Category Archives: grace

A Updated Rerun Series

Click on following links for: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

The Who’s Who List of socialites sat in the tea garden, listening to the internationally acclaimed concert pianist performing a Mozart concerto.

When the pianist finished, the ladies clapped their hands. Then, the pianist stood and bowed.

One lady, sitting near the  pianist, overcome by excitement and joy, gushed, “Oh, I would just give anything to play the piano like him. Just anything.”

The pianist pivoted around and stared at the lady. “No, you would not,” he said.

The crowd gasped at the man’s rebuke of one of New York’s most respected women. How dare he make such a disrespectful remark?

Tears streamed down the embarrassed lady’s face onto her Paris designer’s dress. In her hurt, she defiantly mouthed, “Yes, I would.”

The man stepped toward her. “No, you would not,” he proclaimed. “Because if you truly meant that, you would have given up your childhood and your teenage years practicing the piano. And even now, you would be willing to give up eight to ten hours everyday practicing so that you could play like me.”

He pointed toward her with his finger. “You see, there’s a price to sit on this bench. I’ve been willing to pay it and you haven’t!”

This story illustrates a truth, one that is especially true about the prophetic gifts.

But a fellow blogger made this interesting comment about prophesying in the original posting of Part 2 of this series:

How much Godly character did the ass have when God spoke through the animal’s mouth when the prophet would not?

To which I replied:

Perfect character is not a mandatory requirement for the spiritual gifts. But just like a soldier in the U.S. Army, there are different levels of marksmanship for our spiritual tools or weapons. Consider the spiritual gift levels to be akin to marksman, sharpshooter and expert.

To raise above the entry marksman level demands godliness and a continuing effort to be like Jesus…

The Body of Christ needs believers who are willing to pay the price so they rise above the entry grade of just giving low-level prophetic “bless me and you” words. We need sharpshooters and experts for what’s waiting ahead of us, just over the horizon.

So, what does the price involve, right?

(Continued in Part 5)

*I have used the word prophesy in a general sense to denote prophecy, words of knowledge and words of wisdom (1 Corinthians 12: 8-10).

An Updated Rerun 2009 Series

Click on the following for earlier articles: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11 and Part 12.

How to be a Radical Christian (viii).

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. (Matthew 5:44)

One of the divine ironies of the New Testament is that we Christians are called to love our enemies.

So, on the one hand, America must fight the Islamic Terrorists with everything our armed forces can possibly muster up in order to protect innocent people in our nation and in other nations. It’s either fight or be slaughtered. The latter is not a viable option.

But at the same time, believers are called to love our enemies and pray for them. How can this be accomplished, right?

He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. (Luke 1:17)

If you’re old enough, maybe you remember the hunger strikes in Belfast, Ireland, during the 1980’s. That was when numerous IRA prisoners at the  British Maze prison made demands of the British government, and then went on hunger strikes until their demands were met.

Margaret Thatcher was the Prime Minister who was not a weak-kneed leader. She refused to negotiate. The results were that ten young men starved. Many more were prepared to die, but then a miracle happened.

Parents of the remaining prisoners stepped in and had their sons hooked up to life support systems without their sons’ permissions. These parents loved their children too much to watch them slowly die. The hunger strikes ended.

Consider all the years of nurturing and teaching which back up a parent’s love for a child. This love is like a tsunami force just waiting to be unleashed against supposedly insurmountable barriers. It matters not whether it’s a Western culture or a Middle Eastern one, children want to please their parents.

So, we Radical Christians need to pray and fast for the spirit of Elijah to come upon the parents of Islamic terrorists so that these parents love their children enough to dissuade them from any suicidal ventures.

Love never fails…(1 Corinthians 13:8)

(Conclusion)

A new rerun updated series beginning on Tuesday.

An Updated Rerun 2009 Series

Click on the following for earlier articles: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8 and Part 9.

How to be a Radical Christian (v).

And it was so, when the Philistine (Goliath) arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hastened and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. (2 Samuel 17:48)

The Philistine army was on one mountain. Israel was cowering on a mountain opposite the Philistines. A small valley ran between them. The ten-foot tall giant, Goliath, was dressed in bronze armor and was standing in front of the Philistine army, challenging Israel to a duel. He was armed with a sword, spear and javelin. His shield bearer was standing off to his left and slightly in front of him, protecting him from arrows.

There, standing out in front of the Israeli army was a fifteen year-old kid with a sling and five stones.  No armor. No sword. No spear. No javelin. No shield or shield bearer.  He was all alone and could expect no assistance from the nervous Nellies standing behind him wearing Israeli uniforms.

Goliath mocked and cursed David. Then David boasted about the Lord.

The Philistine giant and his shield bearer trudged forward, but what did David do? He didn’t walk. He raced toward his foe; and while he was running, he swung his sling around his head.

What do you think was running through the heads of the the Israeli soldiers as they watched a fifteen year-old kid racing toward the Terminator of that day? Probably something like this: “He’s a nut! He doesn’t have a chance. We are doomed!”

And yet not one of the Israeli soldiers, including King Saul or David’s older brothers, had the courage to take David’s place. So, they stood in their fears and watched from a distance as David won the battle for them.

David’s running toward Goliath is a perfect illustration of how Radical Christians must help to fight Islamic Terrorists.

“What?” you proclaim.

Not too many years ago, a well-known prophet prophesied what he saw was going to happen in California: death and destruction. He advised all Christians to move to safer states. Maybe, Montana, Utah or Idaho. Anywhere, but leave California as quickly as possible.

Sadly, I agree with his prophetic vision about death and destruction in California and on the West Coast. But I disagree with his advice that we Christians should abandon ship and run for safety.

When the bombs begin exploding (and they soon will), we Radical Christians must be set in place to be the Body of Christ, willing to reach out and help hurting people, and then to offer hope to people who will have none.

This could be one of the American church’s finest hours.

(Continued in Part 11)

Click on the following for earlier articles in the series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10 and Part 11.

A few years ago, Bob Jones told about a Sunday church service he attended where he felt an inner urging to prophesy. He walked over to the microphone and said, “Macaroni and cheese, macaroni and cheese.” Then, he sat down.

The church members sat dumbfounded and shocked. A few laughed and wrinkled their noses at his so-called prophetic words.

For the following week, Jones suffered ridicule and scorn from fellow Christians. He himself slipped into a bout of depression over the matter.

The next Sunday, a woman stood up and defended Jones. “Last week, when I came to this church for the first time, I asked the Lord for something,” she said. “For years, I’ve been praying and fasting for my son and nothing has ever happened. I wanted to quit. So, I asked the Lord to give me a personal sign if He was going to finally do something in my son’s life.” She paused for a few moments.

Then she continued, “So, when Mr. Jones gave his words about macaroni and cheese, I was so excited. You see, my son works at a Kraft plant, making macaroni and cheese.”

Countless numbers of church members repented of their judgmental attitudes after the woman’s testimony.

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11)

Pat Robertson has been a prophetic voice to America for decades. His godly and humble character have been a steadfast beacon of light to the Body of Christ.

But even Robertson himself readily admits, “Sometimes, I’ve missed it.” Yet, irregardless of the outrage his words may bring forth, he continues to faithfully speak.

Now, most of us who prophesy, do not understand the spiritual warfare and fleshly struggles a person such as Robertson goes through to speak a prophetic word to a nation, especially a religious one like America. It’s not the same as giving a prophecy or a word of knowledge to a local church or a person. Not at all!

Higher levels of prophecy means higher levels of warfare. So, to speak forth a national prophetic word involves fighting with national principalities and powers, and trusting that you have heard the voice of the Lord in the midst of spiritual warfare and confusion. It’s not easy!

In fact, it’s much easier to be a sofa Christian critic and throw rocks along with the many skeptics of prophecy. After all, the wolves won’t turn on you when you join the rock throwers, right?

So, here’s my thoughts on Robertson’s remarks about Haiti:

Much like the macaroni and cheese prophecy of Bob Jones, Robertson’s remarks was a prophetic word, not directed toward Haiti, but instead, toward us American Christians. The word was a lamp shining into the dark places of our hearts, revealing our hardened, judgmental attitudes toward Christians who differ from our warm and fuzzy, Christian-lite beliefs.

Instead of imitating the noble Bereans who checked out words before they acted, we took the counsel of the wicked, stood in the path of sinners and sat in the seat of scoffers. This is not pleasing to the Head of the Church.

Somehow, we Christians have to mature into a higher level where we are able to accurately judge prophetic words in love, without passing judgment or slandering the character of the individual. After all, we Christians are to be known for our love of the brethren.

This was a type of practice test for us Christians for what is about to arrive on the scene. For soon, prophetic people will rise up in cities, states, regions and the nation, and their words will be like hammers to smash the hardness on our hearts.

How we handle the soon-coming prophetic people’s words will determine how we will walk through the persecutions awaiting us Christians on the near horizons.

(Conclusion)

A new series begins on Monday.