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Beholding Your Good Order! By Pastor Bill Taylor A publication of My Father's House, inc. Volume 10/ Issue 13 Prophecy: Do you know how much I desire for My people to understand My heart and My ways? Every night I anoint your pastor to bring out things to help you gain understanding. I know My thoughts towards you. My people wake up! Understand this; My thoughts towards you are for good. I want to give you a hope and a future and to do you good in the end. Everything I ask of you is intended towards that purpose that you may have a worthwhile life; a fruitful life, and a glorious eternity. I desire very much to make you My sons and daughters; to endear you to Myself. And I’m looking for you to trust Me to do that. I’m looking for a people who’ll say, “Lord, I trust you with my life better than I trust myself with it.” When you commit your life to Me I take care of you. Stop trying to pursue your own things and do things yourself because you haven’t the ability on your own to do well. But I have the ability, the power, the wisdom to care for you and to make your life a glory to Me and to make your life rewarding to you! I know My thoughts towards you and they’re thoughts of good to give you a hope and a future, saith the Lord. Prophecy: I said if I be lifted up I’ll draw all men unto Me. And I was lifted up at the cross. The Father lifted Me up because it was His desire to draw all men unto Me. He’s exalted Me and lifted Me above all names that are named, above all principalities and powers. He’s seated Me in the heavenlies. I’ve been lifted up so all men may be drawn unto Me for in Me is their salvation. But have I been lifted up in you? Have you lifted Me up above all other things in your life? Have you set Me in the highest place of esteem; the highest place of honor and service in your heart; above everything else? For when you do that then the Father can draw people to the Christ in you. If I be lifted up I’ll draw all men to Me, now will you lift Me up? Saith the Lord. (Prophecies delivered at "My Father's House") For though I be absent in the flesh, yet I’m with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your good order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. (Col 2:5OKJ) One tragic lesson of the Old Testament occurs when David in his zeal to bring God’s presence back to Jerusalem improperly transports the Ark resulting in the death of Uzza! (1Chr13:1-9) Later David confesses the reason for this tragedy. Because we didn’t consult Him about the proper order. (1Chr15:13) Uzza died because David didn’t consult God, and everything that has to do with being led by the Spirit in some way has to do with consulting God about the proper order. When God isn’t consulted things are out of order. The lack of putting God first has caused many people to do wrong in situations as what happened with David where even though what he was doing, he did out of love for God the reality is in the “doing for God” God wasn’t consulted. It wasn’t that God was put in second or third place, He wasn’t even consulted. If God isn’t first, it’s likely He won’t even be considered. People rarely put God in third place and consult Him after they’ve consulted a few others. God wouldn’t allow it anyway! Either God’s in first place or He has no place is the truth. It’s a sin to put God in second place when it comes to giving. For example, putting doctors, mechanics, lawyer’s fees, house payments or insurance ahead of God. Those who do so are putting God in a low position concerning their financial priorities. It’s disrespect for God to put other things ahead of Him, and people who do that rarely consult Him (except to cry for help when they’re in trouble) because if they had a true communion with Him they’d keep Him in His proper place, which means first place! So if God isn’t first in everything concerning your life, if you’re relegating Him to a lower position in giving, in your career choice, marriage or anything of that nature, then you don’t know the Lord. If anyone says he knows God and sins he’s a liar and the Truth isn’t in him. (1Jn2:4) You don’t know the Lord, because if you knew Him at all He’d be first in your heart, the first you contact, the first you consult, the first you honor, the first you give to. And it’s because He’s first you can be blessed. Putting God in first place has to do with the proper order. Let all things be done decently and in order. (1Cor14:40) All things are done decently and in order in a Spiritual church where the people are controlled by God and not flesh. But there were problems in the Corinthian church in that they were doing Spiritual things in an unspiritual or carnal way. They were often out of order. The things they were doing may have seemed Spiritual like speaking in tongues, but the time and place they were doing it wasn’t Spiritual. Very few people have the understanding to see these kinds of problems; most are so far from God they don’t even understand such sins are possible. How can we be doing something that comes from God, but doing it in a way that’s not of God? Think about it! Uzza and the Ark! (1Chr13:7-9) That’s the whole nature of sin. Every good thing originates with God, but everything that isn’t right is a twisting, a misplacing, or a misusing of something that originally came from God. So to stay in a place where we’re not sinning we must use what God gives us in the way God wants it to be used. I’m the Way, the Truth, and the Life. (Jn14:6) If Jesus is the Way then we must consult Him about the proper order, the godly way to do things. The beginning of Spirituality is hearing God. (Gal 3:2) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. (Pr9:10) It’s asking Him what needs to be done, when to do it, how to do it and for the grace to do it. Then there’s waiting on the Lord! To function in the proper order you must wait for the Lord to tell you what to do and when. If you move presumptuously, too late or too soon you’ll be out of order. The Spirit led Christian is the only one who’s saved. The Spirit led are the sons of God. (Rom8:14) And the Spirit led are consulting God, listening to God for the order in which to move. They have faith to wait on the Lord to receive the instruction and to move only by “hearing of faith.” (Gal 3:2) And waiting on the Lord for the “hearing of faith” isn’t an excuse to do nothing. Faithless people may excuse the fact they do nothing and bear no fruit saying, “The Lord hasn’t spoken to me yet.” But He never speaks to you. Whereas the person who’s in faith has many testimonies where they’ve waited on the Lord and the Lord gave a good direction at the proper time. Because the Lord did speak and tell them what to do and they obeyed at the right time, there’s good fruit, and God is glorified. (Jn15:8) That’s the proof they’re Spirit led. Presumptuous and faithless people don’t get fruit. If they move nothing happens. If they don’t move nothing happens. But people who truly wait on the Lord in faith and then move when the Lord directs them always bring forth fruit; like a healing, or a testimony to the glory of God. This is always related to the “hearing of faith.” The person who waits on the Lord and obeys what the Lord says has “heard” the Lord, and because he’s heard the Lord he “does” and that’s what New Covenant “Faith” is about – Did you receive the Spirit by the keeping of the law or by the “hearing of faith.” (Gal 3:2) When you hear God and you obey what God says the Spirit moves, and you receive the power to accomplish God’s will. The blessings of the Spirit come upon you, and something supernatural comes out of your obedient faith. Keeping the law doesn’t do anything; the Spirit has nothing to do with the law. You’re just keeping a rule not creating: the Spirit is “creative!” So real Christianity is demonstrated only in the children of God who are led by the Spirit, who have faith to ask God and consult God about the proper order, and obey Him when He answers. They wait on the Lord until they get the answer; and because they have faith God does speak and they move and the results are God is glorified! That’s what’s going on in a Spirit led church. Everything’s done decently and in order, in obedience to the Spirit! Most “charismatic churches” think a Spirit led church is a place where everybody is shooting off in all different directions because they’re all free to do whatever they feel like. But that’s a very carnal church. The first really big Spiritual meeting in recent times was on Azusa Street after the gifts of the Spirit began to reappear among some believers around the turn of the century; 1900. The first new move of the Spirit actually took place in the Midwest, in a little bible study, where the leader was going on vacation and the members wanted to continue their meetings in his absence. They’d been looking at the book of Acts and the gifts of the Spirit, so he advised them to spend their meeting praying for God to pour out His Spirit. For a few weeks they did, then God poured His Spirit out and they began to speak in tongues and prophesy, etc. From there the new manifestation of the Holy Spirit spread to some people in Texas and finally to Azusa Street in California. In those early days of the new Pentecost people came to Azusa Street from around the world. The street doesn’t exist today. It was torn up for some building project. But in those days people from all over came to a rented stable, somewhat reminiscent of the birth of Christ. In that stable they could watch the Spirit move and learn of Him to take Pentecost home with them, to all the nations. For three years that went on, but in the third year flesh began to gain control – witches and spiritualists started coming in, people who weren’t of God. Wicked things began to manifest, strange and ungodly things. And the leadership didn’t stop it. There was no discipline. No godly order! Thus it all fell apart, which is a lesson to us. What’s being called spiritual too often today is really not spiritual at all; it’s flesh gone wild without the disciplines of the Spirit, and without consulting God for the proper order! Let all things be done decently and in order. (1Cor14:40) What Paul says speaks to us today that if we want to have a church where the liberties of the Spirit and the freedom to move in the Spirit is maintained we must use godly discernment to preserve the godly order. This was also the failure at the recent Pensacola revival. Weird things started taking place that weren’t of God, people barking like dogs, clucking like chickens. Tell me that’s to the glory of God? Just because strange things are happening doesn’t mean they’re spiritual, or they’re from God. People were getting the shakes where they’d tremble like a palsy victim. Weeks after they left the “revival” they’d still be trembling and they’d claim it was the Holy Spirit. We encountered a man in a “My Father’s House” service who behaved like a monkey and said it was the Holy Spirit. Actually he was demon possessed and he picked this demon up in the Pensacola revival. Anytime he was present where there was anointed preaching his monkey spirit would manifest and become a terrible distraction. It was the devil mocking God in the middle of the church. Of course, we could cast the demon out of him, but he didn’t want deliverance because he thought he got his “gift” from the Holy Spirit. Such things aren’t from the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit doesn’t fight against God, work against God! The Holy Spirit doesn’t interrupt a preaching that He Himself is anointing. That would be a kingdom divided against itself. “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself won’t stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he’s divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? (Mt12:25,26) Can God be divided? There’s one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who’s above all, and through all, and in you all. (Eph4:4-6) Christ isn’t divided. (1Cor1:13) Only the devil would be interrupting what God is doing, drawing attention to something totally insane. But many of the bibs (bible ignorant believers) at Pensacola don’t know God from the devil and that’s been typical of most modern revivals in which the gifts of the Spirit have been allowed to operate. So the devil is able to close the revival down because there are no “believers,” particularly among the “church leaders,” who know how to tell the difference between acts of God and acts of satan in the services. No one understands 1st Corinthians 14. Even many so-called Pentecostal “believers” don’t believe 1st Corinthians 14. For God is not the author of confusion but of peace. (1Cor14:33a) Let all things be done decently and in order. (1Cor14:40) Recently Jonathan shared how sometimes he’d miss God when he had something to contribute in the service but didn’t give it at the right time. Then he’d try to share later and there’d be no anointing because the time is past and now it’s out of order. I wasn’t sure God would let me sing tonight. The song I just sang is one God gave me before there even was “My Father’s House.” I knew the Spirit was quickening it to me recently and He’d probably use it but I wasn’t sure He’d use it tonight. Can you see how God just set it up? Suddenly I’m sitting there and it becomes apparent this is the right time for that song. Here’s where it fits. The proper order is to do it now! I’m not rushing to show off my song but I’m waiting on the Lord to use it in the place He chooses. But I don’t see the proper place until other people do their part. Then suddenly it fits, and I do my part and we have a Spiritual service, where God is glorified, and hearts are touched by God. That’s what we’re aiming for. The proper order comes from watching in the Spirit and listening to God. Preparing? Yes. I’m prepared. I practiced the song. But I didn’t presumptuously push it in where I wanted it as for example, in the beginning of the service. I let God decide when and where to use it. And that’s the way it must be with everything in a Spiritual service. Let all things be done decently and in order. (1Cor14:40) The wonderful thing is God doesn’t disappoint you. He’ll use the things He’s given you. You don’t have to push to make space for them. What did Jesus say? I go to prepare a place for you. (Jn14:3) Guess what? He prepares places all the time. If He sends me here with a song, then He prepares a place for that song. If He sends you with a prayer, or a testimony, He prepares a place for you. It’s the work of Christ to prepare the place because He’s the Head and it’s the function of the Head to put everything in its proper order. So if Jesus is your Head you’ll be listening to Him and obeying Him and He’ll be using you in the proper place, giving you the needful things and showing you when to use them that everything can be done decently. So in a truly Spiritual church there’ll be much of the supernatural without the “wildfire,” that allows flesh to enter and mess things up. The mighty manifestations of God, the awesome gifts of the Spirit can continue to operate in a Spiritual church as long as we keep things orderly. Whereas the devil overruns carnal “churches” because they don’t consult God about the order and they don’t keep the flesh under control. Thus to put the flesh under, God often has to close things down. The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD (Ps37:23) Was David a righteous person? Was his incorrect transportation of the ark ordered by the Lord? At that time David wasn’t acting in righteousness. Overall David was a good man, but in this case he didn’t do what he should have done. A righteous person would have consulted the Lord and David didn’t. (2Sam6:1-10) The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, because a good man consults the Lord before he steps. It’s the fact that he continually consults the Lord that makes Him a good man. There’s none good but One! (Mt19:17) The good man is good because he finds out from the good One, God, how to do good. What’s wrong with false churches and false christians is they think they’re righteous (good) just because they say Jesus is Lord, even though they don’t do righteousness. Their “righteousness” is a lie. The bible says you’re righteous if you do righteousness. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. (1Jn3:7) Righteousness is in the doing of good, not just saying you believe something. How does Jesus make me righteous? By “imputing” and calling me righteous when I’m doing evil? No, He makes me righteous by actually putting His righteous Spirit in me so I’ll behave righteously. When I receive Christ’s Spirit by faith, He empowers, even compels me to do good. I’ll put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you’ll keep My judgments and do them. (Ezek36:27) By faith in Christ I become a slave to righteousness. (Rom6:18) This “imputed” righteousness heresy as taught by many today comes from a wrong interpretation of the Greek word “logizomai” which may best be translated as “coming to the conclusion” he was righteous, or “esteeming” him to be righteous. The root meaning according to Strong’s Concordance is “to take inventory of” or “recognize.” Just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness (recognizes as righteous) apart from works. (Rom4:6) Real “Faith in God” causes the believer to obey God from the heart and that produces a greater righteousness than merely keeping the law. The one who obeys God is really righteous in behavior and his obedience of faith allows God to “impart” not merely “impute” the righteousness of Christ to him. Imparted righteousness is righteousness that’s taken out of Jesus and put into me so I act like Jesus and my righteousness is now His. It’s from Him. He’s not just calling me righteous, He’s making me righteous. It would be a lie to call me righteous if I’m not behaving rightly. He who says, “I know Him,” and doesn’t keep His commandments, is a liar, and the Truth isn’t in him. But whoever keeps His Word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know we’re in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. (1Jn2:4-6) So I have a righteousness that comes from doing what God tells me to do by faith. Therefore, whatever I do has to be right because God couldn’t tell me to do something wrong; and as long as I’m obeying God I’m not sinning. Now, “the steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord,” means he does righteousness because he does what God says to do. Thus says David the son of Jesse; thus says the man raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel: (2Sam23:1) Before he speaks David describes himself, “I’m chosen of God and anointed and I’m the sweet singer of Israel.” By introducing himself he’s helping to get your attention so you’ll take seriously the things he’s about to say. People today might accuse him of bragging. But David’s telling the truth, he is the sweet psalmist of Israel. So it’s not pride but David’s speaking this way for the good purpose that you’d believe his words. The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me, and His Word was on my tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me: “He who rules over men must be just.” (2Sam23:2,3) David paid attention to God’s Word, and except for the incident with Bathsheba, he ruled very justly. Although my house isn’t so with God, yet He’s made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. (2Sam23:5) Believers today are a part of that everlasting covenant. What was the covenant? You’ll not lack a man to sit on the throne and that covenant is fulfilled in Christ. Christ is the Seed of David who sits on that throne forever. (2Sam7:12-16) Because we’re Christ’s we’ve entered into that covenant. So we’re also ordered in all things, and secure. “All things” means nothing’s out of order. The only way we can be out of order is to be out of Christ. In which case we’re not a part of His house anymore. If you’re in the house you’re in the order. Everything you do will be in it’s proper place and will bear fruit; nothing will be wasted. Everything is secure. But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to declare My statutes, or take My covenant in your mouth, seeing you hate instruction, and cast My words behind you?” (Ps50:16,17) The righteous love instruction. The righteous come to hear a true preacher’s words because they want their steps to be ordered by God. The wicked don’t want to hear so they’re always out of order! When you saw a thief, you consented with him, and have been a partaker with adulterers. (Ps50:18) Recently we saw the thief whisper and Steve consented. Though Steve had a regular income and was being supplied with free housing by the church, He robbed God. He decided he couldn’t afford to give offerings to the church and stopped giving. He didn’t consult God concerning his decision. (Shortly after this Steve was removed from the church for his carnal behavior in other areas. – Mt18:17) Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we’d receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And not only as we’d hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God. (2Cor8:1-5) The Philippians even in their poverty were very generous. How unlike Steve. It wasn’t because Paul asked for the gift, but because they’d given themselves to God and God had shown them what to do. They wanted to be led by the Spirit. They were asking for God to fit them into His order. God’s answer to them was, “Help Paul.” How often people say God doesn’t need money. Of course He doesn’t; but His servants do. Paul needs support. So what’s God asking of the Philippians? The money you could give Me, give to Paul. In such a case if you don’t give it to Paul, you’re cheating God, because God has made a commitment to supply Paul’s needs. Paul’s obeying and serving God and God has promised to take care of him. If you fail to take care of someone God has made a promise to care for and you’re keeping the supply that should be going to them, then you’re dishonoring God and “robbing” His church. And of course that’s not love. By this we know we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. (1Jn5:2) To consult God about the proper order and obey Him is to love the brethren, because everything God commands you will in some way bless the brethren. When you don’t consult God or you disobey Him it always in some way does despite to the brethren. He who isn’t with Me is against Me, and he who doesn’t gather with Me scatters abroad. (Mt12:30) It’s one or the other. Either you’re following the Spirit and helping the Lord, or by not following the Spirit you’re scattering, working against Him and His people. Paul tells the Corinthians about the Philippians that he might inspire them also to abound in this grace of liberal giving. I’m testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others. (2Cor8:8) This is an exception to the scripture where he says it’s not wise to compare yourselves among yourselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, aren’t wise. (2Cor10:12) So there’s a way of making comparisons that isn’t wise and there’s a way that is wise. The way that’s wise is to look at something good that characterizes true believers, those who are demonstrating they really have Christ in them, and see if you’re measuring up to what they have. Is the Christ in them the same Christ who’s in you? The wrong way of comparing is to despise others and think you’re better than someone else, like the Pharisee comparing himself to the Publican. (Lk18:10-12) In reality you ought to be comparing yourself to Christ to see whether you really measure up to abiding in Him. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you’ll by no means enter the Kingdom of heaven. (Mt5:20) So the generosity of the Philippians is a grace Paul expects to find in every true Christian church. Not that you’re in “bondage” that you must give the same amount as others. For if there’s first a willing mind, it’s accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he doesn’t have. (2Cor8:12) Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you’d previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation. (2Cor9:5) Good intentions must become good deeds or there’ll be no fruit. What you promise you must fulfill. In this I give advice: It’s to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago; but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have. (2Cor8:10,11) Unless the gift actually makes it to the recipients God won’t count it as fruit to your account! (Rom15:26-28) If someone has to “force” you to keep your word, what credit is that to you? That your good deed might not be by compulsion, as it were, but voluntary. (Phmn14) “But if you willingly prepare your gift before I arrive then it can be a joyful thing when we come to you,” Paul says. He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. (2Cor9:6) God loves a cheerful giver and He’s able to make all grace abound toward a cheerful giver who sows bountifully. (2Cor9:7) Paul also reminds the Corinthians it’s characteristic of a righteous man that he’s given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever. (2Cor9:9) Giving to the poor, is charitable giving not equitable giving. (See our Glory of His Grace publication “Forgive Me This Wrong.”) In Christian giving you don’t even get to charity until you’ve satisfied equity. Equitable giving is giving what you owe. The importance of generous hearted giving as a mark of Christian character can’t be overestimated. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. (Lk6:38) There’s no victorious Christianity unless there’s liberal, generous giving in the believers! Nobody who’s stingy makes it to heaven. No one who’s stingy gets blessed. As you sow, so shall you reap. (Gal 6:7) You have the freedom to choose how much you’ll give under the New Covenant in accordance with the Spirit’s leading. But if you resist the Spirit and give peanuts, God won’t even let you understand the message we preach. He won’t bless you if you’re not blessing others. You have an obligation which the Spirit won’t ignore, to pay your fair share of the church’s finances for which you’re receiving the services of being “pastored” and taught in the ways of Christ. If we’ve sown Spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more? (1Cor9:11,12a) If you’re not paying your fair share you’re “robbing God.” Will a man rob God? Yet you’ve robbed Me! But you say, “In what way have we robbed You?” In tithes and offerings. (Mal 3:8) The Spirit will never lead you to be stingy! We can look at the Spiritual growth of the people in “My Father’s House” and see everyone who’s growing well has been generous in their giving. And most of those who’ve not grown have been stingy. It’s a line you’ll see every place there’s any real Christianity. The stingy don’t grow because God gives as you give. He won’t give you His rich Spiritual blessings when you’re miserly in your support of His church. There’s another side to this though. Vivian gave faithfully but she wasn’t blessed. Now everybody who doesn’t give is cursed. You’re cursed with a curse, for you’ve robbed Me. (Mal 3:9) But not everyone who gives gets blessed. The reason is simple. Without love giving profits you nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. (1Cor13:3) Also to give “legally” is cursed. If you’re under the law, you must fulfill the whole law. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he’s a debtor to keep the whole law. You’ve become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you’ve fallen from grace. (Gal 5:3,4) For God to bless you must be giving because you love the brethren, love the church, love God, and you want to do your fair share or even more. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. (2Cor9:7,8) Of course someone who doesn’t give at all can’t have a right spirit, but people who do give but in a wrong spirit also won’t be blessed. So when we consider the importance of giving, we also must recognize the importance of giving in a right spirit. But how can you do this without God? How can you give in a Spiritual way without the Spirit? We know Steve didn’t consult God. He resorted to human wisdom just like any unbeliever would. He didn’t consult the scriptures, didn’t follow the Spirit, and didn’t pray about it. He didn’t even listen to his wife who testified she gave him godly advice concerning this. Do you think it’s wrong of me to publicly expose his sin? Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear. (1Tim5:20) When you’re considering how much to give, do you consult God? Because even though you’re giving you may still be missing the “hearing of faith.” (Gal 3:2) In anything as important as this, Jesus should be in on it. You ought to think, “Look what the Macedonians did; they said, ‘God show us what you’d have us to do.’ Jesus, what would you have me to do?” Giving is an important thing to consult God about. Don’t just decide off the top of your head what you’ll give. If you’re presumptuous in giving you could completely miss God’s blessing. If you’re giving selfishly, or giving to get, you’ll get nothing! The “faith movement” is filled with presumptuous people who don’t give in love because they think there’s a “law” that if they give to their churches God will multiply it back to them. They think the way to get rich is to give lots of money to religious things. But in the “faith movement” their giving is like a “ponzi” (pyramid) scheme. The preachers get rich but the people get poor, because the people are taught to give not out of love but out of greed. And God doesn’t give back to people who give in greed. They’re getting ripped off by covetous preachers who say, “Give to me and God will prosper you.” So their selfish flesh thinks they can get rich by giving to God, but without love it profits them nothing and of course the Holy Spirit can have nothing to do with such as these. When I visited “Church by the Sea,” which was a faith movement church, the pastor there let me preach some. They were so much into “give and it will be given unto you” that you couldn’t go to a service and not hear it. Truth in excess becomes falsehood! Many of them are poor, and have stayed poor for decades. We can look back at these people and see a bankrupt business here, a bankrupt business there, and no wonder. The faith movement is a travesty, a terrible thing, turning the love of God into greed! They were always preaching the tithe, give your 10% to God if you want to be blessed. I showed them that in the Old Testament the people didn’t just give 10%. They gave a tithe of 10%, but they also gave first fruits. The firstfruits of your grain and your new wine and your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep, you shall give him (the priest). (Deut 18:4) And they had to give “firstlings.” And it shall be, when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as He swore to you and your fathers, and gives it to you, that you shall set apart to the LORD all that open the womb, that is, every firstborn that comes from an animal which you have; the males shall be the LORD’S. (Ex13:11,12) All these of course were in addition to both the required and voluntary sacrifices. And that doesn’t even include the giving of “alms” which are freewill offerings to the poor. So when you consider all these offerings a good Jew was actually giving about 20 – 30%. And what the modern “Christian” doesn’t realize is in order to reap that good Jew still had to take a bag of seed out to his field and sow it. In the faith movement they thought all I have to do is give to God and He’ll make me rich. But the truth is even after you give to God, you may still have to be led by the Spirit to sow something into your own business that God may bless it. So many “believers” are waiting for God to make them rich while they’re not taking any steps of faith to invest in something where God can bless them. The field doesn’t spring up by itself. After you’ve given your required equitable offerings and added your charitable offerings, you still must plow the field, break up the clods, spend money on seed to put into your well prepared ground. And after that there’s still watering, weeding and fertilizing. There’s more involved in receiving God’s blessings than most people understand. Give ear and hear my voice, listen and hear my speech. Does the plowman keep plowing all day to sow? Does he keep turning his soil and breaking the clods? When he’s leveled its surface, does he not sow the black cummin and scatter the cummin, plant the wheat in rows, the barley in the appointed place, and the spelt in its place? For He instructs him in right judgment, his God teaches him. For the black cummin is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a cartwheel rolled over the cummin; but the black cummin is beaten out with a stick, and the cummin with a rod. Bread flour must be ground; therefore he doesn’t thresh it forever, break it with his cartwheel, or crush it with his horsemen. This also comes from the LORD of hosts, who’s wonderful in counsel and excellent in guidance. (Is28:23-29) False and carnal christians are trying to find a way to get rich “quick” through God. But the scripture says, The ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the Word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. (Lk8:15) Real Christians are taught by God to prosper through patience. Isaiah shows us even the farmer must be taught by God the proper order to bring in his crop – if he misses even one step he’ll not reap. Concerning things of the Spirit there’s also reaping, sowing, plowing, and the proper order must be followed in Spiritual things too or you won’t get a crop. Every step from the plowing, to the grinding of the flour is necessary and if anything’s left out you don’t eat. If you don’t sow right you lose the crop. You don’t plow correctly the seed won’t grow. If you don’t thresh rightly there’s nothing to grind. There are many steps involved before the harvest gets to your mouth. And they all have to be done in proper order. So the one who’ll be blessed is the one God instructs every step of the way. You miss one step you lose the whole crop. That even applies to publishing the Glory of His Grace. Every step along the way must be done right. One step out of order and the whole thing is lost. One person doesn’t consult God about the proper order and the new book doesn’t get published, doesn’t make it to the brethren. At times we’ve had to take work away from unfaithful ones and give it to brethren who’d follow God. Because if everybody in the process is consulting God we get the harvest. We get to be fed and to feed the hungry. But if one person’s out of order everything stops. You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother’s son. These things you’ve done, and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you; but I’ll rebuke you, and set them in order before your eyes. (Ps50:20,21) We’ve all endured slanders from false brethren in the prisons and such, but God will surely set things in order in these places among the people who haven’t known Him. Of the increase of His government and peace there’ll be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice. (Is9:7) Are you praying for God to put His church in order with judgment and justice? Are you praying that He’d set things up the way they ought to be, get rid of the wicked “leaders” who don’t know God and presumptuously rule without the Spirit. How can they do any good when flesh is their foundation? What good can come out of “believers” who are prideful and hungry to be esteemed by men? (Jn5:44) Recently we published the Glory of His Grace book “Forgive Me This Wrong,” where Paul asks the Corinthian church to forgive him because he took support from other churches and not from them. He isn’t being facetious about this, but he’s recognized they’ve lost something in his not having them pay their rightful dues. They’ve grown arrogant towards him and haven’t respected him properly. Nor have they been blessed Spiritually like most of the other churches. See how many times Paul has to rebuke the Corinthians compared to the churches of Ephesus, Colosse, Philippi or Thessalonica. First he calls them carnal and factious. (1Cor1:11) They’re not Spiritual, they’re babes. (3:1) He rebukes them for the way they’re defiling the Lord’s Supper. (11:20,21) Even concerning the gifts of the Spirit Paul corrects them because the gifts are being used out of order. (1Cor14) Finally he says, “the rest I’ll set in order when I come.” (1Cor11:34) There are more problems in Corinth than just those Paul writes about. For though I’m absent in the flesh, yet I’m with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order. (Col 2:5) Paul doesn’t rebuke the Colossians because they’re doing well. But he encourages them to continue holding fast to the Head. (Col 2:19) For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you’re complete in Him, who’s the Head of all principality and power. (Col 2:9,10) For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders. (Tit1:5) How is Titus to set things in order? To do this Titus will have to be led by the Spirit, and that’s exactly what we’ve had to do in “My Father’s House.” The Spirit has been leading me to put things in order here, and bring the people into a true obedience to Christ! We’ve been through numerous rebukes and chastenings to get the disorderly people to repent or leave and to correct everything that isn’t Christ-like and orderly. And we can expect Jesus our Head to deal with us until every thought is brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. (2Cor10:5) Only when everything is in God’s order, can we be a Spiritual church, a glorious church without spot or wrinkle. (Eph5:27) AMEN! Prophecy: What most perfectly characterizes My Son and most perfectly glorifies Me in Him is He consults Me in everything. He does nothing without Me. He has a fullness of faith that I’ll show Him in every situation the right thing to do and He has a perfect obedience to do what I show Him. So in Him I’m well pleased and glorified. Also in every situation where something is required He has faith I’ll provide what’s needed and I do. And I often provide through His obedience to My instruction to Him. Now He’s given Himself that He may be the firstborn among many brethren. And that’s what I’m looking for in you that same Spirit of My Son that pleases Me well, that you also may be like Him and never do anything without consulting Me, thus saith the Lord. Prophecy: I show you a lesson between Spiritual and carnal religion. For the carnal that abounds, the intellectual, the fleshly, looks at the history of Paul and his missionary journeys, and draws a map and traces the footsteps of Paul as he goes to Philippi, as he goes to Thessalonica, as he goes to Berea, as he goes to Athens, as he goes to Corinth. And they have classes, and they teach their children the journeys of Paul and where he went first and where he went second, and what happened in the places where he went. And they delight in this knowledge they think they have of religious things, and yet I say, it profits them nothing; it accomplishes no purpose in forwarding My Kingdom. Whereas, the Spiritual looks at Paul and the places he went and the things he did and says, “I want to follow in the footsteps of Paul, not by studying the places he went, but by doing the kinds of things he did. I’ll ask the Lord to lead me as He led Paul, that I may bless God’s elect and help establish them, and help them have real churches where God can work signs and wonders in their midst. I’ll seek to follow the Spirit the way Paul followed the Spirit that I may accomplish mighty works for God as Paul did.” That’s how the Spiritual walk in the footsteps of Paul. I tell you, there are few who are actually following in Paul’s footsteps; there are many who can study biblical maps and tell you where he went. But My Spirit and My grace aren’t with those who can tell you where Paul went, but with those who walk in the same Spirit Paul walked in, and who can accomplish the same kinds of works Paul accomplished. That’s where My blessings reside and where My true people are found, saith the Lord. (Prophecies delivered at “My Father’s House”)
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