During the 4 years that I was a military policeman in the Air Force and 25 1/2 years that I was a police officer in Iowa, I sure am glad they equipped me with more than just a uniform identifying me as a soldier and/or police officer. And yet, this is exactly what many Christians are doing. They have had the born again experience and have let the Holy Spirit clothe them or identify them as a new creation, a child of God, they have put on their new identify in Christ, put the Christian "uniform on" but are unarmed, unequipped, to carry out the great commission! Why?
I believe the answer to that question is because either people are not taught how to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (lack of knowledge) or they are taught that it is not for today. That would be like telling the men and woman in the Armed Forces today or the men and woman graduating from various police academy's today, that they were going to be sent out to fight for our freedom, to protect and serve, with just their uniform on as the weapons to carry out their duties were for soldiers and police officers in the past, but not for today. I would probably not be alive today if it were not for the weapons that I carried on duty as a soldier and as a police officer.
Satan and his army of soldiers( demons) hate mankind, and especially those who are saved because we get to go to the heaven that he was kicked out of thousands of year ago.( Luke 10:18) Jesus witnessed that event. But Satan is not threatend by our child of God status until we are commissioned with the power and authority that only comes through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit! I will complete this most important topic in my next blog entry. God bless you all! Jesus is coming soon, but as a soldier in His Army, this is our greatest hour and Jesus wants to anoint us with power to have great victories over the kingdom of darkness in the final days before the Lord's return! Yes and Amen!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Commissioned
It seems that the Lord brings the word commissioned to me frequently. The scripture that most often comes to mind concerning this word is Matthew 28:16-20 which is known as the Great Commission. This is Matthew's account of some of the final words that Jesus spoke to His eleven disciples after He had risen from the dead and just before he ascended back to Heaven. But to fully appreciate the commission that Jesus was giving His disciples we should read some of the other gospel writers accounts of some of Jesus final words to his disciples found in: Mark 16:15-20; Luke 24:48-53(Acts 1:1-8; 2:38-39, Dr. Luke wrote the book of Acts also); John 20:19-22.
I think Christians sometimes think Jesus only commissioned his disciples/apostles. But the truth is that Jesus wants to commission every Christian. When I was in the Air Force I achieved the rank of Sergeant before my 4 year enlistment ended. Although I did have more authority and subsequent responsibility with this rank, I was still considered an NCO( non-commissioned officer). Only the ranks of Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Colonel, and General were considered commissioned officers which of course gave them more authority and responsibility.
Webster's defines commission as follows: an entrusting of power or authority to a person; officially appointed; to give an order for a thing to be done; to put into service.
In my first blog entry I shared my testimony concerning my experience of getting saved in 1984 and then baptised in the Holy Spirit in 1988. Recently I believe that the Lord showed me that although I was saved in 1984 it was not until 1988 when I received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit that I received the power and authority needed to be commissioned. In my next blog entry I am going to share how to be Baptised in the Holy Spirit. May the Lord bless you all and JESUS IS COMING SOON!
I think Christians sometimes think Jesus only commissioned his disciples/apostles. But the truth is that Jesus wants to commission every Christian. When I was in the Air Force I achieved the rank of Sergeant before my 4 year enlistment ended. Although I did have more authority and subsequent responsibility with this rank, I was still considered an NCO( non-commissioned officer). Only the ranks of Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Colonel, and General were considered commissioned officers which of course gave them more authority and responsibility.
Webster's defines commission as follows: an entrusting of power or authority to a person; officially appointed; to give an order for a thing to be done; to put into service.
In my first blog entry I shared my testimony concerning my experience of getting saved in 1984 and then baptised in the Holy Spirit in 1988. Recently I believe that the Lord showed me that although I was saved in 1984 it was not until 1988 when I received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit that I received the power and authority needed to be commissioned. In my next blog entry I am going to share how to be Baptised in the Holy Spirit. May the Lord bless you all and JESUS IS COMING SOON!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Trust and obey
On 4-4-84 the Jesus I knew about, became the Jesus that I knew personally. That was the day that my birthplace of Iowa was changed to the Kingdom of Heaven. This world is not my home, like Abraham, I am just an alien, a stranger on this earth, I am longing for a better country than the USA, a heavenly one!( Hebrews 11:13-16). It is an awesome thing to become a child of God, and to know Him personally and intimately! According to Jesus in John 17:3 and John 3:3-8 we cannot have eternal life and go to heaven when we die without this personal, intimate relationship with Him. The good news is that Jesus wants us to enter into this personal intimate relationship with Him. He loves us sooooo much and wants us to spend eternity with Him. If you have not already done so, please invite Him into your life today! He has extended His personal invitation to you in His Word(Matthew 11:28-30, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 7:21-25, Romans 8:1-4, Romans 10:1-13, 1 John 1:5-10, 1 Peter 1:23, Hebrews 4:12) and by His Spirit(John 3:5-8, John 6:44, 63-65, John 20:22, Acts 1:4-8.)
In May of 1988 , I was spending some precious time in this personal intimate relationship with Jesus out under the stars on the side of my house. I was worshipping and praising Him, telling Him how much I loved Him and wanted to know Him even more intimately. According to Matthew 5:6 when you hunger and thirst for God like this He will fill you! And so it happened that night. It felt like I just floated to the ground. And as I lay there on the ground, with tears running down my face, this Jesus just held me in His arms and filled me with his love. (Romans 5:5) I received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as described in Acts 1:4-8, 2:4). I just began to speak to Him in my new heavenly language ( referred to as unknown tongues or other tongues) I did this for quite awhile, then I paused, and what flowed out of my mouth next was the english interpretation of what I had just said in the unknown tongue. To this day, I remember that the Lord was expressing to me how much He loved me and how pleased He was that I desired to know Him more and have this increasingly intimate relationship with Him. He then shared how He had wonderful plans for my life and would use me to help others to know Him in ways that would amaze me and then he closed his response by repeating these three Words to me three times: Trust and Obey!
In May of 1988 , I was spending some precious time in this personal intimate relationship with Jesus out under the stars on the side of my house. I was worshipping and praising Him, telling Him how much I loved Him and wanted to know Him even more intimately. According to Matthew 5:6 when you hunger and thirst for God like this He will fill you! And so it happened that night. It felt like I just floated to the ground. And as I lay there on the ground, with tears running down my face, this Jesus just held me in His arms and filled me with his love. (Romans 5:5) I received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as described in Acts 1:4-8, 2:4). I just began to speak to Him in my new heavenly language ( referred to as unknown tongues or other tongues) I did this for quite awhile, then I paused, and what flowed out of my mouth next was the english interpretation of what I had just said in the unknown tongue. To this day, I remember that the Lord was expressing to me how much He loved me and how pleased He was that I desired to know Him more and have this increasingly intimate relationship with Him. He then shared how He had wonderful plans for my life and would use me to help others to know Him in ways that would amaze me and then he closed his response by repeating these three Words to me three times: Trust and Obey!
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