THE BRIDE MUST MAKE HERSELF READY

Revelation 19 prophesies the forthcoming marriage supper of the Lamb of God, when He, the Lord Jesus Christ, claims His Bride, the Church.

Revelation 19:7 declares “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife has made herself ready.”

I need to know where my responsibility lies in “making myself ready.” Whilst believing all that is contained in scripture because it is “in the Book,” there is still a diverse range in believing causing much division regarding “end times” – eschatology. I can get “hung up” or confused trying to understand all the different doctrines along this line, but, confusion is not of God! The books of Timothy and Titus have much to say regarding sound doctrine, which produces godly edifying, not confusion. However, the doctrines of man are a mixture with a measure of truth that produces confusion. The simplicity of Christ is lost in the mixture of trying to understand it all.

My part in “making myself ready” is to walk humbly with my God. Micah 6:8 answers the question to what God requires of me, “….to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with my God.”

I need to prioritise hearing God’s voice and walking in the truth that He reveals to me. If I humble and empty, He will guide.

God has a TREMENDOUS day ahead for His people. We know in our spirit that there is something coming far more wondrous than we see. God’s Spirit witnesses to our spirit that we are on the brink.

The Gospel is a “whosoever” Gospel for all mankind, but each one of us has to choose to receive God’s gift of salvation – then man’s responsibility is to respond to God’s Holy Spirit leadings in each of our lives – “to make ourselves ready.” Remember, God often comes “in disguise,” in the form of another member of the Body, and we can refuse Him, set ourselves up and miss “making ourselves ready.”

Paul, the Apostle, prayed that we would receive spiritual understanding which is necessary to understand the things of God. Our natural mind is soulish and we often wrongly apply it. Fear cannot function in the Spirit. It has no rights or place in the Kingdom of God.

James 3:17 declares “The wisdom of God is first pure and then peaceable…..” We often receive a mixture and then have to sort it out. When I partake of the Tree of Life it is pure – there is no mixture, but, there is much taught that brings division because it is a mixture based on truth, but including a lie.

Church history records much division and controversy because of the mixture of truth and lies. There is no lie in the truth, but there can be a measure of truth in a lie. If I do not open myself up to Christ, this mixture will be produced in me. My readiness, (making myself ready), is to disappear into Christ, lose my identity. It does not matter what Jesus does because He ALWAYS does the Father’s will, – so if I disappear into Him He will live His life in and through me. I will be unaware of it, – so all the glory goes to God, and my Heavenly Father will be well pleased.

My unity is not in “what” I believe, but “Who” I believe in, as what I believe is always changing. The abiding presence of Christ in me can overcome differences in other people, thus I am travelling light, nothing to uphold, nothing to prove, nothing to cling to except the Cross, the Blood and the Word – because in these there is no division.

God made me who I am, man tries to make me something else and conform……………. My prayer is, “Dear Lord, please help me to be what You made me to be, and to live my life as a gift back to You. Amen.”

HOLY GHOST LIVING

Romans 14:7 “The Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in THE HOLY GHOST.”

God created mankind in His image and for His good pleasure. Secular society, choosing to leave God out, produces a dysfunctional world that endeavours to show us how to live, but only God and His principles can bring order out of chaos. Life is in Jesus Christ. How do we live it? By the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, but so many in the world are trying to seek out the key to a better life by the wrong source.

1Timothy 6:17 Timothy charges us not to trust in uncertain riches but to trust in “…….the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.” God desires for us to enjoy this life He has given us! His purpose is that we enjoy life and function in the Holy Ghost – “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.”

We all claim something, but without the Holy Ghost we cannot even know Jesus. How many of us learn to function by the Holy Spirit? So very often we leave Him behind, trust in ourselves, our acquired knowledge and the world’s ways, resulting in ship-wreck! We have so much to un-learn. Countless times we repeat the scripture that our ways are not God’s ways………yet we go on to prove it again and again by doing things according to pattern and tradition independently of God, and getting things wrong, instead of being led by the Holy Ghost.

There is a certain school of thought in the Church that thinks functioning in the Holy Ghost only relates to manifestations of healings, miracles, soul-saving – but what about every day living? We need Him to function in daily relationships with one another, decision making, to live lives that glorify God without the stresses and pressures of the world. Stress, anxiety and pressure are not of God. The world is full of it. The Holy Spirit shows us how to live at peace amongst it, – “…in the world but not of it.”

We know Jesus said, “Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” – but do we do it? Do we walk in the birthright of a Believer? – rest, by the Holy Ghost, our Teacher, or do we continue to stress and fix our lives our way? I need the Holy Ghost to keep humble.

God’s purpose was to make an incomplete man that we might find our completion in Him. God completes me! Only with the Divine Guide, the Holy Spirit, can we do it as we lean on His direction and dependency.

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BENEFITS OF THE DIVINE COURTS OF THE KING

Psalm 65:4
“Blessed is the man whom You choose, and cause to approach to You, that he may dwell in Your courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house.”

We may often think that we started something in our walk with God. This Psalm of David clearly states that right at the beginning, God CAUSED me to approach Him. There is a “cause” that comes from the Spirit of God that He would be “all in all.” God chose me that I might dwell in His kingly courts. I just responded to His call.

In the natural realm, in times past, it was highly sort after to be in the king’s court. It was a position of great favour to be in the King’s presence and receive all the court benefits. So it is with us with our divine King, Jesus.

What a comforting, settling thought that God started this. He caused me to come and chose me that I might dwell in His courts and enjoy His presence. He has made a divine deposit inside of me, His treasure that stretches beyond me and will have an effect in spite of me, for His glory!

FEELING LEFT OUT?

They drew a circle and counted me out.

Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout!

But God and I had a will to win,

We drew a circle and counted them in!

2 CONVENTIONS AT JOY MOUNTAIN, HOT SPRINGS, N.C. U.S.A. 2012

THURSDAY 28th JUNE – SUNDAY 1st JULY, 2012

THURSDAY 18th OCTOBER – SUNDAY 21st OCTOBER, 2012

The Ark, Joy Mountain, Hot Springs, North Carolina, U.S.A.

FOR ALL INFORMATION AND BOOKING ACCOMMODATION REGARDING THESE 2 EVENTS PLEASE CONTACT:

Dave and Margie McCrum

Telephone: 828-622-9347 cell: 828-734-9360

e-mail: ark.dm.ministries@gmail.com

GIFTS AND CALLINGS

The Lord graciously bestows His many and varied gifts and callings on us, His children, and we each need to know what our function is in the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit of God will bear witness to the gift, by giving unction (anointing) on the function. There will be fruit in the lives of those who are operating in their divine giftings.

A man has no place to glory (take the credit) in his divine function because the source is all of God. Christ in me – the hope of God receiving His due glory! Paul speaks of this in 1Corinthians 4:7; “For who makes you to differ from another? And what have you got that you didn’t receive? Now, if you did receive it, why do you glory as if you hadn’t received it?” As we saw last week, “Of Him, through Him and to Him are ALL things.”

In Matthew 7:15 – 20 Jesus gives a warning and sound advice for us. A good tree is recognised by it’s fruit. A godly life will bear fruit for God’s glory in many ways. The fruit of the Spirit will be evident (Ephesians 5:22 – 23) and the Kingdom of God will be extended in many ways.

When a person is called and gifted of God in a particular field, it is their responsibility , in stewardship of the gift, to keep in tune with God and operate in their function.

In 1 Corinthians 4:2 Paul declares “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”

1Peter 4:10, “As every man has received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” Have I ever considered that God showered me with His grace that I, in turn, might minister it to others? It is not for me to just keep to myself and revel in. God will be glorified in my life as I show it to others.

Jesus declared that man should live “….by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God,” Matthew 4:4 – so I need a proceeding word, i.e. a living word/reimer word, to operate in my gift. When God says “Go,” I need to move, but if He says “Stay,” I need to withhold. Jesus was never primarily moved by need. He was firstly related to His Father, who then directed Him where to relate to a particular need. Jesus came to do the Father’s will. He was always tuned in to listen to His word of instruction. The Amplified Bible records it like this, John 5:30, “I am able to do nothing of Myself – independently, of my own accord; but as I am taught by God and as I get His orders, (I decide as I am bidden to decide. As the voice comes to me, so I give a decision.) Even as I hear, I judge and my judgement is right, because I do not seek or consult My own will. I have no desire to do what is pleasing to Myself, but only the will and pleasure of the Father Who sent Me.”

Often when God blesses a person operating in a particular gift, they want the rest of the Body to function as they do. Sometimes they go as far as writing a book on “How to ……whatever,”…………but that is for them, not everyone else! We need to be faithful in what God has called us to without trying to make our glove fit another’s hand. It is for everyone
to know their gift and calling individually, and together we make the whole. Unity not conformity!

1 Corinthians chapter 12 declares the diversities of gifts, but of the same Spirit in a many membered Body. Verse 11, “The Spirit divides (the gifts) severally as He will.”

Let me delight in each member’s gift that is bringing forth fruit for the Kingdom, but let me not err in trying to make everyone move in my gifting!

Jesus came to serve and not to be served. He encouraged us to “wash one another’s feet,” John 13:4 – 17, in a powerful demonstration of humility. So many want to use God’s gifts for personal gain, recognition and self glory. This truth stands that GOD WILL NOT GIVE HIS GLORY TO ANOTHER, as many ship-wrecked lives testify after taking the credit to themselves. Jesus made Himself “of no reputation,” and He is the Son of God! All the glory He receives of men is safe in His hands because He re-directs it to the Father.

So….let us humbly walk in what God has called each of us to and trust Him to take care of the rest – just a link in a divine chain – not desiring to be seen of men, but to be functioning in line with God’s purposes. Our reward is to feel the warmth of His smile, the touch of His presence in our lives, for indeed!….we have this treasure, (Jesus), in our earthen vessels. Priceless!

TO KNOW GOD AS HE IS

The man who has a great God is little in his own eyes.

BUT the man who knows God as He is……becomes nothing in his own eyes!

RIGHTEOUS ANGER OR CARNAL INDIGNATION?

It is vital that I know the difference between righteous anger and carnal indignation.

A good friend walked into her local bank this week, transacted her business and bid the cashier, “Goodbye.” Instead of the usual “Good day!” expected, the cashier responded with a question that arrested the customer in her tracks, and set alarm bells ringing in her thoughts. “Mrs. Jones, are you aware that the bank considers you a prime customer to be offered a loan?”

These were the words that caused an eruption in Mrs. Jones’ peaceful composure. From the depth of her being a volcano erupted. “Loan!”, she retorted. “LOAN!”, she exploded, “When will you people realise that’s why this country is in such a mess because of the irresponsible encouragement to borrow and spend what can be ill afforded! My generation grew up being taught to save for your goals, not borrow finance. This evil Loan Culture has ruined our nation!”

The cashier looked embarrassed and subdued. On the other hand, Mrs. Jones was amazed at the eruption of words that she had spewed from her mouth, totally out of character in such a situation. On seeing the cashier’s embarrassment, Mrs. Jones immediately humbled before her and apologised, saying that she realised that she was only doing her job as a representative of the Bank, whose policy decisions were nothing to do with her. After a profuse apology, Mrs. Jones left the premises somewhat disturbed.

On returning home she examined herself before the Lord. Where had that outburst come from? It was so out of character in such a situation!

Many reading this will have had similar experiences in life. There is a great difference between uncontrolled anger in a person – carnal indignation, and righteous anger. One of the problems regarding this is that many will claim they are demonstrating the “righteous anger” of God, but it is nothing but the old enemy of their own pride resurfacing. Pride is always the last to leave and the first to show up again. The only way to deal with pride is to humble yourself.

If I refuse to humble where God has shown me I am wrong, then in His timing He will humiliate me in His righteous judgement. BUT….He always gives me opportunity to humble myself first. If I refuse to humble in my pride, then I have to accept the consequences…….pain, heartache, loss of His Presence, peace and joy, – what a price to pay!

1Peter 5:5 “God resists the proud.”

What Mrs. Jones was experiencing was the righteous anger of God against an evil culture. Consider this: Isaiah 59:19 “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” In retrospect, Mrs. Jones realised she had wrongly verbally attacked the cashier who was only doing her job as a company representative. Quite rightly she immediately humbled herself and apologised for directing her outburst at her. She could have handled it differently and her complaint was with the hierarchy of the bank.

Matthew 21:12 – 17 records the well-known account of Jesus’ righteous anger on behalf of His Father, when He overturned the tables of the dishonest money changers in the Temple. Verse 13 – Jesus said,”It is written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer”, but you have made it a den of thieves.”

The Lamb of God became the Lion of Judah on behalf of His Father’s interests, not His own. This was the governing factor, the factor that governed all His earthly life.

He came to do His Father’s will and demonstrate His submissive humility in that governing factor. Jesus said to Philip, ” He that has seen me has seen the Father,” John 14:9. CAN PEOPLE SAY THAT OF ME?