The Lord says 'I know you by name'. By the way what's your name again?!". It is not that confusing stuff of speaking in riddles. This is God speaking face to face as a friend speaks to a friend. As a Father speaks to children. So everything else God said to Fini and Isi - they knew that this is God! This isn't just wishful thinking or someone trying to be kind and prophecying something into my life. This is someone who picked up from the Father my address details and now what they are saying is true and authentic. I know Fini and Isi and I know what they have just been through for the last year and I know how powerful that was for them.

I will never understand why people doubt and want to be suspicious about manifestations of God. God dwells in the invisible realm and we live in the visible world. If God doesn't manifest into the visible world then you can't know God.

Romans 1 says we can know Him by the invisible qualities seen in creation and Romans 1 is very clear. But it is talking about those who know God by seeing Him in the invisible realm - still don't worship Him but worship the creation.

You can know there is a God by what He has created and you can know something about His invisible nature by what He has created but if He doesn't manifest who He is in a tangible way that you can experience and encounter God then you will never know God and walk God and you will never see miracles like this.

So Joshua Mills is either one of the biggest con men that you have ever seen or he is the real deal - there is nothing in-between. Someone said; "Oh that gold dust came out of his coat - he probably had sachets of it under his collar and at a certain time in the meeting he would let it out". He came up on the platform one night and there was no gold dust anywhere. Then it was suddenly there. "So he probably pulls a string somewhere". I want to know then - how did it get on his forehead? And on his hair? "Maybe he's got something up there". Listen if he did then it would have gone all over the platform and it wasn't. It was just on him! "Maybe he has got a little bag of oil and he pushes a button and it flows". The reason we are cynical like this is because we were programmed by a cynical intellectual nation.

The first thing God has to do is restore us to childlike innocence again - to say yes just because there is the counterfeit and the fake that is evidence and proof that there is the genuine!

Banktellers learning how to recognise counterfeit money don't get counterfeit money. They give them the real thing over and over again so they are so familiar with the real that the moment the fake passes through their hands they can discern a counterfeit note. The Church doesn't need anymore witchdoctors or people trying to expose fraudulence. They need the real deal - so the average Christian can get the real Presence of a living God who manifests in tangible ways in the earth.

People are leaving the Church by the millions across the Western world because they are tired of going to a building on a Sunday morning and God is not there. "Ah but He is present everywhere!". Yes that's true - but He is not manifest there.

See the nature of God is so lovely and so beautiful and it makes you feel so very precious and valuable - it does not hurt this lady but came over her and tickled her and put heavenly voltage on her and gave her a hip replacement, put her on the heavenly hammock and let her rest and did what no one else can do and year of pain went like that because the nature of God was manifested.

I feel literally nauseous when I hear Christians say; "I don't seek manifestations - if they come then I celebrate them but I don't see them". Why would you not seek something that heals and replaces hips? Why would you not seek something that can move over a whole city and cause millions to be aware of the goodness of God and the glory of God and the Presence of God? Why wouldn't you seek that?

What is the gifts of the Spirit? 1 Corinthians 12:7; "the manifestation of the Spirit is given to all". The Greek word means "the dancing hands of God" that come over us and land on us and touches us with favour - then we have got a gift of faith and we can do things that we couldn't do before. 10 seconds later that gift is not there anymore. You don't have any gifts! You have the Person on the inside of you who has got all nine gifts and all nine fruits! That is why you can't say; "I don't have the gift of faith - I only have the gift of healing". Then you have got to say that you only have the fruit of joy and peace but no fruit of love so I can hate anyone I want to hate! No - the same manifestation of the Holy Spirit produces fruit. The same manifestation of the Spirit can Abi a working of miracles and she can speak under an anointing of faith that is way beyond her normal level of faith. When that job is done then that manifestation lifts and it has gone. Then the next day He can give gifts of healings or discerning of spirits - not the gift of suspicion to discern whether this person has an evil heart or not! No - that is called having a gift of being a Pharisee! Discerning of spirits is primarily to discern the presence of angels. "I thought it was to discern demons!". Yes - that is a small part of it. Discerning of spirits - plural!

Anyone in the church can move in any of the gifts! But it says not all are prophets, not all are apostles. He is talking about the ascension gifts of Christ. Not everyone is an apostle, a prophet, a miracle worker. What is a miracle worker? It is an evangelist. But 1 Corinthians 12:7 is given to everyone to profit everyone! They are called manifestations of the Spirit! What does 1st Corinthians 14:1 say? "EAGERLY desire spiritual gifts".

What have you got to eagerly desire? MANIFESTATIONS! The Greek word for desire is "with intense, strong yearnings and cravings and burning longings - DESIRE manifestations of Almighty God!".

I hear leaders get up and say; "Well I don't see manifestations". When they say it there is a level of aloofness and pride - "I am over that childish thing of people who experience manifestations. I am now into good theology". They are NOT into good theology! Good theology says "Eagerly DESIRE!". What they are into is a mixture of reformed theology that didn't just keep on reforming and has got a built-in "anti" the supernatural, a subtle, manipulative content to it. We need to seek manifestations because really it is a manifestation of God!

The gift of faith is a manifestation of God. He is the Spirit of faith! The working of miracles is a manifestation of God! He is a miracle-working Being! The gifts of healing is a manifestation of healing! When God comes into a room - sick people are healing whether they feel like being healed or not! You can get people healed by their faith or your faith and can preach the Word to help them see it is God's will to heal but if God MANIFESTS then people get healed with faith or not! Because God is in the house! If enough of God walks in then people don't need faith! They will believe afterwards! I am telling you it is good to get people healed with their faith and pray for people with your faith. I tell you - Hong Kong - 7 million people - we cannot reach this city just with individuals faith. We need God to come and MANIFEST over the city of Hong Kong - 24/7 - and hang as a tangible manifestation! Otherwise people will never know the invisible nature of God! They can look at the mountains and the forest and know something about God although it is a fallen planet and has been corrupted and frustrated by Adam's high treason and Adam's fall!

So they need the people that are in last Adam in Christ who are new creations operating from the heavenlies and pulling heaven's influence into the earth which is what is happening in heaven happening on earth and God is 24/7 - a manifest cloud of glory, a tangible beauty of love, light, wisdom, power and LIFE! That is what is happening in heaven! When He enthrones Himself in a community of people in a city and He doesn't come for a conference but 24/7 because there are lightning conductors catching heaven's influence and translating into the earth realm! Whether you are sleeping or awake you have just become a conductor of heaven's influence! That is what we need in Hong Kong! That is what we want - a manifestation of Your glory! A manifestation of the One we love! I don't like a long-distance relationship with Glenda. I can write to her and she can write to me when we are aware. I want to feel a tangible Glenda! I want a manifested Glenda! I don't want an in-tangible God! I want a tangible God! A God you can experience! The living God! The living God comes and you won't have to preach against idols - everyone will just get rid of idols because God Himself is in the city!

God will bring priority to Himself and money will take it's rightful place in Hong Kong! God is not against money but He doesn't want anything before Him and He wants to be first! When He comes then people gladly give up money and God will gladly give them money! As long as He is first! The financial blessing coming on people in this church is an incredible testimony! Testimony upon testimony! In one day people are set free from debt! Others just blessings! Offerings that came in for the conference! Just all kinds of things! Another man wrote out a cheque to City Church for 52, 000 dollars! Just gave it to us! A visitor! A release of the finances while in the glory manifestation! There is financial abundance and you know what? People aren't greedy! They are after God and love God because they have found out that He is so good!

This is number six in the series; "Faith conducts Heaven's influence into the Earth". Today we are finishing the series and we may touch on the Benjamin generation next Sunday morning. Open your Bibles. I am going to be quite quick and I will give you the references.

On Thursday night we have got a prophetic word - God wants to give increase of everything good - increase of blessing into City Church International! We are going into a time of increase! Increased revelation! Increased illumination! Increased understanding of His grace, of the New Covenant, of superior covenant with a superior mediator!

"That weak and useless covenant" - Hebrews 7 says! Weak and useless! Because it all depended on what man can do!

The New Covenant is not intrinsic - it is extrinsic! It didn't happen in you or by you or through you and it has got nothing to do with you because if it did it would be weak and useless because you are trying to keep laws and rules. The New Covenant is not God trying to make a covenant with you. He loves you so much that He didn't want to make a covenant with you. He made a covenant with His Son on your behalf and He did it outside of you but you were included in it so you are infalliably safe and you are the righteousness of God perfectly and all the time - as long as Jesus doesn't backslide! Your life is hid with Christ and all the fullness of Christ is your inheritance as a joint equal heir of Christ and an heir of God and you are seated with Him in the heavenly realms as a co-equal heir, not going to happen one day! It is NOW the reality of your position in Christ! Perfect forever!

I can say those things a thousand times and I still feel good every time! Increased revelation on that! We are still in the shallows in grace! Increased release of financial prosperity! Increased love for one another, the lost in our city and in the nations! Increased signs and wonders! Increased rest! Increased peace! While we work we are at rest! Increased fruitfulness! Do less - see more happen! Sneeze and people get healed! The effortless realm of the glory where you do less and less, try less and less and He does more and more! I want increase!

You get nothing in the Kingdom without the anointing - everything happens by the anointing. Romans 14:17 says; "For the Kingdom of heaven is not about food or drink" - all these religious ceremonies. "But righteousness" - which is the gift of righteousness. "Peace and joy in the Holy Spirit". So the Kingdom is in the Holy Spirit. There is nothing that can come from heaven unless it comes through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. It is getting anointed that brings the increase of everything else! If you can increase in the anointing then you will increase on every other level.

How do you get into the glory? You cannot get into the glory without the anointing. They consecrated themselves as priests under the Old Covenant with the anointing and then they went into the cloud of the glory. The anointing is what God does! The glory is Who God is!. Some of you are thinking that he is 54 and he is forgetting that he said these things before. No I am saying them as a safeguard to "protect you from the dogs, evil workers and mutilators of the flesh". Paul said those are the people that mix law and grace together. Paul the apostle said it! The anointing is what God does - His actions. The glory is who God is. The danger is people who live off borrowed transferences of the anointing and don't know God. They know the anointing which is the actions of God. But they don't know the nature of God - because His glory is who He is. Matthew 7 - people like to frighten Christians. "Jesus said you did miracles in My Name ... and I will say depart from Me you workers of iniquity - I never knew you". He didn't say they were backslidden and lost to salvation! I believe once you are saved, you are in Christ forever! If you are in Christ and can fall out of last Adam then by your own good works, you can fall out of first Adam! That is why people who preach that you can lose your salvation are preaching a much more powerful first Adam than last Adam. It is anti-Christ and anti- the finished work of the Cross. It doesn't produce miracles on a sustainable way.

We know where he was speaking about "where sin increased, grace did much more". Grace did much more in abundance increase! He is essentially talking about the two Adams! When first Adam fell, grace more than abundantly, super-abundantly increased in manifestation of last Adam! No in last Adam - Christ Jesus - you are secure! He said to them; "You workers of miracles and prophesying in My Name, depart from Me, I never knew you". They weren't people that were saved and then lost their salvation. They were people Jesus never knew! Never born again! You can get transference of the anointing and if you don't use that anointing to get saved - or to go into the glory - then you won't know who God is! The anointing is what God does. The glory is who He is.

If you hang around anointed people long enough - you can do miracles, even if you are not born again. But the anointing is given to increase our access and experience of the glory!

Because the glory is His nature! When you come into the glory you want to weep or laugh or worship or adore because you feel so precious in the glory because you feel the love of God and you get to know who God is! Then the way you handle the anointing is with an administration of grace - that is not self-promoting. You are not using miracles to get a big church! You are not using miracles to get money or to be famous! You know who God is through His glory so you are moving in compassion because you can't handle seeing people suffer sickness and disease!

That is why the healing revivalists came down in the 1940s and 50s because they would go fast to get the anointing, they would use the principles and try and catch anointings and then they would come out and preach miracles but you have got to preach who Christ IS! You have got to preach the nature of God in the anointing and who our God is!

Psalm 103:7 says a fascinating thing! It says God revealed His ways to Moses but only His deeds or His actions to Israel! So Moses knew the ways of God - how the Holy Spirit moved, how to partner and surrender to the movings of God because He understood the ways of God! So He manifested miracles. Israel didn't have a clue how He was doing it, they were just witnesses of the miracles! That would be representative of many churches today. A special evangelist flies in and he or she has learnt the ways of God and know how to tap into the invisible realm and know how to operate with the anointing and know how to produce miracles. The average church member is going "Oh wasn't that impressive? That must have been their special gift on them!". It was not their special gift on them! Their gift as an apostle or prophet is NOT to have a special gift but to equip and train everyone else to do what God has given them a grace to train others to do!

That is what it says in John 14:12. "Anyone who believes in Me - the works I do shall you do also and greater works than I do, shall you do also because I am going to the Father!". What did He do when He went to the Father? He that ascended is the same one that descended and when He ascended up, He gave mantles to men and women to equip the church to come to the full measure of the stature of Christ! I believe in this church we are not only seeing the actions and the deeds of God but more and more as a congregation we are learning the ways of God. So in Habbakkuk 3:4 it says God hides His power in His Presence. God's Presence is His glory! In His glory Presence He hides His power! You can get around people who have gone into the glory Presence and have found the power of God and you can get a transfer of the power - but they cannot transfer the Presence and the glory to you. They can transfer the power but glory is not transferrable! You personally have to turn the TV off and personally go out to the country park and personally get alone with God and spend time with the living God because He hides His power in His glory and you have to get into the glory! Not as a law or rule but because you want to! Then you can transfer power to other people and make them hungry for the glory Presence!

You just cannot go week after week without shouting down phones and cancelling appointments, "No I can't run around doing that - this week I am taking time out for me and Jesus just to be together!" - just as in Acts they saw the disciples and said these are uneducated men but they perceieved that they had been with Jesus! There is something dangerous about people who only catch power but don't know His Presence. That is where we get wrong motives and an abuse of the anointing. That is where we get weird people. I am not saying you have to fast every week! The more you spend time alone with God, the more you can experience His Presence in the busyness of Hong Kong! I am walking through the streets of Mong Kok and I can feel His glory Presence on me, I can feel His Presence! You can feel His Presence every day as you walk in His glory!

Let me give you five things that will help you increase the anointing on your life - because the anointing will help you get into the glory.

1. Hunger.

Probably the number one thing. People say; "I don't seek the manifestations of God". Every single person I know that says "I don't seek the manifestations of God" - don't have manifestations. Hunger! I want to see God move! I don't care how He moves as long as He moves! If it is gold dust, oil, words of knowledge! I don't care as long as it is Him! How do you know Rob? I have an anointing on the inside of me! I can discern the reality of the anointing. When the anointing is on someone then it resonates with me. I don't care if their doctrine isn't the same as mine, if they have got an anointing then I KNOW it is the anointing! If it is a devil or familar spirit they are operating under then the anointing in me goes crazy and the discerning of spirits lets me know that is a demon operating. If it is a familiar spirit - that is a medium or a psychic spirit! When Christians are afraid of being deceived then they are already deceived because fear is a deception. God hasn't given us a spirit of fear but a spirit of power, love and a sound mind. So many Christians are afraid of the devil because they have a theology of a big devil and a small God!

There has been more counterfeit miracles for so long! We have got to get the real thing - the real miracles happening! That will shut down the counterfeit! I know - people think the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa are dead and some are, but some are alive. There was a Dutch Reformed pastor that went down on holiday to Durban and Durban has got the biggest Indian population outside of India. It has got the Hinduis there and he went to watch them walking across the fire. He stood there and watched them and he thought; "If their god can do it for them then my God can do it for me". Ripped off his shoes and walked across the fire! They said to him that he had special fireproof socks on! So he ripped his socks off and walked slowly! They all run across!

A person with experience is not vulnerable to a person with argument. When you hear people talk about excess; "Watch out for excess!". Don't listen to them if their life is characterised by lack! If their life is characterised by lack then they have no right to talk about extremes!

Hunger! Acts 10:44, Acts 5:12.

2. Faith in the Goodness of God!

Acts 14:8-10.

3. Worship!

How many times in this conference did we sense the glory come as we began to worship? You will see that in 2 Kings 3:5, 2 Chronicles 3:5. They couldn't even stand as the glory cloud filled the temple. They fell! Paul had an encounter with God and he FELL. John had an encounter with Jesus and he FELL. Daniel had an encounter with God and he FELL! Everyone who had an encounter with God in this Bible FELL! Not voluntarily most of the time but because their knees were having such intense fellowship with one another that they collapsed! I remember I had never seen people fall. In 1980 a man came to our church. He was a useless preacher but my gosh - could he release the power!! An hour of boring preaching but I heard he was Bob Dylan's pastor so anyone who was a friend of Bob Dylan was a friend of mine! Then he got up and he said; "I am going to do this other thing that the Lord has given me". And as he said "other thing" - the atmosphere in the room went to super-electricity. The air molecules became pregnant with the power of God. I felt terrified! What is this!? I wanted to run out the building but I was the pastor so I had to stay!

And he started calling members of my congregation and reading their mail and telling them what is happening in their lives and they were going through the chairs and I was standing there as a surfer thinking "I am not going down!". I brace myself and he said "Oh the anointing is coming on the pastor" and I just flew! It wasn't voluntary! It was biblical! Unless people are astonished, amazed, mocking, criticising - you haven't got a move of God. That is Acts 2. They were utterly amazed, others were saying "They are drunk on new wine!". How many of the churches across Hong Kong have had Hong Kong being astonished, utterly amazed, accusing us of being drunk on new wine! Where?! Where is it happening every week!? Why!? Manifestations of God!

4. Prayer.

Acts 4:29. They actually prayed; "God stretch out Your hand to perform signs and wonders" and the building was shaken. I was giving an altar call one day and I said "There is one more to come, one more to come" and they didn't come and the whole building shook! I said "Okay - are you going to come?" and they came running! Manifestations are very helpful! Right on queue! It really happened!

5. The anointing increases when you associate with anointed people!

I watch anointed people go and associate with someone or something that doesn't believe in manifestations and give them a few months and they come back dry as a Californian! Dry! Every royal priest, every believer, every son and daughter of God should be so full of the anointing that our association with one another inspires us all to go higher! Not; "Oh watch those manifestations, you have got to balance that, you are getting too focused on manifestations! Get focused on the Manifestor!". Stop looking at healing, get focused on the Healer! Who He IS does the manifestation! Who He IS does the healing! Every time you see a manifestation THAT is God coming out of the invisible and manifestating in the visible realm! That is what it IS! Don't run after healing!?!! The Healer is healing! He is a healing Person! Jesus doesn't have love - He IS love!

Association! Acts 4:13 and 1st Sam 22:2. David was a giant killer and when all the discontent and disenfranchised who were sick and tired of religion and sick and tired of being under Saul and began to defect to David who was in a cave whereas Saul was in a palace! With wealth and prestige! Whereas David was an exile out in a cave! He wouldn't line up with the control spirit or do what institution wanted him to do! So the D-D-D's gathered with David and some of them began to kill giants! One man killed a lion for fun! Why? Because they were associated with a giant killer!

You stick around giant killers and you become a giant killer!

You are no longer overwhelmed by giants of finances! No - association with giants makes you a giant killer! I don't mean hierarchy and I don't mean Christian celebrities and get around men and kiss the ring! Anointed people are all around you! "Don't touch God's anointed" - but it is always referring to the big one! You are ALL anointed! Don't criticise God's anointed - the people of God! We have created laity and the anointing can't flow! You get around apostles, prophets, evangelists and you begin to be able to do what they can do! That doesn't mean you call yourself an apostle or a prophet! No! You are a royal priest! That is an honour! It is not the "priesthood of all believers" - that is Old Covenant! We are royal priests! We are a holy nation! There is no hierarchy! There is no superiority! If we want to put titles in front of men's names then put titles to define the function of everyone else! Housefixer Tony! Smashwalls down Tony! Social worker Jonny! Jesus? No title in front of His Name! "In the Name of Jesus!". Not; "In the Name of the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist Jesus!". He loves it! If anyone should have Lord in front of His Name it is Him!

We have got people serving key leaders! When Fini finished his message last week - respect and honour EVERYONE! Honour and respect leaders! Be kind and generous! Pray! Realise they are weak and get tired and need help! But do it to one another equally! In our big church in Australia when I came back from holiday everyone would welcome me back. I suddenly realised that other royal priests come back from holiday and they don't get welcomed! So I said "From now on everyone who comes back from holiday, we welcome them by name!". And this was a church of a few thousand! I believe in that! Then I saw pastors parking at the front of the building when I got there so that came to an end as well! We give people parking if they have a function, if there is a reason why they have to come late and have to come to a front seat and don't have time to run around looking for parking then that will be a function. The reason why I sit at the front is that it is more convinient to get to the pulpit and be involved. If I didn't have that function then I could sit anywhere in this building. This is not me being honoured above anyone else - it is a function! The insecurity in much of the church is that if you get the car parking space or front rows - then that is just creating childishness and insecurity and envy and Old Covenant thinking and God comes in revival and can't go any further because the wine skins are so Old Covenant and control!

5. Discerning the Presence of the Lord.

This is so important because I see Christians missing this! The way the Presence will increase in your life if you recognise even if a little Presence comes upon your life and you recognise it and urge Him to come more. In Luke 24:13-21 the disciples are walking with Jesus and they dont recognise it is Jesus and as they walk their hearts begin to burn and then they realise it is Him and then they urge Him and then get more Presence! In Matthew 6:48 they are in the storm and are frightened because of the size of the waves and they see Jesus walking and I quote; "He was about to pass by them". Then they said "Jesus!" and then He turned towards them. I have been in too many meetings where you feel the Presence come just a little bit into the meeting and people don't recognise the Presence and then they do something so insensative to the Presence that grieves or quenches the Presence and the Presence is lost for the rest of the meeting. God wants everyone of us in this church as royal priests to read the meeting and interpret what God is doing in the meeting. So successful meetings are when you have people discerning what God is doing in the meetings and partnering with God doing it!

When you get a whole congregation of lightning conductors and they are all seeing and discerning the Presence then God can come in undiluted glory! You can have a mediocre preacher or a useless pastor but if you have a whole congregation like that then you have miracles every week!

When the anointing is rubbed on you:

Middle Eastern shepherds rub oil on the ears of their sheep because if you have lived in Australia or Israel then you will know all about flies! Flies do terrible things to sheep's ears! That's why a shepherd can say whether a sheep is ill or not - because it is away from the flock. Only sick sheep leave the community of the flock and if you go and look their ears are dry because the flies - Satan is Beelzebub - the Lord of the Flies. So the shepherds anoint their ears so the flies can't penetrate their ears. The Bible says in the last days people will have "itching ears". What for? Legalism! Religion! Hierarchy! Their ears have not been protected by anointing oil so they listen to lies and partner with Beelzebub in lies. They are born again and going to heaven but partner with religious lies! Itching ears!

This anointing oil is wonderful but it needs to be rubbed on!

Some people come to the service so dry and the anointing is being smeared on but they stand there. Dull! Because of a veil over their heads because of the law! Give that anointing time and keep smearing and slowly "ha ha ha - oh this feels quite good!". Until you get a dear lady bouncing around! That is why it is so difficult in an hour and a half service! Modern stats show that the average person can only take 18 minutes of praise and worship and 20 minutes of a message! So the whole meeting can only be an hour because we don't want to inconvinience people! Some people need months of rubbing on - they are so dry! When you pray for them all the essence of your life gets sucked out of you because there is so much - a deep black hole there!

David says "You anoint my head with oil - my cup overflows!". I want to live in overflow all the time! My first priority in giving out so much over this conference was getting alone with God! I want overflow! I don't like living with my cup not overflowing because if you don't live in overflow you are heading for a nervous breakdown! If you are not burning oil then you are burning a nervous system! Eight hours of preaching after the conference and every minute was taken up by pastors wanting appointments. I was giving out and giving out and listening and listening! For seven days! Non-stop! You come out of there and people think a quick; "Lord refresh him" prayer will make me better! Elijah had to go and eat angel food and get anointed! You need more than a little prayer!

Sometimes the best thing you need is to go to sleep and eat some good food and watch a good movie! Go for a run in the country park!

1. To consecrate for service.

Exodus 30:30-31. It has got to be rubbed on and then you can do things you can't do before.

2. To bring honour to you and show God's loving ownership of you.

2 Cor 1:21-22.

3. It enables you.

1st John 2:20.

4. It brings authority.

If it was not for the anointing I would not be alive.

5. It destroys bondage.

Isaiah 10:27. I am amazed at Christans that do not get to one anointed service month after month. You know what is building up in the subterreanean depths of their soul? Bondage. Partnership with lies. And when you lay hands on them it is like granite walls of unbelief and tension! Don't wait! As soon as you get up; "Holy Spirit anoint me! Come!". You cannot allow those things to build up. Every day!

6. It imparts truth.

1st John 2:27.

7. It brings heavenly vision.

Acts 9 - you see into the heavenlies. Even if you don't see, you sense and become aware of the heavenlies more than earth. As Joshua Mills kept saying, you put your head above the clouds and you are much more relevant on the earth.

The anointing is transferrable - the glory is not. That is something you have to access through the throne room of grace.

Come boldly! Your sins and lawless acts I will remember no more! He doesn't say; "Having confessed them I will forget!". He forgave our sins at the Cross 2000 years before you were born! Come boldly! Most Christians spend the first hour with God saying sorry for this and sorry for that! Old Covenant! Their confession of sins - Hebrews - the blood of bulls and goats was simply a reminder of how sinful they are! Old Covenant was designed to make you feel sinful and make you feel condemned! New Covenant is designed to make you feel confident with full assurance of faith! To come boldly! Having our conscience washed from evil! What is that evil?

An evil conscience under New Covenant is a conscience trained by the law to feel guilty!

That is why repentance is from endless, useless ceremonies! Repentance is from dead works and doing things without faith! Our conscience is cleansed by the blood to serve the living God! What is an evil conscience - conscience trained by the law to feel guilty! The blood of Jesus cleanses our conscience so we can come confidently! By one sacrifice He sat down forever! Forever perfect! What about spending the first five minutes thanking Him that "I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus"?! I have been in some fellowships where the first hour is Old Covenant stuff. We may as well go and get some bulls and goats! After an hour I am so depressed and now they are ready to tiptoe! No it says come "Boldly"! Jeremiah 20:14 says he felt fire in his bones! Electricity! Trembling over the entire body! I long for the day that the majority of Christians will feel the vibrations of God's electricity so I won't look so weird! We know that you can be under the shadow of the Most High - you are already there in the intimate place! You start in the secret place overshadowed by the Almighty!

Psalm 89. In the last days there will be a Benjamin company of people, a David-hearted group of people that have access into the Presence of God and are anointed. 5 blessings of the anointing that are yours as the anointing increases. All five will increase as you get into the anointing. (v21).

1. You will get more strength (v21).
2. You will get victory in your life (v22) - not against people but demonic.
3. You will get more prestige in your life (v24).
4. Your influence will increase (v25)
5. You will leave a legacy to future generations that will last.

Miracle at City Church International!!

I got this brilliant email from my fellow transcribing friend - Heather - giving a bit more detail in an awesome miracle that God did at City Church last Sunday. It's absolutely vital that testimonies form part of this website because as Rob himself said;

"Testimony" comes from the word; "To do it again". When you share a testimony of what God has done in a miracle in your life - that testimony is a sharing of a prophecy and it carries with it a power to duplicate what you are testifying happened to you".

Here's what Heather wrote to Ryan and I;

"Hi guys

I can't believe I'm doing this when I should be packing, but anyway, I took a picof Sally on Sunday (attached) and thought it would be great to put on our website. Here it is:

It was her 2nd visit to CCI. She'd been experiencing a hip problem for about 3 years and couldn't move much. And her right leg she could only bend a little ... and walked with pain all the time. She could not sit for more than 15 minutes because she got a lot of pain. When she was prayed for, she felt electric shock go through and all around er. After the prayer, all the pain was gone and she could move like she couldn't do before at all. She believes that God has replaced her hip with a totally new one.

Praise and Glory to God!!!!!!!!
Hallelujah!!!!

Lots of love
Heath".

And we say - "More God! We want more! We're so grateful for what you are already doing! But keep demonstrating and proving the gospel of power with signs and wonders!".