.
Three years ago, after a fifteen year hiatus where I was running from God, I was enjoined with a small home fellowship for a few months. This was and is as lovely a group as you could and can find that still holds to many of the traditions of men. It seems about once a year the Holy Spirit will direct me to attend a meeting with these people, possibly to just let them know I love them. I often run across some from the fellowship in my day to day life. Outside the weekly gatherings while in the midst of our one on one visits it seems I am often able to share God's deeper freeing Truths such as Universal Salvation, God's sovereignty, the Kingdom within and salvation to the utmost. Slowly, I am seeing a growing acceptance of much of that which I share.
A few weeks ago and to my surprise, I was again led to attend a Sunday meeting of this little home fellowship. It had been a year almost to the day, since my last attendance and I was so blessed to see how God had me visit during one of the few meetings of late where there wasn't a speaker standing in front of the group and behind a podium delivering a message. Instead everyone sat in a circle and there was sharing by all, with the common theme of converstion being the " giving up of our works and resting in Him." Many spoke of "their retirement from trying to help God save them and just desiring to rest in the fullness of Christ's glorious sacrifice." I know this was an anomaly as far as the discussion and format of most meetings. It truly was such a blessing for me to be joined with these saints in a gathering where their was so little of the dual hierarchy of ministry and laity. In addition there was a rare and wonderful freeing spirit from condemnation and obeisance to the law that often permeated the atmosphere of past meetings.
I am always open to God's leadings and I believe He takes me in and brings me out of the settings of the old traditional organized system and it is good ...... it is very Good! Oh, how I love Him tonight and how deeply I carry His love for these captives that are about to be set free in the dawning age of God's Sabbath Rest.
I share these thoughts as a prelude to this excerpt from an article that caught my interest tonight. God bless, Jack.
In his book MEGASHIFT Barna says the majority of Christians worldwide already meet in their homes and by 2010 , at the present rate of growth, the majority in the United States will meet in their homes. Of course many have brought Babylon with them. But if 17%, the amount of the one out of seven of the priesthood that returned from Babylon, would meet as a body for Christ WITHOUT HUMAN HEADSHIP I wonder if we would begin to transition into a Millennial Age. (I like to dream...)
My assertion is that this is an as yet unrecognized 1.) REVIVAL (of Spirit) of the most potent and unavoidable kind: 2.) reFORMation! (of structure) that certainly includes 3.) realignment (of doctrine) to be more accurately adjusted to the Truth. The change that is NOW "distilling as the dew" will prove to be more extensive and profound than that of the Protestant Reformation of the 1500's! This is going to be "a Tsunami of the Spirit" and a "Hurricane of Fire!" I believe Jesus is bringing out under His own direct authority a people who will be taught of Him and become "Overcomers." (Rev 2-3)
Though it's hardly been recognized, we are well into the forward edge of this move of God in the USA and already opening salvos of what Rick Joiner saw as a bloody civil war in the Church have been fired. The position of "Charisma," which I think has one of the largest subscription bases of Christian magazines, sounds like what must've been said to the Lutherans in the later 1500's. It claims that those meeting in their homes have left the Church and it's a deception sapping the vitality from the true Church. They say some men with warped personalities will take over an ignorant living room full of people. Does anyone else feel the humor on this one? Swaggart was running about $11.5 million a month thru' his "ministry." Haggard had what, 60,000 in attendance? We all know some other mighty big living rooms! "Charisma" also hasn't been allowing any honorable rebuttal, only fragments of "I think," "I feel," and, "It seems to me." I'm glad their influence is undermined because they're making room for the doctrinal changes that are already becoming obvious, doctrines they oppose like, "God...the savior of all mankind." (1 Ti 4:9) Oh glory! I can feel the fire upon me now!!!
Well, I WENT TO CHURCH BUT THE CHURCH WASN'T ON THE PROGRAM!!! They had other mediators in defiance of the First Commandment and prevent the "one anothering" that fulfills the whole law and prophets. I left seeking for more Church, where every member participates and there's a living search of the Scripture. No more being an audience for preachers with titles of honor from other professional elite who appeal to the largest donor base! I don't care how knowledgeable or gifted the man on stage is, he's not the body of Christ and JESUS WANTS HIS BODY BACK!!!
---James Rohde
P.S. (I hope I can live up to David's example and not lift a hand against Saul. And, Revival is both crisis and process, event and eventual.)
.
Three years ago, after a fifteen year hiatus where I was running from God, I was enjoined with a small home fellowship for a few months. This was and is as lovely a group as you could and can find that still holds to many of the traditions of men. It seems about once a year the Holy Spirit will direct me to attend a meeting with these people, possibly to just let them know I love them. I often run across some from the fellowship in my day to day life. Outside the weekly gatherings while in the midst of our one on one visits it seems I am often able to share God's deeper freeing Truths such as Universal Salvation, God's sovereignty, the Kingdom within and salvation to the utmost. Slowly, I am seeing a growing acceptance of much of that which I share.
A few weeks ago and to my surprise, I was again led to attend a Sunday meeting of this little home fellowship. It had been a year almost to the day, since my last attendance and I was so blessed to see how God had me visit during one of the few meetings of late where there wasn't a speaker standing in front of the group and behind a podium delivering a message. Instead everyone sat in a circle and there was sharing by all, with the common theme of converstion being the " giving up of our works and resting in Him." Many spoke of "their retirement from trying to help God save them and just desiring to rest in the fullness of Christ's glorious sacrifice." I know this was an anomaly as far as the discussion and format of most meetings. It truly was such a blessing for me to be joined with these saints in a gathering where their was so little of the dual hierarchy of ministry and laity. In addition there was a rare and wonderful freeing spirit from condemnation and obeisance to the law that often permeated the atmosphere of past meetings.
I am always open to God's leadings and I believe He takes me in and brings me out of the settings of the old traditional organized system and it is good ...... it is very Good! Oh, how I love Him tonight and how deeply I carry His love for these captives that are about to be set free in the dawning age of God's Sabbath Rest.
I share these thoughts as a prelude to this excerpt from an article that caught my interest tonight. God bless, Jack.
In his book MEGASHIFT Barna says the majority of Christians worldwide already meet in their homes and by 2010 , at the present rate of growth, the majority in the United States will meet in their homes. Of course many have brought Babylon with them. But if 17%, the amount of the one out of seven of the priesthood that returned from Babylon, would meet as a body for Christ WITHOUT HUMAN HEADSHIP I wonder if we would begin to transition into a Millennial Age. (I like to dream...)
My assertion is that this is an as yet unrecognized 1.) REVIVAL (of Spirit) of the most potent and unavoidable kind: 2.) reFORMation! (of structure) that certainly includes 3.) realignment (of doctrine) to be more accurately adjusted to the Truth. The change that is NOW "distilling as the dew" will prove to be more extensive and profound than that of the Protestant Reformation of the 1500's! This is going to be "a Tsunami of the Spirit" and a "Hurricane of Fire!" I believe Jesus is bringing out under His own direct authority a people who will be taught of Him and become "Overcomers." (Rev 2-3)
Though it's hardly been recognized, we are well into the forward edge of this move of God in the USA and already opening salvos of what Rick Joiner saw as a bloody civil war in the Church have been fired. The position of "Charisma," which I think has one of the largest subscription bases of Christian magazines, sounds like what must've been said to the Lutherans in the later 1500's. It claims that those meeting in their homes have left the Church and it's a deception sapping the vitality from the true Church. They say some men with warped personalities will take over an ignorant living room full of people. Does anyone else feel the humor on this one? Swaggart was running about $11.5 million a month thru' his "ministry." Haggard had what, 60,000 in attendance? We all know some other mighty big living rooms! "Charisma" also hasn't been allowing any honorable rebuttal, only fragments of "I think," "I feel," and, "It seems to me." I'm glad their influence is undermined because they're making room for the doctrinal changes that are already becoming obvious, doctrines they oppose like, "God...the savior of all mankind." (1 Ti 4:9) Oh glory! I can feel the fire upon me now!!!
Well, I WENT TO CHURCH BUT THE CHURCH WASN'T ON THE PROGRAM!!! They had other mediators in defiance of the First Commandment and prevent the "one anothering" that fulfills the whole law and prophets. I left seeking for more Church, where every member participates and there's a living search of the Scripture. No more being an audience for preachers with titles of honor from other professional elite who appeal to the largest donor base! I don't care how knowledgeable or gifted the man on stage is, he's not the body of Christ and JESUS WANTS HIS BODY BACK!!!
---James Rohde
P.S. (I hope I can live up to David's example and not lift a hand against Saul. And, Revival is both crisis and process, event and eventual.)
.
