 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I haven’t been able to escape a recurring phrase in my heart—and that is “appointed time”. As Christians, we are each and every one of us at a ‘Y’ in the road of our lives, which will result in either enduring to the end of our appointed time and being saved when we die, or not being prepared (by good spiritual disciplines) and as a result not being able to endure to the end of our appointed time but physically dying sooner than God’s plan for our life has always been. A believer that is spiritually mature, if one has been a Christian long enough by now to be, [spiritual maturity] prepares each one to endure in life for God’s purposes, glory, and praise to the exact moment in time that God desires that we each get to before we die. If a Christian does not know God’s Word by personal reading and good spiritual instruction, has not become sensitive to the voice of the Spirit within by personal fellowship with God, if a man or woman has not learned obedience to God’s Word and His whispers, he or she cannot know or hear His direction, and in the dangerous and destructive times ahead likely will end up unnecessarily dying before the God-appointed time of his or her death. What I have to say to you today is for all Christians, and for a certain few, it includes divine rhetoric that bespeaks God’s frustration about the spiritual inexperience of most that has no excuse before Him. I don’t know if the teaching gift bestowed upon my life in the mid-70s is in any way different than that gift on others but I feel like it does have some special aspects specifically built-in for this end of the age. Although what many that teach using the Word of God is self-serving and shallow, I do recognize that there have been and are today Christian teachers that God uses like (perhaps) deep well diggers. Teachers in my past that have been exceptional and made profound and lasting impact on my life and spiritual development were Watchman Nee, Pastor Bill Webb, Pastor Jack Hayford, Chuck Missler, Brother Jim Searcy, and one alive today and my beloved friend, Pastor Randy Minnick. These men drilled deep into the ground that is the Word of God and brought forth the freshest, sweetest, and most refreshing and life-sustaining spiritual water. And there is also something about water that a very few know about and that is what is called “original water” (H2+O coming together deep underground, not yet been tapped and has not yet been part of nature’s recycling system on the surface). These men and others have been faithful to get down to where the water of God’s Word is original and not recycled, in a fashion.
Why the well digger’s example? The men that I named were those that drilled deep into the ground of God’s Word and always provided the water of life that was not at all near the surface and easy to reach, which shallow “spiritual water” can be tainted by the world’s influences (like most natural water is today). No—men such as these teachers went deep for the most pure water—the water of the Word, and their written or recorded spiritual lessons are still a treasure today. † Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. † Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. † 1 Thessalonians 2:11 As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, 12 That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. 13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. † 1 Timothy 5:17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
I heard someone say it the other day, “You are a soul and regenerated spirit that presently has a human body” yet we give all almost our full attention to what our physical bodies need (or lust for) and little or no thought and care for that part of us which is eternal. On the one hand and in a fashion, your born again life in this natural realm is what’s happening on the surface—above ground—where there are trees and roads and people and the busyness of life in the world today. Beneath your feet is the hard, dry ground that is the world and its ways, which occupies a whole lot of space between you and the needed spiritual water of life trapped deep below the surface and effectively unattainable for most by one’s lifestyle and fleshly delights and other distractions. Someone must work hard at poking holes in the hard ground of today’s hearts and minds of professing Christians to get the water up to where you are living—the water of a life in Christ must keep our spiritual lives hydrated or we can spiritually die. That water, brought forth by the well driller, is the knowledge of God and His ways, instruction about His power and promises, understanding of what He commands of us, and how we are to practice living as ones born again from Heaven and no longer children headed for destruction. That is what God’s authentically called preachers and teachers are appointed to do—provide you with spiritual water that is living and fresh. † John 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. 11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? 13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. I am sure you have heard the old saying that “you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink.” If it’s not thirsty, it won’t drink. If it’s in pain or alarmed, it is distracted from things that can help in its healing or calm its spirit. If the male horse has its eye on a mare, it isn’t even aware of any need for water. I can tell you that it is plain to the eyes of America’s sincere preachers and teachers that the majority of Christians are not thirsty, are busy satisfying what the flesh wants, and have so many other distractions (some orchestrated by assigned devils) that he or she do not read the Word or hear the Word spoken by God’s ministers at the behest of the Holy Spirit—but just keep drinking from the world’s water supply, which is contaminated water.
I believe this is today what’s on the mind of God for this generation of professing Christians: For many of you that hear this message, you should by now be an active and well-known ambassador of Jesus Christ to the people in orbit around your life, but you are not; similarly, all of us should be moving in one or more of the spiritual gifts or callings of maturing believers that have been born again now for some time, but most are not. That is a frustration of God for many in the church today. A majority of men and women of the true church should be ready as a skilled spiritual worker but are still amateurs in the faith, not able to stand strong in faith, and neither able to proclaim nor defend it. So many need to be reminded over and over and over again of the basics of being born again from above—and this is not to be so! † 1 Peter 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby. . . † Hebrews 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. And things like these two examples are what a man or woman that has been a Christian more than a couple years are to truly know, know well, and live by: † Matthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone (only), but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. † Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. . .
† Romans 10:16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. † Hebrews 13:7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. There is almost no time left for present day Christians to fix the spiritual issues that are the result of a lazy spiritual life. My best advice (with our being so close to the beginning of Great Trouble on the earth) is for all believers everywhere to spend more time reading their bibles and make time for daily prayer—prayer involving praise and worship, prayer seeking God’s will, praying at least for your loved ones and close friends, and prayer involving self-examination and repentance where the need is discovered. You might think of it as “cramming for a final exam” for the important class that perhaps you haven’t taken seriously until it is almost too late to pass the tests of these last days. Do your darndest to read God’s Word and not miss regular meetings or the recorded teachings by God’s true well drillers where you can hear what God wants you to know in order to live your life to the end of your appointed time.
 |
|
|
|
