SPIRIT-FILLED and EMPOWERED FORERUNNERS 

A NEW BLOG POST SERIES HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE PIONEERED LAST DAYS HOLY SPIRIT-EMPOWERED MINISTRY ACCOMPANIED BY SIGNS AND WONDERS

On the Day of Pentecost, fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the 120 believers gathered together in the Upper Room in Jerusalem. When the people heard them speaking in tongues, which the Bible tells us were known languages recognized by people dwelling there at that time from every nation under heaven, the apostle Peter, together with the eleven other apostles, stood up to address the crowd, saying: "Men of Judea, and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

    'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,

    That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;

    Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.

    Your young men shall see visions,

    Your old men shall dream dreams.

    And on My menservants and on My maidservants

    I will pour out My Spirit in those days,

    And they shall prophesy.

    I will show wonders in heaven above

    And signs in the earth beneath:

    Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.

      The sun shall be turned into darkness,

    And the moon into blood,

    Before the great and awesome day of the Lord.

    And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD

    Shall be saved.' Acts 2:14-21 NKJV

If this prophecy of Joel concerning the last days outpouring of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled around 2,000 years ago, then surely it must still, and even more so, be relevant today. Many discerning church leaders have stated with a sense of Holy-Spirit led conviction that we are living in the last of the last days before Jesus returns for His church, in what is known as the Rapture, after which there will be a seven-year period called the Great Tribulation on earth - the time of God's wrath being poured out, followed by Jesus coming back to rule and reign from Jerusalem over all the earth as King of kings and Lord of lords, for one thousand years.

The same Holy Spirit who indwelt Jesus while He was on earth, from age 30 now dwells in all believers who are born again of the Spirit of God. The Baptism of (or with) the Holy Spirit is a subsequent impartation of God's supernatural power and revelation available to every believer, as Jesus stated in Acts 1:8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Since the time of the Protestant Reformation led by people such as Martin Luther and John Calvin, until the present time, God has been restoring truth to the Church of Jesus Christ that was all but lost after the first couple of centuries of the church age. 

As was stated in the first blog post in this series, at the turn of the last century, the truth concerning the Baptism of the Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues began to be restored to some sections of the church. A man named Charles Fox Parham is credited with playing a major part in this revelation and restoration to the church - to those who woud believe and by faith receive the promised gift of the Holy Spirit to empower for service.

CHARLES FOX PARHAM

(June 4, 1873 - January 29, 1929)

He was an American preacher and evangelist. Together with William J. Seymour, Parham was one of two central figures in the development and the initial spread of early Pentecostalism, known as Holiness Pentecostalism. He associated glossolalia or speaking in tongues with the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. He was the first preacher since the time of the early church in Acts to articulate the distinctive doctrine of evidential tongues and to expand the movement.

He began to conduct his first Christian services at the age of 15. He studied at a Methodist Bible college from 1890-1893.

He left the Methodist Church in 1895 because he disagreed with its hierarchy. He complained that Methodist preachers "were not left to preach by direct inspiration." He established his own itinerant evangelistic ministry.

He preached divine healing and prayer for the sick, after he and his son, Claude had been healed by what he believed to be divine intervention.

In Topeka, Kansas, he established the Bethel Healing Home and also published the Apostolic Faith magazine.

Because of his tremendous success with Bethel, many began to urge Parham to open a Bible school. After shutting himself away to fast and pray, in October of 1900, he obtained a beautiful structure in Topeka, Kansas for the purpose of beginning a Bible school, and called it "Stone's Folly."

When Stone's Folly was dedicated, a man looked out from the Prayer Tower and saw a vision above Stone's Folly of "a vast lake of fresh water about to over-flow, containing enough to satisfy every thirsty need." It would prove to be a sign of things to come.

The Bible school was open to every Christian minister and believer, who was willing to "forsake all." They were to arrive willing to study the Word  deeply and believe God for all their personal needs. The student's faith was their only tuition; everyone was to believe that God would supply their needs.

Parham gave his students a historical assignment. While studying the Book of Acts, they were to diligently study the Bible's evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit and report on their findings in three days. On the morning the assignment was due, Parham listened to the reports of forty students and was astonished by what he heard. While different manifestations of the Spirit occurred during the outpouring at Pentecost in Acts, every student had arrived at the same general conclusion: Every recipient baptized by the Holy Spirit spoke in other tongues!

Charles Parham opened a new Bible school in Houston, Texas in 1905. Parham's schools were never meant to be theological seminaries. They were training centres where the truths of God were taught in the most practical manner - with prayer a key ingredient. Many ministers left his school to serve God throughout the world.

It was in Houston that Parham met Wiliam J. Seymour. Up to this time, the Jim Crow laws forbid blacks and whites from attending school together. And Parham's meetings were segregated, but it was because blacks didn't ask to attend the schools, that is until Seymour. Seymour's humility and hunger for the Word so moved Parham that he decided to ignore the racist rules of the day. Seymour was given a place in the school where he experienced revolutionary truths on the baptism in the Holy Spirit. William Seymour would later become leader of the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles, California.

NEXT TIME: William J. Seymour (The Catalyst Of Pentecost)

SPIRIT-FILLED and EMPOWERED FORERUNNERS 

A NEW BLOG POST SERIES HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE PIONEERED LAST DAYS HOLY-SPIRIT EMPOWERED MINISTRY WITH SIGNS AND WONDERS FOLLOWING THEIR MINISTRY

LET'S START AT THE BEGINNING

It is widely recognized that the Christian Church began on the Day of Pentecost, fifty days after the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus had told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for "the Promise of the Father" when they would be "endued with power from on high." For forty days after His resurrection, the Bible tells us that Jesus presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.                                                                                                 Acts 1:3

For ten days, around 120 of His disciples waited in the Upper Room in Jerusalem praying, and waiting in eager anticipation for "the Promise of the Father" to be given to them. THEN, on the Day of Pentecost, IT HAPPENED:

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:1-4

This chapter continues to describe how that there were people in Jerusalem at that time "dwelling there from every nation under heaven." The miracle of God was that all these people from a large number of nations heard them speak the wonderful works of God - in their own languages. The disciples were supernaturally "speaking in tongues" unknown to them, but recognized by those listening as their own languages. How amazing is our God!!

The first apostles chosen by Jesus, together with Matthias who replaced Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus leading to His arrest and subsequent crucifixion, led the early Church starting in Jerusalem and then to other parts of the known world at that time. Thomas, for example is known to have ministered the Gospel to southern India, where he was eventually martyred for his faith. The apostle John was exiled on the isle of Patmos and was the only one of the twelve who was not martyred.

The Book of Acts penned by Luke the Physician, who also wrote the Gospel bearing his name, gives us a window to the beginnings of the early Church era, particularly highlighting the ministries of the apostle Peter, the account of the first Christian martyr, Stephen, and the ministry and missionary journeys of the apostle Paul. The church grew exponentially as the Gospel of Jesus Christ was boldly preached, many times with signs following the preaching of the Word, attested by healings and miracles, and deliverances from demonic oppression. Along with powerful demonstrations of the Holy Spirit's working, the apostles and early Christians also suffered persecution.

As the centuries passed, the pure devotion to the Word of God and full  reliance on the Holy Spirit to empower and lead them gave way increasingly to compromise of Biblical truth, adherence to man-made traditions, and re-interpretation of ministry roles, leading to the church being led by a priestcraft, lacking in spiritual power and Godly authority.

In fact, it would probably be fair to say that many church leaders during quite a number of centuries up until the Protestant Reformation were not even "born again" by the Spirit of God, as Jesus stated in John 3:3, speaking to Nicodemus, saying:"........unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." 

With Martin Luther in Germany came the restoration of the truth that: The just shall live by faith. Faith in the atoning work of Christ on the cross of Calvary was seen as the only means to salvation, not by trying to earn one's way to heaven by good deeds, or by paying indulgences to reduce the penalty for already forgiven sins. The Protestant Reformation exposed the corruption in the Catholic Church with reference to the intimidation and fear applied to parishioners relating to the effect non-payment of indulgences would have on their time spent in Purgatory.

Purgatory is supposed to be an intermediate destination for Catholic Christians as a place of punishment to make them ready for their eventual place in heaven. This is not at all Biblical. The Bible instead speaks about only two destinations for people when they die - either Heaven of Hell. There is only ONE WAY to heaven, and that is by being born again by the Spirit of God - repenting of sin, and acknowledging Jesus Christ and His death on the cross in our place, for our sins, and receiving Him into our lives as Saviour and Lord.

The ministry gift of pastor was restored to the church with the Protestant Reformation. 

In the 1700's the ministry gift of evangelist was restored with notable ministries such as John Wesley and George Whitefield pioneering preaching the Gospel to the masses. Up until the start of the twentieth century, though, most of Biblical ministry was restricted to preaching the simple salvation message encapsulated in John 3:16, when Jesus said to Nicodemus: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

With the turn of the century in the first decade of the 1900's, God was about to show Himself to the world and the church in ways that had not been seen in any measure since the first and second centuries of the Christian Church.

NEXT TIME: CHARLES FOX PARHAM (The Father of Pentecost)

 

THIS LITTLE CHILD 

"This Little Child" is a powerful song written and sung by American Christian music artist/missionary , Scott Wesley Brown, and featured on his 1981 album "SWB." The song, as you probably already realize, is about the child, Jesus and His impact on humanity as He grew to become a man, and fulfilled His purpose as the Saviour of the world. The lyrics to this song are:

Who would of thought

That long ago, and very far away

A little child would be born

And in a manger laid

And who would have thought 

This little child

Was born the King of kings

The son of just a carpenter

But for whom the angels sing

And who would have thought

That as He grew

And with other children played

This child with whom 

They laughed and sang

Would die for them some day

And who would have thought 

This little child

Could make a blind man see

Feed the hungry, make rich the poor

And set the sinner free

Oh, who would have thought

This little child

Was who the prophets said

Would take away the sins of man

And rise up from the dead

Oh, I believe and I will always sing

This little child is the King

Oh, I believe and I will always sing

This little child

He is the King of kings

Many years have come and gone

Yet this world remains the same

Empires have been built and fallen

Only time has made a change

Nation against nation

Brother against brother

Men so filled with hatred

Killing one another

And over half the world is starving

While our banner of decency is torn

Debating over disarmament

Killing children before they're born

And fools who march to win the right

To justify their sin

Oh, every nation that has fallen

Has fallen from within

Yet, in the midst of this darkness

There is light, a hope that burns

This little child

The King of kings

Someday will return

And I believe and I will always sing

This little child is the King

And I believe and I will always sing

This little child

He is the King of kings

And who would have thought this little child

Is who the prophets said

Will return to judge this world

The living and the dead

Oh, can't you see

That long ago, so very far away

This little child our only hope

Was born a King that day

In Philippians 2:5-8, the apostle Paul, speaking to all who identify as being Christians, true followers of Christ:

Let this mind be in you all.

which was also in Christ Jesus,

who, being in the form of God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped;

But He emptied Himself, 

taking upon Himself the form of a servant,

and was made in the likeness of men.

And being found in the form of a man,

He humbled Himself 

and became obedient to death,

even death on a cross.

The CHRISTMAS season is here once again, when we remember with great joy, the birth of the baby Jesus in a dirty stable in the town of Bethlehem, not far from Jerusalem - where He was laid in a manger, an animal feeding trough filled with hay.

Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit together make up what is known as the Trinity, the One true God who has always existed - this same Jesus willingly became one of us, born into this world, taking on a human body, and in so doing, emptied Himself of some of His divine attributes and privileges while confined in time and space during His thirty three years living amongst us in bodily form.

The Greek word kenosis describing the self-emptying in the above passage in Philippians 2 makes it clear that Jesus as the God-man could not be everywhere present, all-knowing and all-powerful in Himself. The Bible says that He fully relied on the power of the Holy Spirit within Him, and only did those things told to Him by the Father.

Of Jesus, the apostle Paul states in Colossians 1:

By Him all things were created that are in heaven and in earth, visible and invisible, whether they are thrones or dominions, or principalities or powers. All things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things and by Him, all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the Church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all fullness should dwell, and to reconcile all things to Himself by Him, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him I say - whether they are things on earth or things in heaven.

And you, who were formerly alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and blameless, and above reproach in his sight.

Isaiah says that: All our righteousnesses before God are as filthy rags. Romans 3:23  states that: All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

The Greek word for sin hamartia means "to miss the mark." One way of picturing this is that of someone shooting arrows at a target. No matter how hard one tries to hit the target, the arrows all fall short. Once, the Bible says, we were a people without God, and without hope in the world.

Once we were not a people, but are now the people of God (speaking of those who have committed their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ).

Speaking of Jesus, the Word of God says that: He became sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21

We who were far away from the covenants and promises of God have been brought near by the blood of Jesus.

At CHRISTMAS, we remember God sending His Son to earth to be born in a humble stable. Today we honor and worship Him as the crucified, and risen Lord of Glory, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of God, who, as the Bible says, ever lives to make intercession for us.

TIME FOR CESSATIONISTS 

TO CEASE AND DESIST

Part Two

I finished the first part of this blog theme by stating that Pastor John MacArthur, Senior Pastor of Grace Community Church in Los Angeles, California since 1966, President of the Reformed theological seminary, Masters Seminary and Masters University- highly respected as a pastor and author, having written or edited well over one hundred and fifty books, in many respects has a theology that many across the body of Christ would agree with.

In relation to the Person and work of the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Godhead, there are also many aspects that most evangelicals as well as Pentecostals and Charismatics would agree with him about. For example, in the Doctrinal Statement of Masters College, concerning the Holy Spirit:

                The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity, coequal, and coeternal with the Father and the Son

                The Holy Spirit is not merely a force or a power but a distinct divine person who thinks, wills, speaks and can be grieved

                We teach that it is the work of the Holy Spirit to execute the divine will with relation to all mankind. We recognize His sovereign activity in creation, the incarnation (the embodiment of God the Son in human flesh as Jesus Christ), the written revelation and the work of salvation.

                We teach that the work of the Holy Spirit in this age began at Pentecost when He was sent by the Father and the Son as promised by Christ to initiate and complete the building of the Body of Christ, which is the church. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin and righteousness and judgment, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ and transforms believers  into the image of Christ

                We teach that the Holy Spirit is the supernatural agent in regeneration, indwelling believers, also sanctifies them, instructs them, empowers them for service and seals them unto the day of redemption

                We teach that the Holy Spirit is the divine Teacher, who guided the apostles and prophets into all truth as they wrote God's special revelation, the Bible. Every believer possesses the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit from the moment of salvation and it is the duty of all those born of the Spirit to be filled with the Spirit

                We believe that the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to the church unto its edification.

All of the above statements are supported with Biblical references, which are able to be viewed on the Masters Seminary website. Just Google Masters Seminary. Click on the heading: Why TMS, then click on Doctrinal Statement.

It is the last statement concerning the ministry of the Holy Spirit that sets off alarm bells to MANY OF those who rightly divide the Word of God as Biblical truth to the church of Jesus Christ. John MacArthur and Masters Seminary hold to this belief:

                We teach that God, the Holy Spirit is sovereign in bestowing all His gifts for the perfecting of the saints today (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Ephesians 4:7-12) - SO FAR SO GOOD - AND THAT SPEAKING IN TONGUES AND THE WORKING OF SIGN MIRACLES IN THE BEGINNING DAYS OF THE CHURCH HAVE NOW CEASED (1 Cor. 13:8-10; Ephesians 2:20), HAVING FULFILLED THEIR PURPOSE OF POINTING TO AND AUTHENTICATING THE APOSTLES AS REVEALERS OF DIVINE TRUTH (2 Corinthians 12:12; Hebrews 2:1-4). THE MIRACULOUS GIFTS WERE NEVER INTENDED TO BE CHARACTERISTIC OF THE LIVES OF BELIEVERS(e.g., 1 Timothy 5:23)

REALLY!!! I MEAN - REALLY!!!

One of the main texts that John MacArthur and other cessationists use to justify their position that the gifts of the Holy Spirit given in 1 Corinthians 12, as well as the so-called ascension-gift ministries of apostles and prophets given to the church by Jesus in Ephesians 4:11-13 have ceased is that when the canon of Scripture -the Bible was complete and all the early apostles had all died, that there was no more need for Christians to seek revelation from God outside the Word of God, and that the sign gifts of healing and miracles were no longer needed to authenticate God's truth.

They also justify their position by quoting 1 Corinthians 13:8-10 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

For we know in part and we prophesy in part.

But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

They believe that the statement: when that which is perfect has come to mean the completion of the canon of Scripture, the Bible as we know it today. This is very poor exegesis (exegesis= critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially Scripture). Paul did not mean that. He meant that when Jesus comes back for His church, then we will have a full revelation of God- as it says in 1 Corinthians 13:11,12 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. We certainly do not yet see God face to face.

It is very sad that those of the Cessationist camp see the restoration of Holy-Spirit endowed supernatural gifts such as those listed in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, and manifestations of God's Spirit being poured out in these days with Christians having dreams and visions, and NOW WORDS of Prophecy - as aberrations of the true expression of the Word of God.

In fact, since the beginning of the twentieth century, we have seen God restoring Pentecostal power and revelation gifts to the church, and in recent decades, other aspects of divine order coming back into leadership of the church, with the ministry offices of prophet and in more recent years, that of apostle being restored to the church.

I heard one of the leading Cessationist teachers, Steve Lawson, say in an online video: No one hears a word today! (from the Holy Spirit). REALLY!!!😲 He meant that if it is not in the Bible, it cannot be from God.

Another man said: No one has the gift of healing today!! Again, REALLY!! The pages of history of the church since the start of the last century are filled with the healing and miracle ministries of outstanding men AND women of God whose lives  and ministries have attested to the present-day manifestation of God's sign giftings being displayed for His glory, and because of His great love and compassion for people. People such as Maria Woodworth-Etter, Aimee Semple-Macpherson, Smith Wigglesworth, A.A. Allen, Oral Roberts, Kathryn Kuhlman, F.F.  Bosworth, and in more recent years, Australian healing ministries such as the late John Mellor and Mark Hemans. All of these servants of the Lord Jesus Christ had healings and outstanding miracles following the preaching of the Word of God, the Word of faith in God. Truly, the Bible is totally correct in saying about Jesus: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

The Spirit of God is moving today in Revival power! While darkness and evil are increasing in the world, God is on the move, bringing hope, healing and honor to the Living God, as the name of Jesus is being lifted up like a banner of righteousness for all to behold His glory. 

Jesus said in John 14:12 "Most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these will he [or she] do, because I go to My Father." He did not say that these greater works would be done by the first apostles only. No, this was an encouragement to ALL BELIEVERS in Jesus for all time.

Also in the Great Commission as stated in Mark 16:15 And He said to them [the eleven remaining apostles], "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

It is high time for Cessationists to cease and desist from promulgating their false doctrines relating to the operation of the Holy Spirit in the church today, and also in relation to other aberrant teachings such as that women should not preach or teach.

As Jesus said to those Jews who believed in Him, in John 8:32 "If you continue in My Word, then you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free."

TIME FOR CESSATIONISTS 

TO CEASE AND DESIST 

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:1-4

But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

            And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,

            That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;

            Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

            Your young men shall see visions,

            Your old men shall dream dreams.

                   And on My menservants and on My

            maidservants

            I will pour out My Spirit in those days;

            And they shall prophesy.

            And it shall come to pass 

            That whoever calls on the name of the 

            LORD

            Shall 

            be saved. Acts 2:16-18, 21.

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant.

There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

1 Corinthians 12:1, 4-11, 27-31 NKJV

One day last week, I listened to a well-known Christian broadcaster here in Australia on a short radio segment highlighting notable Christians who have gone before. On this particular day, she spoke about Dr. John MacArthur, Senior Pastor of Grace Community Church in California. She stated that he has been pastor of this church since 1966 - indeed a truly amazing testimony to his longevity in ministry. He is now in his early eighties. She stated that he has written or edited well over 150 books. She further stated that MacArthur produced the MacArthur Study Bible, stating that she had one and it is her favourite study Bible, and it has sold over a million copies. That is also an amazing achievement. No doubt, many hundreds of hours went into the compiling of the study notes and theological comments on particular verses and passages throughout the Bible.

She further stated that he spent forty-three years expounding the New Testament to his church - book by book, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, line by line and word by word. Again, an indication of the thoroughness and the seriousness with which he considers the importance of the truth of the Word of God. Indeed John MacArthur is a strong proponent of expositional teaching of the Scriptures. He was President of Masters College and also founded Masters Seminary in 1986 to train young men for pastoral ministry. 

She went on to say it would be safe to say that John MacArthur is one of the best Bible expositors alive on planet Earth today. The motto of his ministry is: Releasing God's Truth One Verse At A Time.

It is certainly true that many evangelical, Pentecostal and Charismatic leaders respect the veracity of much of his theology and cannot fault his teaching on subjects such as: The Word of God contained in the sixty-six books of the Bible were wholly inspired by the Holy Spirit, God-breathed, and that every word in the original texts was inerrant - without error, the sufficiency of Christ for salvation, the ministry of angels, and the pre-tribulation catching away of the saints to meet the Lord in the air, known as the Rapture. There are some areas of disagreement, such as Election and Eternal Security, key positions of the Reformed Church movement.

BUT, when it comes to the present day operation and gifting of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church - and the make-up of ministry giftings to the church for the equipping of believers for the work of the ministry, and areas such as women in ministry: THAT'S WHERE MACARTHUR'S AND OTHERS OF HIS PERSUASION FIND THEIR THEOLOGY GOING PEAR-SHAPED! 

More: SOON!

NO COMPROMISE

So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west,

And His glory from the rising of the sun;

When the enemy comes in like a flood,

"The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.

The Redeemer will come to Zion,

and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,"

Says the LORD.

"As for Me," says the LORD, "this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants' descendants," says the LORD, 'from this time and forevermore."

Arise, shine; 

For your light has come!

And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you,

For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,

And deep darkness the people;

But the LORD will arise over you,

And His glory will be seen upon you.

The Gentiles shall come to your light,

And kings to the brightness of your rising.

Lift up your eyes all around, and see:

They all gather together, they come to you;

Your sons shall come from afar,

And your daughters shall be nursed at your side.

Then you shall see and become radiant,

And your heart shall swell with joy;

Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,

The wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you. Isaiah 59:19-60:5

We are living in times when there is a "line being drawn in the sand" as it were for Christians and the Christian Church. The enemy is coming in like a flood across the earth, as satan knows his time is short - that Jesus is coming back for His bride, the Church, the Body of Christ, and those Messianic Jews who have embraced Jesus Christ in truth, as their longed for Messiah. We are told in Scripture prophetically that at a certain point in time, following a seven-year period of the outpouring of God's wrath on the earth in what is called the Great Tribulation, Jesus Christ will return to rule and reign from Jerusalem as King of kings and Lord of lords for a one thousand year period. More about these future events at another time!

As we approach these end-times, it is very clear that satan is working overtime to do exactly as Jesus said he would, in John 10:10 "The thief [satan] comes to steal, kill and destroy....." human lives by any means at his disposal. We are seeing increasingly a well-orchestrated attack on human life, from the womb to the grave. Abortion, the deliberate murder of babies during, and now up to full-term with a significant number of failed late term abortions (seeing healthy babies delivered) resulting in healthy newborns being left for hours to die is rampant, with probably hundreds of millions of babies being disposed of in the past fifty years - worldwide.

My wife, Tessa made an interesting observation the other day concerning the fact, that here in Australia, a significant number of failed late term aborted babies have been left in cold metal trays, sometimes for a number of hours - to die. Why, she posed, if they are going to kill them, don't they give them an injection to kill them quickly, instead of just leaving them to suffer food and warmth deprivation.

Euthanasia, which once was seen as barbaric and against the best ethos upholding the Hippocratic Oath of the medical profession here in Australia, has been legalised in every jurisdiction of the nation, with the Australian Capital Territory today enacting the most liberal of Euthanasia laws, even allowing teenagers to be afforded state-sanctioned suicide for conditions even such as severe depression in an otherwise healthy individual.

By way of interest, the Hippocratic Oath in Australia states the following:

I will maintain the utmost respect for human life; I will not use my medical knowledge to violate human rights and civil liberties, even under threat; I make these promises solemnly, freely and upon my honour.

Interesting that the name Hippocrates and the word "hypocrite." are so similar.

Then there is whole area of the Rainbow Brigade, with all the demonically 'inspired" inroads these warped distortions of gender and sexuality are pervading society, and sadly impacting negatively children and youth, creating confusion and loss of their God-designed identity.

WE NEED A REVIVAL - A TRUE HOLY GHOST AWAKENING

Most Christians, if they have been around for a while will know the injunction given in 2 Chronicles 7:14 in the Old Testament at the dedication of Solomon's temple:

"If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

The enemy is coming in like a flood. Persecution against Christians is increasing rapidly around the world. It is clear that persecution against Christians in Western nations is also on the rise, with legislation before parliaments to try to restrict Christian witness, and to seek to silence the Christian voice.

This is not a time for Christians, true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ to compromise their testimony and the Word of the Living God, in order to seem relevant in a society that is descending into deeper darkness and depravity.

This is a time for Christians to be bold, to be strong in the Lord, fully clothed in the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). The Bible tells us that the fear of the Lord is  the beginning of wisdom. It also says that the fear of the Lord is to hate evil.

As true Christians, we must love the sinner, but hate the sin. The Bible tells us that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Standing boldly for Biblical truth without compromise may not win you the first prize in a popularity contest. We have to be prepared even to be alienated from other family members and friends, and even some fellow Christians, if we live a life of no compromise. As Paul the apostle states in 2Timothy 3:12 All who desire to live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution/.

When a grown child tells you that they are severing communication with you because: They don't like the "bigoted" posts you have on Facebook,

                They think you hate gays (because you may have expressed that you do                 not agree with the homosexual lifestyle and Rainbow brigade agenda)

                That you love Israel (God has promised to bless those who bless Israel)

                and so on - you have to make a clear choice. Do you cave in to pressure                 to seek to please those who are offended by your no compromise stand                     for  Righteousness - or do you stand boldly for Godly Truth and                                 Righteousness, and COUNT THE COST and move on with the Lord to                     honor and glorify Him with every ounce of your being.

Matthew 10:24-39 has some sobering words from Jesus for Christians who would live uncompromisingly for Him:

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn

a man against his father,

a daughter against her mother, 

a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law -

a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.

Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.

Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for My sake will find it.

In the context of these verses, Jesus is clearly stating that above all else, we need to have Him first place in our lives for our love and devotion. He is not saying we are to literally hate or dishonour our parents or children, but that if we have to make a choice about who we please in our life choices, He should ALWAYS take first place. Jesus is the Prince of Peace prophesied by Isaiah in the Old Testament, and He did not come to bring a literal sword, but the Word of God is metaphorically referred to as the sword of the Spirit, which will divide truth from error.

Children of God, it is time to AWAKE OUT OF SPIRITUAL SLUMBER, to take up the sword of the Spirit, to take a bold stand for Truth and Righteousness holding to the Word of God which will stand forever, and to ARISE AND SHINE bright for Jesus!

BUT WAIT......THERE'S MORE!!

That the character and nature of the God of the Bible is unchanging - that He is a God who can be fully trusted to perform His Word, is made clear by a large number of statements in the Bible - the original texts being wholly inspired by the Holy Spirit. 

    Verses such as the following attest to the Lord God's faithfulness to be true to His stated character:

Praise the LORD who has given rest to His people Israel, just as He promised.  Not one word has failed of all the wonderful promises He gave through His servant Moses 1 Kings 8:56

God is not a man that He should lie, neither the son of man that He should repent; has He said, and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken, and it not come to pass. Behold, I have received a commandment to bless, and I cannot reverse it. Numbers 23:19,20

Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, "My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all My purpose," calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it. Isaiah 46:9-11

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and fear. For our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:28,29

As our Unchangeable Lord, the Living God can be fully trusted to be faithful to perform His Word. He is not a capricious God, who is unpredictable in His moods and temperament. He is a TOTALLY GOOD GOD!

The Bible says in Romans 2:4 Do you despise the riches of His goodness, not knowing that goodness [or kindness] of God leads you to repentance?

Psalm 34:8 says Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Psalm !00:5 For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.

James 1:17 tells us: Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Our God is the God of Light. In Him, there is no darkness at all.

God is LOVE personified, as expressed in John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

Although the nature and character of God is unchangeable - in His plans and His purposes for His people - concerning the nation of Israel and for the Christian Church, the body of Christ - CHANGE is ordained by God.

For the follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, CHANGE IS NOT OPTIONAL.  It is a requirement of every disciple of the Lord. Change commences at the point of conversion. As Paul the apostle states in 1 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ [or becomes a Christian], he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

As we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts and lives by the regeneration of the Word of God, renewing our minds and bringing us into alignment with God's will and purposes for us, we are being changed, as it says in 2 Corinthians 3:17,18 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [or freedom]. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

God does not want us to live lives that are "same old-same old," just going through the motions of living day after day, month after month, year after year. THERE IS ALWAYS MORE!

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 2:9 Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,

                                                         Nor have entered into the heart of man

                                                         The things which God has prepared 

                                                          for those who love Him.

Daniel 11:32b says: Those who know their God shall be strong and will carry out great exploits.

God is calling the church of Jesus Christ to ARISE AND SHINE for the glory of God to a world that is increasingly descending into deep darkness.

Over the past two millenia since the church was birthed on the Day of Pentecost, there have been many "revivals" - times when the Spirit of the Living God has moved in ways in nations and in communities that have seen the name of Jesus exalted and truths of the Word of God being highlighted, to be catalysts for times of renewal and spiritual refreshing.

It is encouraging to realise that, even in the Dark Ages, when the church was mostly made up of a priestcraft, who were steeped in religious tradition, without life and without Holy Spirit power, there were pockets of real Holy-Spirit inspired life, where Jesus was exalted as Saviour and Lord. 

Over the past five hundred years, what are known as Jesus' five-fold "ascension-gift ministries", as stated in Ephesians 3:11-14, have been restored to the Christian church, commencing with the ministry of pastor in the Protestant Reformation in the 1500's, followed by the evangelist ministry being restored in the 1700's with notable people such as John and Charles Wesley, and George Whitefield. in the 60's and 70's in the last century, the ministry of Teacher was restored to the church with the Charismatic Movement, and in the past thirty to forty years, the ministries of first, Prophet and in more recent years, that of Apostle have been being restored to the church. 

    The apostle Peter in Acts 3:19-21 calls on people to: Repent and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ......whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

In the last one hundred and twenty years, there have been a number of significant revivals in different parts of the world, kicking off with the Welsh Revival in 1904-1905. In less than six months, over 100,000 people got saved and the entire nation was radically transformed. This released momentum which saw the Asuza Street Revival in Los Angeles from 1906, which birthed a number of Pentecostal church movements.

The Hebrides Islands saw a significant revival on the island of Lewis in 1949, in answer to intercessory prayer initiated by two sisters in their eighties, who were burdened for the churches, especially as there was not a single young person in the churches. Healing ministries in the twentieth century saw multitudes of people healed miraculously by the power of God. Increasingly the gifts of the Holy Spirit have been manifested in the church and in communities outside the four walls of church buildings by those Christians, filled with the Holy Spirit, who have been motivated by love for the lost and have been willing to step out in boldness and take God at His Word, when Jesus said: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in  Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater than these shall he do, because I go to the Father." John 14:12

TO BE CONTINUED