Most of us would bear the testimony that it was not of our own accord that we left our structured fellowships or Institutional Churches as it is commonly called among those that have migrated to home based fellowships or far more modest fellowships in their various forms.
For some this is not the case as there are varied testimonies as to why they have left; some for good reasons, some for selfish reasons, and some for no apparent reason. However God is able to overcome us all so the reasons are not of great significance as in the days to come as prophesied in Malachi 3:18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
This time spoken of and the process of its fulfillment I believe has
begun
and that in coming years the contrast of the wicked and the just will
be
more easily discernible not by only the actions of the wicked but of
the spirit which they speak by; though carefully concealed at times, and
already
for many these words ring true like a bell in a church steeple.
I believe this is the intent for the migration:
There were a people grieved in spirit moved by the Spirit to find those of like mind; those who sought with their whole heart to put their hands to the plow as it were and never look back . A group that could find no comfort in compromise that yearned above all things to be found in Him blameless and working at His appearing being full of faith.
This group was heard by the Lord in their cries to Him day and night and He wept for them and for their lamentations that He heard. The Lord began to speak to them, He began to teach them and then He began to lead them to a safe place and He began to give them Bread to eat and Water to drink that they may not grow hungry and faint but that they would grow strong like planted trees giving much fruit and shade in their season. So He planted them in His garden to make both shade and bring forth fruit in due season making a place for a season that would yet come.
When the season for which the Lord had prepared had fully come a strong wind came and blew against the old gardens from which His plantings had come to Him . They were dying trees in this garden with little Water they had few leaves to protect from the sun what fruit they did bear. The Lord was soon to call His harvesters so He was concerned about the dying trees which He had made though they refused His care, His Water and His calling to His garden in seasons past. Soon the winds increased, the sun waxed hotter day by day and the wells became polluted and began to dry up, more and more and little by little like persecution it came increasing day by day. Not long after the trees began to whither and drop their fruit and bearing the sorrow of having no fruit at harvest the trees began to cry to the Lord in fear saying; wherein is the clean Water that we may drink and wherein is the shade that we may find shelter from this indignation ? The Lord said to them; From the beginning I have known you and from the beginning I have chosen you that you would bear fruit in your season; come also to My garden there I will give you Water to drink and there I have prepared for you shade that your fruit should not perish, there I will plant you in My garden of renown that you might live.
So the Lord rushed to bring the dying trees into His garden that He
had prepared for them in the seasons past but many of the trees refused
to be
moved to His garden for their roots were buried deep near the wells
without
water, they feared their roots tearing and they had held revered places
in this garden with promises of the garden dressers that there would be
safety
in this garden for them. So the Lord moved quickly to plant the dying
trees in His garden ; He moved quickly for the sake of all He had redeemed,
the
former planting and the new; side by side.
The first garden the Lord had planted was well cared for; with the trees crying for much Water and receiving it the Lord was able to prune their dead branches without their resistance as the trees had become mature and strong having entered the garden of the Lord. Soon the Lord came with the dying trees badly burned from the persecuting winds and sun planting them gently in the shade of His trees from seasons past. The former trees rejoiced and repented of their sorrows borne from leaving the garden of the past and the shade of those trees which was once their safety. The dying trees also rejoiced in that the Lord had prepared a place for them though they had not sought one and all the trees rejoiced together as one. Not long after the dying trees began to flourish with Water from the Lord, leaves quickly grew and the trees pollinated one another; both plantings receiving prunings from the Lord and bearing fruit; all the while weathering the intense winds and hot sun the dying garden was perishing from .The garden was truly a garden of renown a planting of the Lord and the Lord was well pleased with this.
Not long afterwards the old garden began to bow down low and its fruit rotted and fell off ;now was the season of harvest . The weather became
worse and worse and the dying trees with their dressers began to curse
the
Lord and His garden . When the harvesters arrived they found the trees
without fruit and cursing the Lord without hesitation the harvesters
pulled up the trees by the roots and threw them into the fire. The Lords
planting had also been harvested both the former and latter plantings together as one both receiving the same reward. They rejoiced in Him
there
and they called Him "Lord of the Harvest" !
Story of Joseph and his brothers .
Joseph was a preserver of life that went through the land teaching everyone how to plant, harvest and store up corn. When the famine came in all the world Joseph's brothers came to Him to buy corn (word) and Joseph said to them that they would not see His face until they brought their brother Benjamin. When Benjamin returned with his brothers Jesus recognized Benjamin; hid Himself and wept but Benjamin did not recognize Jesus because he did not reveal Himself to them. Joseph chose Benjamin who was to be a "preserver of life" to his brethren but He did not reveal Himself until after He had put His cup in Benjamin's sack and that is where we are headed ultimately; His cup in our sack.
Why did Joseph put the cup in Benjamin's sack? That they might have fellowship in His suffering which they shared because of the seed which their father had sown; meaning they were brothers of the same seed. Both of Jacob towards the brothers of his seed; and of God towards Christ and His brethren of His seed also.
Ro:9:8: That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.Perhaps that is hard for us to understand to a degree but if we just say yes that will suffice until understanding is given to us.
The very people we have been railing against; though we claim it is the system are not immune to being hurt because our intentions are to slay a now subtle demonic influence (though its workings are increasing). Because of this we think we do justice but I beg of you to consider whether our actions and words are conducive to the Lords calling of these whom will be our brethren to the end. As the Lords calls them we stone them and they lie trapped in the gate of the city.Those very people we have been so viscous in regards to are the very ones God had on His heart when He called us out and that gathering for preservation continues to this day but in our actions we kick against the goads and are found to be fighting God.
There is a reason why the migration is stunted and the reason is us. We are not yet able to care for them, as we have yet to learn to plant, to harvest and to store. Today if the system were to go into a rush and begin to show itself so as to be more evident to our brethren and they began to flee, it would be a short time before they too ran out of food. What food will they be eating ? Our fruit; which is the also the Bread of Heaven and we are yet to possess it in regards to storing up and even greater because of our pomp they will know our storage bins are empty before they even get the call to come out.
God has not ordained His bride to produce in the world a last days group of Ishmaels but He is yearning for a fruit after his kind. There are preparations that are ordained for us (meaning the entire body) and the matters that are to be resolved in us are the next part of this post hence the title.
The thought, searching and desparity that my next post might bring if you decide to hear will bring us to the last post and also to where we are being led. Yet it is for you to decide if this is the heart of God.
Why is He doing this ?
"To save much people alive" !
Refuse not !
We speak of IC and we speak of HC but whom among us in the same sentence when we rail against it confess to have the mind of Christ at the end of our railings? If you haven't made that statement or ever thought it in contemplation then I invite you to contemplate it and then check your hearts response when you think of speaking or writing that it is the mind of Christ in all the varied references we assign to them. Whom on the outside of both could distinguish between the two according to our speech? Does our speech in these regards bear the Testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ or is this also something we have learned in error?
Listen everyone if your heart condemns you when you do this or if you
have not the confidence to declare it to be the mind of Christ in regards
to the
spirit of your speech and the substance of things which you speak of;
then
who has the pre-eminence among us when we carry on so ?
Jon:4:9: And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.
Jon:4:10: Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for that which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:
Jon:4:11: And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?
And should not I spare sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern
between
their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?
Gods heart for the IC ?(Institutional Church)
Gods heart for the HC ?(House Church)
Is there partiality in Him ?
Do we ever stop to think that according to our speech one might ascertain the grace of God ceased after He gave us the revelation of the Church or Him or whatever drove us out? Did the Love and Grace of God cease after we were called out? If not; then why dont we continue in that love seeing that it abides in us to this day? For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
About now is when the preparations for the arguments are coming in steady flow and some are beginning to burn with anger in their heart; so this would be a good time for the same to recognize something is amiss and mortar is falling from your walls. But what is it that is shaking your walls ? Simple words to which you do not yet agree and by them alone you are moved in your heart to transgression and ready with all malice to make known the wisdom of God; which your heart testifies you are yet to receive of; because by these words you have been made to stumble. This is not the wisdom which is from above but it is what many of us including myself have falsely called wisdom.Herein lies an example of the many places we enter folly through what we falsely call knowledge and we know it is false because we are puffed up; that proven by the pride that has surfaced in our hearts and yet we are told that it is love that edifies. Where are our hearts ?
Many such things do we do in our lives and many such things do we perpetrate against one another here and even elude to it being innocent debate to sort it out so to say but the truth being that we are yet to know the simplest things in regards to Christ as we ought to know them; yes even the very foundations have we forsaken for knowledge yet never coming to the knowledge of the Truth as He said He was.
There must be a time in which these things must be revealed to the Church if it is ever to fulfill scripture, and we know it will but is this the generation in which those things will be made known to; and will He be fulfilled in us? If we have ears to hear it will be made known and if we will take eye salve rather than offense and turn our hearts in this generation we the Church will be made whole; but have you counted the cost? Brethren if indeed we had counted the cost we would not have already spent so much in waste. Oh dont you see? Have we become so blind that we dont know the glory of God from a root of bitterness and cannot discern which we shall choose? Do you love me Peter? He says !
For the knowledge we pursue and the contentions we enter we lose grip
of
hope for the fullness of Christ manifest today and all the while our
hearts have always beared witness that it is we; who are wretched, and miserable,
and poor, and blind, and naked and many have cried all the nights because
of it.This is the condition of the Church not only we who read this but
it is
manifest in us as a whole and it brings Him sorrow because it should
not be
so.
We have done well to believe on Him but the time is now that we know
Him
whom we have believed on and put down our pretenses in approaching
Him that
we may indeed be partakers of His divine nature. In spirit and in truth.
Can we bear the light ?
More than that; can we any longer bear that the light that is in us
is
darkness ? I cant anymore !
Hear this for the first time again;
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of
the
knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss
of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,And be found
in
him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that
which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by
faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the
fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
Look to our speech; look to our conduct and why is it so dark? Has the love of God ceased or again I say as before : Is it the Plowman who refrains or is it him who is yoked that refuses to be led? When will our conversation take the form of that of priests and stop trying to compel yet another generation to be circumcised through our gospel without love so they too may escape persecution for the sake of the cross? Hasn't it been enough ?
We think ourselves to be so different by virtue of the form of our fellowship and the precepts contained in them thinking they hold the key or greater significance to the revelation of Christ and this is again dare I say it; the blind leading the blind both being; even today; in a ditch. Our speech is seasoned in where , how , whom is or isn't leading, meals or wafers, central control or autonomy, ekklesia or IC, women speaking or hushed, tithe or dont tithe, trib or rapture, whore of Babylon or ignorant, pulpit or easy chair and all the while passing over love, godliness, self control, long suffering, meekness, temperance, holiness, judgment, grace, obedience, reverence,wisdom, forgiveness and above all repentance; confessing all the while separation, election, giftings, abiding, joy, peace and safety. We hold conferences to resolve our doctrines that we might appear as being one and yet it is the Love of God that commands it all and will set all things in order over His church and this we reject as being too costly compromising to manufacture a form of the gospel that is in our estimation; safely in line with scripture all because we have not the love of God in and through our lives to be seen and read of all men leaving us as being poured out as living sacrifices and rather than bear the shame of confessing we are sick and stopping everything to seek the face of God as though we were one in heart; we instead fight to be a voice; and that voice crying; above all else;
"We are the glorious ones" !
Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness.....
I shudder !
Let a man confessing godliness consider these things !
These things we lack are the very things He said we would be known
by !
Doesnt that strike anyone as odd ?
There is a reason for it all !
Why don't we ever discuss these things ?
To The Brook Kidron !
We are not without hope and not without the long-suffering of God but it is time for us to move now with Him. The discomfort many of us are experiencing in this and past seasons is this call to move. We simply dont recognize where we are going and we are kicking against the goads.
Let us understand what it is to truly suffer outside the gate being obedient unto death; lets no longer return reviling for reviling, evil for evil but let us understand that we have an inheritance and a destiny rich in reward that should encourage us to be like minded with Christ; if we would indeed lay hold the hope of that reward perhaps we would gain a little confidence in the things He said we must suffer if we desire to live godly in Him.
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his Lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?
In this generation from whom do we believe our deeds have been hidden? None; we have for centuries been in darkness and the fact that we are the only ones who think this not true should tell us something about the following words and how in truth we see and with what eyes we have seen. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! But again in this too we should have confidence to enter through the veil not only for the forgiveness of sin but also for help in our time of need which help we have if you are able to receive it.
In all these things there is a Man waiting our return to our first Love even Him Himself and because I am confident in Him and His great love for me I am able to open my eyes and see what He sees in me and knowing with all assurance His desire is towards me and because it is He affords me a measure of the light in which I may know which way I should walk. Is it so that I may be condemned ? Not at all; we are afforded that light that we may keep walking and that walk being in Him. Who but Him knows the way to the feast? For this feast let us commit all our ways to Him that in His care we may be found in Him; not with our own righteousness that we yet commit to fulfillment in the letter of the Law but the righteousness which is by faith in Christ, that faith also giving us confidence in the things we would suffer for His sake; even that suffering that we will endure being born out of the love of God for all men which is contrary to them and them to us if we abide in Him.
There has begun to be heard a cry in the Church to know why it seems He has left. That cry; coming from despair; wondering how long we would bear this sorrow and then a cry wondering for how long He could bear our same tears and not be overcome with them. It is not that we have been left dead altogether but having tasted in the past pure times in Him and in gaining understanding it would seem inevitable that we realize when we look in the mirror that His image is not reflected back . I speak of the Church. Yet even with that view I am grateful and comforted knowing the same pains are felt by my brethren all over; telling me that He is still joining us together despite us; and that being evident in our shared distress for lack of his fullness in us both individually and as the Body. This same group was heard by the Lord in their cries to Him day and night and He wept for them and for their lamentations that He heard. This is the cry of the Church, of them that hunger and thirst :
Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee. My beloved has gone to His garden, To the beds of spices, To feed His flockin the gardens, And to gather lilies, I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine, He feeds His flock among the lilies.
When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples over the Brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered. We are here even now if we will hear that we need to cross the brook and enter the garden that we all thought we had passed through already. The place we have been through was only the gate the city. Only now to hear these words before crossing the brook :Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with.And if we receive chastisement as sons and hear this call to enter the garden where He feeds us let us remember these words :Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
In these last days this is the place in which we will have fellowship with Him but let us find wisdom in Him to know that in that place we will know also the fellowship of His sufferings which is that "cup"and today there is no other way and no other place in which he will be found in His fullness.
In January of this year I heard something I have read many times over
but
this time it was directed at me and to the Church. He said that I knew
nothing yet as I ought to know ! I am confident that we will all discover this to be true as a whole; as from January until now that word has
proven
too true for me not to be grateful for.
This hour is near !
Bring them to my garden !
Prepare for my cup !
| Blazing Trails Too
('initial' dissertations/ leaving IC) |
Onward and Upward
(for the trouble spots afterwards) |
