Edition 25.  January 17th 2010

In this edition:

●Testimony

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The power of testimony

This edition is a slight detour from the main theme of prophecy in general, but it does fit into a neat spot.

The lives of so many millions of people today are being rocked and wrecked by so many things. This is the age of insecurity and the devastation of lives. When peoples lives are shaking they look around for something to grip onto...something that is stable!

If you've read any of the previous editions, you'll know just why this is happening and that it's not going to get better. In fact very soon everything and everyone that can be shaken will be shaken and everything that doesn't have an enduring foundation will fall.

We are at the start of a huge spiritual battle. It's a battle for the lives and souls of untold millions of people.

But I want to focus down to just a few people now, so that you, my dear reader can see that even if you are one who is being shaken now, that all is not lost. In fact this could well be the start of many profound things in your life's purpose.

 I've recently come across a number of old friends. All are believers and all have gone through tragic and terrible times. One good friend has had her family life wrecked by suicides and dramas that would have knocked anyone for a loop. She has had her spiritual life rocked, but is now starting to see the light of day again.

Another girl, my very special wide-eyed beautiful friend from about 20 years ago, recently came back into my life. We were very good friends, but after her marriage and her moving to another city we drifted apart.

She has just gone through a terrible split up, come under incredible stress and has also had her spiritual life rocked.

In many ways I wish I could take her place, so that she can go free

Here is where deep eternal issues come into play.

It's very simple: You can take all the garbage that the devil throws at you and let it crush you, or with our wonderful Messiah at the helm, you can take all the pressure and devastation and let it turn you into a diamond of great value.

You see, when the cross of Calvary is applied into our lives, it puts to death all the rubbish that comes from the world, the flesh and the demonic and it raises us to a new life. This new life on the resurrection side of the cross is deep, rich and full of purpose!

Tears of regret generally get you nowhere, but after metamorphosis, tears of joy are another thing altogether. These God remembers as He prepares you for many new things.

The amazing, miraculous thing with our Lord is that we can take all the time that's been robbed from us and "buy it back" and still have a powerful godly life that is a testimony and and a help to many people in these perilous times. The other side of the story is to have no application of the cross into your life, which means you're essentially living for self and have all the diamond potential lost!

The very worst thing anyone can do as a believer under pressure is to turn from our Lord and give an even greater victory to the devil.

Many people are standing at the crossroads. They can die to self and go on into God's wonderful calling, or live for self and continue wasting their time and everyone else's!

In many ways, going through devastation can either be the very issue that plants you securely like a tree of righteousness or sends you down the river with the flood.

The big thing is that God has a purpose, plan and calling for each of us. This is where true depth, joy, purpose and meaning comes into one's life.

It's not God's fault that so many people wreck their lives, but it is His plan that it gets turned around for His glory!

What a waste to go through so much pressure in life and miss God's purposes.

There is enormous eternal value in seeing God's hand at work as He brings you through the fires to His purpose. Allowing Him to use you as a living testimony can feed so many people with eternal food.

You see, at the end of the day, life is a drop in the ocean of eternity, but what we do with it now has eternal consequences for us and others.

The Bible uses the analogy of fire hitting a pile of wood, hay and stubble and a pile of gold, silver and precious stones.

When fire hits the first pile, nothing but a puff of useless smoke is left to drift aimlessly away. But when fire hits the second pile, these are refined and endure. This relates directly to the lives of believers. As we enter eternity, some will scrape in with no reward and others will enter with a reward-state that will be with them for eternity!

A life lived for "me, myself, I" is a life wasted, while a life given to our great God and His purpose and plan is a life with eternal value.

It's easy to see which is which. Is your life a giving life or is it a constantly receiving life? An outward looking, giving life is the way to go.

The testimony of Watchman Nee:

This wonderful man of God had a tortured life...literally! His ministry started in China about 100 years ago. Then he was thrown into prison for his faith and for trying to set up a secret printing operating for the gospel. From prison he smuggled out numerous hand written notes, which have subsequently become the hundreds of Nee books. When this was discovered by the authorities, they ripped his tongue out his head with a pair of pliers.

Nothing they could do silenced him. This testimony actually saw many of his prison guards becoming secret converts. He was finally martyred in prison.

His life of persecution is still bearing incredible fruit.The spirit of God is still moving through this man's selfless life.

It's actually just like the title of one of his books- "The release of the Spirit" Its all about brokenness and how "the alabaster box" containing the expensive perfume, must be broken to release the aroma.

John 12:24 "Except the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies it bears much fruit" This is the principle of brokenness!

Prison authorities tried relentlessly to get Nee to deny his faith.

When he died, they cleared out his prison cell and this was the note they found under his pillow:

"Christ is the Son of God who died for the redemption of sinners and was resurrected after three days. This is the greatest truth in the universe. I now die because of my belief in Christ."

I cut my spiritual teeth on the writings of this man (and a few others) Here are just a few of his many powerful life changing books dealing with brokenness:

"Not I but Christ" "A living sacrifice" "The release of the Spirit" "The messenger of the cross" "The normal Christian life"

To summarise: He believed, experienced and taught that self needed to die, so that Christ could shine. A sacrificial lifestyle is the way to go. Brokenness releases God's Spirit through us. To be an effective messenger of the cross we need to be crucified people, taking up our cross daily. The normal Christian life is sacrificial, where brokenness creates victory, joy and glory. This can only be done by the application of the cross.

The testimony of Alon:

Alon is a Messianic church with a Kibutz flavour to it. It's a fellowship up in the mountains and forests of the Limpopo region of South Africa. Alon has bases in Cape Town, Jeffries Bay and Israel. It's a wonderful community of believers involved in the arts, music, farming, carpentry, interior decor, two restaurants, a number of businesses a nursery, primary and high school, an orphanage, a hospice and other things including regular missionary work in the nations of the world.

It's a ministry with people of all races, from many countries and all walks of life, but central to everything is a heart with and for Israel and God's prophetic plan for the Jews now and into the future.

It's a ministry with a powerful leadership base, who have all gone through incredible hardship and unjustified persecution.

This has done nothing but deepen their walk with our Lord and seen the ministry strengthen greatly.

The reason I mention this is because it demonstrates strongly that what God has planted can't be destroyed. It can only go from strength to strength.

I've been involved with this ministry for more years than can I remember and I know that God has been preparing it for the last 20 years or so for the exciting times that lie ahead.

Have a look at the website at:

www.alon.org.za

On a personal level or an organisational level, what God plants can't be destroyed, it can only grow through troubled times.

Brokenness explained:

God only uses whom he has prepared. Brokenness that comes into our lives from the devil can only be to one's benefit if we look for and find God and his purposes through it all. Weather this has been our lot or not, we still need the brokenness of and from God in our lives if we are going to be used by Him.

Brokenness essentially comes through our choice to apply the cross to every area of our lives. As we do this we are delivered progressively into newness of life. It's a life of glory.

In this new life on the resurrection side of the cross, we see with new eyes. We see spiritual reality as opposed to religious obsession.

Cross-less Christianity is all around us. It is rooted in the flesh and full of "yes you can" great ideas all destined for hell.

When we bow down to God, our reason is defeated. All that originates in our minds is brought into the subjection of our risen Messiah of great glory. We now begin to see things God's way. All false doctrine is destroyed.

As we apply the cross to every area of our lives, we immediately identify with all others who've gone through the cross. We're in instant unity and automatic disunity with cross-less Christianity.

The Godly church.

I have mentioned these things in previous editions, but its worth repeating.

The testimony of much of the church today is lacking one major thing and that is the application of the cross. We are lacking people who teach and preach the cross. God requires a crucified person to preach the cross.

If your church does not exalt, preach and teach the daily application of the cross; run, run, run away from it. If the cross is being correctly applied it will produce results. It will "melt" many people into Gods glory and chase others away. It will NOT be neutral on the big issues of the day.

A church where the application of the cross is central will be driven by the energy of the Spirit as opposed to the energy of the flesh.

A cross-central church will have a powerful Abrahamic expression to it, which is characterised in a heart for the Jew and Gentile. It will be keenly involved in the prophetic; it will have a pastoral and teaching ministry that is Bible-balanced, has a Hebraic flavour to it and will be regularly involved in missionary work and evangelism.

Prophetic application:

The Bible declares that in this day, there will be "multitudes in the valley of decision" The Bible declares that in these days "Truth will be cast down in the street" "The love of many will grow cold" and many will be "spewed out of the mouth of God"

As many reject the absolutes of the scriptures in favour of variable values, their lives will fall apart bit by bit.

Many will wake up and come searching for the truth. Yes the end time picture will be one of devastation, but it will also be a time of the salvation of very large numbers.

God will use those whom he has prepared for this great end time harvest.

Summary:

The testimony of God in our lives needs to be the testimony of the cross. It is the power of God.

Many churches today impart eloquent words, theory and concepts, but not deep life. They do not preach the cross in the spirit of the cross and their converts are spiritually sick and shallow. You can't transfer what you do not have! They have no spiritual authority.

The one who has no deep experience of what he proclaims is a counterfeit and a fraud.

We need to bear the cross we preach! This is the testimony full of clean power and authority.

2 Corinthians 4: 12 "Death works in us but life in you"

It's really only as the cross is allowed to burn deeply into our own lives that we can transfer resurrection life to others.

There is something about a person who has the marks of the cross on his life. You can't explain it in words really, but this person has deep spiritual reality within him. This person is a living testimony of the glory of God, who reigns supreme in him!

Heaven or hell:

They say that the eyes have it. They say that the eyes are a window into the soul. What is in your soul young girl? Is Yeshua / Jesus deeply rooted in your heart? If so...good, but you still need the work of the cross to clean out every "room" of your soul. Young girl in spite of what many say, heaven and hell are real! Don't gamble your life on it not being so!

Old man, you look like you've had a long stressed life. If you are still alive, you can turn that all around into glory, even now at your ripe old age! Your life has so much potential. Did you know that God has an incredible plan to make you a living testimony to those around you.?

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In closing here is a Marc Chagall impression of Job, turning to the Lord. He was a man of great suffering. Job 42: 5,6 "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my (spiritual) eye sees You, therefore I repent in dust and ashes." He lost everything, but as he came into God's plan the Bible says Job 42:10 "So the Lord restored Job's losses...The Lord blessed his latter days more than in the beginning" What a testimony!

Kind regards and many blessings...Shalom and grow in grace!