Thursday 30 April 2015

Things Pertaining to or of the Spirit

Notes and thoughts while listening to a Kenneth E. Hagin message:

There are gifts, administrations and operations of the Spirit.

All of them are manifestations of the Spirit.

All of them are also gifts in a general sense, though only some of them are gifts in a specific sense.

In a specific sense, prophecy, gifts of healings, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues are gifts - because they are operated by the person.

Instructions are given concerning the operation of prophecy, tongues and the interpretation of tongues - because they can be operated by the person.

If a peerson couldn't operate them, there would have been no need to give instructions regarding their operation.

But notice there are no instructions given regarding the word of wisdom or the word of knowledge - because those are operated as the Spirit wills.

But Paul would that they all spake with tongues. He said ye may all prophesy. All may pray that he may interpret. Believers shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.

Once a person has been baptised with the Holy Spirit and received the initial evidence of speaking with other tongues (there are other evidences, but tongues is the initial evidence) the gift remains with him as a continuous stream.

"I will pray with the spirit (that is, in tongues)" indicates volition. There is no stronger indication of intent in the English language than "I will".

You can pray with tongues at will. You're speaking to God, not to yourself or to men. You edify yourself.

Receiving guidance from the Holy Spirit is the word of wisdom in manifestation.

God hath set some in the church...diversities of tongues. These are persons with public ministries. Not everyone will have that public ministry. But all may speak with tongues.

The working of miracles and faith are another category.

The manifestation of the Spirit doesn't come through fasting and prayer, but through instruction in the Word about it, and through coveting and desiring it.

Do not let the things of the Spirit slip, but act on it. Some of you have finally - after hours, days, weeks, months or years - moved and acted as the Spirit told you to. There shall be a fresh flowing in the Spirit.



Sunday 26 April 2015

The Justice of Grace

Grace isn't scandalous - it's just - it's offered with jurisprudence - the cross declares His righteousness. 

There's nothing flippant, fleshly, promiscuous, illicit, unrighteous, unlawful, scandalous about God's grace.

The cross shows God to be both just and the justifier of him that believes in Jesus.

If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just - not faithful and scandalous - but faithful and just - to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

Wednesday 22 April 2015

Real Tongues Used Optimally

Paul never disputed the validity of the tongues being spoken by the Corinthians. Quite the opposite! He said they excelled at the gifts and came behind in no gift. Paul's issue was that the Corinthians weren't excelling at thinking about how best to express those gifts with the good of everyone else in mind during public gatherings of the church.

They were excelling at spiritual gifts, but weren't excelling at considerateness. At love. At expressing their gifts in a manner that made their church services of optimal benefit to everyone present. But there was nothing wrong with the gifts per se.

So regarding tongues, Paul reminded them that it served no purpose for the congregation as a whole, unless it was understood.

It benefitted the speaker's own spirit okay - it was a valid way to give thanks, or to bless - but church meetings are about everyone benefitting, not just about one's private devotions no matter how effective they may be to him personally.

So tongues evidently was not always understood by anyone in the immediate audience. If this was not the case, there could have been no need for the gift of the interpretation of tongues.

If an interpreter was present, he was to be given a chance to speak at least after every three speeches in tongues. Any more than three speeches at a stretch in an unknown tongue before an interpretation was given would be too non-stimulating to the minds of the congregation.

Persisting in addressing a congregation in an unknown tongue would lack common sense. Even an unbeliever knows that! The motives for someone doing so would be suspect. It would be more to big-note one's gift rather than to think about how others might be benefitting.

If no-one with the spiritual gift of interpreting was present, Paul gave two options to the speaker of the tongue: he could pray that he might interpret himself, or he could refrain from addressing the congregation in the tongue and instead carry-on speaking it unobtrusively to himself and to God (in prayer).

Just because a language is unknown to an immediate audience does not mean it isn't a language.

The New Testament mentions new tongues, divers kinds of tongues, tongues of men, tongues of angels, and an unknown tongue.

On the necessity of tongues. There are saved people who never spoke in tongues. But there are things which might not be achieved except through praying in tongues. And it is available for all who desire it.

Monday 20 April 2015

How to Hand Change

Cashiers - hand customers the coins first, and then the notes. 

Saturday 18 April 2015

Publicly Speaking With Tongues

There is a place for the public ministry of speaking with tongues in church.

I CORINTHIANS 12:28
28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, DIVERSITIES OF TONGUES.

One time a friend of mine was about to preach in church - but before he began, he told the congregation that he intended to speak with tongues first and that a certain member of the congregation would then interpret.

So my friend proceeded to speak with tongues - and then handed the microphone over.

" 'Come and be healed - be healed physically and emotionally,' says the Lord," came the interpretation.

Then my friend responded to that interpretation, before preaching, by inviting anyone forward for healing. Many people went forward and were touched by the power of the Holy Spirit. There were tears, people were unable to stand, there was joy - and a demon came out of somebody.

It was a great move of God! After that demonstration of the Spirit and of power, people were all the more eager to hear what my friend had to preach about.

None of that would have happened if my friend had thought that speaking with tongues ought to be relegated to somewhere other than in regular church meetings.

It wouldn't have happened if he'd mistakenly thought that speaking with tongues is a turn-off to unbelievers, rather than a sign to unbelievers (see I Cor.14:22).

It wouldn't have happened if he had not deliberately made room for it during the church service.

We wouldn't have seen the healings and expressions of the Spirit which we saw if he had not responded to the interpretation by immediately allocating time in the service for everyone to respond.

What he did didn't take anything away from the service - it added to it, enhanced it.

You too can make room for speaking with tongues - not only in your private prayer life, but also in your public church meetings and outreaches.

Friday 17 April 2015

Love

If we study how to love, we are studying God, for God is love.  

When you love, you will believe - because love believes all things.  

When love is your goal, nothing and no-one can make you frustrated because no-one can stop you from loving.  But if anything else besides love is your goal, no matter how noble it may be, someone or something can always stand in your way and stop you.  If a Christian has any goal other than love, it isn't the correct goal.

If someone uses you as a ladder to achieve their personal ambition, you could try to compete with them - but as soon as you do, one of you must fail - either them or you.  But if instead you choose to love and serve - you cannot lose, and neither will they.

So when we wake up in the morning, all we need to do is ask, "How can I love today?" because Jesus said, "A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another, as I have loved you."  Simple.  Everything else will happen if we love.  

For example, when you love, you will desire the gifts and manifestations of the Spirit because you know the gifts of the Spirit minister to needs. 

And if we walk in love, we'll never need to fear breaking some part of the Law - because there is no law against love! 

Even prosperity will take care of itself - because prosperity is promised to those who keep the commandment, and love is the fulfilling of the Law.

Neither do we ever need to strive to generate this love - because God already gave us His love-nature when we were born again.  So when God commands us, "Walk in love" - He is not unjust to ask this of us, because He already He has already placed His love in our spirit. Therefore walking in love is do-able - because it's simply a matter of choosing to express what we already have in our spirit.  

We will never lack assurance when we walk in love, because when we love the brethren we know we have passed from death to life.

In heaven it will be those whose motive was to SERVE who shall be accounted the greatest.  

Therefore love is the greatest!

He who loves lives in God and God in Him.  That's what I want! forever.



  

Be Who God Made You

Message from a Friend:

"Hi John,

Long time since we said hi, just wanted to encourage you to keep being the man God created you to be, even if it doesn't fit in the mould of what others believe you should be..  Because although we hear it all the time, life is soooo very short. HEAVEN IS CLOSER THAN WE THINK.  Live like it's your last day...

...heaven is very real and close to my heart, keep preaching, loving people and doing all you can.

You are amazing be encouraged!!!!"

Heaven

Message from a Friend:

"...I hold those old times we all shared close to my heart, (with the old surfcity gang).  They were the foundation for where most of us are today in our christian walk.  You played a large part in that mini-revival we saw.


This is the vision i had (I can feel the presence of God as i type):

John you wont fully see what you did till you get to heaven and see the multitudes of people. Like a sea of people..

God will say "John, because of YOU all these people are here" and you wont even be able to even see where the crowd finishes, it will be so massive! As you stand hand in hand with Jesus... he will say "Go keep teaching, it doesnt stop now you are here!!!"  Everyone enters into heaven at different stages of their christian walk - so we NEVER stop learning about God.

Amen...be encouraged". 

God's Overproduction

Today I saw seeds washed up in a wave of the ocean. The seeds likely won't be viable, due to the salt water.

I wondered why God made it that not all seeds will have the opportunity to sprout.

I realised that God has made it that more seeds are produced than will become plants. Way more.

Not that they're without use - they become compost!

But God is into over-supply.

One lesson from this is that God supplies abundantly. He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask and think.

But another thought I had about it today was that not every seed is meant to sprout - not everything is meant to reach its potential.

God made it that a plant produces many seeds - not because He wishes every seed to reproduce, but so that at least one seed might have a good chance.

Men produce hundreds of millions of sperm, even though only one is required to fertilise his wife's egg - not that every sperm is meant to result in reproduction, but so there is a better chance that at least one might. And he keeps producing sperm even though his wife may already be pregnant.

So every gift in our life is not necessarily meant to be used to its full capacity all the time. It might be that that gift exists in our life so that on the one occassion when God might will for it to be used in His purposes, it has the best chance of actually being used.

We're not meant to reach our full potential in every area!

If I make it my objective to make sure every seed succeeds at reproducing, I'll be inbalanced - I won't have time to do other important things. I won't even be able to look after that one seedling which I was meant to look after successfully.

Some gifts in our lives are there to enhance our purpose in another area, rather than to become the focus of our life.

You don't have to be producing to the full in everything all the time!

Don't put that demand on yourself. Rest in the Lord.

It's in God's character to over-supply - even to oversupply your gifts and capabilities. Even in nature.


Monday 13 April 2015

More

I love meetings where the Holy Spirit is poured out on nearly everyone in the room. People speaking in tongues, unable to stand, laughing for joy! It sure changes lives.

But very often those manifestations are not the end of what God wants to do in a meeting - sometimes it's only the beginning of the next level the Holy Spirit wants to take a meeting to. Sometimes there are additional expressions which the Spirit yearns to bring.

Very often while someone is on the floor, God may be giving him something which may be meant for the whole congregation - a vision, a prophecy, a tongue or interpretation, or a song. So if we give them an opportunity afterwards to share their experience with the rest of the congregation, it can result in wider blessing.

Sometimes while on the floor, God has instructed someone to go on a mission, or to perform some act of ministry. If we take the time to find out whether that's the case, then we can help facilitate that activity or expression of the Spirit.

Often after everyone else has picked themselves up off the floor, I've seen two people remain on the floor - and then I've seen them stand up and prophesy, or speak with tongues and interpret, or begin to move throughout the congregation and lay hands on everyone.

Or I've seen meetings where laughter suddenly turned to crying, or repentance, and I've seen deliverance spontaneously break-out across the whole congregation without anyone even leading it.

When a meeting gets to such a level, the whole room is His. It's almost like it's not even the minister's meeting anymore because even he is undone by the Spirit's moving.

God doesn't fill a congregation with the Holy Spirit for it's own sake - He fills us for a reason. Once He's filled us, very often He wants to use some members in the meeting to express the Spirit in some way for the rest of the congregation to benefit. All we have to do to see a meeting go to this deeper level is to make room for it - deliberately. 

Those extra expressions of the Spirit are not likely to be expressed in a meeting if the music keeps playing loudly, nor is it likely to be experienced if we stop the meeting after it has peaked with everyone being filled with the Spirit.

Everyone being filled with the Spirit sure is wonderful and life-changing - but when a wave peaks, that's not the end - it's really only the start of the ride! So instead of being satisfied with a meeting when the wave peaks - make it possible for the whole congregation to begin to ride the wave - ride the break!

Instead of stopping the meeting soon after most people are on the floor laughing and speaking in tongues, see what else the Holy Spirit might want to do - then make it easy for it to be expressed. Don't get in the way of it. Stop the band from playing, if necessary. Don't give an altar call, or do a fire-tunnel, necessarily. Don't prematurely dismiss the congregation. Just let other expressions of the Spirit come, through whomever He wants to use at that moment. And let the congregation respond as a whole to whatever the Holy Spirit does or says.

Let the congregation experience a next-level move of the Spirit!

Friday 10 April 2015

Take Your Hands Off

When, when the revival broke out, in the month of April of 1989, this first happened in Upstate New York. 



The Lord said to me, He said, “I want you to just let me touch my people.”  



Actually He asked me a question. 



He said, “Son, would you let me touch my people?” 



In other words, will you step back.



All He wants to do is touch His people. 



Many times we’re in too much of a hurry.  We think we’ve got to do the next thing.  We’ve got to do this.  What will people think? 



We’re so worried about what people think, that we miss out on the move of the Spirit of God – and the whole world is crying out for His presence. 



But dear friends, when you forget about what people think, and you get your eyes on Jesus, it doesn’t matter what people think – it matters what JESUS thinks.  It matters what Jesus thinks.



It doesn’t matter what people say – people gonna say it anyway – it matters what Jesus says. 



It doesn’t matter how people feel – it matters how Jesus feels.  



He wants to touch His people, He wants to pour out His Spirit. 



All we’ve got to do is just say:



“Lord, yes.  I take my hands off.  It’s not my meeting – it’s your meeting.  It’s not my church – it’s your church.  It’s not my ministry – it’s your ministry.  It’s not my reputation – it’s your reputation.”  



And for those that will not compromise the move of the Spirit of God in these last days, they shall be blessed. 



For even now He pours out the oil, and so you must get as much of it as you can – because the time comes when there will be none available. 



Get as much oil that will carry you through the night hour, for the night hour is even now upon us.  



Prepare your hearts.  Allow Him to fill your vessels.  Get your lamps trimmed.  The bridegroom is coming! 



You know that passage that speaks of the five wise and five foolish – I pray to God that’s not prophetic – 50% of the, the Church – not ready, don’t have enough oil. 



That’s what these meetings are all about!



People I tell you, I have nothing to lose.  I have absolutely nothing to lose.  I’ve nothing to lose. 



I don’t have anything really.  All I have is what He has given.  I have nothing to lose! 



As ministers of the Gospel here tonight – the Spirit of God would say unto you:



"Take your hands off.  Take your hands off.



The more you try – the more you’ll fail.  Take your hands off. 



"Let me do it," saith the Lord.  "Let me do it.



You’ve been doing it in your ability, you’ve been doing it in your strength, you’ve being doing it in your might, in your power – but let me do it," saith the Lord. 



"Take your hands off!  Take your hands off. 



For many plan and many strategize, and many set goals and say, ‘It shall be thus and so.’  But you know not the way of the Spirit of God.  You know not the way of the winds of God. 



You don’t know what the future holds!  So say not, ‘It shall be thus and so.’  For you know not.  You know not! 



For men make plans and big ideas, and they even gather together to discuss it.  But they err.  For they know not the ways of the Spirit of God. 



For even if you did plan, your plans would be too small, saith the Lord – for I’m going to do even greater, I’m going to do even greater than that which you’ve envisaged."



For these are the last days, and the end of all things is at hand, and the work that must be done must be done quickly. 



And so you cannot do it with the plan and the purpose and the mind of man, but it must be done with the plan and the purpose and the mind of the Spirit of God – and then great and wonderful things shall be done. 



For if ye think that we’ve seen great things up to now – this is just the warm-up.  We ain’t seen anything yet! 



Hallelujah!  Hallelujah! 



'Who shall ascend to His holy hill?  He that hath clean hands and a pure heart.'



And so the Spirit of God comes even in this day and this hour to do a purifying work in the hearts of men and woman, where the hearts of men and woman lie open before Him, and He sees and knows. 



The fire of God shall burn deep in the hearts of men and women, and there shall be a purifying work, and lives shall be touched, and lives shall be changed.  And He is getting you ready. 



Get ready.  Get ready.  Get ready. 



Say not, say not, “Oh how? how? how?  How will this transpire?”



Just say, “Oh Lord – I’m available”.



Say not, “Oh Lord, how shall these things be?”



Just say, “Lord, here I am – yielded unto thee.”



Oh!  Oh! 



I hear the Spirit of God saying:



“History books are waiting to be written, about the man and the woman of God, that will give themselves completely over to the Spirit of God."



For men even in the world give themselves over to demonic spirits – and in a moment of terror, they wreak havoc, and are remembered.



Even so in this day, in this time, men and women shall give themselves over to the Spirit of Grace – and in a moment of time, great glory shall be made manifest.



Say not, “How?”  Say not, “When?” 



Say, “Lord, here am I – use me.  I’ll go where you want me to go.  I’ll do what you want me to do.  I’ll say what you want me to say.  And I’ll be what you want me to be.  Not my will, but thine be done.  Not my will, but thine be done.”



Oh!  (tongues)



For there be even those here this night – you say, “Lord I’m too old.”



And the Lord would say, “No – you just the right age.  You just the right age.  You just the right age”.



Oh!  (tongues)



And others will say, “Lord, I’m too young.”



Oh! 



No, no, no, no.  No, no, no. 



You’ve been brought into the Kingdom for such a time as this.  Oh yes, yes – divinely appointed from heaven – that you be here in this day and this hour. 



For a mighty harvest shall be reaped.  A mighty harvest shall be reaped.  (tongues)   



Oh!  (tongues)  Oh! 



Blessed Jesus.  Blessed Jesus.  Blessed Jesus.  Blessed Lord.  Blessed Saviour.  Blessed Saviour. 



For those that would yield themselves to the Holy Ghost – even in the next 18-months some of you will have to pinch yourself because you’ll think you just died and went to heaven. 



Just yield!  No longer yielding to the flesh, no longer yielding to the ways of the flesh, no longer yielding to the carnal mind, no longer yielding to the works of the flesh – but yield!  Yielding to the Spirit of God.  Yielding to the Spirit of God.      



Oh!



Some of your ministries that have felt like you just couldn’t get to where you were going – it felt like there was a brake, a foot brake on: there shall come a release, and your ministry will just lurch forward like a car running down a hill and it will pick up momentum, pick up speed. 



Take your hands off.  Take your hands off.  You’ve been trying too hard!  You’ve been trying to do it in the flesh.  Take your hands off!  Take your hands off!  Take your hands off. 



The plans of man shall come to nought.  The plans of man give birth to Ishmaels.  The plans of man speak of golden calves.  The plans of man bring brass instead of gold.  The plans of man shall come to nought. 



'Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it.'



'Unless the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.'



So without His help, it’s to no avail.  Without His help – oh! 



(tongues) 



'Unless a grain of seed fall into the ground and die, it cannot bring forth fruit.'



(tongues)



"For I have plans for you," saith the Lord.  "My plans are not your plans.  My purposes are not your purpose.  The plans I have for you are far different and far greater.  Some of that which I have for you has never even entered into your mind, or entered into your heart. 



For it is written, 'Eye hath not seen, ear have not heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for them that love Him – but God has shown them unto us...' "



But you see the Spirit still has not revealed that part of it unto you, but He must reveal it step by step, little by little – because if He showed you everything you’d draw back, you would draw back, you would draw back. 



But it shall come – as you yield day by day, moment by moment, step by step – for 'the steps of a good man and woman are ordered of the Lord'.  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah! 



And so your steps are being ordered of Him.  You shall march to the beat of a different drum.  (Tongues)  For many march to the beat of the drum of the flesh and the drum of, of tradition – and "they’re out of step with me," saith the Lord.  Oh! 



But they shall hear with the spiritual ear, and they shall hear the beat of the drum of the Holy Ghost, and they shall march as one army across this land – and revival (tongues), revival, revival – for you see, there shall be (ha ha) revival! 



Yes, yes, yes, yes.  Only the beginning.  Only the beginning. 



For those that say it’s over they never had it.  For those that say it’s over they never had it.  It’s not over.  It’s only the beginning.  It’s only the beginning. 



We must keep sowing seeds.  We must keep ploughing fields.  We must keep planting crops.  For the day shall come when the harvest shall be made manifest.  Ho ho ho!  (tongues)



For some of you say, “Oh Lord how long?  How long?  How long?” 



Keep, keep, keep, keep on, keep on planting seed.  Keep on sowing seed. 



(tongues)  Oh! 



Blessed Jesus.  Blessed Jesus.  Blessed Jesus.  Blessed Jesus. 



Oh!  Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.



Now I hear the Holy Ghost saying, He says:



"Some of you I’ve spoken to you already about some big things – but you’ve drawn back because you looked at what you had in your hand, and you said, ‘Lord, it’s insufficient to get the job done.’ "



But the Lord would say unto you this night, “As you dig a ditch, I’ll fill it.



You see, you are waiting on me to bring in that which you need first – but I’m waiting for you to step out of the boat," saith the Lord, "and to walk on the water."



Step out!  Step out of the boat.  Step out of the boat!  And come and walk on the water.  Come and walk on the water of the Spirit. 



Oh!  (tongues) 



Yeah, yeah, yea you’ll not sink – you’ll not fail. 



Come on – trust! trust! trust!  Trust and obey.  Trust and obey.  Trust the Holy Ghost. 



"Have I ever failed you in days gone by?  Have I ever let you down?  Well I’m not planning to do so now," saith the Lord. 



Step out!  Step out of the boat.  Walk on the water.  Walk!  Walk on the water!  Walk on the water.  Walk!  Walk on the water! 



Oh!  Oh!  (tongues)



Some of you that used to flow in the gifts – you’ve let it lie dormant, and it’s stagnated. 



But the Spirit of the Lord would say unto you:



"Stir it up." Stir it up.  Stir the gifts of God up.  Light that fire.  Ho!  Light that fire.  Yeah!  Stir it up.



Some of you used to flow in healings and miracles – but you backed off – because of persecution. 



Stir it up!  Stir it up!  Stir it up.  (tongues) 



Oh!  (tongues) 



Yes.  Yes. 




Thank you Jesus.  Thank you Jesus.

- Rodney Howard-Browne

Thursday 9 April 2015

Seen at Bunya Mountains



King parrots
Magpies
Gold-crested cockatoos
Wallabies with joey in pouch
Red-bellied black snake
Monitor lizard
Water dragon
Tadpoles
Ring-tailed possum
Bees
Ticks

Bunya pines
Hoop pines
Lillypillies
Red cedar
Moss
Native Tamarind

Stars
Shooting stars
Constellations
Planets

Moonset
Sunset

Waterfalls

Thunderstorm
Rain
Fog

Monday 6 April 2015

Auracaria at Burleigh Beach

There are about 450 Norfolk Pines along the beach at Burleigh Heads and North Burleigh and in-between, and others nearby;

and there are three Hoop Pines nearby, and several more on Burleigh mountain; 

- all on the eastern side of the Gold Coast highway.

There is also one Bunya Pine on the Gold Coast highway, on the Western side, at Burleigh Heads.