SermonIndex Audio Sermons
SermonIndex - Promoting Revival to this Generation
Give To SermonIndex
Discussion Forum : Scriptures and Doctrine : Spirit frilled or Spirit filled?

Print Thread (PDF)

Goto page ( 1 | 2 | 3 Next Page )
PosterThread
FireinmyBones1
Member



Joined: 2004/1/17
Posts: 219
Michigan

 Spirit frilled or Spirit filled?

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus,

My brothers and sisters I hope this post comes not from my head or emotions but from my heart and spirit. I have lived with a perpetual disgust and holy hatred for the garbage that passes as Christianity, Spirit-Filled, Pentecostal Christianity nonetheless. However, over the past few days an intense urgency has been building within me. I graduated from the Brownsville Revival School of Ministry almost 8 months ago. While there, I lived in an atmosphere where repentance, the cross, and the preaching of radical (normal) holiness was pretty much all that I heard. For 2 years almost every morning, for at least one hour and many times more than that, I spent crying out to God with hundreds of other student who were desperate for a move of God. My classmates and church friends were those who burned with a passion for holiness and for souls. Prayer was the center of all we did.
I say this only to say that after being in that atmosphere for almost 2 years, I almost forgot what "regular" 21st century church life was like. My father serves as a presbyter for our particular denomination and was telling me with disgust how most of the other presbyters in our section take their children to see movies such as the Matrix, and all of these other hell-inspired films which are being passed of as allegories of the gospel. I preached very harshly to our young people this past friday night at our youth prayer meeting the 4 points of the Welsh Revival. The one I centered in on was the removal of any doubtful thing from our lives. In other words the removal of everything from our lives that we are unsure of whether it is sinful or not.
I am becoming so sick of the pasivity (is that a word?) I see towards sin and unrighteousness in the Church. We raise and clap our hands on Sunday morning, dance and run the aisles and then go home and listen the Lords name being taken in vain, we listen to curse words and say, "Well you know, I just block them out I don't even hear it." or the classic, "I'm not going to let one or two words ruin an otherwise good movie for me." Brothers and sisters, I tell you that for us to say we are indwelt with the Holy Ghost, and continue on with this filth is profane. I tell you the father is not pleased. If we truly want revival, if we truly want to see the Glory of God know this, the Ark will NEVER share a room with dagon. Our idols must go.
Secondly, this goofy, Americanized gospel of prosperity, blessing, and ease must go. I watched a video from 2002 by Pastor John Kipatrick from Brownsville as he expounded upon the urgency of the times. He then lamented that everytime he turns on "christian" television he is still hearing prosperity and money preached. Brothers and sisters, the church is becoming so irreverent and is in turn becoming irrelevant. My heart is broken tonight over this. Friends, the gospel is not gold chairs and flashy suits. We are surely living in days similar to those of Jeremiah,

"The prophets prophesy lies and the priests rule by their own authority and worse yet, my people love it this way."

Brothers and sisters, I plead with you, let us find our way to the altar again. Let us grind to pieces the asherah poles and the idols that are adorning the house of God in our day. Tonight is super bowl sunday, and churches all over America are empty, while church member sit at home laughing at beer commercials. Friends we need revival.

Burning,
Jeff


_________________
Jeff

 2004/2/1 14:51Profile
three9
Member



Joined: 2004/1/25
Posts: 21
Valley of Decision

 Re: Spirit frilled or Spirit filled?

churches are emtpy... churches are empty? I'm sorry, but there are churches in my area that are having not only youth, but also adult super-bowl parties. hundreds of students are coming to church to hang-out, play some basketball, and watch the super bowl. people who would never have come to church are coming out to these superbowl parties.

i wouldn't worry about the beer commercials, they're always pretty bad.

 2004/2/1 15:11Profile
three9
Member



Joined: 2004/1/25
Posts: 21
Valley of Decision

 Re:

we [b]are[/b] in revival.



 2004/2/1 15:13Profile
FireinmyBones1
Member



Joined: 2004/1/17
Posts: 219
Michigan

 Re:

Brother, I appreciate your sincerity, but I have to say on a broad scale we are in a mess rather than in revival. There are pockets and there are churches that God is moving powerfully in, but we are sadly lacking in this hour. As for super bowl parties, I have to say I do not agree with mounting (in the words of Brother Wilkerson) a Babylonian Idiot Box into the sanctuary and entertaining ourselves with the idols of this generation. I'm not anti-sports per se, but when the half time show is Janet Jackson and the cheerleaders look more like strippers, and the commercials promote drunken stupidity, I would have to say it has no place in a place which is dedicated unto the purposes of God. As for crowds coming, Jesus said that where ever there is a carcass there the vultures will gather. I would say that is fitting.
Blessings,
Jeff


_________________
Jeff

 2004/2/1 15:20Profile
three9
Member



Joined: 2004/1/25
Posts: 21
Valley of Decision

 Re:

Im sorry, i should have explained more...

during commercials - christian music videos

during half-time - youth pastor preaches and invites the students out to the youth ministry.

overall, across the country we may be in a mess, but where i am at, we are in revival.

 2004/2/1 15:33Profile
moreofHim
Member



Joined: 2003/10/15
Posts: 1632


 Re:

I have something to say about super bowel parties and the churches that have them. I came from one such church.

Let me first say that tonight I am PRAISING GOD because do you know where my husband is? He is not watching football or at church watching football- he is sledding with my kids.

This is the first year that he has - on his own- let go of this idol in his life. Thank you Jesus! Ravenhill is mostly responsible for this. :-D His quotes about "sport and entertainment being a substitute for god's joy finally made their way home into Dan's heart.

Even my 14 yr. old daughter KNOWS that God is sad, so very sad tonight because it is a night of huge idolatery. Sports, beer, commercials that sell bodies, looks, beer, the pleasures of this world. And look what this is saying to the kids who watch the parents put such emphasis on it.

I just want to prove my point with this: tonight I was at the grocery store and the bagger was saying that he shouldn't have to work on "Super Bowl" sunday. Then he proceeded to tell the cashier-[b]'hey, it's my religion, it's what i live for."[/b]

Church has nothing to do with it. If anything these days they are just making it more acceptable to blend into the world. Just because someone is IN A CHURCH DOES NOT MEAN ANYTHING. They may as well become just a lost as many of the people that are in the churches.

All over America tonight, many churches are having superbowl parties to get people to think they're "cool' too. "That it's cool to be a Christian. You don't have to sell everything off and join a monastery." Yes, you do. You must sell off your "stuff", your idols, your rights and you must join in the simplicity and humility of Christ.

I am getting more disgusted with the Churches everyday. Yesterday it was a pastor having an affair with a man, today super bowl parties to entice people to church. Can you not see how apostasized (sp?) the churches are? It is obvious to me that the church is just becoming more of the world every day and it is not going to change.

I say this all of the time. I have much more compassion and patience with the unsaved. I don't grieve over their sins as much because they have a reason- they don't know any better- they havn't met the Savior yet, they have no power over sin. It;s the "christians" that i have no patience with. I grieve and I know God grieves much more over their sins because they know better- they know the truth and they still continue to walk in their own ways.


_________________
Chanin

 2004/2/1 15:37Profile
three9
Member



Joined: 2004/1/25
Posts: 21
Valley of Decision

 Re:

God is moving. I appreciate your passion, because, yes, it is hard to find, and i can tell that your eyes are open to what satan is trying to do. i see it. whenever i go to my high-school, even the "christians" aren't living a life glorifying God. But there are those few with a buring passion. God is consuming them with his fire, He is moving. always forward, never backward.

 2004/2/1 15:38Profile
three9
Member



Joined: 2004/1/25
Posts: 21
Valley of Decision

 Re:

Quote:
It;s the "christians" that i have no patience with. I grieve and I know God grieves much more over their sins because they know better- they know the truth and they still continue to walk in their own ways.



It depends. Who exactly are you refering to, because in the youth ministry, patience is vital. students who are now coming to church are coming from wrecked homes. I hear it so often. so many preachers were not living for Christ before they changed their lives. if it wasn't for the patience of christians, these preachers may have left the church.

 2004/2/1 16:09Profile
FireinmyBones1
Member



Joined: 2004/1/17
Posts: 219
Michigan

 Re:

Blessings,
I would have to agree with you on pretty much every point "moreofhim", except I do believe it is possible for it to change.
I am myself a youth pastor and I have a group of kids who are very passionate for Jesus. They could care less about sports or entertainment (the majority). I understand this one truth, superbowl parties and all these "frills" we attach (hence the name of the post) are not that effective. We may be doing it in the name of outreach, but friends lets not kid ourselves, I believe that christians turning over their church buildings to become a sanctified sports bar grieves the Holy Ghost. Now remember I am not an 80 year old disgruntled Christian who doesn't understand youth culture. I am a youth pastor, so reaching out to youth and understanding them and the culture is part of my calling. We are trying to be relevant to the world on the worlds terms and in turn we are becoming irrelevant. The world says with their lips, "We want sports!" But the empty look on their faces betray them. Their spirits are crying out, "We want Jesus!" Brother Ravenhill on a radio interview told a story of one of Julius Caesars sons making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He desired to go to the temple and find God. So upon arrival he pushed his way through the outer court, court of women, court of gentiles, through the Holy Place, and into the Holy of Holies, only to find that the Ark of God (His Glory and Presence) was not there. He then exclaimed with sorrow, "God is not here, God is not here." Isn't this so true of what our Youth Groups do to the world today? Look they are not coming in hungry for drama, light shows, loud music and light shows. They are coming in screaming out for someone to ease the pain they are in. They want an encounter with the Living God. And so they can somehow push their way through our worldly attitudes, our social club mentality, our video games, our music, our choreographed dancers, our glorified comedians (common youth pastor), only to leave exclaiming with GREAT SORROW, "GOD IS NOT HERE!" Then they leave and find someone else to ease their pain. CHURCH We must sever these devilish frills that lure only to disapoint! We need God's tangible and manifested presence in our churches. This and THIS ALONE is the answer for the youth of America. The answer is not to fill the foyer with video games and smoke and lights. The answer is fill the heavens with prayer so that God would once again fill His temple with Glory! Friends, I say again let us again find an altar, allow God to break us that we may see a genuine move of the Spirit! Listen, I lived in the midst of the Brownsville Revival for two years and it was and is incredible, but we have hardly made a dent in America. What then is the answer? More tears, more prayer, more nights laying in the gap, and ultimately more of Him!
Blessings my brothers and sisters,
Jeff


_________________
Jeff

 2004/2/1 17:16Profile
crsschk
Member



Joined: 2003/6/11
Posts: 9192
Santa Clara, CA

 Re:

Thanks Jeff,
Well said and thanks for giving us a perspective from experience.

Quote:
We need God's tangible and manifested presence in our churches. This and THIS ALONE is the answer for the youth of America.


I could only add, young and old alike.

Pray


_________________
Mike Balog

 2004/2/1 19:30Profile





©2002-2024 SermonIndex.net
Promoting Revival to this Generation.
Privacy Policy