Tuesday 29 July 2008

Cal Pierce on Unbelief

"Unbelief isn't not believing the truth. It's believing the lie." 

Cal Pierce, Director of the Healing Rooms Ministries

Monday 28 July 2008

Rob Rufus on the Anointing and the Glory

"You work hard in the anointing but when you get into the glory it is effortless. The anointing is empowering man to do ministry but the glory is God turning up - the glory realm is the realm of the supernatural - it's the realm of healing".

Rob Rufus - "A Covenant of Grace" - Newfrontiers Europe Conference - Session 1 - 10 May 2008.

Sunday 27 July 2008

Todd Bentley on Open Heaven!

"When the heavens are open, we have free access to everything in the heavenly realms, a free flow of God's abundant graces and ministry power".

Todd Bentley - "The Reality of the Supernatural World" - Destiny Image Publications (2008) - (p169).

Rob Rufus on the Gospel - Belief and Living

"The Gospel is not right living - it's right believing. When you believe right you will also begin to live right. But if you aspire to live right without believing the wonder of this Gospel you will come under law and you will see the glory of God begin to fade".

Rob Rufus - "A Covenant of Grace" - Newfrontiers Europe Conference - Session 1 - 10 May 2008.

Rob Rufus on Sin vs the New Covenant

"If your sin could stop the favour of God on your life then your sin is more powerful than God's New Covenant".

Rob Rufus - "A Covenant of Grace" - Newfrontiers Europe Conference - Session 1 - 10 May 2008.

Todd Bentley and C J Mahaney on Different Views on Humility

When asked how he is doing, C J Mahaney replies; "Better than I deserve".

When asked how he is doing, Todd Bentley replies; "Truly blessed and highly favoured of the Lord!".

Todd Bentley - "The Reality of the Supernatural Word" - Destiny Image Publications (2008) - p167

Saturday 26 July 2008

Bill Johnson on Christians tolerating suffering and sickness

"The sufferings of Jesus were realized in the persecution He endured and in the burden He carried for people. He did not suffer with disease. That must be removed from our idea of Christian suffering. It is vain to carry something under the guise of the will of God when it is something that He purchased that He might destroy its power over us. An additional concept to remember is that He suffered that we might not have to suffer. For example, He bore stripes on His body applied by a Roman soldier so that they could become His payment for our healing. 
If this suffering of His was insufficient, then what did it accomplish? This error, if carried through, brings the whole issue of conversion and forgiveness of sins into question. It's true that the sufferings of Jesus are not yet complete, but they have to do with our call to righteous living in an unrighteous world. This brings pressure upon our lives that range from the realm of persecution for living for Christ to the burdens we bear as intercessors before our heavenly Father where we plead the case of the lost. 
There are few prophetic declarations that are more appropriate for this hour than this word from Hosea: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." -Hosea 4:6 
Ignorance that exalts itself with a false sense of accomplishment for meeting religious requirements is one of our greatest enemies. For ignorance creates tolerance. And what we tolerate dominates.
When we allow sickness, torment, and poverty to be thought of as the God-ordained tools He uses to make us more like Jesus, we have participated in a very shameful act. There is no doubt He can use them, as He is also known to be able to use the devil himself for His purposes. (He can win with a pair of twos.) But to think these things are released into our lives through His design, or that He approved such things, is to undermine the work at Calvary. To do so one must completely disregard the life of Christ and the purpose of the cross. None of us would say that He died for my sins but still intends that I should be bound by sin habits. Neither did He pay for my healing and deliverance so I could continue in torment and disease. His provision for such things is not figurative: it is actual. 
Furthermore, it dishonors the Lord to disregard His work in order to justify our difficulty to believe for the impossible. It is time to own up to the nature of the gospel and preach it for what it is. It is the answer for every dilemma, conflict, and affliction on the planet. Declare it with boldness, and watch Him invade Earth once again."
(scriptures referred to; Isaiah 53:4-5, Colossians 1:24-the word for affliction in this verse is not sickness. It means to put under pressure, as when grapes are crushed for wine or olives for olive oil. Righteous living put us under pressures that bring out the inward anointing and joy of the Holy Spirit., Acts 4:28-29)

Friday 25 July 2008

Bill Johnson on God is looking for those He can trust

"God has combined the ultimate quest with the promised outpouring of the Spirit because the ones He intends to clothe with the same anointing that rested upon His Son are those who have the same heart for the face of God that Jesus possessed. Only those with His heart can be trusted to use His power for its intended purpose - to represent Him in all His glory and goodness. This is our challenge - and our destiny."

Bill Johnson, "Face to face with God. The ultimate quest to experience His presence."

Bill Johnson on responding to God's face in the outpouring of His Spirit

"Not all can recognize God's face in the outpouring of His Spirit. When the rain of the Spirit comes, most people fixate on the effects of the storm and miss the One revealed in the cloud. The extreme joy, the weeping, the shaking and trembling, the visions and dreams, the healing, the deliverance, and the manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit, including tongues and prophecy, all are revelations of His face. Some people love these manifestations, and some people reject them. But the sobering thing to realize is that our response to the move of the Spirit is not a response to manifestations. Rather, it is a response to the face of God. To reject the move of the Spirit of God is to reject the face of God." 

Bill Johnson, "Face to Face with God. The ultimate quest to experience His Presence."

Bill Johnson on God's face revealed in the outpouring of His Spirit

"God made a promise that combined two of the greatest experiences for the believer contained in the whole Bible - the outpouring of the Spirit and the encounter with His face. As we will see, they are in essence one and the same. He put it this way, "I will not hide My face from them any  longer, for I will have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,' declares the Lord God" (Ezekiel 39:29). In this declaration, this extraordinary promise has been linked together with fulfillment of the ultimate quest
This is stunning news - God's face is revealed in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit! When the Holy Spirit comes in power to transform lives, churches, and cities, the face of God is within reach. His face expresses the heart of who He is and what He is like." 

Bill Johnson - "Face to Face with God. The ultimate quest to experience His Presence." 



Wednesday 23 July 2008

Sam Storms on the Balance in Visions and Dreams

"This is obviously a delicate and important balance for us to maintain. On the one hand, we should not dismiss or diminish the importance of the supernatural and revelatory encounters that God provides for certain of his saints. On the other hand, neither should we elevate them to supreme importance or treat them as if they alone, more so than character and conduct, authenticate the legitimacy of one's calling and ministry from God".

Sam Storms - "Of Visions and Revelations - 2 Corinthians 12:1" - Enjoying God Ministries website - Email - Wednesday, July 23, 2008.

Sam Storms on Visions Edifying the Church

"It simply isn't possible to read Peter and Paul and fail to notice that they believed revelatory gifts and other miraculous phenomena were of great benefit in edifying the body of Christ. It's true, of course, that Paul didn't speak often of his supernatural experiences. However, we should always be careful in drawing unwarranted conclusions about the normative character of an event based on the frequency with which it is mentioned. There is only one occasion where Paul mentions that he himself speaks in tongues (1 Cor. 14:18), yet he obviously spoke in tongues regularly, perhaps on a daily basis in his private devotions (1 Cor. 14:19). In other words, "lack of frequent reference does not necessarily mean lack of frequent experience".

Sam Storms - "Of Visions and Revelations - (2 Corinthians 12:1)" - Enjoying God Ministries website - Email - Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Sam Storms on Visions and Revelations

"Visions and revelations are related but not synonymous. The word "revelation" is the broader term, "visions" being but one of many ways that a revelation might be given to a person. A vision is always seen whereas a revelation might come in the form of an audible voice, an internal impression, an angelic encounter of some sort, a dream, a trance state, or a word or image disclosed to the mind of a believer. Thus whereas all visions are revelations, not all revelations are visions.

Some have actually argued that "visions" and "revelations" are unimportant, perhaps even dangerous, and that they lack the capacity to build up the church or to encourage believers. May I simply remind you that Peter declared on the day of Pentecost, citing Joel's prophecy, that the seeing of "visions" was to be a characteristic feature of the outpouring of the Spirit in the last days, i.e., in the present church age".

Sam Storms - "Of Visions and Revelations - (2 Corinthians 12:1)" - Enjoying God Ministries - Email - Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Friday 11 July 2008

Rob Rufus on the Gift of Tongues

"I believe tongues is the entrance into the spirit realm. Paul says that when he prays in other tongues he does not speak to men but speaks mysteries unto God. 1 Corinthians 14: 4: “He that prays in other tongues edifies or charges his spirit up.” You know how I feel after one hour of praying in tongues? I feel ready to take on the world. My Spirit can get so run down and do you know that if your Spirit is run down it will affect your soul and your body? Do you know that your immune system is affected by the vitality in your Spirit? The Book of James says that when your Spirit leaves your body, your body dies. As soon as your Spirit leaves your earth suit, your earth suit has no energy to keep it alive.

It is your Spirit that is the mysterious power that is keeping your body alive? If your Spirit runs down; its batteries get low, your energy levels within your Spirit become so depleted that it affects your immune system, your emotions, your soul, your intellect, and your perspective on life.

So, when you pray in unknown tongues, the Bible says you edify your Spirit. I know that most times when I get ‘flu it isn’t because I was out in the cold, it is because my Spirit’s energy is run down by giving out, giving out, giving out until I don’t have inner strength to help my body and my soul maintain life. That is often why sickness and disease comes on people. I believe that if our Spirit was full of the anointing every day and we prayed in tongues regularly, we would avoid most illness. Paul said, “I pray in tongues more than all of you” “I wish you would all pray in tongues” he said to the Corinthians.

There is no formula attached to this. Sometimes I pray two to three hours and nothing happens. Sometimes I have prayed for five minutes and everything has happened. So there is not formula to this but I as a regular lifestyle I think it is wise to pray regularly in tongues. Just build your Spirit up".

Rob Rufus - "A Lion Anointing" - City Church International, Hong Kong - Sunday 20th October 2004

Thursday 10 July 2008

Rob Rufus on the Signs of an Apostle

"One of the signs of an apostle is signs, wonders and miracles. Not someone who talks about them or runs around the world trying to teach other people how to plant churches. Not someone who is a conference speaker or a co-ordinator but someone who actually goes into the frontline pioneering zone where the Gospel hasn't been and breaks in with signs, wonders and miracles! Another sign of an apostle is someone who speaks boldly the message of grace. It is not a title - it has substance behind it".

Rob Rufus - "Session 3 - Sydney Glory and Grace Conference" - 26th March 2008.

Wednesday 9 July 2008

Rob Rufus on the Florida Outpouring Critics

"I don't want to listen to people criticising the Florida Outpouring if they are not seeing the same amount of healings. If you are against that then show me what you are doing! If all you can give me is head knowledge from the Bible then don't come near me - I don't want to be associated with you. You have a form of godliness but you deny the power".

Rob Rufus - "Sunday Morning - Miracle Healing Weekend" - City Church International, Hong Kong - Sunday 22nd June 2008.

Mark Driscoll on Newfrontiers

"The Newfrontiers folks are a very healthy mix of Word and Spirit. They love the Bible and the leading of God the Holy Spirit. Sometimes in the States those who are charismatic are negatively influenced by health and wealth teachers who say that, in essence, if you have enough faith you do not need to be like Jesus and endure pain or poverty.

In contrast, somehow the folks I am meeting from around the world who are connected to Newfrontiers have a healthy biblical reformed theology complemented with an active and biblical view of the person and work of the Holy Spirit and exercise of all spiritual gifts. I have always believed in the perpetuity of all the spiritual gifts (including such things as tongues and prophecy) but have not had much experience in seeing them exercised biblically, so being in circles like this is very insightful and instructive".

Mark Driscoll - "London Calling - Part 1" - The Resurgence blog - 7th July 2008.

Rob Rufus on Responding to the Touch of God

"The depth of the touch will determine the depth of the response and evidentially many Christians haven't been touched by His response because they are sitting in pews Sunday after Sunday and hindering the flow of the Spirit with their religious attitudes!".

Rob Rufus - "Sunday Morning - Miracle Healing Weekend" - City Church International, Hong Kong - Sunday 22nd June 2008.

Terry Virgo on Miracles Today!

"There are some who argue that signs and wonders ceased when the Scriptures were closed. But we believe God wants to do things to confirm and affirm his Word. Some are saying that it is not for today. Jesus told us that we would do the same things he did. He has received the Holy Spirit and all authority, and he now sends the Spirit and says, “Go and do the things that I do!”


Terry Virgo - "Main Session 1" - "Together on a Mission 2008" - Wednesday 8th July 2008 (HT: Adrian Warnock).