He Shall Tell You What You Ought To Do - Part Two
The directions of the Angel to Cornelius begin the fulfillment of the Promise made by the Lord to Abraham some 2,000 years earlier, "and in Thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed." Thank God that in this wonderful Promise made to the Patriarch, now nearly 4,000 years ago, that my family was included in all of the myriad of families who have had the opportunity to know Jesus Christ. Peter was just as important piece to this puzzle as Cornelius! The Holy Spirit would orchestrate events to send three men to Joppa to find Peter who would be the instrument God would use to first preach the gospel to the Gentiles in Caesarea. Peter and Jonah were both sent from Joppa to do similar things. Both reluctantly went after God had to deal with them supernaturally. The Church of the 21rst Century must find its prayer closet again just as Peter found the roof top of his house to pray at noon. Intercessory travail and intercessory travail alone will birth that which the Holy Ghost can and wants to do in these last days. We must ASK the Lord and the door will truly be opened!
By Chris McDonald
Acts 10:7-19 - And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed,
he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that
waited on him continually; [8] And when he had declared all these things unto
them, he sent them to Joppa. [9] On the morrow, as they went on their
journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray
about the sixth hour: [10] And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but
while they made ready, he fell into a trance, [11] And saw heaven opened, and a
certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the
four corners, and let down to the earth: [12] Wherein were all manner of
fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls
of the air. [13] And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. [14]
But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or
unclean. [15] And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath
cleansed, that call not thou common. [16] This was done thrice: and the vessel
was received up again into heaven. [17] Now while Peter doubted in himself what
this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from
Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate, [18]
And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged
there. [19] While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him,
Behold, three men seek thee.
The story of Cornelius presents the beginning of one of the great turning points of history as it pertains to the great redemptive plan of God for the human race. As we continue discussing this powerful narrative out of the book of Acts concerning the gospel being preached to the Gentiles, the reader must get a full understanding of the mind set of the early Jewish church to understand the depth of what God did through Peter's message to Cornelius 10 years after the Day of Pentecost.
For the most part prior to the events that took place as recorded in Acts 10, Satan not only locked up and perverted the Word of God among the Jews, he had placed a spirit of bigotry in the hearts of the Jews to ANYONE, especially Gentiles, who were not physical sons of Abraham. Israel's downfall of unbelief in both the wilderness failings and the rejection of Christ came in part because the religious never dreamed they would fall from the lofty place God had placed them because of His Promise to Abraham.
Romans 9:4
Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory,
and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service
of God, and the promises;
The Holy Spirit through Paul said Israel was given the plan of "adoption," the "covenants," the "giving of the law," the "service of God," AND the promises. In summary Israel was entrusted with the written Words of God and because of this She was given a much heavier burden to bear regarding holiness and obedience to God, than the Gentile nations surrounding her. The gospel "is to the Jew First," then the Greek (Gentile). But as the promises of God are to the Jew first, so too are the judgements of God - "to the Jew first," then the Greek. To whom MUCH is given, much will always be required.
Romans 1:16-17
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the
Greek. [17] For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Romans 2:1-29 - Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art
that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for
thou that judgest doest the same things. [2] But we are sure that the judgment
of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. [3] And
thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the
same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? [4] Or despisest thou the
riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the
goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? [5] But after thy hardness and
impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and
revelation of the righteous judgment of God; [6] Who will render to every man
according to his deeds: [7] To them who by patient continuance in well doing
seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life: [8] But unto them that
are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness,
indignation and wrath, [9] Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that
doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
Israel's self-righteous sectarianism had taken the nation as a whole (even though there were exceptions) down such erroneous paths, that by the time of Christ, they had so perverted the Word of God and hardened their heart to such a degree they would murder their Messiah and as a result bring unspeakable judgment upon themselves. Part of this judgment included a spirit of hatred to develop for the Gentiles which epitomizes self-righteousness, a spirit that will always resist and prevent the true Word of God being spread to others while those who resist it never receive or accept it themselves.
Despite what seemed like a hopeless situation for the spread of the gospel to Gentiles, the Lord was busy breaking these bonds, and setting the stage for the propagation of the Word to go to the entirety of the world. Of course, as all things pertaining to the gospel, the spread of God's Word began with CHRIST, but it actually had its launching with the Advent of the Holy Ghost on the Day of Pentecost, made possible by the Death, Burial and Resurrection, and Ascension of Christ. By now, some eight years after Pentecost, tens of thousands of Jews are followers of Christ, with the Gospel now ready to be launched to the Gentile world, thus the seeds for a miracle that would take place in the city of Caesarea at the home of a man named Cornelius.
Acts 10:7-8 - And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius
was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of
them that waited on him continually. And when he had declared all these things
unto them, he sent them to Joppa.
In part one of this journal we dealt with Cornelius in detail so we won't be labor the point of his condition here much again other than to just re-state the fact this man was a devout soldier, well-respected and evidently had taken great care to instruct his family in this things of God. Despite the fact Cornelius had never come to saving faith in Christ, he was very attentive to the spiritual interests of his regiment. As the great commentator Adam Clarke states, "We do not find that it was then, even among the Romans, considered a disgrace for a military officer to teach his men lessons of morality, and piety toward God, whatever it may be in some Christian countries in the present time." Having morality and piety toward God however does not mean one is saved!!!! These two things are not the same as one being "BORN AGAIN," and as honorable and noble as those traits are in an individual they in themselves do not save that individual!
It does not mean that Cornelius' good works went unnoticed by God - they didn't! Something in this man's heart that cried out for the truth caused God to send angelic visitations and visions to him to seek after a man named "Peter," who, as the angel told Cornelius, "would tell him what he ought to do." That is the job of the modern church - to tell men what they OUGHT to do concerning CHRIST! I want to state it again. The GOSPEL is the church's NUMBER ONE PRIORITY, not just "a" priority among many other priorities. Because we have "redefined" Christianity in these last days however, men's souls are in peril and face eternal hell without God unless they repent AND BELIEVE the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
What is the gospel one asks? It's simply "CHRIST and HIM CRUCIFIED!" It's the message of the Cross where on a hill far away 2,000 years ago Jesus Christ came and died to take away both the penalty and power of sin and break the chains of darkness and set men free from the chains of Satan. There is no other source of victory neighbor, NONE, NONE, NONE, NONE, NONE other than Christ. Nicotine addict - go buy your patch if you want - but your freedom is in Christ. Alcoholic attend your AA meetings if you desire, but your freedom is in Christ. Cocaine addict, heroin addict, crack addict, meth addict, you can attend all the self-help meetings you like but your freedom is in Christ. The rehab center may put a band-aid on the symptoms of your problem and make you feel a bit better but your freedom is in CHRIST and Him Crucified!
1 Cor. 1:22-23
For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: [23] But we
preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks
foolishness;
When the angel departed from Cornelius it was just the beginning
of a scenario that would shake the world to this day as this great redemptive
message would be opened to the Gentiles, one thank God who this writer is one
Gentile who has come to come to know CHRIST and thankful every second for it, and so deeply
grateful to the Father that this event in Acts 10 occurred! I'm saved today
because this great message was sent to the Gentiles! You're saved today neighbor
because an angel told Cornelius to send his three soldiers to go fetch Peter in
Joppa because he would "tell him what he ought to do." And as only God can
orchestrate such events as this at the home of Cornelius, from Joppa centuries
earlier, Jonah had been sent to preach to the Gentiles of Nineveh; and from the
same place Peter was sent to preach the gospel to the Gentiles at Caesarea. Both
Peter and Jonah were reluctant to go because of internal bigotry, they both were fisherman and because of the anointed Word of God -
"exceeding many," fish would and have come into this great net of salvation! Oh,
Praise God. I'm glad I'm saved. I'm glad I'm filled with the Holy Ghost. I'm
glad I'm on the Lord's team, not the devils. I'm glad my name is written in the
Lamb's book of life and my heart and mind are tuned to heaven, not this world
system. I'm glad that the Holy Ghost wakes me up sometimes in the middle of the
night to reveal the Father's love for me. I'm glad that I not of this world, I'm
just a passing through - my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue -
the ANGELS beckon me to heaven's open door - and I can't FEEL at home in this
world anymore! Glory to God.
The Vision
Acts 10:9
On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter
went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:
Cornelius is but one half of this story as we soon find out as the narrative reveals
he sends three soldiers to Joppa who draw near at a time of day
Peter has went up upon the housetop to PRAY "about the sixth hour," which is
about 12 noon. It seems that the three men were so anxious to find out what the
angel wanted them to hear from Peter that they had left Caesarea very shortly
after being given instructions by Cornelius the day before.
From Joppa to Caesarea was about twelve or fifteen leagues; the
messengers could not have left the house of Cornelius until about two hours
before sunset; therefore, they must have traveled a part of the night, in order
to arrive at Joppa the next day, toward noon.-- Calmet. Cornelius sent two of
his household servants, by way of respect to Peter; probably the soldier was
intended for their defense, as the roads in Judea were by no means safe.
Jewish tradition tells us that the houses in Judea were built with flat roofs, on which people walked, conversed, meditated, prayed, etc. The house-top was the place of retirement; and thither Peter went for the purpose of praying to God. In Bengal, some of the rich Hindus have a room on the top of the house, in which they perform worship daily but they worship gods that cannot hear their prayer! Peter went on top of a house to pray to the LIVING GOD who DOES hear the hunger and the cries of the seeking heart! Neighbor, listen to me. Hear this writer.
At this point we have a sincere seeker who, though lost, was so hungry for God that angels came to see him; we have three soldiers going to seek after a man named Peter, whom the angel named and told them where he would be - Joppa - telling YOU and Me that GOD KNOWS WHERE HIS PEOPLE ARE at all times! Our lives are not by accident. Our existence on this earth is not some worthless effort where nothing is noticed by the all-seeing eyes of the Heavenly Father. Whenever the true gospel of Jesus Christ is being preached, God will ALWAYS find and have his man! Peter was just as important to this great event in God's redemptive plan as Cornelius was.
Whereever there are hungry hearts, God will always have a Peter prepared with an anointed word! God is raising up modern day Apostle Peters right now fresh from the prayer closet, fresh from the rooftops of prayer, fresh from a Holy Ghost encounter, fresh from a one on one talk with Jesus, fresh from a heavenly meeting with the power and anointing of almighty God. My Lord, don't you feel that neighbor? I can guarantee you this - Peter was NOT on top of that roof with the self-help philosophies of his day as the modern church steeps itself into today. We're so busy with the Purpose Driven Life and 40 days of this and 40 days of that and 12 steps to this and 12 steps to that we don't have time to get on the rooftop and hear from heaven.
But neighbor hear this writer. Without the power of the HOLY GHOST directing our lives and churches, there will never be a Cornelius experience in our path! Holy Ghost induced prayer and fasting are the only things that induce births into the Kingdom of God.
The great Azusa Street outpouring of 1905-1906 was birthed in similar circumstances as this event recorded in Acts 10. The "latter rain," began because men like Frank Bartleman in Los Angeles, along with Evan Roberts a continent away in Wales, Pastor Smale, and the movement's head Pastor, William Seymour, a half-blind black man with such humility words beggar description, "laid a deep preparatory work of prayer and expectation." As a result conviction spread throughout Los Angeles and the entire state of California for that matter en route to an outpouring that has not been seen since to be frank upon this nation. There have been "shadows," and maybe a drop here and a drop there but we've not seen an outpouring, at least not YET, of the Holy Ghost like this nation did at the first of the century. Frank Bartleman's first hand account of these events have stirred this writer to make a deeper commitment to prayer and fasting in 2007.
Neighbor, I'm hungry for a move of God. I'm so tired and sick of religious get togethers I could vomit. I'm so sick of going to church on Sunday mornings and sitting there wanting to bust out and just praise God with everything in me but feel like I'm sitting in a morgue where the Spirit of God is absent and the cathedral that may cost millions in human dollars is WORTHLESS because it's void of the GLORY and the PRESENCE and the MAJESTY of the Risen Christ! I'm tired of hearing book reports and pep rally sermons uplifting a church or movement instead of pointing people to Christ. I'm tired of preachers who should know better get behind pulpits denigrating the moving and operation of the Holy Ghost as foolishness, demonic and all sorts of other silliness. Unbelief so grips the hearts of millions because unbelief so grips the heart of MANY preachers!
Many of the prayer meetings of the Azusa outpouring were 24 hours in length and times even longer. As Bartleman stated in his memoirs, "time is superseded when the Spirit is present in His fullness; the presence of God eliminates all sense of time; With Him all is eternity; it is 'eternal life.' God know no time; This element is lost in heaven; this is the secret of time appearing to pass so swiftly in all nights of real prayer. The element of eternity is there. For days that marvelous presence seemed to walk by our side. The Lord Jesus was so real. I could scarcely take up with human conversation again. It seemed so crude and empty. Human Spirits seemed so harsh, earthly fellowship a torment. How far we are naturally from the 'gentle' Spirit of Christ!"
Those words, written under the unction of the Holy Ghost 100 years ago now, echo down through time to this prayerless generation as a rebuke to a powerless and lukewarm church that has STOPPED preaching the anointed Word of God in lieu of fables and fairy tales. God's mercy has been outstretched over this nation for as long as we have existed as a nation really. I think of these last 100 years and the onslaught of homosexuality, abortion, unbelief, atheism, immorality, blasphemy, rebellion and outright worship of Satan in this nation and I wonder how much longer God's mercy will keep His judgment at bay? Friend, make no mistake - MERCY REJECTED MEANS JUDGMENT - and that goes for any NATION, any CHURCH, any individual! And the scale of judgment is always based on the scale of MERCY given; in America's case that is a DANGEROUSLY scary thought! Israel, some 30 years or so after these events in Acts 10 suffered judgment because of her unbelief! Neighbor, we need revival. We need for the church to be led of the Holy Ghost again and get into our prayer closets as Peter climbed up upon that roof top to pray so long ago and not leave until the glory of God floods our souls, cleanses our hearts, changes our minds, purges all SIN and unbelief and sets us free from the bondages that seek the destroy us.
In all the history of God's world, there has always been FIRST the offer of divine MERCY, then Judgment following. The prophets ceased NOT day and night to faithfully warn Israel, but their tears and entreaties for the most part proved in vain! The awful destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, which resulted in the extermination of a million Jews at the hands of the Roman Emperor Titus, and the captivity of multitudes more, was PRECEDED by the offer of divine mercy at the hands of the Son of God Himself!
This tremendous event in the house of Cornelius was but an earnest of that offer! Despite Israel's unbelief, God was STILL extending out His hand to her and if she would have just received His Son as Her Messiah - God would have granted forgiveness and restored Israel to her place of chiefest among the nations. Yet she refused and I wonder today how much longer will judgment tarry if America's rejection continues on the path that is continuing?
Let me tell you something friend and hear this writer good. Back in 1859 a great revival wave visited our nation, sweeping by some accounts a half million souls into the fountain of salvation. Immediately after this great revival church after church after church started resisting the Holy Ghost, rejecting His operation and as a result plunged the nation into the carnage of the Civil War of 1861-1865. This war was the only war we've ever fought on our own soil among ourselves and broke out and had it not been for a praying PRESIDENT - Abraham Lincoln, America may not even be here today as we know her. The "UNITED" States were the "DIVIDED" states during that time of history because the Lord visited America in MERCY but we rejected mercy and judgment fell. Similar seeds are being planted today through ungodly politicians, preachers and an apostate church that are bringing that cycle full circle!
Some 100 years ago America experienced revival again during Azusa Street in 1905-1906 and it was rejected on the same grounds the revival in 1859 was rejected - unbelief and the resistance of the church world to embrace the power of God and the message of the Cross. In 1917, America experienced World War for the first time - judgment; Instead of America repenting, we frolicked on even after the War.
Ten years after World War I, Satan employed even a new strategy as America found herself in one of her greatest times of "prosperity" known as the "roaring twenties," when men and women became DRUNK with success, prestige, power and wealth and at the same time FORGOT God and sent this nation spiraling into a period of great depravity. The American church at that time stopped worrying about the souls of men and started embracing the age of this prosperity among the nation. We mistook God's blessings for His righteousness and demands that men REPENT and believe the Gospel! Some ten years after the roaring twenties the Great Depression of 1936 and the soul of this nation was tested again because mercy was rejected and judgment FELL.
At the same time America was rollicking in the 1920s, an unknown German dissident named Adolph Hitler was rapidly rising to power in Germany where the church in Germany was partaking of the same drunken spirit the American church was partaking of at the same time. NO ONE in 1922-1926 thought for one second that just TEN YEARS later one man would release unspeakable evil upon the world, single handedly be behind the systematic extermination of 6 million Jews, and plunge Europe, America, Japan and Northern Africa into the Second World War where close to nearly 50 million people died in the carnage that followed. Mercy rejected is always followed by judgment.
I want those statements to sink in neighbor. I want you to pause for a minute, get your head and heart out of all this cup cake foolishness the modern church is involved in at the moment, take a step back from what the HELL BOX called TV offers each night with its swill and worldly entertainment, and see the state of our nation - and possibly the state of your soul! Take a step back and see that God has been dealing and dealing and dealing and dealing with us over and over and over again yet we will not heed His voice!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Unbelief of EVERY FORM has come in upon us like a flood, just like it did in the days of the Azusa Street outpouring of 1906. The Holy Ghost was "VEXED" and "GRIEVED," and "QUENCHED," because His ways have never been man's ways!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bartleman reveals that one day he was groaning at the altar of one of the churches involved in the revival in Los Angeles. The "spirit of intercession was upon me. A brother rebuked me severely. He did not understand it. The flesh naturally shrinks from such ordeals. The 'groans' are no more popular in most churches that is a woman in birth pangs in the home. Soul travail does not make pleasant company for selfish worldlings. But we cannot have souls reborn without it. Childbearing is anything but a popular exercise, and so it is with a real revival of newborn souls in the churches. One writer wrote in 1906, "Modern society has little place for child bearing mother. They prefer "flappers," (Flappers were young women around the time of World War I and the following decade who balked at the conventions of society and were generally considered capricious and even rebellious) And so with the churches regarding soul travail. There is little burden for souls. Men run from the groans of a woman in travail of birth. And so the church desires no "groans," today. She is too busy enjoying herself." How prophetic a statement is that even though it was made 100 years ago?
And while the modern church enjoys herself, America goes to hell because the light of the gospel is snuffed out on the altar of such false apostate teachings as the Purpose Driven Life, the 12-step fallacies of 'Celebrate Recovery' and all sorts of other foolishness. We bring contemporary rock bands into our churches to entertain our youth while all the time our youth need an old fashioned Holy Ghost sent, sin-killing, devil-chasing, red-hot, true blue, heaven loving, hell hating, camp meeting of HOLY GHOST POWER that floods their souls and cleanses their minds from the filthiness of this world system. Our youth don't need more entertainment - they need the CROSS! They need the baptism in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives the utterance. They need the mighty infilling of the SPIRIT. Our youth need to be set free today from the ravages and the bondages of sin!
As hard as Satan fights for the souls of this nation as he fought against the soul of Israel during the days of the early church, God comes also!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The standard, which is the HOLY GHOST and the message of Christ Crucified, is being raised against the Enemy! The Lord is choosing out His workers. There IS a vision for service for those who hear what the SPIRIT OF GOD says to the Church. This vision for service is centered around one message and one message alone - CHRIST CRUCIFIED! We preach Christ Crucified, we preach the cross, we preach the Holy Ghost, we preach the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit, we preach Jesus saves, Jesus heals, Jesus baptizes in the Holy Ghost and Jesus is coming again. We preach Jesus saves, Jesus heals, Jesus baptizes in the Holy Ghost, and Jesus is coming again!
1 Cor. 1:22-23
For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: [23] But we
preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks
foolishness;
1 Cor. 2:2
For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him
crucified.
Galatians 6:14
But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
Peter, along with 119 other followers of Jesus, experienced what it took and what it will take for the church to come out of the apostasy it finds itself in today! On the Day of Pentecost, Christianity faced the world as a new powerful force in the universe without a college, a people, or a patron but it "turned the world upside down," because of the POWER that was on it AND the message it preached! All that was ancient and venerable rose up before her in solid opposition, and she did not FLATTER or CONCILIATE the things the modern church "dates" and "woos" today. Money, education and psychology are the new idols of this century and we as the Church instead of rebuking selfishness and pride and self-help philosophy applaud it. We should be REBUKING these things!!!!!!!! The CHURCH of the Living God assailed EVERY existing system and every bad habit, facing hell down and staring the devil in the eyes through the power and unction of the Holy Ghost! She burned her way through innumerable forms of opposition "with her tongues of fire" a blazing and unashamedly proclamation that JESUS CHRIST was LORD and Israel had crucified the Lord the Glory!!!!!
Acts 2:1-4
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in
one place. [2] And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing
mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. [3] And there
appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
[4] And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other
tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The apostasy we see today, though coming on the scene for a long time, started as the result of a greater desire to see the spread of its power and influence than to see new natures given to its individual members! The moment we covet a large following and rejoice in the crowd that is attracted by our presentation of what we consider truth, and have not a greater desire to see the natures of individuals changed according to the divine plan of the Gospel i.e. the CROSS OF CHRIST, we start to travel the same road of apostasy that ultimately leads to the same apostate system of ROME and all her children!
God has not called the church to change society; society will never be changed. That's why no matter how many PDL books Mr. Warren passes out in nations like Rwanda- those books are not going to change the nation! Christ being LORD of men's hearts and men being BORN again will be what changes a nation. The church world just applauds this and says, "oh, that's great."God has called the church to preach the gospel and bring men OUT of society into newness of life through the power of the Cross, the power and anointing of the Holy Ghost and the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ!
It takes PRAYER. It takes intercession. It takes the POWER of the HOLY GHOST, who WILL WORK for the CHURCH if the church will anchor itself in the message of the CROSS and make the CROSS not just "part of our theology," but our theology PERIOD! Jesus didn't just come and die to be part of a mission statement. He came to die to change men's hearts and lives and set the captive free. He came to set at liberty them who have been bruised. He came to preach the gospel to the poor. He came to open prison doors to the captives. He came to give sight to the spiritually blind. He did ALL those things at the Cross!
The Holy Spirit took this journal a different direction than I had expected but I want to close on this point. America needs revival or we're headed for judgment friend. America as a nation however will never experience revival until revival begins in the HOUSE OF GOD!
2 Chron. 7:14
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray,
and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
As I have been reading the history behind Azusa Street I came across another interesting fact concerning the prayer that went into that move of God. On April 22, 1906, San Francisco experienced the Great Earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands of people and sent shock waves through the young nation as to how quickly life can end with a natural disaster. Bartleman wrote in his memoirs that nearly every single pulpit in the land was working overtime to prove that God had nothing to do with earthquakes and thus allay the fears of the people. The Spirit however was trying and striving to knock at HEARTS with conviction through this judgment. Bartleman said he felt "indignation," that the "preachers should be used by Satan to drown out God's voice." Even the teachers in the schools labored hard to convince the children that God was not in earthquakes. The Devil, as Bartleman put it, put on a big propaganda show.
Bartleman slept very little in the days following the earthquake but during his times of sleeplessness he would find himself in prayer before God, seeking the face of the Father, to hear what He would say to the nation, the state of California and San Francisco itself. Out of these prayer sessions with God where Bartleman said "He met me in a powerful way each time and definitely had a message for me to deliver to the people," came a tract called, "The Last Call." San Francisco was even in 1906 a very wicked city and the Lord spoke to Bartleman and told him that He was very terribly grieved at not just the city's but the nation's obstinacy in the face of His judgment on sin. All hell was being moved to drown out God's voice in the earthquake. The message He gave Bartleman was to counteract this influence. Men had been denying His presence in the earthquake but God's response was clear, "I DID THIS."
Even though men denied it outwardly, their conscience in 1906 told them otherwise. Even the wicked were conscious that something supernatural had happened in San Francisco and they were conscious of the fact God was real. Business was at a standstill for weeks after the news circulated around the state about San Francisco. The people were paralyzed with fear - not just from the earthquake itself - but from the courage of one man willing to stand up and say "THUS SAITH THE LORD," - REPENT. He wrote in his journals that the churches were "appalled" to think that a God of love would do such - even to a decadent city. The San Francisco earthquake was surely the voice of God to the people of the Pacific Coast in 1906. It was used MIGHTILY in conviction for the revival the Lord graciously brought afterwards to Azusa Street, Los Angeles, California. As Bartleman stated it, in the early Azusa Street days, "both heaven and hell" seemed to have come to town. Men were at the breaking point. Conviction was mightily on the people. They would fly to pieces even on the street, almost without provocation.
God moved in mercy to extend a call of repentance to San Francisco but the city rejected it. Today it is one of the most ungodly cities in America and other than Cape Town, MA, and New Orleans, LA, has one of the largest homosexual populations in America.
I remember the days following Hurricane Katrina in late August, early September, 2005, which has now turned out to be America's most costliest natural disaster EVER, when voice after voice after voice after voice, many well-known household named preachers (T.D. Jakes was one of the main ones) "drowned" out what God was trying to speak to this nation and again to a CITY to REPENT. I remember Jakes giving an interview to Fox News and was asked point blank, "Was God in Hurricane Katrina and sending a message of warning to America?" His answer was an emphatic "NO," that all of this was just part of nature and those who said God was judging New Orleans were just flat wrong and off the mark. He said this despite that 3 days earlier the mayor of New Orleans had bragged how that no matter what powerful storm was out in the Gulf New Orleans was going to party down with its "Decadence" celebration which was a parade and show of homosexuality without conscience. Neighbor at the very LEAST, Jakes had a chance to be a LIGHT and to call this nation to repentance but he chose to "sway" and "soothe" the fears of those who might have thought God was a bit upset with our nation. At the very LEAST, Katrina was an act of MERCY once again being sent to act as a WARNING before full judgment hit. It's amazing how sinful men can brush off God while thousands die at the onslaught of 200-plus MPH wind gusts and a tidal surge of over 30 feet of water. That's a seared NATION neighbor! That's a nation and a city who have lost their way with God!
Katrina was a horrible tragedy and we don't make light one iota of ANY one who lost their lives during this horrible event. Having said that let this writer be crystal clear to those willing to listen. GOD WAS SPEAKING TO AMERICA THROUGH HURRICANE KATRINA! IN KATRINA'S aftermath I heard all the pillow prophets of TBN and several internet networks prophesy "peace, peace," and "restoration, restoration," was coming to America in the weeks and months to come. This false spirit of divination was on the church after 9-11-2001 as well when America go so patriotic but we failed to repent! Restoration may very well come but it may come at a high price because America has refused to REPENT. America has refused to listen to God. America has hardened her heart and is slowly but surely taking her fist and strking out at everything Godly, righteous and just. We are calling "evil" "good," and "good," "evil." That is blaspheming the Holy Ghost! The religious of Israel committed this sin and the nation died a terrible death for it.
Of all the prophetic words I read concerning Katrina this word from Wendy Alec, author of the Journal of the Unknown Prophet, which I recommend you get a copy of and read - twice - stood out as being as close to the heart of God as anything I read. Let the reader take these words to heart and make their own judgment concerning its validity but this writer believes God spoke to Ms. Alec clearly and, as He tried to speak to a decadent city in 1906 through the San Francisco Earthquake, God spoke to America and New Orleans in 2005. The following is both a vision and prophetic word we feel led to share with you as we close out this journal:
HURRICANE KATRINA – AMERICA I AM CHARGING YOU REPENT
A HARD MESSAGE - A MESSAGE OF FLINT - Delivered 9-29-05
"These past weeks - there have been many strong, clear prophetic voices
concerning Katrina from America declaring the will of the Lord and I rested in
the assurance that that there was no necessity for a surplus voice at this time.
But in an extremely busy period of ministry, suddenly last week I felt the
overshadowing of the Holy Spirit over me concerning this matter and I was deeply
troubled. I sensed the fear of the Lord upon me and I knew that these could in
no way be merely my thoughts or my opinions - it is a fearful and dreadful thing
to attribute things to the hand of the Lord of Hosts that are merely our own
imaginations.
That too held me off for days - Father - I said - there are enough voices out
there speaking to this issue - God said - I want you to speak - And it was a
great burden to me because I knew that so many people were suffering so terribly
and that this was a hard message and a message of flint - I said - Father - If
you really want me to I shall - but I said it with great trepidation over this
matter - I also knew that this instance was so important to Almighty God - that
I had to be so accurate in the true discerning of his purposes and his
intentions
But the urgency continued - And as we were driving back home from our studios in
Washington DC to our home in Virginia - I kept seeing in the sky huge words -
ECONOMIC DECLINE and again ECONOMIC DECLINE
Then I saw an enormous hand that almost covered the sky - and I knew that it was
the hand of God Himself and I watched in absolute horror as the hand started to
lift itself - and I felt that the Lord said - I AM ABOUT TO LIFT MY HAND FROM
THIS NATION
It was such a terrible sight and a feeling of terrible dread that overtook me
that I panicked - and I said - Oh Father - NO! You cant lift your hand from
America - America loves you - America serves you - I beg you - Don't lift your
hand from America. And God said - REPENT...
AMERICA - I AM CHARGING YOU - REPENT; And I said - Father - we are repenting for the decadence of New Orleans - the
body of Christ in America is responding dramatically to this wake up call - both
in mobilizing aid and assistance and also in repentance across the nation for
the complex and many issues that we as the body of Christ understand led to this
disaster -TWO GREAT AND FESTERING BOILS
Then I saw an awful thing - It is an unpopular and controversial message - I
know
THE FIRST BOIL - NEW ORLEANS
I saw a great and festering boil in New Orleans and the surrounding area that
had burst and the puss was still oozing and the Lord SAID -
Yes - it is true - my body is repenting for many of the symptoms and the reason
that this boil was able to fester in such a violent manner in this area - and
the words came - DECADENCE - HOMOSEXUALITY - LASCIVIOUSNESS - LAWLESSNESS -
RACISM - PRIDE - SODOM AND GOMORRAH - all of which I could see were boiling and
festering in the heart of the boil - but then I saw a small tip of a very sharp
needle move towards it - and the very INSTANT that the tip of the red hot needle
barely even touched the centre of the boil - the boil erupted with violence
because of all the toxic material and poison already boiling inside.
And it was such an insignificant move - with a seemingly insignificant tool -
but it was the hand of the Lord that caused the boil to erupt -
THE SECOND BOIL - THE MIDDLE EAST AND GAZA DISENGAGEMENT
And then the Lord said - in the same manner - Americas role in the disengagement
of Gaza - has been as a red hot needle to the boil in the Middle East -I HOLD MY
CHURCH IN AMERICA ACCOUNTABLE
To the majority of my body in America - it has been a disregarded and
insignificant move - they have viewed it as a needle - of little effect - but it
has pierced the boil of the Middle East and I saw the words -UNLEASHING -
BLOODLUST - VENGEANCE - POWER - LUST - GREED - COVENANT/PACT OF DEATH -
HOLOCAUST
AN IGNITION KEY CONDONED BY THE CHURCH THAT LOOSED THE HORDES OF HELL;
And somehow I sensed that the fruit of this act by the American Government - was
somehow an IGNITION KEY that had opened the door to release the hordes of hell
and satanic princes to execute a timeline in the Middle East that would speed up
the times of the hunters and pave the way for the next holocaust - and yet the
CHURCH in America - had stood almost VOICELESS - bound by PASSIVITY and A SPIRIT
OF STUPOR -
And then I saw a terrible thing - I saw millions of Christians all across the
United States of America - with their hands raised - worshipping the Lord -
their faces rapt in worship all across the nation - their bibles in hand -
dressed in Sunday best - their families seated at their side - and then I heard
horrific chilling screams and then I saw right next to them concentration camps
and the scenes of the holocaust and although the screams were literally bone
chilling and the people were screaming for help, not one of those in the
churches even turned their head to look - it was as though a spirit of passivity
and stupor had overtaken them
And the Lord said - "This is what my Church did during the holocaust as the Jews
in Europe burned - They raised their hands and they worshipped me - AND THIS IS
WHAT MY CHURCH HAVE DONE TODAY ONCE MORE BY THEIR OMMISSION OF NOT SPEAKING OUT
AS MY VOICE TO THE GOVERNMENT FOR MY PEOPLE ISRAEL -EXPEDIENCY - THE OIL-EXPEDIENCY - and the Lord showed me - Oil - and He said "Americas oil became a
target because America sold the nation of Israel out for oil "
And He said - I AM CHARGING AMERICA - REPENT FOR YOUR SINS AGAINST MY PEOPLE
ISRAEL
I said " O Father -many people will have a hard time believing that the
hurricane in New Orleans is connected with the roadmap and Israel
And God said again - I AM CHARGING AMERICA - REPENT FOR YOUR SINS AGAINST MY
PEOPLE ISRAEL
"For I am stirred up with wrath - says the Lord - that my people have been
forsaken and that my people Israel have been abandoned - For the voices that
whisper peace, peace" - says the Lord God of Hosts - "are not my voices - and
the voices that sue for peace in the Middle East at this time - sue for
expediency says the Lord -
For I have heard the conversations - in the hidden places of the earth - I have
heard the whispers and the strategies and the political expediencies - and my
anger has been stirred on behalf of my people Israel - and yes even voices in my
church arise and say - peace peace - but I tell you - that peace is far from
thee and that disaster is near -
For my hand has been stayed - but my hand can be stayed no more - For I tell you
America - that I called you to protect and to preserve and to be as salt to the
nation of Israel - yet you have instigated a covenant of death -
And yet you say that all is well - and yet you say that all is good - and you
say we are a good friend of the nation of Israel - and yet it is under your
watch and it is in this timing and in this season - that my people have been
betrayed;
And where is the man and where is the woman and where is the church that would
stand up for my purpose -
For my purpose is not your purpose O Church - And my plans and purpose are not
your plans and purpose for the nation of Israel -
And yet you nod and yet you smile and yet you say among the churches of America
- It is well and good - And I tell you this day America - I hold you in the
scales for what is about to come upon my nation Israel - And you have been found
wanting
And yet you say - It is not popular to address these things - let us walk in
wisdom and let it be - and yet by your very omissions - you have granted the
enemy the power to rule - And I hold you accountable for the omissions of my
church America
For all is not well says the Lord and all is not good - For I have seen the
commissions and the dealings - for the oil and for the wealth of nations that
have changed hands behind secret doors - and I have seen the cloaking and the
hidden agreements that laid the foundations for the pact of death - yes - even
in the Whitehouse - I have seen and I have heard - and my hand is against it and
yet you say America supports Israel - but I tell you church - that this next
season lies at America's door - and I call you America REPENT - I call you
America REPENT - Repent for the forsaking of my people for expediency - REPENT"
And somehow I knew that even as President Bush espoused the deals between Israel
and America - that I sensed the huge outcry against him and against his office
in the wake of Hurricane Katrina - was a warning from Almighty God to repent at
the highest levels of government before his office was rejected by God himself.
(Please understand how hard this is for me to write as I have always been a
strong advocator of this Presidency but it seemed as though I saw him seated at
his desk - and when it came to issues of Israel I saw a black blindfold that
completely covered his eyes and was tied tightly at the back of his head - and
also that his ears were stopped by a cacophony of sounds - I saw a HUGE VICE
literally pressurizing him down and then I saw that ONLY the CHURCH had the
capacity to lift this terrible weight of the vice away from crushing his
shoulders and chest - the VICE was the pressure bought to bear upon him re the
issue of Israel - PUBLIC OPINION - STATUS QUO - EXPEDIENCY - OIL - and I
realized that the Lord was not holding President Bush accountable alone - but
was holding the CHURCH accountable because they were the called ones WITH THE
ABILITY to lift the pressure of the vice OFF the Presidents neck by their own
strong VOICE being lifted up in America - but there was hardly a whisper of the
churches voice -only a few lone voices reached the presidents ear - but the
words more often than not seemed to be stolen away by buzzing gnat like looking
creatures before they could actually take root - and the President continued to
be crushed by the weight and pressure of the vice.)
And then my attention was drawn to another strange and almost insignificant fact
- and yet suddenly it seemed to be not at all insignificant - it was the fact
that Condeleeza Rice - the voice and the Whitehouse vocal propagator of the
disengagement of Gaza and the roadmap was born in the South in Alabama - and was
at a church service grieving for her people - And I knew that the pain she had
felt for her people was a shadow to what the God of Israel felt for the Nation
of Israel . And somehow with a terrible certainty I felt it was connected - a
direct result of judgment.
And I felt the burden and the grief -this time of the Lord Jesus Christ - for
all the dispossessed and the homeless and the grieving in New Orleans
And how He loved them and grieved for them - And then he showed me - The entire
body of Christ in America who were mobilizing aid and assistance and prayer and
support in the most incredible manner - And I knew this was in His eyes truly
noble and honorable and that the Church has yet to shine and will still be a
tremendous witness in this hour - BUT THEN He said weeping -
"My Church have been blinded and sidelined as to the REAL ISSUE at stake here -
and therefore are excluding it from their view;
And I frowned at the Lord - looking back to the horrific scenes on the Gulf
Coast - the total focus of my attention being there ALSO -
And I saw Jesus literally walk in front of the people trying to move their
attention from the horrific scenes of the New Orleans disaster onto the scenes
of the future - of the dying screaming people of the second holocaust - and He
was weeping - and as the congregations noticed Him - they would smile at Him -
some even clutched onto Him - but ALL seemingly without exception had their
total focus on the present disaster in America - not even recognizing that the
major connection with judgment was the ACTION of the American Government to
ISRAEL and the horror of the turning of the IGNITION KEY that would lead to the
UNIMAGINABLE - A HOLOCAUST WORSE THAN THE FIRST HOLOCAUST in years to come
And then the Lord talked of conversations from some in His church that were
saying - "It must be the Lord in Israel - He has allowed THE GAZA disengagement"
And I realized that I TOO was guilty of this talk - and of this omission over
the disengagement of Gaza - not REALIZING the ENORMITY of the CONSEQUENCES - the
tiny red hot needle that seemed so insignificant yet was the initiator of a
covenant of death. Finally Jesus stood quietly watching this huge congregation
who were so wrapped up in the necessary and the noble but also wrapped up in
their own spiritual experience. Then quietly he walked away - and He walked over
to the Jews in the second Holocaust and stood with the dying and the screaming
and the burning, tears streaming down His face
If we - as the Body of Christ forget the cause of Israel - We have truly
forgotten the cause of Jesus Christ Himself.
I charge you Beloved America - let us not lose the HAND and the protection of
Gods covering - Let us not continue to walk in the sins of omission
Let us repent before it is irreversible.
Fruits of Repentance :
America will be reprieved from a devastating economic decline
America will remain under the protection and hand of Almighty God - especially
the Church in America
If the Churches voice on the matter of Israel rises - The power of this united
voice can stop the 'covenant of death' in its tracks and the situation can be
reversed before it is irreversible - It is NOT too late in the spirit realm - we
as the Church of Jesus Christ CAN still change DESTINY in the earth <End of
prophecy>"
Friend, let the words of this message sink in today. Peter went up on a housetop
to pray at the Spirit's leading not knowing that within moments he would alter
the course and destiny of the gospel of Jesus Christ by preaching it to the
Gentiles from Caesarea. Will we accept God's mercy and REPENT or
will we stay wrapped up in our church programs and never find the time to get in
our prayer closets AND PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, and then pray some more and then
pray some more? He will TELL YOU what you ought to do if you but hear what the
Spirit is saying to the Church. Praise God.
Biblical References To The Baptism In The Holy Ghost