Building on THE ROCK....
Dear Stephen,
At 3:33 i was awakened out of a very sound sleep with
three profound images. Why all the "3" s ?
It's HIS CALLING CARD...telling how important this is. But i
am not really sure if this is for you and me, or for us and the WPA. For awhile
now i have stayed my distance...but because of the relationship
THE
MOST HOLY SPIRIT tied us two together has to have a reason beyond my scope and
level of understanding that to be in fellowship with you ties me to those you
are ministering to. So once again you will have to judge whether this goes to
anywhere else.
Yesterday you laid yourself before the WPA and all the WWW when you spoke of INTIMACY.....
as i read it several things...threads
so to speak...came together and now i understand some things i had wondered
about. As i read it the story of the struggles of my
dear brother Stephen merged with the
awareness that ABBA was attempting a solid work among those that my brother was
ministering to. It was then also the sort of late but sudden awareness of his
"accountability" for that which was placed in his hands....
So i stopped dead in my tracks and read several times
what you had shared and waited for THE MOST HOLY SPIRIT to speak. This has happened....now
where do i...we...take it? That answer of course is
in your hands.
It took little time to figure out that the issue for the WPA...and any and all
believers elsewhere is in a simple idea the "church" calls "RELATIONSHIP"....which
simply describes levels or degrees to most "church types". Earlier i
mentioned the term "fellowship"...where we are Stephen. Those who sit
together, break bread
together, with common interests goals and purpose....and one scripture rings in
my spirit....
16 Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened
and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those
who feared the Lord and honored his name.
17 "They will be mine," says the Lord Almighty, "in
the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just
as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him.
18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.
Funny how ABBA makes HIS CLAIM on WHO HE TREASURES.....and so few christians
treasure ABBA as highly. Again "by their fruits" we will understand
and recognize them.
So we who THE MOST HOLY SPIRIT ties together as THOSE WHO FEAR THE LORD....are
a BAND OF BROTHERS... fellow servants...in a "RELATIONSHIP"/"KOINONIA"
we accept and enjoy for it pleases ABBA.
But Stephen, none of this has any bearing on what you are trying to share....
Because INTIMACY is between a man/woman and GOD. Who
we fellowship with...where we go to church...what doctrines or rules they have........
does not establish or bear witness to our own level of
intimacy with GOD.... or whether there is a relationship between ourselves and
our CREATOR....
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall
enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which
is in
heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy
name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done
many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that
work iniquity.
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine,
and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a
rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon
that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a
rock.
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman
that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the
word of truth.
16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus
and Philetus;
18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already;
and overthrow the faith of some.
19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure,
having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his.
And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart
from iniquity.
20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but
also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some
to dishonour.
21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall
be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the
master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
Psalm 6
7 Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old
because of all mine enemies.
8 Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the LORD hath heard the voice
of my weeping.
9 The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer..............
Daniel 9
4 And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord,
the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him,
and to them that keep his commandments;
5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have
rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:
6 Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers,
and to all the people of the land.
Well Stephen...that was a real roller coaster ride in those simple scriptures....whew......
So here goes.....ABBA said that INTIMACY can be defined by three simple steps....
PRAYER....
COMMUNION....
FELLOWSHIP....
in that order....now this is an interesting "path".....but that is the
KEY...THE NARROW PATH....
Some time ago someone forwarded to me a response from you to someone who was telling
the group that somewhere in the world "saints" were praying 6 hours
a day for revival...or something... and concluded that americans had to do the same in order for GOD to MOVE....
you responded by quoting me saying "if you got nothing better to do"...
or something in that area....
The KEY is to know what is PRAYER? To most it is standing
in front of the congregation and sounding religious. To many it is a "give
me" list.....
Y'SHUA said...
5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray
standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be
seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet,
and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy
Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think
that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
So why pray if GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING?????? The KEY here is not praying to get something....but
to find ABBA FATHER.....who is a SECRET from man. THE SON shows us to step away...alone...and
find THE FATHER through what THE SON TEACHES..... this
is simply COMMUNICATING... TALKING...... taking your "precious" time
and energy and telling yourself finding ABBA is more important than anything else.
The TERM "COMMUNION" is a religicisized event
which means something different to everyone. All it really means is to talk with...communicate
with....
WOW....here is a flash....COMMUNION is not talking at GOD....but it is a dialog....with
both sending and receiving. PRAYED leads to COMMUNICATION.. ..and then FELLOWSHIP ….begins...and
intimacy..............
Stephen, i can not go much farther and describe levels
of intimacy....that is not what ABBA has in mind. But let me share the three images
in the order they came....
First i was standing on a little hill across from a
great castle. Around me were forests and as i walked
towards the castle there were meadows filled with long, lush grass and wild flowers
scattered all over. In these meadows were clumps of sheep safely grazing.
Every now and then i passed a person watching ABBA'S
SHEEP. And every now and then a sheepdog would come up and sniff at me.
Where the meadows ended i climbed a low stone wall that
separated the meadows from the fields of wheat and barley, corn and other stuff
i did not recognize.
As i came to the road that entered the castle gate i saw grape arbors filled with grapes and i realized this is how things should be.
Then i entered the castle wall and all around me where
people bustling around doing whatever they are supposed to do. Several said "hello",
some waved and nodded to me, all smiled. Over to the side i
noticed many small children at play. Maybe tag...whatever. But as i approached
the GREAT HOUSE i saw benches where children large and
small sat as a teacher went through lessons. I stopped to listen but could not
make out what was being said. The children were attentive and hearing, but i
was not. Accepting this i stepped away and headed toward the DOOR to the GREAT HOUSE.
As i came to the DOOR i heard
that SWEET GENTLE VOICE say "STOP and LOOK"....
I turned around and could see out the gate to the VINEYARD, the FIELDS, and the
MEADOWS. The "path" or "route" i had walked was interesting. It was not land, but a narrow
RIVER.... and i had to laugh....it went from THE GATE
through the land slowly widening as it hit the far forest.
From THE FOREST i saw THE TREES planted along the RIVER....
THE SHEEP THE WHEAT/GRAIN THE VINEYARD all really one image...
And inside the CASTLE were SERVANTS and children and STUDENTS.... and i heard a shout and suddenly looked up at the BATTLEMENTS....
and i saw a very familiar figure astride the WALL with
MEN at set intervals vigilant and sober. As i bowed
to THE CAPTAIN, my CAPTAIN,.... HE WAVED and pointed
to the GREAT DOOR. someone was expecting me.......
As the GREAT DOOR(S) OPENED i realized once again i had gone through the levels one by one. Three levels of
images....and i was expected. As i
passed through the FOYER i passed several servants who
took my cloak, exchanged my boots for slippers and helped me wipe the dust off
and make me presentable. I thanked all who seemed very happy that i had "gotten there"... just a feeling...
once "proper" i was escorted by several servants
to a threshold of a large room. i
immediately thought "library" and in the room in one of several chairs
sat ABBA. no one entered with me and i walked in and knelt at HIS FEET. Immediately i was in dog form and HE rubbed my head and scratched behind
my ears.
He talked to me in that first WONDERFUL VOICE i heard
so long ago. As I licked HIS HANDS i remembered that
this was HIS IMAGE OF WORSHIP. So i was amazed when
HE began to lift me off the ground and set me in HIS LAP.....not a typical place
for a 150+ pound field dog....but again i changed...
now i was a child and we began to TALK together. Simple
stuff...wonderful stuff...but everything about ABBA is WONDERFUL... after awhile
ABBA LEANED over and caught hold of a chair and pulled it over to touch the arm
of HIS CHAIR.
HE kissed me on the forehead and held me up in the air smiling. as HE SAT me in the chair i was once
more an ADULT and i felt for a second time a "loss"
when HE LEANED towards me and i leaned towards HIM.
"WHICH IS BETTER MY SON? TO BE MY DOG, MY CHILD, OR MY
SON. ONE OF SO MANY WHO PLEASE ME GREATLY?"
i had no reply Stephen. All
speak of intimacy, of relationship, but at levels and each level has accountability
implied to it. Now i mentioned at the beginning about
3 images and wrote about one encounter with ABBA. But in this one "encounter"
there were like THE TABERNACLE three stages. THE
to be involved. Exactly how i am not all that sure right
now. Maybe that is up to you...
So here is something about ABBA from ABBA...it is interesting....
"SON, UNDERSTAND THAT SIMPLE AWARENESS IS NOT INTIMACY. BUT LACK OF INTIMACY
ON A PERSON'S PART DOES NOT NEGATE MY CONCERNS ABOUT THEM OR FOR THEM. I AM INTIMATELY
AWARE OF ALL OF MY CREATION. I KNOW EVERY LILY AND EVERY WEED. I KNOW EVERY SHEEP
AND EVERY GOAT. I ALSO KNOW EVERY WOLF AND EVERY DEMON THAT DRIVES SAID WOLF AGAINST
MY SHEEP." "MANY HAVE SHARED ABOUT LEARNING THE PLOTS AND TRICKS THE
ENEMY HAS EMPLOYED IN THIS LAST DAY. WHY WOULD IT MATTER IF MAN SEEKS ME AND WE
ARE IN COVENANT RELATIONSHIP? THOSE WHO ARE IN COVENANT WITH ME TRUST ME AND OBEY.
THE FACT SO VERY FEW ARE NOT IN OPEN COVENANT WITH ME NEED NOT CONCERN YOU OR
ANYONE ELSE. ALL I REQUIRE IS OBEDIENCE. A HARD THING FOR SO MANY. IMPOSSIBLE FOR ALL WHO EITHER WILL
NOT OR CAN NOT HEAR MY VOICE. MANY STRIVE EACH AND EVERY DAY WITH MY SPIRIT WHO
BRINGS CONTENTION AND CONVICTION TO
THOSE WHO TRY TO HARDEN THEIR OWN HEARTS. BE FULLY AWARE
THAT THERE ARE THOSE WHO ARE SO HARDENED AGAINST
MY TENDER SPIRIT AND MY DESIRES FOR THEM THAT I HAVE TURNED THEM OVER TO A REPROBATE
SPIRIT WHICH THEY PREFERRED OVER ME AND MY GRACE." "OF SUCH TAKE NO
CONCERN, FOR THEY HAVE BEEN BOUND FOR THE FIRE. BUT YOUR CONCERN SON ARE FOR THOSE
CHILDREN MEN HAVE HINDERED FROM COMING TO ME. MANY HAVE BEEN TAUGHT ERROR WHILE
MANY HAVE BEEN KEPT IN DARKNESS BECAUSE THERE IS NO LIGHT IN THEIR PASTORS AND
TEACHERS. FOR RELIGION IS AN UGLY THING IN AND OF ITSELF. LIES AND DECEPTIONS
FLOURISH LONG AND WELL WHEN TRUTH IS KEPT OUT. SUCH TREES FILL THE SKIES AND DRAW
TO IT BIRDS OF DEFILEMENT AND PERVERSION. JUST REMEMBER SOME TREES GROW FASTER
THAN OTHERS."
"SO JUDGE EACH TREE BY IT'S FRUIT. JUDGE EACH MAN
BY HIS WORKS, HIS WORDS, AND HIS CHARACTER. GRAPES DO NOT GROW ON THORN BUSHES.
AND I HAVE TAUGHT YOU WELL THAT NOT ALL THE GRAPES THAT COME FROM MY VINE SHOULD
BE EITHER TOUCHED OR TASTED. TRUST ME AND I WILL TELL YOU WHICH BRANCH WILL BE
PRUNED AND WHICH TREE WILL BE CUT DOWN. NO MAN CAN MAKE THAT DECISION FOR I OWN
ALL THE TREES AND ALL THE CATTLE AND ALL THE SHEEP. I PLANTED MY
VINE AND IT IS I WHO DECIDES......."
So Stephen, that is what i
was told to share specifically for/with you....
ABBA specifically said to "judge" each man. and
gave 3 areas to be looked at. So warning people about people who's
words are false, their works are off, and their "character" is
questionable is not the same as "chopping them down". reminds me of
this thing ADAM was told...do not eat...but SATAN said "touch"....
now even an old dog like me can figure if you never touch something ya won't eat it...but SATAN's ploy
was to bring THE WORD into question and DEBATE....when we argue what GOD said,
meant, implied we ignore the images of ""IT IS WRITTEN""....
Stephen, the sun is coming up...and i got a list of
things from HIM last night.
so hang in their brother...
bob