tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64968103780472815922024-02-20T18:16:51.527+00:00Rob Rufus Blog - Grace and Glory!!Dan Bowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15661120561123767936noreply@blogger.comBlogger180125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496810378047281592.post-68557528894587936632011-06-25T21:00:00.001+01:002011-06-25T21:45:41.501+01:00Rob Rufus - "The Flow of the Anointing"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-RF9wIuV3ke3F1BnBdwSxydeyNm9clxUmD77vUkgleTbili_l9HlQw8wUMAKSn0zRGQvFr19MjjVsMeeg1H6X3myO73T64mypc3PczjXoU1dxhyphenhyphenbxaoiDtepCrTSKGFhEaqJv4Lrw1U/s1600/Rob+and+Glenda+Dover.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 224px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-RF9wIuV3ke3F1BnBdwSxydeyNm9clxUmD77vUkgleTbili_l9HlQw8wUMAKSn0zRGQvFr19MjjVsMeeg1H6X3myO73T64mypc3PczjXoU1dxhyphenhyphenbxaoiDtepCrTSKGFhEaqJv4Lrw1U/s320/Rob+and+Glenda+Dover.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622261371494320450" /></a><div>The final session from: "<a href="http://ccihk.com/en/media/online-audio?view=studydetails&id=327&templatemenuid=1">Grace and Glory Conference - the Philippines</a>" 2011.</div><div>Open your Bibles please to Acts chapter 19.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>An apostle has a government over their life to set the church in order - to bring a grace government to liberate and work with pastors and to help pastors coming alongside them. To lay foundations for churches. The Bible says in Ephesians 2 that the church is built on the foundation of apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus as the chief cornerstone. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Jesus is a living Saviour, a living Lord - and the church is built on the foundation of a living Head but also on the foundation of living apostles and living prophets. It is not built on the foundation of apostles who lived and then died and prophets who lived long ago and then died. These living apostles and prophets need to get into churches and lay foundations of a living Christ and a foundation of what the church is in Christ and the foundation of grace.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>This is the last session here and I was hoping to speak on the "Seven Ugly Faces of the Grace-Hating Spirit" - we will not have time to do that and I feel that is for another time. I want to talk about the transference of the anointing. I was in the faith group and Kenneth Hagin was the man that God used to bring me into encounter with the power of God in 1981. I want to talk about this because the anointing is the grace of God - the anointing carries grace and we want to speak about how the anointing is carried in your words. I want to talk about how the anointing is transferred through the laying on of hands and other ways.</div><div><br /></div><div>When you leave here I believe God wants to spread the supernatural aroma and flavour and perfume of grace wherever you go. He wants us to see that the anointing can be transferred. The anointing is transferable, transmittable and tangible. The anointing of God is like supernatural electricity. The anointing of God is like heavenly materiality - it is real. You can feel the anointing. You can feel it on your hands and you can feel it on your face. You can feel it leaving your body and going into someone else's body. </div><div><br /></div><div>I was in Holland just a few weeks ago and we taught on the transfer of the anointing. I said; "Any five people who are sick - I don't care how sick you are - I want to show you the transfer of the anointing and I will pray for you". So five people came out and within a minute or two three of them were completely healed. The fourth had to go for a checkup and a few weeks later we got the email saying they were healed. The fifth one I don't know about - but four were healed about them understanding how to receive the transfer of the anointing!</div><div><br /></div><div>How many want to know how to give the anointing into people's lives after receiving it? We are all called to be competent ministers of the Spirit that gives life. When we walk in the gift of righteousness and speak about the gift of grace we should be able to back that up with the transfer of the ministry of the Spirit of life. </div><div><br /></div><div>We should be able to give away the Spirit of life. Some years ago a man invited me to go to the United Kingdom and preach to a big outreach in London. The network was called "Pioneer Ministries" and they were doing an amazing work with people suffering with HIV/AIDS and they were ministering to them. So they knew many many precious homosexual folk - people who were lesbians and homosexuals. I want to tell you that God loves homosexuals and lesbians the way He loves adulterers and murderers and every unsaved person. Jesus has died for the whole world! Somehow Christians have put homosexuality in a different category and said their sin is worse. I don't know - everything is bad! Under the Law everyone falls short and everyone has missed the glory of God! </div><div><br /></div><div>The church has not been successful in reaching homosexual people or gay people. In the Western world the church has not had a good result with the gay community. Much of the church has bashed the gays and marched with big "anti-gay" slogans. That doesn't represent Jesus! I really believe Jesus walks amongst the gay people and wants to love them into the freedom of the Kingdom! So I was going to minister to hundreds and hundreds of people who hated church - hated Christianity and didn't go to church and certainly didn't trust Christians and are in the gay community.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now I had never preached to hundreds of gay people at once - so I went to the United Kingdom and went out to the forest to pray and wait on God. I began to pray and wait on God for 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours, 4 hours until I got the breakthrough in prayer. Now the breakthrough came at the Cross but I was praying the victory of the Cross into this community. While I was in the forest, I felt the breakthrough of God. I had a white T-shirt, white running shorts on and was so happy when the breakthrough came and knew the victory had been released and I was running and jumping in the forest and even rolled down the hill and rolled down into a big pile of cow dung and my T-shirt was covered in cow dung but I was so happy I kept running and knew tonight there would be blessing and liberty and people saved tonight! </div><div><br /></div><div>I heard God say to me; "Son, the anointing of blessing is all over your white T-shirt which was now the colour of green cow dung. Tonight I don't want you to preach for more than 10 minutes - I just want you to go to the meeting and wave it over the crowd and I'll do the rest". So I said; "Jesus please don't ask me to do this! These are British people with stiff upper lips and won't appreciate this!". He said; "Okay Rob - don't worry but you will be preaching on your own". I said; "No Lord don't leave me on my own!". But you see - sometimes to do the miraculous we have to do the ridiculous. That is why grace liberates us to become bold and adventurous. We can step out in faith when we hear the voice of God. We do things people are too afraid to do but we do them because we are walking in the grace of God.</div><div><br /></div><div>So that night I went to the meeting and there were 100s of people there. Someone was trying to lead them in worship but they were not interested. They were angry and mad and upset. I came out and began to speak and spoke for 10 minutes. Everything was so tight and unfriendly and hostile and terrible that I wanted to run out the meeting. I thought; "Lord I will just preach for a little longer to get their faith up". The Lord kept saying; "Son I am telling you - just wave the T-shirt over the crowd". I had the T-shirt in a plastic bag and hidden it under the pulpit and was dressed in a clean shirt and trousers. But nothing was happening - it was getting worse. So finally I said; "Ladies and gentlemen - I just want to say to you that I have been disobeying God for the last 20 minutes". As soon as I said I had been disobeying God all these unsaved people - I had their attention. I said; "The Lord told me to only speak for 10 minutes and then He told me to do .... this". </div><div><br /></div><div>I was feeling embarrassed and nervous and felt no great faith. I pulled the T-shirt out which was green and yellow from cow dung. And I said; "The Lord told me to do ... this" and as I waved the T-shirt over the crowd the power of God was released across that room and hundreds of people fell from their chairs. Demons began to come out. People began to scream and repent. Then I said; "He told me to do THIS!" and then they went hysterical. When God told the disciples to feed the masses with fish, don't think Thomas was breaking the loaves in half and throwing them out. They were taking little crumbs! When they saw the bread and fish was not running out - then they got bolder. And I began to get bolder and bolder. Literally 100's of people - I have a video recording of this - 100's of these people without me asking them to do it, got up off the floor, fell on their knees at the front, taking their lovers rings off and throwing them onto the pulpit and repenting and calling out on God.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was amazed! But I saw one man standing in a pin-striped suit standing by himself. Everyone was on the floor kneeling and weeping and repenting. I ran up to this very British man with the white T-shirt and went pow in his stomach! He fell and began to cry out and weep before God! I didn't realise that man worked at Buckingham Palace and was the legal advisor to the Royal Family. God got him! I wanted to give him my white T-shirt and ask him to take it and wave it over Prince Charles!</div><div><br /></div><div>There is an anointing that flows out of grace that will radiate out of our lives and through our churches. We just have to learn how to release it and many Christians have to learn how to receive it. So let's have a look at Acts chapter 19. You remember Elisha had the double anointing of Elijah. When Elisha died in an open grave and his flesh rotted away until it was only bones left - when a dead person was dropped into his grave, the dead body touched the bones of Elisha and the dead person came to life. In the bones of Elisha there was still enough anointing resident or present in his bones enough to raise a dead person. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>If the bones of a dead prophet can raise someone from the dead - how much more the anointing of Jesus Christ in the church of the living God moving in resurrection power in supernatural signs and wonders?!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Many people have misunderstood 1 Corinthians 12 and the gifts of the Spirit. They feel like some people have special gifts and other people do not have those gifts. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers have a mantle of Christ to equip God's people to do the works Jesus did and to come to the full stature and measure of Christ.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Ephesians 4 Ministries are not superior - they just have a mantle of Christ and their job is to serve and equip the church and become full in the operation of the works that Jesus did! Every believer has the Holy Spirit inside of them! I do not have any gifts of healing. Rob Rufus does not have one gift of healing, working of miracles, gift of tongues, speaking in tongues, prophecy - I don't have any of those gifts but I have the Person inside of me who has all nine gifts of the Spirit and whenever they need to be manifested, He will manifest them inside of me. You can do the works Jesus did and greater works because you are a son and daughter of God! Life gets exciting when you are living secure on a foundation of grace - you don't have to prove your sonship with miracles or turn stones into bread to prove you are a son. You don't have to jump off a building to prove you are a son. You don't have to do anything to prove you are a son! When you are secure in acceptance grace, there is an adventure to step out and go for it. </div><div><br /></div><div>In Matthew chapter 10 Jesus said; "Go and preach the Kingdom - raise the dead, cast out devils, heal the sick and tell them that the Kingdom of heaven is near". </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>So how are we going to raise the dead if we don't pray for some dead people?</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Lord give me the power to raise the dead! He already has! You have to give it a go - maybe you will pray for 10 people and they don't come alive but maybe the 11th will and then a whole village will hear about the power of Jesus Christ! Sometimes you have to do the ridiculous in order to see the miraculous. How many blind people have you prayed for? How many deaf people have you prayed for? We have got to step out and just go for it! Acts chapter 19:11;</div><div><br /></div><div>"And God did extraordinary miracles through Paul so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that touched him were taken to the sick and the illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them".</div><div><br /></div><div>Handkerchiefs and aprons became like supercharged batteries with the anointing and carried miles to a distant city and placed on the sick and they were so full of the anointing that they would drive out demons and heal the sick. This is a New Testament practice - driving out demons and healing the sick with hankies or the laying on of hands. I want you to look at Mark chapter 5 - the famous Scripture. The doctrine of the laying on of hands (and we are not talking about Hebrews 6 - that's another story and we can't go there) but there is a New Testament ministry of the laying on of hands. Now in religious circles it is empty hands on empty heads. </div><div><br /></div><div>If you don't give something away through the laying on of hands it is just a ceremony. It is just an empty ceremony. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>When we lay hands on people there is meant to be the currents of heavenly electricity that supernaturally comes out of our hands and flows into someone or flows into a handkerchief or an apron and into someone's body and they receive it.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>I want to encourage you to listen to how to receive and how to give the anointing. When Peter was walking past the Gate Beautiful and a man begged him for money he said "Silver and gold we don't have right now" but in the next chapter they will be throwing piles of money at our feet - but right now we don't have silver and gold but such as we have we give to you. "In the Name of Jesus Christ rise up and walk" and the man stood up and went leaping and praising God. Peter said; "Look at us - such as we have - we give you!". You have got to know that you are loaded with heavenly power, you have got to know that such as I have - I give to you! So you will hear about how you are forgiven and one with Christ!</div><div><br /></div><div>You have got to let go, you have got to give in and give the power out to the world around you! "Such as I have - I give to you" - that is what Peter and John said. So we are going to release that anointing - there is going to be an anointing release as we end this conference. There is going to be an anointing that will go out and be released into people's lives here and activate people. Let's read Mark chapter 5:21;</div><div><br /></div><div>"When Jesus had crossed over to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around Him while He was by the lake. Then one of the synagogue rulers came there seeing Jesus, he fell at His feet pleading earnestly with Him; "My little daughter is dying - please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live". So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around and a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for 12 years. She had been under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had. Instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus she came and touched His cloak. She thought; "If I can just touch His clothes I will be healed". Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.</div><div><br /></div><div>At once Jesus realised that power had gone out from Him, He turned around to the crowd and asked; "Who touched my clothes?". "You see the people crowding around you - and yet You can ask 'Who touched Me?'" His disciples asked. But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. The woman came and fell at His feet trembling with fear and told Him the whole truth. He said to her; "Daughter your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering". Now this is an amazing story here because Jesus did not walk through the crowds and say; "The Father has given Me a revelation in the crowd here somewhere there is a woman who has an issue of blood here and it is your lucky day - your name has come up in the computer of heaven and God is just in the mood to heal you today - this is your lucky day - where are you lady?" and then gave her healing.</div><div><br /></div><div>No! That's how many people think of healing - of some kind of sovereign mysterious thing that God does when He heals you. He gets in a good mood when He heals you and we don't know why He doesn't heal anyone else! Today the reporters would have said - you see, it's not God's will to heal everybody! But Jesus healed one man and everyone else could have jumped up and said; "Hey - me too!" and He would healed everyone! Because over and over again it said - "He healed them all". Jesus healed all who came to Him - and He is the perfect will of God. He didn't pray for this woman - He didn't give her healing! He didn't lay His hands on her - it was illegal for her to be in a public place and she could have been stoned by Jairus the Temple ruler if they had known she had an issue of blood. But she had heard about Jesus and she heard that Jesus was healing everyone and she heard that power was going out of Him and healing them all. So she sneaked up behind Him and touched Him and her faith made a demand on the anointing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Her faith pulled the power out of Jesus and went into her and she felt the power come into her and knew she was healed. What she thought was that she could sneak away and no one would know. What she didn't realise was that the anointing is so like electricity and you can know and feel - she didn't realise that Jesus would feel it leaving Him and said "Who touched Me?". Everyone was around Jesus - they were all touching Him and all touched Him! They were all curious and hoping to get healed! They all were curious for some kind of experience yet no power flowed to them but one woman touched Him and pulled the power out of Him and she was healed. What does this mean? You can have hands laid on you hoping you will be blessed - this woman was not hoping or curious - she knew if she touched Him she would be healed - she knew if she touched Him her faith would make a demand and that her faith could pull the anointing out of Jesus. You have people come and think you are the guru and they come and stand passive in the prayer lines and are closed and think you can do it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Jesus wants to heal all and at the Cross has healed all on the planet. But when He went to His home town - He could there do no mighty works. Why? Because they didn't pull the power of God out of Him but this woman did! She pulled it with her faith! She wasn't pleading or praying - she didn't even ask for healing! She sneaked up behind Him and with her faith pulled the healing out of Him. 12 years of bleeding was finished! It amazes me that hundreds were touching Jesus and they didn't get the same result. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is what I believe - if we as a Church begin to learn how the anointing flows and if we learn how to give the anointing and start seeing the increase in grace anointing then we more and more will see people hearing about and know that the grace message is ministers of the Spirit releasing the ministry of life through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is how the disciples in Luke 17 understood it - "Lord, teach us how to have faith - Lord give us great faith". Jesus said; "If you have faith like a mustard seed then you will speak to mulberry trees and they will be pulled up by the roots and thrown away". A mustard seed is a small little seed and Jesus was using farmer's language. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>You don't need a quantity of faith - you need quality of faith. </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Today I believe Jesus would say if you have faith as small as a little fuse, a little electric fuse - then you can release resurrection power and receive resurrection power when hands are laid on you.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>An electric fuse is a small little thing and the metal of the fuse is chosen because it has low resistance to electricity. Electricity will not flow through lead or through wood. There are certain metals and substances that do not conduct electricity. Unbelief does not conduct the anointing or receive the anointing. Copper is a good conductor so many electric fuses are made with copper so when you switch your light on at home and the power comes from a nuclear power station or a hydro-electric station - it comes down the power lines and the power lines are the Word of God. It gets to your home, comes through the electric fuse and then lights up your house and your fridge and television. If suddenly that electric fuse has got too much resistance to the electric fuse then the fuse will short circuit and your house will be plunged into darkness and your television won't work and your fridge will die.</div><div><br /></div><div>It would be a foolish thing to drive to the power station and say; "Hey why have you closed down? The power isn't flowing anymore!". No! The first thing you do is go and look at your electric fuse to see if it's been broken. And then you make sure that you put a new one in that has low resistance to the electrical currents of God. I believe we all have the faith of God but that we are not all operating in the faith that God has given us. There is little faith, great faith, strong faith and weak faith the Bible speaks about. I believe that as you learn to have a fuse that has no resistance to the anointing then as soon as the anointing comes to you - you just surrender. You don't resist it - you just receive it. </div><div><br /></div><div>If you have got high resistance because you are afraid of the Presence of God or the power of God and resist and push away then your electric fuse will break down and you will short circuit the flow of God's power. </div><div><br /></div><div>The more people that have low resistance and receive the anointing ... you see;</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The anointing is Spirit-life and the power of God. You cannot understand the anointing with your head. You cannot receive the anointing with your brain. You have got to receive the anointing with your heart.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>When I lay hands on someone I can tell immediately if they are in their head or in their spirit. If they are in their head, they are all analytical, all tense and all trying with their head. If someone is pulling the anointing (like this lady) from their head - then as you lay your hands on them - BOOM! They suck it out of you and the miracle happens so easily! Because their electric fuse has no resistance to the anointing. Then when they lay hands on people they just release the awesome power of God by the spirit of faith and words of faith.</div><div><br /></div><div>I want to close now by reading another passage. I want to show you that once someone breaks through with faith - once a local church breaks through with faith or a community of churches break through then you will see that the reputation spreads and spreads. This woman was the only one who got her healing - though hundreds were touching Jesus, they got nothing from Him! But one woman got her healing because she touched Him with faith. Once people see an example - they begin to realise; "Boy I need to touch Him with faith - not hope or curiosity or desperation but a low resistance and receive that anointing and see miracles leap to a high level". So let's go to the next chapter - Mark chapter 6.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is one chapter where a whole crowd got nothing and one woman did. Look at the difference following this woman's example. Mark 6:53; "When they had crossed over, they anchored there - as soon as they got out the boat people recognised Jesus". People recognised Jesus. People recognise your church - the priesthood of all believers in your church and it is then known as a community that is known how to release the anointing into people's lives. "They ran throughout the whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard He was. Wherever He went into villages and towns, they placed the sick in the marketplaces and begged Him to let Him touch even the edge of His cloak and <b><u>ALL</u></b> who touched Him were healed".</div><div><br /></div><div>What is the difference here? Before hundreds touched Him and they didn't get healed. One touched Him and got healed and now they release power is coming out of this Man - all we have to do is touch Him with faith. Everyone who touches Him - all were healed. God wants churches to get to that reputation where if you can go into that atmosphere in worship - there is a release of the anointing of God, where hands are laid on you - it is not symbolism or screaming and shouting and nothing happens - there is a release of heaven's voltage, a release of the currents of God. The power station in heaven is more powerful than a nuclear power station - the Cross has set the power station forever on and the power lines is the Word of God. The power has been flowing ever since Jesus said "It is finished" - ever since He said that and redeemed us from sickness and disease - ever since the Day of Pentecost, the power has never had to increase or be switched on. It's always on and always flowing! Every second heaven's power station will never break down - full voltage of heaven's life and power!</div><div><br /></div><div>The Word of God will never fail - Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever! The only difference is - you can have the nuclear power station and the power coming to your house but if your resistance is too high then you will short circuit and lose the power. Then you can say; "The power station has passed away, the power station is no longer doing miracles".</div><div><br /></div><div>God is still doing miracles today - the power station is as flowing today as it was 2000 years ago when Paul's handkerchiefs and aprons were supercharged. The power is as strong and available as when Jesus ministered and when the apostles ministered. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The power has not decreased and there is no problem with the power line - the problem is with the faith fuse in the church because of lack of understanding! You cannot stand there passively and receive something - you have got to reach in and seize. You don't even have to ask Jesus! She just crept up behind Jesus, grabbed His garment and pulled the power out of Him.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Jesus can I have permission to get prosperity or a good wife or be blessed or have a good job? You don't need permission! Everything is yes in Christ Jesus! He has given it to you - you just need to reach in and take it because it's yours already! Sometimes you lay hands on people and they are in this grey matter called the brain trying to figure the anointing out - I can't get this into them. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>When they don't receive it by impartation then you have to resort to the authority command. I have had people healed who didn't pull the anointing out of me, I have had to speak to the cancer and command it to go - it was the authority command that brought the anointing not their faith. </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>You can get people healed if they are in unbelief, but if people don't get enough faith. If someone has got their car in park - you can't push it forward. But even if it's in neutral you can push it forward. Even if they don't have great faith, they can receive the anointing from you. I want us to stand please and let's demonstrate the release of the anointing and go out of this conference full of the revelation of grace and righteousness. Full of the revelation we have received fullness in Christ. Let's go out of this place to give it away and release the anointing. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>We - the church - want to become the garment of Jesus that the world is always trying to touch to get the anointing!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>My job is not to do the ministry but release others to do the ministry. Ephesians 4 Ministries are to train you to do the ministry of Jesus otherwise the pastor goes on a big ego trip because he burns out. We had a lady come into our church 2 years ago and she was wheeled in a wheelchair and I didn't know she had been in the chair for about 20 years. I thought; "I wonder if I will have a chance to get her out the wheelchair". When I had finished preaching I started walking towards the back of the hall and saw this lady out of this chair and walking! And I saw 2 members of our church smiling because they had prayed for her and seen her come out of the wheelchair. Almost everyone in our church pray for the sick! </div><div><br /></div><div>The Phillipines can be saved by a people living at rest in the grace of God and the acceptance - from that place of rest they can release the anointing! If you pray for someone and they are not healed yet die - don't blame yourself for killing them. They were on the way to the grave anyway! Without being hard on them you have got to say "next"! I prayed for 5 people in 1981 who were blind and saw 2 healed. I have had to pray for many people with cancer and seen many of them not healed. Now we see many healed. We have gone on TV in Australia because we saw a lady in a wheelchair with doctors saying she will never walk again. She was wheeled into our church totally paralysed. I said; "In the Name of Jesus Christ come out of her". A man's voice came out of her saying; "I'm not coming out". I laughed and said; "You are coming out - I'm from Africa and we see devils out". They are all coming out because of the Name of Jesus.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The primary ministry of an apostle is government of grace and laying foundations and the primary sign of an apostle is signs, wonders and miracles. Apostles equip the church for miracles as do evangelists!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Are all apostles? No not all are. Not all are prophets or evangelists. Their job is to equip the body of Christ but every priest can move in signs and wonders and miracles. </div>Dan Bowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15661120561123767936noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496810378047281592.post-42119607624962075852011-06-22T21:29:00.002+01:002011-06-22T21:44:10.601+01:00Glory and Grace Conference (Hong Kong) sessions on GOD TV!!I was thrilled to be informed by Ryan Rufus recently that <a href="http://www.god.tv/node/2519">the sessions from the Glory and Grace Conference in Hong Kong</a> are being shown on GOD TV and are currently available streaming online! I don't know how long GOD TV keep these online - so it's worth making the most of it!<div><br /><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1-KiYAW9EdppJUw92Er1RgxNwZpo0Ekm_jsEeQJdvzWD5pCQvMmxHUrjqt9PUXPc6cRashInZq9PFb-XToGqljAtiaCEogLiycTF1I10anP_COSyREbp9j5qSLoYVZcc0bfLfWP7tVY/s320/godlogo.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 269px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621147487195262818" /></div><div>Here are links to each of the sessions available - don't miss this glorious truth!</div><div><br /></div><div>Rob Rufus - "<a href="http://www.god.tv/node/2517">The Lens of the Cross</a>"</div><div><br /></div><div>Rob Rufus - "<a href="http://www.god.tv/node/2524">Can Christians Lose their Salvation</a>?"</div><div><br /></div><div>Andrew Wommack - "<a href="http://www.god.tv/node/2514">The Balance of Glory and Faith</a>"</div><div><br /></div><div>Andrew Wommack - "<a href="http://www.god.tv/node/2519">Body, Soul and Spirit</a>".</div><div><br /></div><div>The message of grace is getting out!</div></div>Dan Bowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15661120561123767936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496810378047281592.post-73185446920108520082011-05-04T21:00:00.001+01:002011-05-04T21:00:34.429+01:00No Condemnation Now I Dread! (A New Book by Ryan Rufus)I can't think of a better way to begin a review of a new and wonderful book by <a href="http://newnaturepublications.com/?page=index">Ryan Rufus</a> (pastor in City Church International in Hong Kong) - "<a href="http://newnaturepublications.com/?page=product">Extra Virgin Grace</a>" - than with the favourite lines of a well known hymn;<div><br /><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmchfv41YsEu9gu5BuLlnBnEKS30JUccKq-fJG2jF_WPFNeJkD2dcUOP8tBYkQPSWUawQOv0hphLxhQz2K-d9tMpPtTXioh6DdxuuytvaR95msLS2yt7viUxiWtrsOwVQo6bQ_5uZhD0hl/s320/3D+cover+EVG%252C+tranparent%252C+no+reflection%252C+spine%252C+lo+rez%252C.png" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 207px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602952186033135826" /></div><div><i>"No condemnation now I dread - Jesus and all in Him is mine!</i></div><div><i>Alive in Him - my living Head and clothed in righteousness divine!</i></div><div><i>Bold I approach the eternal throne and claim the crown through Christ my own!</i></div><div><i>Bold I approach the eternal throne and claim the crown through Christ my own!"</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>The hymn has to be heard to be appreciated so I've put the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQeIGbKqiw8">link to the video</a> here of it being sung on the BBC programme; "Songs of Praise". I didn't post it - because I wish the gathered singers looked more happy! I can't sing this hymn without crying! The point is this;</div><div><br /></div><div>"No condemnation now I dread! Jesus and <b><u>ALL</u></b> in <b><u>HIM</u></b> is mine! ... clothed in righteousness divine!".</div><div><br /></div><div>These truths form the very essence of Ryan's new book; "Extra Virgin Grace". He writes in the foreword;</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>"My conviction is that free people will free people. Therefore the greater the freedom we come into the greater the freedom we'll be able to bring others into. The essence of freedom is to know that you are 100% set free from the law and are 100% righteous in Christ - 100% of the time. Bondage is to believe that you are still under the law and not always righteous".</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>It's so simply obvious. Why haven't we seen more conversions? Because we're not truly free and the answers are here! Ryan writes;</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>"Get ready to be armed with a key that will unlock many difficult Scriptures and distorted doctrines. What is this key? It is the key of discernment between the gift of righteousness and self-righteousness".</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>There are many different topics addressed in the book but the "golden thread" (as C H Spurgeon called grace) runs through it all giving the book such amazing unity. A couple of thoughts about this great book.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>1. <u>Ryan writes strongly</u>. </b></div><div><br /></div><div>I have no shadow of doubt that this book will offend some. But this strength is required! Ryan's father - <a href="http://robrufus.blogspot.com/">Rob Rufus</a> - wrote in the foreword;</div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>"Intellectual preaching from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil has flooded this world and drowned entire nations in religious lies. These wholesale deceptions that have grossly misrepresented the true loving nature of God require and demand to be confronted with concentrated pure grace clarity. This book does that. Any sincere seeker will find the truth in these pages extremely emancipating. The grace revolution is accelerating. The earth is groaning for this message".</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>It is my suspicion that your reaction to this book will actually mark out where you are at in your spiritual walk. If you are offended because all your spiritual disciplines and righteous deeds are called "nothing" - then there it is. But if you are filled with hope and wonder because you see hope - then you are indeed a "sincere seeker" as Rob writes!</div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT9lz9hVUotesUZjMNtQ2Yfvhy-ffH8l3zuA58MSS6qV3pxWo9V2-qCzqvphVF9KwHdItHJIDhjWm8_uaHrm7-6HaGLprf2XNDiQ8RCwUYm3RWUOqqQdp05bNPXxZxmqvLIaUlDv7Mzmll/s320/Ryan+Rufus+2011.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 269px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602952320189771826" /><div><b>2. <u>Ryan writes compassionately</u> (as a true pastor).</b></div><div><br /></div><div>His chapters 12 and 13 on "Rest" are the most loving compassionate chapters I have ever read on this. So much of Christianity these days is focused on "work" and "mission" and driving to see the lost saved. Of course this is true and must be done - but Ryan writes so rightly that you will accomplish far more if you are rested and sane - than exhausted and weary!</div><div><br /></div><div>The reader knows that those under Ryan's pastoring (and I know this is true of CCI) will not be constantly made guilty by "applications" after sermons that demand more of them. "Come to the prayer meeting .... give more ..... do this .... do that". I know for a fact that there is no such guilt-driven exhorting in the church and we too are allowed to enjoy this!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>3. <u>Ryan writes as a teacher who writes what he lives not just what he believes</u>.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>So many books I've read are by men and women who don't really write with conviction. Especially those who are striving to "live more holy lives" under God! They come up with ideas and lists of "daily disciplines" to live more Cross-centred lives and so on. But there isn't a real heart of conviction there - because deep down, they too must admit; "I've blown it". Ryan's book is amazing because you read it and know he has begun to experience the thrilling joy of the freedom that grace brings. And it makes you want to experience that too! This book rings true!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>4. <u>Ryan isn't afraid to dispel wrong historical teaching</u>!</b></div><div><br /></div><div>My favourite chapter in this book is chapter 6 - his treatment of the Sermon on the Mount. I must admit as I have taken my baby steps into the gospel of grace since I encountered Rob Rufus properly in 2007, I have been worried by the Beatitudes and their implications for the Christian life. Many of the books in my library on the "Sermon on the Mount" take this historical approach that Ryan dispels. </div><div><br /></div><div>For example, the great Dr Martyn Ll0yd-Jones wrote his collection of sermons on the Sermon and the book opens; "The Sermon on the Mount is not a code of ethics or of morals; it is a description of what Christians are meant to be". And that's how I've always read it! </div><div><br /></div><div>Ryan writes masterfully however - going through each of the Beatitudes and explaining in context what each actually means. Here's a segment about the Sermon on the Mount;</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>"Matthew 5:1–7:29 is the "Sermon on the Mount". Is this sermon in-tended for the church? Absolutely not! It's intended for the self-righteous. It‟s a pre-salvation preach that exposes self-righteous pride and performance and reveals the need for God's righteousness as a gift through faith in order to see the Kingdom and become children of God ... He wasn't preaching to a church. He wasn't preaching to born again believers. He was preaching to Jews where the climate of the day was a striving for righteousness through works.".</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>So what do the various points Jesus makes in the Sermon actually refer to? For example Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God". Ryan said;</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>"Jesus wasn't saying that keeping most of the law is good enough. He was saying that if you want to live by the law then you can never break it. Not even once. The smallest transgression of the law brings about impurity in your heart and means you‟ll never see God. So if your “seeing God” is based on the purity level of your law keeping, then you better make sure you‟ve kept the law 100% of your entire life. Anything less and you‟re doomed! If that sounds rather extreme it‟s because it is. It‟s because it‟s meant to break down self-righteousness".</i></b><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Here is a brief synopsis of each chapter and what it brings in Ryan's words;</div><div><br /></div><div>Chapter 1: The Olive Tree vs. the Fig Tree.</div><br />The Olive Tree represents Christ, His gift of righteousness, faith, grace, The Spirit and the New Covenant. The Fig Tree represents flesh, self righteousness, works, legalism, human effort, unbelief and the Old Covenant. This chapter is a call to the Church to not repeat Adam and Eve‟s sin of trying to be more like God in eating from the Fig Tree but to rest in the Olive Tree and see the fruit of grace manifesting in your life.<br /><br />Chapter 2: Re-defining What Renewing The Mind Is.<br /><br />Renewing your mind is essentially about learning how to surrender your mind to your reborn spirit so that you become “spirit-led”. Transformation is becoming “spirit-led”. When you are led by your reborn spirit in fellowship with the Holy Spirit then you will walk in the perfect will of God manifesting all the riches of your salvation here on earth.<br /><br />Chapter 3: A Moment Within God’s Eternal Grace Covenant.<br /><br />If you‟ve ever struggled with understanding why God put the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden or why Israel suffered for so long under the Law covenant then this chapter is for you, and makes it very clear. You‟ll discover how grace has always been Gods intent for relationship with Him and how the Law is but a brief moment in time and for a very clear and specific purpose.<br /><br />Chapter 4: The New Way Of The Spirit vs. The Old Way Of The Letter.<br /><br />The letter is a religious system of external pressure and motivation to get you to serve God whereas the spirit is an internal transformation and empowered ability to serve God. Under the letter you are forced to serve God. Under the spirit it becomes your desire to serve God. For born again believers it is no longer,“Do this in order to be blessed, or don‟t do that in order to avoid punishment.” Now it is, “This is who you truly are, perfect and complete in Christ” and “This is what is available for you now, a miraculous and victorious life!”<br /><br />Chapter 5: Galatians 5 Explained In Context.<br /><br />Because of the confusion around this chapter, many Christians have been taken into fear and legalism, but this is a glorious chapter that God is once again shining His brilliant gospel light on to reveal what it truly means to walk in the Spirit.<br /><br />Chapter 6: The Beatitudes Are For The Self Righteous!<br /><br />Matthew 5:1–7:29 is the „Sermon on the Mount‟. Is this sermon intended for the church? Absolutely not! It‟s intended for the self righteous. It‟s a pre-salvation preach that exposes self righteous pride and performance and reveals the need for God‟s righteousness as a gift through faith in order to see the Kingdom and become children of God. Unless you really understand grace, don‟t go near the Beatitudes. They will mess you up! Teaching the Beatitudes to Christians produces legalism and religious pride or condemnation in them.<br /><br />Chapter 7: Re-defining What Holiness Is.<br /><br />Holiness has got nothing to do with sinning or not sinning. If that is what we think, then we think that we are the cause of our holiness. There is only one person who is the cause of our holiness and his name is Jesus Christ! And if you are in him, then you are holy. You don't have to try and be holy or get holy, you are holy!<br /><br />Chapter 8: Hebrews 12: Understanding God’s Disciplines Through Grace.<br /><br />Many people read Hebrews 12 in a very negative way that causes fear in their hearts and in the hearts of others. But actually these verses were written to encourage believers and fill them with confidence. What is fundamentally important to see when reading Hebrews 12:5-11 is that firstly, it‟s not God doing the chastising and secondly, that the chastising was not coming because of moral sins but because these Hebrews were standing for the Gospel!<br /><br />Chapter 9: Romans 5, 6, 7 & 8 Unlocked.<br /><br />I believe these four chapters are the bedrock chapters of understanding grace. They form a solid foundation of what the Gospel is, and will give you confidence to stand in the grace of God. The more you study them and understand them, the more you will be able to look at other verses that seem to pose a “problem” for grace, that contradict grace, and unlock their true meaning.<br /><br />Chapter 10: Hebrews 5 & 6: The Impossibility Of Losing Your Salvation.<br /><br />To fall away means to spiritually die again. If Christ can‟t die again and we are united with Christ, it means that we can‟t die again. If we can‟t die again then it means that we can never fall away! I believe this Scripture is written to show the Hebrews, and us, how perfect our salvation is and how impossible it is to lose it, based on the fact that Christ can never die again! And it‟s written to help us come into an amazing confidence that God is for us, always relates to us through grace, and therefore we can walk intimately with him with boldness and confidence in this life.<br /><br />Chapter 11: The Theology And Experience Of Rest.<br /><br />Rest is about knowing where you are seated and why you are seated there. You are seated with Christ on his throne because you have become his perfect and complete righteousness. You are not standing and working but are seated and resting. And the Holy Spirit doesn‟t just want you to know where you are, he wants you to experience where you are.<br /><br />Chapter 12: More Gets Done When You Rest!<br /><br />When we‟re not living in the sweet spot of resting in the finished work of Christ, life seems harder, ineffective and frustrating. But when we live from a place of rest we find life becomes increasingly more enjoyable and effective. God wants us to live from the sweet spot. He wants us to enter his rest and live from that place.<br /><br />Appendix: Keywords and Scriptures in Context.<br /><br />This chapter is more of a study tool to help you unlock certain Scriptures rather than a read-through chapter. It focuses on a number of words like: sin, faith, lust of the flesh, fear of God etc that usually get interpreted incorrectly and explains their proper meaning. This chapter isn‟t thorough or in depth but will certainly assist you in your own studies by triggering helpful patterns of thought.<br /></div>Dan Bowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15661120561123767936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496810378047281592.post-4717122663503213392011-05-01T19:20:00.000+01:002011-05-01T19:21:37.882+01:00Rob, Glenda and Ryan in Ministry in the Phillipines!!I was thrilled to see City Church released this video today of their recent ministry trip to the Phillipines - here below. This truly is one of those moments when I ache to be financially free so I could follow and be with these guys as the grace revolution spreads across the planet!<div><br /></div><div>Here's the video;</div><div><br /></div><div><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/23076038?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/23076038">The Filler of Manila, Philippines trip April 2011 (Short Version.)</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/citychurch">City Church</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p>Dan Bowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15661120561123767936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496810378047281592.post-79876333768992277252011-04-29T10:04:00.005+01:002011-04-29T10:47:01.773+01:00Photos from the Rufus's Visit to the Phillipines!!<div style="text-align: left;">One of the benefits of being a far-off fan of the Rob, Glenda, Ryan and Kylie Rufus is the tremendous excitement of seeing their wonderful ministry grow and develop as the grace message gathers momentum around the globe. Of course one of my aching frustrations is that I don't have the resources or a church to bring them back to the United Kingdom!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>However thank God for the internet - and the fact we can enjoy and hear the wonderful message from afar. So there has just been a wonderful trip to the Phillipines (while celebrating Glenda's birthday - who I swear does NOT look the age she is!) and I'm looking forward to hearing the ministry.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Here's a few photos from the event - thanks to Glenda;</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAknYncT8zeJHNRcbRcLXjCEEhqvn_MSZ2FNRhZPolMq8-SNlfAp1RnVhnlMD4CEUZOwjfYiLOdHLQlBSJ3wXtQnLeOfpIVUA2T0SAH3tVbP6Jv7wa3GcmBp9Y54Wnwa2RBRx8wWr1Occ/s400/218966_10150165343529694_652304693_6556487_2224278_o+%25281%2529.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600938905582880642" /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigz9oGegWQpc1t3MnD6A7KqdvLgB_xFvbVjn2ffaNNUcu30x5W7ZM8G-fx0NefhOTlYjnUX_2uOHHk_3eBsP8pfI-p44gcYr41r1t2iffLoocX13PTX3OqTCnXhqADzcLAw19ePj_o7t0/s400/210297_10150165346944694_652304693_6556508_2360429_o.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600938413582038802" /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiflK9af5FO0tE8sQX4f-h16oR3OES63SAkg2aamcE-zjjl0Q7S3tdVa6CFNz80Ssj-O0SNRCV3OaYTVj8507Rq8p2CTPZDtyHdljgym39Vw-Q6EiW_IteC7F3Uaz8BrKRjJiZZjnvn5DA/s400/220113_10150165344599694_652304693_6556495_4610052_o.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600938192854223170" /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Y3VI4eSfapjRCQKlsLF2lSuONTusrl8uRQyCFWkeINQvmx7hxNjG3gtr7vtBzaRuiUUa237Rlb6db5j6CCHEK3UnFYP5lI2Sq_9_LBcnaV90D5J8VxJHfucX58gipNZ8VkVEB4AuTrg/s400/210297_10150165346954694_652304693_6556510_5579749_o.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600937944166074594" /></div>Dan Bowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15661120561123767936noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496810378047281592.post-51524977542523502622011-04-23T06:26:00.002+01:002011-04-23T06:27:42.693+01:00Rob Rufus LIVE on Phillipines National TV!Watch from 1hr 6 minutes to see Rob speak to thousands in the arena. He'll be live on TV again today!<div><br /></div><div><object width="480" height="386" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><embed flashvars="vid=14193982&autoplay=false" width="480" height="386" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" src="http://www.ustream.tv/flash/viewer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed><br /></object></div><br /><a href="http://www.ustream.tv/" style="padding: 2px 0px 4px; width: 400px; background: #ffffff; display: block; color: #000000; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline; text-align: center;" target="_blank">Video streaming by Ustream</a>Dan Bowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15661120561123767936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496810378047281592.post-18854265944398216302011-04-22T06:15:00.002+01:002011-04-22T06:20:26.798+01:00Happy Birthday to Glenda Rufus!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJLOM7CRg7XMaylU4Fs2GTx62RqNFJOnT8isbzUITwCa6IID4cNtgs56LAA8vKpuXdB_58d5-_XXvqOdYhK6u8zT4je1ARq_uJ4V8kL9ElpfqFBkMLHzU7Hi0zuin9z0R01q5-M9xBrE/s1600/Rob-And-Glenda-Rufus-02.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJLOM7CRg7XMaylU4Fs2GTx62RqNFJOnT8isbzUITwCa6IID4cNtgs56LAA8vKpuXdB_58d5-_XXvqOdYhK6u8zT4je1ARq_uJ4V8kL9ElpfqFBkMLHzU7Hi0zuin9z0R01q5-M9xBrE/s320/Rob-And-Glenda-Rufus-02.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598273465802364786" /></a>A massive happy birthday to Glenda - Rob's wife - and a lady that we all (Rob most especially) have come to love and appreciate so deeply. She's not seen on the platform much (although when she does preach at City Church International it's outstanding!) but she's always in the front row supporting Rob in a way that he never fails to make mention of and appreciate. I know without her Rob would not be the blessing he is to nations.<div><br /></div><div>I've never met her yet but she has got the ability to make me and so many others feel like she "mothers" us spiritually and it's a really amazing feeling to know! So she may not read this - but I wanted any readers here who may not be aware to know and I'm sure like me wish her a really great day in Hong Kong (or actually flying to the Phillipines with Rob - she's never still!).</div>Dan Bowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15661120561123767936noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496810378047281592.post-74995482706488956472011-02-27T18:00:00.000+00:002011-02-27T18:05:07.554+00:00Glory and Grace Conference 2010 - Hebrews 6:4-6 - Rob Rufus<div><b><u>The Complete Message</u></b></div><div><br /></div>I was recommended highly to transcribe <a href="http://ccihk.com/en/media/online-audio?view=studydetails&id=260&templatemenuid=1">this message</a> by Paul Ellis - one of the amazing leaders who attended the "Glory and Grace Conference 2010" in Hong Kong. I was feeling particularly miserable knowing that the conference was carrying on and I was stuck at work in Birmingham. Paul emailed and said the session was amazing and to look out for it! It was such a blessing to know that he thought of me - so I have duly taken his advice;<div><br /><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQgZL7r2hHNZQPdlcOUUlgFG87oO5T71SEOH7_qULUNQM7HDl8Sn4P3D1zls7omlr3_BPNFzylfoJ4rvnT9mLkb62HYrEzCszUmi9S4j_1qWsDJg2Tw_IH6vOGDc_Q8v7taKjLyF9QYCA/s320/Rob_Rufus.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 164px; height: 173px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578431370899404994" /></div><div>"Wow what a conference it's been. I love the varieties of God and the diversities of God. It is amazing how the religious spirit would love us to just be prophetic people or just teaching people or just apostolic people or just evangelistic people or just one-style or one-way of worshipping people. It is amazing how quickly we fall into personal preferences and we do not like it when our particular preference is manifested. I really believe that all of us are in the situation where none of us are completely comfortable with every style and expression and manifestation of ministry in the kingdom. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>It is a very healthy thing to admit you are not comfortable because all of us are being stretched in these days - not to snap - but to understand the multi-faceted rainbow of God's wisdom that is to be expressed to the powers and authorities through the church. </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>I believe those powers and authorities are not evil ones but they are the angelic hosts glorifying God in what the church is doing on the earth. I really believe God wants us to break out and to different expressions. There is an older generation like me (I hate to admit that!) but we are older and we have particular histories and we like that and make no apology for our history. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I come out of four major moves of God on our planet in my lifetime. Four major moves - and I have learned so much from those four major moves - the good things and the bad things. I hold it all dear and treasure them because there is eternal revelation in those moves of God. </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Then there is a younger generation coming through that I am literally wide-eyed with wonder and learning from them almost daily - but weekly and they have whole new insights and have come from a completely different angle than I have come from and I am learning. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>It is not accommodating and tolerating them - but we literally have to find grace to celebrate these different expressions otherwise the church becomes stereotyped and we become little clones or puppets of our religious culture and sub-culture and the conditioning of our history. Every day we need to find fresh faith for new discoveries. </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>I believe exactly what God is calling us to a uniqueness and each of us to really be ourselves and utterly original. Original, unique realities are inside each of us! Many of us don't realise how much uniqueness is in us! </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>We often take the definition of who we are from other people's perspectives. We let other people define us! </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>From 30 years ago I had people saying to me; "I am telling you - you are an evangelist". Okay I am an evangelist. Someone else would say to me; "Rob I am telling you - you are a teacher". They would say it to me like they were the final authority! Okay I am a teacher - so I would try and teach. Then they would say; "No Rob - I am telling you - you are a prophet". Oh okay so I would try and prophesy. Then they would say; "No Rob - you are a psalmist when you lead worship". Okay great I'm a psalmist. A few would actually say; "No you are a pastor!". None said I was an administrator! Then some said I was an apostle! So I was living like a religious schizophrenic! Who am I!? I am an administrator of chaos! Then people would say - no you are an artist, a poet. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>One day Bill Hamon - a wonderful prophet from the United States of America. He had never met me before and then one day laid his hands on me and said; "I have given you elements of the apostolic, elements of the prophetic, elements of the teacher, elements of the pastor, elements of the apostle, elements of the evangelist, elements of the psalmist". And I said; "Praise God for a word from heaven!". I want to say the same thing over all of you. God has given you diversity and elements in your uniqueness! I am telling you that if you believe you are pigeon-holed to a tight category then in your faith you will stay in that box and think you are being original.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Don't copy and mimic other people! We are called to imitate their faith - not mimic their methods! And there is a big difference.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div>We are more inside of us and becoming more as unique individuals than we realise. It is never too late to have a happy childhood! </div><div><br /></div><div>When a chameleon stands on different colours - the chameleon becomes those colours. Paul the apostle says; "I become all things to all men to win some to Christ". Some may say - oh that's a politician, changing his colours to the political agenda of the day. No - hold on. Politicians move in fear to cater to their constituancy. They are so insecure that they want to be voted in again. That is not a chameleon. If you've watched a chameleon he does not change his colours out of fear but to be <b><u>a successful hunter</u></b>. He doesn't get eaten by predators like that - he gets close to his prey and out comes the tongue and he takes it out. When he touches a different colour. The colour-change doesn't come from the outside artificially. For within the chameleon is the capacity to become the colour of any colour he is standing on at that present time. </div><div><br /></div><div>So if you don't know whether you are a poet then stand on a poetic colour. If you don't know whether you are prophetic then stand in a prophetic environment and you may see something inside of you become prophetic. If you don't know whether you are apostolic or not then stand in an apostolic environment Mr-oh-chameleon. Don't shrink your life! It is not an office you are to be unique in! You can be a whole diversity of rainbow things. It is where you express those rainbow things through the uniqueness of your personality that is most important.</div><div><br /></div><div>What a conference this has been! What clear teaching! I think some of us had to learn that prophets have to sit under teachers for a while and just stop prophesying for a while and stop going up into the heavens and sit and hear truth sequentially unpacked. So what if there isn't any mighty manifestations going on for a while? We should not get bored so quickly with clear revelation of God's Word! </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span">If the prophetic movement doesn't anchor itself in clear teaching then this prophetic movement is heading into New Age silliness.</span></i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>I promise you guys, if we just have teaching, teaching, teaching then we are moving into dryness. We need both. We have had a great Ephesians 4 teacher among us - then Fini and Isi - what can you say? I have known them for 31 years and knew they have gone up levels in the Spirit but I thought I don't know them! They are in something I want! I want more of what they have! That is some of the highest level prophetic ministry and revelation that I have ever in my life been exposed to. The realms of God in this room and are still in this room by the way - was just out of this world. I believe the revelation of last night on giving became so clear to me - Paul speaks about "excelling in the grace of giving". </div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>In this grace movement God has already given us generous hearts. Now we can excel in the grace of giving. Now the sowing and reaping is no longer works. It is not making God respond to us - He has already moved for our prosperity! He has given us seeds and we can sow! </i></b> </div><div><br /></div><div>It is interesting that on Andrew Wommack's website - he has all the sowing and reaping teaching there all free to download. Saturate yourself in this thing! What a conference it has been! A super-tsunami didn't destroy Hong Kong. It went somewhere else. I am sorry for Taiwan. A challenging budget has been dealt with by the grace of God. We have gone beyond the budget so we have money for the gospel and lives have been changed already. </div><div><br /></div><div>I want you to the book of Hebrews please. Hebrews chapter 5. I am going to stand here today as a chameleon and I don't know how this will come out - as a teacher, or as prophetic - but it doesn't really matter! </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Jesus said that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. "Proceeds" is a present, continuous tense. This book is the word that (past tense) "proceeded" out of the mouth of God. So we are going to read what has already come out of God's mouth thousands of years ago. As we speak the word that has proceeded (in the past) the proceeding Word of God will personally rise up in each of your spirits and the Lord will talk to you - different messages. Different and unique proceeding words will rise up as we listen to the Word that has proceeded. </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>I want to deal with a scripture that the devil has used to undermine people in the revelation of faith and rob them of their confidence. Many of us know that the Old Covenant was written to strip people of their confidence and their self-righteousness. The New Covenant was written to fill us with confidence in our God and to understand how boldly we can approach Him with full assurance of faith even when we have messed up the most. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Where sin abounds, grace does much more abound and your sin can never supersede the grace of God EVER again! Your sin - your mistakes - can never break or block your fellowship with God - it is open heaven 100% all the time!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>So that is a confidence booster - any time you read the perfumed letters of the New Covenant and you get confused or loosing your confidence in God, you are not rightly exegeting the Word of God. You are not rightly interpreting the Word of God. Confident people are creative people! Confident people are initiative people - they move out with initiative. Confident people attract wealth and attract prosperity. They attract the blessing of God! </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>They get over disappointment and discouragement far quicker than people who are not confident. There are Christians who go through the same disappointments you do but it takes them months, sometimes even years to get to stand before God again and say "Lord I am with this assignment again". Confident people go through excruciating disappointments, abandonments, rejections, horrific tales and within a short time are on their feet and going forward again with holy, naive, virgin-like purity and with a total absence of cynicism and skepticism. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>What is the sand in the machinery of the church world? Cynicism and skepticism. Where does it come from? "I was hurt - I was rejected - I was disappointed". Please! Get over that by replacing that with how wonderfully you have been accepted in Christ Jesus! Let your definition of confidence be based on Who is FOR you and not who is against you! For if God be for you - WHO can be against you?!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>If you have people who worship the ground you walk on and wash your feet every day - but God is against you, then you are finished! But if 20 million are against you and God is for you - you are guaranteed to fulfill the will of God! </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>People who lose their confidence cannot stay encouraged, bold and going forward. I lovingly say this. I hate the casualty rate in the church. I hate how many of our brothers and sisters are not going to church anymore and are cynical and skeptical.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I am NOT talking about going to a legalistic church. Friends - I could not go to a legalistic church! Let me make that plain. </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>But how many are hurt and; "Oh the church is so toxic and life is so hard and it's not fair and God didn't come through for me - what kind of God is He?". There are multiple millions licking their wounds and so full of self-centredness and self-pity that I hate the fact that this has happened. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>A lot of this is because the gospel of grace has not been clearly taught and they have lost their confidence in the goodness of God and got hurt and disappointed and rejected and abused and have no where to anchor their hope in. They say; "If man has rejected me and God is angry with me then I don't want anything more to do with Christianity". </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>So I am going to read this Scripture that the devil has used over and over again. I am going to unpack this in whatever time it takes. It is not because I want to preach long - that's not the issue friends! The issue is that we have to unpack the Scripture today in sequence and in context. I hope this is a coaching lesson on how to read the Bible. Do get Wayne Duncan's book on "A Matter of Life and Death - How to interpret the New Testament so you are not confused". Get that book! If you get any book - get that book! I have sat across the table to leaders who have invited me to come and speak to them about the gospel of grace. I have gone like an innocent lamb to the ambush! You sit there and realise this isn't a question to learn but an interrogation! The only difference is that they haven't stripped me naked and tied my hands behind my back with handcuffs and put a bright light on me and prodded me with electricity!</div><div><br /></div><div>They ask me a question; "Well what about this?" and half way through answering it, they ask you the next question and take extreme interpretations of what we teach. "If this woman is married to this man and he dies and then she marries another and he dies and she marries again and he dies then who is she married to?". </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I would say the next man she marries must be suicidal or stupid!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>So Jesus is not going to be interrogated! He answered them and said "We are like the angels and won't have sex in heaven". I'm sorry to say that but we won't and you won't miss it either - I promise you! So I realised that we should not let people besiege us with these questions within questions. Questions are good. The message provokes lots of questions and questions are good. We need to ask and search and get to the truth! But questions within questions that have a demonic agenda to interrogate and confuse are wrong. I am not saying I get confused by them - but they are sitting there with an agenda to go back to their people and say "We are into heresy". There was never an open Bible expositing truth! </div><div><br /></div><div>So this verse is often thrown out. "What about Hebrews 6:4-6"?! So can we open our Bibles and go from Hebrews chapter 1 and see all that lies before? No - we have been held hostage to a verse instead of accepting and embracing the whole New Covenant and the types and shadows of the Old Covenant. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>So we are in a grace revolution that is producing mighty signs and wonders and increased glory. If we are not theologically astute we in serious trouble. </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>There are already signs of trouble in some places of grace - not in what we are involved in - but they are getting into some stupid things. They are saying things like; "If anyone asks you for sex and you don't give it to them then it means you are not free". That is happening in certain grace movements! Or "I don't need to go to church anymore or read my Bible because I just walk in the Spirit". That is stupid! We need to know the Word of God really well - and Isi de Gersigny has got a part to play in what I am going to teach today. I will tell you why.</div><div><br /></div><div>Let's go to Hebrews 6 and I will read the verse and we will exposit from chapter 5. Hebrews 6:4;</div><div><br /></div><div><i>"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame".</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Now when I read that verse my soul just sings with joy because I know what Paul is saying. I really believe Paul wrote the Book of Hebrews because he came and told me the other night! No. The reason I believe it is very likely it is Paul (and we know it is the Holy Spirit) is because none of the other apostles used the brilliant method of comparison that Paul does. In all his letters he always shows the inferiority of the Old Covenant law and the superiority of New Covenant grace. So he always uses that comparison to keep it in your face to make us say; "What was I thinking going back to law?! It's ridiculous! It's weak and useless - Hebrews 7 says!". </div><div><br /></div><div>We are now going to go to Hebrews 5 and go from verse 1 and I want to ask you at the end of this message - I will ask you the amount of times that Paul said the word "Perfect". </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>This is all about perfection. God requires perfection and nothing less. That ends any kind of stupid legalistic-based performance religion. God requires 100%, every split second perfection.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div>So there is the end of all striving - give up before you start! So let's read. How many of you are ready for a feast? Hebrews 5:1;</div><div><br /></div><div><i>"For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins".</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Alright it is very clear right here that what Paul is speaking about is that there is a high priest appointed to represent man to God or matters of God on gifts and sacrifices for sins. The Bible is saying is that God did not judge the individual sins of Israel or the individual lies but appointed a high priest to represent all of them. Obviously if there was a high priest that was perfect and a sacrifice that was perfect then everyone would be perfectly represented and everyone would be perfect continually every second of every minute of every hour of every day of every week of every year forever and ever - perfect. But Israel never had a perfect high priest before Jesus or a perfect sacrifice. So continually wrath and judgement came.</div><div><br /></div><div>But God was sending up in that type and shadow to show that if there could be a perfect high priest with a perfect sacrifice then all of us could stand before the Father perfect forever in His eyes. Let's look at verse 2;</div><div><br /></div><div><i>" ... he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness"</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now friends I love the word "gentle" there! This high priest under a harsh system of the law - yet was to deal gently with those who were ignorant and going astray! Now in Hebrews 6 we read that it is impossible to restore those who have fallen away and we are teaching under a superior covenant, that if you fall away far enough (we don't know how far "far" is) but if you fall away far enough then you cannot be restored to the perfect high priest Jesus. Under the Old Covenant with imperfect sacrifices and an imperfect high priest - you could be dealt with gently and lovingly when you were ignorant and go astray.</div><div><br /></div><div>How many see something wrong with that picture right there? Hebrews 4 says we have a High Priest who is touched and sympathises with our weaknesses. He was tempted in all points of sin yet never gave into sin. He is perfect and without sin! He doesn't act gently towards us because He is weak like the Old Covenant high priests. He acts gently towards us because we are weak and He is gracious and compassionate. Now we are going to read that Jesus while He walked this earth had two identities and we are going to see what those two identities are. This is a revelation to prepare you for Hebrews 6 because the Bible is written in sequence to prepare you for what's coming. Alright - verse three. This is why he has to offer sacrifices;</div><div><br /></div><div><i>" ... and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins, as for the people, so also for himself. And no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was. So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He who said to Him, "YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU" </i>(Identity Number 1)<i>; just as He says also in another passage, "YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK."</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Now you can read casually over those verses and miss the vital, pivotal point. Jesus was operating in two identities - as Son and as High Priest. Got that? Alright let's go to the next verse - verse seven;</div><div><br /></div><div><i>"In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation".</i></div><div><br /></div><div>I remember reading this years ago when I was under a mixture of law and grace and going; "God! How can Jesus be MADE perfect by what He suffered? Wasn't He perfect all the time?". Well of course in His identity as a Son He was born perfect. A virgin birth and He lived perfect without sin. He was totally perfect all the time so why did He need to be perfected and how was He perfected? He needed to be perfected as our great High Priest. And how did He get perfected as our great High Priest? By taking our sins. The perfect Son without sin became the perfect offering of the perfect High Priest. </div><div><br /></div><div>In His suffering at the Cross He became our perfect High Priest and perfect sacrifice! Now it says; "To all those who obey Him". So some Christians go; "Oh there we go!". </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>If you are looking at the New Testament through those lenses of performance then you read it into everything. That word; "Obey" is used all over the New Testament simultaneously or in the same way as "faith". </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>In Galatians 5:7, Paul says; "Who cut in on you? Who's agitating you that you do not obey the truth?". They were trying to get the Galatians to obey the law. Paul says if you are trying to obey the law then you are not obeying the truth of the Gospel! What is the truth of the Gospel? To obey "I have it all now by faith and I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus!". You need to know what these things mean so that any time you open the New Testament you are never afraid and go; "Oh no that contradicts everything!". I have seen people go to Glory conferences and I am a chameleon that steps on the prophetic and I become prophetic and can see in people's hearts they are running around the building harder than anyone else and jumping higher and are experiencing God's Presence but you can see they are so insecure because someone hasn't taught them clear enough by opening the Word of God in sequence! </div><div><br /></div><div>Yes you can throw out a word of revelation here or there and something strikes their spirits and they go; "Wow I can see that!" but they need to see it more and more in the context of the whole picture of the New Testament! Then we can run around the building and jump over walls and scream and laugh and the power of God manifests and we become secure! </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>We don't need those manifestations to be secure - we walk in those manifestations because we ARE secure.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>So He became our source of eternal salvation by suffering on the Cross - He was perfected as our High Priest by perfectly eradicating all sin and judgement and wrath. If you look at Hebrews chapter 10 quickly and reading from v1-4;</div><div><br /></div><div><i>"For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, <b>make perfect</b> those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins</i>".</div><div><br /></div><div>(v11);</div><div><br /></div><div><i>"Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>(v14) <i>"For by one offering He has <b>perfected for all time</b></i> (perfected forever, forever!)<i> those who are sanctified".</i></div><div><br /><b><i>(v17) - "AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE." (v18) - "Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin".</i></b><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Very, very important - the perfect High Priest offered the perfect sacrifice to END all sacrifices! So it is impossible to have any more sacrifices if you fall away - you don't need them! Let's move now back to Hebrews 5 and the next verse (v10);</div><div><br /></div><div><i>" ... being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek".</i></div><div><br /></div><div>A totally indestructible line - that is the power of his High Priesthood. </div><div><br /></div><div>(v11)<i> "Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing".</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Now what has Paul got "much to say" on? He has got much to say about how glorious our High Priest is! He has got much to say about how perfect you are forever! He has got much to say that your sins and lawless acts - God will not remember anymore! He has got much to say that we can draw near with full assurance of faith in confidence and not feel shame or guilt when you have messed up! He has got much to say about this - but he says; "You guys can't receive this because you are dull!". You are slow of learning! He will tell us why they are slow of learning. They are not stupid people or low IQ. The Book of Hebrews was written to Hebrews - very clever people!</div><div><br /></div><div>It was not written to Gentiles who had never been under the law. It was written to people that had either heard the message of grace and the message of truth but continued to take the blood of bulls and goats and insult the blood of Jesus by the Spirit of grace. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Their sin was to make the blood of bulls and of goats and the law system superior to the blood of Jesus.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>That's Hebrews 10. If you continue in sin there is no sacrifice left for sin but only wrath and judgement. You have insulted the Spirit of grace and have trampled the sacrifice of Jesus under foot. Those who are Hebrews who have heard the truth but have not been born again. So their sin is not generic sin but a specific sin of unbelief in the goodness of God and choosing the blood of bulls and goats above the blood of Jesus. THAT is insulting the Spirit of grace! All they have to do is stop their continual sin of unbelief and say "Lord I believe the gospel!" - they will be born again and no more wrath - ever again!</div><div><br /></div><div>In this chapter he is talking to believers who are in Christ and are Jewish people but are still confused with the mixture. The temple is still there and the law and blood sacrifices. They are confused. Paul is saying to them; "You are still in the milk of the Word". </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I want to say something to you that a lot of people teach and we are going to depart from the traditional teachings and the traditional position in a moment. It is as great a rip away from the traditional position as Martin Luther's rip away from justification by works. How many know that the reformation is not over yet?</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Truth is being continued! We are not making up a new truth or making up a new gospel! We are finding the real gospel!</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Will the real gospel please stand up - because the nations need it!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>An inadequate or false gospel is no gospel at all and it can deceive millions! </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>You can hear an inadequate gospel and be born again but you will live like you are in hell (on your way to heaven). Millions are saved by an inadequate gospel but they need to hear the fullness of this wonderful truth in context so their salvation can be a manifest experience to them. </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The milk of the Word that they are in - is not the basics of New Covenant truth. I will show in a minute that the laying on of hands, faith towards God, baptism - is not New Covenant. He is talking about Old Covenant bondage that hinders you, makes you dull of learning, slow to learn, keeps a veil over your heads. He will show them that the milk is the preaching and teaching of the Law and the legal system. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>He is about to say that the most difficult thing to reveal grace to is people who are living on diluted milk. When you dilute the law, you make people dull of hearing to grace. If you dilute the law then people get deceived into thinking that "I am okay" and pretty much keeping the law! But when you give them true milk - which is the trueness of the law then they will see that Jesus put the law into steroids! When people tell me that Jesus was a grace teacher before the Cross - I think; "You need your head examining!". Jesus preached the full-cream milk straight out of the udder of death and straight out of the udder of condemnation!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The New Covenant cannot start before the blood of the covenant has been spilt.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>People are calling the New Covenant, the "four gospels". But the blood hasn't been spilt yet! How many covenants in the Bible (and there are seven) started before blood was spilt? Not one. Now we have people saying that the most important covenant started after John the Baptist. Come on now friends! The law and the prophets were all pressing in and prophesying before John - what were they prophesying about? Romans 3:21; "The Law and the prophets testify to a righteousness that is by faith apart from the law". They were testifying to the King who would come and bring this New Covenant - so the King had come in Luke 11 and had come as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. But He had yet to go to the Cross and die and cut the covenant. He had yet to be perfected as our High Priest and you cannot have a New Covenant until the High Priest has been perfected!</div><div><br /></div><div>In the Gospels He was the perfect Son but He was not yet the perfect High Priest. We have people demanding the Gospels are part of the New Covenant but the Son has not yet been perfected as High Priest. He was always the perfect Son in the gospels but He was not yet perfected as the High Priest. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Without a perfect High Priest, you are not perfect before God. God doesn't look at your individual sins - He looks at the one who represents you!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The Word of God is clear! Jesus did preach grace to humble people and Abraham's wonderful covenant. We have someone better than Abraham. But if you think reading the gospels will give you grace to feel safe then I don't know which gospels you are reading! I feel like by the time Jesus has finished I am on my way to hell! If the four gospels is the New Covenant then no one is going to heaven! </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>You shall be judged by every idle word you speak. How many of you speak idle words? You will be judged by those when you get to heaven. If that is the Gospel and New Covenant. If you look at a man or woman with lust in your heart then you are guilty of adultery. Some of you could have done that today - that is a death sentence right there. If you hate someone without cause then you have committed murder. That is a death sentence. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Come on! Cut your hands off - pluck your eyes out man! Better to enter heaven with no hands than to enter hell with two hands and two eyes! Is that good news?! If we really believe that is the New Covenant then we would have the whole church with both their eyes plucked out and both hands cut off and a whole lot of other things cut off as well!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>In Adelaide, Australia a man literally went down to the beach from a seriously legalistic church and stabbed his eyes out. I know a man in the USA whose son of 18 was living under preachers preaching the law and saying the four gospels is the New Covenant, and he went to bed. His parents came the next morning and his sheets were full of blood - he had cut his penis off. Young men driven with hormones are sexually aware - it is not their fault it is testosterone! It is wasted not to deal with our sexuality in the grace of God. But I tell you - if I was a high powered New York lawyer I would sue some of the preaching from pulpits - it is criminal.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>But I wouldn't do it because I've done it too in the past. I would also be going to jail with all the rest. We did it with good intention thinking we were being zealous for God but we were being dangerous. We need to know the Word clearly. People say; "Ooh the Beatitudes - they are so beautiful!". Read them again and see if that is the standard to win salvation then you are finished! I don't know a person on the planet who are living in all the fullness of the Beatitudes! "Blessed are you if you do this". What is He saying? "If you are not doing this - then cursed are you". He proves it right at the end of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:20; "Woe to all of you if your righteousness does not exceed that of the Pharisees and Sadducees - you will not see the Kingdom of heaven!". These guys were the fanatics after the law - and He is saying that you have got to exceed it to get to heaven!</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The reason why so many people are dull of hearing and slow to learn is because they have diluted the milk of the law. They are on basic principles going over and over them again and not moving onto the solid food of the gift of righteousness in Christ Jesus. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>I said something at our first Glory and Grace Conference in 2007 and it freaked a few people out - I said the law is a composite unity. The whole law is indivisible. It is interconnected and a composite unity. James 2:10 says that if you keep some of the law but fail in any part of the law you are guilty of breaking all the law. "Perfect". Unless you have a perfect High Priest then you are finished! </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Please hear this lovingly - the whole fundamental right wing part of the church (who Isi de Gersigny says she loves) do not know what they are doing. Jesus was put on the Cross by right wing fundamental church-goers. I did not know what I was doing when I was preaching law and grace! Yet He gave me grace. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Let's be careful when we judge - we are not to be grace Pharisees! "You preach any little bit of the law and I'm leaving this church!". Something is wrong with that picture if you are a grace person because then you must leave every single church on the planet! No one is preaching perfect grace yet!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>We have paranoia in parts of the grace movement. Any lines in the song with law or control on - and they won't sing them! I think; "Come on man - become all things to all men to win some for Christ". Become a chameleon to hunt your enemy down. Become a chameleon to get the lost saved, make adjustments and be flexible - the whole church is in process towards fullness! I think that when we react to our past - we are holding our future hostage to our past. We are trying to chain our future to bad experiences in the past. People in congregations are trying to hold their leaders hostage because they have been abused in their past but some of the leaders have been abused in their past! Everyone is on a journey together and anything that sounds or smells like control gets reacted against! Leaders cannot abdicate leadership because they were appointed leaders and they are called leaders in the New Testament. It says those leaders who rule well are worthy of a double portion. The context was finances and honour. There is a governing well and a ruling well. When you have good leadership then you have holy chaos! </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Leaders are to empower the holy priesthood - but they are to lead. Not to lead with a political spirit but to lead with control.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>To see this grace movement accelerate forward we have got to break this spirit of paranoia and hurt in the past. After 2 or 3 years of being under grace, and we are easily offended or discouraged then grace hasn't worked in your heart. Just be honest! Say; "I need more grace in that area".</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>What Paul is saying is that by now - you need to have moved onto New Covenant freedom. You have heard it. You live in it. Don't go round these Old Covenant elemental teaching anymore. Move on to the understanding of the New Covenant and the gift of righteousness. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>It says; "You have had so much milk but you need more milk" - what is he saying there? He is not saying going go back to the elemental teachings of the New Covenant! He is saying get the milk as full cream milk - let's dump the full cream milk of the law on you so much that you can see God demands a standard of perfection from you and your High Priest and if it is not there - then you had better leave the milk and go over to the New Covenant and righteousness as a gift!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Look at verse 12. "Though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary teaching of God's Word all over again. You need milk! Not solid food". In other words - let's put the law on you so intently that eventually you will go; "Oh my God - give me the fullness of the New Covenant and the solid food". </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>(v13); "Anyone who lives on the Law being still an infant is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness". </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>(v14); "But solid food is for the mature who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil". If you have been under law for long enough - you have trained yourself to distinguish between good and evil. What was the tree that Adam was commanded not to eat from? The tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Paul is saying if you have been under milk and are still dull of hearing on the gift of righteousness - then you need more milk! To really show you how perfect God requires you to be and the law requires you - when you see that, then you can move away from the law of the knowledge of good and evil and move into the training of the gift of righteousness.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Romans 1:16, 17; "I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation - for in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed that is by faith from first to last". The gospel reveals a faith that is not by law or effort but from God that is revealed by revelation from first to last. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>This revelation doesn't get you into the kingdom and then you have to go back under the law to stay in the kingdom. This is from first to last - just as you receive Christ, so walk in Him (Colossians 2:6).</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Romans 3 - that there may be a righteousness that is apart from the law that is by faith. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Same with Romans 5 - which says where there is no law, sin is not credited to you. Romans 4 and 5 both say where there is NO law - God is not counting sin against you! Where there is no law - God is not imputing sin against you! Colossians 2:14; "God cancelled the law at the Cross" so from the time you came into Christ, God is not counting sin against you. Romans 4:8 says; "Blessed is the man who the Lord will not count sin against him!". </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Romans 5:19 says God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself NOT counting men's sin against them. God made Him who knew no sin to be sin so that in Him we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus! These things are simple to us but if you are under a mixture of law and grace - then you are dull of hearing and struggling to teach these things. What you need is more cream milk to totally devastate all hope in that old system!</div><div><br /></div><div>How did Jesus become our sin? Did He have to sin to become our sin? No! He was made our sin. Our sin was given to Him as a free gift from the Father. How were we made righteous? By doing righteous things? No! Our righteousness is a free gift from the Father. Romans 5:17; "We reign in life by receiving the free gift of righteousness". This teaching in righteousness is not self-righteousness - it is the GIFT of righteousness. It is not unrighteous behaviour vs righteous behavior. The teaching in righteousness is the gift of righteousness vs self-righteousness that comes from the milk. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Romans 10:4 says; "Christ is the end of the law so there may be a righteousness for all who believe".</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>We are now breaking all records - this could be the longest I've preached. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Those who are dull on a mixture of law and grace need to hear the law on steroids so they will RUN for the perfection of the great High Priest.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Now we are heading into Hebrews 6 - we have been sailing and we are now heading into Hebrews 6. This is how we need to read our Bibles - in context! Hebrews 6. By the way I have no problem in God speaking to our hearts and saying; "Turn to ...". He has done it many times - saying for example, turn to Hebrews chapter 3. While I've been praying I have turned there and He has spoken to my heart. But we do need to read the Bible in context so we can all be teachers. We are all called to be chameleons. </div><div><br /></div><div>Hebrews 6:1; "Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ" (the law on steroids), let us press on to maturity". I want to tell you - the day you were born again you were fully mature. You are the full righteousness of God with no room for improvement. The Gospel produces fully mature sons of God - the instant you are born again. "Not laying again". There are people laying again and again - and he says; "Stop. Blast it out of the way - it's obsolete and redundant". "Repentance from acts that lead to dead works and faith in God ... resurrection ... ". </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Now five years ago I believed that he was talking about foundational works in the New Covenant. Over the last period of time by God downloading revelation of understanding and illumination - I realised he is not talking about the foundational teaching of the New Covenant after the Cross - but the elemental milk teaching that make people dull!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>He is teaching about the teachings that make people still need to be taught over and over again. Without being unkind if you look at congregations across the planet, you will see people in Christ for 10 and 20 years who are sulking brats who are easily offended, jealous, envious - why? We think Hebrews 6:1-2 are talking about foundational teachings of the New Covenant - basic milk teaching. </div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>But "faith in God" - surely that's teaching of the New Covenant? No! Faith in God under the Old Covenant is totally different to faith under the New Covenant!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>So about five days ago I was wrestling in prayer going; "Dear God - I'm not getting up at a conference with a major departure from the traditions of the church!". Then I heard God say; "Well son - you've done it before - you did it a few years ago! You started saying things and thought you were a lone voice and you hadn't heard Joseph Prince or a whole load of other grace teachers!". I had to come to Hong Kong, walk the streets, read my Bible and I just knew something was on my life. On the runway sitting in Adelaide in the airport about to come and live in Hong Kong - and God said;</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>"Son you have been preaching a mixture of law and grace and a mixture of faith and works, flesh and Spirit, Old and New and Ishmael and Isaac, Saul and Paul - a mixture! From now on I want you to preach a pure stream of New Covenant grace; faith, Spirit, anointing and life!". </i></b> </div><div><br /></div><div>I didn't know what He meant! He began to reveal things and I began preaching things. Some were delighted and some were not that delighted! So He said; "You have been here before son - step out on the water!". </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I said; "Lord - give me a sign! Confirm this to me! I need a sign - help me!". The next day I phoned Fini and Isi to check the schedule and Fini wasn't at home. Isi was and we had a great chat and she said; "Look I am just preparing a basic foundational course for believers and people with no understanding and I went to Hebrews 6:1 to go through foundation teaching. I was starting to prepare and God spoke to me and said; "These are NOT New Covenant elemental truths! These are Old Covenant elemental truths!". I kissed Isi through the phone and said; "YES!". </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>So I knew - I am going to preach this at Glory and Grace. I kept thinking; "Maybe I shouldn't - maybe I shouldn't". I am so enjoying sitting here and hearing the others preach. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>1. <u>Repentance from Dead Works</u>.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>So I am going to show you - repentance that leads to death, or repentance from dead works. Repentance from dead ceremonies, or repentance from dead works - is doing things to earn God's favour. Doing things over and over again to get God to love you. The question under the law - was; "Lord - am I pleasing enough to you?". The question under our High Priest who represents us is; "Father - is Jesus pleasing enough to you?". The answer is obviously; "Yes!". Then we are okay - because we are in Him! Repentance from dead works is literally trying to do good things to get a result of God liking and loving you. We are not to be living our lives constantly in repentance; "Oh I did that; I am sorry". We are not to live in this constant state; "I did this; I did that; I am so sorry!". That is Old Covenant.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>2. <u>Faith in God</u>.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>What about faith in God? I want to say to you right now that faith in God of the Old Covenant is utterly different to the faith in God in the New Covenant. Let's quickly go to Hebrews chapter 11. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Hebrews 11 is about the great men and women of faith under the Old Covenant. They were great men and women of faith and did great things with their faith.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Let's look at verse 39;</div><div><br /></div><div>"These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect".</div><div><br /></div><div>There's that word again - perfect. So all these great men and women of faith did not receive what was promised. They had faith to do all kinds of things but their faith could not receive what was promised. What does God require? Perfection. Their faith could not receive perfection. Only through us - the New Covenant people together with us, can they be perfected. The next chapter goes on and says that we have this great cloud of witnesses around us. So we think; "Oh my God - these great men and women of faith looking at us and saying 'Where's your faith?!". We feel so inferior because we do not exegete the Scripture properly. They are not looking at us saying "Where's your faith?!". They are looking at us saying; "Wow! Look at the New Covenant faith! They are PERFECT!". They are looking from the realm of the glory and waiting for us so they can have their status and receive the promise that we have already received!</div><div><br /></div><div>There is no place for arrogance. We don't need to lay that Old Covenant foundation of faith again because that will keep people dull and slow to learn. Then he goes on and speaks of the great cloud of witnesses and says;</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>"Let's throw off every weight and every hindrance".</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>I have heard a thousand speculations about what it is that hinders us. Habits. Sin. That weight - we must get rid! No! Read the Bible in context! He has spent 10 chapters talking about how useless and what a hindrance the LAW and religious system is! He is saying that they couldn't obtain it through that system! You have got something better - now obtain perfection in Christ Jesus and throw off what THEY had and what hindered them and don't carry on your back the weight that couldn't get these people of faith to where you have got in Christ Jesus in the New Covenant!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Crazy! We take these Scriptures out of context and talk of habits that I have. It is hindering me! Friends! </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>That is NOT what is hindering you! It is that very condemnation of the Law that is hindering you! </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>We are not encouraging sin but when you are hindered - then you probably will sin a whole lot more! </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Then he says; "And the sin that so easily entangles". What is this sin? He has just given a whole book on faith. "They did not enter because of faith". What is this sin? It is not generic sin but specific sin - it is the sin of unbelief in the goodness of God and in the goodness of our high priest</i></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then he is going to say; "Listen stop trying to have faith - put all that blooming Old stuff and weights and laws and put it all off and run with patience". Not looking to have faith or trying to have faith! But looking to Jesus the author and perfecter of faith! The NIV says; "Our" faith but it is not in the Greek. "To Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith". So we have a high priest who authors our faith. You didn't author your faith. Your High Priest - HE is the originator and the perfecter! You need perfect faith to be perfectly saved! </div><div><br /></div><div>Some say; "Am I really saved - I don't know if I have enough faith!?". </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>No - there is someone called your High Priest that represents you on all matters relating to God and He has perfect faith and is the author and perfecter of faith and so because of Him you have perfect faith before a perfect God and you are perfect in your High Priest!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>I want to say a few things about this. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Old Covenant faith is me trying to please God. New Covenant faith is something God gives to me and something that Jesus has on my behalf. Jesus has faith for you. And Jesus has faith IN you. </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Did you know that our New Covenant High Priest is better than the Old Covenant priest that failed? He dealt gently with those who are ignorant and went astray - this perfect High Priest is touched with the feelings of our infirmities and He sympathises with you. He has faith for you - but listen to me. He has faith <b><u>IN</u> </b>you. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I want to say something life-changing here. Your life is not primarily or essentially changed by who you believe in. <u>Your life is essentially changed by Who believes in you</u>.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The most powerful influence over your life is not who you believe in - the most powerful influence over your life is Who believes in you. Our great High Priest has faith in you and has faith for you and is the author of faith and the perfecter of faith as the perfect High Priest because He has made you perfect forever. </div><div><br /></div><div>When you know someone believes in you, it has such a powerful positive effect on your life. Everyone in this room has many natural gifts and talents - forget about the supernatural for a moment. Many natural gifts and talents. But most people do not exercise them in fullness unless someone you love and respect believes in you and lets you know that. Whether that be a mother, father, brother, sister, friend or a mentor. Take away the Old Covenant law and bondage and condemnation - and see this great High Priest who believes in you and a Father and a Holy Spirit who believes in you. Can you imagine the revelation of that supernatural power that would be released into your life? </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Do you know that when someone recognises you it empowers you? Do you know that if you went to a celebrity concert and whoever your great celebrity is was performing on the concert with 20, 000 people there and they stopped and said; "Oh there's so and so! They were a great blessing to my life!". You would just feel a thousand feet tall! Someone as important as that has just recognised you! </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>It is not the lesser recognising the Greater - it is when the Greater recognises the lesser that the power of the supernatural of the New Covenant takes place!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The Old Covenant had great emphasis on faith in God. The New Covenant's emphasis is on God's faith in you and for you. The Old Covenant lays the burden on you to have faith in God. The New Covenant lays the burden on our Great High Priest to have great and perfect faith on our behalf so you are not examining yourself all the time to see if you have faith - but your eyes are on Jesus all the time - the author and perfector of faith.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>It takes all the pressure off self-focus! It is not your concern anymore. No - my focus is on the revelation of Christ and in Him I was crucified. He did it because He loved me and gave Himself for me. I am crucified with Him! And the life I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Before the Cross, the flow of faith was us to God. After the Cross the flow of faith was God to us.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>When someone asks you; "Do you believe in Jesus?" - you say one thing. "Well I know one thing - He believes in me!". And I am not insecure about whether I have enough faith in Him - I am very secure that He has enough perfected faith for me! If you ask me - do I believe in Jesus? I say - absolutely! How much do you believe in Him? That's not the issue. I do not even want to probe or analyse or introspect that. I just want to keep looking at His lovely face! </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I want to keep looking at what He did at the Cross because THAT releases His faith and confidence in me. Your life is not stabilized by you trying to have faith. Your life is stabilized by the revelation of how much faith He has in you and for you. </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>You see - the High Priest has to have faith for you. The power of the King is not rooted in man's faith in God. That is Old Covenant elemental milk teaching. The power of this kingdom is rooted in God's faith in you. He believes in you - His faith in you is not a blind faith. He is not pretending. He invested everything at the Cross for you so that now His opinion of you is one of integrity. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>He sees you not as one trying to be holy or trying to be righteous or trying to be sanctified or trying to be redeemed - He sees you AS YOU ARE. You are acknowledged by God because of the perfection of your great High Priest. </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Yes - God says - I know who and what you are. I know everything I have made you to be through the Cross. Now what about baptisms? Surely that is a New Covenant thing. Of course baptism is New Covenant. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>We are baptised in water not to get our sins forgiven. You don't bury people to kill them. You bury them because they are already dead.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>So when you are baptised in water as a believer in Christ that is not to get your sins forgiven - it is because your sins HAVE been dealt with! Baptism into the body of Christ and baptism in the Holy Spirit. This word "baptism" (you can check it out in the Greek) it is talking about water purification ceremonies done by the Old Covenant people. It is to wash sins away. It is to be done regularly because you are constantly feeling condemned so they go through washing rituals. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Now the church doesn't teach it like that but in fact the church DOES teach people that your forgiveness and cleansing comes in installments. That is Old Covenant teaching on washing rituals.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Before the Cross - sin = dirty. Wash = clean. Sin = dirty. Wash = clean. Sin = dirty. That is what he is talking about! Leave all of that milky stuff behind! Go on to the teachings on righteousness! </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>What about the laying on of hands? Listen - <u>laying on of hands on the sick to impart healing is New Covenant stuff</u>. He isn't talking about that! He is talking about the great type of the High Priest of the Old Covenant laying his hand on the scapegoat! And transfer the sins symbolically (only symbolically - not literally) and then let it out into the wilderness and that was symbolical covering.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>He is saying "Leave that silly symbolical stuff behind! Go onto the teaching on righteousness". What about the "resurrection from the dead Rob? Are we not going to be raised from the dead in the New Covenant?". Of course we are going to be raised from the dead in the New Covenant! But the Old Covenant is - if you are good enough, one day you may be raised from the dead. One day! You don't know for sure, but if you are good enough - one day you will be raised from the dead and then you will go to heaven and you will experience life. He is saying - stop teaching that stuff. Tell them according to Romans chapter 6 and many other passages - you were united with Christ in resurrection! You were raised with Christ! Romans 6 says we were raised with Him so that we may know new life with Him - we are already seated in the heavenly realms! This New Covenant is way superior to that milk stuff!</div><div><br /></div><div>My physical body will be raised one day! I want to tell you categorically - I am very concerned with immortality teaching in some of this grace movement. These bodies are going to stay mortal until Jesus comes again and my mortal body will then become mortal. In the meantime I believe in renewing my youth and I want to be around until I'm 100. But be careful about teaching on immortality because when those people are teaching are dying and balding - listen, everyone has died! When these people get bald or die, people who are listening and not seeing the Word of God in context are going to get very confused and their faith will be damaged. But the teaching of the New Covenant is not "if your faith is good enough, one day you will be raised and you will go to heaven and have the life of God" - in Christ Jesus, we have already been raised, resurrected in Christ and seated in the heavenly realms and living in heavenly places!</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Friends - why can't most of the church access heavenly realities? Why can't most Christians who are citizens of heaven strangers to the realm of the 3rd heaven? Why are they strangers to the invisible realm and the glory realm and the realities of the kingdom? Because they are still on the milk - one day you are going to die and be raised in 50 years time and experience life. No! You can experience life now! You can experience life of the heavens now! We must get people out of the milk and into life now! </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Revelation will flow! In Thessalonians Paul said that a false teaching is going around that is unsettling you saying that the dead have already been raised. <u>We are not teaching that</u>! That is immortality teaching. We don't have our resurrection bodies yet. I wish I did. And the older I get, the more I wish I had! We are not saying the dead have already been raised. We are saying that you in your spirit with Christ have already been raised. That is New Covenant teaching on resurrection from the dead.</div><div><br /></div><div>Okay - eternal judgement - I think that is pretty clear. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Don't EVER teach Christians that they face the possibility of eternal wrath or eternal judgement. That is OVER!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>They didn't know if their good works would be greater than their bad works so they were never sure. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Eternal judgement was finished at the Cross! Gone forever! People need to know that! Never again will they be judged by the Father - He took an oath in Isaiah 54; "Never again will I be angry with you - I swear by Myself, I will <u>NEVER</u> withdraw My love from you, I will never rebuke you, I will never condemn you, I will never take My covenant of peace from you - I swear by Myself!".</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Are you ready for the key verses now? Let's read these verses again - they should not be frightening at all. (vv4-6);</div><div><br /></div><div><i>"For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame".</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Very important word there. Most people in the church today would say if you asked them - if a Christian falls away, goes into sin or diabolical things or does terrible things wrong and if they as Christians come back - then will the Lord restore them? Most Christians would say - of course. Yet - when the issue of grace and eternal security comes up - this Scripture is used as the weapon of the devil to intimidate believers. They can't have it both ways! If you fall away - you are finished! But they don't teach that. They keep asking Christians to come forward and repent. So it is either true or not true.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some people say - and I respect and honour the theologians that say this - well this only refers to very mature Christians. This whole context we are reading is that you are not mature or immature. He is saying - you are immature! He is saying to them you are infants! He is saying you are dull! He is not talking to spiritual giants! Some say this is referring to mature believers who have tasted all these things and then if they fall away - in the light of that. Friends if you have tasted then you have been born again, you have got everything! So what is the context? </div><div><br /></div><div>The issue is to leave the immature teachings behind, the milk teaching, the law condemnation teaching. Some of these believers believed in Jesus and were born again and tasted these glorious things but also believed in the law teaching and the Temple system so they were regularly repenting in insecurity in trying to get saved again. And stay saved. And this is required under the milk system and under the law system. You had to keep doing that! </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Paul is saying - that is an insult to the awesome fullness of the complete work of the Cross of Jesus. He says to keep getting people to start over and over again and to go back and repent and try and get right with God, and to try and start redemption again - when you have been given a perfect eternal redemption through an eternal high Priest - if you keep expecting people to keep going back under the Law and the inferior system then that is an insult to the Cross.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>You cannot go back and start all over again - it's impossible. Why is it impossible? </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><u>Jesus would have to leave heaven again, He would have to be born of a virgin again, He would then have to be the perfect Son and would have to try HARDER on the Cross to be a more perfect sacrifice to succeed in making us secure forever! But He did it once and for all - so it is impossible to put Jesus back on the Cross and put Him through that again! It's a disgrace</u>!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>It is a DISGRACE to our High Priest. It is saying what He did wasn't sufficient enough. It is impossible</u></b>!</div><div><br /></div><div>He became the source of eternal salvation;</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>It is to our loss and the church's loss to have endless repenting every time we mess up and every time we fall away. </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The insecurity and all of that stuff is to our loss. It is impossible for Jesus to be crucified again - the first time He did it for us He did it as our perfect High Priest and under that Old Covenant people were not to be judged - but the High Priest was to be judged. If his sacrifice was perfect then they would not be judged. They weren't perfect so they were judged. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Our High Priest was absolutely perfect therefore we are secure forever in Him!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Keep a finger in Hebrews 6 and go to Romans chapter 6 please. I want to show you again why it is impossible for Jesus to be crucified. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Paul is not saying that every time you go back and repent, Jesus is being crucified again and again and again. He is saying you are giving that appearance to your Hebrew unsaved friends that this Jesus is an imperfect High Priest. You are making a disgrace to how wonderful this Jesus is.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Romans 6:8;</div><div><br /></div><div><i>"Now if we died with Christ we believe that we will also live with Him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead then He cannot die again. Death no longer has mastery over Him. The death He died, He died to sin once and for all - that the life He lives, He lives to God".</i></div><div><br /></div><div>How long was Jesus' death counting for? Let me ask you - did Jesus die to His sinning? No! Whose sin did He die to once and for all? Our sin! So it is impossible to be restored to repentance because to be restored to repentance would mean that you are under an Old Covenant with an inferior High Priest who failed to represent you in matters before God and to do that - is disgracing this High Priest of the New Covenant who died once and for all for our sins and cannot ever die again or be put on the Cross again!</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>How many of you know that if you misread a verse and think - I don't know where that point is where I fall away - how far do you have to fall away? Some say - falling away is doing one seriously bad thing once. Others say it doesn't it doesn't need a serious sin - you can do a lot of small sins for a long time repeatedly. Who makes up these definitions that keep God's people insecure and analysing and doing horrific things, mutilating their bodies? What I described to you about some of those mutilations - that is what is on the outside. Most mutilations have been done psychologically. It is wrecking marriages and people's mental health because we don't get these Scriptures clear.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Once we go down that line, the devil says; "There - you have crossed a line. You have fallen away too far this time, now it is impossible for you to be restored". Everytime you try and repent after that, the devil says; "No! Can't work! You have gone too far". </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>There is NO too far because Jesus went further, further, infinitely further than ANY too far you can go! </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>TO SAY YOU CAN GO TOO FAR IS TO SAY THAT JESUS DIDN'T GO FAR ENOUGH!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>It is impossible! You can't disgrace Jesus like that - He's not going back there! He got it right the first time! One sacrifice and no more! The light went on in some people's hearts right there! The teachers wait for that moment - they get all the information out there and it may be a bit boring but when the lights go on in people's heart - that's a feedback for a teacher that is awesome! Once you get that verse misunderstood about falling away, then you read the next verse as backing up your falling away. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The next two verse do not talk about you but the message of the Old Covenant and the message of the New Covenant. Not you being a fruitful field or a cursed field - but one message of the New Covenant being a fruitful field of rain and blessing and the other message of the Old Covenant being a cursed field of thorns and thistles.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>It is not you! You are not the cursed field! This is the message we must leave behind and stop laying it over and over again. Leave it behind! Let's go there. (v7-8);</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>"Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned".</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>He is not talking about you! But that is how people preach it. This New Covenant message produces rain that falls. Blessings that come. Fruitfulness. The Old Covenant exercising the law of good and evil produces thorns and thistles. Where have you heard those words before? Genesis chapter 3; "Do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil for the day you eat of it you shall surely die". The day man ate of it, God turned up and said; "The land shall produce thorns and thistles".</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>So what does the message of the Old Covenant law produce? Thorns and thistles. Sweating and earning and slaving by the sweat of your brow to make results happen.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>What does the New Covenant message produce? Rain from heaven, the blessing of God!</div><div><br /></div><div>He is saying go to that teaching on righteousness as a gift. Leave that other nonsense behind. For goodness sake - get the church on the right foundation!</div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Hebrews 6:1 is NOT the elemental teaching to put the church on. It will make the church dull if you put the church on that. </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Let's go through this quickly now. I will quickly exposit and get through this. " ... things that accompany salvation". So he is saying these guys are saved - there's no problem with that. (v10); "in order to make your hope sure". Now friends - if you have performance glasses - you will be thinking; "Oh boy we have got perform to be absolutely sure!". He is not saying that we must qualify ourselves. He will say in the next verse - don't be lazy just because you are secure in Christ. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Under the old system if you were fanatics - you could still never be qualified. So don't be lazy if you come into the new system just because you are qualified. Go for it - because you cannot fail!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>There is no New Testament law - but there are New Testament exhortations!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>There is a difference - Old Testament law - if you didn't do it then God killed you and wrath breaks out. Under New Covenant - God is speaking to us all the time. Husbands - love your wives as Christ loved the church! Wives - submit to your husbands as unto the Lord! No one can put their hands up to that perfectly. But none of us are under wrath for failing because it is a New Covenant command! An exhortation. The more secure we are in Christ and the more diligent you are to see it is not putting law on people but on this foundation of security - he is saying "Let's move on!". </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>If you are failing in your marriage there is no wrath coming - stay secure in the great love of your High Priest and your marriage will get better! </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Preachers - you have got to preach exhortations! There are people in grace churches who have got lazy. They don't read their Bibles anymore and don't turn up to church unless they feel like it. They don't even communicate with leaders anymore or tell them what they are doing! They just do their own thing! That spirit of independence is NOT New Covenant freedom. It is trying to prove you are free. It is as bad as going and having sex with anyone that asks for it because you are free. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Trying to prove you are free - means you are not free because when you are trying to prove it - you are not it!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Acting independent and not loving and humble is not freedom but demonic and flesh and law and legalism and the old system. This grace revolution is too precious to let a bunch of self-centered people go on a self-centered binge to prove their freedom. I wish I could gently dispatch them to heaven early because they are bad advertisements for the gospel. Well Paul did that - there was a man who was in Christ and in grace and yet was having sex with his mother-in-law and Paul handed him over to the devil so his spirit would be saved. It is frightening. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Paul only speaks about that twice in the New Testament so it is <u>NOT</u> something we should be doing regularly. Maybe we shouldn't do it at all! </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>But it shows something of the apostolic heart. This man was having sex with his mother-in-law and people in the church were saying "That's fine - because we are all in grace - we are all ok!". That is so discrediting to the grace message. Now if anyone in our ranks falls into the worst possible sin possible - under the law if you have broken one part of the law then you have broken ALL of the law. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>If you lie once then according to the law you are guilty of adultery, stealing, murder, hating God - you have broken all the law! How Christians can look at homosexuals and go; "Yeuch!" and those same Christians put themselves under the law - whenever you judge people for their behaviour, you can only judge yourself through the lenses of the law so you have put yourself <u>BACK</u> under the law. So to say of the homosexuals; "Yeuch!" - under the law <u>YOU</u> are a homosexual. You are an adulterer. You are a liar. You are a pervert. </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>That is why it says in Revelation 21 that the lake of fire is reserved for perverts, the sexually immoral and people who work magic. Who are those people? Those are people under the law. But where there is NO law - sin is not imputed to you. Where there is no law - you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus! When we die - even though there are things in our lives that are not perfect, we are not perverts, we are not magicians, we are not cowards or fearful or immoral - we are perfect in our Great High Priest! We are perfect forever!</div><div><br /></div><div>People are going to the lake of fire who are living under the milk and living under the law system. Under the law system - you are guilty of all the perversions. So if any in our midst fall into the worst sin - this is a safe place. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>God set the law up to say you are ALL homosexuals, you are all heterosexual adulterers, you are all murderers - according to the composite unity of the law. He set it up so that when we come out of that system and into the righteousness of Christ Jesus - we are ALL the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus! We are ALL holy - we are ALL sanctified.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div>So that stops this judgmental unkindness - anti-gay and anti-this and that. "Rob are you exalting a gay lifestyle?". Of course not.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Look at the church's success rate to homosexuals - pretty USELESS. Because of legalism. But heterosexual adultery? That's not too bad - friends, we are all useless under the law! Under grace we are ALL the righteousness of God - but people can't get that into their head because they are all dull of hearing because of drinking milk. </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>So they think they are okay because they are sort of keeping some laws. But they need to hear the full cream milk with all the steroids of the heavenly dairies. And it will frighten the very poo out of their pants and they will run to the great High Priest who declares them perfect forever through Him! Shouldn't the whole world flee?!</div><div><br /></div><div>(v13); "He swore by Himself saying ... Abraham received". That's true - Abraham received righteousness as a standing before God. We have received more than Abraham - we have received righteousness as more than a standing but as a supernatural reality. We have perfection as a supernatural reality through the New Covenant. Abraham got something because God swore and made an oath to Abraham. For the New Covenant people God took two oaths - </div><div><br /></div><div>(v16); "Oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument". What we are about to read puts an end to all argument that makes people feel insecure. (v17); "Because God wanted ...". God wants something for you and me and the whole world! "Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heir of what was promised with an oath - by two unchanging things - in which it is impossible for God to lie - we have fled to take hold of the hope that was promised and greatly encouraged". Now if you ask Christians today - what are the two things that are impossible to change? Most will go; "Eh?". It is impossible to be restored to repentance - it is ridiculously unnecessary - God has made an oath! He has established two impossible things that cannot change! It is impossible for these things to change! The Old Covenant is intrinsic - that means I have got to do it. If I do it then God will do His side and keep the law. That may change! If I change and fail under the Law (which is 100% certain) then God will change and not give me the blessing. </div><div><br /></div><div>But now we have two impossible things that are extrinsic. God did not make a covenant with you. The New Covenant is not a covenant with you - God loved you so much that He said no more covenant with you! I want two things that are impossible to change! The idea of having to repent to be restored thus making Jesus die again is ridiculously impossible! What are the two things? God the Son and God the Father! What are the opposite ends of this great covenant? God the Father and God the Son! God the Father cut the covenant with the Son. It is impossible for God the Father to lie and change His mind and it is impossible for God the Son to lie and change His mind. God won't change! You are included in your great High Priest who represents you. You are IN Him so standing before God is in Him and the only way you can lose your standing is by God breaking oaths. You are in the infallible perfect faithfulness of the Trinity. The perfection of the Holy Spirit administering this perfect covenant into our lives.</div><div><br /></div><div>So let's read this now. (v18) again;</div><div><br /></div><div><i>"God did this so that by two unchangable things in which it is impossible for God to lie we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us maybe greatly encouraged"</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div>When you look around the church world do you think Christians are walking around greatly encouraged? (v19); "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul". Say - the soul. Remember - spirit, soul and body. It didn't say your spirit. It didn't say this hope is an anchor for your spirit. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul - that is your emotions, your feelings, your mind - there is an anchor in your feelings, thoughts, mind and intellect. "Firm and secure that enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain where Jesus went before us and has entered on our behalf - He has become a High Priest forever in the order of Melchizedek".</div><div><br /></div><div>This anchor for our emotions, feelings and thoughts - it is not an anchor like on a boat that is dragging below. It is an anchor in the immutable substance of unchanging eternity. It is an anchor in the perfection of our High Priest. It is an anchor for which it is impossible for this anchor to shift ever again! It is an eternal salvation - perfect forever! And Jesus is not coming down to try and be a better High Priest! It is impossible! Leave all that stuff that produces thorns and thistles and striving - and come to that which produces rain and fruitfulness and blessings and intimacy - anchored in the eternal realm!</div><div><br /></div><div>Just lift your hands where you are. </div><div><br /></div><div>Let's sing "Jesus is King and I will extol Him ... we have a Priest who has gone through the curtain, there interceding and touching the throne". At Coastlands I used to call that; the "National Anthem of Heaven". </div><div><br /></div><div>Father may this Hebrews 6 go around the world that millions of people who have been confused by these verses get set free in Jesus Name!</div></div>Dan Bowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15661120561123767936noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496810378047281592.post-4048597588708789482011-02-16T23:14:00.000+00:002011-02-16T23:15:34.858+00:00A New Exposition of Hebrews 6:1-2I am currently glorying in transcribing Rob Rufus's keynote session at the Glory and Grace Conference in Hong Kong from 2010. He spoke on Hebrews 6 - what he correctly identified as a "trouble" passage for many New Covenant believers. And I must admit - I have struggled as I have worked through the passage to get my head around the new teaching and revelation that Rob brought to it.<div><br /></div><div>It all makes such perfect sense! But my entire Christian upbringing and background scream against it.</div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEpeVx1lgY6XRYPggutGBF_SqH7UnQbPvrNwKGTf947MAOTpkLEkQ3WyAyxdaIjmT5xaiox1Qth6i-JthgBLGl8ktpWHU8bpvhxsUl63aBxRhOmIEjOo2wULJumLq_tLX34C1VQYyYqy12/s320/Rob_Rufus.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 164px; height: 173px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574429426820245570" /><div><br /></div><div>So what I have done for the purposes of the "Grace and Glory Blank Bible" is to separate and identify Rob's teaching on each of the "foundation verses" in Hebrews 6:1-2. I have previously always thought of these verses as being foundational for Christian belief. Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones even taught a series inspired by these verses on Christian living. But Rob shows clearly how there is a different and wonderful freeing slant that true New Covenant belief brings;</div><br /><i>"Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment"</i> - <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%206:1-2&version=ESV">Hebrews 6:1-2</a> (English Standard Version).<br /><br />"Hebrews 6:1 is NOT the elemental teaching to put the church on. It will make the church dull if you put the church on that.<br /><br /><b><u>Repentance from Dead Works</u>:</b><br /><br />So I am going to show you - repentance that leads to death, or repentance from dead works. Repentance from dead ceremonies, or repentance from dead works - is doing things to earn God's favour. Doing things over and over again to get God to love you. The question under the law - was; "Lord - am I pleasing enough to you?". The question under our High Priest who represents us is; "Father - is Jesus pleasing enough to you?". The answer is obviously; "Yes!". Then we are okay - because we are in Him! Repentance from dead works is literally trying to do good things to get a result of God liking and loving you. We are not to be living our lives constantly in repentance; "Oh I did that; I am sorry". We are not to live in this constant state; "I did this; I did that; I am so sorry!". That is Old Covenant.<br /><br /><b><u>Faith towards God</u>:</b><br /><br />I want to say that faith in God of the Old Covenant is completely different to faith in God in the New Covenant. Old Covenant faith is me trying to please God. New Covenant faith is something God gives to me and something that Jesus has on my behalf. Jesus has faith for you. And Jesus has faith IN you ... The Old Covenant had great emphasis on faith in God. The New Covenant's emphasis is on God's faith in you and for you. The Old Covenant lays the burden on you to have faith in God. The New Covenant lays the burden on our Great High Priest to have great and perfect faith on our behalf so you are not examining yourself all the time to see if you have faith - but your eyes are on Jesus all the time - the author and perfector of faith.<br /><br /><b><u>Baptisms</u>:</b><br /><br />Now what about baptisms? Surely that is a New Covenant thing. Of course baptism is New Covenant. We are baptised in water not to get our sins forgiven. You don't bury people to kill them. You bury them because they are already dead.<br /><br />So when you are baptised in water as a believer in Christ that is not to get your sins forgiven - it is because your sins HAVE been dealt with! Baptism into the body of Christ and baptism in the Holy Spirit. This word "baptism" (you can check it out in the Greek) it is talking about water purification ceremonies done by the Old Covenant people. It is to wash sins away. It is to be done regularly because you are constantly feeling condemned so they go through washing rituals.<br /><br /><b><u>Laying on of Hands</u>:</b><br /><br />What about the laying on of hands? Listen - laying on of hands on the sick to impart healing is New Covenant stuff. He isn't talking about that! He is talking about the great type of the High Priest of the Old Covenant laying his hand on the scapegoat! And transfer the sins symbolically (only symbolically - not literally) and then let it out into the wilderness and that was symbolical covering.<br /><br /><b><u>The Resurrection from the Dead</u>:</b><br /><br />What about the "resurrection from the dead Rob? Are we not going to be raised from the dead in the New Covenant?". Of course we are going to be raised from the dead in the New Covenant! But the Old Covenant is - if you are good enough, one day you may be raised from the dead. One day! You don't know for sure, but if you are good enough - one day you will be raised from the dead and then you will go to heaven and you will experience life. He is saying - stop teaching that stuff. Tell them according to Romans chapter 6 and many other passages - you were united with Christ in resurrection! You were raised with Christ! Romans 6 says we were raised with Him so that we may know new life with Him - we are already seated in the heavenly realms!<br /><br /><b><u>Eternal Judgement</u>:<br /></b><br />Eternal judgement was finished at the Cross! Gone forever! People need to know that! Never again will they be judged by the Father - He took an oath in Isaiah 54; "Never again will I be angry with you - I swear by Myself, I will NEVER withdraw My love from you, I will never rebuke you, I will never condemn you, I will never take My covenant of peace from you - I swear by Myself!".<br /><br /><b>Reference: </b>Rob Rufus - "<a href="http://ccihk.com/en/media/online-audio?view=studydetails&id=260&templatemenuid=1">Hebrews 6:4-6" - Glory and Grace Conference 2010</a> - Hong Kong.Dan Bowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15661120561123767936noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496810378047281592.post-739349266516696472011-02-13T18:56:00.005+00:002011-02-14T19:51:25.358+00:00Grace and Glory Conference 2010 - Session 2 - Rob RufusThis is the 2nd session of the 2010 Glory and Grace Conference held in Hong Kong preached by Rob Rufus;<div><br /></div><div><b>"<u>Looking through the lenses of the Cross</u>"</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I want to talk on the wonderful Cross this afternoon. There is so much Scripture we could read but we are going to read just one verse. 1 Corinthians 1:17;</div><div><br /></div><div><i>"For Christ did not send me to baptise but to preach the Gospel - not with words of human wisdom - less the Cross of Christ be emptied of it's power".</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>It is an astounding insight to me that the Cross <u>can</u> be emptied of it's living power! As soon as we rely on human wisdom or intellectual power - we empty the Cross of it's supernatural content. Later in this chapter Paul said that God will frustrate the intelligence of the intelligent. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Intellectual preaching of the Cross is no gospel at all!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Paul said he wanted to know only Christ and Him crucified. Preaching and demonstration of His power so that men's faith would not rely on man's wisdom. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The scandal of the Cross is it's simplicity. The Cross is so simple - it confuses clever people.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Yet the Cross is the wisdom of God. The Cross is profound! The Cross is deep! Yet it is in simplicity - we preach the Cross and we believe on the Cross of Christ. When the Galatian church started leaving the Cross and going into Moses law like many Christians today - for them the Cross is just that baby thing. It is for immature believers. Paul wrote a letter immediately to the Galatians and all his apostolic passion and in the complete absence of political correctness or diplomacy - he said; "You foolish idiots! Who has bewitched you?! Christ was clearly betrayed before your very eyes as crucified!".</div><div><br /></div><div>I want to ask you unreflecting idiots - does God move among and do miracles because you obey the law or because you believe the message of the Cross? </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Paul is making it very clear that when the Cross of Christ is not central to all we preach - the power of God stops moving in the church and through the church!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>When we repent of our intellectual arrogance, and understand that the Greeks want great philosophy and the Jews want signs and wonders and the world is divided between those that are brain-centered and those are that are intuitive and feeling-centered - and the answer for that is not to flatter this side or that side but to hold our line boldly and preach the message of the Cross that is foolishness by the arrogance of this world's standards - but it is the wisdom of God.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The wisdom of God is what I want. The wisdom of God and the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The Bible says that the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of man. The Cross is the lense that we must look at life through. When you look at principalities and powers through the lense of the Cross - you see them only defeated! You see the devil so small and the ruling spirit over Hong Kong is the Holy Spirit! All others were triumphed over at the Cross! Jesus took no prisoners. </div><div><br /></div><div>He stripped them all of their authority, disarmed them, when you look at people through the lense of the Cross you see objects of God's love and affection. When you look at sickness through the Cross you see that all things are possible, when you look at the nations through the Cross, you KNOW it is possible to disciple nations! China can be discipled by the gospel of grace! Australia can! Africa can! All the nations will be! There will be cultural changes in government and education through the Cross.</div><div><br /></div><div>Will all the world obey God? No. Will evil get worse? I don't know it can - but possibly. But this I know - that the greatest sign of the end of the age - the greatest sign of history being summed up at the consummation of the ages is not a temple on the Rock in Jerusalem! It has got nothing to do with "666" or the Anti-Christ! In Matthew 24:14 Jesus said in answer to the question what will be the sign of the end of the age - the gospel will be preached as a sign to all nations and then the end will come! </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The greatest sign at the end of the age is a restored gospel of the Kingdom.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>You say; "Rob why are you preaching with such intensity - can't you just chill and relax a bit?". No - it is because the Cross does that to my blood. Everything from the Old Covenant has to come through the lenses of the Cross. It changes before it goes into the New! Every church needs to have the lense - the filter of the Cross in place! There are certain night clubs that you cannot get into unless you have something to get in there with. There is a bouncer in the door that won't let you get in. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The Cross is God's defense to protect the Church from the ministry of death!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>2 Corinthians 3:7 says the law is a ministry of death! </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The law was meant to kill us and crush us and curse us and condemn us and pour wrath on us and stir up more sin in us! How many pastors in their right minds would let THAT into their congregation? Any preaching designed to perform and deserve is preaching the Law!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>I don't care if you don't dress up in Levitical priestly clothes and don't say "Moses said ..." - when we preach to believers that we have to earn and deserve the blessing - we are preaching the Law. We heard this morning - preach the gospel of grace and stir believers to respond with faith and the power of the Cross will be released. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The Cross is the bouncer that won't let Old Covenant truths past through the Cross into New Covenant without them being changed.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Circumcision comes to the Cross and praise God - it doesn't get through easily! At the Cross - the bouncer made it irrelevant to have the snip on the tip! They used to snip on the tip and through it away - they never stuck it back on again with glue. Circumcision comes to the Cross and it changes as it comes through into the New Covenant! Now it is not the snip on the tip - it is circumcision of the heart! </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Colossians chapter 2 says that old sinful nature which is really a nature of unbelief in the goodness of God - a nature driven to rebellion against God through unbelief in His goodness - that old nature was cut away, circumcised and thrown away - never to be brought back!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The power of the Cross removes the sinful nature from the unbeliever and gives us a new nature which is righteousness of God in Christ Jesus! </i></b> </div><div><br /></div><div><u>A nature that does not want to sin</u>! A nature that is just like Jesus! Identical to Jesus! That is powerful! A watered-down or powerless preaching of the Cross has produced millions of counterfeit conversions. </div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The Cross produces radical salvations! The curse of the law comes through the Cross and says; "I want to get into the New Covenant!". The Cross says; "No! I cancel you! You will not condemn God's people! You will not manipulate them with guilt! You will not control them with religious demons! It is for freedom that Christ has set you free! Stand free and refuse to submit to a yoke of slavery!".</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>What is the yoke of slavery Rob? Very simple: it tells us right there in the chapter before. Slavery is bondage from Mount Sinai. Paul goes on in that same chapter of Galatians 5 and says in verse 4 if you Christians already in Christ seek to be justified by the law then you have been alienated from Christ and you have fallen from grace! Grace is infinitely higher than the law because if you go back to law, then it means you have fallen to something low down and it means that someone hasn't been safe-guarding you with the bouncer of the Cross! Or you haven't been safe-guarding your own heart because the Cross and power will never let the law through that has been cancelled theoretically and potentially - there is now therefore NO condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus!</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Every Christian should be dancing their way through life with NO condemnation! I just went into a trance there. I just saw multiple millions of believers in Christ dancing their way through life without condemnation! I saw one billion, 400 million Chinese experiencing what is God's heart before time began to hear this gospel and not an inadequate or false gospel mixed with law and grace. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>To mix law and grace is to preach NO gospel at all.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>For if law can get through the Cross, then it is not the cry of the Cross of Christ that is being preached. Colossians 2:14 said God cancelled the law at the Cross! To preach what has been cancelled - the Holy Spirit will not help you. The Holy Spirit will not help you preach something the Father cancelled at the Cross! The world is under the law - not those in Christ. To preach the law to the believers is to preach with whatever power it is - but it is not God. It is the power of human wisdom emptying the Cross - it is the power of human ability and the power of devils and witchcraft. The Cross is not baby steps towards some maturity. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Cross is only one step. It is God's one-step programme. We didn't take that one step. God took that step. It was a divine loving step in Christ Jesus through the Cross. In that loving step He came right to us - so all the fullness of Who God is stepped through that Cross towards us totally available to us! And He didn't wait for us to have enough faith to step through the Cross to us. We heard this morning that before we had any faith God absolutely and fully in Christ Jesus stepped towards us through the Cross and everything God is - is with us right now. When God stepped through the Cross in fullness to us - all the heavens were opened. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The height, breadth, depth and length of heaven was open to us believers in Christ! </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>So when you hear believers today praying these kind of prayers; "Oh God rend the heavens and come down!" - I think God goes; "Eh? I have ripped the veil, I have ripped the heavens and stepped towards you through the Cross - I am here fully!". </i></b><b><i>To say; "God rend the heavens and come down is an insult to the Cross!".</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>It is not judgement on my condemning anybody. I have been preaching a mixture of law and grace. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>But the fact is that the majority of the body of Christ on the planet today is under performance pressure - is a sign to me that the Cross has been emptied of it's power.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Every imaginable idea by God's people - every formula is out there on the market. God stepped through that Cross in Christ Jesus towards us and He took an oath in Isaiah 54. I am paraphrasing it but it is true to Scripture;</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>"I take an oath that I will never step back away from you through the Cross backwards - in all My fullness I am here with you all the time whether you can feel it or not - I am here! In fullness! With you".</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Who hasn't sinned in the last 3 weeks? Not once! Glenda keep your hand down! </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>God's Presence is as much with you when you fail, mess up or make a mistake or even sin. We do not encourage sin. It is just silly to sin. It is not what our new creation nature wants. But we are all learning to walk this walk. <u>And it is not our sin, our short-comings and our failings that causes Christ to be alienated from us. It is coming back under law</u>.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>People said when these great revivals came to the end, it was because there was too much sin. Friends - revival started in times of terrible sinning! Legalistic religion stirs up sinning! It is when people come back into grace that the power of Christ is operating in their lives - that is revival! </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>And the church would never need another revival if they would just stay in the power of the Cross!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>It is like you want to get every pastor on the planet and say "Listen - there is a way for us to stay in the flow of God's Presence and power!". We are taking about 70 leaders away after this conference and we want to learn from each other the wisdom of how to administrate local church in grace. It is like Andrew Wommack said this morning - people get into extremes of both sides. This message of the gospel has to be so protected that local churches flourish in this gospel! We don't want to end up like the Galatians or end up like the Corinthians! People in grace are starting to say - listen I can be undisciplined, I don't need to go to church or read my Bible - just live loose! That is not the Cross! </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>If your heart doesn't beat with a passion to see the nations saved then you haven't understood grace! If the Bible isn't alive to you then you haven't understood grace! If local church isn't exciting to you then you haven't understood grace! </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>"But Rob I don't want to go to church that mixes law and grace!". We don't want "Grace Pharisees" who are so judgmental about everything - but if you can't a church that preaches the Cross in power then start one! There are enough of us to come help you! You can be a man or a woman, or any colour, it doesn't matter if you are not a preacher - start one! And if you are not stupid or a grace Pharisee then we will come help you! Anywhere in the world!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div>God's people have got to be assured of this. It is a one-step programme. There are no backward steps. Galatians 2, Colossians chapter 2 and Ephesians chapter 2, Romans chapter and Romans chapter 8 tells us why God will not step back from you. He is stuck with you even when you mess up and sin sometimes! On that Cross Christ was not crucified by Himself! Jesus said; "Take up your Cross and follow Me". Deny yourself - self-righteousness, religious arrogance, hypocrisy and come to Me those who are heavy laden and I will give you rest for My yoke is easy and My burden is light! Come to Me! And every person on the planet - the Bible says in those verses - we were co-crucified with Christ. We were co-buried with Christ, we were co-raised with Christ! We were co-ascended with Christ! We were co-seated with Christ in the heavenly realms! We are co-equal heirs with Christ!</div><div><br /></div><div>God cannot go anywhere without you! For Christ to step away from you - He has to step away from Himself! <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+6:17&version=NASB">1st Corinthians 6:17</a> says;</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>"But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him".</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>So everywhere God is - you are there! When your shadow heals the sick, it is no big mystery! When your words carry miracle life and power - it is no mystery! You start this Christian race at the finishing line as a winner. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i><u>The spirit of suicide and the spirit of demonic religion is one and the same thing. Religion is occupied with trying to get us to die to ourselves</u>. </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"Come on - die to that flesh. Die to yourself!". If we believe that then we are admitting that Jesus didn't really die on the Cross. How can you die to yourself - when you have already been fully crucified with Christ? He fully died on that Cross! And your old sinful nature fully died on that Cross! And you have fully been raised from the dead in Christ! How can you die to yourself? "Rob I have heard Paul say - I die daily". Probably Tuesday morning, God allowing - I want to take Hebrews 5 and Hebrews 6 and in two sessions unpack those two chapters. We are going to hit verses 4, 5 and 6 in Hebrews 6. It says that those who fall away, it is impossible to be restored to repentance. We are going to show how many lies have been preached through not reading Scripture in context. </div><div><br /></div><div>When Paul said; "I die daily" - he was not contradicting when he said; "I have been crucified with Christ". When Paul said; "I die daily" - he was not talking about his old nature having to be crucified again. The context was persecution for preaching this gospel. It caused him to be lashed many times and rejected by false brothers and imprisoned and go hungry, naked and sleepless. Let me promise you this - if you preach the gospel Paul preached, not in an arrogant way there will be things coming against you and attacking you and THAT is what Paul is talking about. Some days you will feel like you are dying!</div><div><br /></div><div>For me resurrection is not a doctrine anymore! It is a daily life necessity! All the intense attacks are absolutely worth it to preach this gospel! This gospel is worth it! Come on - let's give the Lord a shout in this place! </div>Dan Bowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15661120561123767936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496810378047281592.post-10894611119769939362011-01-31T20:01:00.003+00:002011-01-31T20:03:50.990+00:00Rob Rufus on Church Growth<b><i>"We cannot produce growth! Only God can produce growth. We can only remove the obstacles to church growth".</i></b><blockquote></blockquote><div>Rob Rufus - "<a href="http://ccihk.com/en/media/online-audio?view=studydetails&id=281&templatemenuid=1">Living with Intention in 2011</a>" - City Church International, Hong Kong - Sunday </div>Dan Bowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15661120561123767936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496810378047281592.post-68497022477969628932011-01-18T21:47:00.000+00:002011-01-18T21:48:20.237+00:00Judge by the Law? Live by the Law!<div>Rob Rufus - speaking on Hebrews at the "<a href="http://www.ccihk.com/en/media/online-audio?view=studydetails&id=260&templatemenuid=1">Grace and Glory Conference 2010</a>" said;</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJJWL30Bp4ozgqyE_IcjxasD0ZUoVaWA1zxS4QWIkrbc_8Ad-88M8yshePIg1_dxfG6Qd3jH-G9NUo4PbzMjxbObhBWCEgcJT7KWPtx28c9Bi9W7nF-KEiLdBuK9TehzkicIOLzDubo98/s400/Rob_Rufus.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 164px; height: 173px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563645779900364210" /></div><div>"Under the law if you have broken one part of the law, then you have broken all of it. If you lie once - according to the law - you are guilty of adultery, stealing, murder, hating God - you have broken ALL the law! How Christians can look at homosexuals with disgust and those same Christians have just put themselves under the law! Whenever you judge someone else for their behaviour you only can judge them through the lenses of the law, so you have put yourself back under the law.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span">So to disgustedly condemn homosexuals - under the law YOU are a homosexual. YOU are an adulterer. YOU are a liar and a pervert.</span></i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>That's why it says in Revelation 21 the lake of fire is reserved for perverts, sexually immoral people and people who work magic. Who are those people? Those are people UNDER the law. Where there is no law - sin is NOT imputed to you! Where there is no law - YOU are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. When we die even though there may be things in our life that are sinful, we are not perverts or magicians or cowards or the fearful or immoral - we are the perfect ones in our great High Priest! We are perfect forever!"</div>Dan Bowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15661120561123767936noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496810378047281592.post-53359579700584336112010-11-22T11:04:00.000+00:002010-11-22T11:05:20.878+00:00One to One with Rob Rufus and Nigel RingI found this interview between Nigel Ring and Rob Rufus taken just after the "Together on a Mission Conference" in Brighton in 2006. It's so stirring.<div><br /></div><div><b>NR: </b> Were you brought up in a Christian family?</div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCslYx5dlEghDw2mouHJMpzbqyDsPxH1WpPzjLqDyPvtiVS4nQKjEL_-26ABXidySGnq6pZTPvXGnRtY9uF_JI3OYS6pmI31jIUnNcz2l1J_nqcX9D2c8UoNZOFlu31LpKschf09X2adxv/s320/Newfrontiers+Magazine+front+page.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 207px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542081815698879602" /><div><br /></div><div><b>RR:</b> I had an incredibly happy childhood but my mother was an agnostic and my dad was an atheist but a very good father. From about three years of age I was conscious of God's Presence and about the age of seven or eight, I began to read the gospels. However in my high school years I really went out of my way to undermine Christian faith; but I was longing for them to win the argument. When I finished high school my dad had convinced me that Christianity was a modern form of sophisticate superstition but I had the privilege of leading my dad to Christ many, many years later, three weeks before he passed on!</div><div><br /></div><div>On "call-up" in the military I began to ask questions about the meaning of life even more. Then at university I got very involved with the Hare Krishna movement. I even joined a Hindu Ashram full time.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>NR:</b> Had you met Glenda at this stage?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>RR:</b> We met at university and got married. We had our first son Jay (Hindu for victory) by the time we had joined the Hare Krishna movement. In the meantime Glenda had an amazing encounter with God and was "born again". I ridiculed that a martyr could save the world. It seemed foolish that Jesus died on a cross; He could have done better as a teacher. One day a man wanted to join our community. I asked him how long he wanted to stay and he said as long as was necessary! That night he suddenly sat straight up and pointed at a picture of Krishna, shook his head and just said; "Jesus Christ is the pure sacrifice of God and He is the only way" - a pretty courageous thing to say in a Hare Krishna temple!</div><div><br /></div><div>I was suddenly aware that I was not right with God. When I got up at 2am he had gone and I never saw him again.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>NR:</b> Angelic?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>RR:</b> I don't know Nigel. For months I tried to increase my performance in Hindu rituals. Then in the Ashram on my own, Jesus came and said; "My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Come follow Me!". So I was "born again" in a Hindu temple! That was in 1977.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>NR:</b> Did you walk straight out?</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>RR:</b> I did leave as I was called up again by the South African military. But I went back and witnessed to every single one there. I heard later that some I had spoken to had left the movement.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>NR:</b> I think your second child had been born by this stage?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>RR:</b> Yes, Ryan was conceived whilst we were in the Hare Krishna movement. He is now part of our leadership team. We also have a daughter Bonnie who leads worship in our church.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>NR:</b> When you left Hare Krishna, how did you engage with a church?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>RR:</b> We went back to the university on a post-graduate course. I met Christians who had fasted for forty days for us when they heard we were going to the Hare Krishna people. They burst into tears and were amazed! We joined them as a community of people.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>NR:</b> How did you plant a church?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>RR: </b> After I graduated God called me to plant in our home town but there was nothing supernatural there. I began to read Acts and God asked me; "Do you believe everything that is My will will automatically happen?". I said; "Yes Lord!". "Do you believe it is My will to save people every week and add them to you?". I said; "Yes Lord!". "Do you believe it is My will that people get healed miraculously?". I said; "Yes Lord!". "Then how come it isn't happening?". </div><div><br /></div><div>He spoke to me about going to sit under the ministry of Kenneth Hagin for three days. Initially I was quite critical and analytical but I watched the miraculous happening. Then God said; "Lift your hands - you can do this!". The Presence of God came on me overwhelmingly and powerfully for the first time in my life. The next Sunday our church was hit by the power of God. People with deaf ears began to hear, different people began to cry out. I felt God say; "Pray a blessing over the people". So I asked them to stand and said; "Father would you bless ..." and I didn't get any further.</div><div><br /></div><div>I heard this amazing rushing sound through the building and saw people being picked up and carried two to three rows through the air. We had never seen anything like this. I called out and said; "You have seen that God is real. Come and get saved!". People literally ran to get saved that day. Even the local rugby team visited and broken bones were healed. The church grew by hundreds. Then God said; "I am going to lift this heavy anointing off you for a season and I want you to get to know me. I am going to link you with people that I want you to be accountable to. I want you to develop your doctrine and knowledge of Scripture. I am going to bring this power back on you at a later stage". </div><div><br /></div><div>It was at that stage I met Dudley Daniel.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>NR:</b> Has God brought that power back to you?</div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nqwRYreE4kuNFlV8zwbPaa2Yi1OJA_KenbQP4OzuIh0vncAwSMbmddkpxE7BAxCH5Sx6-0kJ8ARuzcSnQlYDZNdSN3EukK0bnyD2iwuvYbajUHc6jMADKlwCqRXUOp4q0MJoo7OA-f4w/s320/Rob+Rufus.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 196px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542082248206854018" /><div><b>RR: </b> Every year I asked God; "Is this the year?". Every year He would say; "Be faithful - this is not the year". By 2001, 2002 I wondered if God would ever do this again but at the beginning of 2006 I heard God say; "This is the year not just for you but for much of the wider body of Christ". He promised He would restore this power at a higher level and I feel certain that as the year progresses we will see this more and more.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>NR:</b> Is this world-wide?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>RR:</b> There is fresh expectation in many parts of the world and reports of some unusual signs and wonders. I think 2006 is the year our Lord is taking His finger off the "pause" button.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>NR:</b> Such ministry comes out of an intimacy with God. How did you deepen your personal walk with God?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>RR:</b> I love to get out to solitary places; the mountains and the forests. When I first planted a church I would spend a day or two every week alone with God, not trying to prepare messages but wanting to get to know Him. I learned to fine-tune my spirit to hear His voice and talk to Him about who He is. He said; "Rob I want you to ask Me questions about Me. If you open your heart to me, I will open My heart totally to you - and reveal things to you". I found that if you develop a depth of relationship with God in the solitary places I could start hearing His voice in the noisy places. I can even stand in Mongkok - one of the densest population areas in Hong Kong and hear the voice of God.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>NR:</b> Many leaders would ask; "How did you carve out that time? Did you have a team with you?".</div><div><br /></div><div><b>RR:</b> Yes I did have a good team but there is also unnecessary guilt that comes. One day sitting on a mountain looking out over factories where members of my congregation were working, God said; </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span">"Son those people want you here - they want you to come with dew of heaven on your shoulders and speak the living word of God".</span></i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>NR:</b> Moving in these dimensions, do you experience opposition?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>RR:</b> Yes! The enemy is against the anointing because it destroys the yokes, lifts the burdens off people's shoulders and breaks his strategies and attacks. There are anti-Christspirits trying to get the church to be more secular, to run programmes, entertainment with human wisdom. Reaction is mainly from religious people; the world longs to experience something that is supernaturally authentic. We need to redeem the supernatural back to sound theology, basing it on good doctrine, expressed by people who have healthy marriages, healthy families and so forth.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>NR: </b> Where do you find your own peer relationship that will keep you secure and where you weigh each other's ministry?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>RR: </b> A very good question! When God exploded into our church I had no understanding of proper Biblical government foundations or biblical wineskins. I had difficulty in hosting a big crowd! As I mentioned, it was then in 1984 that I was introduced to Dudley Daniel. I first met him on his day off. He came out of his study in a pair of shorts and hugged me. I got the shock of my life! I felt God say; "I have joined you to this man forever!". I began to realise that Dudley had an apostolic wisdom, understanding and grace on his life. He helped us lay proper New Testament patterns and Victory Faith Church is still very healthy today.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>NR:</b> How did New Covenant Ministries begin?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>RR:</b> When Dudley was baptised in the Holy Spirit, his denomination kicked him out. He was invited by a small group in Bryanstone, Johannesburg to pastor them. He also felt God say he should build relationships with pastors who are lonely, wanting friendship and looking for togetherness. Out of that came the phrase; "Friendship before function". This began to reflect what Jesus revealed so wonderfully with His friends who were disciples.</div><div><br /></div><div>There were many BBQs with humour and laughter. Slowly the idea of a trans-local team began to develop; that is when I got involved. God began to open up the oath He made to Abraham to bless all nations. We began to see that we would have to plant New Testament local churches in every nation.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>NR:</b> Did you have a particular strategy?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>RR:</b> In Scripture proven ministries took the initiative to break new territory. For example Paul and Barnabas having established Antioch moved on. Dudley relocated to Australia. This sent a big signal to us all. We thought South Africa was going to fall apart but God actually blessed us. Then God called Glenda and me to join him.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>NR:</b> Were you creating South African churches?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>RR:</b> Not at all! As we planted we started working with indigenous people and they started coming on team. We wanted to reflect the culture of the kingdom not a religious sub-culture.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>NR:</b> Have you found that God has given you favour with particular sections of the community?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>RR: </b> In certain countries, doors open through situations of poverty. In others, it has come through Christian businessmen and women like Priscilla and Aquila.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>NR: </b> How did your next transition come about?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>RR:</b> When Dudley felt called to work into the USA, he handed the visionary leadership of Coastlands International Christian Centre over to me. In 2002 after seven years God called us to go full-time trans-local equipping churches in evangelism, signs and wonders and miracles so we handed the church over to Dudley's son Tyrone. Then our hearts began to turn to Asia and Glenda and I planted a church in Hong Kong.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>NR:</b> Did you know people on the ground?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>RR:</b> There were five people in Hong Kong and five young people from South Africa to help us for 6-12 months.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>NR:</b> How have you grown?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>RR:</b> Originally I thought we would build primarily with ex-pats using the medium of English. However Chinese people started coming because they heard about the Presence of God and were attracted to the message of grace. One young, very intelligent and hi-tech Buddhist man came. The Presence of God was so powerful in the meeting that he began to weep and said; "They are not singing about Buddha, they are singing about Jesus so He must be alive!". He gave his life to Christ and we baptised him very soon after that. We are, probably about 95 adults at this time plus children.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>NR:</b> Do you have any comments on multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi-lingual church?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>RR:</b> When diverse ethnic groups come together that reflects the wonderful finished work of the Cross! The idea of the homogenous church for me is foreign to the Scripture. We are enjoying being a rainbow church. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>NR:</b> Has the signs and wonders ministry opened doors for you in Hong Kong?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>RR:</b> Yes! There is a lot of idol worship that opens people up to demonic influences so when God sets people free they go and tell their friends. The potential to have exponential growth in Hong Kong and into mainland China is enormous. The secular humanistic money culture has left a real emptiness in people's lives. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span">The Presence and power of God is a major means to impact that part of the world.</span></i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>NR:</b> Can you disciple others into this ministry or impart it to others?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>RR: </b> Both! The main way is through impartation. It is through association with people that are moving in the supernatural like Elijah to Elisha or Paul to Timothy or Moses to Joshua and so on. There also needs to be practical instruction; how to co-operate with God; how to co-labour with God; how to partner with God. I love to coach even in services on a Sunday morning - "This is why we are doing this".</div><div><br /></div><div><b>NR:</b> You referred earlier to what God was saying about 2006. Can you expand on that?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>RR: </b> I came to London in 2005 and I was praying in Richmond Park and suddenly I felt the clear voice of God saying He is going to come with a visitation of His glory to the British Isles. It may seem unlikely or like wishful thinking but I just felt it so strongly. He said He was going to call me back and have some involvement in facilitating, in a small way, some of those things. Something would rise up within these British Isles. It would be for everyone who is hungry for God. It would require people to look at wineskins to avoid another charismatic movement that will run for a while and then burst.</div><div><br /></div><div>Those who have been faithfully establishing wineskins for years need to start looking with expectation that they have not laboured in vain. Others will need to be looking at Scripture and to people who have built according to a Biblical pattern. This is the time to prepare for this visitation by building proper Biblical government and pattern into the church.</div><div><br /></div><div>A Biblical wineskin embraces three elements:</div><div><br /></div><div>1. Biblical authority structures which is proper government based on what the Bible teaches not on democracy.</div><div>2. Biblical vision which involves going to the nations and involves reaching the lost.</div><div>3. Biblical values - how we do it, with integrity, humility, with team, accountability etc.</div><div><br /></div><div>Prophetic ministries around the world are picking up an excited expectation of something significant. This time hopefully we won't have a Philistine cart with our Uzzah's and Ahios. We will receive this visitation with a lot more reverence and honour who this is for. This is for the honour and pleasure of our great God not to make certain movements more famous or our churches grow faster. This is to see the glory of God come into the nations that multitudes can be saved.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>NR:</b> Thank you so much Rob - An excellent place to conclude!</div>Dan Bowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15661120561123767936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496810378047281592.post-84980801561332075512010-10-25T20:33:00.002+01:002010-10-25T20:35:49.455+01:00Live Streaming from Grace and Glory Conference - Hong Kong!!For those of you who don't know - the "<a href="http://ccihk.com/en/media/video/live-video">Grace and Glory Conference</a>" is going on right NOW in Hong Kong - and I was excited to get the following group email from Ryan Rufus (Founder of <a href="http://www.newnaturepublications.com/">New Nature Publications</a>). Follow the link if you can and let's have second best after being there in person!<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">"Hi guys</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "> </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">We've decided to stream the rest of the Glory and Grace conference! Already it's been such an amazing time with heaps more to come!!!</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "> </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">Tonight (Monday) at 7:30pm (GMT +8)</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">Andrew Wommack</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "> </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">Tuesday at 10am, 2:30pm, 7pm (GMT +8)</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">Rob Rufus, Fini and Isi De Gersigny.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "> </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">Here's the link: <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://ccihk.com/en/media/video/live-video" style="line-height: 1.2em; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">http://ccihk.com/en/media/video/live-video</a> (refresh (F5) a few times if you get an error message)</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "> </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">Would love you to join us!</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "> </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">Blessings<br /><br />-- <br /><span style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "><b style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "><span style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif; color: rgb(255, 0, 0); ">Ryan Rufus</span></b></span><br /><span style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif; ">Pastor @ City Church International</span><br /><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.ccihk.com/" style="line-height: 1.2em; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">www.ccihk.com</a><br /><br /><span style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif; ">Founder, New Nature Publications</span><br /><span style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.newnaturepublications.com/" style="line-height: 1.2em; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">www.newnaturepublications.com</a>"</span></div></span></div>Dan Bowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15661120561123767936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496810378047281592.post-42049161916354704542010-10-10T17:00:00.003+01:002010-10-10T18:11:16.378+01:00"Established in the Gift of Righteousness" - in GERMAN!!I am so very excited to be able to post a transcript of one of Rob Rufus's key sermons in German. My hope has always been that transcripts make the truth of the revelation of God's preached word available to an audience that may not have the time to sit and listen to the audio message. However I am aware of course that while the internet makes the transcripts available across the globe, my lingual skills are limited!<div><br /></div><div>So I am so excited to meet a friend called Bryan who is undertaking this wonderful task and has sent me the first part of "<a href="http://robrufus.blogspot.com/2009/01/being-established-in-gift-of.html">Established in the Gift of Righteousness</a>" in German. For those who have not encountered this monumental series - Rob preached it in Hong Kong in January 2009. There are links to the English transcripts at the side of this blog page - it is so key.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here is the German version - I do hope it comes across properly. Please do contact me by email or comment if it hasn't translated properly as Bryan has promised to help me with this!</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm2ALzp7pBSUvW742ASkYJtUQeI24qL6ZWnXwGjhL-mKadJErFPjfGXvoHLAUp2zKxqGEvySl4U-WIaCEhzFCiD33R6DL-SmACrqyaMVK57Tjm-ozUxo7No4dIsV5j3UxiZWWAKitC068/s320/Rob_Rufus.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 164px; height: 173px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526465882852039202" /></div><div>Be blessed hugely - German-speaking lovers of grace!</div><div><br /></div><div>"In seinem eigenen, übernatürlichen Plan nimmt Gott uns alle von Herrlichkeit zu Herrlichkeit, Schritt für Schritt an der Hand, sodass wir beständig in der Lage sind, mehr und mehr Einfluss in dieser Welt zu haben. Wenn du wiedergeboren bist, dann bist du nicht ein Opfer deiner Umstände – Du bist nicht in einer planlosen, verwirrenden Umlaufbahn – Du lebst in einer ansteigenden Linie bis zu einem Höhepunkt und dem Ende der Zeit. Das Ende der Zeit bedeutet nicht das Ende der Erde. Es beschreibt das Ende des Bösen, das in dieser Welt wirkt. Gott wird die Herrschaft der Sünde, der Finsternis und des Bösen und die Unterdrückung von Menschen durch Regierungen, Krankheiten und Seuchen, Erdbeben, Hungersnöte – alle Sachen, die durch den Sündenfall im Garten Eden geschehen sind- Gott wird all das zu einem endgültigen Ende bringen und dieses Zeitalter abschließen.</div><br />Das wird das Ende der Erde sein! Es bedeutet das Ende von Satans Herrschaft in dieser Welt. Ich sage euch – Wir kommen in den Himmel, aber der Himmel wird auf die Erde kommen! Es wird keine Möglichkeit für den Teufel geben, rein zu kommen. Das nennt man Eschatologie, aber darüber werde ich heute nicht reden – Ich bin hier um zu erklären, dass diese Welt nicht immer ein Kampf sein wird. Sie wird wiederhergestellt werden zu der Herrlichkeit die im Garten Eden herrschte- um niemals wieder gestohlen zu werden! Gott wusste, wie es kommen würde. Er war nicht überrascht, als Adam von dem Baum der Erkenntnis von Gut und Böse aß. Gott hat es so arrangiert und es kommt eine Erneuerung und Wiederherstellung und alle, die in Christus sind, werden auf einem glorreichen Planet namens Erde leben.<br /><br />Du sagst sie wird sich auflösen? Nein, wird sie nicht! - Das griechische Wort hier meint, sie wird in etwas übergehen und Gott wird diesen Planten nicht wegschmeißen. Er hat diesen Planeten erschaffen und er wird dem Teufel nicht erlauben, ihn zu stehlen. Er wird ihn wiederherstellen! Und die Nashörner und die Elefanten werden da sein, es wird keine Luftverschmutzung geben und der Löwe und das Lamm werden nebeneinander liegen und es wird Frieden unter den Nationen sein!<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Auch wenn du überrascht bist, Gott ist nicht überrascht. Gott ist in dir, Gott liebt dich und er arbeitet dein Leben zu einem festgelegten Sieg aus, den er entschieden hat, bevor die Zeit begann- Er hatte eine festgelegte Bestimmung für dein Leben, bevor die Zeit begann, eine Bestimmung zu Siegen, von Triumph, dass Schwierigkeiten, Schmerz und Leiden mit dazu wirken, in dem Sinne, dass „denen, die Gott lieben, alle Dinge zum Besten dienen, denen, die nach seinem Ratschluss berufen sind“ - Wir sind also zum Sieg verdammt! Wir sind Opfer des Sieges! Wir sind Opfer von Gottes heiliger Anstrengung, uns aufzubauen, um erfolgreich zu sein!</span></b><br /><br />Ich muss jetzt mal Spaß machen! Egal in welcher Kultur: Wenn Jemand dich nach Hause einlädt und du sitzt am Kaffeetisch und derjenige redet mit dir und gestikuliert mit einem lächeln auf dem Gesicht und du sitzt einfach da, ohne dich zu bewegen – dann ist das wirklich schräg und unhöflich in jeder Kultur!<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Wie kann die Gemeinde ein trauriger Ort sein, wenn sie Zion genannt wird (In Herbräer 12) – Die Bibel sagt, dass „Zion die Freude der ganzen Erde ist“? Es ist eine dämonische Lüge, irgendwelche Traurigkeit in der Gemeinde zu haben. Gott sagt, „Kummer und Seufzen werden entfliehen“. Nicht leise abtreten sondern fliehen! Die Bibel sagt, unterwerft euch nun Gott, widersteht dem Teufel und er wird von euch fliehen. Ich möchte euch sagen: Unterwerft euch dem Gott aller Freude, widersteht dem Schwermut, widersteht der Negativität, widersteht dem Selbstmitleid und es wird von euch fliehen.</span></b><br /><br />Manchmal musst du es fälschen, bevor du es kriegst! 2009! Ich möchte euch zeigen wie Gott uns 2009 im Rest des Geschenks der Gerechtigkeit aufbauen möchte. Er möchte uns in dem Geschenk der Gerechtigkeit ruhen sehen, indem er uns in diesem Geschenk auferbaut. Ich war eigentlich zögerlich, heute mit dem Thema anzufangen, weil so viele im Urlaub sind, aber ich fühle mich geleitet und habe gehört wie Gott sagt, es ist der erste Sonntag im Jahr, geh voran!<br /><br />Ich glaube, dass Gott im Jahr 2007 einige Gemeinden durch die Schranken genommen hat – Es gibt eine Schranke von Engeln, die die Gemeinden hindert, in die volle Herrlichkeit des Neuen Bundes zu gelangen, während sie mit einer Mischung von Gesetz und alter Lehre sowie neutestamentlicher Gnade leben. Diejenigen, welche pure Gnade annehmen wollten, auch wenn sie missverstanden und angeklagt würden, ein falsches Evangelium zu predigen und Lizenz zum Sündigen zu geben, sogar trotz dem Risiko von den dämonisch religiösen Anti-Gnade Geistern gehasst zu werden. Diese, die sagten egal was es kostet und egal, wie viel wir verstanden werden.<br /><br />„Vater, wir möchten in die Fülle deiner Gnade einsteigen, ohne Gesetz, keine Verurteilung, keine Schwerfälligkeit. Wir wollen nur den Neuen Bund, nur Jesus und nicht Moses oder das Gesetz ,weil du uns am Kreuz vom Fluch des Gesetzes erlöst hast und wir wollen nur den Segen, den du Abraham geben hast, 430 Jahre bevor das Gesetz kam. Christus hat den Abrahamitischen Bund am Kreuz erfüllt.“<br /><br />In jeder Gemeinde, die das 2007 gesagt hat, hat Gott die Schranken geöffnet und kam herein. Im Juni 2007 fing eine Gemeinde damit an und ging voran in die größere Herrlichkeit. 2008 entstand die erste Generation von Gemeinden in Gnade. Gemeinden wurden von Leitern gepflanzt, die die volle Offenbarung der Gnade hatten.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Sie haben den Unterschied zwischen dem Alten und dem Neuen Bund verstanden und weigern sich, Gesetz mit Gnade zu vermischen.</span></b><br /><br />Sie haben die Gemeinde so angefangen und diese Gemeinden blühen heute. Wir hatten das Vorrecht, manche von ihnen zu unterstützen.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Aber 2009 werden die Gemeinden, die 2007 durch die Schranken gegangen sind und die, welche 2008 gepflanzt wurden, diese Gemeinden sind jetzt 2009 großartig aufgestellt, um außerordentlichen, gewaltigen Einfluss in dieser Welt zu haben. Es ist nicht so, dass sie vorher gar keinen Einfluss hatten, aber 2009 wird ihr Grad an Einfluss ein Level erreichen, das alle Vorstellungen übertrifft.</span></b><br /><br />Das fühlte ich Gott diesen Freitag zu mir im Country-Park reden.<br />Was mit diesen Gemeinden passieren wird- Der offensichtliche Einfluss Gottes wird in ihnen zu einem Level ansteigen, dass sie Medien, Politik und Erziehung beeinflussen werden- sie werden die Welt der Gemeinden beeinflussen und viele andere Gemeinden, die zu ihnen herauf schauen, werden unter ihren Einfluss kommen und sagen:<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Wir wollen pure Gnade annehmen und uns vom Alten Bund los sagen, der überflüssig und veraltet ist.</span></b><br /><br />Das wird nicht wegen ihrer Größe passieren, obwohl einige von ihnen recht groß sein werden. Doch es hat nichts mit ihrer Mitgliederanzahl zu tun.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Ihr Einfluss wird allein auf der Grundlage der außerordentlich großen Gnade sein, die auf diese Gemeinden kommen wird.</span></b><br /><br />Ryan hat letzte Woche was wirklich brillantes gesagt- er hat gesagt, wenn du in eine Gemeinde gehst, die Gesetz mit Gnade vermischt (wie es immer noch die meisten Gemeinden auf dieser Erde tun) und du predigst dort pure Gnade, dann gibt es zwei Gründe warum die Gemeinde unter Gesetz bleibt und nicht die völlige Überflüssigkeit des Gesetzes predigt. Sie predigen zwar Gnade, aber mischen sie mit Gesetz- das ist das Problem. Du gehst dort hin und denkst: „oh nein die predigen ja wirklich Gnade“. Aber wenn du ein bisschen länger da bleibst dann hörst du irgendwann in derselben Predigt: „Wir müssen was leisten, wir müssen etwas tun, um den Segen zu erhalten.“ Das ist Gesetz. Das bedeutet, es wird menschliche Anstrengung gepredigt und nicht, dass der Segen allein durch Gnade kommt und nur durch Gnade.<br /><br />Es gibt nur zwei Gründe warum sie das tun.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >1.Sie tun es unschuldig und aus aufrichtigem Herzen weil sie theologische Fehler haben, die über Generationen durch Traditionen von Menschen entstanden sind, die geglaubt haben, dass Predigen, was sie glauben, die Wahrheit ist. Wenn diese Menschen aus der Bibel die klare Lehre der Gnade hören, dann tun sie Buße, erforschen die Schrift und ändern sich.<br /><br />2.Der andere Grund ist unheimlicher. Die anderen Gemeinden sind direkt unter der Kontrolle eines religiösen, dämonischen Geistes, der ein kontrollierender Geist ist. Wenn diese die Botschaft der Gnade hören- vor allem 2007 und 2008- dann beginnen sie zu Spucken, knirschen mit den Zähnen und werden triebhafte, obsessive Hasser.</span></b><br /><br />Gott sagt, dass 2009 sogar manche dieser Gemeinden durch seine Kraft befreit werden und sich ändern werden. Jede Prophezeiung, die ich vor genau einem Jahr gemacht habe am ersten Sonntag 2008, hat sich bewahrheitet- jede einzelne. Du sagst:“Naja, die $50 Millionen kamen nicht rein. Wie willst du das wissen? Diese Zahl wurde nie prophezeit. Ich sagte, Ich glaube, dass Gott uns so viel geben kann und weist du was, ich glaube es noch immer! Vielleicht fragst du, was wir damit machen sollen? Es wird schnell zur Neige gehen! Wir haben Gebäude zu kaufen, Studios zu bauen, Waisenhäuser zu unterstützen und eine Menge zu tun- Missionare, die aufs Missionsfeld kommen. Ich vertraue Gott für $50 Million Hongkong Dollar- wirst du mit mir vertrauen?<br /><br />Ganze Gruppen von Leitern werden in ihren Kirchen mit Freude aufstehen und sagen:“ Es tut mir leid- ich lag falsch- Ich habe Gesetz mit Gnade vermischt- Ich wusste nicht, was ich da getan habe.“ Und die Versammlung wird sagen:“Ja!“ und wir werden ganze Gemeinden ins Reich Gottes hinein gerissen sehen.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Es werden zwar einige religiös dominierten Menschen die werkgerecht und entgegenwirkend sein werden und sogar intensiver gegen Prediger sein, die Gnade lehren. Sie werden viele Artikel schreiben auf Webseiten und in allen Medien und werden sie nieder rennen, doch Gott hat im Country Park sehr deutlich zu meinem Geist gesprochen, Er sagte:<br /><br />„Aber 2009 werden diese religiösen Geister und diese religiösen Versammlungen und Leiter- Ihr Einfluss wird abnehmen und sie werden nicht mehr die Möglichkeit haben, die Menschen zu verängstigen und zu verwirren, wie sie es getan haben“.</span></b><br /><br />Also, 2009 geht es darum, tiefer in der Gerechtigkeit auferbaut zu werden.<br /><br />„Gerechtigkeit“ bedeutet „richtiges stehen vor Gott“.<br /><br />Wie fühlst du dich, wenn du dich absolut mit Gott verbunden und grenzenlos in Harmonie und in Einklang mit Ihm fühlst? Das ist es, um was sich das Evangelium dreht. Das ist Gerechtigkeit- Es bedeutet, dass du richtig vor Gott stehst. Wenn das durch das Gesetz wäre, dann würdest du niemals auch nur für eine Sekunde fühlen, dass du richtig vor Gott stehst. Wenn du unter Gesetz bist, dann ist jedes Gefühl, vor Gott richtig zu stehen, der totale Betrug, denn unter Gesetz erlangen alle nicht die Herrlichkeit Gottes. Unter Gesetz- alle haben gesündigt kommen zu kurz! Es gibt keine Hoffnung auch nur für eine Sekunde, auch wenn du Woche für Woche eine Menge religiöser Dinge tust, am Ende dieser Wochen wirst du nie vor Gott bestehen können, weil das Gesetz dich komplett von Gott trennt.<br /><br />Wie viele Christen fühlen sich jede Sekunde jeden Moment des Tages absolut freudig in Gott und haben Frieden sogar 5 Sekunden nach dem sie gesündigt haben? Nicht ein einziger!<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Aber 2009 werden die Gemeinden, die 2007 und 2008 aufgestellt wurden, ganze Versammlungen mit Menschen füllen, die aufgebaut sind- sie werden nicht nur von dem Geschenk der Gerechtigkeit hören- sie werden in dem Geschenk der Gerechtigkeit aufgebaut werden und der Feind wird es niemals schaffen, sie von dieser Wahrheit abzulenken.</span></b><br /><br />Ich möchte sagen, es gibt gute Nachrichten, die 2007 und 2008 nicht dazu gestoßen sind. 2009 werden sie sich demütigen und Buße tun und sie werden zu den Gemeinden, die schon seit 2 Jahren dabei sind, aufschließen und sie werden an unserer Seite sein und auf der selben Stufe wandeln wie wir. Sie werden zu dem selben Level wie wir beschleunigen. Das habe ich für uns aufgeschrieben. Hier kommen ein paar Fragen:<br /><br />„Kannst du den Effekt der Gnade sehen? Erinnerst du dich als du das erste Mal wahrhaftig unverfälschte Gnade durch Offenbarung gesehen hast? Ich rede nicht von dem Moment, als du dachtest du hättest Gnade gesehen, aber da war so viel entgegenstehende Angst, die dem widersprach, was du zu sehen glaubtest. Angst, die dir sagt „du könntest getäuscht werden. Das hier könnte falsch sein. Der Teufel betrügt dich- das ist zu gut, um wahr zu sein!“ Sodass es dich dazu brachte, Gnade als einen Fremden zu behandeln oder gar als Feind, den man meiden muss. Die vielen Stimmen, die vor Gnade warnen, klangen so laut, dass Dunkelheit und die Pein des Zweifels sich über dir festsetzten, wie eine trübe, erstickende Hoffnung, dass Gott dich jemals so perfekt lieben könnte und dich niemals für dein Sündigen verurteilt oder gegen dich ist!<br />Sondern er sieht dich mit absoluter Zuneigung und Liebe und er sieht dich perfekt und gerecht in Christus.<br /><br />Also, von was Ich heute rede, ist was passiert ist als du dich gegen die Angst durchgesetzt hast, und der Botschaft der Gnade zugehört hast bis plötzlich die frischen, puren Winde vom Himmel die dunklen Wolken der Bedrückung von deinem Denken geblasen haben und in diesem Moment hast du zum ersten Mal pure, unverdünnte Gnade gesehen- Die Begeisterung, die Freiheit, das schwere lose Gefühl der uneingeschränkten Lebenskraft in der Herrlichkeit Gottes- Das Gefühl von Geborgenheit, Sicherheit, volles Vertrauen und Zuversicht vor Gott. Das ist, was ich mit „unverfälschte Gnade zu sehen“ meine.<br /><br />Übrigens, wenn das noch nicht passiert ist, dann mach dir kein Sorgen-Es wird, wenn du dich hier ein bisschen länger herum treibst- Woche für Woche.<br /><br />„Wenn dieser erste flüchtige Blick kommt und wenn die Freude und der Frieden kommt und deine Seele durchflutet- dann wird der Teufel seine Taktik ändern. Das ist klassisch und überall auf der Erde gleich. Der Feind realisiert, dass die Angst, du könntest getäuscht werden, die er auf dich gesandt hat, gescheitert ist. Jetzt weiß er, dass du Gnade gesehen und die Angst überwunden hast, also wird er dich eine Zeit lang in Ruhe lassen. Seine nächste Attacke ist ein religiöser Wink an deine Gedanken: Okay du hast Gnade gesehen- du hast es kapiert! Aber jetzt wird es Zeit weiter zugehen in der Heiligung und verantwortlicher zu sein (Das bedeutet in seinem Verständnis- Ja, Gnade ist toll aber die Party ist vorbei!) Nein! Nein! Nein! Das ist eine Täuschung, die Gnade zu verlassen! Wenn du zum ersten Mal Gnade siehst, dann ist der nächste Schritt des Vaters dich darin aufzubauen und sicher zu stellen, dass du niemals wieder von der Gnade weichst!<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Er möchte dich tiefer und tiefer in der Offenbarung des kostenlosen Geschenks der Gerechtigkeit auferbauen, sodass du immer weiter wachsende Frucht und Wunder sehen kannst, die davon kommen, in der Gerechtigkeit zu ruhen, die ein kostenloses Geschenk ist.</span></b><br /><br />(Kolosser 2,6) „Paulus sagt, wie ihr Christus empfangen habt, so wandelt in Ihm. Eine andere Übersetzung sagt, wie ihr Christus angenommen hab,t so lebt in Ihm!“ Wie habt ihr Christus angenommen? Musstest du dafür arbeiten oder es dir verdienen oder das Gesetz halten oder gut genug sein? Nein- du hast ihn durch Gnade empfangen durch Glauben- Er hat dich gerecht gesprochen. Also so wie du Christus angenommen hast – so wandle in Ihm und lebe in Ihm. Es gibt eine bedeutende theologische Irrlehre, die sehr gefährlich ist und gravierender als jede andere Täuschung in der Gemeinde heute.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Es ist die Vorstellung, dass es zwei Typen von Gerechtigkeit gibt. Das Geschenk der Gerechtigkeit, das Gott dir gibt und die Gerechtigkeit, die du vollbringen musst nachdem du gerettet wurdest. Das ist nicht nur schlechte Theologie- Es ist verwirrend, weil es bedeutet, dass Gottes Gerechtigkeit nicht gut genug ist. Und wie kannst du im Geschenk der Gerechtigkeit aufgebaut werden, wenn du nicht weist, wo Gottes Geschenk der Gerechtigkeit aufhört und wo dein Beitrag der Gerechtigkeit anfangen muss? Nein! Die Wahrheit ist, dass das Geschenk der Gerechtigkeit die einzige Gerechtigkeit ist, in der du lebst. Du empfängst Christus durch das Geschenk der Gerechtigkeit und du fährst fort durch Gnade zu leben in dem Glauben, dass „Ich die Gerechtigkeit Gottes bin“. Das gibt dir die Kraft, dich zu ändern – aber du bist immer gerecht und du bist beständig gerecht!</span></b><br /><br />Wir herrschen im Leben durch das Geschenk der Gerechtigkeit und durch die Fülle der Gnade – Das ist die fortlaufendes Präsens im Griechischen!<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Du bist immerfort gerecht- Es gibt nichts, das dich von der Liebe Gottes scheiden kann- du bist <u>BESTÄNDIG</u> gerecht! Es gibt keine andere Form der Gerechtigkeit, außer Selbstgerechtigkeit, die den Fluch des Gesetzes auf dich bringen wird. Wenn du fasten musst, damit Gott zu dir spricht, dann kommst du unter den Fluch. Gott wird zu dir sprechen, weil du die Gerechtigkeit Gottes bist!</span></b><br /><br />Wenn du denkst, dass was auch immer ein Opfer du machst, Gott dazu bringt, dich mehr zu akzeptieren, dann kommst du unter einen Fluch, weil du zurück unter das Gesetz gehst und du wirkst in etwas was nicht ist „Wie ihr Christus empfangen habt, so wandelt jetzt in ihm“. Jetzt tust du zu Christi Gerechtigkeit deine eigenen Mühen, um etwas vom Vater zu verdienen.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Du verdienst alle Segnungen, die Jesus verdient, weil du ein gemeinsamer und gleichgestellter Erbe mit Christus und ein Erbe Gottes bist und Du bist alle Zeit 100% gerecht und du wirst es in 10 Jahren und in 5 Sekunden und in einer Milliarden Jahren sein- Du wirst immer die Gerechtigkeit Gottes in Christus Jesus sein.</span></b><br /><br />Wenn ich mit Pastoren am Tisch sitze und sie sagen: „ Rob, warum geht es immer nur um die Gnade? Ich verstehe das Geschenk der Gerechtigkeit – Durch das wurde ich errettet und kam in das Königreich! Aber warum ist das so wichtig? Das ist Rechtfertigung! Wir müssen jetzt weitergehen zur Heiligung!“<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Du darfst nie Rechtfertigung und Heiligung durcheinander bringen und sie trennen. Du musst immer im Geschenk der Gerechtigkeit leben und Heiligung findet fortlaufend durch Gnade statt während du fortfährst zu glauben, dass es keine andere Gerechtigkeit als seine Gerechtigkeit gibt und du lebst täglich darin!</span></b><br /><br />Das ist, wie du betest! Wenn du mehr Kühnheit hast zu beten, weil du an einem Tag heiliger gewesen bist (in deiner Vorstellung heilig) dann gründest du deine Kühnheit auf etwas, das ekelhaft ist ! Es ist pure Arroganz, dass du gut genug warst, um dich Gott zu nahen! Genauso ist es, wenn du sündigst und dich von Gott zurückziehst, weil du die Gnade Gottes beschuldigst, die dich gerecht gemacht hat, durch das, was Jesus am Kreuz tat! Du bist immer die Gerechtigkeit Gottes!<br /><br />Manche sagen, Paulus schrieb den Galater Brief, um sich mit dem Thema der Rechtfertigung zu befassen. Man kann Martin Luther und Johannes Calvin entschuldigen, die das vor 500 Jahren lehrten. Sie hatten es damals mit der Römisch Katholischen Kirche zu tun, die Millionen Menschen anlog, ihr Geld stahl und ihnen sagte es hängt davon ab, wie viel ihr gebt und alle guten Taten, die ihr tut und den Ring des Bischofs zu küssen und über Flaschen zu kriechen und euch selbst zu kasteien ohne zu wissen, ob ihr je in den Himmel kommen oder nicht – Sie hatten nur die Hoffnung, dass sie genug Punkte aufgeschrieben hatten, um zu entscheiden ob sie rein kommen oder nicht. Sie hatten es mit 1000 Jahren Dunkelheit zu tun - Die Gemeinde hat nicht so angefangen- Sie glaubte 300 Jahre das, was ich predige! Dann ging die Gemeinde in 1000 Jahre der Dunkelheit bis Martin Luther die Rechtfertigung durch Glauben sah – dass wir durch Gnade gerettet sind und wir das Geschenk der Gerechtigkeit bekommen.<br /><br />Als Luther einen Kommentar über den Galater Brief schrieb, war alles was er sah Rechtfertigung und er predigte, dass das der Inhalt dieses Buches ist! Nein! Ich kann ihn nicht tadeln – er hatte das Licht, das er zu dieser Zeit hatte und er war auf der Suche nach Munition, um es mit der Ketzerei der katholischen Kirche aufzunehmen. Ich habe keinen Kampf mit der katholischen Kirche heute- Ich rede über die Zeit damals. Obwohl ich nicht glaube, dass man Maria anbeten sollte, weil sie genau wie du und ich ist. Jemand, der es nötig hatte, wieder geboren zu werden. Sie ist nicht die Mutter Gottes. Gott braucht keine Mutter – Er selbst reicht aus und besteht durch sich selbst.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Aber der Galater Brief hat nichts damit zu tun, wie man errettet wird. Er handelt nicht von Rechtfertigung durch Glauben! Er ist an Christen adressiert und Glataer 3,3 enthält den Grund, warum Paulus den Brief schreibt. Er sagt:“ Seid ihr so unverständig? Im Geist habt ihr angefangen und wollt es nun im Fleisch vollenden?“ Es geht in dieser Nachricht nicht darum, wie man gerettet wird! Dann hören wir, dass wir durch Gnade durch Glauben errettet wurden und jetzt gerecht sind – jetzt verlassen wir das und gehen voran, heiliger zu werden! Nein! Paulus sagt, du hast angefangen an das Kreuz zu glauben- Als du glaubtest , ich bin für alle Zeit gerechtfertigt, egal wie viel ich gesündigt habe - ob Ich heute sündige oder einen Fehler mache, dann bin ich immer noch die Gerechtigkeit Gottes.</span></b><br /><br />Paulus sagt, wenn du glaubtest, dass die Kraft Gottes in deinem Leben wirksam ist. Aber er sagt jetzt, dass du das hinter dir gelassen hast und jetzt Gesetz dazu tust und versuchst dich zu bessern und Angewohnheiten zu lassen. Wir alle haben Probleme und Themen, die wir nicht mehr tun wollen, aber wir ha ben sie immer noch. Also wenn du das Geschenk der Gerechtigkeit verlässt und versuchst, dazu mehr eigene Leistung zu bringen, dann hast du die Kraft des Geistes verlassen und du bist in der menschlichen Leistung und bist zurückgegangen in die Elemente dieser korrupten Zeit und du bist zurück unter dem Gesetz und du wirst keine Kühnheit besitzen, Gott Sonntags zu loben, weil du fühlst, dass du nicht würdig genug bist, weil du während der Woche gesündigt hast.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Wenn du weist, dass du die Gerechtigkeit Gottes bist, dann wirst du anfangen Gott mit so viel Freiheit und Ungezwungenheit zu loben und du wirst den Vater aufsuchen, weil du eins mit dem Vater bist, genau wie Jesus eins mit dem Vater ist!</span></b><br /><br />Wir arbeiten heute zusammen als ein heiliger Rammbock- nicht nur für die Menschen hier – auch für Menschen über die Webseite – wir sind dabei etwas über der Atmosphäre von Hongkong zu brechen. Kannst du spüren, wie dieser Geist der Werkgerechtigkeit und Kontrolle von der Stadt abdreht.<br /><br />Was bedeutet es, in Gerechtigkeit aufgebaut zu werden? Wisst ihr, wenn gerade eine riesige Menge frischer Beton ausgeschüttet wird und ich komme dort hin und schreibe:“Rob liebt Glenda“ - und gehe weg, dann kann jemand kommen und den beton wieder glatt streichen. Ich muss also Wache stehen und verhindern, dass jemand kommt und den Beton wieder glatt streicht, bis der Beton fest ist. Dann ist das, was ich geschrieben habe auferbaut und du kannst in 100 Jahren in die Stadt kommen und sehen:“ Rob liebt Glenda“.<br /><br />Menschen hören bei Gelegenheit, dass sie Gottes Gerechtigkeit sind. Das hinterlässt etwas auf der Zärtlichkeit ihrer Herzen – sie sind so erstaunt, dass ihre Gedanken sich darum drehen, dass dies vielleicht eine Lüge ist! Dann nehmen Menschen Schriften aus dem neuen Testament und zitieren sie, ohne den Kontext zu beachten. In dieser Serie werden wir uns die schwierigen Stellen anschauen, die Menschen benutzen, um dich zu verängstigen und ich werde euch zeigen, wie lächerlich und wie aus dem Kontext gerissen diese sind.<br /><br />Du hörst die Botschaft, dass du die Gerechtigkeit Gottes bist und glaubst, dass sie wahr ist – Du glaubst du hast sie gesehen! Und dann gehst du weg und sündigst oder machst etwas falsch oder ein Christ kommt vorbei und sagt nein – das ist ein falsches Evangelium. Lass die Finger davon! Der Teufel wischt es weg und du musst wieder bei Null anfangen. Wo gehst du hin, wenn du die Gnade verlässt? Was hast du sonst zu bieten? Menschliche Anstrengung! Ich liebe Gott! Ich will jeden Tag seine Stimme hören!<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Ich denke ich höre jeden Tag seine Stimme – Ich liebe ihn, ich vermisse ihn. Wenn ich nicht jeden Tag seine Gegenwart über mir spüre, dann bin ich selbstmörderisch! Ich kann nicht verstehen, dass Christen nicht nach der Gegenwart Gottes schmachten können!</span></b><br /><br />Wenn ich mich ihm durch das Gesetz nähern müsste – dann gibt es keine Hoffnung! Auch meine besten Anstrengungen sind wie schmutzige Kleider ! Ich bin erledigt! Es ist so dumm! Paulus benutzt die richtigen Worte:“Oh ihr törichten Galater – wer hat euch verzaubert?“ In anderen Worten sagt er – Ihr habt nicht gewartet bis der Beton fest ist! Ihr seid davon abgekommen, weil die Juden die zu euch kamen, euch verängstigten und falsch aus dem Alten Testament zitierten und ihr wurdet durcheinander gebracht und wieder unter das Gesetz geworfen. Das hat die Schrift, dass ihr die Gerechtigkeit Gottes seid wieder glatt gestrichen bevor sie fest war.<br /><br />Ich glaube, dass der Geist Gottes liebevoll tadelt in einer erlösenden Weise!<br />Das Wort „tadeln“ hier beschreibt nicht eine verurteilende Weise – Ich meine er bringt eine Art liebevollen Tadel.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >„Oh ihr Christen, ihr hört diese Nachricht und lasst den Teufel sie wegwischen! Ihr müsst auferbaut werden! Ihr müsst den Beton fest werden lassen, sodass ihr in 1000 Jahren, in einer Millionen Jahren, immer noch tanzen werdet, dass ihr die Gerechtigkeit Gottes seid, insbesondere nachdem ihr gesündigt habt!“</span></b><br /><br />Statt zu bekennen: „ Es tut mir so leid, dass ich gesündigt habe“ - das ist eine Praxis des Alten Testaments! „Bekennen“ bedeutet“ mit etwas übereinstimmen. Das ist, was das Griechische bedeutet, „Con“ bedeutet „das gleiche wie“. Du stimmst Gott zu – was? Das du die Gerechtigkeit Gottes bist. Wenn du im alten Testament gesündigt hast, dann hast du Sacktuch, Asche und Sterblichkeit angezogen, hast dich selbst geschlagen! Das solltest du, wenn du unter Gesetz bist, weil er dich töten wird! Er wird dich für Sünde töten! Blut, Ziegen und Stiere – aber trotzdem Schuldgefühle.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >So viele Christen heute bekennen ihre Sünden und fühlen sich immer noch schuldig, weil es nicht so gedacht ist, dass du deine Sünden bekennst. Du sollst das tun, wenn du gerettet wirst! „Herr, ich habe meine Sünden bekannt“ - Nun ist er treu und gerecht, dass er dich von aller Ungerechtigkeit reinigt. Das bedeutet vom Anfang der Zeit bis zum Ende der Zeit. Durch ein Opfer hat er dich FÜR IMMER perfekt gemacht!</span></b><br /><br />Lies das gesamte neue Testament durch und ich fordere dich heraus, eine Passage zu finden, wo die Apostel die Menschen lehren, ihre Sünde zu bekennen, wenn sie gesündigt haben. Sie existiert nicht. 1. Johannes 1,9 – er sagt, wenn ihr eure Sünden bekennt, ist er treu und gerecht, dass er euch von jeder Ungerechtigkeit reinigt. Ich glaube er redet davon, wenn Menschen Christen werden und gerettet werden. Man kann das am Kontext erkennen, wenn man eine neutestamentliche Lehre aufstellt und sie auf einen einzigen Vers gründet und es sonst überall dazu schweigt. Das ist eine Lehre aus dem alten Testament! Also wenn du sündigst, dann sagst du:“Vater, ich mag es nicht, das zu tun und es tut mir Leid, dass ich das getan habe, aber ich will dir danken, dass ich die Gerechtigkeit Gottes in Christus Jesus bin.“<br /><br />Indem du aussprichst, dass du gerecht bist, wirst du nicht gerecht – du bist schon perfekt und gerecht! Aber dadurch, dass du es über dein Leben aussprichst, wirst du darin auferbaut, du machst den Beton fester und fester. Du wirst nachts um 03:00 aufwachen „Ich danke dir, Ich danke dir, dass ich gerecht bin! Und die Gerechten sind furchtlos wie ein Löwe!“<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Je mehr der Beton fest wird, je mehr du weist, dass du die Gerechtigkeit Gottes bist, desto mehr baut sich ein Bewusstsein der Gerechtigkeit in deinem Leben auf - umso mehr neutestamentliche Versprechen von Segen und Nutzen beginnen in deinem Leben zu passieren. Gott wird dich niemals auf der Grundlage deiner Werke segnen. Er wird dich auch nicht auf der Grundlage des Gehorsams segnen. Wenn du denkst, dein Gehorsam verdient den Segen, dann spuckst du auf Römer 5,19, „Durch den Gehorsam des EINEN – wurden VIELE gerecht gemacht.“ Es ist Jesu Gehorsam, durch den du gerecht gemacht wurdest und es ist nicht dein Gehorsam!</span></b><br /><br />Viele Menschen sagen etwas wie – Ja, Jesus Gehorsam gab mir Gerechtigkeit, aber wenn ich jetzt nicht ein Leben des Gehorsams lebe, dann bin ich nicht länger gerecht. Damit sagst du, dass dein Ungehorsam machtvoller ist als Jesu Gehorsam, der dir Gerechtigkeit verliehen hat! Denk nicht mal theologisch – denke einfach logisch! Wie verrückt ist diese Anschuldigung gegen das Kreuz und wie über lange Zeit Adolf Hitler sagte, „wenn man eine Lüge oft genug erzählt, wird die Masse es glauben! Die Traditionen der Lehre der Gemeinde dauert seit Jahrhunderten fort, sodass Millionen von Menschen eine Mischung von Gerechtigkeit als Geschenk und einer anderen Gerechtigkeit einsaugen, die die Bibel nirgends erwähnt – außer Selbstgerechtigkeit – was im Gesetz des alten Bund ist.<br /><br />Das beantwortet die Frage, die Christen stellen können – Wie kommt es, dass ich nicht in allen Segnungen lebe, die im neuen Testament versprochen sind? Wie kommt es, dass ich nicht immer geheilt werde? Wie kommt es, dass meine Gebete nicht immer erhört werden? Warum lebe ich nicht allezeit im Sieg? Ich werde es euch sagen und die Antwort ist sehr simpel. Jesus spricht in einem Gleichnis in Markus 4 (darüber habe ich vor einigen Monaten gepredigt), dass der Same von Gottes Wort gesät worden ist. Der Same Gottes ist das volle Leben Gottes. Die Bibel sagt, dass du durch einen unzerstörbaren Samen wieder geboren wurdest. Gott tut nichts ohne Samen. Es ist ein übernatürlicher Same und es heißt, dass der Same in verschiedenartigen Boden gesät ist. Jeder, der hier im Raum sitzt, hat eine Verfassung seines Herzens. Du hast einen Boden in deinem Herzen in welchen der Same heute morgen hinein gesät wird.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Wenn du eine Verfassung in deinem Herz hast , die geprägt ist von Jahren der Tradition von Menschen, die Gnade und Gesetz mischen und dich unter Verurteilung und Schuld setzen – Die dich denken lassen, dass Gott zornig auf dich ist und sich nicht mehr über dich freut, wegen deiner Sünde, dann hat dein Herz sehr wenig Kapazität für den Samen der Versprechen des Neuen Testaments, um aufzukeimen und Frucht zu bringen.<br /></span></b><br />Jesus gab vier Stufen der Annahme des Samens an.<br /><br />Level 1, Überhaupt keine Frucht. Harter und steiniger Boden – Der zwar starke Same hatte keinen Effekt in den Herzen dieser Menschen als er ausgesät wurde.<br /><br />Level 2, 30-fache Frucht<br /><br />Level 3, 60-fache Frucht<br /><br />Level 4, 100% der Versprechen Gottes werden in deinem leben offenbar!<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Wie viele wollen 100% ? Viele Christen sind wirklich verzweifelt, weil sie versuchen ein hundert prozentiges Ergebnis in der Heilung von Kranken zu erreichen, aber nur mit einer 30-fachen Offenbarung des Geschenks der Gerechtigkeit. Wo eine Gemeinde in Gnade über dieses Thema redet – Dort würde ich nicht ein Treffen verpassen, wenn du eine Pause, einen Urlaub und Ruhe brauchst!</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" >Ich würde sagen, um in Gerechtigkeit auferbaut zu werden muss dieser Beton mit dem Geschenk der Gerechtigkeit auferbaut werden, weil dann jedes Versprechen des neuen Testaments anfangen wird, stattzufinden. Du wirst nicht mal beten müssen – der Segen wird über dich kommen und dich überholen!</span><br /></b><br />Jesus wurde mit Gericht verflucht, das er für unsere Sünde empfing – Er musste nicht dafür beten, dass Gericht oder Fluch kam – er kam in dem MOMENT, indem er zu deiner Sünde gemacht wurde. Der MOMENT, als du zu seiner Gerechtigkeit durch ein kostenloses Geschenk gemacht wurdest, kam der Segen automatisch vom Himmel, aber entsprechend dem Grad, wie weit dein Herz das Geschenk der Gerechtigkeit versteht.<br /><br />Verstehst du mich? Wenn das nicht in deinem Herz auferbaut wird, dann wirst du härter an deiner Ehe arbeiten, härter in deiner Karriere, Kindererziehung, Gesundheit und du wirst weniger und weniger Frucht sehen.<br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Aber wenn das in deinem Herzen aufgebaut wird, dann wirst du weniger und weniger und weniger arbeiten und die Resultate werden mehr und mehr und mehr!</span></b><br /><br />Warum hat Jesus über die Heiden gesagt, dass sie gierig nach Dingen und Geld und Kleidung und einem glücklichen Leben trachten? Er sagte - du! Renne nicht nach diesen Sachen! Verschwende nicht deine Zeit! Er sagte, Ich habe ein Geheimnis, wie das Zeug hinter dir her rennen kann! Das ist alles was du tust – Trachtet zuerst nach dem Reich Gottes! Was ist das Reich Gottes?<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Die wohlwollende, friedliche Herrschaft Gottes – Es ist nicht Essen und Trinken sondern Gerechtigkeit. Wessen Gerechtigkeit? Das Geschenk der Gerechtigkeit! Friede und Freude im Heiligen Geist! Sucht ZUERST das Reich Gottes und seine Gerechtigkeit – nicht deine Gerechtigkeit. Was ist seine Gerechtigkeit? Sie ist ein GESCHENK durch das, was Jesus am Kreuz für dich tat. Werde auferbaut in der Gerechtigkeit und alle Dinge, nach denen die gierigen Heiden trachten, werden hinter dir her rennen – sie werden dich nicht ablenken sondern dir zugefügt werden.</span></b><br /><br />Es gibt dort draußen einige gierige Heiden, die nach dem großen Geld jagen. Gott sagt, du musst das nicht machen! Du lernst einfach durch Offenbarung, wie du Gerecht wurdest, nämlich als Geschenk, das in deinem Herzen auferbaut wird und alle Sachen, nach denen die Heiden eifern und nicht lange in ihren Händen halten können -DIESE Sachen werden hinter dir her rennen und der Wohlstand der Toren soll in die Hände der Gerechten überfließen! Es gibt 2009 einen Transfer des Wohlstands in die Hände der Gerechten! Man sieht viele Christen hart arbeiten mit abnehmendem Gehalt, die diese sehr wichtige Wahrheit vernachlässigen- aufgebaut zu werden!<br /><br />Hast du Jesaja 54 gelesen? Das ist eine fundamentale Botschaft für dieses Jahr. Bist du bereit für richtig gute Nachrichten? Wie viele von euch sehen nicht immer die Versprechen in eurem Leben und in dem von anderen Christen funktionieren?<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><u>Jedes Versprechen, das Gott gemacht hat ist Ja und Amen in Christus! Also ist jedes Versprechen – Es ist sein absoluter Wille für dich, in den Vorteilen und in der Fülle des neuen Testaments zu leben! Jedoch leben die wenigsten Christen überhaupt in einem davon. Was ist der Grun</u>d?<br /></span></b><br />Lasst uns Jesaja 54,17 lesen, dort sagt Gott zu den Menschen im neuen Testament: „Keiner Waffe, die gegen dich geschmiedet wird soll es gelingen.“ Keiner Waffe! Er sagte nicht „die meisten Waffen“. Er sagte keine Waffe! Er sagte nicht „manche! Er sagte „Keine“! Das bedeutet, alles was der Teufel entwickelt – jeder neue Virus oder DNA oder Krankheit oder Seuche oder Wirtschaftskrise, jede Attacke auf deine Ehe – keiner Waffe, die gegen dich geschmiedet ist, soll es gelingen! Wie viele Christen leben in der Fülle dessen? Christen kriegen jede Grippe, die in die Stadt kommt! Keine Waffe?<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Die Bibel wird uns zeigen, dass es eine Bedingung gibt. Und es gibt nur eine Bedingung – und das ist nicht, was dir von Menschen so lange Zeit erzählt wurde. Die Bedingung für alle Versprechen zu funktionieren ist nicht, dass du heiliger wirst, gehorsamer oder fastest oder zurück unter das Gesetz gehst. Der Weg, in die Fülle aller Segnungen zu kommen ist, dass du auferbaut wirst in Gerechtigkeit als einem Geschenk.</span></b><br /><br />(v.14); „ Durch Gerechtigkeit wirst du fest gegründet werden.“ Hast du das verstanden? Die meisten Menschen denken, das bedeutet, Gott wird uns trainieren, besser und besser zu sein. Ich – Ich möchte mich besser benehmen und besser sein. Ich möchte so heilig wie möglich sein, wie Jesus. Ich will nicht mehr sündigen! Aber davon rede ich jetzt nicht – Ich möchte es aus der Bibel zeigen. Lasst uns Vers 17 lesen:“ Und alle Zungen, dich sich gegen dich erheben, sollst du schuldig sprechen“. Wenn du in Gerechtigkeit aufgebaut bist, dann wirst du 2009 jede politische Zunge, jede anklagende Zunge- jede arrogante Zunge, die sich gegen dich erhebt- du wirst JEDE EINZELNE schuldig sprechen!<br /><br />„Das ist das Erbteil der Knechte des Herrn und ihre Gerechtigkeit, die ihnen von mir zuteil wird, spricht der Herr.“ Beachte, die Gerechtigkeit ist nicht deine – du rechtfertigst dich nicht selbst durch dein gutes Benehmen oder durch gute Argumente. Hier wird Gott dein Anwalt – Hier nimmt Gott deine Akte an sich und rechtfertigt dich – nicht auf der Basis deiner Schuldlosigkeit sondern auf der Basis von Jesu Schuldlosigkeit zu deinen Gunsten. Er sagt, dass wenn du in dieser Gerechtigkeit aufgebaut bist – keiner Waffe, die gegen dich geschmiedet wird soll es gelingen. Dich zu rechtfertigen bedeutet, jeden Argwohn zu entfernen und deine Verdienste als Gerechtigkeit aufzubauen. Das Hebräische hier bedeutet, „Weil ihre Gerechtigkeit von mir ist, spricht der Herr.“<br /><br />Lasst uns Jesaja 53 aufschlagen – das ist eine Prophezeiung, aufgeschrieben 700 Jahre vor dem Kreuz. Du meinst, „Das geht jetzt aber wirklich zu lange“. Blödsinn! Hör einfach zu. Komm schon – du sitzt Stunden vor dem Fernseher, um Rugby und Kricket zu schauen – Das ist Gottes Wort und wir wollen in sein Wort eintauchen! Wenn du gehen möchtest, dann geh jetzt! Aber wir werden das Wort Gottes predigen! Wenn du das nicht magst, dann geh bitte! Ich meine das so! Ich rede das Wort Gottes, damit Menschen in Gerechtigkeit auferbaut werden! Ich habe kein Interesse an Menschen, die eine süße kleine Predigt wollen! Es gibt viele Gemeinden – hol dir deine süße Predigt dort!<br /><br />Wir werden zu Tausenden wachsen, aber wir werden keine Menschen befriedigen, die Kurze Predigten wollen! Wir möchten Gerechtigkeit in Gottes Leuten auferbauen! Wir werden Hongkong befreien! Stärke deinen Glauben! Geh mal früher ins Bett! Christen laufen herum, immer am meckern – wenn du nicht in Gerechtigkeit auferbaut wirst – Keiner Waffe, dich gegen dich geschmiedet wird soll es gelingen! Manch einer sagt:“ Bete für mich, ich möchte einfach nur glücklich sein!“ Ich bete nicht für Menschen, die nicht unter dem Wort Gottes bleiben wollen! Ich werde für die Verlorenen auf der Straße beten und die Kraft Gottes wird durch Gnade auf sie kommen – aber die Gläubigen müssen wissen, wie wichtig es ist, die Wahrheit zu wissen und die Wahrheit wird euch frei machen!<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Dieser erbärmliche Gedanke „Ich bin ein Opfer, bete für mich, bete für mich.“ Nein. Hör auf und hör auf das Wort Gottes – werde auferbaut in deinem Herzen und bekomme die richtige Verfassung in dein Herz und die Werkgerechtigkeit raus!“ Oh ihr dummen Leute – Schmeiße die Werkgerechtigkeit über Bord!</span></b><br /><br />Lass den Beton nicht unbeaufsichtigt – Beschütze ihn, bis die Gerechtigkeit fest geworden ist! Hör auf damit, die Gerechtigkeit zu hören und dann wieder abzudriften zu Verurteilung und unverantwortlich mit dieser großen Rettung zu sein, die uns gegeben wurde.<br /><br />Jesaja 53 wurde 700 Jahre bevor Jesus am Kreuz starb geschrieben – Dies waren die Propheten, die mehr über das neue Testament geschrieben haben – Wenn du lernen willst, wie genial das Neue Testament ist – dann lies, was die Propheten über das Neue Testament gesagt haben, während sie unter Gesetz waren, am Kämpfen, den Zorn Gottes klein zu halten – und Jeremia und Jesaja und Daniel sagten; „Es gibt einen Tag, wenn ein neuer Bund kommen wird!“<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >(Römer 3,21) sagt; „Nun aber ist außerhalb des Gesetzes die Gerechtigkeit Gottes offenbar geworden, die von dem Gesetz und den Propheten bezeugt wird, nämlich die Gerechtigkeit Gottes durch den Glauben an Jesus Christus, die zu allen und auf alle kommt, die glauben.“</span></b><br /><br />Diese alttestamentlichen Propheten sahen in die Zukunft. Wir ringen hier mit etwas. Ich bin nicht von 03:00Uhr bis ich hier ankam durch die Hölle gegangen wegen den dunklen Wolken, die versucht haben diese Botschaft von Hongkong fernzuhalten. Ich bin nicht für nichts da durch gegangen. Ich kann den Druck fühlen, „Hör einfach auf und mach jetzt Schluss“. Ich werde nicht Schluss machen und hier aufhören! 700 Jahre bevor Jesus Christus ans Kreuz ging , kam der Geist Gottes auf Jesaja und zeigte ihm was am Kreuz passieren würde (Jesaja 53,4).<br /><br />Fürwahr (nicht vielleicht) er hat unsere Krankheit getragen und unsere Schmerzen auf sich geladen; wir aber hielten ihn für bestraft, von Gott geschlagen und nieder gebeugt.“<br /><br />Wer von euch weiß, dass es ein großes Problem war, als die jüdischen Menschen Jesus von Gott verlassen am Kreuz sahen? Viele von ihnen wie Paulus sagten:“ Er kann kein gerechter Prophet gewesen sein – Gott hätte ihn nicht verurteilt!“ Die gesamte Muslimischen Welt – Und ich ehre die Moslems – der Koran lehrt, dass Jesus von einer Jungfrau geboren wurde, aber sie glauben nicht, dass Jesus gekreuzigt wurde, weil sie nicht glauben, dass Gott einen gerechten Propheten namens Jesus bestrafen würde!<br /><br />Es gibt manche Leute, die meinen Satan hätte Jesus ans Kreuz genagelt. Unsinn! Was würde Satan tun? Es war Gott, der Jesus bestrafte – Es war Gott! Lies den Vers 10: „ Aber dem Herrn gefiel es, ihn zu zerschlagen, er ließ ihn leiden. Wenn er sein Leben zum Schuldopfer gegeben hat, (…).“ Was hat Jesus am Kreuz auf sich genommen?<br /><br />Als Jesus ans Kreuz ging, nahm er die Krankheit auf sich, die wir verdienen, den Zorn den wir verdienen, den Fluch – Er nahm all das aus freien Stücken auf sich! Für die Freude, die vor ihm lag – Er nahm das Kreuz auf sich in der Gewissheit über die Freude, die wir haben würden, wenn wir das glauben und in der Gerechtigkeit auferbaut werden.<br /><br />Warum hat Gott Jesus zerschlagen? Warum hat er ihn durchbohrt? Lasst es uns in Vers 5 lesen, „Doch er wurde um unserer Übertretungen willen durchbohrt.“ Wegen meinen“. „Wegen unserer Missetaten zerschlagen, die Strafe lag auf ihm, damit wir Frieden hätten, und durch seine Wunden sind wir geheilt worden. Wir gingen alle in die Irre wie Schafe, ein jeder wandte sich auf seinen Weg, aber der Herr warf unser aller Schuld auf ihn.“<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >(Vers 11) „Nachdem seine Seele Mühsal erlitten hat, wird er seine Lust sehen und die Fülle haben“ - das ist die Auferstehung.</span></b><br /><br />„Durch seine Erkenntnis wird mein Knecht, der Gerechte, viele gerecht machen, und ihre Sünden wird er tragen. Darum will ich ihm die vielen zum Anteil geben, und er wird starke zum Raub erhalten“ - Hier gibt Gott uns den Sieg am Kreuz. „Dafür, dass er seine Seele dem Tod preisgegeben hat und sich unter die Übeltäter zählen ließ und die Sünde vieler getragen und für die Übeltäter gebetet hat.“<br /><br />Der springende Punkte in diesen Versen liegt auf der Hand. Ich habe Jesaja 53 viele Male gelesen, aber was ist die offensichtliche, klare Botschaft über das, was am Kreuz passiert ist?<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Und zwar einfach folgendes – Dass Jesus zerschlagen wurde, sodass Gott dich niemals zerschlagen würde. Jesus wurde durchbohrt, sodass Gott dich niemals mit Leid oder Krankheit oder Armut durchbohren würde. Jesus wurde bestraft, das ist die Garantie, dass Gott dich niemals bestrafen wird! Jesus wurde Von Gott zum Schuldopfer gemacht, sodass du dich niemals schuldig fühlen wirst.<br /><br />Wie viele von euch glauben, dass Jesus am Kreuz dafür starb, dass Christen die Kraft haben, nie mehr zu sündigen? Was war der primäre Grund, wofür Jesus am Kreuz starb? Wurde er zerschlagen, damit wir nie wieder sündigen? Ich muss euch ehrfürchtig sagen, dass wenn der Hauptgrund warum Jesus am Kreuz starb war, dass wir nicht mehr sündigen, dann hat er versagt.</span></b><br /><br />Ich habe noch keinen Christen getroffen, der aufgehört hat zu sündigen. Wenn der Vater in der Ewigkeit sagt, „Ich muss dafür sorgen, dass die Menschen aufhören zu sündigen und der Hauptgrund, warum ich meinen Sohn senden werde, um zu sterben, zerschlagen und durchbohrt zu werden ist, dass Christen niemals wieder sündigen- Dann haben der Vater und der Sohn und der Heilige Geist TOTAL versagt. Weil Millionen von Christen bis zum Tag an dem sie sterben niemals 100% frei von Sünde in Geist, Gedanken oder Einstellung sein werden. Aber!<br /><br />Aber, wenn der Hauptgrund für Jesu Tod am Kreuz war, dass deine Sünden dir niemals wieder zur Last gelegt werden, weil er schon dafür bestraft wurde – Wenn der Hauptgrund warum er starb war, dass dein Sündigen und deine Sünde dich niemals wieder von der Liebe Gottes trennen können, dann hat Jesus absoluten Erfolg gehabt, in dem was er tat.<br /><br />Doch Heutzutage wir das Kreuz nicht so gepredigt.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Heutzutage wird das Kreuz sehr oft als Druckmittel der Manipulation benutzt, um zu versuchen Christen durch Schuld vom Sündigen abzuhalten und es funktioniert nicht.</span></b><br /><br />Ich fordere dich heraus, Jesaja 53 zu lesen und zu prüfen, ob das was ich sage wahr ist. Jesus starb nicht am Kreuz, um uns dazu zu kriegen, dass wir nicht mehr sündigen. Er starb am Kreuz um die Verurteilung 100% von uns wegzunehmen.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Menschen, die frei von aller Verurteilung sind, haben die Kraft, größeren Sieg über Sünde zu haben.</span></b><br />Zu der Frau, die beim Ehebruch erwischt wurde, zu ihr sagte Jesus „Frau, Ich verurteile dich nicht, so geh nun und sündige nicht mehr.“<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Wenn die Verurteilung von dir weggenommen ist, dann hast du größere Kraft Sünde zu überwinden.</span></b><br /><br />Doch in dem Prozess, Jesus ähnlicher zu werden und uns mit bestimmten Dingen in unserem Leben auseinanderzusetzen – werden wir umso schneller durch diese Prozesse gehen, je mehr die Verurteilung von uns genommen ist. Auf Jesaja 53 folgt Jesaja 54 – Die Bibel muss im Kontext gelesen werden. Dieser Prophet sah das neue Testament kommen und prophezeite 700 Jahre vor dem Kreuz, dass Christus uns erlösen würde, er sagt das über die Zukunft und in dieser leben wir jetzt! Er sagt, Gott sagt folgendes zu seinen Menschen:<br /><br />„In überwallendem Zorn habe ich einen Augenblick mein Angesicht vor dir verborgen.“ Dieser Moment war die Zeit als das Gesetz vom Berg Sinai kam bis 1700 Jahre später, als Jesus uns vom Fluch des Gesetzes am Kreuz erlöste. Diese gesamte Zeit ist der Moment, die er überwallenden Zorn hatte, weil er Sünde durch das Gesetz bestrafen musste. Aber er sagt, dass das neue Testament kommen wird und dieser Bund wird wie der Bund zur Zeit Noahs sein. Denn ich habe geschworen, dass die Wasser Noahs nie wieder die Erde überfluten sollen.<br /><br />Wenn eine Globale Flut diese Welt treffen sollte und ich überlebe, dann schmeiße ich meine Bibel weg und werde Gott als einen totalen Lügner verwerfen, weil er einen Bund geschworen hat und er nicht Lügen kann. Dieser Gott, der nicht Lügen kann, hat einen Bund geschworen- nicht für sich selbst! Er muss sich selbst nicht beweisen, dass er nie lügen wird! Sondern zu unserer Sicherheit – Er wird nie wieder die Erde in einer globalen Flut ertränken. Sondern er sagt, dass genau wie er das geschworen hat, es mit dem neuen Bund sein wird. Ich schwöre und mache einen Bund- und wenn Gott einen Bund macht, dann kann dieser nie rückgängig gemacht werden!<br /><br />Sobald Gott einen Bund macht – dann wird dein Benehmen, gut oder schlecht, was immer du tust- Er wird nie seine Meinung ändern. Er hat bei sich selbst geschworen „ Ich werde nie über dich zornig sein – ich werde dich nie schelten!“ Das hebräische Wort hier lautet „verurteilen“. Ich werde niemals meine Liebe von dir nehmen – Ich werde niemals meinen Frieden von dir nehmen! Weil er einen Bund geschworen hat! Also jedes Mal, wenn du dich fühlst, als ob Gott zornig auf dich ist – dann ist das nicht Gott! Das ist eine religiöse dämonische Lüge! Jedes Mal, wenn du denkst, Gott hat seine Liebe von dir genommen, dann ist das nicht Gott, sonder ein Lügengeist! Und es zeigt, dass du noch nicht in der Gerechtigkeit auferbaut bist, weil sobald du in Gerechtigkeit aufgebaut bist – sich keine Lügen mehr in deinem Kopf einnisten können!<br /><br />Aber du wirst nicht in Gerechtigkeit durch beiläufige Anwesenheit auferbaut!<br />Du musst in die Materie einsteigen und es hören und dich einhängen und darin leben und wenn du auferbaut wirst, dann gehen die Lügen einfach aus deinen Gedanken weg, weil du auferbaut bist und dich nichts mehr ausradiert werden kann.<br /><br />Lasst uns Jesaja 54 lesen- Gott kann nicht mehr zornig auf dich sein, weil er allen Zorn durch Jesus am Kreuz beendet hat. Gott hat Jesus für deinen Frieden zerschlagen. Er kann niemals wieder zornig auf dich sein! Ich bin zornig hier auf religiöse Dämonen, die so lange Gottes Menschen beraubt haben. Ich bin so müde davon, Menschen die Hände aufzulegen und sie aus Gebundenheit heraus zubeten- wenn ihre Gedanken nicht erneuert und in Wahrheit auferbaut werden, dann sagt der Feind, „Toll, ich warte eine Stunde und dann werde ich dich mit noch mehr Lügen bombardieren!“ Du wirst 2009 nicht überleben- Es geht darum 2009 aufzublühen und in Gerechtigkeit auferbaut zu werden!<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Gemeinden die dieses Jahr die Gnade zurückweisen – Ich weiß nicht was mit ihnen passieren wird. Gott wird sie nicht richten aber der Feind wird sie auseinander nehmen.</span></b><br /><br />„Für einen Moment“ - Das ist altes Testament . Einen Moment! „Aber mit ewiger Gnade – sein Zorn ist für einen Moment – aber seine Gnade währt ewig. Ich will mich über dich erbarmen, spricht der Herr, dein Erlöser.“<br /><br />„(Vers 9) Und das soll mir sein wie die Wasser Noahs: Denn wie ich geschworen habe, dass die Wasser Noahs nie mehr die Erde überfluten sollen, so habe ich geschworen, dass ich nie mehr über dich zornig werden noch dich schelten werde.“<br /><br />Du magst vielleicht nichts spüren, aber in meinem Geist spüre ich etwas in der unsichtbaren Welt, von dem ich hoffe, das sichs keiner von euch dessen bewusst ist. Ich sage euch, der Feind möchte einfach nicht, dass die Wahrheit heute in eurem Geist freigesetzt wird. Ich kann es fühlen, dass ich heute für etwas stehen muss. Er möchte nicht, dass du das bekommst- er möchte, dass du sagst: „Das weiß ich alles, du hast darüber vor 2 Jahren gepredigt.“ Du musst darin auferbaut werden! (Vers 9) Gott schwört – Er hat einen Bund geschworen! „ Einen Bund des Friedens“ - Das ist der neue Bund. Gott hat einen Bund geschworen.<br /><br />Wie viele Christen wissen über den Bund mit Noah? Gott schuf einen Regenbogen und schwor einen Bund, dass er die Erde niemals wieder mit einer globalen Flut zerstören würde- Fast 100% aller Christen kennen diesen Bund. Aber ich garantiere euch, dass die Mehrheit der Christen diesen wichtigen Bund, der unumkehrbar ist, nicht kennen! Wenn Gott diesen Bund bricht, wird er in einen Strudel der Nichtbeachtung gesaugt, weil er nicht als Gott der absoluten Wahrheit existieren kann, wenn er unter dem Bund lebt. Wie viele Christen haben absolutes Vertrauen in diesen Bund?<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Er ist der wichtigste Bund der gesamten Bibel und die meisten Gläubigen, wissen nicht einmal, dass er existiert! Und diejenigen, die wissen, dass es ihn gibt- für die ist er so nebelhaft und wurde nie zum Beton, der in ihren Herzen fest ist. Ich sage euch, warum die meisten Christen diesen Bund nicht kennen. Weil der Teufel weiß, dass sobald dieser Bund in deinem Herzen auferbaut ist, dass du die Gerechtigkeit Gottes bist und dass Gott dich niemals bestrafen oder zornig auf dich sein wird – niemals sein Gesicht vor dir verbergen wird (weil sein Gesicht vor dir zu verbergen ,sein Wohlwollen von dir zu verbergen bedeutet- Und sein Wohlwollen ist permanent auf dir, jetzt und für immer.).</span></b><br /><br />Der Teufel weiß, dass sobald du in deinem Herzen auferbaut bist, dass es dann keiner Waffe gelingen wird, die er gegen dich formt! Gerade jetzt werden Waffen gegen dich und mich geschmiedet, die zu einem gewissen Grad Erfolg haben.<br /><br />Gott gibt uns einen Weg zum leben, in dem wir, egal was der Feind auf uns schmeißt, es ihm nie gelingen wird! Weil du auferbaut bist!<br /><br />In Matthäus 16 sagt Jesus zu seinen Jüngern: „Für wen halten die Leute mich?“ -Die Jünger sagen, „Elijah“ und so weiter. Aber dann sagt Jesus,“Für wen haltet ihr mich?“ Um ehrlich zu sein, sie hatten kein Ahnung! Petrus antwortet:“ Du bist Christus, der Sohn des lebendigen Gottes!“ Im Hebräischen heißt „der Christus“ der „Gesalbte“. Es meint den „Messias“! Petrus als Jude kannte Jesaja 53. Er kannte den leidenden Knecht- den Messias, den Gesalbten, der vom Vater für uns zerschlagen und bestraft werden würde. Sodass der Vater einen Bund schwören würde uns niemals zu schelten oder seine Liebe von uns zu nehmen- uns niemals den Frieden zu nehmen, sondern immer zu uns zu reden und mit uns verbunden zu sein, mit der absoluten Anerkennung, dass wir gerecht sind.<br /><br />Petrus wusste das! Als er sagte “Du bist Christus- der Messias.“, drehte sich Jesus um und sagte:“Fleisch und Blut haben dir das nicht offenbart.“ „Du hast das nicht in der Bibelschule oder während dem Bibellesen gelernt.“ „Fleisch und Blut haben dir das nicht offenbart sondern mein Vater, der im Himmel ist, hat dir das offenbart und auf diesen Felsen“. Welchen Felsen? Den Felsen der Offenbarung. Was ist ein Felsen? Etwas, das unbewegbar ist- Es ist etwas, das auferbaut und darauf auferbaut und darauf auferbaut ist. Auf diese auferbaute Offenbarung will ich meine Gemeinde bauen und Pforten der Hölle sollen sie nicht überwältigen! Schau dir die Geschichte an! Die Gemeinde hat nicht standgehalten! Sie ist zurückgewichen und unter Druck eingegangen – sie hat homosexuelle Leiter ordiniert und alles mögliche getan- sie hat Kompromisse mit dem Evangelium gemacht und ist davon abgefallen. Sie hat sich verkauft an die gängige Kultur einer korrupten Zeit.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Sie hat nicht das Königreich ergriffen und ist nicht unter Widerstand und Angriffen weitergegangen. Sie sinkt ein, wenn Druck herrscht! Die Gemeinde ist nicht auf der Offenbarung , dass Christus der Messias ist, dass er uns am Kreuz für immer recht mit dem Vater gemacht und wenn wir darin aufgebaut sind, dann können die Pforten der Hölle die Gemeinde nicht überwältigen!</span></b><br /><br />Der Teufel wollte nicht, dass du das weist! Das ist der Grund warum ich weiter das Evangelium predigen werde und ich sage dir, es ist seit viereinhalb Jahren die Hölle. Ich habe niemals so hart gekämpft, wie in den letzten vier Jahren seit ich in Hongkong lebe. Nicht weil Hongkong böse ist, sondern weil ich noch nie Woche für Woche dem Teufel gegenüberstand, Stunde zu Stunde, manchmal von Angesicht zu Angesicht und ihm sage:<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >„Nein ich gebe dieses Evangelium nicht auf, wegen dem Druck aufzugeben, sodass ich keine Freunde verliere, die mich angreifen, weil Ich weiß, dass ich einen Traum habe, den ich Tag und Nacht mit Leidenschaft träume Jahrzehnt für Jahrzehnt und jetzt nach 3 Jahrzehnten, die Erde zu sehen bevor Ich zu Gott gehe – als Gemeinde die ihn verherrlicht- eine Gemeinde, die nicht unter Druck aufgibt. Eine Gemeinde, gegen die der Teufel keine Waffe hat und sagt,“Okay, die hier hat nicht funktioniert – Ich werde eine neue erfinden. Oh diese hat auch nicht funktioniert.“</span></b><br /><br />Keiner Waffe, die er formt soll es gelingen- weil wir in Gerechtigkeit auferbaut sind. Nicht nur funktionieren seine Attacken nicht mehr sondern seine Pforten der Abwehr können nicht mehr standhalten- lasst uns in Deckung gehen!“ Es gibt Regionen in Hongkong – ganze Gedankenkonstrukte , ganze wirtschaftliche Arbeitsweisen, Gedanken über Erziehung und Mentalitäten; „Ich muss die Gemeinde daran hindern dort rein zukommen!“ Nein- sogar die Pforten können nicht standhalten gegen eine Gemeinde, die in Jesu Gerechtigkeit auferbaut ist. Waffen können nicht bestehen- Die Pforten können nicht bestehen! Seine Waffen scheitern! Es ist nicht so, dass er aufhören würde, zu kämpfen – Er wird weitermachen- aber er wird einfach nicht funktionieren!<br /><br />Seinen Waffen kann es nicht gelingen- Dann schickt er die ganze Hölle los und es funktioniert nicht. Wir gehen weiter und brechen durch! Für 300 Jahre war das die Gemeinde. Lies die Apostelgeschichte und du wirst schockiert sein, was du auf der Erde passieren siehst! Diese Apostel und Propheten und Gottes Leute wussten nichts von moderner Therapie in der Gemeinde! „Ich bin ein Opfer! Ich bin voll von Selbstmitleid und brauche innere Heilung wegen meiner Vergangenheit!“ Sie wussten nichts davon! Sie sahen nur die Kraft des Kreuzes- dass sie die Gerechtigkeit Gottes sind und dass der Vater mich liebt und wenn der Vater mich so sehr liebt, dann zur Hölle mit meiner Vergangenheit- Ich bin auf dem Weg zum Himmel! Sie waren auferbaut!<br /><br />Die Bibel sagt, die Apostelgeschichte hatte die Herrlichkeit Gottes, Wunder, Zeichen und Wunder. Sie wurden ausgepeitscht, geschlagen und angegriffen und sind einfach weiter gegangen! Sie waren im Gefängnis und das Gefängnis zerfiel! Sie priesen Gott im Gefängnis und wurden ausgepeitscht, weil sie das Evangelium verkündigten! Heute verlassen Menschen die Gemeinde, wenn du zu lange predigst. Oder weil du nicht freundlich „Hallo“ gesagt hast. Oder weil sie nicht beim ersten Anruf zum Pastor durchgekommen sind, weil er gerade zu tun hatte. Diese Leute sind durchgebrochen- warum? Weil sie aufgebaut waren! Was passiert heute in der modernen Gemeinde? Das Gesetz wird den Menschen auferlegt. Du wirst niemals auferbaut werden, wenn du mit dieser verworrenen Mentalität lebst. Manche Menschen sollten aufhören, in die Gemeinde und zu Konferenzen zu gehen, weil du dort verwirrt wirst. Weil du es siehst und dann gehst du woanders hin und dort mischen sie sehr clever ein bisschen Gesetz mit menschlicher Anstrengung und was du tun musst, um den Segen zu verdienen und das verwirrt dich.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Manche Christen sollten auf eine 5 jährige Diät gehen während der Beton fest wird- bleib bei der Gnade!</span></b><br /><br />Das für 2009, wo Menschen mit so viel Furcht leben! Der Sicherheit hinterherrennend- die nicht seien können, wo zu viel Druck herrscht – Es gibt nur um mein Leben und meine Familie. Nein es geht nur darum, was Gott möchte, dass du tust! „Durch Gerechtigkeit wirst du fest gegründet sein. Du wirst fern sein von Bedrückung, denn du brauchst dich nicht zu fürchten!“<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Und was ist die Bedingung Rob? Das Gesetz halten? Nein- sondern in der Gerechtigkeit auferbaut zu sein.</span></b><br /><br />„Terror wird fern von dir sein.“ Er sagte nicht, dass es keinen Terrorismus mehr geben wird- Terrorismus steigt in der Welt an. Er sagte, er wird fern von dir sein. „(Vers 15) Siehe, sie mögen sich wohl zusammenrotten, aber es geht nicht von mir aus.“ Ich höre Menschen sagen; „Wenn du eine Tür öffnest und der Teufel kommt herein- dann hat Gott den Teufel auf dich geschickt und dich zurecht zubringen. Gott benutzt den Teufel, um dich zu disziplinieren.“ Wenn ich meine Kinder diszipliniere, indem ich sie über den Zaun werfe, wo reißende Hunde warten und die Hunde ihre Gesichter zerbeißen- Das wird dir eine Lehre sein! Gott hat keine Tür für den Teufel offen gelassen. Jesus hat jede einzelne Tür am Kreuz geschlossen, als er sagte „Es ist vollbracht!“ Alle Autorität im Himmel und auf der Erde wurde ihm gegeben! Er nahm jeden Schlüssel, den der Teufel hatte!<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Du öffnest niemals Türen zum Teufel! Der einzige weg, wie du dem Teufel eine Tür öffnen kannst, ist indem du nicht an das Evangelium glaubst. Wenn er dich anlügt und sagt:“Du hast gesündigt- Jetzt habe ich das Recht zurück zu dir zu kommen“ - Nein, er wird dich angreifen, ob du gut lebst oder wenn du sündigst!</span></b><br /><br />Er wird dich angreifen und dich anlügen, dass er dich angreift, weil du ihm eine Tür geöffnet hast! Nein- du machst besser jede Türe zu und wirst dir deiner selbst bewusst- bewusst von dir selbst. Sag einfach, „Halt den Mund Teufel! Ich weiß, dass ich gesündigt habe, aber ich sag dir was – Ich bin die Gerechtigkeit Gottes und ich werde den Sieg über diese Sünde bekommen und ich werde Gnade bekommen, das hinter mich zu bringen und ich werde nicht in Sünde leben! Aber du hast keine Türen- keine Pforten können mich überwinden- nicht weil ich heilig wäre oder wegen meiner Perfektion, sondern wegen der Gerechtigkeit, die ein freies Geschenk ist, in der ich auferbaut bin!“<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Wer auch immer gegen dich ist, es ist nicht Gott.</span></b><br /><br />Unter dem alten Bund ließ Gott die Nationen rundum Israel es angreifen. Im neuen Bund sagt er, wenn irgendwer meine Leute angreift- ich werde es nicht sein, und wer sich gegen dich zusammenrottet wird an dir zu Fall kommen! „(Vers 17) Alle Zungen, die sich gegen dich vor Gericht erheben, sollst du schuldig sprechen. Das ist das Erbteil der Knechte des Herrn und ihre Gerechtigkeit, die ihnen von mir zuteil wird, spricht der Herr.“ Schließt eure Augen und eure Bibeln".Dan Bowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15661120561123767936noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496810378047281592.post-66034003517159364172010-08-05T20:38:00.002+01:002010-08-05T20:48:32.019+01:00"A Biblical Defence of the Gospel of Grace" - Rob RufusI am absolutely thrilled City Church International in Hong Kong are taking advantage of all aspects of technology! Ryan Rufus has called this possibly one of the most important sermons that Rob has ever preached. Here it is on video - Rob responding to 5 accusations levelled against him;<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11804054&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=1&color=&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11804054&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=1&color=&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/11804054">9 May 2010, Part A - 'A biblical defense of the gospel of grace', Rob Rufus</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/citychurch">City Church</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Dan Bowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15661120561123767936noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496810378047281592.post-74846026226577313782010-07-25T11:26:00.003+01:002010-07-25T11:26:44.218+01:0010 Ugly Faces of the Grace Hating Spirit<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxWKZCU1qFcf5RQRB5tnARigyWY-p_DX0Et7d0Ps82jZE1XD_ginZrIlCx-wcOJ0AUjpHR_BSq-XzkmQSc5otr_lqoJrDTjLbDSfQ-jDuFd_l5zeq4J65ZZ5bJFJF6t8bv2Fsi_ICQ4R0/s1600/Rob+praying+at+TOAM+07.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxWKZCU1qFcf5RQRB5tnARigyWY-p_DX0Et7d0Ps82jZE1XD_ginZrIlCx-wcOJ0AUjpHR_BSq-XzkmQSc5otr_lqoJrDTjLbDSfQ-jDuFd_l5zeq4J65ZZ5bJFJF6t8bv2Fsi_ICQ4R0/s320/Rob+praying+at+TOAM+07.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497787527822168082" /></a>One of the main reasons why I was so utterly gutted to miss the last "Glory and Grace Conference" in Hong Kong was something called an "Island Getaway" that was held after the conference. During that time the guys got to hear Rob speak some more and he gave a session called; "<a href="http://ccihk.com/en/component/biblestudy/?view=studydetails&id=108">The 10 Ugly Faces of the Grace-Hating Spirit</a>". I did post it some time ago after it was made available but it is a <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#009900;">MUST</span> </b>publish again for two reasons. 1. You can never hear these warnings enough. 2. This week we are going to encounter the "Grace-Hating Spirit" in various shades of intensity (myself included for certain).<div><br /></div><div>Here it is:</div><div><br /></div><div>"This feels like military training where you have been going for days and days and you think "We need to stop and have a break and fellowship!". And someone else says; "Nah push on!". I just want to finish this session so we can finish and go and have lunch. We need to finish at 12pm and I don't like working within schedules. The Holy Spirit seems to work a lot better when there are no schedules. I don't know many miracle ministries that don't have hours of meetings. This is what I believe. When we bring the whole church into grace - miracles will start breaking out in the opening of the service. The reason these meetings take so long to get miracles is because you have got to clear the unbelief away - the condemnation - the confusion and it takes 2-3 hours to get that off God's people. That's why I love local church! I have preached on platforms of multiple thousands and it is an incredible privilidge and an amazing honour but I don't find it flattering at all to my ego. I am enjoying this little church in Hong Kong - small little church at this stage! I believe we will grow into the thousands but I am enjoying this little church because it is the feedback of seeing lives changed through this message of grace. It is just so wonderful.</div><br />For me apostles don't go for a weekend here and a weekend there and a weekend there. I don't see that! I think the shortest trip may have been 3 weeks to the Thessalonians but other places - 2 years here, 3 years here. In Ephesus Paul preached every single day. He didn't fly out here and there but preached and stayed every single day for 2 years in the hall of Tyranus. Apostles are not just goers. They are sent ones. But they are not butterflies. I was sent to Australia and I stayed there for 12 years. I was sent to Hong Kong and am staying here! Paul stayed and he shared the grace of God with them and said don't get carried away by this and this - it is the grace of God that can give you an inheritance amongst those being sanctified.<br /><br />That's what he was doing - preaching grace for 2 years! That is a man caught up in the 3rd heaven and got his message of grace from the Father and he took 3 years to unpack it. In that space of time it says the Gospel went throughout all Asia Minor but Paul didn't go. The fallout of this message gave an inheritance. You can't go - "Well I preached six weeks on grace!". All you did was introduce people to the shallows. "I didn't have anything else to preach - I did everything I knew on grace". Well start at the beginning and preach it all again. You are dealing with more than 1500 years of Dark Ages. The Reformation has only been 500 years but even top evangelical theologians are going back to a Roman Catholic understanding of justification by faith. Top evangelicals! Just read John Piper's books! Justification by faith is under attack again. And Christians are very shallow on their understanding of this.<br /><br /><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">You don't bring the church out of 1500 years of Dark Ages by a six-part series on grace! It takes years to transition people out! </span></i></b><br /><br />Just to throw in something here for questions and answers. Abraham got grace. Galatians 3 says that God preached the Gospel in advance to Abraham. Then it was ratified in Christ. It says that the law came 430 years after Abraham but it says when the law covenant came it did not nullify or set aside the covenant of promise that God made with Abraham. So when Jesus arrived on the earth the covenant of grace and the covenant of law were there available for Israel. At any point Israel could have said; "We repent of saying give us the law - we will do what it says! We want what Abraham had!" and they could have come straight back into that. So when people repented and saw grace Jesus called them "sons and daughters of Abraham" and He only said that to two people.<br /><br /><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Who were the people who had the greatest faith in all of Israel? Those who had never been under law! The Syro-Phonecian woman and the centurion</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">.</span></i></b><br /><br />So you have got to understand that by the time Jesus arrived to Israel - grace and the revelation to Abraham was almost completely gone. Abraham brought the key to knowledge - which is the nature of God.<br /><br /><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">What is the key to knowledge? I believe personally it is the nature of God. When the nature of God is revealed as goodness and grace - that is the key to knowledge!</span></i></b><br /><br />I do have a history degree although that doesn't mean much because it was so long ago. It's history! This has fascinated me how civilisations have formed and secular historians will say that it was the Reinaissance that brought an acceleration of knowledge, inventions, arts, science and political freedoms. No - if you study Francis Schaeffers book on; "How Then Shall We Live?" - it is the Reformation - the revelation of the nature of God. Justification by faith that God is a good God that justifies the wicked and accepts them and loves them. That's where knowledge is! The nature of God and the revelation of God's nature is the key to knowledge. So once justification by faith came, that is when the church came out of the Dark Ages and you can trace from the Reformation advancements in science - because the religious church was wanting to put to death people that advanced in science! When Galileo was trying to say "No the whole universe isn't rotating around the sun" - the church under law said "We will kill you!". So science was surpressed because they had taken away the key to knowledge which is the nature of God.<br /><br />Arts began to increase and everything began to explode. Human rights began to increase and civilisation came! That is why Europe was the cradle of civilisation because of the gospel - human rights etc - and now they have got a flimsy frame because they have taken away the foundation! They have taken away the key to knowledge. The church! Not the secular world!<br /><br /><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">The secular world almost seems to understand more about grace than the average fundementalist Christian.</span></i></b><br /><br />So we are on about something more than just feeling secure - personal peace and prosperity. "I want to have a happy little church where we all feel happy and praise and worship". No! It is about transformation of the way society thinks. We are meant to have the key of knowledge which is the revelation that Abraham got. <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#009900;">Let look here - I am going to look at 10 Ugly Faces of the Grace-Hating Spirit.</span></b> If you do not understand what I am going to give to you now - if you go into this as a cute, sweet little pastor - then don't even start! Because you will be eaten for breakfast by the grace-hating spirit. You will be so confused and come under such demonic confusion that you won't know whether you are coming or going. You have got to know that Martin Luther nearly lost his mind many times and he was depressed for a long time! Can you imagine when one man stepped out and said "No!" to centuries! There was always a line who believed in justification by faith - but a small little thread here and there. So here is one man that stood out and took the whole thing on. It is not against the Catholic church but against a SPIRIT! I love Roman Catholics, I love Muslims and Hinduis.<br /><br /><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">2 Corinthians 5:9; "God was in Christ reconciling the WORLD to Himself - NOT counting MEN'S sins against them!". It didn't just say "the church's" sins against them. The world!</span></i></b><br /><br />So we are involved with more than just sweet little churches that are happy because they are in grace. This is something that changes the globe. It is because of legalism that we have international wars, ethnic violence, religious wars.<br /><br /><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Legalism makes people angry, harsh, mean, judgemental, full of selfish ambition, gossip, slander - you cannot trust legalists!</span></i></b><br /><br />One of the mistakes the devil made when he began to attack us was that he overshot - some of the Chinese people in our church when I began to first preach freedom from the law were completely shocked! They just said "Oh my God he has gone made! If we are not under law what are we under?!". The Holy Spirit! "You mean there's no 10 Commandments anymore!?". I am not blaming them! I love them! I am blaming their teachers.<br /><br /><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">So those of you who have already started transitioning your churches will know that there are some things that happen. Sometimes it is not even through people - it is an invisible hatred that comes on your mind - an invisible hostility. </span></i></b><br /><br />I remember I was in Hong Kong for at least a year and then I preached on the finished work of the Cross and got the devil so by surprise that it just flowed and everyone received it and it was wonderful. I stepped out the pulpit and went home and was so happy and then suddenly bang! The heavens closed! Without one second reprive it was a spirit of heaviness! Hong Kong wasn't used to hearing this message! There came a reaction! Please don't be confused. Don't think of human beings - think of a spirit behind human beings. Love the human beings - show mercy and kindness and don't react - that is exactly what part of the tactic is that you get bitter against the opposition and start fighting the opposition and start preaching to prove they are wrong and you are right. No Jesus preached very strongly at the Pharisees and warned them. You need to have those kind of guts and get up and warn and rebuke to their face people who preach the opposite in your church. Peter came to Paul's church in Antioch and Paul had the right to confront Peter to his face.<br /><br /><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Shepherds you need to safeguard the church from legalism! That is your main responsibility to keep the church free from the law! You can't rely on apostles to do that because many of them aren't! They are under the law themselves - I am sorry to say that but it is the truth.</span></i></b><br /><br />I was under the law and I preached law and grace mixed together in Australia and South Africa. I am doing my best to not preach any mixture anymore. When you start that - this is the way that Paul described some of the grace-hating spirit. "Spies, bewitchers, fearmongers, agitators, dogs, evil men, mutilators of the flesh, deceitful schemers". That is what you are dealing with! It can be a face that smiles at you because the legalist face is a nice face and it is sweet when it smiles as it cuts you. Please don't think most legalists to their face are these mean-hearted people. They are sweet and disarming! But they will disarm you from grace into law. It is cunning and clever and deliberate and intentional. Be aware!<br /><br /><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">What I learnt in the military was if you are going to succeed then know your enemy and know his strengths and weaknesses otherwise he will take you out. Do not try to transition into grace naively thinking "This is such a wonderful message and everyone is going to be happy!". </span></i></b><br /><br />There is a way to transition without hardly losing anyone. I believe good leadership can transition a church without hardly having to lose anyone. Look quickly at Luke chapter 11. Jesus had just read "How to win friends and influence people" so He starts with "Woe to you!". (v52); "Woe to you experts in the law because you have taken away the key to knowledge". What Abraham saw - they took away. "You yourselves have not entered". In other words you haven't stepped into the glory - you haven't stepped into the power and the favour and blessing of God the way Abraham did. You yourselves have not entered and; "You have hindered those who were entering". That is what is happening in the earth. There are leaders who are hindering their people entering because they themselves don't enter and they are preachers of a mixture of law and grace. (v53); "When Jesus left there the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose Him".<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#009900;">1. Ugly Face No. 1: Opposition to Grace.</span></b><br /><br />Jesus is grace! The law was given through Moses. Grace and truth came in Jesus Christ. The law is impersonal. It was given through a mediation of angels through Moses but Jesus who is grace came personally to the earth. Grace is not a doctrine - it is a Person. His Name is Jesus! That is His Nature! That is the key to knowledge; God is a God of grace. God never intended to bring the law and never wanted to bring the law. If you study Galatians 3 and other passages of Scripture like Hebrews 10:8 you will see that He brought the law because of Israel's unbelief.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#009900;">2. Ugly Face No. 2: Fiercely.</span></b><br /><br />"Oppose Him fiercly". There is a grace-hating spirit that really is fierce!<br /><br /><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">If you have not yet felt it then you have not yet been preaching grace the way that Paul preached it.</span></i></b><br /><br />They began to oppose Him fiercly.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#009900;">3. Ugly Face No. 3: Besiege.</span></b><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><b><i>They will set up siege against your ministry. A siege is when an opposing army camps around your city and tries to stop supplies coming in and things going out. </i></b></span><br /><br />Stop people listening to your website. You won't get invited to our camp. This will close doors to you. I think they are doors that should be closed! They beseiged Him. "Well if we were politically correct then those doors would be open". You shouldn't be going through some doors through the power of political correctness because you are not coming with the gospel anymore! "Besiege Him with questions". Questions are good but questions within questions are not good. (v53). That's why when people ask Jesus questions sometimes He answers them beautifully and sensatively and graciously and sometimes He answered with a baseball bat and smashed the living daylights out of them! He was not going to be a politically correct diplomat because this was too important. (v54);<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#009900;">4. Ugly Face No. 4: Waits to Catch You</span></b>.<br /><br />The Pharisees caught that woman in adultery. It wasn't something they stumbled on. I believe they set it up. I personally think one of the Pharisees or indeed they may have paid someone to have adultery with her. They paid him to set it up and they caught her! When you start preaching this grace message you think "I could be caught - I could fail - I could get into serious sin and if they caught me what is going to happen to me?". Then they really can control me! I wonder if it would have been different for Jimmy Swaggert if he was in a community of grace.<br /><br /><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Legalism makes sin go underground and then they catch you. Grace makes sin come out into the open because there is an environment of safety, accountability and kindness and there is an openness.</span></i></b><br /><br />Who could Jimmy Swaggert really have gone to? He is preaching grace now but it took going through hell. He was preaching law back then and judging everything.<br /><br /><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">You will preach more and more law when you feel more and more guilt and the more guilt you feel the more law you feel. You see how happy the grace people are and you are jealous of their happiness and you don't want them to be so happy because you are trying to do things to earn God's love. They are waiting to catch you. Grace communities should have this attitude - we are not looking to catch people or be suspicious. "Ooh there is probably sin in their lives". Well there probably is! Look at yourself! Catch yourself! </span></i></b><br /><br />That thing about logs and eyes and specks has some relevance. We ought not to be trying to catch people in sin. And if we do - then Galatians 5 says you that are spiritual should restore them gently. So we should have this attitude that if someone does fall then they are not "caught" - they are a comrade. They are together. There are certain sins you don't need to go public with! You just go to the Father. It does say confess your sins to one another but only if you have done something against the other! On a horizontal level. To the Father it is all gone and forgiven anyway!<br /><br />Paul never speaks about confessing sins - once! They are already gone! But on the horizontal I need to confess my faults or apologise to people I do wrong. I find it so easy to say sorry when I know that he accepts me. The grace-hating spirit is trying to catch you, trying to besiege you, oppose you and is doing it and when you first start transitioning your church into full grace it will intensify for a while. Eventually when your church gets more and more established in grace then tyranny becomes far from you, no weapon formed against you can prosper and no tongue raised up - God will start giving you a legacy that your righteousness is from Him and God starts fulfilling those conditions of a people established in grace.<br /><br />Let's have a look at the next one;<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#009900;">5. Ugly Face No. 5: Spies.</span></b><br /><br />I could just say these things but let's look at them. This is not a preaching on a platform to produce miracles - this is teaching.<br /><br /><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Spies are secretive. They hide. They move from a place of duplictity. They are double faced and come amongst you for a reason - to hide their real agenda and look for faults. To exploit any opportunity where you are vulnerable and make you a slave to the law and to their control. </span></i></b><br /><br />Paul went around releasing people from religious handcuffs and spies came right behind Paul and put the handcuffs straight back on again. They brought "balance". You cannot balance grace with law! They neutralise one another! There is no middle ground! It is either all law or all grace and no middle ground! "This is a radical message!". Yes of course. "Rob's preaching a radical message" - no Paul did!<br /><br />Have you ever thought how radical the law is? These people who preach law and grace are actually just compromisers - they are like the Pharisees and don't preach it at it's full power. If you are going to preach the law then do it properly. Then try and balance it with grace and see where you get. The law means cut your hand off! When guys drive planes into towers in the name of their god - they are being absolutely faithful to the law! Under the law - kill anyone who doesn't keep it! In fact if you go read the law properly if you kids don't keep the law then you must stone your own children. Grace is radical?! The reason why people say grace is radical is because the law is not being taught properly.<br /><br />God gave me two years to go study the law about seven years ago. I used to sweat every day! Guys use it in evangelism as a schoolmaster to lead people to Christ but I tell you - the law is frightening! It is extreme! That is why Christians shoot people at abortion clinics! They are being consistent to what they believe. They are being faithful to what they believe! The rest who preach law and grace are all compromisers and all backsliders of the law. They just preach partial law! You cannot preach the law in all it's fullness and then balance it with grace! The answer is they water down law and water down grace so people don't know the difference. Preach the law properly and then preach the fullness of grace and see what your people will do! They will say "I am out of here - this is a schizophrenic". These things are so radical that they cannot meet! Because the church for centuries has watered down law and watered down grace - the people sit there like frogs in water slowly heating up.<br /><br />A few fools for Jesus are going to have to stand up and address this grace-hating spirit. Like Martin Luther took it on, I am taking it on! There are many times that Glenda and I have fallen into each others arms and wept. There are times when Glenda has said; "Oh Rob please stop you are calling fire on our heads". I said; "I don't want to!".<br /><br /><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">Martin Luther didn't have a choice. Once he saw it, he was finished. Once you see this - you are finished. You are ruined forever. </span></i></b><br /><br />I have been to law conferences and have heard law preachers and I sit there and think "I am so sorry but I am getting angry - I repent, I repent - look at all these people getting under confusion!". I can't sit there anymore! Either I have to go to the leaders and say "Look guys - do you know what you are doing?" or don't go back again! I pray that all law-preaching and preaching a mixture of law and grace will see this revelation and repent to their people.<br /><br /><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Otherwise I pray that God will pull the finances right out of their systems and let them go under. I know that's harsh but I mean it. </span></i></b><br /><br />(Galatians 2:4); "Some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves". That is their goal and their agenda! Spy on our freedom and make you slaves. Isn't that beautiful? Notice the apostolic passion of those days. "We did not give in to them for a moment!". Why? "So that the truth of the gospel might remain in you". Why mustn't you give in even for a moment? So this gospel will keep on remaining. I preached in Cape Town to 2000 people a night last year in July and there were hundreds and hundreds of hungry people there but there were spies in the camp. Spies coming to check me out. I said to the brothers to whom I was accountable; "Don't let me get naughty on this platform because when I find spies out there ... you know those destroyers that send down depth charges and it goes "ping" ... when I am preaching prophets feel this all the time. They nearly go mad because they can feel where the submarines are - the spies and can feel them out there. Jesus could! He said "Knowing what they were thinking, He said ...". So I could feel the spies there and some of them shouldn't have been spies! God even shows me who they are sometimes!<br /><br />I am not talking about people sitting there exposed for the first time to the message of grace and are sitting there analysing and trying to work out. That is fine! I am talking about them sitting there trying to catch you and waiting for you to say something that they can twist and distort. Those are spies! So I said to the brothers I was with; "Now listen if I preach in Hong Kong then I can be as naughty as I like - that is my turf and my jurisdiction". But when I am on someone else's platform I am responsible to those leaders and I can't do anything I want to. I hope you understand that authority is exercised differently in different contexts. "If I start getting naughty because of spies out there then show me by code signals. I want to cross every T and dot every I theologically and leave no gap for these spies to seize". Bonnie came to me afterwards and said "Dad you are so tame - what's wrong? You are so nice!". So I said; "No - this is a different context". So I went to the team I was with - and teams form and de-form - they are dynamic and fluid - and said; "Guys is there anything I should have done better?". They said; "Rob we have never heard it so clear - faultless and clear". The elders at the church had problems with some of the grace message and said "That is it - we can't argue".<br /><br />Some spies came out of that and went back to their home churches and said "Rob is preaching that you don't have to submit to leaders and you can sin as much as you like". Then I realised that this is not a rational thing but a grace-hating spirit. They don't know what they are doing to their congregations. Members of those congregations who had known me for years emailed me and said; "Our pastor is saying this - is it true?". We wrote back and clarified and they said; "We always believed that what our pastor said wasn't true but we just wanted to check with you". These leaders that are fighting this message don't know that they are fighting God. They are not fighting us - they are fighting God. We must be accountable - we can be in error! I say to my local leaders in this church; "If I am getting too harsh ..." - I asked that after the first session. I am an accountable man. I want to be! But you have to be bold.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#009900;">6. Ugly Face No. 6: A Bewitching Spirit.</span></b><br /><br />Galatians 3:1; "You foolish Galatians - who has bewitched you?". That word there can be elaborated into; "With occultic power". That is witchcraft! Witchcraft is being preached in our churches around the world. Hopefully not in our churches but maybe still. Witchcraft is like the sin of rebellion.<br /><br /><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">Christ died to remove the law forever and when you preach law the Holy Spirit is not empowering you to preach something that Christ has removed. Another spirit is - a spirit of witchcraft.</span></i></b><br /><br />The disciples wanted to call fire down on the Samaritans and Jesus said; "You are of the wrong spirit". The legalists will call fire down on the world and will say God is killing and judging and smashing. He isn't! There is a day of judgement coming but "in the last days I will pour out My Spirit - for salvation - on all flesh!". He goes on and speaks about miracles, signs and wonders happening because you believe the message of grace and not observing the law. You are dealing with occultic powers here that are in the church. The devil doesn't dabble much with those on broomsticks etc - that is his hobby. Witchcraft in the church to come back under law is the main agenda. He is the accuser of the brethren. And if he accuses you enough - if you are under a little bit of law he will condemn you enough then think you must come under more law to improve and so condemnation will go. It's called witchcraft.<br /><br />Let's do one more and then we will close.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#009900;"><b>7. Ugly Face No. 7: Fear.</b></span><br /><br />Go to Galatians 2. The next one is fear. I have been enjoying grace and then someone maybe I respect or know who preaches a Pentecostal/Holiness (which is not real holiness at all - it is still law dressed up as holiness) and you are going along happily and the power of God is flowing and there is joy and then someone comes among you and you think they are holy because they don't go to movies or don't drink wine. And you feel fear! And start agreeing with them and their standards! And you start becoming a hypocrite and you start rebuilding the law over your life and then you make out that Christ is the one rebuilding the law over your life and that Christ is causing the sin of the law and you become a hypocrite and confuse those in freedom because you change your behaviour when certain people are in your midst. Certain leaders that are respected.<br /><br />If Peter who had visions of heaven and revelation could go back under law and be afraid of the legalists then we ought to know that we are dealing with a fear spirit. A bewitching spirit, a fear spirit, a control spirit. (v11); "When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face". Peter was one of the big boys! "He was clearly in the wrong!". (v12); "Because he was afraid of those who belonged to the Jewish group ... so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabus was led astray .. in front of them all I said; "How is it that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs"?".<br /><br /><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">He isn't just talking about the way you come into the kingdom but the way you live! Don't let people tell you it is all about justification.</span></i></b><br /><br />(v18); "I prove I am a law-breaker .. might live for God". In the next session we will talk about the other things and transitioning through.<br /><br /><i>We ask that you will establish righteousness as a revelation in our hearts and we will discern what we are dealing with and we won't be naive or cute or politically correct or diplomatic but truly apostolic, discerning legalism from a mile away and protecting the church. We ask the Holy Spirit to brood over us. Help us to ask the question why every movement that has started in grace and freedom ended in law and institution and control? Because the leaders were naive about what they were up against. The Ugly Face of a Grace-Hating Spirit that took them out because they were unaware and not protected by a true apostolic ministry. We pray across the planet as we see grace revolution gathering momentum for more apostles to emerge that will be faithful to the gospel that Paul was faithful too and will be willing to confront those who preach a mixture. Deliver us from this niceness that Jesus never had. Help us to be willing to die to personal reputation - no matter how many doors are closed! They should be closed! We thank You for the multitudes waiting to hear this message!</i>Dan Bowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15661120561123767936noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496810378047281592.post-85645439901295025062010-04-05T15:06:00.004+01:002010-04-05T15:10:22.483+01:00Imperfect Faith Can STILL Bring You Face to Face with Jesus!I'm back! My apologies for the long break - I can no longer let life interfere with the power of the teaching of grace and glory! This sermon was preached by Rob Rufus<br /><br />"Let’s open to 2nd Corinthians chapter 1. I am so excited about this message that I have just got to control myself. We are getting an increasing number of emails from around the world from people thanking us for our stand on grace and some emails you think are exaggerated. The gratitude has shifted from simply thanking me to thanking the people of City Church International. There are tens of thousands of people out there realising it is not simply about preaching a message but a message being embodied and incarnated in a people.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">The price you pay to stand for a message of grace when there are anti-grace spirits – grace-hating spirits that want to discourage and confuse us and cause difficulties are realising that the price we are paying is producing life for the churches out there.</span></em></strong><br /><br />There is an apostolic thing Paul speaks about where he says; “We die daily that you may experience life”. We are experiencing life here in abundance but there is a price in our stand that is causing thousands of people around the world to take hope and come out from guilt, condemnation, law and bondage into freedom of grace in Christ Jesus. People are moving from a mixture of Old and New Covenant through the finished work of the Cross into the liberty of the blessing of the New Covenant. So they are getting revelation – a theological revolution. Churches and regions are being changed! Our 5 and a half years has literally impacted nations around the world. I can’t read all of them to you because they speak of details and I don’t want to reveal their names. Years of pressure, performance and guilt – and they all speak about coming into the freedom found in Jesus Christ! And they all mention you guys!<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#33cc00;">I want to talk about how imperfect faith – even imperfect faith – can bring you face to face with Jesus, into supernatural encounters with the Presence and power of God.</span></em></strong><br /><br />I want 2nd Corinthians to be a foundation to what I say;<br /><br />2 Corinthians 1:2-4; “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Father of all mercies and the God of all comfort … that we may be able to comfort those who are in trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God”.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;"><u>Within your sorrow is a seed that becomes the life and key that unlocks other people out of the pain of their problems</u>.</span></em></strong><br /><br />If we don’t understand that the pain we go through and the sorrow we experience are to gain deeper intimacy with the comfort of God, that we would see our calling is to comfort people in their troubles by the comfort we receive in our troubles. If we don’t understand this then sooner or later we will allow our troubles and sorrow to define us. When we allow trouble to define us we become melancholic, morbid and very negative people.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#33cc00;">The way to make the devil pay for the trouble he puts on you is to see your troubles as becoming a seed of grace that you can sow into someone else’s life.</span></em></strong><br /><br />Many people are within you that will benefit from the comfort you experience in your trouble and your understanding of the goodness of God to bring that comfort into their lives.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;"><u>When a woman has a baby, she forgets the pain because inside that pain is a treasure that is given to someone else</u>.</span></em></strong><br /><br />If we forget this then we think that pain, sorrow and difficulties are there to just to talk about all the time. That is like a mother getting off the birthing table and disregarding the baby there and going to the phone and calling all her family and friends and relatives and telling them about the terrible pain she has been through without once mentioning the baby! She has forgotten that the pain is not about trouble itself, but within the trouble is a seed of grace for someone else. In your trouble there is a life-saving seed of grace for someone else.<br /><br />I have been counselled in the lowest moments of my life by two groups of people. Those who have ideals, never been through trouble or pain and have lots of Bible verses to quote and lots of inexperienced knowledge. When you have come out of their presence you feel worse! The other people bear the scars of pain, disappointment and difficulties and when they comfort you they sow seeds of grace into your life so you are freed up from self-pity, discouragement, deception that was trying to take you out in your disillusionment.<br /><br />We are a people that don’t teach that if you have faith you will not go through trouble. Paul the apostle went through all kinds of troubles but he said; “These are working for me an exceeding weight of glory! Compared to the weight of glory they are building up for me – these troubles are light and momentary afflictions”. So we don’t say if you have faith, you won’t go through trouble. We are saying if you have faith you will find the God of all comfort in your trouble that will make you a humble, tender-hearted person that will sow grace into other people’s trouble.<br /><br />Turn to Mark chapter 5. Let’s bow our heads in prayer – I can really sense the Presence of God here and the presence of angels. When Glenda was getting up to give the announcements I could feel the angelic presence in this room.<br /><br /><em>“Father we want to thank You for assigning angels to minister in this room – the ministers of winds and fire – we ask they would refresh the people of God. We want to thank You for Your greatest and most wonderful gift – Jesus Christ Your Son. Every spiritual blessing we have is in Christ Jesus. We thank You that every promise you have made to us are YES in Christ Jesus. Holy Spirit we invite You to come and reveal Jesus in this place, reveal Your glory – that we would know that abiding place of intimacy – that we in our sorrows would be able to discover the seed of grace to sow into other people’s lives here in Hong Kong and around the world”.</em><br /><br />I want to read this passage in Mark 5 because it is my favourite passage for speaking on the transference of the anointing. But I don’t want to look at it from that point of view today, but a different point of view and I believe some gold nuggets will come out of this today that will bring you into a greater place of intimacy with Jesus Himself. I will draw your attention to certain phrases and words and will comment on them.<br /><br /><em>(v21); “21 Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. 22 And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet 23 and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” 24 So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him. 25 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26 and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse”.</em><br /><br />The Bible honours doctors as do we but here it didn’t work for this dear one.<br /><br /><em>27 “When she heard about Jesus”<br /></em><br />That is the pivotal phrase for this message. She had never met Him or been in His meetings, she had just heard about Him.<br /><br /><em><strong><span style="color:#33ffff;">“<u>She came behind Him</u>”.</span></strong></em><br /><br />Also very important – she didn’t come in front of Him to His face. She came behind Him.<br /><br /><em>“In the crowd and touched His garment. 28 For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” 29 Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?”<br />31 But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” 32 And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. 33 But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him”.</em><br /><br />She came behind Him but now was before Him.<br /><br /><em>34 And He said to her, “Daughter”.<br /></em><br />That is identity.<br /><br />“Your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”<br /><br />The Greek is literally; “Go into peace”. “Soterio” – completeness, salvation, protection. Go into peace – you have been made well. God wants to make your emotions, your soul, your spirit, your finances, your relationships well. Go into soterio “daughter”. Your faith has made you well!<br /><br /><em>35 "While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” 36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” 37 And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James".</em><br /><br />Very pivotal – only Peter, James and John.<br /><br /><em>39 When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.” 40 And they ridiculed Him.<br /></em><br />What does Jesus do with people who ridicule His faith?<br /><br /><em>“But when He had put them all outside He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. 41 Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” 42 Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age”.</em><br /><br />The lady who had the bleeding, had it for 12 years. The little girl was 12. It is not a coincidence.<br /><br /><em>“And they were overcome with great amazement. 43 But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat”. (chapter 6:56); “Wherever He entered into villages … they begged Him that they could touch the hem of His garment and as many touched Him were made well”.</em><br /><br />Now in the previous chapter we saw thousands touching Him and none were healed or experienced what this one woman experienced. The seed of her 12 years of sorrow became a sowing of grace into multitudes of thousands of people that found a way to touch Him differently to the way they had touched Him before. God hasn’t caused any tragedy or trouble in your life – it is the devil behind that. He turns that sorrow into a seed of life that unlocks someone else out of the pain of their problems. She had never met Him or been in one of His meetings. Many who read the gospels (and I have thought this) if only we could have been on the earth when He walked it and could have been in His meetings and heard His gracious words from His mouth or seen His face as He spoke of the love of His Father and the Kingdom coming to earth! Oh if only I could have heard Jesus speak and been on the front row within touching distance!<br /><br />This lady was in none of His meetings and had never met Him – only <strong><u><span style="color:#33ffff;">HEARD</span></u></strong> about Him! What could she have heard? Never anything about the Moses law concerning Him. John 1 says the law was given through Moses but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Leviticus 15 says any woman any woman with an issue of blood is forbidden from going into a public place. The sentence is immediate stoning and Jarius – the synagogue ruler – had authority to exercise that and he was right there next to Jesus. Leviticus says a woman going into a public place makes everywhere she goes unclean and everything she touches she makes unclean. But this woman touched Jesus in her unclean state and was healed! What did she hear about Jesus?<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#33cc00;"><u>She would have heard that this rabbi was touching unclean people</u>.</span></em></strong><br /><br />Lepers were being touched by Jesus and being healed. Under the law leprosy was considered unclean. Jesus touched lepers and laid His hands on lepers and they were immediately healed. Jesus went into the synagogue where a woman was bound over for 18 years with a demonic spirit and the synagogue rulers were teaching the law to her – and the law was telling her you are crippled because you failed the law. Jesus came in and called her a daughter of Abraham – because 430 years before the Law Abraham was a covenant of grace! He said; “You are a daughter of Abraham – you ought to be healed on the Sabbath day”. He laid His hands on her and she straightened up. She would have heard that Jesus laid His hands on a prostitute called Mary Magdalene and when Jesus laid His hands on Mary, the Bible says seven devils came out of her and she was set free from prostitution. She would have heard some marvellous things.<br /><br />Now – when the crowd was touching Jesus, why weren’t they healed? Why weren’t they changed or benefited? They hadn’t heard about Jesus the way this woman had heard about Jesus. They would have heard He was a rabbi and was demanding you keep standards to earn and deserve.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">But when they found out that an unclean woman actively breaking the Levitical law touched Him and was healed, the multitudes from that day began to touch Him in a different way – and you could say that the seed of her sorrow was a seed of grace that influenced thousands of people to get healed in the very next chapter!</span></em></strong><br /><br />The more people that touched Jesus differently, the more people will see that the seed of our sorrow is becoming a seed of grace to touch thousands of churches around the world and touch thousands of people in Hong Kong. It is very important that people hear about the true Jesus. A lot of people struggle to have faith for healing. I am not sure if I even understand faith anymore. Kathryn Kuhlman had a ministry that got far more people healed and some of the worst crippled people and blind people – thousands of them. She said;<br /><br />“I don’t understand faith but I know my wonderful Jesus suddenly comes and fills the room and people get healed without me even praying for them!”. I don’t think it’s about faith for hearing as much as hearing about the true Jesus.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ffff66;">I believe this woman had imperfect faith – how do I know that? <u>She came behind Him, not to the front of His face</u>. Under the law you couldn’t see the face of God. Moses said; “God – show me Your glory!”. God said; “No man can see My face and live so I will hide you in the cleft of the rock and will walk by and you will see My hind parts”. She had imperfect faith – she came to His hind parts. She heard about Jesus and touched Him and the next minute she was healed, and the next minute He was calling her to His face. Through grace God in Christ came to reveal His face to humanity. Imperfect faith came to touch His hind parts like Moses. But once she was healed, she was called to His face and when she looked into His face the first thing she heard was “Daughter”. God said “Daughter”.<br /></span></em></strong><br />I also know something very special here – we must understand something. What we say about Jesus. People think I criticise everything that moves under the sun and some have called me a divisive man. Someone has to get passionate! Someone has to get stirred up and a righteous anger because multitudes of mesmerised, hypnotised Christians sit in pews having been sold a bill of lies Sunday after Sunday, century after century with arrears of doctrinal deception about God. We have got people saying that God makes you sick to make you more holy! People want to know why we don’t see more healings – we have got hundreds of years of the traditions of men that have deceived people into unbelief and have misrepresented Jesus. The devil is behind it! “Did God really say?”. I have done all the things wrong and have preached things wrong and have misrepresented God in my past.<br /><br />But when I came to Hong Kong I was determined to faithfully reveal the New Covenant and the true nature of God where the people of God are in New Covenant and no longer under law and are in 100% grace and grace alone with no condemnation to those that are in Christ. I said I am going to do that God no matter how much I am mis-understood and I am going to hold my line".<br /><br />Quickly go to Romans chapter 3:3-4. “Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true and every man a liar”. What is so important today is that we need to see there is a difference between facts and truth.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">So many people in the church are believers in theory. <u>But the reality is that the administration of their life is closer to a practical atheist</u>. There is very little in these Christians lives that you have to say they are solving problems through faith. They are solving their problems by “what is” and are dealing with “what is” by “what is”. So they are multiplying their problems.<br /></span></em></strong><br />This creates so much controversy and pain and I wanted to deal with this so sensitively and I just don’t have the time. Let me say I am dealing with this from a sensitive heart.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">The fact is that you may have sickness in your body. The truth is that by His stripes - you <u>WERE</u> healed. The fact is you may be in financial debt - the truth is that at the Cross He has <u>ALREADY</u> redeemed you from the curse of poverty that the prosperity of Abraham may come upon you. The fact is that you may have sinned and done something seriously wrong - you may have failed God - that is the fact. The truth is you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.</span></em></strong><br /><br />There is coming a defining and dividing dispensation in our time of the people of God who chose to be wrapped up in the facts or be wrapped up in the truth. If you focus on the facts then you will chose the things that are to nullify the things that are. But if you focus on the truth then you will chose the things that are not to nullify the things that are. You will seek the covering presence of the cherubims and the glory to get into the Presence of the God who calls things that be not as though they were.<br /><br />I want you to look in John chapter 8 very quickly. Any fact that does not line up with the truth of God’s Word is a fact waiting to be nullified by the things that are not. I want you to look quickly at John chapter 8. I want to show you that Jesus constantly spoke about the two worlds - the superior world of heaven and the world that is from below that is temporarily corrupted by satanic deception. Satan has a system of politics, economics and education of doing things and God has a heavenly system of doing things and He says - let Your kingdom come, let Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. When we begin to get into the world’s system, we begin to try to deal with problems of what is - by dealing with what is.<br /><br />Jesus says here - in John chapter 8 and verse 23; “I am from above, I am not of this world”. If you go to verse 28, Jesus said; “I am the One I claim to be … but speak what the Father has taught Me … He has not left Me alone”. That is the key theme of what I want to talk about in the coming weeks. He has not left me alone. “The truth will set you free”. What will the truth set you free from? It will set you free from the facts. Are you wrapped up in the truth of God’s Word or are you wrapped up in the facts? Now we are not to deny the facts - we have to face the facts and recognise that they are there. But we are then to look on the things that are unseen and get wrapped up in the truth.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;"><u>It is not a waste of time to be lying on the floor soaking under the manifest glory of God - it is not a waste of time to go into the secret place and let God love you and manifest His glory over you and saturate you so every cell in your body is vibrating with eternal life, divine virtue and divine quickening of your mortal body so that God can then do the things that are impossible to do</u>.<br /></span></em></strong><br />I wonder has God really called us to have faith for miracles? Or has He called us to have faith to surrender our whole life to come under His hovering Presence? Because when you want to have faith for miracles, it puts all the pressure on you to have faith. If all you are saying is; “God I know I can have faith for Your manifest Presence” - then the God who does miracles does the miracle.<br /><br />I can’t do the miracle and neither can you. What do we need to have faith for? His hovering Presence. God has to come out of the invisible and manifest tangibly. No miracle can happen unless the Presence of God manifests tangibly in reality so that your very physical body can feel His Presence. Go to Jeremiah 32. Jeremiah 32 is God’s announcement of the superiority of the New Covenant. Most of you have heard me read this and quote it but I want to read it again. Verse 40. We no longer earn or deserve the blessing, Jesus Christ earned the blessings on our behalf and redeemed us from the curse of the law that the blessings may come on our lives through faith and faith alone. So Jeremiah 32:40 says; “I will never stop doing good to them”. How long is never? Does never ever run out? “I will rejoice …”. The Hebrew word means; “To turn and twist with deep emotions of ecstasy and joy in doing us good”. V41 again.<br /><br /><em><strong><span style="color:#ffff66;"><u>Let me put these two verses together - then the will of God is to NEVER stop doing you good! 24/7 every second He wants to do you good! How does He do us good? With rejoicing! So if He never wants to stop doing you good then it means that He never wants to stop dancing with deep emotions and twists and turns and ecstasy in doing you good. The greatest fun God gets - is doing you good</u>!<br /></span></strong></em><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;"><u>Why do so few Christians feel a consciousness that the Creator is not remote and a distant deity but He is a very engaged Being that is literally dancing over me and you with ecstasy and deep feelings of wanting to do us good and never will stop doing us good</u>? How come that is not reflected in the life of the church?</span></em></strong><br /><br />I think it was when Jesus said - your traditions have nullified the Word of God. I don’t think people believe this. I don’t think people have the faith to surrender to the covering Presence of the God that calls the things that be not as though they were. I think people have got caught up in rituals and religion and ceremonies. Religious principles and protocol - but have we got caught up in revelation and eternal intuition and insight into this God dancing over you all the time? We have been told that when God manifests over us it is a sovereign initiative and there is nothing you can do about it and He will just come. Now the gifts of the Spirit operate as the Spirit wills but I am not talking about the gifts here today. Jeremiah 32 is not God talking about the gifts - it is God talking about Himself dancing over you all the time!<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Some of you have heard my account of when I went to Brighton two years ago and I was invited to be the main speaker at a conference for about 5000 leaders. The weekend before the conference Terry Virgo invited me to come to the church he is based at that he has planted - it is quite a large church - and minister Sunday morning and Sunday night. So I preached Sunday morning and came back Sunday night and it was packed out. People had come from all over and they had brought lots of sick people and I preached again in the evening but realised I had to pace myself because I had to preach seven times in the week to thousands of people. At the end of the evening service I thought I had to get out of the door and then saw this long queue lining up and the first one had crippled hips and I just knew that it was not going to happen. I couldn’t do it. <u>Someone said “Will you come over?” and as I am walking over I suddenly felt over my physical body, my head and everywhere the dancing God. He was wanting to rejoice over doing me good and anyone that got into my radius</u>.</span></em></strong><br /><br />Any time you watch a DVD of an evangelist or a preacher and see someone bringing them out of the wheelchair with boldness and no lack of confidence - anytime you see that, don’t think that is their natural temperament. They are under something. I am tired of ministering to broken lives if I am not under something. It is just flesh and religion. “Come out in Jesus Name!”. “I am not coming out”.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">As I got closer I could just feel the intensifying dancing of a God who just wanted to do me good and anyone around me - this God of perfect love. I walked up to the first lady and I said; “Lady what do you need?”. That’s all I did. I didn’t put my hands on her or pray and I felt this all around me. She started to describe her symptoms and about 30 seconds into her describing the symptoms (I had said nothing - just fixed my eyes on her) she started shaking. I hadn’t prayed for her, hadn’t said “In the Name of Jesus” or put my hands on her and she started shaking and vibrating and then she falls over! I just was standing there listening to the symptoms. A minute or two later she got up and her hips were totally straight. I said “Next!”. 20 people - about 8 out of 10 - the exact same thing happened. I never prayed for them - <u>it was effortless! I didn’t have to speak! While giving me their symptoms they were healed</u>!</span></em></strong><br /><br />I think that is closer to the Jesus ministry than what I see. Mark chapter 1 He walked into the temple and a demonised man started screaming. “Aaagh why have You come before our time?”. He hadn’t preached yet! Shut up - and come out. They marvelled at His authority.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">In Eastbourne in southern England quite recently I went to speak at a conference there with Glenda and Millie was there. On the last night I was tired. The pastor came and in the large hall there was a bunch of people there who had the worst crippling conditions I had seen. I know if you are trying to get cripples healed and that thing is not over you - it is shocking. You are trying to pretend you know what you are doing but you don’t have a hope of getting them healed! You can go through the religious formulas and pretend something has happened but everyone with the know-how knows that nothing is happening. It is almost disgusting and discrediting the real ministry of Jesus!</span> </em></strong><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">So I walk over there and as I get closer the dancing God comes over me. Suddenly I am not Clarke Kent - I am now Superman. But it is not me! <u>As I am walking it is getting stronger and stronger and I see this woman who is crippled and as I get closer and closer the demons start screaming; “Aaagh leave us! Leave us</u>!”. Literally! And they are out. They are gone. She topples over and gets up healed. Everyone I step towards are healed. Many of you saw the DVD I brought back of dozens of people. One lady was so crippled she couldn’t pick up her child - and her husband had to leave his career to look after her children full time. She went down under the power and the next morning she came dancing into church.<br /></span></em></strong><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ffff66;"><u>How many of you think this is the love of God - how many of you think it is shocking and disgusting that we do not see more of these things</u>?</span></em></strong><br /><br />Because of the traditions of men! Let me tell you honestly and vulnerably - I have been doing this for 30 years. I want to tell you what I have just described today has only happened to me maybe about 100 times. I have daily anointing! I am not talking about anointing here or the gifts of the Spirit but God coming. Actually He is not coming - He is always there. But why isn’t He always manifested? He said I will never stop doing you good - I will rejoice and dwell to do you good! If I can come under the dancing God all the time then maybe you and me can start approximating the promise of John 14:12; “Anyone who believes in Me .. And even greater works”. Acts 10:38 said that God anointed Jesus with power and He went about doing good and healing ALL. If Jesus could go about any time of day, any second if anyone touched Him in the crowd, anyone that asked for healing, He could give healing on the spot!<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;"><u>I suspect that Jesus walked under the glory Presence of the Father all the time</u>! The religious world has told me that any time He comes and does that it is just a sovereign mood of God. I think you and I have got something to do. I am now convinced that the will of the Father by the witness of the Spirit in my heart - the inheritance of every person that says Jesus is my Lord are meant to walk for most of our time under the manifest Presence.<br /></span></em></strong><br />I have said before that you wouldn’t be able to get to sleep it is so powerful. If you have never experienced this I wish I could put it on you today because you can never describe it - you don’t know what it is like to walk up to crippled people without that and know the fear that comes over you. The terror of knowing you are going to disappoint them. You have no idea what that is like if you havent done it. Neither do you have any idea what it is like when you are moving towards them and He comes over you - there is NO fear just utter, reckless boldness! You just know that nothing can get in the way, just an invincible sense of God over you.<br /><br /><br />People have watched people with that power over them and when they don’t have that power have tried to copy as a formula and have tried to pull people out of wheelchairs and then they just fall on the ground. When you are under that power you do things that you would never do. You are not copying. You are not mimicking someone else under the power - just because God is on you! Maybe it will lift slightly in intensity every now and again so you can relax a bit but I believe it should be there on call so quick! Imagine how your mortal body would be renewed in your youth with resurrection life. The grey hair turned dark again! Cellular regeneration! Rob how do you live in that all the time? You want to know? There are people who lecture in Harvard on how to run a business who have never run a business. You have theology professors teaching on the gifts of the Spirit in seminaries who have never moved in the gifts of the Spirit.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;"><u>You cannot give away what you don’t have</u>.</span></em></strong><br /><br />I don’t want people giving me information on the Kingdom - I am sick and tired of Bible information. I know the Bible pretty much well from back to front - but my biggest need right now is to learn from someone who has got the goods. It is a sign of hunger that you say you want to know - but to tell you the truth, I don’t really know. I have never met a person who does know. Except One. This is what I suspect He is whispering to me (and I am just giving you my suspicion). Two words; “Total surrender to the Holy Spirit”. Not less of me and more of you. NONE of me and ALL of you! Every part of my life, everything that I am - whatever you want me to do and give up - everything I surrender. I want to be branded by your jealous love and possessed by your jealous love. Rob how do you surrender?<br /><br />How do you come to that place of surrender? I don’t know but this is what I suspect - you have to become so disillusioned with your failures to get the sick healed and so horrified at the lack of knowledge of the revelation of God chosing the things that be not to nullify the things that are and so horrified with your failure. You have to come to the end of your reputation in the eyes of men and so utterly embarrassed. I think you have to go through pain and try to get the sick healed and misunderstood and accused by those who didn’t get healed that it was your fault and you are a failure. And live with the rejection and misunderstanding. You have to live with the agony and lay on your face at night and say I am a failure in so many areas of supernatural ministry.<br /><br />Dear Jesus all I have left is my love for You and if you can take that and take something that is not and nullify the things that are then I offer my body and soul and spirit as a living sacrifice that something I have only seen 100 times will become something that happens all the time. That the millions in Hong Kong do not need to be deprived of a church that has fully surrendered. I know not everyone wants to surrender like that. The vast majority of Christians are more caught up in the things that are and more caught up in their careers.<br /><br />I can't describe to people the pain and rejection I have walked through in the last few months - the rejection involving thousands of people, people we have known for 25 years, the lies and cold shoulders. That could make you paranoid and reactionary and bitter or it can backfire on the devil and precipitate in you a face on the ground, a laid down lover that surrenders all. I live with eternity with nothing and surrender. We have to be emptied of every fleshly delusional arrogance and pride and all controversy against God and come to trust Him. When you sin and make mistakes and lose your temper, you look to God who chooses the things that are not to nullify the things that are. His grace to me is abounding - He will never reject me or disapprove of me - He is for me! What can be against me? He so sees you as precious that He doesn’t want you to have any idols or distractions - He wants you because you are such a jewel and precious. He wants you completely! And we don’t!<br /><br />We think we have surrendered all but we have had hostility and defences and complaints and pride and self-promotion against Him! But pain takes that away. It either makes you bitter or makes you better. Every time Satan comes, he comes to make you bitter. If you chose to use the things that are to make the things that are then you are going to get bitter. But if you get revelation to use the things that are not and get into the Presence of the Living God who uses the things that be not as though they are then this good God will manifest His dancing over you. And when you walk through a place that place will be benefited because you were there. People in your radius will feel the unseen world touching you.<br /><br />Close your eyes - He is here now.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">Kathryn Kuhlman used to say “<u>God isn’t looking for golden vessels or silver vessels - but yielded vessels</u>”.</span></em></strong>Dan Bowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15661120561123767936noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496810378047281592.post-65833736773336521632009-10-18T16:57:00.005+01:002009-10-18T18:05:13.823+01:00Attitudes that Attract the Empowering Grace of God - Part 2<div>This sermon was preached by Rob Rufus on <a href="http://www.citychurchinternational.net/mp3_2/2008_07_27.zip">27th July 2008</a> at City Church International in Hong Kong. I am so grateful to a new friend from Australia - Meredith - who has kindly transcribed the whole of Rob's "Attitudes that Attract the Empowering Grace of God" series! </div><br /><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi16_2vmPVJquS4t5HoQE4WX2pw_CKrbpjWHcGl1krhGRpWiBfyNje9O56jjCJyFtaeuNOHI4eIvRV1ot3x8e1esvPzb8Q6fMr8sN5FUOBcfDKDJTO0bQOdY2JnHlzP7Wut7uDsMpPjJbQ/s1600-h/rob-rufus.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 282px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393986356543154146" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi16_2vmPVJquS4t5HoQE4WX2pw_CKrbpjWHcGl1krhGRpWiBfyNje9O56jjCJyFtaeuNOHI4eIvRV1ot3x8e1esvPzb8Q6fMr8sN5FUOBcfDKDJTO0bQOdY2JnHlzP7Wut7uDsMpPjJbQ/s320/rob-rufus.jpg" /></a>"It is wonderful to see so many of you here this morning. We have about 50% of people away and I am amazed how God is bringing and adding people. It is very exciting - this is the year He promised us He would bring people from within Hong Kong and also from many from different nations and He will bring resources to us. How many believe we will not be meeting in this hall forever? I have just signed on an 800 seater hall for March next year where we are hosting Glory and Grace - Hong Kong and we have Patricia King coming and Josh Mills and Fini and Isi and I believe it will be an awesome time of the glory of God manifesting in Hong Kong. So we thought shall we meet here with the credit crunch, money, flights and hotels for people? But we just felt that I was standing outside that building and praying God what will we do if there is a shortfall? We have to make up the shortfall! And I don't want to waste your money! I felt God say: Son, son - go big, think big and trust Me! You will look on this in a few years time and say how pathetically small was an 800 seater in Hong Kong!?<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">We are going to host Glory and Grace in the next few years in the rugby stadium - I am telling you right now!</span></em></strong><br /><br />I have heard so many testimonies in the last six weeks of local Chinese, Hong Kong people have been saved in our services! A lot through the ministry of Angela and Randy who are on holiday but also Alice's testimony of what miracles God is doing and it is so thrilling! How many went on our website this week? I got a call from a pastor friend in Australia and he said Rob have you seen what's happened on the website front page? Our Muslim friends hacked in again! They love our website and really feel it is an opportunity for free advertising for Islam! We bless them for that! They had advertising for Ramadan and Muslim songs and praise God for our brothers! If I could trace their address I would send a love message and say thank you because there has been a team in CCI that have been meeting for a number of weeks and consulting with website designers and we have a website designer coming to join this church in a few months from South Africa and we have been strategising to upgrade our website and make it more user friendly as well as translating our messages into Mandarin and Cantonese. So God used the blessing of Muslim friends to give us a sign and a wonder: Yes I want you to upgrade!<br /><br />God works <strong><u><span style="color:#33ffff;">ALL</span></u></strong> things together for good to those that love Him and are called together according to His purpose! The ministry of the Word is like a bank - the more you put into it, the more interest you get out of it. The more you set your heart - I am going to learn today from the Word of God and it will advantage me and cause me to have understanding and wisdom to deal with issues in my life much more effectively and give me prophetic wisdom to give perspective on the context I am in right now and deal with my circumstances by the wisdom of God!<br /><br />How many of you have found that sometimes in life that the rhythms are different? Sometimes you go through times where everything you do is going well and succeeding and all blessing and all good? Then it comes to an abrupt end and for another season or time you go through negative and bad and then you come out of that and it becomes good for a while? I believe that right now we are <strong><u><span style="color:#33ffff;">NOT</span></u></strong> in that sort of a time! I believe that right <strong><u><span style="color:#33ffff;">NOW</span></u></strong> we are in a time where we are living in the BEST of times and the <strong><u><span style="color:#33ffff;">WORST</span></u></strong> of times at the <strong><u><span style="color:#33ffff;">SAME</span></u></strong> time! And that is because the devil is intimidated about what is going on in the earth.<br /><br />There are things going on in the earth that I get regular reports on and some of you do as well where millions are being swept into the Kingdom! Across the border in China the estimates are 40,000 people are born again <strong><u><span style="color:#33ffff;">EVERY</span></u></strong> single <strong><u><span style="color:#33ffff;">DAY!</span></u></strong> This year we have seen several people come out of wheelchairs and deaf ears opened! Deaf ears! Cancers healed! At the same time we have faced all kinds of heartaches and disappointments like some of you are! There are things going on in families and friends all around the world. Yet in the middle of all that great things are happening but it's also the worst time at the same time because the devil is trying to target those who God is using and will use to the greatest degree in this time!<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ffff00;"><u>The least people He is using are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers! Their job is not to be the superstars who do the work! Their job is to equip every believer to be a manifester of the Kingdom of God and to have influence in their context</u>! Ordinary people are having great effect in their time and many more will come out with greater influence! Some of you sit in relative obscurity today and you think: What do I do? I don't do anything much! I would love to ...! I go to sleep and go to work! What do I do? Get ready - something is at move and at work in the earth!<br /></span></em></strong><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;"><u>The devil will target those who God is using to the greatest degree (or is about to use) by giving them the greatest degree of distraction</u>!</span></em></strong><br /><div></div><br /><div>The devil is not interested in your money. I promise you he doesn't need it and he can't spend it or want it. But he will attack your finances and he will attack your economy because he doesn't want your money - he wants to rob you of your peace.<br /><br />Agitated people seldom hear the voice of God! Agitated people hear the voice of deception, discouragement, confusion and condemnation! People under the government of God's peace hear His audible Voice and hear His instruction and get His leading and they know what God wants them to do. The devil couldn't care if you had a good or bad marriage - honestly! It doesn't interest him! But he will attack your marriage to rob you of peace to agitate you with distraction! The devil doesn't care if you have a visa to stay in Hong Kong or not. But he will attack you on every kind of issue he can - because those who God is going to use to the greatest degree will be distracted by the devil to the greatest degree.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ffff00;">The word is "Distraction" friends! In a time of opportunity, distraction is the strategy of the devil. God's agenda is <u>FOCUS</u>! Laser-like focus!</span></em></strong> </div><br /><div></div><div>I was born for this reason - I was raised for this time and I didn't go through hell and back and difficulties, rejections and betrayals for three decades to come to this awesome town to go down in flames of bitterness and cynicism and rejection complex! This is the time to stand strong! This is your time of opportunity!<br /><br />God is not interested in talking to you about your circumstances of distraction. A lot of people say I am crying out God! Deal with this issue - finances, money etc! Deal with this issue, Lord! God is not a magic genii that comes out when we rub the lamp and offers you three wishes! He is not coming down to reduce His kingly lordship on the issue of difficult circumstances.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Now He loves you and me and cares about us but <u>He won't talk to you about the issue of your circumstances</u>. God will talk to you on the issue of your <u>DESTINY</u>. As soon as you say God I want to talk about my destiny. These are the distractions and they are hurting me but what is my destiny? How will I move to next level of my destiny? Your destiny is not your career! Your career is a vehicle by which God can express destiny!</span></em></strong><br /><br />When Gideon was threshing wheat in a wine vat as a coward and afraid of the Midianites, and complaining and mumbling saying Where is the God of miracles of my forefathers?—he wanted God to come and use His miracles to change his economic dysfunctional situation. God would not talk to Gideon on the basis of his circumstances but on the basis of his destiny - because God is after destiny for you and me! He said to a coward hiding in a wine vat: <strong><u><span style="color:#33ffff;">MIGHTY </span></u></strong>warrior! When Gideon tried to talk circumstances, God said: Shut up! I am not here to talk circumstances! I am not a God who will be reduced to making men and women just feel a bit happier and sort their problems out! That is not God! God said: I am here not to give you a bit of economic empowerment - not to change your circumstances but to make you the greatest general Israel has ever seen and drive out the Midianites and:<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ffff66;">When you obey destiny - your circumstances will improve! But if you focus on your self-pity and rejection and my problems and ask God why He's not helping - you will find He will not speak to you about your problems. He <u>WILL</u> talk to you about why you are on the earth and what your destiny is and what He has equipped you for!</span></em></strong><br /><br />If you do not live in the unfolding sequence of your destiny and the reason why you are on this planet then you will feel your existence on this earth is a mistake ... and it is <strong><u><span style="color:#33ffff;">NOT</span></u></strong> a mistake! You will feel you are living a mistake if you are not living your destiny!<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">If you want to have maximum impact in your life then you have to allow God Almighty to have maximum impact in your life because we grow and develop on purpose through process!</span></em></strong><br /><br />There is no microwave Christianity! I am the most impatient man on the planet! Even microwaves don't do it fast enough! Every red traffic light is a demonic conspiracy to frustrate me! I want to go and arrive and get somewhere! If you are not like that then something has been stealing your guts and making you defeatist and passive! The herd mentality is just being mesmerised and trivialised! We’ve been given destiny and we focus on trivia! The Kingdom doesn't have microwave spirituality! I have people who come to me and say Rob will you pray I'll never sin again?! I say Okay I will try. I may have to ask God to kill you and take you to heaven! That's the only place you will not have those issues!<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ffff66;"><u>Christianity is not microwave - it is a consistent process! People say to Glenda and me: How did you get to where you are in the world? How are you influencing so many people?! Three decades of no sulking, no backsliding, no giving up, no blaming this or that, rejection or oppression! It is not the greatest talents or the greatest gifts or the greatest anointing! It is those who understand that Christianity is not microwave - it is a process</u>!</span></em></strong><br /><br />Today is an event - this message! How you respond to this message, how you deliberately intend to make decisions of wisdom in response to this message is a process that will bring purpose and unfolding elevation and promotion in the purposes of God. The modern church has overestimated the value of event and underestimated the value of process.<br /><br />People go to conferences and fill their notes and talk about the experience they had in the event. Great! Wonderful! Do it more! But that is an event and it is the process of God’s purpose for you making decisions that I am here for <strong><u><span style="color:#33ffff;">DESTINY</span></u></strong> and if I do not fulfil destiny I will feel like I am living as a mistake in the earth. This will explain the majority of suicides—it is not because their circumstances went down because of economic changes in the earth or the oil price went up and they faced bankruptcy. Those are circumstances.<br /><br />If they talked to God about their destiny then God would lift them up in their destiny and in the following of their destiny, their circumstances would be dealt with and they would become economically empowered again. If the nations of the earth cried out to God not for their circumstances but asked God what their destiny was: the earth is the Lord's and everything in it - God what do you want done with your nations? - then this planet is so wealthy and every human being could be a billionaire! There is enough wealth in the nations for everyone to be a billionaire!<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">It is because of the rebellion against the King of kings and the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Everyone - you and me - can become great if we will value process more than the trivia of events.</span></em></strong><br /><br />The pure motives for living out the process is a revelation of acceptance grace. Today I am talking in the second part of a series: Attitudes that attract empowering grace. And I said last week that I am deeply disturbed by the emphasis in the church world today on empowering grace at the expense of undervaluing the foundation of acceptance grace. I am going to quickly review that.<br /><br />Grace has two components:</div><br /><div><strong><span style="color:#33ffff;">(i) <u>Acceptance Grace</u>: </span></strong></div><br /><div><strong><span style="color:#33ffff;">(ii) <u>Empowering Grace</u> - enables you to raise the dead, do miracles, signs, wonders and enables you to say no to sin. Empowering grace enables you to work hard! I worked harder than anyone else but not I but the grace of God - that is empowering grace. Wonderful! I want every part of empowering grace on my life!</span></strong><br /><br />The way into empowering grace <strong><u><span style="color:#33ffff;">MUST</span></u></strong> be a revelation of acceptance grace. Even if I don't raise the dead or do any great things or don't get victory over sin or get holy enough or do enough - my Father accepts me in Christ Jesus because He has given me the gift of righteousness not based on my obedience or disobedience - the righteousness I have is the permanent, stable, eternal righteousness of Jesus Christ given to me!<br /><br />Eph 1:3-6 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. 5 He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us accepted in the Beloved. Rom 8:29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family/brothers<br /><br />2 Cor 3:18 And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit - i.e. what the Father sees in you is the glory that radiates and reflects from the face of Jesus. I said to you last week that the secret of my prayer life is simply this: I know the Holy Spirit really likes me and loves being with me because He knows that I know that He knows that I know that the Father sees Rob Rufus in the righteousness of Christ and I am in the same standing as Jesus.<br /><br />Rom 8:16-17 it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him - i.e. I am a joint equal heir with Christ and an heir of God and I don't have co-equal divine-ness with God and will never be! I have a co-equal righteousness with Jesus because I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus! Now that is a process! It is not 3 months or 1 year of hearing acceptance grace. It is a process over years of getting deeper and deeper into understanding acceptance grace.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ffff66;">When you understand by revelation deeply acceptance grace then this will be growing fruit and will build into your life inner security, inner stability, inner sense of safety and an inner sense of significance even if you don't do anything great. In other words you don't have to do great things to feel important - you know your value is because the Father accepts you as He sees Jesus!</span></em></strong><br /><br />The fruit of acceptance grace revelation is humility - humility is inner security, no more drivenness or franticness to impress people. Inner security produces a freedom from jealousy, comparing yourself with others, looking at others salary and what others get and you don't get, you don't feel inferior or superior to anyone else because you have got inner security because you know that you are accepted! People that have to prove something all the time is a sign that they don't understand acceptance grace and have got to do things all the time by the power of empowering grace.<br /><br />Now when we believe the gospel of acceptance grace then three fruit immediately grows through a process that over time produces 3 things:</div><br /><div><strong><span style="color:#33ffff;">1. Boldness.<br />2. Obedience.<br />3. Humility.</span></strong><br /><br />Rejection (or unbelief in) of acceptance grace in Christians produces:<br /></div><div><strong><span style="color:#33ffff;">1. Fear of rejection.<br />2. Drivenness to prove themselves.<br />3. Comparisons between people.</span></strong><br /><br />These are all signs of rejecting acceptance grace. </div><div><br />Unbelief in acceptance grace produces fear, rebellion (which is like the sin of witchcraft) and pride!<br /></div><div>1 Peter 5:5b-6; "Clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.<br /></div><br /><div>· You have just seen the working of acceptance grace and empowering grace right there.<br /><br />Acceptance grace will produce humility whereby you will humble yourselves under God's mighty hand and you will be loving and humble towards one another and God will then lift you up by His mighty hand. When God lifts you up by His mighty hand that is empowering grace! </div><br /><div>· If you are proud and insecure and jealous and driven then God has to oppose you because of self-righteousness.</div><div><br />· If God is opposing you then you can fast, bind devils and be conscious of devils and oppression all you like but they are not going away because God is resisting you.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Though the devil comes at us and wants to attack us - that is not what I am talking about. When God is resisting you – you can build alliances with men and get every denomination on the planet to support you - you are in trouble if God is resisting you!</span></em></strong><br /><br />When you humble yourself from inner security and acceptance grace then the empowering grace of God's mighty hand lifts you up in due time by process! When He lifts you up no devil in darkness can attack you successfully! No human being can stand against you all the days of your life and you become invincible with the invincibility of God! To be lifted up by His mighty hand is to have favour and influence and jurisdiction and authority! Every Christian on the planet is either in a place of being resisted by God's mighty hand or they are in a place of God's mighty hand lifting them up and it is all dependent on a posture of pride or humility.<br /><br />Those that walk in humility are not caught up in the seduction of the distraction of circumstances, what's happening or difficulties - they are caught up in what their destiny is through inner security in what acceptance grace brings. Rather they are captured by a vision and destiny to fulfil.<br /><br />Let's go quickly to Php 4 and I want to show you these attitudes that attract the empowering grace.<br /></div><div>Php 4:1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.<br /><br />Last week I mentioned that Paul the apostle is the pre-eminent apostle that ever walked this earth except Jesus who was the Apostle of apostles. Paul wrote two thirds of the New Testament but I think most churches would kick him out if he came to preach in their churches today! He was wild. He was loving and gracious father as well. He raised people from the dead and we have accounts of it in the New Testament. He himself I think was raised from the dead because he was stoned for preaching the gospel and God raised him up. He had revelation and was caught up into the third heaven - this guy makes all of us look tame! This preeminent apostle - which speaks so loudly to the modern church which is so gripped by this hierarchical sense of ranking and ecclesiology and titles and names and positions that are driven by a misguided theology that has emphasised empowering grace instead of acceptance grace.<br /><br />Paul was the champion of acceptance grace and he understood that his Father loved him and he was accepted - so he needed no titles or things to make him look important in the eyes of men because he knew that his Father loved him. Out of that acceptance grace God lifted him up and gave him empowering grace to do mighty things. But he was not conscious of his merit or his badge or his significance in the things he DID but in the REALITY of acceptance in the Father's love.<br /><br />So he relates to his fellow believers - this preeminent apostle - as my brothers who I love and long for - my joy and my crown. This is how you should stand firm in the Lord Jesus - my dear friends. So his first connection with his fellow believers is brothers/sisters too. He calls them brothers.<br /><br />How many of you know that all the 3.5 years that Jesus walked with His disciples He never once called them brothers. He called them friends and servants but He never referred to them as brothers. When He was crucified and raised from the dead and Mary came to Him in John 20:17- He says Mary go tell my brothers that I go to their Father and My Father - their God and My God.<br /><br />John 20:17 Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’<br /><br />The first time Jesus calls His disciples brothers is AFTER the finished work of the Cross and the resurrection.</div><br /><div><strong><span style="color:#33ffff;">Q: Why could Jesus not call them brothers before the Cross? </span></strong></div><br /><div><strong><span style="color:#33ffff;">A: They were not born again! They were under the Law and judgement and the wrath of God!<br />In Romans 2 - Paul lays it all out. He says that the result of law is that not one is righteous. Under the law no one was righteous. They were all under the wrath and the curse of the law. Before the law came Abraham was given righteousness as a gift because of his faith. But after the law came – after Abraham, Paul said in Rom 2 that there is not one righteous person on the entire planet through trying to keep laws to be good enough to gain acceptance with God.</span></strong><br /><br />So they could never have been His brothers because they were under the law. But Jesus fulfilled the Law! He didn't come to remove but fulfil the Law. The Law is now fulfilled and on the Cross (Col 2 says) He abolished the Law and cancelled the written code that stood opposed to us.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ffff66;"><u>Col 2:14 erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross</u>.</span></em></strong><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Once He had cancelled the written code He could then give us His righteousness. You cannot have a gift of righteousness and be under the Law! When you behave wrong or sin wrong the Law will say you have done something wrong. If you say but I have a gift of righteousness then the Law will say you are not righteous by a gift because I say you have done something wrong!</span></em></strong><br /><br />So God had to cancel the law<br /><br />Col 2:14 erasing the record / obliterating the law. He then declared you to be the righteousness of God through Jesus taking all your sin past, present and future and giving you all His righteousness and obedience as a permanent unconditional standing before the Father.<br /><br />Only after the Cross and Resurrection could He say Go call: My brothers and tell them I go to My Father and their Father, My God and their God. Co-equal heirs with Christ!<br /><br />Rom 8:29b ... in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family/many brothers …<br /><br />Now 1st Adam was the firstborn from spiritual life to spiritual death. Everyone born into the planet was born into 1st Adam's death. Jesus Christ was the firstborn from spiritual death (because He took our death at the Cross - spiritual, soul and physical death) and He was raised from the dead by the power of God and He is the firstborn among many brothers! I don't know who was the second and third born and it doesn't matter. You are IN the firstborn!<br /><br />Heb 2:11 For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters<br /><br />I don't know if you understand this because when this came on in my heart some time ago - it has changed my entire life. I have realised that I have a brother in heaven; one of my bone, flesh of my flesh, blood of my blood; I have a brother of DNA in heaven Who is the King of heaven and Who is not ashamed to call me brother! He – Jesus - was the firstborn among many brothers and His Father is my Father and His God is my God!<br /><br />That has changed me on the inside!<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ffff66;">I am so tired of these inner healing courses that have gone on for centuries in the church to deal with the Christian’s insecurity and need of self-value and self-esteem. When you realise by revelation that you are accepted and you are a brother of Jesus Christ then there is no more inferiority left or superiority left!</span></em></strong><br /><br />The next time you feel some Christian putting a superiority onto you - look them in the eye with amusement! I don't know who you think you are! Jesus is my brother! I am co-equal with Him in righteousness as an heir! I am going to judge angels throughout all eternity with my brother Jesus - not because of any good or holiness I have done but because I am accepted in the beloved!<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">When you have that attitude ... you see, it is not about ministry! People run about the church saying What's my ministry!? What's my ministry?! What they mean is what makes them important in the church. Ministry means service: Where do I serve Lord? What is my service in the church?</span></em></strong><br /><br />Your service may be only a small part of your destiny and your destiny could be a lot bigger than how you serve in the church but Lord where do I serve? You know that when you believe you are a servant when people treat you like a servant! Will you do that or that? Huh! Don't you know my ministry!? I am a son first! And out of my security as a son - I can minister as a servant. I said in Cape Town that they were driving me crazy! I honestly didn't know whether I was coming or going! Can you pray for me? Can you pray for me!? Don't these people understand that I need to go for a cup of coffee?! Then I realised that they are treating me like a servant! Yes I will pray. I am here to serve. Servants - no hierarchy!<br /><br />I have taken four years to appoint leaders and I know I haven't demolished under God's power hierarchical thinking that somehow means that appointments mean superiority! Position! Prestige! It gets two extremes. Oh now he is superior - he is an elder and deacon so I have got to fawn and flatter him. Rubbish! He is your brother! Or the other extreme: Who do they think they are?! I don't recognise them - bunch of nothings! Rebellion! That is insecurity and jealousy!<br /><br />The New Testament atmosphere is a preeminent apostle addressing fellow believers as brothers. Why? Because the preeminent apostle of all apostles - God the Son who was God from all eternity and never was anything but God and who clothed Himself in all humanity - the Man Christ Jesus seated at the right hand of the Father who is fully man - that man dimension of Him is my brother! You and me! Todd is my brother! Our other brother is Jesus! My brother Glenda! My other brother Jesus!<br /><br />The next thing here levels it all: you whom I love. That word love here is this lovely Greek word: Agape. It means my beloved. Paul says<br /><br />Php 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;<br />Rom 16:9 Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys/beloved in the Lord.<br />2 Cor11:11 And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!<br />i.e. God knows I love you. 2 Cor 12:15 I will most gladly spend and be spent for you. If I love you more, am I to be loved less? i.e. I will most gladly be expended for your sake.<br /><br />This preeminent Apostle says to a bunch of problem people who are misbehaving: I will most gladly be expended for your sake. Something has gone wrong when leaders or Christian fellow believers see others as a duty or a burden or a responsibility.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ffff66;">When the worship leaders or connect group leaders or children’s group leaders start seeing it as a burden: I don't want to expend myself then something has gone wrong. Ministry is serving! It is exhausting! He didn't say: Well I am so anointed that I never feel tired and I never can expend because I have an infinite resource. No - he said expend myself. When you have expended everything out of your bank and you try to draw money they will say No!</span></em></strong><br /><br />There are times as a Christian when you get to the place where there is nothing left in the soul tank. Nothing. You did it because of a motive of acceptance grace empowering you to serve.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#33ffff;">Q: Why?</span></strong></div><strong><span style="color:#33ffff;"><br /><div>A: My brothers whom I love! My beloved!</span></strong></div><br /><br />I have watched leaders raise up a group of people and after a while they get so frustrated and want to hurt the people. How do you see people sitting around you? Do you see them as your brothers? Do you see them as your beloved? Paul wouldn't have known every person in every church in which he was working yet his attitude was you are my beloved because you are His beloved and you are my brothers because you are His brothers. I am not superior or inferior to you. You Corinthians are getting so arrogant that you are acting like you are superior to me. It doesn't intimidate me. You are my brothers. He didn't sabotage his own ministry because he operated from an inner security.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">It is only a matter of time when everyone in this room and everyone listening to this website will not be left on the planet – not one. We will all go into eternity.</span></em></strong><br /><br />Modern technology has deceived us to think we have immortality on the earth. We each of us live in a mortal body and we will die! I don't know who's going first and I am not volunteering! One of us could be gone tomorrow! (And I’m not prophesying!) I guarantee you that within 30 years most of us will be gone and within 50 years there will be not one of us left on this planet. Then everything will be weighed up as to what we have focused on - our circumstances and our difficulties or did we focus on our destiny? I am getting to a place of rewards - that doesn't contradict grace - but I want to talk about rewards in eternity.<br /><br />Then he says: You who I long for. He isn't just saying I long to see you but he is saying I long for you. He is saying I have ambitions for you! You are such wonderful people and I see greatness in you! God saw Gideon and He didn't see a coward in a vine vat but a great general. When Paul saw his fellow believers he didn't see them as they were but he saw them in their full destiny in God! I have longings for you, my brothers/sisters! I have desires for you!<br /><br />I have to say that I have not seen anything else attract God's empowering grace on a man or a woman's life who has longings for fellow brothers and sisters. When you have this longing - You are my brothers and my beloved and I long to see you grow more in grace; I long to see you get out of those dysfunctional patterns and insecurities and fears of rejections! I long to see the Cross of Jesus Christ have an effect that you would embrace it and not these modern Christian therapies and the latest book on self-help and self-improvement ... but come back to the simplicity of the Power of the gospel! I have longings!<br /><br />Nothing thrills me more than to see people making progress. I am going to make a statement that sounds big but God knows that I am telling the truth:<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ffff66;"><u>I have never been part of a church like this one. I have been part of some of the most outstanding churches on the planet - two of them are very healthy churches currently. And they planted dozens of churches out of those churches. But I have never been part of a church like this one where I have seen such amazing transformations in people's lives. In just four years I have never seen such miraculous transformations in people's lives. I still shake my head and say It can't be</u>.<br /></span></em></strong><br />Glenda and I had lunch with Rob last Tuesday and to look into his eyes and see confidence and bright eyes and I said When you first came into that service in our church - when you walked in I thought My God what are we going to do with this guy?! He said This church has raised the dead! I was walking death. You have no idea how deep in death I was. The man I am talking to today is not the man that walked in a year and a half ago. I literally could go person to person and say Wow! I look at here. You shock me! When you first came in I thought you had escaped from an asylum and you were a secret axe murderer! He used to run out of meetings because the demons in him used to make him run out! We would run out and say You are not running away! and pull him back and they would say Rob, we heard voices telling him to run and I would say So why are you bringing him to me?! Take him to your leader and His Name is Jesus!<br /><br />That is the way I lead! There has been no microwave with this brother! None! We didn't do it as a church! I look at a very sane man and it is not my ministry but the ministry of a local church. That is the truth! A very intelligent man and an integrated man! A professional man bordering on genius in his intelligence! And for a year and a half that darkness that covered him was broken off him through the process because he came into a church preaching grace. Not a series on grace! Everything we preach is acceptance grace and it produces in God's people not a drivenness of insecurity and selfish ambition but suddenly they start seeing others as my brothers, my beloved, you who I long for. We had longings for him! And he has come through.<br /><br />When Barry came - we met him in a real Chinese restaurant and spoke to him for about 4 hours. He talked about how he was abused in Hong Kong as a little boy and sexually abused and every kind of abuse. Not making it up! He had the scars! I could not believe one human being could go through this pain! He represents hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong people! He was so angry - barking and biting at everyone, swearing and blaspheming and I think he was trying to trigger some religious reaction in Glenda and me! And we sat there and smiled and blasphemed and swore. We didn't say Don't you use those words in my presence! Don't you know I am archbishop semi-apostle?!!? We sat there and he swore and cursed and spoke about unbelievable stuff. A year and a half later I am shocked at how well adjusted he is! He is the most transformed human being I have ever witnessed in 30 years of ministry! When he talks there is no bitterness. He was street smart and now he comes and talks about other people! Brothers who he has longing for! This CCI – the local church had everything to do with his healing!<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Four weeks ago I prophesied from here that God would take his story - the longest surviving man with HIV/AIDS and openly speaks about his homosexual past and now the doctors can't find any problem with his immune system. He is off the retro-viral drugs and no problems with his immune system! He is like a normal man! I prophesied that God is going to take his story around the world! God will take his story across Hong Kong! </span></em></strong><br /><div><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><span style="color:#ffff66;">Four weeks ago I prophesied that! In November this year he is going on television and meeting with the Hong Kong television with his two doctors to talk about how he is the longest survivor with HIV/AIDS in Hong Kong and what he went through and how it is Jesus who has healed him! But the greatest healing in him - that he will talk about is not the physical AIDS but the healing and liberation of his soul! That is what he is going to talk about! He will talk about it with integrity because people in this church had longings for him!</span></em></strong><br /><br />This isn't a church where people have a sweet meeting and pop out. This is a community with integrity that are connecting!<br /><br />Gal 4:19 My little children, for whom I am again in the pain of childbirth until Christ is formed in you,<br /><br />The believers had been under law and they went back to the law and got themselves under the deception of legalistic modern day religious Christianity and Paul didn't say: well I have prayed for you and preached to you and I have exhausted myself and that is it! I will forget about you!<br /><br />Paul's longings <strong><u><span style="color:#33ffff;">NEVER</span></u></strong> gave up!<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">I came to Hong Kong and God said: You do not leave any wounded behind. You don't give up on anyone until they give up on you. You don't stop loving them or seeing them as your brothers! There are people that come and go and we don't see them for months and they come back and get into all kinds of stuff. We don't stop loving them, reaching out to them and I am not just talking about me and Glenda! I mean people in this church. They will come through!<br /></span></em></strong><br />This word longed for is the most powerful word you can use in the Greek language to describe human emotions.<br /><br />Php 1:7-8 It is right for me to think/feel this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion/affection of Christ Jesus - i.e. The whole church is sharing in a common inheritance with Paul - the same grace! God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#33ffff;">Q: Where is this supernatural love and longings come from? </span></strong></div><br /><div><strong><span style="color:#33ffff;">A: A revelation of acceptance grace that brings you into the Father's love and He gives you affections for your brothers around you and you can say My brothers - you - my beloved! I long for you! You are my joy and my crown!</span></strong><br /><br />I wanted to get into how this translates into rewards where Paul says: you’re my crown; you are my victory wreath! When Jesus comes again – where you are standing and how far you got will depend upon each of us are rewarded.<br /><br />The Bible says a lot about rewards and it is not meant to makes us afraid or condemned but to inspire us into faith to find inner security and stability and humility that will bring an attraction of empowering grace that will enable us to care for and equip for each other so when Jesus comes again - Paul makes it very clear that what you have done for your brothers/sisters and the partnerships you have around the world, you will share in equal rewards!<br /><br />Glenda and I have been going in ministry for 30 years and when you see Glenda and I as your brothers and as your beloved and as your longed for and as your joy and your crown and you are praying that we stand firm - when that is your heart do you know that when you go to heaven and we go to heaven - then everything Glenda and I have done you will share in our rewards – absolutely every equal share! Everything each one of you have done through your entire life with the right motives to honour Him - if I see you as my beloved and my joy - then everything you have done in God and born fruit in your entire life, then I will share in the rewards! We all share! Whatever we have done! Partners we are involved in!<br /><br />I feel so sorry for people who are disconnected from a local church and – who they don’t have anyone they say of: you are my victory crown - the way you are standing in God and I am connected to the rewards for your maturity and stability. Isolated Christians are missing out and all they will get on that day is what they have personally done.<br /><br />But you and I will share equally our collective rewards. In the Revelation letters to the 6 churches, Jesus talks about common reward and common judgement. If you are in a church that is not a grace church – you will share the common judgement on that church (even if you are a good person!)<br /><br />If you are in a church that is living in the Grace of God (the the only churches Jesus rebuked in Revelation were self-righteous churches – you think you are righteous; you think you are rich! Where there is pride there is spiritual poverty and blindness. If you are part of a church where acceptance grace is the major emphasis of the gospel then you will find shared reward on that day.<br /><br />When I come before Him – I want to come with so much fruit because I’m not focused on my circumstances! I don’t try to get God to make my circumstances easier. RR is in Hong Kong by destiny (not necessarily the place where his flesh longs to be!) We don’t focus on our circumstances! God will come and talk to us about our destiny! When you respond to destiny through process - not microwave - and process is by decade then our focus on destiny will mean He talks to us every single day!<br /><br />Don't miss next Sunday! If you are a visitor passing through Hong Kong then download it next Sunday! Get this message! There is a misunderstood doctrine in the church today about rewards and thus many Christians don't throw themselves into grace-filled works because they don't believe it (or know about it!) The Bible teaches about rewards that are for people who obey Him and respond to His Purposes. Huge rewards! God said: we are going to continue in momentum! Stay alert about your destiny and don't let anyone rob you of your destiny! You are in destiny on this earth from God!<br /><br />Never be embarrassed that you need a demon cast out of you; never be embarrassed that you need to be set free! Some marriages have problems because the spouse is actually demonised! You can go to all the marriage courses you want – but if you don’t cast that demon out – that person will still be a ‘pain’! No Christian can be possessed by a devil – but you can have demonic oppression. When you come for ministry keep in your heart that it is not so much about circumstances as it is about destiny! Prophesy destiny over the people!"</div>Dan Bowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15661120561123767936noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496810378047281592.post-77720550017245316182009-10-06T20:55:00.003+01:002009-10-06T21:05:16.565+01:00Rob Rufus - Session 3 - Glory and Grace Conference Holland<p>Here is <a href="http://www.citychurchinternational.net/mp3_2/GG_2009_09_04_3.zip">Session 3- Rob Rufus at the "Glory and Grace Conference</a>" in Holland preached on the 4th September 2009:</p><p>“Open your Bibles please to Romans chapter 4. Isi’s ministry just makes you hungry for more of God doesn’t it? I want to talk just briefly on the gift of righteousness. Romans chapter 4 – there is so much I would love to read here, but I will just keep it brief and am going to go straight to verse 8. “Blessed is the man who’s sin the Lord will never count against him”. That was David saying that. David saw the New Covenant coming far into the future and he knew there was a covenant coming with such blessing that no one would walk around crippled by condemnation, that they would have a confidence that their sins would never be counted against them! David did not live in the fullness of that. His sins were counted against him and it was devastating even for Israel. He saw the day coming when a people would live where God would never count their sins against them. That doesn’t mean we want to run out and sin. When you are born again you have a new creation nature. How many of you want to run out and just commit adultery? It is not in your heart! I have been married nearly 34 years and my wife and I have never had physical intimacy with another human being. So we are not preaching this message of grace because we want to run around and do stupid things. If you go out of here and say “Rob is teaching that we can just go out and do whatever we like because the Lord won’t count it against us” – if you say that, then may the fleas of 10,000 camels infect your armpits.<br /><br />The truth is that none of us are living a sin-free life. Anything that is not of faith is sin. So if the Lord was counting our sins against us, then we would not have the blessing of face-face intimacy. How many of you have a revelation that God is not counting your sins against you because He fully counted them against Jesus? God is not soft on sin! <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">The full wrath of His intense anger against sin has been <u>FULLY</u> satisfied at the Cross! The integrity of the High Court of heaven is satisfied – justice has been done. The desire of the Father is that we walk around with consciousness that</span></em></strong><br /><br />my Father is NOT counting my sins against me! If you break the laws of the land, then it will be held against you. If I do something stupid like go and commit adultery then my wife will count it against me! If I don’t pay my taxes then I will be in jail. But my Father in heaven will not count it against me – that constantly He simply sees me as righteous. </p><p><strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;"><u>The Gospel is not a message of right living but a message of right believing. What do we believe? We are the righteousness of God. Right believing leads to right living. There is the obedience of faith and when we are confident He is not counting our sins against us then we want to be led by the Spirit and obey the prompting and leading of the Spirit</u>.</span></em></strong> <br /><br />You and I have died to the law. We don’t belong to the law at all but we have died to the law so we can belong to someone else – the Lord Jesus. <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">The idea that this grace message turns us into lazy irresponsible and self-centred Christians is a <u>TOTAL</u> lie. <br /></span></em></strong><br />If I wanted to live for what I want to do then I would not live in Hong Kong but in Amsterdam. Or in Australia or South Africa! Hong Kong is not my choice! There is not a day when my flesh longs to be in a country where I know the culture and the language. It is because of the leading of the Holy Spirit that we lay our lives down for the purposes of God. Following Christ is not always convenient to our flesh but when I know He is not counting my sins against me then it gives me the confidence to come in close to the Father’s hugs and my Father’s love and to not live for this life or the convenience of this temporary world but to be arrested by eternity. Though we make our mistakes and sometimes do something that aren’t consistent with the character of Christ – but we are where He is not counting our sins against us because He counted them against Jesus. We can obey Him. <br /><br />Let’s look at 2 Corinthians chapter 5. A well known passage but let’s read verse 19. “That God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ – not counting men’s sins against them”. Religion is obsessed with this idea that God is always counting our sins against us. When people flew into the Twin Tower buildings or the tsunamis in Asia that killed people by the thousands – they said that is God judging because of men’s sins against them. <br /><br />If there was no Cross and God was counting our sins against us – according to the perfect justice of God’s holiness and His law there would not just be a few isolated tsunamis. This entire planet would be sucked up into oblivion and into hell. When Jesus was born the angels appeared to the shepherds and said; “Goodwill to ALL men – peace on earth!”. We have come into a different time. We are not under the Old Covenant and God is not judging or counting their sins against them! God was “in Christ reconciling the world” – not just Christians!<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">If someone dies outside of Christ then they will be judged to the full extent of the law and be lost forever. In this time frame God is not holding men’s sins against them. You find in the Old Testament talk of “days and days” or “years” of judgement. It talks about a “day of judgement” but speaks of God pouring out His Spirit on ALL flesh in the last days. God will prove He is not holding men’s sins against them by pouring the Holy Spirit out on every human being. <br /></span></em></strong><br />The word “pour out” is a secular word in the Greek and speaks of a man saying to his girlfriend; “I love you and I want to pour out my love on you. God is not counting men’s sins against them and wants to pour out the Holy Spirit on all men. <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">He is going to fill the red-light district with His love and His glory. The prostitutes standing in that place will suddenly feel the love of God and KNOW that He is “not counting my sins against me”. The goodness of God will lead people to repentance.</span></em></strong> <br /><br />There is only one sin that the Holy Spirit convicts us of. In John 16 Jesus said when the Holy Spirit comes, He will convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgement. Is that true? It’s there – John 16:8, 10. In the very next verse Jesus said; “Of sin – because they do not believe on me”. There is only one sin Jesus could not die for – that is the sin of unbelief in grace. Grace is not a doctrine. It is a Person. His Name is Jesus. It is unbelief in Jesus that is the only sin He cannot die for. The second thing He said He would convict the world of is; “righteousness – because I go to the Father where you see Me no more”. What is He doing at the right hand of the Father? He is the great merciful High Priest of the New Covenant. He is mediating for us – what is He mediating? A covenant that brought the gift of righteousness. <br /><br />Then He said; “Judgement – because the prince of this world has now been defeated at the Cross where He disarmed them by taking away the law”. <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;"><u>He is wanting to pour out His love by pouring out the Holy Spirit so on this planet sooner or later, all flesh and all peoples – all 1 billion 300 million Chinese – will have the Holy Spirit poured out on them. And that prophecy hasn’t been fulfilled yet</u>!<br /></span></em></strong><br />What will He show them? They are not believing in grace but in religion and their own self-righteousness. He will convict them of their unbelief in grace. Some will fall to the ground in shock and awe at the arrogance of unbelief and the sin of self-righteousness. Then he will convict them that there is a righteousness not their own and the devil has been judged! Let’s look at (v21). We have heard this before but it is good to hear it over and over again. It is like climbing a spiral staircase and you keep coming to the same view over and over again but always from a higher place. Let’s read (v21); “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in Him, we might become the righteousness of God”. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us. <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#33cc00;"><u>He did not carry our sin – He BECAME our sin – so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus with a complete co-equal righteousness to Christ</u>.</span></em></strong> <br /><br />Let me ask you a simple question. How did Jesus become our sin? By sinning? No blasphemy – of course not. He became sin because He was given the free gift of first Adam’s sin and the spiritual death of first Adam that passed on to all generations. Past, present and future. He became our sin not by committing any sin. How did we become the righteousness of God? By committing righteous acts? No not by doing righteous things but by God GIVING us the free gift of the righteousness of God that is ours in Christ Jesus. <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;"><u>As soon as Jesus was given the free gift of our sin on the Cross – did He have to cry out and pray to God; “Curse Me with judgement, bring the curse of the law, wrath, sickness and disease on Me, disfigure My body so I will not even look like a Man anymore because the laser-like focus of Your wrath will be focused on Me”? Did He have to ask that? No He didn’t have to ask God to do that. As soon as He was made our sin, it was the automatic response of a holy God to pour that out on Jesus</u>.</span></em></strong> <br /><br />Then He went to the grave saturated in our sin. When Heaven’s high court was satisfied that justice was done He was raised from the dead with all sin obliterated and terminated and gone out of existence – He was raised for our justification! On the Day of Pentecost we were given the free gift of His righteousness. <br /><br />It is based on HIS righteousness – not on your performance. It is not based on your obedience or disobedience for the next 100 years or as long as you live. It is the eternal permanent position that you have in Christ Jesus.<br /><br />Hebrews chapter 10:14; “By one sacrifice you have been made perfect FOREVER”. This is not a temporary salvation. The book of Hebrews calls it “eternal” salvation. The moment you believe you are the righteousness of God in Christ – do you have to pray for the Father to bless you? Did Jesus have to pray for the Father to curse Him when He was made our sin? You don’t see in the New Testament the apostles praying for blessing. The law was given through Moses but grace and truth came through Jesus. From the fullness of His grace we have received one blessing after another. <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">Deuteronomy 28 says if you will fully keep and obey all the law then all these blessings will come on you. But if you do not keep the law then all these curses will overtake you. Galatians 3:13-14 shows that Christ on the Cross redeemed us from the curse of the law that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through faith.</span></em></strong><br /><br />The moment you believe that you are the righteousness of God in Christ; you do NOT need to pray for blessings to come on you. They come on you and they overtake you! What do you see the apostles praying for in the New Testament? Not bless me – bless me. Blessings come on you when you believe. They pray for revelation to come to the truth! They pray for the eyes of the church’s understanding to be opened so they can see the hope of our calling and how good the gospel is! As soon as the lights come on and you believe then the blessings of God start coming automatically over our lives. When you go back under the law, then faith begins to crush. “I am not going back under the law – the law is a yoke of bondage” – (Galatians 5:14).<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Galatians 5:4; Paul says if you go back under the law to gain righteousness then you have made Christ of nothing and have fallen from grace. How do you fall from grace? By breaking the law? No – by trying to keep the law to earn favour with God. In the modern church, they say you fall from grace – you have fallen into sin. But Paul the apostle said you fall from grace when you go back under law.</span></em></strong><br /><br />It’s very different! Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3 that carnal, worldly Christians are those who believe they gain righteousness through the law. The gospel isn’t good advice – it’s good news! If you are in serious debt and go to your bank manager and ask him to help you and he says “No – we are going to re-possess your house but maybe if you get three jobs and sell all your furniture and everything you have got and send your wife and children out to work and have no fun and just work 15 hours a day, 7 days a week THEN you can save your house”. That may be good advice, but it certainly isn’t good news. Imagine if you go to your bank manager and as you walk into his office, he comes running around from his desk and gives you a big hug and pops a big bottle of champagne and he says; “You know just before you came in here, someone you don’t even know came and says that he loves you totally and that he wanted to pay all your mortgage off and you don’t owe him a thing! And he did it to make you free! And then he put £10 trillion into your bank account for you to spend as you want!”. That is not good advice! That is good news!<br /><br />The gospel of grace that the church has got is infinitely better than that! What breaks my heart is that most of the church don’t have a clue how GOOD it is! When they convert someone they convert them into death and misery. Let’s read one more Scripture just for the heaven of it. Colossians chapter 1. There are Scriptures in the New Testament that people say; “What about that one?! What about that?!”. I say; “Shut up!”. They are asking questions inside a question! It’s like those who went to Jesus and said; “Jesus what happens if this woman is married to a man and he dies and then she marries another and he dies and then she marries another one and they die and another and they die” … if I was Jesus (and thank God I am not) but I would have said; “Any woman who marries him is stupid!”. “So when they all get to heaven who are they married to?”. His answer? “You are wrong because you don’t know the power of God or the Scriptures. There wont be any giving or taking of marriage in heaven. Next!”. There are questions we need to ask about grace – but not questions within questions but because we want to know the truth of this freedom that we have in Christ.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#33cc00;"><u>My son Ryan and myself have gone through all the so-called difficult passages in the New Testament that appear to contradict grace and we have found they are very easy to answer! They actually strengthen the message of grace if we will just read them in context! We are going to put them up on our website soon – all the difficult questions answered! So the New Testament becomes a beautiful love letter to the children of God and the devil can’t take any more verses out of context and confuse</u>.</span></em></strong><br /><br />The Reformation began just down the road in Germany and it has not finished yet. There are still traditions of men in the church and as we recover truth we are going to put those traditions to death. We are not trying to change the Bible – the Bible changes us. Remember there are people who have been reading the New Testament with the wrong lenses. These are New Covenant lenses with Old Covenant scratches on them. When I read the New Testament I will see judgement and confusion and condemnation everywhere. When God opens our heart with revelation and takes the scratches off, you can de-code the New Covenant and see how glorious it is and consistent with the finished work of the Cross. You are in Christ – when the Father said “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well please” – at that point Jesus hadn’t done any preaching or any healing. He hadn’t achieved anything but the Father was still well-pleased with Him. Now you are in Christ! The Father isn’t saying “Yes you are My beloved son or daughter but if you would just stop that and stop that and do that and do that then I will be well pleased with you”. There is only one thing that pleases the Father in the New Covenant (Hebrews 11:6) – “without faith it is impossible to please God”. What is the one sin that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of? Unbelief in grace. Unbelief in Jesus.<br /><br />What does Galatians 3:12 say? The law is not based on faith. How does the Father see you and me all the time? <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Let’s look at Colossians 1:22; “But now He has reconciled you through Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight without blemish and free from accusation”. So the Bible is saying here that in God’s sight (and may not be in other people’s sight – the Bible says that we should not look after each other in the flesh anymore but in the spirit) He sees you as holy, without blemish and free from accusation because of what Jesus did on the Cross! Chapter 2:6; “Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him”. How did you receive Him? Grace through faith – so how do you continue to live in Him? Grace through faith!</span></em></strong><br /><br />People say “Well you got saved by grace through faith but now you need to be sanctified by coming back under the law!”. No – it says just as you received Christ so continue to walk in Him. Right believing – not trying to be right living! The sanctification is a fruit of a changed life that believes this message and gets into the Presence and glory of God and God begins to change him. He changes our heart first. Some Christian behaviour embarrasses some people but the Father isn’t trying to say “Stop that! Stop that!”. He wants them to believe this message so He can change their hearts and as they believe this message then the weird behaviour will get less and less until it falls away. I know you know this – but God wants it really in our hearts and He says “Don’t let anyone deceive you with empty philosophy”. “For in Christ all the fullness of the deity live”. Then let’s read from verse 13. “When you were dead … He forgave us all our sins”. He circumcised our old nature – where did we get that old nature from? First Adam! What was Adam’s sin? Was it pornography or adultery? No – it was unbelief in the goodness of God because God said “I have made you in My image and likeness” and Satan said if you eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil then you can become “like God”. <br /><br />He was already in the image and likeness of God – so he had unbelief in the truth of God’s goodness and tried to develop self-righteousness apart from God! When you were born again it was because the Holy Spirit convicted you of that unbelief in grace and He circumcised your heart. We don’t have a sinful nature and a righteousness nature! That old nature has been cut away! Under the Old Covenant you had physical circumcision. I am not trying to be crude – but it was a snip on the tip and then they threw the tip away. They didn’t try to stick it back on again with Bos-Stick or glue! So when your old nature is cut away it is thrown away! <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">So you do not have a sinning nature on the inside of you! You have a new creation nature that wants to believe in the goodness of God! It doesn’t want to run out and do terrible things! Yes you still have appetites in your physical body and memories in your mind. Some of our appetites want to do wrong things and it is not coming from the old nature but memories of the flesh.</span></em></strong> <br /><br />But as Isi preached – our bodies were made for pleasure! The word “Eden” in Hebrew means “pleasure” – the “place of pleasure”! God wanted Adam and Eve to enjoy the most amazing pleasure with God and each other there! So as we walk in the goodness of God, little by little some of the old appetites and memories will start changing if we stay in the flow of grace. The religious world tries to force artificial change on people. It is behaviour modification principles so we all look good on the outside but there is still frustration and desires to do wrong. God wants us to live in joy! </p><p><strong><em><span style="color:#ff9900;"><span style="color:#ff0000;">In a grace church, some of our mistakes and failures and short-comings will come out in the open. We are no longer ashamed and hiding in the dark! The religious world says “Look what grace did!”. But go and look in law churches – there is a LOT of sinning going on! But it is all done in secret. The Bible says that the law stirs up sin. In a grace church people feel safe when they make mistakes. They are not attacked and jumped on. People can help them and support them and walk them through their moral failures and restore them.</span><br /></span></em></strong><br />This is good news! It says that He forgave us all our sins. ALL. There are no sins left over that aren’t forgiven. When did He forgive your sins? 2000 years ago on the Cross. <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">Before you had even sinned, they were all already forgiven. Before you had faith for forgiveness – you were forgiven!</span></em></strong><br /><br />So that day that you confessed and said “Jesus I am a sinner and I confess that You are my Lord and I believe in grace and I turn to You Jesus and turn away from self-righteousness and turn to You Lord” – on THAT day you received the BENEFIT of all your sins forgiven. You don’t get your forgiveness in instalments. I make a mistake and sin as a Christian and you say “I’m sorry! I’m really, really sorry!”. “Okay it’s forgiven!”. No! It says ALL were forgiven here at the Cross 2,000 years ago! Should a Christian say “I’m sorry Lord” if you sin? I think you should. BUT! It’s not to get your fellowship back or your intimacy back – it is just honesty! You are still the righteousness of God by a free gift. Just as Jesus never became our sin by sinning but by the free gift of our sin.<br /><br />Let’s read this last verse here and then I will close. (v14); “He took it away nailing it to the Cross, having disarmed … triumphing over them by the Cross”. Who wrote the 10 Commandments? God with His finger! 2 Corinthians 3:7 said that the ministry of death that was written on tablets of stone that brought condemnation came with glory – fading though it was. The ministry that brings righteousness brings unfading glory. There is a ministry of death that the Bible says stood opposed to us and was against us and was killing us. Through the Law I died to the law! The law killed us! It has no more claim over us! At the Cross He cancelled the law! He is the One who wrote it! He doesn’t want you under it! The whole point of the blood and guts of the Cross was to cancel the law and by cancelling the law God triumphed over the powers and authorities and disarmed them! So to preach the Law to the Church is to re-arm powers and authorities! <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Let me ask you this question – if God cancelled the Law and we preach to the Church something God has cancelled then the Holy Spirit will not empower you to preach something that God has cancelled! So what spirit comes on ministries who preach the law to the church? It is not the Holy Spirit! What spirit? Galatians 3:1 – it is the spirit of witchcraft.</span></em></strong><br /><br />“Who has bewitched you?”. It is a bewitching spirit. This law/religious thing is not a small issue. It is a big issue! We should make it a big issue! The religious world doesn’t want us to make it a big issue because they have the leverage of the law to beat people up and control people. Jesus said “My yoke is easy and My burden is light – come unto Me all ye who are heavy laden with law and legalism”. As we walk and live in the Holy Spirit we will become more like Jesus, love one another like never under the law! The 10 Commandments say “Love the Lord your God!”. The New Covenant says “We love Him because He first loved us!”. If you try to love God then you will just come under the Law again! The religious spirit says you don’t love God very much! You wouldn’t do that if you really loved God! Let Him love you! The disciple “whom Jesus loved” at the Last Supper leant on the chest of Jesus! Why was he so close? “I am the one He loves!”. Peter was about five men down the table and he was saying; “What’s He saying?!”. When you know you are the one He loves then people will come and say “What’s He saying?”. “He is saying – He is not counting your sins against you!”. John was the last disciple with Him at the Cross. Peter was like many modern Christians and will prove how much he loved Christ. “You will be sifted like wheat and be taken out”.</p>Dan Bowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15661120561123767936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496810378047281592.post-73164320282255754542009-09-26T21:03:00.004+01:002009-09-26T21:46:12.173+01:00Rob Rufus - Session 1 - Glory and Grace HollandIt is to my everlasting regret that the closest Rob and Glenda Rufus came to the United Kingdom this year was Holland. Thanks to swine flu and the resulting demands on my job - I simply wasn't able to get the time off to fly the short distance to experience the Glory and Grace Conference. I will have to live in hope that happens next year! I need a Glory and Grace conference very soon! I am so grateful to Mp3s - the second best thing. <br /><br />Here's the transcript!<br /><br />"Well Holland Glory and Grace! It is such a joy and a privilege to be here! We have had two or three days in Amsterdam which was a great delight. I don’t like shopping much – but an anointing to shop came on me in Amsterdam! This is one of the manifestations! My wife brought nothing! That is one of the biggest signs and wonders I have ever seen! I want to thank you for hosting this conference. You have a reputation of doing everything well with excellence. Thank you for having us. The whole of the church too. It is our joy to speak to people from different countries as well. <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">I do want to say to the people of Holland that as we were praying last night, we really sensed that God wants to increase His Presence and power in this land. We felt right across to Eastern Europe including Russia; a move of the Spirit established in the Netherlands will go right through to Eastern Europe. We are trusting this time will light even more fires and that we will be partners together in this move of the Spirit across the land.</span></em></strong> <br /><br />I want to honour and welcome my daughter Bonnie who I am very proud of. This has been a great and very challenging year. We have seen cripples walk; we have seen teams moving into China, seeing many people saved in the towns and rural areas of China. We have a team of 11 people from our church preaching the gospel in China. They have seen communist government officials saved when they see the miracles.<br /><br />We had a lady wheeled into our church 2months ago in a wheelchair and I thought “I hope I get a chance to pray for her!” because our people believe that they are in Christ and can do the works that Jesus did. I am getting out of practice! They just get in before me! They are very rude and pray for the people before I can get the chance! At the end of the service I was heading for the back of the church, before I got there this lady was up and walking! Some of the church had prayed for her. <br /><br />The next week this lady – a Chinese lady – came walking into the service next week. She had been in a wheelchair crippled for 20 years. God is doing some wonderful things in our days! We have had two Glory and Grace conferences this year already – one in Hong Kong and one in South Africa. We have seen amazing hunger in God’s people. So what I have come to realise is that God uses anybody! He really likes using those who know they are weak. Paul the apostle said we can boast in two things – our weakness and God’s strength! God doesn’t need our strength! He is incredibly strong! All our strength is flesh! This flesh can’t make people come out of wheelchairs or change people’s lives.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#009900;"><u>When we are weak – then the Holy Spirit moves in power and does great miracles, transforms lives</u>!</span></em></strong><br /><br />I think we will be laying hands on people in some of the meetings but don’t wait for human hands! The greatest miracle can happen in your chair as God does what He wants! How many believe that God has more power to reveal in His church today? <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;"><u>There are four things that will establish a move of the Spirit at a deeper level in our churches</u>:<br /><br />1. We need to preach the gospel of grace that Paul preached – it liberates God’s people. <br /></span></em></strong><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">2. We must have a desperate hunger for more of God’s glory Presence.<br /></span></em></strong><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">3. We mustn’t be afraid of the manifestations of the Holy Spirit.<br /></span></em></strong><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">4. We must not be afraid of what man says – especially religious men! We must not be afraid of the rejection!</span></em></strong><br /><strong><em></em></strong><br />They rejected Jesus and hated Him, they hated Paul! This message of grace is the thing that the devil fears the most. Religious people fear this message the most! I don’t fully understand it! When religious people hear that the gospel means that you are free from the law of Moses, completely free and only under grace – it frightens them! But Paul the apostle said when he was under the law, he said he was a violent man! <br /><br />People under law are violent – they have murderous attitudes. All religion that is legalistic, performance-based makes very unhappy, angry, violent people. Paul said according to the law – he had legalistic righteousness. He said it was faultless! But he said he considered that legalistic faultless righteousness as rubbish. The Greek is a stronger word – “dung”. Something that stinks! When someone is legalistic, they like to tick off boxes as to what they did not or did do. “You must be pleased with me God”. He says; “It stinks”. Paul said “I want to be found in Christ having a righteousness that is by faith in Christ and is apart from the law – that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and share in the fellowship of His suffering”.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#009900;">I don’t understand how people can mix law and grace together! Under the law – the law curses you. The Bible says it is a “ministry of death”. It kills you. Under grace – we are redeemed from the curse of the law! The blessing given to Abraham is given to us freely! The law makes you conscious of your sin, grace makes you conscious that you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus! Under law God says “I will by no means forget your sins”.</span> </em></strong><br /><strong><em></em></strong><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Under the law God forgives your sins through the blood of bulls and of goats – but He doesn’t forget them. Under grace God says “I will by no means remember your sins and your lawless deeds”. Under law God demands a perfect righteousness by our performance. Under grace God provides His perfect gift of righteousness through His Son. The law says “Do – do – do!”. Grace says “It’s done!”. The law is a revelation of how wrong you are with God. Grace is a revelation of how right you are through Christ.</span></em></strong><br /><br />I know this is very simple! But the Church has made it very complicated. You are either under law or under grace. You can’t mix these two together. They are impossible to mix together! The law is so radical – if you fail in one area then the Bible says you are guilty of failing in every area. You must pluck your eyes out, cut your hands off, stone your children even! That is extreme! Under law people stand outside abortion clinics and shoot the doctors. They feel they are right in doing that! I do not believe in abortion – I know it is killing children! I don’t like it! But under law they say you must kill those who break the law and stone them. Under grace, it says you must love your enemies. The grace of God is so extreme! Right across the church world there is no argument about the definition of grace. There is no conflict! Almost every Christian will agree that grace is “God’s unmerited favour to you, that grace is God’s riches at Christ’s expense, that grace is God doing good things for us when we don’t deserve it, that grace is God’s empowerment on our lives”. Most of the church world agrees with that. The real problem comes trying to convince Christians that if you are in Christ the only way God relates to you is always and totally through grace and grace alone! That is where the fight comes! <br /><br />There are two glories – there is an Old Covenant fading glory and a New Covenant ever-increasing glory! The Old Covenant glory is God’s view and opinion of you through the law. When God sees you through the law, all He sees is sin and man coming short. He must bring judgement and walk away. Under the New Covenant God sees you only through grace and grace alone. When He sees you through grace He sees you continually and permanently in Christ’s righteousness and can keep blessing you and causing His glory to come on you. Romans 5:21 says “grace reigns through the GIFT of righteousness”. Isn’t this good news?! It is so good! We have mixed law and grace together for centuries. There is a generation of believers rising in the earth – NO more mixture, NO more condemning cocktail that has confused and crippled us with condemnation, NO more fading glory! We are a generation of the EVER-INCREASING glory!<br /><br />Some of the greatest insights into the New Covenant are seen when you read the Old Testament prophets. They see a day when the New Testament is coming. In Isaiah 61 he is announcing the New Covenant coming! Under law there is only mourning and sack cloth and ashes – because it is only gloom and doom and judgement. Under grace there is joy and freedom and that is why Isaiah says “The Spirit of the Lord is on me to preach freedom to the prisoners – to bring the oil of joy instead of mourning – beauty for ashes!”.<br /><br />When I was a university student, I worked as a volunteer in insane asylums. I thought I was going insane! Many of the people in insane asylums have got a religious background and they are so depressed and so confused because there is a condemnation from the law that destroys the human being psychologically! God never wanted to bring the law! He came to Abraham and said; “Abraham – I will bless you! I will make your name great! I will make you a blessing in the earth! All nations will be blessed through you!”. Abraham didn’t have the law of Moses! The law was coming 430 years in the future! Abraham was an Iraqi sinner! He had done nothing good – he had no faith in God! He wasn’t behaving morally! God said “I will bless you! I will make you a blessing in all nations”. And Abraham said … “Okay!”. He hadn’t been to church or been taught the law – that you have to earn and deserve! He just believed that God wanted to bless him – and God credited that to him as righteousness. But God didn’t offer him righteousness! He offered to BLESS Abraham and Abraham believed it! God said “That faith in My goodness declares you righteous”. <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#009900;">Who are the seed of Abraham? The people of faith? The people that believe God wants to bless you out of His own goodness – THEY are declared righteous! </span></em></strong><br /><br />God brought 400 years after Abraham – because of Abraham’s covenant and they went through the Red Sea and were blessed and blessed, yet they complained and complained – but still God didn’t kill or judge them! Finally God said; “Because of your unbelief in My goodness – I will give you something that is NOT based on faith in My goodness. I will give you the Law”. <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Galatians 3:12) says the Law is not based on faith. (Hebrews 11:6) says without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God. The Law is based on something that is IMPOSSIBLE to please God – the Law is based on a faith on me being good enough to earn the blessing. </span></em></strong><br /><br />Hebrews chapter 10 said God did not want to bring sin offerings or the Temple system – but the Law required it. On the day that the law came on Mount Sinai – what was the name of the religious day? The Day of Pentecost. 50 days after the Passover meal in Egypt. That was the day the law was introduced. On that day 3000 people were put to death by the wrath of God. The law had no power to make them holy and they were already worshipping a golden calf. When the Law arrived they were committing adultery and 3000 were put to death by the wrath of God. The law is based on man’s human effort, self-righteousness, human arrogance, the Law is there to show you and me that we can never get the blessings through us earning it. 1500 years later there was another day of Pentecost. 50 days after the Passover lamb had died on the Cross. At the Cross He cancelled the law and took it away. 50 days after that Passover lamb died, there was another Pentecost. The people in that city had done something worse than a golden calf – they had crucified the Lord of Glory! But on that day 3000 were saved!<br /><br />Why would anyone want to live under law? On that day they walked out completely drunk! People were amazed! They said these men were drunk with new wine! Psalm 2 says God laughs at those who thinks they can advance against His anointed! Hebrews 1:8 says that Jesus is anointed with the oil of joy above anyone else in heaven. The Bible says the Holy Spirit is called the new wine. So – we have a trinity. A Father sitting on a throne laughing from His belly at the devil thinking he can destroy the church. Jesus at His right hand is full of more joy than any other creature in heaven! He is the uncreated eternal God by the way! The Father laughing, Jesus anointed with the oil of joy above His fellows and the Holy Spirit – powerful, intoxicating new wine and then you have the church in the earth. Conservative. Formal. “Have you prayed 5 hours today?! How much have you read your Bible?! Have you confessed your sins?!”. Depressed with an epidemic of melchnolia. Some people think the Trinity says “This isn’t right – look at the Church and how sad they are!”. We should become like them. The Trinity says “Let’s stop all this joy in heaven and laughter and angels from being happy. Stop all the joy when a sinner gets saved. When anyone gets saved we want depressed angels”. Because one day all these depressed Christians and grumpy brothers and sisters will come to heaven and if they see all this joy then they will be in hell, uncomfortable and not at home! Does the Trinity say that?! The Trinity says “NO! Let’s make as in heaven – on earth!”. Let Your Kingdom come to earth! Let Your will be done on earth as in heaven! Let’s let them know that Our joy is their strength! Let the fruit of the Holy Spirit be love, joy and peace! <br /><br />The Kingdom of heaven is not food and drink but a matter of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit! Let them see that a merry heart does good, like medicine! Let sorrow and sighing flee away! Let God arise – let Zion be the joy of the whole earth! When we get there Jesus will say “Well good and faithful servant – enter into the JOY!”. He will not say “Enter into the depression of the Lord!”. <br /><br />There is another thing God is doing in the earth – not only is He pouring out joy but ecstasy! Blessing! <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">You say “But Jesus was a Man of Sorrows”. What is the Man of Sorrows? That is Isaiah 53 – when He was on the Cross, carrying our sorrows and our pain and our suffering and our punishment so we can carry His joy, His freedom, His happiness! He is no longer a Man of Sorrows but the happiest Man on earth and heaven!</span></em></strong><br /><br />The other thing the Holy Spirit is doing is He is pouring out FIRE on the church. It is the fire of His jealous love. This fire is burning out of us – everything that loves something else more than Jesus. The Law says “Stop that – stop that”. It doesn’t help because Christians just carry on! When the fire of God’s love burns in us, it fills us with an awareness of how much He loves us and how glorious He is – it is supernatural! <br /><br />It just burns out that which will steal our love away from Jesus. And the revelation of grace and the revelation of joy and freedom – there is a fire that is capturing our hearts with a passionate love for Jesus and a love for Him above everything else. In that is coming signs, wonders and miracles and healing filling us with drunkenness – bliss – ecstasy (not the drug but the same effect!). <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#009900;">Why do all these young people want to take ecstasy? I don’t blame them! So much of the Church is depressed so they have got to take something! But imagine when they see us in the supernatural joy!</span></em></strong><br /><br />Not Mount Sinai Pentecost where God is killing people because of the law but Pentecost in Mount Zion where God is saving sinners and the Church is drunk with ecstasy from heaven! <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">People will give up their ecstasy drugs for something much better! In this conference the wind of God is going to blow. He is blowing here tonight already! He will blow with the winds of the Spirit over all of our lives. In the winds of God we are going to smell the perfumes of heaven and the spices of the anointing among us! We are literally going to smell vanilla! Myrrh! These are the spices!</span></em></strong><br /><br />Exodus 30 is the ingredient of the anointing. It is literally going to drip from us! <br /><br />Our cups are going to overflow and when it overflows it will splash on people around you! They may be sitting here like this saying “I am not going to get drunk – don’t give me that ecstasy or happiness! My grandfather was depressed, my father was depressed and I am going to keep the tradition of the family!”. Even though God is laughing His head off! Jesus is anointed with joy in heaven! The Holy Spirit is called the new wine. “It’s disgusting this happiness! I am going to keep the family tradition! I wouldn’t do that ‘joy’ stuff even if you paid me!”. Listen – when the Holy Spirit touches you, you will do it without being paid! As you come into overflow you are going to splash on people around you. You are going to splash on people in the streets, in your homes, hotels! <br /><br />Fini and Isi were walking in Australia some time ago and had been in a meeting where the joy of heaven had broken loose. They were walking through the streets of Adelaide a few weeks later and walked past a young Australian woman. As they came in shadow contact, these unsaved, non-Christian, un-churched women fell under the power of the Holy Spirit totally drunk! There are coming signs and wonders that will break out in the streets! On the Day of Pentecost it was their drunkenness and the sound of heaven breaking into the earth that attracted the crowd and the people said “What is this?”. Peter’s sermon was “This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel”.<br /><br /><strong><em><u><span style="color:#009900;">Evangelism is not going to be knocking on doors and saying “Can I preach to you?”. No! Shut and close the door! Evangelism is going to be because the unsaved people SEE the joy and the Presence of God and the fire of God in US!</span></u></em></strong><br /><br />I was also walking through a place in Australia and there was a street café and someone called me over. I leant over the table and looked at the people. I was under such a heavy anointing. They were normal and then suddenly they were all covered in gold, oil dripping off them. They fell off the coffee table drunk in the street! People walking by saw them drunk in the street and I was able to say, “Don’t worry they are not drunk as ye suppose” and then was able to share the Gospel with them. Signs and wonders! Religion has been a people thinking “It is so hard to get a goat from our Father!”. In the parable of the prodigal son, the man had been with prostitutes and spent all his father’s inheritance! He came home and his father ran to him and kissed him on the neck and gave him a ring, shoes, a robe, party, a fatted calf. There was singing and dancing and happiness because there had been grace! The older brother had been working very hard doing everything right and said “I come into this place with singing and dancing and you give him a fatted calf and he has been with prostitutes and I have worked so hard for you and you didn’t even give me a goat!”. The father said “Son - everything I have is yours”. You are a son!<br /><br />The New Covenant says this in Ephesians 2 and Romans 6; “If you are in Christ then you were co-crucified and co-buried”. God does not live within time. God doesn’t live limited to time. God created time and God lives in the glory. He lives in the eternal now. So you are already crucified with Christ! It has happened already! You have been buried with Christ, ascended, glorified and co-seated with Christ in the heavenly realms. <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">You are a co-equal heir with Christ and an heir of God! This has already happened! You start the Christian race at the finishing line as a WINNER!</span></em></strong><br /><br />This has all happened already. If you were going to play cricket for Holland and you knew you were guaranteed to win. How would you play? If you knew it was impossible to lose, that in the mind of God you have already won! Every ball that came your way – you would go for it! You would play! How would you play football? You would play with reckless confidence! People that think God is judging them and God is putting condemnation on them – Jesus said they take their talents and they bury it. They are so cautious – they think God is a hard taskmaster. Those that know God is good and we are guaranteed to win, they take their talents and take risks and multiply! <br /><br />The New Covenant is superior to the Old Covenant! It has a superior mediator – Jesus. God took an oath in Isaiah to NEVER be angry with you or me again! He said “I take an oath, as surely as I took an oath with Noah’s flood – that the world will never be destroyed with a global flood – so I declare I will never be angry with you again, I will never withdraw My covenant of peace with you. I will establish you in My righteousness and you will have nothing to fear! Terror will be far from you! No weapon formed against you will succeed for your righteousness is from Me!”. <br /><br />Your Father is the umpire of the game of life. The referee! The devil is bowling! Every ball you want to hit right out of the ground. You miss! The wicket breaks. The Holy Spirit puts the wicket back up! Jesus said “Not out!”. The Father says to the devil “Bowl again” and you swing and swing until you hit the ball out of the ground. Father is not umpiring the game by religious rules and regulations. He is umpiring the game by the finished work of the Cross. We just step out and swing the bat and we take risks over and over again until we win because we are guaranteed to win. <br /><br />This is what righteousness means as a gift. You are as righteous in the Father’s eyes as Jesus because you have been given His gift of righteousness, completely apart from the Law! And there is no possibility that the Law can come back over your life because Colossians 2:14 God CANCELLED the Law and disarmed the powers and authorities at the Cross! So the devil can no longer accuse you because the law has gone. Now you are under grace and you are as close to the Father as Jesus is. In John 17 Jesus prayed, regarding all of us, “Father – may they be one just as We are one”. The Bible says in 1 John 4:17 “As He is, so are we in this world”. When I want to know what my relationship with the Father is like, I don’t look at me; I am finished with that inward looking stuff – if you spend all your time looking inwards, then you will get very depressed!<br /><br />Corrie Ten Boom in Amsterdam said “If I look at myself I am depressed, if I look at the world I am unimpressed but if I look at Jesus I am so impressed!”. Even David under the Old Covenant said; “Search me O Lord and lead me in the paths of righteousness”. You don’t search yourself. In the New Covenant when the Holy Spirit is searching you, He is telling you as the Comforter; “Grace – grace – you are righteous! The Law has gone!”. If I want to know my relationship with the Father, I look at Jesus relationship with the Father because I am in Christ. Under the Law God made a covenant with man and said “If you do the law then I will bless you, but if you don’t do the law I will curse you. If you break one part of the law then you are guilty of breaking it all”. <br /><br />Under the New Covenant God said; “I love you so much – I am not going to make a covenant with you. I will cut a covenant with My Son – outside of you – I will cut it with My Son at the Cross and then I will include you in Him”. So His standing before Me will be your standing before Me. It is within the infallibility of the Trinity. For you to fall from favour with the Father, Jesus would have to sin. Because you are in Him. You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus ALL the time. <br /><br />Rob, what happens when I make a mistake or sin? You are STILL the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus not under the law. I don’t want to sin and I know you don’t want to sin but the Law will not help you get victory over sin! Living in the victory of grace will bring you into true victory!Dan Bowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15661120561123767936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496810378047281592.post-18146387793986150902009-09-23T23:01:00.000+01:002009-09-23T23:02:26.858+01:00A Box FULL of Glory!!It was a thrill to come home from work today and find the postman had delivered a box full of Rob Rufus's latest book; "<a href="http://www.newnaturepublications.com/?page=product_detail&id=2">Invading the Impossible</a>!" - direct from Hong Kong!<br /><br /><p>As with Ryan's two books - if you live in the United Kingdom and would like to get hold of one of these three awesome books then please do drop me an email and I would be thrilled to ship one or any of them to you.</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxxrY7LSXl6Vp5E2Nl8ojZ2IKJ-8bY-J9kH-Wyn5x8L4b_1KK_x5PKnESku9DEAh_T-PWvCyvnR2Ov08r-SG3TxM7Ci9MOQI5hA-PjvifHuC7CwAUCuADN1pJ20yba6d_hNFeIcHs6zRRl/s1600-h/Invading+the+Impossible.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384785901677475074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxxrY7LSXl6Vp5E2Nl8ojZ2IKJ-8bY-J9kH-Wyn5x8L4b_1KK_x5PKnESku9DEAh_T-PWvCyvnR2Ov08r-SG3TxM7Ci9MOQI5hA-PjvifHuC7CwAUCuADN1pJ20yba6d_hNFeIcHs6zRRl/s320/Invading+the+Impossible.jpg" /></a>The "Invading the Impossible" series was a particularly significant and life-changing series for me. <a href="http://www.citychurchinternational.net/2008.html">Rob preached it in the early part of 2008 at City Church International and it was put into book format</a>. Rob Rufus deals with these issues in this book:<br /><p><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">1. Enjoying the Benefits of the Resurrection Power of Jesus.</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="color:#ff6600;">2. The Designer's Original.</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="color:#ffff66;">3. The Revolution has Begun - Overthrowing the Spirit of Control!</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="color:#33ff33;">4. Lifting the Limitations - a Mirror Mentality vs a Window View.</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="color:#33ffff;">5. No Regrets!</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="color:#3333ff;">6. Dealing with Disappointment.</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="color:#cc33cc;">7. Authority to Invade.</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">8. Invading by Reigning.</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="color:#ff6600;">9. Let God Impress You - (<u>a powerful prophecy to Rob</u>).</span></strong></p><p>I can't urge you enough! Read this book! Listen to the sermon series! It is dangerous!</p>Dan Bowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15661120561123767936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496810378047281592.post-66821083578815604102009-09-08T19:00:00.003+01:002009-09-10T20:30:12.889+01:00Attitudes that Attract the Empowering Grace of God - Part 1This sermon was preached by Rob Rufus on Sunday 20th July 2008 at City Church International in Hong Kong. I am so grateful to a new friend from Australia - Meredith - who has kindly transcribed the whole of Rob's "Attitudes that Attract the Empowering Grace of God" series! I am thrilled to be able to use this monumental series to kick-start the transcribing on this blog again. Enjoy!<br /><br />"I have a sheer joy of being together with you today in Your Presence, God – in Your Covenant Keeping faithfulness. If You are with us – who can be against us! Nothing can separate us from Your Love! Through us gathered here – Your AMEN is spoken for ALL Your Yeses are Yes and Amen – O God!"<br /><br /><em>Recap of Word and Spirit Conference (WSC) in South Africa: testimony re Johnny praying a blessing in Cantonese</em><br /><br />Something was birthed in South Africa with leaders from different denominations coming together as one.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">The teaching of Michael Eaton has moved us into something new. <u>Word and Spirit Conference was a time of breaking through legalistic churches</u>. It is not the revolutionary’s fault but the <u>leaders of 30 years ago who had the political power to change the church but chose not to use it according to God’s leading</u>. They held onto political and leadership positions and oppressed the people of God.</span></em></strong><br /><br />When Jesus came there had been 300-400 years of religious oppression – there was no other option but for Him to be a Revolutionary and break people out of bondages and religious oppression.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#009900;">Now there is a Grace Revolution taking place on the earth and you can’t make it a sweet tame little renewal. This one is wild, passionate and not for the faint-hearted. It is not for the insecure – it is for those who love Jesus with all their hearts; who love the lost and who love the church and who want to see a new generation come through in a revival culture.</span></em></strong><br /><br /><u>Introduction to the Series - Attitudes that Attract the Empowering Grace of God</u>.<br /><br />If you have the empowering grace of God operating in your life – you’ve got IT happening for you! God is urging us to not just settle for something that’s god – He wants us to go for the BEST because the good can become the enemy of the best! God’s got far more for the church.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">When you are regularly raising the dead and seeing blind eyes open - when this is happening and the whole of Hong Kong is aware that City Church International is a Book of Acts church then HK will see that traditional denominational churches have not been making people aware of the authority and authenticity of the Kingdom of God.</span></em></strong><br /><br />But when a Book of Acts church appears – CCI hopes to be amongst the many because we love God’s church. The Book of Acts church is one where people are healed because our very shadows are healing people and then all 7 million people in HK will know that there is a Kingdom of Heaven that is not an optional extra – it is the ONLY Government of God’s Peace and the Kingdom of God through the Gospel of Jesus Christ – Amen!<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#009900;"><u>So we must not settle for the good when we know there is MORE</u>. When we have all the empowering grace operating in our lives – those things will begin to take place. Right now we have empowering grace and we’re grateful – we’re excited about the healings we’ve witnessed however, we believe there is more – much, much more! Our desire is not for less to be healed but for MORE ... We want to see each member of this church seeing people set free and saved.<br /></span></em></strong><br />We look at that awesome church in Acts 5 – but the key we have to see is in Acts 4:33 With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. Rob Rufus does not know of one church in the world where each single person in the congregation is carrying <strong><u><span style="color:#3333ff;">GREAT GRACE</span></u></strong> on them! May the blessing of <strong><u><span style="color:#3333ff;">GREAT GRACE</span></u></strong> be upon you ALL in CCI! (Some of you would be even louder than me and more assertive than I am!!) <u><strong><span style="color:#3333ff;">GREAT GRACE</span></strong></u> to preach the gospel with liberty and joy!<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Exploring the attitudes that attract empowering grace does not mean working or earning or deserving <u>GREAT GRACE</u>! That would be a contradiction in terms – you can never earn or deserve of work for the empowering grace of God!</span></em></strong><br /><br />These attitudes are not something you work on – they are fruit OR the result of you gaining revelation of you gaining acceptance grace. The more you understand you are accepted IN the Beloved: IN Christ Jesus – the more you understand you are made perfect forever ...<br />Heb 10: 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.<br />Eph 1:6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us accepted us in the Beloved.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#009900;">God accepts us in the same love, honour and respect as He does Jesus – for we are co-heirs with Christ and an heir of God ... that’s acceptance grace! We are not co-equal with Jesus but we have a co-equal righteousness with Him which makes us a co-heir with Christ Jesus and an heir of God!<br /></span></em></strong><br />When you have more understanding of acceptance grace – that there is NO disapproval from the Father: no possibility of rejection from Father: that the foundation of your acceptance is NOT your fluctuating performance or obedience – bit it is ALWAYS the perfect obedience of Jesus on my behalf: that is where I stand in the Father’s Eyes.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">When that acceptance grace builds into your inner life a strong healthy sense of security and an inner sense of safety is it from that place of humility and safety – you can build attitudes that attract the empowering grace: for you to have more victory over circumstances, life’s attacks and difficulties and to operate as a partner with God—doing the works that Jesus did and greater miracles even!<br /></span></em></strong><br /><em>Comment on the South African experience:<br />In all the meetings with leaders this was the most commonly asked question ...<br />Q: Rob - <u>tell us how your prayer-life works</u>!</em><br /><br />People want to know that what you produce in the public has something to do with your private life. Artificial religion is form a people who are so embarrassed in public ministry because they know they have NO substance in their private prayer life and interaction with God. Such leaders are caught out as fraudulent when they are asked to pray or do something ... listeners can hear that there is no connection between them and God.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#009900;">A: <u>The Holy Spirit and I have a very simple and uncomplicated relationship: this is how it goes ... He really likes me</u>!</span></em></strong><br /><br /><br />He really, really loves being with me (and me with Him!) – therefore, all I have to do is get up in the morning and invite Holy Spirit to Come! And there is an immediate manifestation of His Presence – therefore I don’t pray to get the Presence – I pray IN the Presence.<br /><br />Folks! It is very hard talking to Someone Who is not Present! They don’t have to answer you back because they are not present! You can’t hear God unless He comes in manifested Presence! As soon as Holy Spirit manifests His Presence – you have access to the Father in a tangible way – and now you are talking with the Trinity – as a Reality! This is Authentic! You may then move on to do other things in your day – and all day there is an awareness that He really likes me and really wants to be with me!<br /><br /><em>Q: Do you know why this works?<br />A: The Holy Spirit knows that I know, that I know the Holy Spirit know that I know, that He know that I know that the Father accepts me the way He accepts Jesus – because He’s placed me <strong><u>INTO</u></strong> Jesus: that’s why Holy Spirit like me and He loves being with me!</em><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;"><u>When you believe that acceptance grace, that’s when empowering grace comes upon you</u>!<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#009900;"><u>I am concerned about the emphasis in churches on empowering grace to the exclusion of acceptance grace</u>. If you don’t build empowering grace on the foundation of acceptance grace: when you over-emphasise empowering grace to do mighty things and to overcome sin all the time – that emphasis allows the devil to bring the law up and disguise the bondage of the law in the appearance of grace that takes them into self-righteousness and makes them very insecure on the inside.</span></em></strong><br /><br />When they don’t feel safe on the inside they then begin to live in jealous insecurity comparing themselves with others and feeling inferior – rather than knowing God’s acceptance grace. When you believe the gospel of grace – the first thing you understand and should understand and should be made clear to you – is not the empowerment—it should be the acceptance!<br /><br />When you believe the gospel of grace – that faith in the gospel of grace will produce 3 spontaneous fruit that will come out of your life: when you truly, truly believe – the gospel of grace is acceptance on your life – these 3 fruit immediately and spontaneously grow and develop:<br /><br />(i) boldness;<br /><br />(ii) obedience;<br /><br />(iii) humility.<br /><br />Re obedience: obedience of faith – Holy Spirit tells you to do something – you do it! Either you do it because it is a good thing to do OR you stop doing something that is not a good thing to do. When you have obedience you have grace ... Please note: no-one is obeying perfectly yet! But the fruit is there ...<br /><br /><em><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Q: <u>What is humility</u>? </span></strong></em><br /><em><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;"><br /></span><span style="color:#009900;">A: <u>It is not gained through apology and self-deprecation</u>. <u>Humility is the revelation of grace that fills your inner life with security: with such a sense of significance: validated by God’s Love for me</u> ... therefore I am significant, secure and valuable—I don’t have to prove anything! I don’t have to boast or compete with people or be jealous because I feel so significant and safe and secure because I am accepted in the Beloved. </span></strong></em><br /><br />The 3 fruit (i) boldness; (ii) obedience; (iii) humility simply flow out of simply believing the message of grace.<br /><br />Now for those Christians who are in unbelief (and there are many unbelieving Christians!) The majority of Christians in the church-world today are unbelieving believers. They do not walk around with boldness, obedience and/or humility ... and with empowering grace on them. They walk around with condemnation, insecurities, jealousies, fear and they can’t worship God extravagantly.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">The fruit of unbelief is fear, rebellion and pride. When you don’t believe you are accepted in the Beloved – you fear rejection from God and man and so you will try to do everything to get people to like you – even if it includes <u>NOT</u> obeying God!</span></em></strong><br /><br />Thus you will go the way of secular religious humanism; you’ll do what man wants because you are so insecure; you don’t believe the gospel ... you want man to love you so you become a man-pleaser and you are easily manipulated off your destiny!<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#009900;">Jesus did only what He saw His Father do – because He knew His Father loved Him and He was secure in His Father’s Love.</span></em></strong><br /><br />The fruit of not believing the acceptance grace gospel is fear, rebellion and pride.<br /><br />1 Peter 5:5b-7 ... all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.<br /><br />Here we have a God with a Mighty Hand: when you humble yourself under that Mighty Hand – He lifts you up ... now when a Mighty Hand lifts you up you will have influence over nations – your home – your marriage ... ! Children will come into order and security – you will have freedom and influence in your jurisdiction ... When God lifts you up – that’s empowering grace!<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;"><u>But when God resists/opposes you – it doesn’t matter if you have an army backing you or you have the wealthiest people on your side – if God is opposing you ... you are in trouble</u>!</span></em></strong><br /><br />But if God is lifting you up by His Mighty Hand – it doesn’t matter how many human beings are against you – you are going to succeed in your destiny. You are going to leave footprints in the sand of human history. You are going to change nations – you will have an effect on the way history is going to unfold. You will be the ambassadors of God: ambassadors of the highest Government in the universe—authorised to activate the Power of the Kingdom in the earth and have influence.<br /><br />But we need to remember that we don’t have the luxury of letting our grumpy moods go where they want to! We don’t have the luxury of having a little tantrum now and then ... instead of ‘deserving a depression’ ‘deserve yourself’ the blessing of grace to refresh you! When you go down the depression track for a few days it takes a whole lot longer to get out!<br /><br />I know there are some Christians who are so into this warfare stuff! ... Somewhere in all their activities of fighting devils they have lost the Gospel – they’ve lost the gospel of grace; they’ve lost sight of the fact that God is ruling the earth with a Sovereign Authority! They’ve focused on devils etc and yet it was at the Cross that they were disarmed! Jesus disarmed all powers and authorities!<br /><br />The Christians who worldwide live under this thing of focus on spiritual warfare rather than focus on the completed works of the Cross are those who (i) do not believe the acceptance gospel of Grace; (ii) who do not find their inner security and safety and confidence that produces the three fruit from believing acceptance grace; (iii) who do not find it from acceptance grace but what they will find is fear of rejection; performance pressure to look like you are obedient and holy; rebellion against the Truth of the Word of God and there will come pride in trying to perform and then God resists and opposes you!<br /><br />When such people feel a spiritual force opposing them and resisting them they think it is the devil! Then they fast and prayer and end up with more pride, self-effort and self-righteousness. AND the devil says This is fantastic! They think I’m resisting them but actually God is resisting them because they’ve not believed in the Gospel of acceptance grace! Now they’ve gone into pride ... and I don’t have to do anything! But I will do what I can to make things worse for them!<br /><br />I have watched people get into this spiritual warfare stuff and eventually they just look like they’ve been pulled backwards through the exhaust pipe of a car. They are not happy people because they are focusing on the defeated foe.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#009900;"><u>When you spend hours praying with God you should come out ecstatic with joy because your focus has not been on demons and devils – but on Jesus; the gospel; Holy Spirit; the Beloved</u>.</span></em></strong><br /><br />I used to do that stuff in Adelaide – then he heard God say ‘Son – if you’ll just believe how much I love you; how much you are accepted in My Kindness in Christ Jesus; and just find release to humble yourself before Me – you’ll see empowering grace come on you!<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">Rob: Father – have I been wrong?<br />God: Son – I have to oppose the proud: for what you are doing is contrary to My Nature ... I have to oppose self-righteousness.<br /><br />Rob: Father – do you mean I have proud, arrogant and self-righteousness?<br />God: Son – I tell you with redemptive kindness – YES!<br /></span></em></strong><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">Rob: God You are so good to me ... I repent of my pride; performance pressure and self-righteousness – I repent!</span></em></strong><br /><br />AT this point these demons seem to go out of existence ... and empowering grace comes upon me and I just walk in the Peace of God – casting ALL my care on Him because He care for me!<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">The devil wants to lure you into fights everyday – don’t get into them! </span></em></strong><br /><br />Humility is the greatest weapon against demonic oppression: humility = keep reminding yourself of acceptance grace!<br /><br />The church has truly robbed Christians around the world of dignity through religious systems and we have degraded them by judging them on their performance rather than helping them to understand who they are in Christ and that they are accepted in the Beloved. When they develop that inner security and inner sense of safety that the Mighty Hand of God will lift them up and God will give them the stewardship of empowering grace to do mighty signs, wonders and miracles – then they won’t fall into the trap of pride!<br /><br />There are many Christians who try to find a formula to ‘get into the Power’: without relationship with God we cannot ‘get into the Power’. When we use formulae to get into the Power we will find we can do a few miracles but then it is over – you can’t sustain it because pride comes in. Because you didn’t access the supernatural empowerment through humility but you accessed it through formulae – you only get temporary anointing for temporary release – but you can’t sustain it.<br /><br />What I am talking about will bring such inner-security into the People of God SO THAT you can steward mighty empowering grace year after year – decade after decade and not be worn out; not mess up marriages; stay normal and not go weird!<br /><br />One of the most attractive features of the Bethel Church in Redding is that all the leaders RR has met are normal – they still love hunting and fishing and hiking! They are normal people who don’t get all religious and weird!<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#009900;"><u>I wants to see generations birthed who can sustain high level of supernatural power without becoming weird</u>!</span></em></strong><br /><br />If you live under the performance pressure of the law you have to do religious things to maintain your performance power. This environment produces an artificial life wherein people burn out. Under the empowering grace of God you wake up in the morning; invite Holy Spirit to Come! and the power to do miracles is there through grace! Holy Spirit likes being with you! He wants to be with you! You are able to go to work every day, raise children and walk in the empowering grace for signs, wonders and miracles.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">We do not have to feel God before we DO anything! You do not need to feel God before you do anything! You start in faith – you step out and Power comes!</span></em></strong><br /><br />In South Africa when I started praying for 2000 people – there was very little corporate anointing in that room. There was no Glory Presence – however, I started praying and eventually I was walking down the aisles and 10m in front of him people were falling under the Power of Holy Spirit ... You start out in faith and God just comes!<br /><br />We are great ones for putting performance pressure on ourselves and others and even giving a star-rating for our performances! All based on pride! >>> pushing people to make things happen instead of making them secure in Christ and allowing 5 star things to happen through Holy Spirit! When this latter happens we’re at the stage of not being aware we’re doing it – we’re not boasting in it—we JDI! (Just did it.) We boast in our weakness and boast in the goodness of God and we move in signs, wonders and miracles.<br /><br />A 5 star Christian leaps tall buildings with a single jump<br />is faster than a speeding bullet<br />is stronger than a locomotive<br />walks on water<br />talks with kings.<br /><br />A 4 star Christian leaps tall building with a running start<br />is as fast as a speeding bullet<br />is as strong as a bull elephant<br />keeps his head above water under stress<br />talks with governors.<br /><br />A 3 star Christian can leap short buildings if prodded<br />can keep up with a slow bullet<br />is almost as strong as a bull<br />washes with water<br />talks with himself.<br /><br />A 2 star Christian bumps into buildings<br />misfires frequently<br />shoots the bull<br />drinks water<br />argues with himself.<br />A 1 star Christian cannot recognise a building<br />wounds himself when handling a gun<br />smells like a bull (!!)<br />passes water in an emergency (!!)<br />loses arguments with himself.<br /><br />The 5 star performance-Christian is like a shooting star – coming down tragically ... OR they can learn the attitudes of humility and when God lifts them up they will forget about acceptance grace and go back into the cycle of performance more ... the devil loves to say do more! Do more! Do more!<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#009900;"><u>We are here to stay! Emphasising acceptance grace so that as God raises us up to 5 star Christianity we are not even aware we are doing these things- as we are just so in love with Him</u>.<br /></span></em></strong><br />Apostle Paul had such a revelation of acceptance grace like no other apostle did. On the basis of that foundation of acceptance grace God poured empowering grace out upon him (See p5 session 2).<br /><br />Not once did Jesus call his Disciples brothers: He called them foolish and ye of little faith ... servants and friends by not brothers until ... after the Cross! Before the Cross they did not have righteousness in Christ Jesus: after the Cross they now share a common righteousness – WITH THE SON OF God! That is profound! The King of Heaven is my Brother; the King of Heaven is your Brother ...<br /><br />Rom 8:29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family/many brothers.<br />Heb 2:11 For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">Q: Why is he not ashamed to call us brothers?<br />A: Because we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus! He <u>ACCEPTS</u> us as brothers! </span></em></strong><br /><br />Apostle Paul does not put the title APOSTLE before his name: people do not call him Ps Paul: He says: By the grace of God I am Paul called to be an Apostle – Apostle is my function NOT my title ... The legalistic church has become too enamoured with titles in front of minister’s names.<br /><br />When Jesus calls us brothers ... and Paul addressed fellow-believers as brothers – we do not need titles! Some Bible Colleges even train ministers to keep their distance between themselves and the people: that’s not brothers! (Ladies you can be brothers because we men have to be the Bride of Christ!)<br /><br />We are bonded together firstly as brothers and with brothers we relax: in a healthy home brothers don’t have titles – they can joke and reals and have fun and friendship and be transparent. Everyone of you who are born again are brothers and you are brother to the King of Heaven! Jesus is NOT ashamed to call you brothers!<br /><br />Heb 2:11 For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.<br /><br />In the 30 years of my ministry – whenever we come to the time to appoint deacons and elders – there is always tragedy that takes place: that is why I have not yet made such appointments in CCI. I have been waiting to kill this demonic hierarchical mentality that is in the church-world. It is rampant across the globe. As soon as people are designated leader there are two extremes that happen in the church ...<br /><br />(i) people look at them and say now they are superior to me! Now I have to keep my distance ...<br /><br />(ii) people are disdainful and say who do they think they are? I’m more spiritual than them! I’m not going to listen to them!<br /><br />There is a rebellious, jealous lack of acceptance grace.<br /><br />There are people operating as elders in CCI already and they’re not seen as superior to anyone else – because we’re brothers! Because I stand up here and speak – it is not because I am superior: it’s just what God has called RR to do. God hasn’t called all of us to be a mouth (thank God!): He’s called us to do all different things.<br /><br />An aside on leadership ...<br /><br /><em>Q: What’s my ministry = the WRONG question!<br /></em><br /><em>Q: Where should I serve? That’s what ministry is ... serving. It does not take long to see who has a servant attitude!</em><br /><br />All roles in the church are that of servant – i.e. to love the flock and to make sure everyone is growing in freedom in Christ. A shepherd is not someone who is a boss. Initiative has been crushed by hierarchical regimentation in church and culture: it has produced a bureaucracy and high level control-management that has dwarfed, diminished and robbed the people of God of initiative, creativity and of growing and developing in the ministry.<br /><br />I will always encourage you to pray and seek Holy Spirit’s guidance: He will talk and counsel you – but he will not say Yes do that or NO don’t do that – he wants you to learn how to walk with God: he wants you to be liberated to walk with God.<br /><br />That’s what liberators are: liberating leaders who liberate the people of God – they don’t manage the people of God. One day at CCI we will appoint leaders and he hopes no one will be shocked! All I am looking for is people who regularly turn up on time and who are a basic good example – people who give you a model of life to follow. I need people whom U know where they are at ... not people who engage in highs and lows – because such people can’t lead. I need consistency of behaviour.<br /><br />When you have the idea of brothers and inner-security and safety – there can be no jealousy, no comparison ... whether you are appointed or not appointed – Father loves you fully! I want to build CCI into and lead CCI as a church like I have never led before. In every other church I done my best to break the hierarchy and insecurity and jealousy ... AND WE DID NOT SUCCEED. I pray we will succeed this time!<br /><br />Some Christians, when they are not appointed cry out Why not me? And they leave the church AND that proves why they shouldn’t have been a leader! Leaders have to take enormous abuse and rejection and they can’t react back like some people do – they must stay stale, loving, gracious and consistent ... year after year after year ... Leaders must always be part of the answer: never part of the problem.<br /><br />I want to get onto the attitudes ... you whom I love ... the kinds of attitudes that come out of acceptance grace that will produce in us humility, boldness and an obedience to God that will attract the empowering grace of God.<br /><br />Prayer ...<br />I want to lift my heart to You and I want never to drift from acceptance grace; I don’t look for empowering grace – I believe if I live in the revelation of acceptance grace – God’s empowering grace will come looking for you! If you live with the attitude Paul had toward his fellow believers and it doesn’t matter how much empowering grace he is walking in as an Apostle – Paul sees his fellow believers as brothers ... beloved ... I long for you ... (This is the strongest Gk word to express human emotion ...)<br /><br />I long for you – with all the affections of Christ – my joy; my crown ... when that atmosphere begins to permeate the church world – we will see such empowering grace.<br /><br />We want to live as 5 star Christians: we want to demonstrate the Power of our Lord Jesus Christ in signs, wonders and miracles but that’s not what we want to focus on ...we don’t want it as a badge of merit that grades our spirituality: we don’t want to fall into that deception ... Our hearts want to grow in revelation, understanding and richness of the gospel of grace – of acceptance, of true humility, true inner security – having nothing to prove; not comparing ourselves with others; no jealousy, no gossiping, no devouring one another ... We want to be those kinds of people who walk in a humility that attracts Your Mighty Hand, O God! To lift us up – in due time that we may see Your Manifest Power – as 5 star Christians.<br /><br />Release any attitude of negativity towards any Christian in the world – wherever, whoever ... we repent and seek a pure heart: we want to love everyone (when you love everyone that doesn’t mean you have to trust everyone – particularly if you have been betrayed ... you don’t have to trust them until they have earned your trust!) ... but you can love them – because you are already loved perfectly by our Father; you can forgive them – because you are already forgiven perfectly by our Father; you can accept them – because you are already accepted perfectly in Christ by our Father.<br /><br />Father – we’ll make every effort to keep the bonds of peace: we preach a strong gospel message here and we thank you for every brother and sister IN Christ in this city and the world ... we want it be a blessing as far as we can go with your people around the world. We want no attitudes of arrogance or pride or superiority or self-righteousness. We choose to be humble ourselves – we’d rather humble ourselves than be humiliated. O Father! I’ve been humiliated and I know that humbling oneself is a lot better! We choose to humble ourselves because of Your Grace ... in Jesus’ Name.Dan Bowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15661120561123767936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496810378047281592.post-11922756175902315882009-08-09T19:53:00.003+01:002009-08-09T20:16:40.398+01:00“God’s Eternal Grace Covenant” by Ryan RufusThis incredible sermon was preached by Ryan Rufus at City Church International in Hong Kong on <a href="http://www.citychurchinternational.net/mp3_2/2008_10_27_1.zip">Sunday 27th October 2008</a>.<br /><br /><em>“This is what we were created for – to be with You. This was Your grand master plan from the very beginning – to have us close. Father we just love Your Presence. Holy Spirit we thank You for what You are doing here this morning – taking us deeper and taking us further. Lord I don’t feel like I have ever been this far into Your Presence! What an awesome place! We just love it Lord! Let the brilliant bright light of Your shekinah glory shine into our hearts and awaken us and illuminate us to see the greater truth of You Lord. To have a revelation amidst all the lies and the confusions and perversions of Your truth – amidst all of that – let a brilliant bright light pierce us and awaken us this morning.</em><br /><br />All week I have been very excited about preaching. I have been looking forward to it! It’s probably been the only time I have really looked forward to preaching! I have really been excited about preaching the Word this week. I don’t know the end and exactly how it will come out but we will see what the Holy Spirit does. I feel to continue about this theme of “God’s Eternal Grace Covenant”. I have just two points to share about this. <br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#3333ff;">1. <u>The first one is that God’s grace covenant does not have a beginning and it does not have an end</u>.</span></strong><br /><br />His grace does not have a beginning and it does not have an end! It is eternal – an eternal covenant that God cut even before time began and it was cut between the Trinity. Jesus Christ the Son is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the earth. We spoke last week about God’s grand master plan. <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">What is God’s grand master plan? To have a people clothed in His righteousness. His people – with revelation so that they can come before Him in perfect standing based on what He has done in His glory and His pleasure.</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#33cc00;">God’s grand master plan is that He would have and create a people that would not relate to Him and have relationship with Him on the basis of their righteousness but He would create a people that would relate to God and have relationship with God on the basis of Christ’s righteousness. <br /></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">That is why Jesus is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the earth because God <u>NEVER</u> intended us to relate to Him through our own righteousness. He always, always, always intended us to relate to Him through Christ’s righteousness. That is why even before He created us He had already planned a way for us to receive that righteousness through Christ and through faith. Not through anything we have ever done – not through works, not through keeping the law, not through trying to please God or by being obedient, not through tithes and offerings or anything but simply on believing what Jesus did for us. That we would become the righteousness of God in Him – perfect access to Him every moment of every day!</span> <br /></em></strong><br />Let me read you a Scripture – 2nd Timothy chapter 1:8. “So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord or ashamed of me His prisoner but join with me in suffering for the gospel by the power of God who has saved us and called us to a holy life”. Remember that is not a holy life that we try to live. That is a holy life that He has called us to and given us in Christ before the foundation of the world. When He said “Be holy as I am holy” – He never meant try to be as holy as Me. That is impossible for mankind to be as holy as God. God never said be holy with your own holiness. He said “Be holy as I am holy - With <u><strong><span style="color:#3333ff;">MY</span></strong></u> holiness! (v9); “Who has saved us and called us to a holy life” – that’s His holiness. “Not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus who has destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel”. This grace was given us in Christ before time began! <br /><br />Ephesians chapter 1:4 says; “For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world”. When did God choose us in Christ? Before the creation of the world! “To be holy and blameless in His sight”. Is that a holiness of our own? Our own self-holiness and self-blamelessness? No He chose us even before He had created us or done one holy thing and one blameless thing – He chose us to be holy and blameless in Him before creation! “In love He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with His pleasure to the praise of His glorious grace which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood – the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of His grace that He lavished upon us with wisdom and understanding and He made known to us the mystery of His will”. What is the mystery of His will? That we would relate to Him through Christ’s righteousness and not our own. That is the mystery of God’s will! “According to His good pleasure which He purposed in Christ to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfilment to bring all things in heaven and on earth under one head even Christ”.<br /><br />That Scripture about Jesus being the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world is in Revelation 13:8. I just want to read one more Scripture before we move on. That is Romans chapter 8:29. Another awesome Scripture about God’s master plan. When we read the Scriptures we need to see God’s master plan. We must see God’s plan! He predestined us to relate to us on His righteousness and not our own. Many of us look at the doctrine of election and predestination through the wrong lenses and through the wrong angle. We are looking at it thinking “Who has God predestined?”. It is not so much about that! It is more about the fact that before time began God predestined you to relate to Him through His righteousness and His perfection and not your own! That to me is predestination. Romans 8:28:<br /><br /><em>“And we know that God works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose”. (v29); “For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son that He might be the firstborn among many brothers – and those He predestined, He also called, those He called He also justified, those He justified, He also glorified”. <br /></em><br />God predestined you before He created you to be justified by the blood of Jesus! To be made righteous through the sacrifice of Jesus! It is awesome – God’s master plan! I hope you are seeing it. Abraham was chosen! God chose a filthy pagan sinner. We think Abraham was a holy man and that’s why God chose him. He wasn’t. He was a pagan and a filthy sinner – and God chose Him. God came to him one day and said; “Hey Abraham – you don’t deserve it but I am going to bless you”. You don’t deserve it one bit but I am choosing to bless you. To prove to you that I am going to bless you, I am going to make a covenant with you. I am cut a covenant to you and swear by an oath and bind Myself to you through an oath and a promise that says “I will bless you and make you righteous even though you don’t deserve it and I will make you into many nations even though you don’t deserve it”. And you know what? Abraham believed God. It was insane for him to believe God because He didn’t deserve it yet he believed God and that is why Abraham is the Father of our faith because he believed that God would bless him even though he didn’t deserve it. And that is the exact same faith we have. We believe that He makes filthy sinners righteous even though we haven’t merited it and even though we haven’t earned it. That is why grace is called “unmerited favour”. <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#33cc00;"><u>God’s grace – His covenant does not have a beginning and it does not have an end. It is eternal</u>.</span></em></strong> <br /><br />It is His Plan A and Jesus was God’s Plan A! Jesus was not God’s plan B. Mankind didn’t sin and God thought; “Oh no! What am I going to do?”. Jesus was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. God knew that mankind could never relate to God through their own righteousness. It was just never going to be good enough. There was only one way that man can relate to God and that is through His righteousness through the grace of God. So God had to teach this to man because there is a time when man thought he could relate to God through his own righteousness and just be good enough to earn His favour and earn His blessings. God blessed Abraham through faith and it wasn’t through anything Abraham had chosen to do or had done. It was through faith and faith alone. Israel forgot the Abrahamic covenant – they forgot the faith of Abraham. They forgot the covenant that God made with Abraham! <br /><br />So when Moses came down Mount Sinai with the Law to Israel and said “If you want to be blessed then keep the 10 Commandments but if you break even the smallest one then you are going to come under incredible curse”. Israel had to think about it and thought “Yes that doesn’t sound too bad – I reckon we can do that!”. They should have said; “God what on earth are You doing!? You already made a covenant with Abraham who was our Father and You said You will bless him regardless of his performance and You would bless him through faith. God why are You making this new covenant with Israel? Why are You making this Law covenant?”. They should have said; “No God! We reject this law covenant that You are trying to make with us! We don’t want the 10 Commandments and this performance-based covenant! We want Your grace covenant not the law covenant! We want You to give us the Abrahamic covenant!”. But instead they thought “No we can keep the law”. So for 1700 years God showed them how they couldn’t keep the law and how inferior that covenant was and how weak and useless that covenant was. How it was impossible through that covenant to relate to God – God had to show mankind that the law covenant is a weak and useless covenant and the law covenant had a beginning and an end. It was a parenthesis in the eternal grace covenant of God. <br /><br />The grace covenant is eternal – it goes on for millions and billions of years into the eternity of eternity. The law covenant appears for a fraction of time – a parenthesis in the grand scheme of God. The law appears – why? Why did God bring this law covenant? So much of the church today is struggling under a heavy yoke. <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Jesus said “Come to Me those that are heavy burdened, laidened and I will give you rest. Take My yoke”. What was He talking about? He was talking about those that are under the yoke of the Pharisees – the law yoke. The heavy yoke of the law. It weighs you down and crushes you and destroys you – because that’s what it was intended to do. It was intended to break you and to smash you down and show you that you cannot relate to God through your own righteousness. The harder you try – the harder it has got to smash you down. That is why Jesus was angry with the Pharisees.</span></em></strong> <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#33cc00;">We look at Jesus’ teachings and think that He was giving this higher ability for us to keep the law! That is the biggest lie – He wasn’t giving us a higher law standard that we can now keep through the Holy Spirit. He was angry with the Pharisees for lowering the law for making it appear as though we can almost keep it. And people would look at them and think; “Wow – look at how holy they are. I wish I could be like them!”. Legalism was a virtue in those days. “I wish I could be that legalistic then I would be close to God”. Up until the time Jesus came, everyone look at the Pharisees and thought; “Wow – those men are so righteous”. But Jesus came and exposed their hypocrisy and they hated Him for it. He said; “Yes on the outside you look like white-washed walls, beautifully decorated and look so holy. But on the inside you are full of death, rubbish – because you think you can be holy through your own righteousness.<br /></span></em></strong><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;"> You think you can be holy – you think you can earn the right into God’s Presence. On the outside you are keeping the law but on the inside you are breaking every single command and God sees you as filthy, disgusting and dead. That’s how God sees you. You say you shouldn’t commit adultery but I say to you if you have even lusted in your heart then you have committed adultery”. We say “Oh that is the new standard for us”. No – God was showing the Pharisees how extreme the law was! If you lust in your heart then you have broken all the commandments and you deserve judgement. If you want to be so holy then as soon as you begin to lust, then cut your hand off and pluck your eye out! <br /></span></em></strong><br />He was <strong><u><span style="color:#3333ff;">ANGRY</span></u></strong> with the Pharisees and He heightened the law to show how <strong><u><span style="color:#3333ff;">NO ONE</span></u></strong> can keep the law because <strong><u><span style="color:#3333ff;">NO ONE</span></u></strong> was intended to keep the law because <strong><u><span style="color:#3333ff;">NO ONE</span></u></strong> would able to be righteous enough to earn God’s favour and love and grace on us. There is only <strong><u><span style="color:#3333ff;">ONE</span></u></strong> covenant that is good enough and that is the grace covenant – the law covenant is not good enough. It is a self-righteous covenant and a flesh based covenant. Grace is a spiritually based covenant, an eternal covenant, the <strong><u><span style="color:#3333ff;">ONLY</span></u></strong> covenant by which man can draw near to God!<br /><br />Abraham was not under the law. The faith of Abraham is not a law-based faith! He had a grace-based faith. What is a law-based faith? A law-based faith says; “I believe that I can be righteous enough to earn God’s blessings and God’s Presence and favour with God”. That is the faith of the law – faith in my ability. It is a useless faith because the object of your faith is useless! You don’t have the ability! Grace-based faith says; “My faith is in heaven and Him alone! It is in Jesus, the finished work of the Cross and in His ability to take My sin and give me His righteousness and His ability to make me 100% righteous before God!”. <u><strong><span style="color:#3333ff;">THAT’S</span></strong></u> what my faith is in! Nothing else! Absolutely nothing else! It is crazy to put my faith in anything else! <br /><br />Hebrews 8:7. The lights are going to come on for some of you and it is going to change you forever and you are not going to be the same. And your relationship with God will not be the same. From when you see this – your relationship with God is never going to be the same! This morning when I was praying I saw this – I really saw this towards the end of my preparation and suddenly the lights went on and instantly the glory of God fell on me and I was weeping, laughing and it was so awesome! <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#33cc00;">Hebrews 8:7 says; “For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant” (talking about the law covenant) “no place would have been sought for another”. There was something wrong with that first covenant. That’s why another covenant had to come. The grace covenant that had already been established in eternity! (v8); “For God found fault with the people”. The law covenant is a faultfinding covenant. It is based on you and your performance and so God scrutinises your performance through the law. There is no way you can please God because we are always falling short and always messing up. God always must find fault with us through the law. That covenant is a terrible covenant and that is why Jesus said; “Come to Me those that are heavy-laden, weighed down and crushed”. Why? Because they were living under a faultfinding covenant.</span></em></strong> <br /><br />Imagine every day you live your life with someone who says; “Oh you did that wrong, that wrong and you should have done that, oh what are you doing? Oh you are pathetic! You are useless, why did you do that? You are a failure! You shouldn’t have done that! You did that badly! God is not happy with that! God can’t stand that!”. That is a faultfinding covenant – that is the law covenant. <br /><br /><strong><em><u><span style="color:#ff0000;">Then after all that you think; “Praise God I am just going to go and worship God and get in His Presence”. Goodness gracious – good luck!</span></u></em></strong><br /><br />And all you can do is say; “Oh I am so sorry, I’m so pathetic and so useless!”. Even the best thing and most righteous thing you can do for God wouldn’t matter because of all the unrighteous things you have done against God. You know why it is a faultfinding covenant? Because God made the covenant with man. Now listen to this and try to get it alright? The law covenant which is a blip in time and eternity and a paranthesis in the grace covenant is a useless and weak covenant because it is a covenant that God made with man. You will see this! So the covenant is when two people come together and they make promises to each other. “I will do this if you do that – I will do that if you do this”. They bind themselves to each other through signatures and through swearing and through oaths and it is a legal contract, a covenant contract that binds you together and if you fail under your end then you are liable in a court of law. <br /><br />So God makes a covenant with man and says “I will fulfil my end if you will fulfil your end. I will bless you if you keep the law. If you break the law or even the smallest part of the law then I will curse you”. That is the covenant that man signed with God. But the grace covenant – how many of you realise this? You do not have a covenant with God. God didn’t make a covenant with you. He made it with His Son. He made it with Jesus. And then He brought you into it because you are in Jesus. Jesus will never ever break His end of the covenant – He fulfils it perfectly. He is eternal! He is a perfect sacrifice. He offered a perfect sacrifice, which perfectly removes your sins and perfectly makes you righteous. He was raised from the dead and entered into the highest heavens and offered His own blood. The earthly tabernacle could never ever remove your sins; it could only cover your sins. The heavenly tabernacle can remove all your sins. He went into heaven with resurrection life and we have a high priest that mediates between God and man and He offered His blood and He has an indestructible life. He will never ever die and Hebrews chapter 7 says “Jesus ever intercedes for us”. <br /><br />This is when the lights came on for me this morning. He EVER lives to intercede for you and I! That means in the eternity of eternities if we ever sin then we are STILL righteous! We will never ever get kicked out of His Presence and the oath God makes with us – the way it works is that God binds Himself to the New Covenant – the grace covenant – and says;<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#33cc00;">“<u>I will bind Myself and promise that I will never, ever relate to man through his righteousness but I swear by an oath to always and ever relate to man through Christ’s righteousness and on man’s behalf</u>!”.</span></em></strong><br /><br />That is why the Holy Spirit is also our Counsellor. He doesn’t come alongside and say; “Hey man, you are doing a good job”. He is our Counsellor – our legal defence. So when Satan is in heaven accusing the brethren saying; “God they broke this law or this law” – the Holy Spirit says; “Father! Remember You swore and promised to not relate to them through their performance, their righteousness or their shortcomings. You swore to relate to them through Christ’s righteousness”. Case dismissed! That is good!<br /><br />Jesus ever lives to intercede because He also stands up and says; “Father You said You would always relate to them through My righteousness and I have given them My righteousness, I have made them righteous – I have removed their sins and they don’t even have their sins! He is talking rubbish! It is hot air – he’s talking lies, he is accusing! They are not found on substantial evidence – he cannot present any evidence because God has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west and they did do this”. But can you prove that they did this? I am looking but it has got no evidence! <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;"><u>The New Covenant is not a fault-finding covenant</u>. <br /></span></em></strong><br />You have to get that – you have to see that. It can never be a fault-finding covenant because God is not relating to you through your performance. He is relating to you through Christ’s performance. God will never find fault with Christ – He is perfect. He is absolutely perfect! For you to break covenant with God or to lose your covenant with God would mean that Jesus would have to be made unperfect. It would mean that Jesus would have to backslide. It is absolutely impossible for Jesus to backslide – He is absolutely perfect in all description. He is indestructibly perfect. He is immutable and unchangeable and we are perfect with Him and He has made us perfect forever. This is the good news! This unlocks Scripture! Hebrews 6 says that the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which He is mediator and is superior to the old one. It is founded on better promises. That is God’s promise – to relate to you through His righteousness and not your own. <br /><br />The Old Covenant was bad promises – it was full of promises you made to God. You broke your promise to God. But the New Covenant is founded on better promises because it is Jesus’ promises on our behalf. Jesus fulfilled the law perfectly on our behalf. <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#33cc00;"><u>You know what it comes down to? It comes down to the fact that God promises to bless you regardless of your performance! How much of the Church is teaching performance-based blessings? The Church today preaches performance-based blessings and it is Old Covenant</u>! <br /></span></em></strong><br />The covenant God made with Abraham said; “I will bless you regardless of what you have done!”. I don’t know if you have read Genesis 12 to 15, 22. Every time God came to Abraham, He said; “I will bless you!”. “But God what have I done to deserve this?”. “Exactly! That is the point! I choose to bless you. I will bless you and make your name great. I will make you a blessing to nations”. So much of the Church teaches that God will bless you so you can be a blessing to the nations. God says, “I will bless you AND you will be a blessing to the nations”. We have turned that thing around that says if you want God to bless you then you need to be a blessing to the nations. You need to bless the nations and then God will bless you. Rubbish! The covenant is based on better promises. God says “I will bless you even when you don’t deserve it”. Why? Because I am not blessing you on your performance but I am blessing you on Christ’s performance on your behalf. This cleans up our motives for why we serve God. <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;"><u>We don’t do – in order to get. We do because He has transformed us. He has blessed us already. It is an overflow of what He has done to us. It is not trying to get something from God</u>.</span></em></strong><br /><br />I believe in tithing and I believe in generous giving. I believe in sowing and reaping as a lower principle, but I believe there is a higher principle. That Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law so that the blessings of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles through faith. Righteousness of God comes through faith and wealth comes through faith and health comes through faith – not from what you have done but from what He has done on your behalf. It is not law-based faith in yourself but grace-based faith in the finished work of Jesus. I love to give! I believe in tithing! I believe tithing is right there in Hebrews chapter 7. God makes a big deal about it! I believe all the glory belongs to God. I believe worship and honour belong to God and 10% of our income belongs to God – you don’t have to see it that way. But that is the way I see it currently – that is my conviction. That is the way I see it. <br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#33cc00;">God is expanding and going broad with our convictions. He is redeeming New Covenant truth and bringing His word back into the New Covenant. He is redeeming New Covenant truth and He is going deep on some things we have been looking at for the last 3 and a half years like justification by faith, the gift of righteousness, those things – we are unchanging on those things and will not budge on those things! But God has us going broader on things like tithing and offering and all those things we have been taught under law such as Malachi 3 and have done them under law but God is redeeming them out of law and bringing them into grace. And we are seeing what makes it through into grace.</span></em></strong> <br /><br />He is going broad now so we mustn’t let these things divide us. We are all heading to the same direction and all are at different paces and we love each other. Why don’t you stand? God is awesome and I hope you saw something today! We just want God to turn His light on so we see that it is not about our righteousness but His".Dan Bowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15661120561123767936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496810378047281592.post-87530554523903348182009-07-27T06:46:00.001+01:002009-07-27T06:48:21.483+01:00"Increasing Glory" Conference - South Africa - MP3s!!Here's another chance to hear Rob and Glenda Rufus and Fini and Isi de Gersigny that I was planning to grab but missed thanks to swine flu! Fortunately I knew a few people who were at the conference so I was enjoying text updates throughout! I'm thrilled to also discover a blog covering the event by one of the pastors - <a href="http://prestonmedia.blogspot.com/">a guy called James here</a>. The hosts have very kindly made the MP3's available for wider listening around the world - so here they are;<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong>Session 1 - Morning<br /><u>Rob Rufus</u></strong><br /></span>Wednesday 8 July<br /><a href="http://sonicsubstance.com/increasing-glory/IncreasingGlory-Session1-Wednesday.mp3">Download Session</a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfuSMcSxL3tD00W_w4MrXUYDvDGKTs8RYicQV9XX-YA2I8Vprj2P6s4LWdt6iOZb0qmH8YRVQfGwzONAi9zkryclHqN-ARd7b-xmqXLuH_oyhvS1sPX-qNUuIbf3BjYOTIUmKPj63x1JD_/s1600-h/increasinggloryheader.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 80px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363010738504145154" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfuSMcSxL3tD00W_w4MrXUYDvDGKTs8RYicQV9XX-YA2I8Vprj2P6s4LWdt6iOZb0qmH8YRVQfGwzONAi9zkryclHqN-ARd7b-xmqXLuH_oyhvS1sPX-qNUuIbf3BjYOTIUmKPj63x1JD_/s320/increasinggloryheader.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="color:#ffff66;"><strong>Session 2 - Afternoon<br /><u>Rob Rufus</u></strong><br /></span>Wednesday 8 July<br /><a href="http://sonicsubstance.com/increasing-glory/IncreasingGlory-Session2-Wednesday.mp3">Download Session</a><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#33cc00;">Session 3 - Evening<br /><u>Rob Rufus</u></span></strong><br />Wednesday 8 July<br /><a href="http://sonicsubstance.com/increasing-glory/IncreasingGlory-Session3-Wednesday.mp3">Download Session</a><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#33ffff;">Session 4 - Morning<br /><u>Fini & Isi de Gersigny</u></span><br /></strong>Thursday 9 July<br /><a href="http://sonicsubstance.com/increasing-glory/IncreasingGlory-Session4-Thursday.mp3">Download Session</a><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff6600;">Session 5 - Evening<br /><u>Rob Rufus</u></span></strong><br />Thursday 9 July<br /><a href="http://sonicsubstance.com/increasing-glory/IncreasingGlory-Session5-Thursday.mp3">Download Session</a><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#3333ff;">Session 6 - Morning<br /><u>Rob Rufus</u></span></strong><br />Friday 10 July<br /><a href="http://sonicsubstance.com/increasing-glory/IncreasingGlory-Session6-Friday.mp3">Download Session</a><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Session 7 - Afternoon<br /><u>Rob Rufus</u></span></strong><br />Friday 10 July<br /><a href="http://sonicsubstance.com/increasing-glory/IncreasingGlory-Session7-Friday.mp3">Download Session</a><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ffff66;">Session 8 - Evening<br /></span><u><span style="color:#ffff66;">Fini & Isi de Gersigny<br /></span></u></strong>Friday 10 July<br /><a href="http://sonicsubstance.com/increasing-glory/IncreasingGlory-Session8-Friday.mp3">Download Session</a><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#009900;">Testimonies - Morning<br />Various</span></strong><br />Saturday 11 July<br /><a href="http://sonicsubstance.com/increasing-glory/IncreasingGlory-Testimonies&Worship-Saturday-AM.mp3">Download Session</a><br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#33ffff;">Session 9 - Morning<br /></span><u><span style="color:#33ffff;">Rob Rufus</span><br /></u></strong>Saturday 11 July<br /><a href="http://sonicsubstance.com/increasing-glory/IncreasingGlory-Session9-Saturday.mp3">Download Session</a><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#cc33cc;">Session 10 - Evening (Celebration Service)<br /><u>Rob Rufus</u></span></strong><br />Sunday 12 July<br /><a href="http://sonicsubstance.com/sermons/IncreasingGlory-Session10-Sunday.mp3">Download Session</a><br /><a href="http://sonicsubstance.com/podcasts/Podcast4-Keir_Tayler-July09.mp3"></a><br /><strong><u><span style="color:#33ff33;">Interview with Fini & Isi<br />Leadership Podcast</span><br /></u></strong>Friday 10 July<br /><a href="http://sonicsubstance.com/podcasts/Podcast3-Fini_&_Isi_de_Gersigny-July09.mp3">Download Podcast</a>Dan Bowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15661120561123767936noreply@blogger.com3