nicely put all three of you.
This is what I meant when I wrote that Paul NOW has a real calling from Almighty God,
Paul, I believe you are demonstrating to all of us the gift that the Lord has given you for our benefit.
meaning that Paul was not a "lackey" being thrown morsels from the table like to a hungry dog, but had a GENUINE calling from the REAL "fix-it-man".
This content has been reposted several hours later, because for reasons best known to itself, it decided to post as complete - which it was not. Please accept my apologies folks...
No, I do not claim "second sight" or to have "visions" or "visitations" like some charismatic controllers do, and over the last few years I have realised while much of the charismatic "stuff" is manipulative and great for controlling others, there most certainly is a spiritual realm that surrounds us.
However, I'm equally convinced that access to that realm is ONLY when HE (The Lord) in His wisdom chooses, and when it fits HIS agenda (and economy). chooses..
And there lies the difference between the charlatans (on one side), and us plebs who have no opinion unless it is a "rubber-stamp".
I'm quite serious.
Yes, I have actually been greatly privileged to have a couple of such glimpses of "Heavenly Places", but having only a couple in eighty-three years is very different from regularly (according to some), or a lengthy one claiming to tell you what you must tell everyone else - and woe betide you if you don't believe the revelation!
- Let us remember that prophetic ministry was mostly in the OT - the period BEFORE Christ came to save us.
- Apostles were those called by Jesus out of the quite large body of followers who walked miles with Him to hear His words and try to understand them.
- IF we were to have an apostolic ministry now (and there are many "quacks" who claim to have one, why were the original twelve (actually eleven of the twelve, augmented by a new "twelfth man" replacing Judas from Kerioth) not kept up to date by promoting plebs like us as they died nasty painful deaths?
- Could it have been because the Lord's intention was a temporary ministry during the early years of the church?
Yes, as mentioned in an earlier post in the thread,
it shows the ambitions of cultish leaders, to invest themselves with "handles of grandeur", but as a number of us have said many times here - and in other places -
it totally fails to meet the accuracy demanded of a "wannabe" leader to conform to the scriptural record.
Some of us here may disagree with me in places. That is fine for two extremely important reasons --
- I am not God, nor have ever claimed to be His messenger.
- I do NOT believe He has called me to utter edicts that claim to be His word.
However, I am very conscious that much of the overflow from the 1948 "Revival" in Saskatchewan has reached many Christians in various perplexing forms, and at least some here would be concerned that I am regularly critical of much of the verbalising from that event, particularly teachings. I have studied the topic. I do, however, believe that the gospel is one of love by our Heavenly Father, and that He wants those of us who discover leadership in error should LOVINGLY try to point it out.
Remember Cain's almost accusation to God about Abel when he sneeringly asked "Am I my brother's keeper?" and the obvious answer implied by the writer was "Yes".
I believe most firmly that each of us IS our brother's keeper.
I ask you to consider a post on the previous - the "phase 2" if you like - of this bulletin board, and I hope to shortly post back my saved copy of it here for all here to read and digest. It was a post about/by a young man (from memory in the UK) who was disillusioned with the manipulation in a cult, and wrote about it. From memory it was Gillie who posted it before.
To this, I hope to add a most remarkable and honest similar but totallt different document from (I think) a previous assistant editor of the "Washington Post" who moved to the other side of the USA to become editor of another journal.
Seriously, I believe you will notice (if you are honest) how wierd and un-godlike are the so-called teachings and personal attitudes of these people after reading them.
If you disagree with these comments when I have posted them, then that's fine. They are still my thoughts when stacked up against scripture!
But I need collect them, then post them, so that you can and may understand my defence of this point.
INCOMPLETE