A THANKSGIVING BLESSING FROM SONSHINE

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May you enjoy a most blessed Thanksgiving and we pray you will ever be counted amongst those pilgrims that hold tight the cross til their journey's end.


A PILGRIM'S STORY

My friend, this story which I tell,
Is not new to your ear.
For it began so long ago,
And continues year by year.
It’s the story of a pilgrim
Who, clad in armor tight,
Met a worldly Christian
Who was not armed to fight.

Now perhaps it should be noted here
(Lest details should be lost)
That these two men had met before
While kneeling at the cross.
And both had donned the armor
Which the Captain did provide–
The breastplate and the Gospel shoes,
And the sword kept at their side,
The shield of faith, the Word of Truth
(A most abundant ration),
And best of all, upon their heads,
The helmet of salvation.

And both men picked their crosses up
And started on their way,
But had not gotten very far
Till one was heard to say,
“My cross is very heavy;
It doth hinder where I go.
I’ll drop it here along the way.
The Captain will not know.
And I will leave this narrow road
And walk the road that’s broad.
Then I’ll not need these heavy shoes
With which my feet are shod.
And won’t you travel with me, friend,
Along this easy way?
Think of all the fun we’ll have!
Oh, let’s begin today!”

But the pilgrim slowly answered,
“Friend, this I can not do.
I can not lay my cross aside
And travel hence with you.
For my will and my desires
Are in the Captain’s Hand.
And the cross which I now carry,
I do at His Command.
As for the road that’s broad, my friend
That’s not the way to go.
It leads to sure destruction,
For the Captain told us so.”

“Nonsense,” laughed the worldly one,
“They both end up the same.
But your road leads through battlegrounds,
And mine through fun and games.
For up ahead they stomp and shout
‘Hooray!’ and clap their hand.
‘The Lord has won another soul,
From the enemy of man.’
And, oh, it looks like so much fun
To clap and shout His praise,
And never fight the battle,
And never run the race.”

And so their pathways parted.
Each went their separate road.
One chose the way that looked like fun,
And one the crown of gold.
Now many times the narrow path
Does cross destruction’s way.
And so sometimes they chanced to meet
Like they did thus one day.

“Greetings, sir,” the pilgrim called.
And then he looked again
Lest his eyes deceive him.
Was this his Christian friend?
“But what’s happened to your loincloth?”
He asked in sure surprise.
“The everlasting Truth of Christ
That was gird about your thighs?”

“Oh that,” the other answered,
“I traded it away.
It’s more comfortable to wear,
The words that people say.
But you, my friend, look weary.
Is the battle raging hard?
Why not watch the Captain,
And cheer Him from my yard?”

“No, the Captain’s always with me,”
The pilgrim to him said.
“I can’t forsake Him now, you see.”
And so he plunged ahead.
And again the two were parted
As each continued on their way.
But oft the pilgrim thought of him,
And often he did pray.

The next time they came together
When the two ways met again,
The pilgrim sadly shook his head
When he saw his wayward friend.
“Where,” he asked so sadly,
“Is the plate of righteousness
That one time hung so brightly
From your laden chest?”

“It was so very awkward
That I left it by the way.
And instead I donned the works of men
That you see me in today.
For you see they suit me better,
And I think them rather pert.”
(And the pilgrim groaned in spirit
For they were but rags of dirt.)

“And your sword and shield?”
The pilgrim asked,
“Those also have you lost?
The ones the Captain gave you
When you knelt there at the cross?”

“I seem to have mislaid them,
But I really need them not.
Remember, my friend, I stand and cheer
When the battle wages hot.
All I really need, you see,
Is this helmet on my head
To keep me in His army,”
The deceived one smugly said.

“But surely you’re mistaken, sir.
Oh, don’t you see the Light?
You can not be His soldier if
You are not armed to fight.”

When the conversation ended,
Their paths again did part.
The pilgrim clad in armor full,
With a burden on his heart,
Turned again to battle
The enemy of man,
Trusting in his Captain
And heeding His Command.
And the riches and the treasures,
Which he acquired in his race,
Shone like jewels in his eyes,
And joy was on his face.

And when they met the next time,
Many years had passed.
They met again on Jordan’s shore,
And this time for the last.

“Well done, thou faithful pilgrim,”
Said the Captain of the fight.
“Removest thou thine armor,
And don this robe of white.
For thy battle now is over.
Thy victory has been won.
Come now into the wedding feast,
Thou good and faithful son.”

“Good Captain,” said the worldly one,
“I have no armor on
Save this helmet on my head.”
(But it, my friends, was gone!)

“O foolish, slothful servant!”
The Captain said that day.
“Without thine armor thou hast made
Thyself an easy prey.
For the enemy has crept upon thee
And taken thy salvation.
He led thee down the easy road
That leads to condemnation.
For thou wast never with me
When the battle waged so hot.
O ye that work iniquity,
Depart, I know thee not!”

And so the worldly Christian,
Who cast his armor off,
Joined his other playmates,
Age long now lost.
But as you travel through your life,
You’ll meet many with his name.
And no doubt they’ll try and tell you
That the Christian’s life’s a game.
But it’s not a game, dear pilgrim,
For the Bible tells us so.
It’s a battle to the end,
And the winner gets your soul.

– Richard

We are also most thankful that in the ages

to come we will assist our neighbors and

loved ones as they are once again

united with Christ and His Cross. Truly

this is even taking place today in the

realms of God unseen.

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THE ECONOMICS OF A SON ..... "The Master's Workmanship & What Do You Mean, "It's Finished!""

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"Then those who feared the Lord talked often one to another; and the Lord listened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who reverenced and worshipfully feared the Lord and who thought on His name. And they shall be Mine, says the Lord of hosts, in that day when I publicly recognize and openly declare them to be My jewels, My peculiar treasure." Malachi 3:16,17
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It seems there has been for some time a move abreast where the sufferings and workings of God in the perfecting of His saints is being made to be little or of no effect. I have been sharing on a site where it has been proclaimed by many that, "it is finished, they are perfect and all mankind is good to go, as is." What a grave mistake (no pun intended) it is to take the eternal perspective to replace the practical realm where Christ still reigns by His Spirit, raising all creation unto the glory of Himself through judgement and mercy and death and resurrection. Please allow me to share the anointed words of Bob Torango as he speaks to that which we should cheat ourselves of, if it were truly finished.

"We are not finished, we are not fully refined, there is more to be done in us, glories that have yet to be revealed, bodies to be changed, natures to be changed, a new language to learn, our vision to be extended. I could not tell you any different even if my life depended upon it. There are yet thrones to come down, old heavens to be burned up, memories to be healed, roots to be pulled up, walls to be built, dragons to be slain, love to be expressed. So much more to be done, that time or strength would not allow me to tell about it. We have only had a glimpse, a mere drop on our tongue of all that He is and all that He wants us to become. What can I say to convince you of this? How can I persuade you that to think all is finished in this present state and condition would be to rob you of your inheritance in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Pattern? How could we be so deceived as to think that we are presently anything like what we have been designed to be in God?" (end-quote)

When Christ's reign is over and God is All In All, then and only then will the created realm realize the "finished work" of redemption and salvation. In the eternal heavenly realm, where there is no beginning, no end nor in between there can be no death but oh, how different this be from that, which the realist sees upon the earth today. The law of sin and death is still in effect and as long as the last human walks in his earthen suit it will be.

Soon, we may claim there is a generation come, that has finally overcome the last enemy "death" but is not yet happened. This is our great hope at SONSHINE and till the manifestation of the sons of God indwelling immortal spiritual bodies, we will not pretentiously nor falsely proclaim to the world that we are "finished."
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Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. 1Cr 15:24-28
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If all was "perfect" and "it was finished" in the realm of creation there would be no need for Christ to reign. What is it to "reign"? Why is it necessary to "reign"? ............ think about it! For one, there are still enemies such as death, disease and poverty to be subdued. Yes, and how glorious to think that the conquering of all enemies has been given as the promised greater works of Christ's younger brothers. And they shall not shrink from such a mandate. Yes there is a promise and while it has been fulfilled in the eternal realm it has not been manifest on earth. Our eyes do not lie as we still see chaos in the earth, yet our hope does not shrink. It will be finished when we by the power of Christ's Life within us, finish it. We await the call even as all creation groans. Even So, Lord Jesus Come Quickly!

I bolded the word "till" in the scriptures above because that is the place where we live today, while suffering the bounds of time and space. Lord willing, someday I hope to write a little story, an allegory of sorts, entitled "Living in a Place Called Till." I would hope it would be as beautiful a story as my sister's which I was led by the Spirit to search out and post here today. One reason I share this story (below) is because the "it is finished/I am perfect" peeps from the New Age site have been directed by one of their teachers to come to SONSHINE and see how we suffer. It seems such suffering is belittled and lost on those that are "perfect" but that will not always be the case. One day in the future the Cross will stand before them and there will be no paths around it. Then they shall know Jesus and the price He paid.
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Dear saint, if God is doing a deep and special work in you and you're feeling a little out of place with so many that name Christ, this beautiful story is for you. I pray, with the reading of this, you will be encouraged and better able to see His purpose and His view of your worth. If you are a visiting New Ager I can only hope this may help you better understand God's use of suffering in the perfecting of His saints.


The Little Stone

There was once a family of stones living together at the side of a path which was beside a riverbed. They were quite content and satisfied with their lot in life, they enjoyed the sunshine and the rain and they were happy to be in close proximity to one another on the ground where they were frequently trodden on (which, of course, was an accepted and expected part of their daily life).

One day a man came and looked very closely at them and took several stones away with him. The man took the stones to his workshop and very carefully examined each one. One of these stones was separated from the rest. This little stone felt quite bereft and alone and did not understand what was happening to it. The man eventually placed the stone into a device where it was tightly cemented into place and couldn't have moved itself even if it had been able to.

Wondering why it had been singled out for such treatment, the stone's dismay turned to horror as the man (who people called "the Jeweller") began to use a very sharp, transparent little stone to cut away its strong outer shell. What was wrong with him as he was? He had been nicely rounded and had been very good at absorbing the sun's rays and radiating heat and warmth but this man was cutting all that outer layer away from him and it was very painful! Eventually the stone was reduced to less than half of its original weight and size. But the work just seemed to go on and on! The Jeweller slowly worked on the little stone day after day with painstaking accuracy and perseverance, slowly cutting and shaping a diamond by using other diamonds.

Eventually the day came when the diamond was removed from the lathe. But its new found freedom was short-lived. Now it was placed into a holder on a turn-table that spun round and round. This time it was not cutting that the Jeweller was doing, but painful grinding and polishing using the diamond's dust mixed with oil.

Finally, after months of work, the Jeweller had prepared the small stone for what he intended to use it for and, as he prepared to go home for the night, he put the jewel into his pocket where he thought it would be safe. He was very happy with the clarity and fire in this diamond which was worth all of his effort with it. But as the Jeweller walked home, the movement of the diamond made a small hole in the fabric of his pocket and eventually the little diamond fell through the hole and onto the ground beside a group of stones at the edge of the path.

The sun immediately reflected and shone out of the diamond which had not been in the sun at all since it had been shaped and cut. Now it felt quite different as it saw the sun in a way in which it had never seen it before. It used to absorb and take all the warmth the sun could give it, but now without even realizing it the diamond was spontaneously reflecting and shining out the brilliance of the sun's rays from within itself. The stones on the ground had never before seen anything like this thing, it was quite painful to look at because of how the sun's rays radiated from it.

"What are you?" asked one of the smaller stones.

"I am a stone, just like you." replied the diamond who had not seen the transformation that had taken place since the Jeweller had been working on him.

"No you're not!" the stone was quick to reply, "You are quite different to us, you are very small and are a completely different color and shape to all of us! And what's more I can even see through you; you're definitely not a stone..."

"Oh, but I am indeed a stone, a man called 'the Jeweller' has been working on me and has cut and shaped me into what you see before you." answered the diamond.

The stone thought about this and then asked, "Why would a man do that? They just step on us all the time!"

"I do not know why the Jeweller chose me and decided to cut into me like this. And although it was very painful and difficult, I now feel quite different than I used to... I feel much lighter and somehow much brighter..."

"Why ARE you so very bright?" the stone wondered.

"I'm not entirely sure..." said the diamond who didn't yet understand what it had been created into, "Perhaps it is because all of my outer layer has been cut away and that enables the Sun to be reflected from me."

"Hah!" retorted another stone, "He thinks the sun shines out of him! So how did you get here then?"

"I fell out of the Jeweller's pocket..." the diamond mumbled, perceiving that his story was neither understood nor believed.

The stones thought this was all very strange! They could see no use at all for such a thing on the ground where they lived. Just think what would happen if one of the men came along barefoot and stood on this bright object when its apex was pointing upwards! It could be positively dangerous. They took pride in the fact that they were not like this strange thing was, they were much bigger and nicely rounded, but this "thing" was little, cold, hard and had many extreme and sharp edges. Whereas they had a smooth, dark exterior which could not be penetrated, this thing was as clear as a raindrop - now what could be the purpose of that in any stone?! It would not be able to take in the sun's rays as they did. When the sun shone upon the stones they quickly absorbed all its warmth and were each nice and warm exactly as they should be - they argued among themselves - feeling very proud of their humble role in the world. But THIS so-called stone didn't absorb the sun at all, it simply took the sun's rays in only to send them straight back out again; it reflected the sunlight which made it terribly bright and painful to look at for too long. Surely the man hadn't lost it but had thrown it away.

Soon the sun went down and the stones around the diamond became very cold in more ways than one. They began to question the integrity of this foreign object, surely this was a fantastic tale and it could not ever have been an ordinary stone, it was simply trying to fit in with them - undoubtedly with dubious intentions. The diamond, realizing that they would never understand unless they had experienced the cutting and shaping for themselves, remained silent and refused to be drawn into any arguments about the validity of its story.

The small diamond wondered if this was to be his life from now on - living as an alien and stranger to the stones around him that he had once been like and where he had once belonged. The stones clearly didn't understand him and weren't about to accept him even though he was made of the same substance as them. And he agreed with all that the stones had said about him; it was true that he was now no good at just absorbing the sun's rays and was painful to look at, that he was smaller than ever before, and that he had many extreme and sharp edges to him. He did feel lighter and brighter though. Before the Jeweller had worked on him, the sun used to affect only his surface and had never penetrated to deep inside, as it did now. He could also see so much more now than he had ever seen before - he had never truly seen the sun until that outer layer had been cut away.

This was all the result of the Jeweller's work on him. WHY had the Jeweller made him to be so different; what purpose was there in it all? Did the Jeweller even know that the diamond had fallen from his pocket and would he come searching for it? The little diamond wasn't sure, after all, he was just an ordinary little stone; and of what use was he to the Jeweller? Some of the other stones that the Jeweller had selected along with him had long ago been cut and then used as parts of tools in his workshop. They had a very important and useful function - although of course what, where and when they were used to cut and shape had nothing to do with the stones themselves; they were simply tools in the hands of the Jeweller. But this little stone... well, he just seemed to need far more work than any other stone and wasn't being used for anything obvious... except perhaps for keeping the Jeweller busy! Maybe that was all he had been needed for and he had now fulfilled his purpose and been thrown away after all...

When the sun rose the next day, the stones again complained about the brilliance of the sun that was shining out from the diamond; they could hardly see the diamond itself because of the brightness of the sun's rays shining out of it. But soon their complaining ceased for the Jeweller had quickly realized his loss and had returned, scouring the sides of the pathway, looking for this one precious little stone. It was easily found because of the brightness of the new day's sun reflecting from it and he was overjoyed to recover his valuable treasure and said "At last, I've found you, my precious diamond!" The stones mumbled about how worthless the thing had been and thought the man was very strange to have come back looking for it at all.

The diamond was surprised to see how happy the Jeweller was to have found him again and that he had called him a 'diamond'. He hadn't realized how precious and valuable the Jeweller had considered him to be. This made all the agonizing, painful work worthwhile - to be something which brought such joy and delight to this one person who had worked so long and hard with him day after day.

He was now very thankful to be removed from the stones and earth which had once been home to him. It was not his home any longer. No longer was his place on the ground where he could expect to be frequently trodden on without a thought, instead he was now elevated to a place he had not known existed - a place of value in the eyes of the Jeweller because of the work he had personally done on the stone and what he had created with it. The little stone's home was now with the Jeweller.

When the Jeweller got to his workshop, he immediately set to work. He carefully and tenderly cleansed the diamond from the dust and grime of the earth. Neither the fall nor the stones had been able to damage the diamond; it was very hard. When he was finished he took a piece of jewellery that was already set with some other diamonds and had a place remaining for one final diamond. Gently he placed the purpose-made diamond into the setting and carefully made sure that it was firmly in place and could not fall out or be moved from its setting.

The little diamond could not believe that it had been placed in such a valuable place alongside of others who were so similar to him and who had all experienced the cutting and shaping at the hand of the Jeweller. There was no need to explain to them who or what he was; they knew because they were the Jeweller's jewels also. THIS was where he belonged - right where the Jeweller had so carefully placed him!

While the diamond could see no practical purpose for he and the other diamonds in this item of jewellery when compared with the diamond tools that the Jeweller needed and so frequently used, he also realized - with deep reverence - that the Jeweller had worked harder and longer on him because of the plans he'd had of placing him exactly here. These diamonds had a use and a purpose just as much as the obviously needed and useful diamonds of the tools. The diamond knew it was a great honour to have been chosen and shaped for this piece of jewellery simply to bring pleasure to their creator even if they did not appear to be doing anything useful apart from looking nice and reflecting the Light. They realized, with delight, that THIS was what the Jeweller had intended - to create something through which he could display and view his own handiwork and skill.

Throughout their life together the jewels were often tenderly wiped and kept clean by the Jeweller. He had created his jewels to reflect and radiate the Light and bring him delight and happiness as fine examples of his own creation. Frequently the Jeweller put these precious jewels away from sight for long periods of time in a soft, dark place along with his other jewellery for safe-keeping. Other times he displayed them or wore them. Occasionally the Jeweller was criticized by people for displaying and showing his jewels; and other times, when they were in their secret place, he was criticized for wasting such wonderful jewels by keeping them hidden away! The people did not seem to understand or respect the Jeweller's right to do what he wanted with what was his own.

The diamonds didn't care whether they were seen or not seen by the people because their joy was simply to be wherever the Jeweller wanted them to be and so bring credit and honour to their Designer and Creator. Only the jewels who had been through the long and painful cutting, grinding and polishing knew of the skillful Jeweller's loving but unrelenting hands. They knew without a doubt that they were nothing but ordinary stones except for him and his work and so they would not take one ounce of credit for their Maker's work.

When the Jeweller chose to wear or display them, the diamonds were frequently admired and looked at with great appreciation. The little stone couldn't understand why some of the people who looked at them remarked on their clarity, beauty and exquisite cut as though the diamonds themselves were somehow responsible for it. He realized that he was not responsible for the criticism and misunderstanding of the stones by the pathway any more than he was responsible for the compliments and recognition from the people - all belonged to the Jeweller. HE had made these jewels. And He had made them to be seen, and in admiring them, the people were inadvertently recognizing the work of the Jeweller. And if the jewels were criticized, the Jeweller was the one being inadvertently criticized.

However, the diamonds often felt grieved that their Jeweller did not receive more recognition and credit for his untiring work of love on each of them for they loved him and owed him everything - this new life would not have come into existence for them if it were not for him. Yet the people hardly ever stopped to think or remark on the skill of their Maker who had so carefully chosen, cut and made each little stone into the diamonds they could see. People tended to focus only on what they could see - they were more interested in looking at the creation than getting to know or see the Creator. The diamonds all knew that they were only ordinary little stones who had been chosen and shaped by an extraordinary Man; they were nothing except for what their Jeweller had done. And yet their Jeweller seemed to get very little, if any, recognition and credit for his invaluable work: that of making living stones.

"Then those who feared the Lord talked often one to another; and the Lord listened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who reverenced and worshipfully feared the Lord and who thought on His name. And they shall be Mine, says the Lord of hosts, in that day when I publicly recognize and openly declare them to be My jewels, My peculiar treasure." Malachi 3:16,17 ~~by Lynette Woods
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"Playing marbles with diamonds; seems that is what many New Age Christians are doing on one side of the narrow while the orthodox tradition laden believers play on the other side. Meanwhile a hidden and small band of brothers and sisters carry their crosses betwixt the two. As He is, so are we in this world. What a tremendous honor."

John
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THE ECONOMICS OF A SON ......... "The Message and Purpose of the Age"

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Sonship is the glorious destiny of all people! There is not one excluded from this amazing divine plan. In the fullness of the time and the consummation of the ages, God will become "all in all" (1 Cor. 15:28). This means that all beings will manifest the attributes of God to their fullest possible potential. Life, in whatever form or place it may take within our spiritual journey, is about surrendering all that we be. In our complete surrender to Christ we ever advance toward ever greater levels of divine manifestation. The full manifestation of God's sons will occur when every trace of selfish separation is purged from us and we are transformed and gloriously made anew in the very image of our Lord and Christ Jesus.

I have embraced the sonship message for over a quarter of a century and no matter the many challenges I have seen thrown at this doctrine I have not found it lacking. I have prayed and fasted about this message and measured the writings of the remnant of pioneers and keepers of this doctrine from every century. With this I have only been greatly reassured and more importantly inspired to know the sonship message is the deepest of revealed truth in Christ Jesus. No matter what angle "sonship" is viewed from, it holds up; from the multitude of types and shadows of the law to the prophesies unfulfilled. It is the only complete doctrine, bar none, that holds fast the water of the Spirit and the light of the Word. This holy message illuminating the way of God's sons leaves no room for self as everything gives way to the fullness of Christ realized in every man, each in his own order; Christ, the firstfruits and then the harvest.

Why is this message so hidden and embraced by so few? Well, first of all it is the great cost that chases most believers off. It will cost a son all that he is and all that he has, to gain all of Him. Sonship is also a message of suffering servitude and preference toward our fellow man. It is the willingness to be last that all others might enter.

Another point I am often astounded by, is how few understand the purpose of this age which is amazingly hidden within a few obscure verses in Acts. Surely God has purposed these scriptures be understood by only a handful. Such is the work of the Holy Spirit who veils and unveils Christ and His Kingdom. The hidden scriptures I speak of are found in Acts 15 and please now read from Preston Eby as he describes these few verses and their meaning.


The Purpose of the Age

The apostle James made a statement to the council at Jerusalem in which he clearly defines the complete outline of God’s purpose for the so-called age of grace in which we live and the dispensation that is to follow. "Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for His name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, AFTER THIS (after God has taken out of the nations a people for His name) I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David (the fullness of God’s glory in a people), which is fallen down (following the great apostasy); and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: that the RESIDUE OF MEN MIGHT SEEK AFTER THE LORD, and ALL THE GENTILES, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things" (Acts 15:14-18). Dispensationally, this is one of the most significant passages in the New Testament. It gives God’s divine purpose for this age and the next age. James says that the purpose of God during this present age has been to visit the Gentiles TO TAKE O-U-T O-F T-H-E-M A PEOPLE FOR HIS NAME. God’s purpose for this age has never been the conversion of the whole world. God has not been trying to save the whole world. God has had no plan for "sweeping nations into the Kingdom of God." That never was God’s plan for this dispensation. God’s purpose, then, in this Church age, is to "call out" a people for His name. Out from among the billions of earth God is choosing an ELECT COMPANY to bear His name — His nature and His authority. God has been forming His Church, the body of Christ. The Church is the "ecclesia" — the "called out ones." That is the meaning of the word "church." Precisely this has been in progress since Pentecost. The gospel has never, anywhere, converted all, but everywhere has called out some. It is here, in the true Church, which is His body, that Jesus Christ FIRST ESTABLISHES HIS GOVERNMENT that He might rule and reign on the throne of men’s lives.

God’s plan is to first set up His government in the hearts of His elect and then as they become totally committed unto Him to imbue them with His own mind, spirit, thoughts, will, nature and power until they have grown up into the measure of the fullness of the stature of Christ. But most Christians will not come to this! They are too busy playing church, rejoicing that they are not going to hell or that they are going to heaven when they die, and blundering around in the carnal programs and immaturity and shame of a wretched, fleshly, Babylonian religious system which falsely calls itself "the church." But just as the dispensation of the law, at its conclusion, brought forth that which it typified and pointed to — Jesus Christ the Son of God — so this present Church age must, in these last days, at its conclusion, bring forth that for which it was intended and to which it pointed — a many-membered BODY OF CHRIST, perfected, matured, overcoming, and full grown into the exact likeness and full glory of its Head and Lord.

The true Church is the ecclesia, the "called out" ones. They are called out by the Holy Spirit of God and they are called out unto God. Their ears know His voice and not the clamoring voices of strangers. Well they know by the Spirit that the Babel of voices which clamor to be heard from the pulpit and radio and television are too often the voices of strangers posing as the ministers of Christ who seek to draw away disciples after themselves, and not to point men to the Christ of God upon whose shoulder is the government of the world.

God has had no plan to save the world during the Church age, only to call out a people unto Himself. If God had purposed to save the world during the past two thousand years He most certainly would have done so, for His IS GOD ALMIGHTY. God’s Kingdom program for the next age, as His Kingdom progresses from age to age in that glorious increase of which there is no end, is the subjugation and salvation of all the living nations on earth. The promise is sure. Hear what the Lord is about to do through His Anointed Christ Body in this, our day! "He that overcometh...to him will I give POWER OVER THE NATIONS: and he shall RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON" (Rev. 2:26-27). "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, THE KINGDOMS OF THIS WORLD ARE BECOME THE KINGDOMS OF OUR LORD, AND OF HIS CHRIST, and HE SHALL REIGN TO THE AGES OF THE AGES" (Rev. 11:15). "And all the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and ALL THE KINDREDS OF THE NATIONS shall worship before Thee" (Ps. 22:27). "For the Lord most high is terrible; He is a great King over all the earth. He shall subdue the people under us, and THE NATIONS UNDER OUR FEET" (Ps. 47:2-3). "Yea, ALL KINGS shall fall down before Him: ALL NATIONS shall serve Him" (Ps. 72:11).

It is an extraordinary and awesome thing that the Lord by revelation of the Spirit gives His sons to understand that what He is doing on the earth today is merely a beginning. Nothing is finished yet. We are not even approaching the end of the world, or the consummation of the ages, or the great "wind up" of God’s program. (end quote)

I felt led to share this tonight believing there are some that have come to SONSHINE to measure this glorious message. It is also good that we might recount these marvelous scriptures that serve as a promise to those that surrender all, to overcome all, that Christ Jesus might be All in All. I believe there are some here that have counted the cost and seized the promise of sonship. I am often humbled and encouraged, as I clearly see Christ walking in these precious and rare souls I count as brethren and kinsmen.

Jack/John

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THE ECONOMICS OF A SON ......... "The Groanings of Suffering Prayer"

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Some where in the ages to come accounts will be given of a past age, where a remnant of saints who were known as the "sons of God" poured themselves out in travailing intercessory prayer. It will be told that every night these chosen saints burned their bodies upon God's holy altar and during the day they walked upon the earth in the hidden glory of God. These holy ones had quietly laid their lives down, where upon they received mantles of God's supernatural power. This was for the most part hidden and known only to those few who were content to realize their life's work would go unrecognized on earth but rewarded richly with the increase of Christ's kingdom glory.

I should so love to be counted amongst these that I have described above. Only He can accomplish such in my life as I can't add even an inch of stature to what I shall be. If the "groanings of suffering prayer" be any indication of His path to such a position and reward I would have to believe I am today being dragged the right way.

It seems for a few years I have lost all sense of time. I can hardly tell whether a month was a week ago or three day was one. So it is with my life and my friend Joian will testify to this. If there is one thing I don't care to manage anymore it is "time and money." It is hard to explain to most people, that although I appear poor and don't even know what day it is, I have this terrific Manager that oversees my affairs. I actually very rarely try to explain, even when they look at me like I am "coo coo for cocoa puffs." With that in mind it seems some time ago I saw a small photo in the free daily paper we have published here in Jackson Hole. As my eyes fell on this little three inch photo it seemed it captured all of my soul. My heart broke as I read the caption describing the photo. It descibed how these two little lonely and crying girls of the Congo had been separated from their mother and families in the midst of the horrors of war. The caption went on to say these little ones in the photo were but two of tens of hundreds of other misplaced children searching for their families. I must have looked at this photograph for twenty minutes with tearful utterings of prayer. My heart was so horrifically rent by the two little black girls, captured by a photographer's lens, while suffering such grief and terror.

That night as I prayed, I could not get the image of these little Congolese children out of my head. For a good deal of time before falling asleep I prayed in the spirit and groaned again with a broken heart for these tired and hungry babies, one barely old enough to care for the other. It seemed night after night I went through this same drill until finally in the wee hours one morning I was awakened out of a half sleep. I had one of those "I know that I know" experiences that God gives you when hope turns to evidence and faith takes on substance concerning a subject of prayer. Although I never in my wildest dreams expected to hear or read another word of these little darling's fate, I knew at that moment these suffering children had found their mother and would be alright. I knew this as true and as real as I know my own name. My groanings and my pain were replaced by a peace and joy in my heart. And from that time on, praise replaced prayer whenever I thought of these two little ones. In the midst of all the killing, raping and torture that has enveloped this war torn nation there was now a part of heaven and an ark of safety established and there were two little girls alright. I could praise His Holy Name that carries His Grace Abounding!

This evening upon arriving at my computer after a period of prayer and a nap I could hardly believe that which was before me as I scanned today's news on Yahoo. THERE THEY WERE! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! THERE WERE MY TWO BLACK BABIES AGAIN, AND THEY WERE WITH THEIR MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER. THEIR FACES WERE PEACEFULLY AGLEAM AND THEY WERE SHINING OUT IN HIS GLORY FROM ANOTHER PHOTOGRAPH!

It has been a couple hours since I first glanced at this remarkable second photo and the tears of gratitude toward my Lord have not yet ceased. What an overwhelming and wonderful gift I have received at His hand tonight! I just had to share it with you and I can only hope it encourages you to continue to groan and pray for those that He gives to your care. For a surety it is the right path in this present season.

Below are the photos of my little black babies, both the original photo that broke my heart and the latter one that filled it anew with joy unspeakable. Oh how I love Him tonight!



Before I reveal the last photo, this is part of the story I read tonight giving account of this tremendous miracle. I had no idea how many more, must have been praying beside myself. Unbeknownst to me, it seems the original photo had captured a multitude of hearts.

KIWANJA, Congo – Eleven-year-old Protegee carried her sobbing niece on her back as they searched for relatives in a sea of people in eastern Congo.

An Associated Press photograph of the girl — using her filthy T-shirt to wipe the tears from her face as 3-year-old Reponse clung to her neck and wailed — prompted hundreds of e-mails from people around the world hoping to help them.

I returned to Kiwanja on Sunday to try to reunite the girls with family and even succeeded in finding them. But it turned out that not all problems in Congo can be solved by an outsider's sympathy.

When I first photographed Protegee on Nov. 6 in a crowd of thousands in the town of Kiwanja, she told me only her first name and that she was looking for her mother.

I learned later that she and Reponse had wandered alone for three days after being separated from Protegee's mother on Nov. 3 as the family fled on foot from their village of Kiseguru, about 12 miles away.

Protegee had spent one night sleeping in a church, huddled with Reponse under a flimsy scarf. "I had no food or water," she said, speaking in the Kiswahili language.

Hundreds of children have been separated from their families since fighting flared in eastern Congo in August and more than 1,600 children in the province were seeking their parents last week alone, according to UNICEF. The children's young ages and inability to give detailed information — plus the lack of official records in the Congolese countryside — make it even more difficult to track down their families.

When I set out to search for Protegee, I had little certainty of success but I was determined to try to help. As a journalist, I've photographed war and refugees all over the world since the early 1980s.

But I was particularly moved by readers' reactions to this photograph of two little girls, their faces wrenched in fear and desperation. I knew that the chances of finding them again were slim, as I see children walking alone on the roads every day. But I found myself imagining how it would feel if I were searching for my own daughters — and having two, that was not difficult.

Years of sporadic violence in eastern Congo intensified in August, and fighting between the army and fighters loyal to rebel leader Laurent Nkunda has displaced at least 250,000 people since then ..........

Reaching Kiwanja meant crossing an uneasy front line just a few miles north of Goma, with hundreds of heavily armed rebels and government troops deployed on either side. Then it was a bone-jarring two-hour drive on what was once a paved road, and is now one giant pothole.

Kiwanja is a typical African town, with one strip of dirt road as the main drag, a few small shops on each side, one roundabout, one crossroad, and huts sprawling to infinity on the hills to the east and the valley to the north.

Armed with the photograph of Protegee and Reponse, I started asking around. Women frowned — they did not know the girls. I traveled to the school yard, to the clinic. No luck.

As I was about to head back to Goma, I stopped near a U.N. base. Just a few days earlier its outskirts were refuge to thousands. But now it was a nearly empty lot with the skeletons of makeshift huts and a white UNHCR tent.

I ventured inside the tent. There, Maria Mukeshimani's eyes lit up at the sight of the photo — the woman, who had been displaced herself by the violence, knew these children. She had seen them in that very tent five days earlier. And she knew Protegee's mother: Her name is Esperance Nirakagori.

Esperance — the French word for hope.

Esperance had taken refuge at the local Catholic church in Kiwanja. When I arrived there, I was greeted by the sounds of a choir. It was evening Mass.

"Does anyone know if Esperance is around?" I asked.

An elderly man replied that she was in a small house nearby.

Wearing a yellow and red dress, Esperance greeted us. She had sweat dripping from her headscarf and spoke softly.

I showed her the picture and she smiled at the sight of the girls. Then, to my surprise, she said they had already found her, but she had sent them back to their village, alone and on foot. She feared for their safety in Kiwanja and believed they would be more secure in the care of her elder daughter; she was too weak to make the journey herself.

She kept staring at the photo. Only when I told her I would return the next morning and drive her to rejoin the girls in Kiseguru did her face light up in a wide, genuine smile.

We set off the next day after stopping for food at a restaurant in town. Esperance was quiet as we drove the 20 minutes to the village. She clutched the girls' photo as she walked through the streets, a trail of excited children in her wake.

The reunion with Protegee and Reponse, in a small mud hut, was brief. They smiled at each other. No one spoke. I prompted Protegee, a shy girl who was only 2 months old when her father was killed in Congo's last bloody war.

"Are you happy to see your mother?" I asked.

She answered, in a soft voice: "Yes."

Protegee told how she had arrived exhausted in Kiseguru on Nov. 12. But when she did, she found her family's hut empty — her sister and other relatives had already fled toward Uganda. For five days she waited for an adult to come for her. No one did. She was planning to set off for Kiwanja that very day to rejoin her mother, when I arrived instead.

Rather than remain in their village, Esperance asked me to take them all back to Kiwanja.

In the streets of Kiseguru, we had seen 20 men wearing civilian clothes and toting Kalashnikovs. When I asked her who they were, her answer was swift and certain: "Mai Mai."

Earlier this month, Kiwanja residents were terrorized by the pro-government Mai Mai militia, who the U.N. said killed people accused of supporting the rebels. Then the rebels won control and killed those they claimed had supported the militiamen.

And now the Mai Mai were in her family's village.

Protegee, Reponse and Esperance are back in Kiwanja now. They have set up a cot in the corner of a room on the Catholic church grounds. Outside, the U.N. World Food Program is distributing food, but the situation in the town remains volatile.

Before I left, I gave Esperance the photograph of her daughter and granddaughter. She handed it to Protegee, who, with Reponse in her lap, gazed at the image. I left them there on their cot, clutching the photo, one of their few possessions.

Asked when they would return to their village, Esperance replied: "When the war is over."

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us 1Jn 5:14

We must learn how to come into the very presence of God, naked in our words and abilities but clothed only in the priestly garment of Christ. There is a place we can come to ........ a sacred place where we know we have entered the very throne room of God and that our petitions are not ours but Christ's whom dwells within. This is a place where we know, without doubt, that the Father is touched by our petitions and His reply is "yea and amen."

John




* Credits for photos and news story: Jerome Delay is AP's chief photographer for Africa. Associated Press writer Anita Powell contributed to this report from Kiwanja, Congo.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081118/ap_on_re_af/congo_girls_in_the_photo

* "coo coo for cocoa puffs" (urban dictionary definition): a strictly medical term, used to describe a patient or person that has delved into a realm of irrational, illogical and/or crazy thought processes ........
"See that guy trying to put that square peg into that round hole? I think he's gone coo coo for cocoa puffs!"

(to be continued)

A Wooden Heart

Melody, Amy and Christina playing around

This has not been a fun month........still praying about Jack and other situations my mind was on autopilot as I dug around in an old planter last Friday.

Ten years ago, during a conflicted time in our family, involving my youngest girls I spotted these cute little wooden hearts at a craft faire that had encouraging Christian wording on them.

The girls had been fussing with each other almost non-stop, and our home had become a battlefield of words over their continuing offenses. During that time I sat them down and told them I would not live like this any longer and gave them some ultimatums for change or else…. the mood around the house was murky……..

The Lord spoke when I saw the little hearts and I picked out and purchased the ones he directed. When I talked with each girl individually, I used the hearts as a kind of token for a new beginning with a vow that we would let the Lord change things…… which eventually led to true repentance and some peaceful times.

So back to the flower planter………as I pulled a weed, out popped one of those wooden hearts surprised, I picked it up and brushed it off………it looked brand new, it had a wire attached to the top…….which should have rusted but looked unharmed, I turned it over and there were the words.......

GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES

It so impacted me, I sat down and began to cry…….the coincidence?, was enough to assure me……My Father knew my fears and spoke to me in what I call his “kisses of comfort”, set up way in advance to give the full impact of what he wanted to reinforce….I needed to know all would be well…….regardless of how the future looked……..In his own unique way he picked up one of the hearts from long ago, sat me down and used it as token and a beginning vow, I could rest, he was in control…………Oh yes, he keeps his promises.

Love,

Joian

"THE ECONOMICS OF A SON ........... "An Unreasonable Love"

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Well this is our two hundredth blog and how wonderful and surprising this "SONSHINE" endeavor has been since it was launched by Joian in March of 2007. From the beginning Joian and I never looked for a crowd of viewers as this blog was from it's conception a work of love toward our families and "bring whom else you might Lord and allow us to, in return bring You glory in all that we share." In this God has truly blessed us, as in the place of numbers, He has given us an unbelievable core of participants that we originally never thought of sharing our blog with. Because of our desire to allow Him to lead at SONSHINE, I humbly believe God has showed up here and showed off. I am constantly amazed at the growing depth of revelation of Christ Jesus displayed in the writings but even more so in the comments. I can only think of how Christ loves to share the hidden and most beautiful parts of Himself in the bedchamber of His betrothed. With that I can only pray the revelation of His love would only grow here at SONSHINE and He would continue to bring to our company those with single eye and an open heart made for only Him.

In our last blog the comments section took on a life and direction of it's own as the Holy Spirit revealed something wonderful that I believe is key to understanding how we will not only survive but flourish as tribulation enfolds the earth in the last days of the age. Andrea wrote a comment that moved us all, as His anointing made soft our hearts. Allow me to quote her comment:

"Who dare think there should be "greater works" still to come except a man be emptied to be filled with the full vision of Christ's indwelling glory." It seems like just this week God is opening my eyes to another layer of self that must go. Self consciousness it seems in its most "innocent" forms is such a relationship killer in every sense. How it hinders Gods Spirit from working in us or from using us at all like I haven't fathomed. The other night I was sitting on the concrete floor of a jail cell holding a girl who shot a man 16 times for forcing sex with her, as we both cried and sang Amazing Grace together, sitting there so close it occurred to me that perhaps I should have had a breath mint and I leaned away from her just a little... instantly she stiffened in my arms... I believe she felt the change, one moment my focus had been my Jesus and the next myself. My Jesus would never lean away for any reason. I'd never realized before how useless I am when I am self conscious.. conscious of anything at all outside of Christ.

As I read Andrea's moving illustration of how self consciousness robs us and our neighbor of God's blessings, there were a couple of things that came to mind that I had shared or read before. Truly, as with our sister's account these have to do with the "economics of a son" which is the theme of this current series of blogs.

The first has to do with a centuries old "Fenelon maxim" that very few would understand and most would even scoff at. Oh my, I have been ridiculed more than once when sharing this, which has only made me appreciate it all the more. It seems only someone, that has experienced the times where the Holy Spirit carried us effortlessly and unconsciously on His wings, might understand the great truth here. The seventeenth century Christian mystic François Fénelon wrote:

"Reason should not undertake to comprehend the last destructions; they are ordained expressly to destroy our reason."

These old mystics like Boehme, Law, Guyon and Fenelon truly understood the difference between the soul and the spirit and they consistantly taught of the soul's resignation and abandonment to God. Over the years, I myself have often shared how the soul must learn to be silent and do nothing. Our soul must forget itself, and plunge into perfect submission to the Spirit.

So it happens that Eliyah recently talked me into reading Jane Leade's book on New Jerusalem and I have thourally been enjoying the wonderful wisdom of this, another Christian Mystic of centuries past. Addressing the subject of our reasoning Leade poetically writes:

" ............. taking all care to abstain from the leaven of imaginations which may stop the stream of revelation in its purity.

This is a metaphorical way of saying that in order to enter into the fullness of all that God is holding out to us in this hour, we must lose our headlife. That is, we simply must come to the place where we no longer walk by the sun of reason, the moon of the senses or by the stars of imagination. Every thought must be brought into captivity to Christ as every high thing which exalts itself against the knowledge of Christ is pulled down that we might walk only according to faith."

And because I promised a "couple of things that came to mind" and since you probably know how I am, I'll give you the fourth thing. This to me is one of the most beautiful of all simple renditions of loosing one's self in Christ. I would like to have a dollar for each time I have quoted this beauty.

"In the inner wine cellar I drank of my Beloved, and, when I went abroad
Through all this valley I no longer knew anything,
And lost the herd which I was following.

I no longer tend the herd
Nor have I any other work
Now that my every act is love."

San Juan de la Cruz

With San Jaun's words, speaking to the "act of love" I feel led to close with an amazing story I read on Elaine Cook's site not long ago. I believe it is a wonderful account of possibly how God's sons carrying "an unreasonable love" will flourish and stand strong in the midst of tribulation. I have to believe this will touch your heart deeply as it did mine.


Wild Bill
The Power of Love

When the war in Europe ended, I entered Germany
with the occupying troops. I was part of a
group assigned to a concentration camp near
Wuppertal, charged with getting medical help to
the newly liberated prisoners, many of them
Jews from Holland, France, and eastern Europe.
This was the most shattering experience I had yet
had. I had been exposed to sudden death and injury,
but to see the effects of slow starvation; to
walk through barracks where thousands of men
had died a little bit at a time over a period of
years, was a new kind of horror. For many it was
an irreversible process: we lost scores each day
in spite of all the medicine and food we could
rush to them.

Now I needed my new insight, indeed. When
the ugliness became too great to handle, I did
what I had learned to do. I went from one end to
the other of that barbed wire enclosure looking
into men’s faces until I saw looking back at me,
the face of Christ.

And that’s how I came to know Wild Bill
Cody. That wasn’t his real name. His real name
was seven unpronounceable syllables in Polish,
but he had long drooping handlebar mustaches
like pictures of the old western hero, so the
American soldiers called him Wild Bill. He was
one of the inmates of the concentration camp, but
obviously he hadn’t been there long: his posture
was erect, his eyes bright, his energy indefatigable.
Since he was fluent in English, French,
German, Russian, as well as Polish, he became a
kind of unofficial camp translator.

We came to him with all sorts of problems;
the paperwork alone was staggering in attempting
to relocate people whose families, even
whole hometowns, might have disappeared. But
though Wild Bill worked 15 and 16 hours a day,
he showed no signs of weariness. While the rest
of us were drooping with fatigue, he seemed to
gain strength.

“We have time for this old fellow,” he’d say.
“He’s been waiting to see us all day.” His compassion
for his fellow-prisoners glowed on his
face, and it was to this glow that I came when
my own spirits were low.

So I was astonished to learn when Wild Bill’s
own papers came before us one day, that he had
been in Wuppertal since 1939! For six years he
had lived on the same starvation diet, slept in the
same airless and disease-ridden barracks as everyone
else, but without the least physical or mental
deterioration.

Perhaps even more amazing, every group in the
camp looked to him as a friend. He was the one
to whom quarrels between inmates were brought
for arbitration. Only after I’d been at Wuppertal
a number of weeks did I realize what a rarity this
was in a compound where the different nationalities
of prisoners hated each other almost as much
as they did the Germans.

As for the Germans, feelings against them ran
so high that in some of the camps liberated earlier,
former prisoners had seized guns, run into
the nearest village and simply shot the first Germans
they saw. Part of our instructions were to
prevent this kind of thing and again, Wild Bill
was our greatest asset, reasoning with the different
groups, counseling forgiveness.

“It’s not easy for some of them to forgive,” I
commented to him one day as we sat over mugs
of tea in the processing center. “So many of them
have lost members of their families.”

Wild Bill leaned back on the upright chair and
sipped at his drink. “We lived in the Jewish section
of Warsaw,” he began slowly, the first words I had
heard him speak about himself, “my wife,
our two daughters, and our three little boys.
When the Germans reached our street they lined
everyone against a wall and opened up with machine
guns. I begged to be allowed to die with
my family, but because I spoke German, they put
me in a work group.”

He paused, perhaps seeing again his wife and
children. “I had to decide right then,” he continued,
“whether to let myself hate the soldiers who
had done this. It was an easy decision, really. I
was a lawyer. In my practice I had seen too often
what hate could do to people’s minds and bodies.
Hate had just killed the six people who mattered
most to me in the world. I decided then that I
would spend the rest of my life – whether it was
a few days or many years – loving every person I
came in contact with.”

Loving every person….this was the power
that had kept a man well in the face of every
privation! We need to keep this in mind.

Surely this is the way and can we not help but weep upon such a testimony of "an unresonable love."

John

(to be continued)

THE ECONOMICS OF A SON ........... "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize, Hold On"

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When Jesus knelt worn and bleeding in the Garden, I believe He was given the complete vision of all that He must bear on the Cross. He acquiesced in Love and carried all we will ever suffer because of our sinful nature. Beloved saint of God, He saw you and He saw me. And He carried to the Cross of Calvary all that we are and all that we will ever experience and suffer in this world. Our precious Jesus carried this burden of Love, not that we might not suffer, but He might share our suffering and we His. Because of this, the most Divine of principles, we must become so identified with Christ that we become as He. Thus we share His Cross.

Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 1 John 4:17

"Precious,costly, valuable and rare in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." Ps. 116:15

A couple weeks ago I was scouting through some music videos on the internet and ran across an amazing performance by the "the Boss" Bruce Springsteen. He and his band were doing their rendition of an old Negro spiritual in Dublin, Ireland(hey Jenny). This song is entitled "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize, Hold On." The title which is also the refrain, so spoke to me as to where we are today as we we walk in Christ, as sons. Truly, as multitudes take their ease and fall away on the left and on the right with all the apostate doctrines, it is imperative that we " keep our eyes on the prize and hold on." Of course the Prize is our precious Lord and Saviour Jesus.

Last week Andrea left a comment on the blog and it has been stuck in my heart, since reading it. It is comments such as hers, that make writing to the saints reward enough. I saw in my sister's anointed words the kindred spirit of one who truly knows the Cross of Christ. You can't fake it and it is amazing how the Cross separates the fair weather believer from the battle worn saint that has found no escape from the love of Christ and the refuge of His Cross.

I believe Andrea like a number of our readers share the deep sentiments of David when writing, "Whom have I in heaven but You. And there is none upon earth that I desire beside You." And this belief makes me tender to Him this morning, knowing there is still the real Agape flowing silent and strong upon this fallen world. In these last days, we are learning to recognize and discern the Love of God that rises above the syrupy and soulish New Age love that so many are opting for. One love is cheap and wears Babylon's gown where as Agape stands naked on a Cross. Who should know the price of so great a Love of the Father, except one share the same Cross and fate of His Son.

Andrea writes:

..... As usual when I am able to drop by I am amazed by what God is speaking and has spoken to you... amazed because I hear it too!! And I am so humbled and lifted up and so sure and uncertain all at the same time when the truth you speak resounds in me. I don't know how much is left that must be broken and die on the Cross, but I have known for years that I will flee it.. no matter how much at His feet I have cried out to be His alone... to lose everything by any means that He would be all I know and see and love... I have known that when faced with the gruesome pain and suffering and accusation and disgrace and disownment and uncertainty and despair that is the Cross... I would and do run. And so for years my prayer has been, that God in His mercy and love for me that I cannot fathom, would hedge me in. No matter what it meant... "Therefore behold I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths... And it shall be at that day, saith the Lord, that thou shalt call me Ishi.."
And I do, and trust in His faithfulness that I always will. And am ever learning to kiss the hands that nail me to the Cross. The Cross that brings me more each moment of my Love and my Life. (endquote)


Our dear sister knows the highest power of God's love is manifested in the Lamb that was slain. And like a number of our other readers and writers that have come to realize the great love of God, she is today being slain with God's precious Lamb. No if's, no and's, no but's or whatever's! To know God's love on the deepest level is to know and experience the Cross on which Love was nailed, pierced and scorned. Believe me dear son and daughter of God, I know where you are today, and because of your sacrifice my heart is ever touched and made soft. At the end of this age, all the world seems to be in high fever pitch, shouting, "save yourself and come down from your Cross!" Such is the duality in man where one part scornes at the pain and agony of a son. All the while from deep within, the other part of man cheers and stands on tip toe with all hope that you will "keep your eyes on the Prize, and hold on."


"But rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy." 1Pet 4:13

"Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." Gal 6:2

John


(to be continued and
please note there are
some new and precious
comments on Eliyah's
last blog, "Grapes, Eggs &
66cents")

The God Kind of Fellowship

By Cam

My sister called me from the States last night. She lives in Oregon and she is a Christian in a mainstream church. She asked me if I had been praying, reading my Bible and going to church.

There it was, those old familiar words, the formula of being a Christian. I told her that I hadn't prayed, nor read my Bible in over a year and can't sit in a church. She said "that's not good".

Well, I know where she is coming from, been there, done that. I love her and didn't challenge her, but here's the thing. You mention that all God wants us to do is fellowship. Well, fellowship is very important but there is yet a higher place than that. A place where fellowship is the product of, not the ultimate goal.

It is "union". It is the place Paul spoke of when he said "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" That is not a place of bible studies, churches, agendas, mindsets, programs or anything peripheral. It is a place that God draws us into himself by degrees, very painful degrees, until we are stripped down to nought, barely able to utter a word or even a prayer.

The highest grade of gold has been tested under so much heat that it becomes soft and malable. I am convinced that this is what God desires. Christ Himself has the heart of a Lamb and will sit with the heart of a Lamb.

This is why we must allow our sufferings, under the mighty hand of God to soften us so that we can live by His life alone.

THEN, our very lives become a prayer, as we walk, the scriptures witness aloud and resonate, and "church" is the very outcome of our existence; ie "fellowship".

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I can't count the number of Godly men God is driving to the forefront to speak out the things HE has taught them by his indwelling spirit..............while IN the wilderness.

Among them I count Cam as one of the most rare I have ever come across, and Jack our Lord's battering ram. Both perfectly prepared for what our Father has them doing.

I was sharing with Jack this morning and mentioned what I saw..........concerning this voice that is everywhere I turn on the Internet comprised of Men. Men singing out the new truth, in concert.............one of the biggest miracles I have witnessed in my lifetime.

May we each function in our place in a new found freedom............where we don't compete.........we just "BE" as HE makes the crooked way straight and the yoke becomes lite.

What a wondrous time we live in................

Joian

Grapes, Eggs and 66 Cents

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Joian and myself read Eliyah's testimony on a forum a few days ago and we were both spell bound and showered by the anointing that it held. Having heard her tell me of this particular time of her and Kai's lives on the phone sometime back, I had asked if they might sometime share it on the blog. I repeated my request a few days ago and tonight we are so blessed to publish this touching and incredible account that fits perfectly within the framework of that which we have been discussing of late. May God bless you dear reader, as you experience this story of "the making of a son by way of the Cross of Christ."

Jack & Joian


Grapes, Eggs and 66 Cents

"Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen."

Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel's army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. During the last watch of the night the LORD looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, "Let's get away from the Israelites! The LORD is fighting for them against Egypt."

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen." Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the LORD swept them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.

But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. That day the LORD saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the great power the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant." (Exodus 14: 13-31) Amplified.


Many today feel like they are in this exact situation....the Red Sea in front of them and the armies of darkness in back of them.....and it looks as if they are about to be killed, devoured and swamped by the circumstances of life. If this is you today my friend, then I am here to give you the GOOD NEWS....that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.....and is the ANGEL OF GOD that goes before and behind to make a way where there seems to be no way!

I would like to share some of my past with you and how the Lord used many of the Red Sea circumstances to MATURE me into the person that I am in Him. I have been a Christian for over 20 yrs. but it has only been in the last 5-7 yrs. that I have been a FOLLOWER of Christ. The Lord tells us to "pick up thy cross and follow me" but for many christians this phrase is 'greek' to them....for they really have no idea what this looks like or even feels like. Well, I would like to take you on my journey of the cross.

In my christian days and especially during my season within the pentecostal realm....I viewed every hardship as 'from the enemy' and would immediately go into spiritual warfare against any type of suffering that would come my way. As with most charismatics I would be the first to quote.." I am the head, not the tail, above only and not beneath, I am blessed in the city and in the field, all my storehouses are blessed...etc".

The funny thing is that the Lord used all that 'knowledge' to bring me to a place of perplexity.

For I became perplexed when my husband was told that his salary was going to be cut in half, stayed perplexed when we went through all our savings ($50,000) to save our house due to trying to live on half of his salary while no other job came along. Anxiously perplexed while all of this happening when I was pregnant with my 3rd child and then getting the news that my husband was now laid off his job and without benefits.Continued in this place of perplexity as the inheritance that I was to receive from my grandmother ($25,000) was not given to me (either by ignorance or malice, either way Father said to me to say nothing and trust Him) knowing this money could have been used to save our home. Really perplexed when Kai's natural parents offered to buy our home but Father said 'No' and so we packed up our belongings out of our beautiful new home that we had put 20% down on and has now become foreclosed and moved into a 100 yr. old rental with fleas. Truly perplexed as now we have no benefits and the baby was due and had to get on medicaid and was humiliated. Extremely perplexed as my husband went from a V.P corporate position to starting his own 'remodeling business'...code for painting houses.

Passionately perplexed as 2 weeks after giving birth we had ZERO money, nada, nothing, zippo, in our bank account and my milk was not coming in and I had just fed the last bottle of formula to my newborn and Father gives the instruction to stop medicaid and don't go to the government but to trust Him. As I surrendered and called my husband to say that I did not want to go to the government that day for help but instead trust our Heavenly Father...that VERY MINUTE outside our front door were 3 huge canisters of formula....sweet perplexity! Ah, there were other moments of this sweet perplexity too, as when a friend gave to us a 3 yr. old truck with low mileage so that my husband would have a vehicle for his business. Sweet gestures by friends that would give us groceries or make us meals without knowing that we were down to our last. I recall the very first time we celebrated passover and hosted a Sedar at our home and we literally had an empty refrigerator. The guests arrived and brought all kinds of lovely food and thanked us that we 'had made room' in the fridge for all that they had prepared ...lol....not knowing of course the real reason....and once again Father not allowing us to say ONE WORD as to our time of trial and suffering. That glorious first Sedar/Passover ended with everyone leaving us all the leftovers including a rack of lamb, three roasted chickens, desserts, side dishes, soft drinks, etc. we feasted for a whole week and once again our Lord provided.

The roller coaster of perplexity continued for a couple more years day in and day out waiting on Him for every provision, of crying out to him...'when Lord, when? How much longer? Do you even see us? What have we done? We are your children, we tithe, we believe you, we don't know what is going on! '....and little by little the perplexity started to become a place of UNDERSTANDING....of seeing everything our Lord went through and IDENTIFYING with Him in a way I have never done before. Even though I had all the head knowledge it now was being WROUGHT IN ME...of being made THE WORD in my flesh, this TREE of life,( the cross) was growing up IN ME. The culmination came for me on the night I gave birth to my 4th child in a log cabin with my labor happening in a horse's trough literally (the landlords thought it would be cute, kitchy, to have an old steel horse's trough for the bathtub...but no! it was not believe me...very uncomfortable).

The day began very sweetly, for the night before Kai had rummaged through the sofa to find every last penny to get enough money together to satisfy his wife's craving for strawberry shortcake and caramel popcorn! With all the money we had he went to the store and brought back what we fondly call our LAST SUPPER. Kai made the best homemade shortcake and whipped topping with fresh strawberries and homemade caramel corn.....and the children thought they were in heaven....for that is all we ate that night! All we had left in the fridge was some grapes and eggs and all the money we had left was .66 cents in our bank account. We had a roll of paper towels that we had placed on the toilet paper holder for we were out of even toilet paper. Now, I share all this personal information with you because I want to paint a very VIVID picture of what the day of giving birth to my daughter was like for me. That day I will always remember sitting on the front porch swing next to Kai and in such a state of PERPLEXITY, for even though I had given birth three other times I truly wondered if this child was ever going to come for I was 2 weeks over due. I also was perplexed with our situation knowing that Kai had just finished his last job and there was no sight of a new one and we only had .66 cents to our name and once again Father placed it into our hearts to say nothing to anyone, not even family as to our circumstances. I was also perplexed as to what this was going to be like for me ....for I had never given birth without drugs and was afraid of the pain. I felt very broken on that swing, very lonely, very tired, very poor and yet VERY PREGNANT. With tears slowly rolling down my cheeks and holding on to Kai's hand I said, "this baby is going to come tonight It just has to, for the Calvary is going to arrive!" With that I meant that I just knew that after having the baby the Lord would move in my natural mother's heart to help 'her baby' and would also move in people's hearts to bring at least some food....as most do when coming to see a newborn. But I see now that my words were PROPHETIC of a deeper truth that I did not know at the time....that MY CALVARY DAY had come.....tears......Oh! How I love Him so.

I so identified with the Lord and Mary in that very MOMENT sitting on that porch swing....of understanding what it must have been like to feel so helpless and all the fears that Mary must have had about birth and not having a mid-wife...and wondering WHY?? Why would God choose to be born in a horse's stable? What have we done that we would find no place in anyone'e INN? Why Father? It turned out that my own mid-wife could not get to me in time and my alternate mid-wife arrived as my baby was crowning (and I had never felt true labor before b/c in the past I had hospital births with epidurals)...I just quietly and painfully let out cries of "help Lord...help me, help me"....truly thinking I was going to die right there in the bathroom....TEARS....and finally the alternate mid wife showed up and said 'I am here, it is going to be alright, and you are going to have this baby...now PUSH!" I got in bed and on the second push she came out! Praise the Lord.

This precious daughter PROPHETICALLY represented the manchild being birthed in me...for it was during those years of all the trials, the purgings, the scourgings, the fire, the EMPTYINGS, that the FINAL EMPTYING took place...for I learned experientially what it means to DIE TO SELF, to DIE DAILY. I also learned what the Lord went through as He was made a lamb led to the slaughter and DID NOT OPEN HIS MOUTH...for all the questions slowly left me...one by one....and gave way to the words of Job..."Though you slay me Lord, I will trust in YOU".

I have learned that there really is a walk of "ON EARTH as IN HEAVEN'...for during the final months of my 4th pregnancy I actually felt like my back was going to break...I felt old, real old, like a ninety yr. old woman...and I now realize that it was due to the fact that the OLD WOMAN within was on her death bed...and she was carrying her cross....and on a HOLY NIGHT she died. How truly precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.This is the place that most Christians are so afraid to get to...the place of death. If most Christians only knew that it is in SOWING this natural body that you GAIN your heavenly body they would surrender and would gladly be emptied of all self to bring forth the FRUIT of the tree of Life that has now grown within. The glorious beautiful CHRIST within came forth....and is the one that shares with you even now.

It is in shedding the old corruptible garment that the new incorruptible one is given. It is then one can TRULY say..." I am of the Lord from Heaven, the second Adam, I am not from below. I am from ABOVE." Once one is born again OF God they are of that Manchild company that has been caught up to the throne. This is the position and place where one that is truly a JOINT HEIR with Jesus Christ starts to appropriate their possessions in Christ.

In the past if someone had asked me if I was 'born again' I would answer with a hearty yes! I have come to see that term 'born again' in a new light and dimension of truth.

" But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children (sons) of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name--
Who owe their birth neither to bloods nor to the will of the flesh [that of physical impulse] nor to the will of man [that of a natural father], but to God. [They are born of God!]" (John 1:12-13 amplified)

Notice how it says that He gives the right to those that receive Him to BECOME sons of God. I believe that this world we live in has many symbols, types and shadows which points to the REALITY of the Kingdom of God found within.

In the natural world a human couple has to conceive first before they can announce that they have a child. Similarly, in the Spirit there has to be a conception. It is my conviction that this conception takes place when a person gives their heart to Jesus...(although in reality this too is only by His grace for it is Him that finds us and gives us the desire to call out for him).

Once a person has received the SEED of Christ within their earthy ground then the next phase starts to unfold and that is of the embryo beginning to FORM...to grow a heart, a mind, the senses of eyes, ears, nose, and extremities of arms, hands, feet, etc. This to me points to the glorious phases of maturity that a new believer will go through.

This process of being FORMED is a very delicate one and of a critical nature. Just as in the natural a new embryo is at the mercy of the mother as to what it will receive for nourishment, so too in the Spirit the SEED of Christ is dependent upon what it's nourishment from the FATHER will be. The Father will not allow anything to corrupt the seed within us...for the SEED IS INCORRUPTIBLE. So this process of being formed can take a very long time in some individuals depending of course as to how much one will choose to cooperate with the work of the Holy Spirit within their own lives and circumstances. For me this process took over 20 years, but for my husband it only took 7 yrs. Smile.

To have the heart of the Father FORMED within the life of a believer will usually start to take on appearance after one or more processings of Father. Once again, it depends on how much cooperation an individual will give to the cross as to determine the length of time this process takes.

For some it might only take one experience. These are those that were given a measure of grace and faith to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the circumstances that were given to them to form THE HEART. Those that were also given the same measure of grace and faith but chose to go AROUND the cross of the particular experience of FORMING the heart of Father would then have to stay in the gestation phase longer. Truly, we see this gestational phase as that of the children of Israel in the wilderness. What should have been an 11 day journey took 40 years.

On and on this FORMING continues...to have the EARS of the Spirit, to see with the eyes of the Spirit, to touch with the hands of the Spirit and have the WALK of the Spirit.

Once this process of being formed is completed then the only thing that is left is the process of GROWING in the womb. The scripture tells us that New Jerusalem is our mother for she is FREE and from ABOVE. This glorious womb that brings forth Christ in you the hope of glory will also use the CONTRACTING pressures of the NARROW WALK to bring the ultimate goal to completion and that is LIFE!

" But the gate is narrow (contracted by pressure) and the way is straitened and compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it." (Matt. 7:14 amplified).

I find it interesting that the word EGYPT comes from the Hebrew root word TSUWR and means...to bind, besiege, confine, cramp, to shut in, enclose, to show hostility to, be an adversary, treat as foe; to form, fashion, delineate.

Any woman that has ever had a baby will tell you that the time between having contractions and actually giving birth is known as TRANSITION. This period of time where the baby is moving into the BIRTH CANAL...the very NARROW PLACE...is such a painful time both for mother and baby.
There is a true struggle that is taking place. This struggle of being confined, cramped, and besieged with contractions is the place where most women cry out....JUST GET IT OUT!!!!

Our Father uses the pressure of Egypt (the world and its systems) to bring pressure upon us to want to LEAVE and never come back. These pressures if allowed to do their work will bring a believer to the point of wanting to be dead to the world. When this happens a glorious victory is wrought by our Lord for that is when one can truly say "I have been crucified to the world and the world & its systems are crucified to me'. HalleluYah!

I call this the cry of DESPERATION...for any woman will testify that this is the place where you actually start to think 'I am going to DIE, I am really going to die'. At that point it is so critical that one has loving support to hear the words 'no! you are not going to die, you are going to live and so is the baby...NOW PUSH!'
I can testify to the truth that the Lord still has HIS HEBREW MID-WIVES and these are those that bring the good news that "ALL IS WELL"....yes your old adamic nature is dying but THE BABY WITHIN is ready to be BIRTHED.....NOW PUSH! It is by embracing the cross that will bring forth the RESURRECTION LIFE of Christ in you the hope of glory. As the contracting pressures of the circumstances of this world bare down on you just realize that it is the working of the cross to shed the old wineskin in order to give you a new wineskin so that you may hold the FULLNESS of the NEW WINE! Wheww....glory to His most Holy Name Jesus Christ/Yahshua Ha'Messiach!

What I have come to learn is that this is just the beginning once one is born again from Heaven. For then once again as we see in the natural there is a time of LEARNING and growing up as a child in the Kingdom of God. This is what we witnessed Jesus doing...for He grew in all wisdom, grace, power, and stature with God and man.

Oh! How I love Him and His cross. It truly brought forth LIFE in me and I am so thankful that the OVERCOMER within loved me so much that He has routed and continues to route all my enemies until HIS FULLNESS shall be seen by all flesh!

Eliyah


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