BEHOLDING HIS GLORY
October 2002	Volume I Number 02

”But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. “ (2 Corinthians 3:18)

THOUGHTS FOR CONSIDERATION: Greetings again my Brethren. When God makes His approach to us He is expecting us to do something, God expects us to move toward Him. It is not God’s intentions for us to draw away from His draw and touch in our life. His desire is to give His children good gifts. To accomplish His work in our lives He has put a desire in us to want to know Him. “Deep calleth unto deep at the noise Your spouts; all Your waves and billows have gone over me.” (Psalm 42:7) God has placed a deep call within man a desire to know and become like Him. A deep and continual call into the unsearchable areas of our heart. Without this desire in us what reason would man have to want to know God? Due to the disobedience of Adam man has no desire to know God. Adam hid the bushes when God called to him and today man is still hiding from God, but like Adam man cannot hid. Jeremiah 19:9 tells us, “man’s heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.” Now when God says “all things” God means all things, not some things or a few things. God means what He says. Of “all things” that are in man’s heart being “deceitful” or intentionally lying and misleading is the greatest of things. The word “desperately” means there is no of

hanging. Without God there is no hope

only God can change our heart. Without God, man is deceitful and hopeless. But when we answer His call that reaches deep into our heart and soul we began to humble ourselves before God and then we began to have hope. We will never be able to have hope for things in God unless we humble ourselves. We will never be able to behold God’s glory unless we humble our selves before Him and man. We will not be able to see Him. Moses could see He who was invisible because he was a gentle and humble man, the most humblest (Numbers 12:3) according to God. Moses saw God, walked and talked with Him. Moses even had God physically touch him. “So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away MY hand and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen” (Exodus 33:22-23) Most Believers do not see God because they are not humble. James 4:6 tell us, “God resist the proud but gives grace (or salvation) to the humble.” Most Believers do not receive grace because they are not humble. Unless we humble ourselves we will never see and receive from God, we will never behold God’s glory. Prayer: Our God work in our heart so that we ,ay be humble before You.

ARTICLE REVIEW

AMERICA BLESS GOD

The Apostle Paul shared these words with the church at Corinth, “Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”(1 Corinthians 7:9-10) It is amazing to me that Paul would be saying these words to the church that had every gift of the Spirit in operation. Yet, and in spite of the church at Corinth’s spirituality Paul still said, ”Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse. (1 Corinthians 11:17) In other words Paul was saying it would be better that they do not come together. They were worse off after coming together, even though every gift of the Spirit was in operation. These verses also scare me. See it is not what you do for God that counts, but how you do it. We can do great works for God, just like the church at Corinth (or America) but, doing them for the wrong reasons and with a wrong heart condition. ”Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?” (Matthew 7:22) But, when it is all said and done they hear God say,

“And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:23) God will confess I never knew them. Not because they have not done the work in His Name, but they did the work of God outside His laws and principles. The word “iniquity” in Matthew 7:23 means lawlessness or working outside the law. What are the true motives and intentions behind the reasons we serve God? Are our motives and intentions within the perimeter of God’s word to us, and His laws and principles? Often times we do things and expect God to bless them, because they are mere church activities, but they were done with a wrong heart condition and outside His purpose and intentions, they were done in iniquity, they were done in lawlessness.

I believe this very point of correction is what Paul was sharing with the church at Corinth when He said, “but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner.” And, I believe this point was at the heart of God’s judgment when He allowed two airplanes to fly into the World Trade Center Complex and one into the Pentagon. Over the past few months I have been sitting back, waiting to see how America responds to God’s judgment. As much as religious people try to side-step God and His judgment on 11 Sep, I can not. Many would have us believe God was asleep that morning? Or maybe He did not see the airplanes?? Does God do all things? Does God really create evil and darkness?? ”I form the light, and

create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.” (Isaiah 45:7) Does God really do all these things?? I see the wondrous and fearful hand of God here in a mighty way and I see God’s drawing toward America unto repentance from the years of her walking away from Him. It was not God’s intention to make America sorry, but to bring America to her knees in repentance, “not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance:” to turn America from her lawlessness and religious ways. Amazingly, Paul rejoiced in this “godly sorrow” that God brought to the church at Corinth, why? Because he knew what could happen if the church at Corinth would repent and turn from their religious and lawlessness ways.

Now, in God’s judgment there is a number of responses we can make to Him. We could just ignore His judgment and wait for the next echelon of judgment. Oh yes, God has a process He brings His love to those who do not love Him. First, there is conviction, next chastisement, then open rebuke, judgment follows next, and those who refuse to bend their knee to God, lastly reprobation (or darkness) where you are lost and you have no desire to be saved. God will still save you, but you have no desire for Him and you just walk away. Another response could be what He is looking for in us; we just surrender (just give up throw our hands up), confess (agree what He is saying about us is true), and repent (about-face, flow in the opposite direction from what and where we are heading). Or what I believe America did, to substitute the response God was looking for with something that makes us feel okay. America substituted the repentance God was looking for with patriotism. Everywhere you look in America you see the flag; at ball games, on bill boards, at car dealerships, even in churches you see flags and read God bless America. Well, America you have got it wrong. It is not God bless America, you have it backwards, it should be America bless God. John Hamrick opened my eyes to this great truth in an email, he got it right. After all isn’t God to us what we are to Him? Why should God always be blessing us? Should we not be blessing Him “out of our store houses?” America has a bless me and work complex and needs to have a worship complex. The highest manifestation of any spirituality is worship and adoration; not selfish service. Patriotism is not a spiritual principle it is of the world, and the world and all that put their treasures in it will be lost. America is not a Christian nation, but a nation of many Christians like Germany, Russia, China, Ethiopia, and Afghanistan, yes I am here you tell you there is a strong underground church doing quite well in Afghanistan. The word “Christian” refers to one’s character, not to a nation or country. You can spin it all you want, but the Bible is clear, Christlikeless is the goal in our lives.

The church must not get involved with this patriotic response. She must stand strong on the word of God and not get over into “err” (see James 1:16) be deceived or wander from the truth. Even CNN has noticed something is wrong. Church attendance after 11 Sep sky rocketed, everyone ran to God, but now only a few months later CNN is reporting that church attendance is now down 42% from pre 11 Sep. Something replaced America’s sorrow. At this time in history the church needs to lead the way, by falling on her knees. We must show the lost and wayward the way back to the heart of the Father through being living examples to what Jesus taught like, “love thy neighbor as thyself.”

You know I am proud to be an American and that is okay. I am an American red, white, and blue. But, it is not God bless America, but it is America bless God. Written by Pastor Dave Stahl.

CURRENT NEWS:

Both books,“ God Stills Performs Miracles” and ”Wandering in the Wilderness: The Call to Ministry” are completed and waiting for the forwards. My plan is to take “Miracles” and give to Pastor Niki in Dec when I am with them in ministry. There are two critical items Pastor Niki needs to support God’s printing ministry in Bulgaria; a laser printer and software called Cornel Draw. If you can help by either donating these items or money toward purchasing please contact me. If you send a check please make it for Bulgarian Ministry. When available my books will be either free or for cost of printing depending on monthly donations. Karen and the kids are doing well and send their greetings.

FUTURE SCHEDULE:

November: Hyderabad, India with Pastor S. J. Peters

December: Constanta, Romania with Pastor George

December: Silistra, Bulgaria with Pastor(s) Yanko and Niki

If God moves on your heart to bless the ministries I visit and share God’s love with I would be honored to make it possible for God and you. God told Abram, “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.”(Genesis 12:3) If you want a blessing, then bless someone.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

American Address

Pastor David Stahl

CMR 480 Box 517

APO AE 09128

German Address

Pastor David Stahl

Ulmenweg -5

71706 Markgroningen, Germany

++49-7145-931152 (Voice)

++49-7145-931153 (FAX)