Archived Thoughts

Paul said the Gospel come not only through the Word, but making the Word manifest, the power and manifestations of the Holy Spirit, how far? All the world. To who? Every creature. And two thirds of the world right now has never heard the Name of the Lord Jesus. How many creatures has never heard it? Millions times millions has never heard it. ~ 57-0114  THE INFALLIBLE PROOF OF THE RESURRECTION

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From a purely human view the Gospel would be considered a failure if millions are dying that never heard. Jesus’ last commission was to preach the Gospel to every creature, yet every creature has not heard. Would Jesus give us a commission that could not be fulfilled? This is why Rev 5:13 is so important to me. “And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying…” Even those under the earth. I can’t explain it, but in the taking of the Book every creature has heard. It was John, the representation of the Bride, whose voice was heard because of what happened. When that voice is heard it will produce a result.

20   My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.    21   Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.     22   For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.     23   Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. ~ PROVERBS 4:20-23

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“Attend to my words… For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.” Everything we have comes from the Word. It is not just the Biblical words, but the Logos Word that we are, and it is quickened by the hearing of the Word of God. If we are sick, read the Word. If we need a deliverance, read the Word. If we need a relationship with God, read the Word. If we need a rapture condition, read the Word. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Rom 10:17). The Word is our absolute, but many will just read their few chapters and head to Facebook or some other form of entertainment, filling our minds with everything but the Thing that will lift us out of this life.

13   And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.     14   And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever. ~ REVELATION 5:13-14

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The Bible means just what it says. Every creature heard John saying, “Blessing, and honour, and glory…” “Every creature”, Bro Branham would quote this, “heard ME saying…” The last commission Jesus gave us was “go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature”, and when the Lamb took the Book every creature heard John’s (who represents the Bride) response. I don’t know how this literally happened but I believe it. Just as everything changed when Adam sinned, I believe when the Bride is claimed, meaning the fullness of redemption, everything knows it. Creation is waiting for this event and the Bride is stepping into Her position. “His Wife has made Herself ready”.

22   For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.    23   So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us. ~ EZRA 8:22-23

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This scripture really struck me as I read it the other day. Ezra has been commissioned to return to Jerusalem, taking a number of priests and precious materials for the restoration of worship in the rebuilt Temple. It will be a four-month journey through a land full of robbers and various perils, yet he did not want to ask the king for protection since his confession was that the hand of God is upon all them that seek him. We are in a similar place, being the final group to go in and the ones who hold the treasure of the restoration of worship to creation. I wonder if we have that kind of faith? When we face situations, we look to the internet or other sources of knowledge when we should look at the promise of our calling.

7   The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.    8   The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore. ~ PSALM 121:7-8

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I think we depend more on the tangible world than we realize. Even as we claim to have “the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God” (I Cor 2:12), we still act as if we must qualify or beg God, or beg others, or try to make the way for ourselves, when He has specifically promised to “preserve thee (that’s YOU by the way) from ALL evil…(and) preserve thy (that’s YOU again) going out and thy coming in.” I honestly feel that we don’t have confidence in the Word because often times we don’t have the Spirit of God. We claim to be in the land, but we are still standing at the Jordan waiting for God to part the river.

Notice when the Message is rejected and the messenger seems to be defeated, that's when God steps on the scene, his Message is over. Noah, (closing now), Noah preached in the door of his ark for a hundred and twenty years, till, when finally they laughed him to scorn, Noah stepped in the ark thinking that the... it would just be all right. God closed the door. And the people hung around to see what was going to happen. Seven days he set there and sweated it out, and on the seventh day the rain come. Moses, what was he in? The very line of duty, leading the people. The Red Sea got in his way. He was at the end of his road. It was then that God came with the East wind and parted the sea, at the end of the road. ~ 63-0116  THE EVENING MESSENGER

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Faith sees what nobody else can see. Faith doesn’t look at the circumstance. Faith only sees the promise. “If you look at the present world, you make a choice with it. Hide your eyes from that, and look at the promise of God, way over in tomorrow.” (Why Cry? Speak) Take the faith step and it must happen.

33   When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,     34   And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.     35   Jesus wept. ~ JOHN 11:33-35

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“Jesus wept.” Many might theorize why Jesus cried at the tomb of Lazarus. Maybe it was because He was sad that Lazarus was dead? How could that be since He already knew he was going to raise? I believe He cried because all the people were weeping, not believing that He was the resurrection and the life, and more than able to raise him from the dead. As a pastor, my heart is often troubled because people don’t respond to the Word. It makes me weep, but it should make us all weep when people fail to recognize the truth and potential of the Spirit of Christ living in them. How can people live in so much confusion and anxiety, when in the midst of darkness we have seen THE LIGHT? It’s not just preachers weeping but anyone who has tasted of this eternal Life and see others reject it.

Back in the Old Testament from Genesis on to Revelation You constantly was a miracle working God when people were ready to step out and believe You. When Moses prayed and then stepped toward the Red Sea, it opened. When the priests stepped into the water of Jordan, it peeled back from one side to the other. We've got to make a step. We've got to try. We've got to put forth our effort to show You that we're sincere. For it's written in the Bible that faith without works is dead, just as the body without the spirit. ~ 53-1111  PREPARATION

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Most of the time we want the path to be clear. We won’t make a move unless we can see the results before we move. The commission to move should be enough. “We’ve got to make a step.” If we have faith, there will be an action produced by that faith.

11   Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan.    12   Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man.    13   And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap. ~ JOSHUA 3:11-13

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God had already given Joshua a commandment to cross over the Jordan (Josh 1:2), and he had seen what God did at the Red Sea and knew it would happen. All he had to do was put the Word before them and the power that was in the commission would part the waters. Elisha did the same thing by smiting Jordan with the mantle of Elijah. We have seen His Word proved over and over. How long before we put our feet into the Jordan, believing that what God has commissioned us to do WILL and has to come to pass. Our problem is that we still don’t know who we are and what we have been called to do.

13   And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.    14   The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.    15   And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: ~ EXODUS 14:13-15

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“Wherefore criest thou unto me?” Moses had not been crying unto the Lord, or had he? It was his declaring, “HE will shew you to day”, rather than recognizing that he already had the commission to lead the Children of Israel back to Sinai. God had proved him over and over, and now he stands before the Red Sea with no revelation that it is done. Notice, when God rebuked him, He didn’t say, “Tell the Red Sea to part”. He said “Speak unto the Children of Israel, that THEY go forward”. The commission was to bring the Children of Israel back, and whatever laid  in that way had to move.