Unqualified Witnesses

This is an excerpt from "My People Are Destroyed for Lack of Knowledge" by Kathleen Maples

http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/2/2/727206/Its%20About%20Him%20pdf%20files/My%20People%20Are%20Destroyed%20For%20Lack%20of%20Knowledge.pdf

2Pe 3:17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness.

2Pe 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

Beloved, have you ever considered what the Lord means when He calls you Beloved? In the Greek, it is the word "Agapetos" and it means favorite, worthy of love, clearly and well loved and much loved, dear to the heart. May we pause a minute and meditate quietly in our hearts on that? In the New Testament this word is used to describe divine and Christian love toward each other and from God toward us. He is telling us something very important here, and I pray the Spirit of God will give us hearing ears to understand this. If you read all of Chapter 3 in 2 Peter, you understand that Peter has just described how the judgment of God will consume this earth with fire that will melt even the atmosphere and the planets.

He's described the unbelief that grips people's hearts, deceiving them into believing God will not judge their sin. This is the error of the wicked-they simply do not grasp or believe that God will judge them for their sin. This applies to us, as Christians as well. When I saw this, it was because HE showed it to me. I had to repent, too. People sit in churches for years, they amen the preacher, they sing the songs of praise, they lift their hands, they read their Bibles some, they pray some, they hear the Word of God taught, and that is the extent of their Christian experience. They are satisfied with that. Occasionally they will get convicted by a Word, weep and cry some at an altar for about 4 or 5 minutes, feel better about themselves, and are satisfied things are ok, and they would tell you if asked, that they keep the commandments of God as best they can. They would say they know it is wrong to disobey God and do not do so. But have we considered carefully and examined ourselves as we are exhorted to do? We aren't as obedient as we think we are.

God has been dealing with me about these things, and has sent me a solid confirmation of these things, through several messages preached by BH Clendennen. What I write here is the result of God dealing with me, personally. But I see the need in the church, as well. HE said in Luke 24:49 "Tarry until you be endued (clothed, infused with, covered with, filled with) power from on High." Acts 1:8 says we will receive power when the Holy Ghost comes upon us to be witnesses to Him throughout the world. Witnesses. That word means someone who sees and knows something firsthand. They get their revelation from the Lord Himself, they do not depend on the preacher. They seek the Lord. They know Him, or they are learning to know Him, for there is so much to know about HIM we could never know it all. In the Greek this word for witnesses is "martus" and it means martyr. It is one who has given their life up for Him, literally or figuratively. They have exchanged their old life for His new one. They do not live for self-but have yielded themselves for Him, to Him, to live through them. How can we represent Him accurately if we don't know Him? I know I sound like a broken record. These are not suggestions, but commands. If this is not our walk, and our life with Him, we are not being obedient. We don't have the strength to reject ourselves and crucify ourselves, that's why we must have the Holy Ghost. God knows that, but we need to know it. Saying it is one thing, recognizing the need is another. But when will "Get around to it"? I have been guilty of this-knowing my lack, knowing my need, just struggling along, knowing that almost mythical "someday" God will get me there. But there comes a time, when He is dealing with us, we need to stop and consider carefully the consequences if we don't walk in the light He is shining-the only alternative is to be overtaken by darkness. We can't hem and haw and make excuses and expect Him to just wait on us forever to get our act together. We can't get it together without HIM.

The church world has come to re-define some of the terminology of the Bible, for we've come to believe the word "witness" means to share the Gospel with someone-but by definition, you can not accurately share what you do not personally know to be true-in this case, Jesus Christ. That requires a sacrifice of our time, alone with Him in the prayer closet, in His Word, learning Him, feeding on Him, being filled with His Spirit and THEN we can be true witnesses of Him. We've come to think of conviction as a bad feeling for having done something wrong. In reality, to be convicted is to be found guilty of violating God's law. Without repentance, there is only judgment left. Ephesians 5:18 says "Be filled with the Spirit" and the word implies a continual filling, not a one time thing. Stay filled with the Spirit is what He is telling us. If we are not tarrying, waiting, seeking and praying, and learning Him, and being filled with His Spirit, baptized by the Holy Ghost and fire, we are disobedient and unqualified witnesses.

Peter has reminded us how the Lord doesn't want anyone to perish but these things are coming and we see the signs of their approach happening all around us. The scoffers are scoffing, the ignorant are willfully ignorant, refusing to consider the truth, but the Word of the Lord is still forever settled in heaven and cannot change. Toward the end of chapter 3, Peter, knowing by the power of the Spirit that such thoughts and such knowledge of what will happen will be a tool of the enemy to incite fear in the heart of the believer, he reminds them to be alert, and remember they are beloved of God, and must grow in grace and follow on to know the Lord for themselves. It's in knowing HIM that we find this peace and security. To mature we need to eat the Word and pray for understanding. If we do not understand how this Word of God applies to us, we cannot profit from it as God intends. As we do this on a regular basis, we grow, we mature. The more we see and learn of HIM the more we will hunger for Him. As John said, I must decrease, and He must increase. Before there can be an increase of His life in me, I must empty myself of self-and to do that I need the help of the Holy Ghost. I cannot do this myself. It is vitally necessary that we KNOW HIM for ourselves.

Into the Holy of Holies

I recently heard the Times Square Church choir in New York City singing the song "Take Me Into the Holy of Holies" and I was so gripped by this song..they only sang one verse and the chorus, but it gripped my heart and stirred this ever increasing hunger for God in my heart even more..One day at work I was singing this song and the Lord gave me another verse and I wanted to share...


Take Me In to the Holy of Holies
Take me past the outer court
into Your Holy Place
past the brazen altar
Lord, I want to see Your face
pass me by the crowds of people
and the priests who sing their praise
I hunger and thirst for Your righteousness
but it's only found in one place

so take me in to the Holy of Holies
take me in by the blood of the Lamb
take me in to the Holy of Holies
take the coal, cleanse my lips,
here I am

Take me past empty religion
its traditions and its ways
past the human reasoning
that tries to take Your Spirit's place
take me past the crowds of people
that will only go so far
I hunger and thirst to go all the way
right into where You are

So take me in to the Holy of Holies
take me in by the blood of the Lamb
take me in to the Holy of Holies
Lord, it's not enough anymore
to be where I am.

The song says take me past the outer court (where the casually curious are) and past the brazen altar (where people pray to God,) cos Lord I want to see Your Face, (which He told Moses would kill him to see), past the crowds of people and priests who sing your praise. I know music definitely is a form of expression of worship, and has it's place, but that doesn't do it for me, either. I know that sounds ironic because I just said I heard this song I'd never heard before and it's gripped my heart...but because of what it SAYS not how it sounds.

I'm hungry for YOU Lord, Your righteousness, to be so filled with YOU, that I am consumed, possessed, fully by YOU. To be intimate with YOU, to be so close to you we are joined together (1 Cor 6:17) to see YOU and finally DIE to everything but YOU and your will! I'm not satisfied with just church and little 5 minute prayers and singing, like most people are I want more, I know there is more-YOU said if I delight in the Lord, in YOU, You'd give me the desires of my heart.... and that desire is YOU Lord! I don't want empty religion that has no power of Your Presence, just an appearance of godliness! I don't want flesh or human thinking trying to do the work only the Holy Spirit can do, I want to be where You are because YOU are a consuming fire and will burn up the chaff!!! HALLELUJAH!!!

It was the Priest in the Old Testament who killed the sacrifice and offered it to God. Is not Christ our High Priest? Every sacrifice had to be brought to the door of the Tabernacle to be slain, then put on the altar and offered. Jesus is the Door. We can't crucify ourselves anymore than He could Himself. But if we sincerely hunger and thirst to know Him, that attraction, that lure to the prize of just knowing HIM, will become more vital to us than those things we clutch like little children, not wanting to release. When we come to the Door, and the Holy Spirit takes the sacrifice (us) and shows us a revelation of Jesus Christ-just like He did Isaiah (Isa_6:1-7) it's going to kill us. It's going to show how pathetic and how foolish are all our attempts to "dress holiness, look holiness, talk holiness, be holiness".

All these things are done in the name of religion, for the only way to truly be holiness unto the Lord is to be filled with the Spirit of Jesus Christ-that precious Holy Ghost who cares not for things of this world, but the souls of men, and that Jesus Christ be glorified, and on display for this hurting and lost world to see. Then, the motivation for what we do and how we look will be rooted in truth and reverence for this Holy God we love because He has brought us down to despair and death by showing us how hopelessly inadequate and different we are from Him, and yet He loves us. We owe Him everything! We are fools if we hold back anything from His Lordship! We give up the pathetic things of this temporary life that are corruptible and He gives us that which is glorious and incorruptible-the knowledge of and intimate friendship with Himself! What could be more precious? NOTHING!!!

Aren't you getting hungry to know Him? Aren't you dissatisfied with the same old routine in church? Aren't you tired of empty seats in the House of God, while sin and the devil wreak havoc in the lives of those you know and love? The secret power is knowing HIM, being filled with HIM!! The devil could not run over the disciples, over Paul, because like he said "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?" The seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19 were just being religious but they didn't know HIM. They hadn't surrendered to Him. Those who fully surrender to HIM-when the devil comes, like Jesus said, he finds nothing in them he can exploit. In short, he runs smack into a wall.

The definition of insanity is for the church to continue in her routine and expect different results. You watch the young people flee out the doors as soon as they're old enough to do so, you see the services all turn out pretty much the same. People let any excuse keep them out of the House of God, because they feel they won't miss anything or it's not important for them to be there. Occaisionally somebody will get a momentary relief and begin to cry and get emotional and lift their hands to heaven, but the next day that pressure is back. I'm sick of it all. Knowing Jesus Christ is the secret power and the secret place! The Church can't show a needy world Christ if she doesn't know Him herself! That is what the world needs to see is CHRIST on display in His house not flesh, not the preacher! That intimate knowledge of HIM in the hearts and minds and lives of His Bride will put a glow on her face, a spring in her step, a smile in her eyes, and confidence and authority in her words. But, there is a cost. You must give up everything you are and count it as dung, so you may know HIM and become as He is in this world. Being like Jesus will cost you dearly.

Do you love Him more than these things you hold on to? Is He not more precious than anything else? YES....it takes faith to bring yourself to the Door and trust that when He sees the sincerity of your heart, He will give you that revelation of Himself that will kill the sacrifice. It will kill all hope of ever finding anything good enough in yourself to bring to Him. It will kill all hope of ever making it to heaven in your own strength or by religious works. It will kill all desire to be anything but His. Hallelujah to the Lamb of GOD!!! Take Me In, Lord, please take me In!!!To my heart, this is pure worship....not being satisfied with anything but HIM, hungering for nothing but HIM....Please, don't anyone missunderstand, I am not castigating the church, or throwing off on it. I just see her need for HIM..I know not every church fits what I said above, but too many do. He alone is the answer...we must get out of the way and seek Him until He so fills us He is all that is left.