Preparing the Bride of Christ For His Return By Janet Van Hierdan
A Tale of Two Brides is now available on Amazon.com:
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Another
Coffee Break:
Going Beyond, Part 10
January 16, 2015
Let me share a
"funny" with you as we get underway today. I've mentioned our six-year-old
granddaughter, Jasmine, a couple of times over the past months. One night not too long ago, I was praying with
Jasmine as she was going to bed. Because
she'd had something of a rough day, I decided to pray with her in the
Spirit. We started off praying together
(she was following me) in English. When
we reached a certain point, I switched and began praying in tongues.
When I finished praying, she
looked at me and said, "Grandpa, what language was that?" I answered her that I didn't have any
idea. That made no sense to her so she
dug a little bit further. "How can
you pray in a language you don't know?"
"I yield to the Holy Spirit and He prays through me. When that happens He prays through me with
exactly the right words that need to be said."
Jasmine smiled, looked a bit
quizzically at me, and then said, "Grandpa, I like it when you do
that! It feels really good!" Ever since that, whenever I've prayed with
her, she often specifically asks that I "use that Angel
language!" Kids!! They sure get it -- and often way ahead of
adults!
It was back in 1949 in Rockford, Illinois,
at an Oral Roberts tent crusade that I first heard the phrase, “Point of
Contact.” In the years that followed,
this phrase would become a central theme of Oral Roberts’ ministry. It was not
until the 1970’s, however, that the impact of what he was teaching really
struck home for me. We’ve all become
familiar with the statement in the general epistle of James in which he writes:
James 5:14-15, KJV: "Is any sick among you? let him call for the
elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the
name of the Lord: And the
prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he
have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him."
What
is missing in the KJV translation is a direct statement that the “praying over”
someone incorporates the laying on of hands.
The more accurate way to read this statement from the Greek is like
this:
“Are there
any sick or infirm among you? let them pray, laying hands upon him, anointing
him with oil (and rubbing the oil into him) in the onoma (the character, the
makeup, the very essence and nature) of the Lord: And the covenant command (in
prayer) of faith shall save, heal, deliver and make whole the sick, and the
Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be totally
eradicated from him.” (RAC Translation
and Amplification)
What
James is getting at is that there is “a point of contact” between the Lord
(through those praying and laying on hands) and the individual who is sick or
suffering. That point of contact becomes
the nexus where the power of God moves directly into the individual,
eradicating and eliminating both the disease or sickness — AND the sin which
brought about that sickness in the first place.
Oral
Roberts’ revelation of “the point of contact” revolutionized his ministry, and
acting in faith, he literally laid hands on tens of thousands of individuals. In every service of his that I ever attended,
every single individual was healed.
Blind eyes were opened, deaf ears were unstopped, people who had never
been able to speak suddenly had their voices and could talk, cancers fell off,
large growths (goiters) vanished in an instant, and in some cases, people
suddenly lost 50—100 pounds of excess weight.
(That was a bit humorous because you saw men and women suddenly grabbing
at now grossly-oversize clothing that was falling off.)
[This
environment of faith, incidentally, is the environment in which Kenneth
Copeland developed his ministry.]
The
actual contact between those praying in faith, and those receiving their
healing, deliverance, and wholeness can be described as “the nexus of
faith.” It is the point at which the
physical power and the authority of God are released into the receiving
individual.
In
previous studies, we have talked about faith as being the actual “transporter
mechanism” which carries and moves God’s power from the heavenlies into this
time-space realm, making that realm manifest for all who witness it.
But
there’s more to it than that!
Most
of us have watched Paul Keith Davis, or Chuck Pierce, or one of the other
prophetic teachers at the end of their time of teaching when they begin to lay
hands on the people as Holy Spirit directs them. Paul Keith frequently will say to the people,
“I’m being directed to impart this anointing (for whatever area of impartation
Holy Spirit happens to be emphasizing at that moment) to you, and I’d like for
you to form a line in front.” He
subsequently has other brethren join him as he either walks across the front
laying hands on one person after another, or has people simply pass in front of
him as he lays hands on them.
Sharing
on a recent Sunday in Fort Worth was my first experience in doing that, and in
fact, the first time I’ve ever been directed by Holy Spirit to impart specific
revelation into folks by the laying on of hands. There is a transference by Holy Spirit which
defies natural explanation. Sometimes we
see specific gifts of the Spirit imparted as a point of contact occurs between
the one directed by Holy Spirit and the recipient. Consider what Paul wrote to Timothy on two
separate occasions:
I Timothy 1:18, NASB: “This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in
accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you
fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience…”
II Timothy 1:5-7, KJV: “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith
that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother
Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.
“Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God,
which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love,
and of a sound mind.”
In
the first instance, Paul notes that Timothy has been commissioned as a warrior
after the Spirit. We don’t have a
specific indication that this prophecy came with the laying on of hands, but in
the second letter to Timothy Paul makes clear the fact that the gift of faith “that
is in thee” … “is in thee by the laying on of my hands.”
Since
faith, and the warring by faith noted in the first letter, is the same gift Paul
refers to in his second letter, it takes no great stretch of imagination to
realize that Timothy received an impartation of the gift of faith when Paul
laid his hands on him and prophesied over him.
Consider
what Paul writes to the Corinthians in his first epistle to them:
I Corinthians 12:1, 4-11, RAC Translation &
Amplification: “Now with respect to spiritual impartations
and manifestations (pneumatikos:
literally,
spirituals), my
brethren, I don’t want you to lack understanding…
“Now there
are divisions — distinct differences — of spiritual faculties, endowments,
qualifications and gifts, but the same breath of Holy Spirit [breathing
them]. And there are varieties of modes
of service and means of administration, but it is the same Lord [in
control]. And there are the same
distinct [displays and manifestations] of supernatural energy, and it is still
the same God effecting the workings of it all.
The exhibition and bestowed expression of Holy Spirit is delivered and
made available to each man or woman for the collective advancement and
betterment of all [the members of the body].
“For to one
is bestowed (with the striking of the hand [and in some instances], the palm of
the hand) the divine expression of wisdom; to another, the divine release of
knowledge and [even] scientific understanding by the same Holy Spirit; To another individual, faith, conviction and
constancy to persuade (and extend the Kingdom) by the same Holy Spirit; and to
another the miraculous faculty and endowment of healing by the same Holy
Spirit;
“To yet
another is given the divine energy to put on display force, miraculous power
and strength; to another the ability to see [things to come, events, people]
and prophetically decree; to another the capacity to detect, discern, and
distinguish spirit beings [operating within individuals]; To yet another the ability to speak in a
variety of languages previously not learned or acquired; and to another the
miraculous ability to interpret and translate to the hearers [those same
languages]: But all these gifts that
same Holy Spirit energizes and activates, distributing to everyone (often in
multiples) as He purposes and is so minded.”
Whewww!!! That’s a mouthful, I know, but there’s a
fistful of revelation encompassed in this teaching by Paul.
You’ll
notice the rather unusual statement that occurs when he begins with the Word of
Wisdom and the Word of Knowledge. Here,
the Greek text uses an application of the word, didomi, which means in
this instance: to impart, to deliver, to bestow with the striking of the hand,
or (in some cases) the palm of the hand.
This
certainly is not the traditional idea of “the laying on of hands” as we would
apply it. Let me give you some — shall
we refer to them as “bizarre” — cases in which Holy Spirit has directed this
kind of extraordinary action on the part of the individual imparting a gift
from the Lord.
Those
of you who remember the Lakeland Revival back in 2009 and 2010 will remember
Todd Bentley striking someone in the stomach with his hand and seeing the
individual healed of stomach cancer instantly.
There were several instances in which Todd struck people in different
places as healing, deliverance and revelation were imparted to them.
It
sounds radical, and it almost seems cruel and abusive — and it would be if the
individual who was being struck experienced hurt or pain — but in each case no
pain was felt and each person received their complete and instant healing.
I
think of the instance in Lethbridge, Alberta a few years ago when Della and I
participated in a Seder Dinner for Passover.
There was a gentleman there who had been dumb all of his life, and
unable to speak clearly. The Lord sent a
man into Lethbridge to seek out this man for his healing, his deliverance from
this affliction, and his ability to speak the Word of the Lord clearly to all
who would hear him.
When
the two met, the prophet asked the dumb man to stick out his tongue. The prophet then coughed up some massive phlegm,
took the spit, put it on the man’s tongue and told him to swallow it. Sounds insane, doesn’t it? Definitely “out of the box!” The man obeyed without hesitation and was
instantly healed. He became an
outstanding preacher and teacher of the Word as Holy Spirit not only set him
free from his affliction, but imparted to him revelation and understanding of
the Lord Jesus Christ!
On
at least two occasions I have seen healing imparted to the deaf as the one
ministering boxed the ears of the deaf man with his fists. On numerous other occasions I have seen the
deaf healed and/or the blind eyes opened when the one ministering poked his
fingers into the ears or the eyes.
We
all tend to have mental blocks over the instruction of Holy Spirit. We analyze, we reason, we calculate, we
justify our lack of responsiveness to Him because what He commands either
doesn’t fit our traditional understanding, or it may cause us to look like
weirdoes to onlookers, or because it makes us feel self-conscious, or because
it just isn’t logical! More often than
not, we have religious doctrines or traditions that interfere with our
responses.
Holy
Spirit is not weird! Holy Spirit is not
trying to embarrass or make us look stupid.
What He IS LOOKING FOR is unabashed and instantaneous obedience to His
promptings. The results of obedience
always manifest in the supernatural.
Many
of you have heard me use this expression, and I’ve said this time and time
again throughout the years: God’s
objective is to make us become naturally supernatural, and supernaturally
natural!
I
don’t mean it as a cliché, but if we are to become the living Word in flesh, we
have to be ready to do whatever Holy Spirit directs — no matter how silly or
how strange it may seem!
One
last item that I need to cover before we wrap up this portion of our
study. Consider again something that
Paul writes to Timothy:
I Peter 5:22, NASB: “Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and
thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from
sin.”
The
impartation that takes place by laying hands on someone can be bi-directional,
as Paul makes clear in his letter to Timothy.
What he is describing is reverse impartation.
Because
we ONLY lay hands on people at the specific direction of Holy Spirit for the
purpose of impartation, and that direction comes as we function and operate IN
CHRIST, with He IN US, laying hands on someone just because we’ve gotten used
to doing it can be dangerous — both to us and to the one we lay hands on. Take a look at another verse we can apply
within the same context.
I Thessalonians 5:12, KJV: “And we beseech you,
brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and
admonish you.”
I
realize that I’m applying this verse somewhat out of its context in Paul’s
message to the Thessalonians, but this Word strikes to the heart of the
necessity of having revelation by the Spirit of those who minister among you
and with you.
In
1973, Derek Prince was ministering at a conference at Carleton College in Santa
Ana, California. He made the statement
that he did not allow anyone to lay hands upon him whom he did not know by the
Spirit, and whose ministry or doctrinal beliefs flowed counter to that which
Holy Spirit was giving him.
It
is a position Della and I have taken for many years. We do not allow folks to lay hands on us for
the sake of impartation of healing or ministry of any kind who we do not know
by the Spirit of God, lest we become a partaker of some area of unbelief or
doubt in them, or if they hold strong doctrinal positions contrary to
everything the Lord has built within us.
Wrapping
up this area of study, this may seem like a strange application, but take a
look at a couple things that David writes in the Psalms:
Psalm 8:4-6, KJV: "What is man, that thou art mindful of him?
and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little
lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the
works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:"
What
gets revealed here is the fact that the Lord has entrusted us with the “work of
His hands:” hence, when we lay hands on people, we do so acting on His behalf,
and in Him!
Psalm 144:1-2, KJV: "Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth
my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:
My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my
shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me."
I
frequently quote this verse in conjunction with the prophetic use of my hands
and fingers in playing on the guitar and other instruments. My hands become His hands in conducting
warfare and bringing down enemy strongholds.
We’ve
run long and we're out of time. I could
take this a lot farther, but this is as good a place as any to wrap up. This is foundational to us. We must know and use our hands with wisdom
and revelation!
We have resumed our
normal Healing Prayer Call schedule for Mondays & Wednesdays at 7:00 PM
Eastern. Once again, the number to call
for healing is (805) 399-1000. Then
enter the access code: 124763#. To get
into the queue for prayer, when Randy opens the call up for everyone, hit *6-1
on your keypad. Let us minister to your need for healing!
Blessings on you!
Regner
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Sunnyside, Washington 98944
Sunnyside, Washington 98944
Email Contact: Admin@RiverWorshipCenter.org
Our book, A
Tale of Two Brides, published by Destiny Image, is available on
Amazon.com as an E-book: http://www.amazon.com/Tale-Two-Brides-Relationship-ebook/dp/B00BSV6HZC/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1363139096&sr=8-8&keywords=A+Tale+of+Two+Brides#_
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Saturday, January 10, 2015
Another
Coffee Break:
Going Beyond, Part 9
January 9, 2015
Well, have you gotten past
the hustle and bustle (and commercialization) of the Christmas season and New
Years? Whewww!!! Get's really tiring, doesn't it? Unless a person is really focused on what's
taking place spiritually, and the new dimensions of the Spirit that God is
taking us into, this holiday season can really become stressful and distracting
with all of the sales pitches, and all of the Regressives' (I refuse to call
them Progressives, and they are NOT liberals -- they are anything but!) efforts
to get rid of the name of Jesus, taking every spiritual significance away from
the celebratory activities of the season.
Anyway,
let's get on with our discussions.
Hebrews 6:1-3, KJV:
“Therefore
leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection;
not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith
toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of
hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit.”
So
far we have talked about the foundation of repentance from dead works, of faith
toward God, and we spent weeks dealing with the doctrine of baptisms. This week (and next) we need to talk about
the impartation that comes from the laying on of hands. Let’s take time today to lay some foundations
in our understanding as to both the historical and post-Pentecost implications
associated with this.
In
order to properly deal with this subject, we need to get back to the root of
Hebrew thought so as to understand where this practice comes from, and the
spiritual significance of having hands laid upon someone.
Out
of several hundred references throughout Scripture, the very first time we see
someone laying hands upon another occurs when Jacob lays his right hand on
Ephraim, and his left hand on Manasseh — the two sons of Joseph.
Genesis 48:13-20, KJV: And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right
hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s
right hand, and brought them near unto him. And Israel stretched out his
right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left
hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the
firstborn.
And he
blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham
and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, The Angel which redeemed me from all
evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my
fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of
the earth. And when Joseph
saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased
him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto
Manasseh’s head.
And Joseph
said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy
right hand upon his head. And his father
refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people,
and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than
he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. And he blessed them that
day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and
as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
We
can infer in each of the previous instances where we see the Blessing conveyed
that hands were laid upon the one being blessed, but this is the first time we
actually see it happening. What makes
this event so important in our understanding is that we see the laying on of
both the right hand — to Ephraim, who was the younger son of Joseph — and the
left hand — to Manasseh, who was the firstborn son of Joseph, and normally the
one to whom the primary blessing would be conveyed.
As
Jacob begins the blessing, however, he speaks the same words over both Ephraim
and Manasseh (see verse 16: The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless
the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers' Abraham
and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.) He thus communicates the same blessing with
both right and left hand, conveying the onoma
of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
But
watch what happens next. Joseph knows
from family history and from the general practice of the time that the one
receiving the greater blessing must have the laying on of the right hand. Jacob, however, has a direct word from the
Spirit of the Lord and acts accordingly.
Where we read that Jacob guided his hand “wittingly,” we see the Hebrew
word, sakal, which means: to act
circumspectly, to act with wise insight and foreknowledge. Interestingly, it also contains the meaning: to cause
to prosper.
Notice
how Jacob differentiates now between the blessing of the right hand, and the
blessing of the left hand (see verse 19):
And his
father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a
people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be
greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.
It
becomes clear, therefore, from this example, that the right hand conveys power,
authority, multiplication of the specifically imparted in a manner which is
easily seen and demonstrated in the years to come. It’s not that the blessing conveyed with the
left hand is anything to sneeze at (and we will talk more about this later):
it’s just that there is a totally different character to the blessing of the
left hand.
It
should also be clear from Jacob’s words that he was describing a blessing that
would manifest itself in not just years, but generations to come. One does not become a multitude of nations in a generation,
or two generations, or even three generations!
The Hebrew word translated “multitude” is the word, rob, which literally means: huge,
multiplied in number, an innumerable abundance.
The
blessing and impartation that comes by the laying on of the left hand,
therefore, is of great consequence, and not to be diminished or degraded.
There
is an aspect of the laying on of hands that needs to be considered — and this
is one that is generally missed because it is not so obvious or plainly written
in Scripture — and that is the impartation of the anointing of Holy
Spirit. Consider Samuel and David:
I Samuel 16:12-13, KJV: And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy,
and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD
said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of
oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD
came upon David from that day forward.
One
of the aspects of the commissioning that happens when folks are anointed is
that it comes with the right hand. Though
not specifically stated in this instance, Samuel would have used his right hand
to pour the oil upon David. Once the oil
was poured on him Samuel followed the priestly tradition of using his right
hand to rub the oil upon David’s head and smear it liberally into his hair and
skin.
Every
time we see the anointing of a king or a priest anywhere in the Old Testament,
the oil was first poured upon the individual, and it was then rubbed into their
head, signifying a saturation that was to spread throughout their entire being.
The
anointing was a commissioning which set a person apart for the purpose to which
God had called and designed that individual to fulfill.
Laying
on of hands is not, and was not, strictly a New Testament — post-Pentecost —
realm of ministry. One only has to look
at how David and/or Solomon describes the hand of God — or more accurately, the
hands of God, and what each hand signifies.
Take a look at a few examples from the Psalms and Proverbs:
Psalm 16:11 KJV:
Thou wilt
show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand
there are pleasures for evermore.
Psalm 20:5, KJV:
Now know I
that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with
the saving strength of his right hand.
Psalm 21:8, KJV:
Thine hand
shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate
thee.
Psalm 48:10, KJV:
According
to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand
is full of righteousness.
Psalm 77:10, KJV:
And I said,
This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the
most High.
Psalm 89:13, KJV:
Thou hast a
mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
Psalm 91:7, KJV: A thousand shall fall at thy [tsad: left] side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it
shall not come nigh thee.
Proverbs 3:16, KJV: Length of days is in her right hand; and in her
left hand riches and honour.
Ecclesiastes 10:2, KJV: A wise man’s heart is at his right hand; but a
fool’s heart at his left.
We
have only looked at a tiny fraction of the verses that consider the right hand
and the left, but in these few we see the following:
The
right hand is the hand of strength, power, authority, salvation, health,
provision, as well as being the bearer of long-life.
Conversely,
the left hand is the hand of mercy, of tenderness, discernment, steady support
and assistance, protection and safety, wealth and prosperity and honor (respect
from society) — and for those not in tune with the Lord, frowardness (foolish
and non-thought-out direction resulting in chaos or destruction.)
Now,
consider the application of both hands at the same time in the Word. Take a look at the following picture:
Exodus 17:8-13, KJV: Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in
Rephidim. And
Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek:
tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him,
and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the
hill.
And it came
to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let
down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
But Moses’ hands
were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon;
and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other
on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek
and his people with the edge of the sword.
There
are two individual pictures seen in this event: the first being that of Moses
holding the Rod of Authority in his right hand, the second of the necessity of
having his left hand outstretched toward the ongoing battle between Joshua
(with his soldiers) and the Amalekites.
It
was much more than simply having his right hand outstretched with the Rod of
Authority. That Rod of Authority, of
course, represented the hand of God against the enemy.
The
left hand needed to also be outstretched in order for Joshua to experience
complete safety and protection from the enemy he was pitted against. When both hands were extended, Joshua was
able to fight effectively and completely subdue his foe.
We
see one of the first examples in Deuteronomy 7 of what takes place when both
hands are laid upon an individual as a sign of separation, or being set apart
from the corporate body — and in this case, the act of separation is the
execution of the judgment of the Law of Moses.
In this instance, Moses is talking about someone who has been witnessed
bowing down to, or serving some false god, and the contamination that would
bring into the camp of Israel.
Deuteronomy 17: 5-7, KJV: Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman,
which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that
woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die. At the mouth of two witnesses, or three
witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth
of one witness he shall not be put to death. The hands of the witnesses
shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the
people. So thou shalt put the evil away from among you.
Here
we see that those who serve as witnesses (in this instance, against someone who
has committed evil) must lay both hands upon the individual who has
transgressed as a sign of separation, and as an authoritative and legal act. Their act of laying hands upon the offender
becomes the first witness against him or her, but it is still necessary for the
camp of Israel to agree and for them to stretch forth their hands and lay them
upon the individual as the final witness of separation.
In
the case of a person committing an act against God within the camp of Israel,
the significance of the separation from Israel meant death to the
offender. For those laying their hands
on the offender, they were swearing their lives to the truth before God, and
they were acting as His proxy in enacting and executing His judgment.
This
brings us to the critical aspect of knowing whereof we testify or bringing
witness, either for or against, as proxy for the Lord. David puts it like this in Psalm 24:
Who is it
that will be elevated to a high place and promoted by God? Or, who shall live and continue to be
ordained to live and stand as having been set apart to the holy places and
things of God?
He whose
hands are clean, innocent and blameless, whose heart is clear and does not
condemn him, whose soul and mind have not been self-elevated to idolatry and
the worship of reason [which is useless and deceptive], nor has he sworn [by
sevens] and testified falsely and fraudulently [in order to execute judgment
against another]. (Psalm 24:2-3, RAC
Translation & Amplification)
To
add to what David has already written, he makes the following prophecy in Psalm
28:4-5: Give them according to their deeds, and
according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their
hands; render to them their desert.
Because they regard not the works of the LORD, nor
the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up.
Let’s wrap up this basis for understanding
the laying on of hands by looking at one other use of the hands as David sings
it:
Psalm 63:3-4, KJV: Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my
lips shall praise thee. Thus will I
bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
In this instance (and many other similar
Psalms), David expresses the extending forth of his hands as the means to bless
the Lord, to magnify the Lord, to praise His Name. When he says, “I will lift up my hands IN thy
name,” he is giving his hands to the Lord, placing them IN and INTO His very
character, makeup and essence — making his hands available to the Lord for His
plans, purposes and destiny.
That’s our stopping place for today. Next, we will take up the transfer of the
power of God!
We have resumed our
normal Healing Prayer Call schedule for Mondays & Wednesdays at 7:00 PM
Eastern. Once again, the number to call
for healing is (805) 399-1000. Then
enter the access code: 124763#. To get
into the queue for prayer, when Randy opens the call up for everyone, hit *6-1
on your keypad. Let us minister to your need for healing!
Blessings on you!
Regner
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Sunnyside, Washington 98944
Sunnyside, Washington 98944
Email Contact: Admin@RiverWorshipCenter.org
Our book, A
Tale of Two Brides, published by Destiny Image, is available on
Amazon.com as an E-book: http://www.amazon.com/Tale-Two-Brides-Relationship-ebook/dp/B00BSV6HZC/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1363139096&sr=8-8&keywords=A+Tale+of+Two+Brides#_
All Coffee Break articles are
copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting,
copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted –provided proper attribution
and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee Break archives are available
at http://www.RegnersMorningCoffee.com. Coffee Break
articles are normally published weekly.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.To remove yourself from the mailing list, please send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.To remove yourself from the mailing list, please send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry.
Should you desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this
ministry, please contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses,
or visit: http://www.RiverWorshipCenter.org.
Another
Coffee Break:
Going Beyond, Part 8
January 2, 2015
We left off in this series
the week before Christmas talking about baptisms, and specifically the baptism
of fire. I'd like to wrap that up today
and then try to move on to the fourth item in the list of foundations that Paul
makes reference to in Hebrews 6 -- the laying on of hands. As a refresher, however, let's revisit
Hebrews 6:1-3, and then continue from there.
Hebrews 6:1-3, RAC Translation & Amplification: Therefore, and as a consequence, it is critically
important that we forsake [what Jesus has already eradicated from existence]
the beginnings and commencement of the [initiating] Word of the Anointed One
and His Anointing (Jesus Christ),
Let us move
forward energetically to the place of completion and consummation; not laying
down [or setting in front of you as a continual requirement] the legalistic
requirement to repent, and re-do your thought processes concerning the old,
dead works and requirements of the Law [as though it were necessary in order to
attain redemption from past sins or iniquities], under the guise that this
builds faith in and toward God, the line-upon-line, precept-upon-precept
instruction in the purification processes in baptisms, the necessity of laying
on of hands (for impartation or conveyance of power), [the foundational truth
that Jesus provides] resurrection from the dead and cancelation of the curse of
death, and — finally — the understanding and revelation of the judgment and
decrees that exist throughout the eternity of the eternities.
And this is
what we will be enabled to do conditional upon God’s transfer of authority,
granting license and liberty to move past these foundations.
We
left off in Part 7 talking about the things that Paul experienced, the
overcoming processes worked in him through persecution, through tribulation --
through the fire -- as Holy Spirit worked in him the character and nature of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything we see
recorded in these passages from Paul’s letters to the Corinthians came in the
midst of his total, unreserved, unabashed responsiveness to the direction of
Holy Spirit. The fire that bathed Paul
allowed him to lay the same foundations and patterns for growth and development
in believers that we walk in today!
The
impartations he left behind him produced a global Ekklesia that saw growth
patterns in Rome alone exceeding 50,000 new believers — believers who gladly
and willingly went to the fires, the lions and the gladiators in the “games”
that cost them their lives.
THAT,
folks, can only come when there is a genuine impartation of the life of Jesus
Christ in people. Where there is the
baptism of fire, there is true revelation!
Before we move on, let’s finish the discussion from Paul’s letter to Timothy
where we began this discussion a couple weeks ago.
The
Baptism of Fire produces testing — testing of the word in a practical
dimension. It takes away the theoretical
and replaces theory, academia and supposition with experience; and that kind of
experience is never subject to the whims, the ideas, the wants, the “hope-so’s”
and the deviations in doctrine that are the by-product of theory.
Paul
admonishes Timothy to be a “tried and tested laborer who has no fear of being examined” or challenged by
wily, deceitful men (and women) with their clever arguments designed to water down
the truth so as to escape the fire of the Word, necessary to produce the
living, demonstrable life of the Lord Jesus Christ in us.
He
phrases his description of these religious arguments as advancing ungodliness
which produces a “gangrene pasture” — a source of spiritual, physical and
emotional poison.
Consider
what the infiltration of these watered-down doctrines has done to the body of
Christ. We have had century after
century after century of wanna-be representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ and the
Kingdom of God who name the name but have no power to back up what they preach.
It’s
been OK to have pastors and missionaries, but woe be unto you if you promote
apostles and prophets! There has been a
brand of grace preached which allows people to continue on in their sin because
“love covers a multitude of sins” and God’s grace takes care of everything!
How
did the Day of Pentecost manifest to the believers who were all gathered together
“homothumadon”?
[There’s
a 64-dollar Greek word for you! Our
English translations say that the 120 were gathered together “in one accord,”
but the Greek word used in the original text — homothumadon
— is a contraction of homou: at the same place and at the same time,
unanimously,
and thumos: great passion, breathing hard, breathing with
fire.]
What
took place was a literal demonstration with the flame of fire that appeared in
their midst and the individual tongues of fire that sat upon each of them. What it produced was fire from their lips in
the form of tongues: other languages that they had never previously learned —
and with those tongues “of men and of angels” went forth the tongues of fire
that set the world ablaze with the Gospel.
The
Azusa Street Revival at the turn of the 20th Century produced the same kinds of
manifestations. There was a flame of
fire that appeared over the building where William Seymour was preaching. It was a fire that the local fire department
couldn’t put out despite their best efforts — one that left the Los Angeles
Fire Department in utter consternation and immediately grabbed the attention of
the news media! It produced a couple of
generations of people who personally set the religious world on fire.
I
shared with you three weeks ago my grandparents’ experience in 1921 when their
farmhouse was filled with the sound of the “rushing mighty wind” (my Grandmother called it the sound of a
tornado), a large flame of fire appeared in the middle of the room above the
gathered people who were praying, broke into little tongues of fire and set
down on the heads of each person. Every
person in the room experienced the “tongue” of fire and began to speak in other
tongues — languages they had never before learned or heard.
That
event produced a series of events and a generation of people whose changed
lives — and the power and authority of the Kingdom that went with them —
produced an expansion of the Kingdom of God that is still being felt today.
From
1957 through 1960, a flame of fire and a column of light that reached into
Heaven appeared over the church building I helped my father build as we saw an
extension of Acts 2 repeated, resulting — as I shared last week — a move of God
and an outpouring of Holy Spirit with people speaking in tongues from eastern
Siberia through arctic Alaska, across arctic Canada and into Greenland.
Let
me address one last point to consider before we take a different look at this
baptism of fire.
In
every instance where we see Holy Spirit baptism, we see speaking in tongues.
The grand entrance of Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost was with tongues of
fire. That was not just symbolism, it
marked a singular change for a people in fire — and a people with whom the fire
of God would bring change to the world: salvation, and everything that goes
with it!
Now,
consider something that Peter writes to the body of Christ at large.
I Peter 4:12-13, NASB: Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal
among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing
were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of
Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may
rejoice with exultation.
Here’s
another application of the same terminology that Paul uses in his letter to
Timothy — this time Peter is using it.
Peter uses the kind of descriptive words which come out of the refining
of precious metals. Where we see the
phrase in the NASB, “fiery ordeal” (“fiery trial” KJV), the Greek word is purosis: literally meaning,
to
smelt, to heat to the place of conflagration as a test of purity.
For
the past century and a half, the body of Christ has been plagued with a
teaching on escaping what is erroneously referred to as “tribulation” and being
snatched out before things get too hot here on earth. Those who have believed and propagated this
doctrine have placed themselves in direct opposition and conflict with something
that is absolutely necessary in order for Jesus to have a holy and purified
Bride — a Bride who, like Jesus, has “learned through the things {she) has
suffered.”
Take
a quick look at how Paul describes what Jesus went through as our “pattern
Son.”
Hebrews 5:8-9, KJV: Though he were a Son, yet
learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect,
he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.
Let’s
see if we can amplify and clarify this a bit more.
Though He
were [the] Son, yet He learned compliance and attentive listening by means of
those things He experienced [in the testing and trial ]; and being finished —
made whole and complete [through that testing] — He became the author — that
One who caused and brought about the access to — salvation, deliverance,
wholeness, safety, health and prosperity throughout the eternity of the
eternities. Hebrews 5:8-9 (RAC Translation
& Amplification):
OK? Does that help?
This
baptism of fire is not strange in the least!
Jesus went through it before us so that we would have this as our
pattern, and know that if we are going to become obedient to Him as the
firstborn Son (who Himself was totally obedient to Father), the baptism of fire
is something we must all embrace and run towards rather than run from.
Holy
Spirit’s Baptism of Fire is NOT for our undoing or our destruction, it is for
our deliverance from everything which
impedes and obstructs our relationship with the Lord. It is to prepare us for the kind of rulership
that awaits — and that rulership is not in “the sweet bye and bye,” it is for
the here and now.
We
have been designed to rule and reign. We
have been designed for dominion. We have
a destiny as kings and priests. Our role
as priests, of course is as intercessors for those who are yet to come into the
Kingdom, and for those who have awaiting them the same kind of testing and
preparation we are currently experiencing.
Here’s
how Paul describes this in writing to Timothy.
II Timothy 2:4-7, KJV: No man that warreth entangleth himself with the
affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a
soldier. And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except
he strive lawfully. The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the
fruits. Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all
things.
We’ve
been chosen and called by Father. We
have been chosen and called by the Lord Jesus Christ. We are in a series of processes designed and
prepared for us by Holy Spirit, Who is our Paraklete, our comforter (in the
midst of this preparation), our “drill sergeant,” and the One who knows just
how hot the fires must be in order that we be fully prepared, tested and tried.
And
that brings us back to Paul's instruction to Timothy.
Be instantly responsive to the Lord, making
yourself available to Him in the midst of the crucible, a tried and tested
laborer who has no fear of being examined – one who, by virtue of God’s testing
and the time spent in the crucible with Him, knows the proven Word of
Truth. II Timothy 2:15 (RAC Translation
& Amplification)
This is God’s testing! This is Holy Spirit’s testing!
Our time in the crucible, our time
in this baptism of fire — this trial by fire — brings us to the place where we
KNOW the PROVEN WORD OF TRUTH! It is no
theory to us. It is no religious
doctrine.
The tongues of fire have a
deliberate and specific purpose in our lives.
Our immersion into the fires of Holy Spirit baptism rids us of everything
which slants the Word to our comfort and wishes. Once we have been there, once we have
experienced the fire and the testing and trial that goes with it, we don’t have
to guess at what the Word means or try to make that which has been written fit
our understanding: we fit into the Word Himself, and what He says and directs.
I once said to the Lord, “Whatever
you have to do to me, through me, or in me in order for your best to be worked
in my life, do it! Even if you have to
hit me upside the head with a 2 X 4, do it, Lord!”
Ouch! I meant it and still do to this day, and I
would not trade a minute of the fire for what He has worked in my life. The fire may not be done, but I won’t run
from it!
Looks like we'll have to
wait until next week to deal with the foundation we refer to as "the
laying on of hands." See you then.
Next Monday, January 5th, the prayer
calls will resume our normal schedule.
Once again, the number to call for healing is (805) 399-1000. Then enter the access code: 124763#. To get into the queue for prayer, when Randy
opens the call up for everyone, hit *6-1 on your keypad. Let us minister to
your need for healing!
Blessings on you!
Regner
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Sunnyside, Washington 98944
Sunnyside, Washington 98944
Email Contact: Admin@RiverWorshipCenter.org
Our book, A
Tale of Two Brides, published by Destiny Image, is available on
Amazon.com as an E-book: http://www.amazon.com/Tale-Two-Brides-Relationship-ebook/dp/B00BSV6HZC/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1363139096&sr=8-8&keywords=A+Tale+of+Two+Brides#_
All Coffee Break articles are
copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting,
copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted –provided proper attribution
and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee Break archives are available
at http://www.RegnersMorningCoffee.com. Coffee Break
articles are normally published weekly.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.To remove yourself from the mailing list, please send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.To remove yourself from the mailing list, please send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry.
Should you desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this
ministry, please contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses,
or visit: http://www.RiverWorshipCenter.org.
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