Deeper Truths for Hungry Hearts
July 2016 • Volume XIV Number 11
“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. Last month we began to lay a foundation in the call of God in Isaiah’s life as we looked at the nature of his ministry. Now this month we will continue to look at Isaiah’s call as we look at the vision with a call from God. When most Christians think of the word vision they turn to the verse in Proverbs that they think talks about vision or what the world says vision is, but the word “vision” here in Proverbs 29:18 is not the same word most people (to include Christians) think it is. Let us look at the verse, “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” (Proverbs 29:18) The word “vision” here is not to make plans or forecast plans for the future, but is from the root word, Strong’s #2372, which means to gaze at; mentally to perceive, contemplate with pleasure. It literally means to look at without restraint or limitations. Now this makes greater sense in the LORD because one can have a great vision, great plans and still fail, but if people cast off restraint and do not limit themselves to what God has written in His word or spoke to hearts than for sure “the people will perish.” The actual picture here is people are just gazing out the window day dreaming doing what they want to do and say. Now you cannot have vision without revelation. Have that be both making plans for the future (what we most often think vision is) or casting off restraint. Revelation from God is needed to lay a foundation in what God wants in our lives and with no revelation moving in our lives we will not be successful in God. And to be able to understand what is really being said one must not listen to other people’s revelation, but allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us individually and give us our own revelation. Sadly I see preachers and teachers use from other’s books, messages, sermons (there is a difference between and sermon and a message), concordance, and the like to speak to the people, but they are not speaking, “thus says the LORD,” but the words of the author of the book, etc. To get revelation from God is costly and make no mistake my friend you will pay dearly to hear from God. revelation comes by STUDYING the word of God (the Bible, Scriptures) looking at the individual words and the meaning and once we get a mental picture of what the Holy Spirit is saying in the verses (as we study the words) held in content from beginning to end then and only then can the Holy Spirit give unto us His thoughts. Revelation is key to our operating in God. In Isaiah 6:1 we find three areas of revelation. “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.” (Isaiah 6:1) A lot of Bible teachers and preachers make a big deal about King Uzziah, but it is not about King Uzziah’s death he was used as a place marker as a time reference and to show the period of the apostate Jewish heart condition towards God when King Uzziah died. Maybe King Uzziah had something to do with Israel walking away from God. The first revelation Isaiah had was, “the Lord sitting on the throne” here we see the majestic sovereignty of God. Isaiah had the vision of God sitting on a throne (maybe King Uzziah’s throne) today it is not a physical throne the Lord wants to be seated on, but the fleshly throne of our heart where He can rule and reign over our lives. As majestic as God is in all creation only when we give Him free course can he be a God to us. The next revelation Isaiah had was the Lord “high and lifted up” in the supremacy of this sovereignty. God higher than high. How high is God? Well, measure that distance and add a little more. Isaiah seemed to know something about distance and ways, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Isaiah 55:8-9) I wonder how far the heaven is from the earth? In verse 6:1, the term “lifted up” (to bear, take, or carry) is different than used in John 12:32 when Jesus said, “if I be lifted up” (exalted or elevate) Here God’s ways are always higher than our ways and thoughts and they are used to bear or carry us. Now that is nice to know. And the last revelation Isaiah had was “his train filled the temple” in the exclusiveness of this sovereignty. I really like this thought. Here Isaiah is saying in a back handed way, God’s glory filled the temple. The word “train” here means Strong’s #7757 to hang down; a skirt; by implication a bottom border or edge. It is the same region of the garment the lady in Luke 8:44 who had an issue of blood touched. Here Strong’s #2899 which means border or hem. If the hem or border filled the temple (which is not a church, but our bodies) then don’t you know the rest of the glory of God was presence. Isaiah was saying if the small portion of where healing is found then everything else is also present. I like that thought too.
Next month we will continue to look at the second of the five elements, a revelation of service in verse 6:1. So Please take a good study and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart. And listen closely my friend do you hear Him call now?
Written David Stahl
ARTICLE REVIEW:
After You Are Converted
In the past Karen and I attended a United Pentecostal Church (UPC). Now the people were friendly enough, but I always feel uncomfortable when you go to a church for the first time and they stick a pencil or pen and questionnaire in your face wanting to know: your name, address, phone number, number of kids, reason why you are attending today, etc. My reply usually is no thank you and then I ask is it not enough that God knows I am here today? But, what I really dislike the most is the fake smiles and overly friendly greetings (trying to project they are a church of warmth and love), but we have attended a UPC before. While living in Jonesboro, Georgia, before we took orders to Germany, we attended a UPC. As a matter of fact the church we attended (Dave, Daniel, the pastor’s father, and I literally raised the walls in the church building we built) started in our home the aftermath of a nasty church split. I remember the pastor telling me all of the five UPC in the Atlanta area started from church splits, not God’s idea of church planting. Now it was God’s will for us to attend the UPC in Atlanta as it was for us to attend this service so I could write this article. The service was a typical UPC service; an emotional hype from the start with an over emphasis on speaking in tongues. But Paul forbid this practice and corrected the Church at Corinth for doing such things, especially in a church service, “He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church. 5 I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying. 6Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?” (1 Corinthians 14:4-6) Speaking in tongues (especially in a church service) is self-centered and a very selfish religious practice that does the local Body of Christ great harm in unity (maybe this why the UPC always seems to be in great strife and splitting) and to the individuals who feel less of a Christian until they (quote) “receive the Holy Spirit.” Now I must agree having the Holy Spirit functioning in our lives is critical with our walk with the Lord, I have a prayer language and recommend this for all, but it must not take preeminence in our relationship with God and must be maintained in its proper function and order. I was hoping the preaching would be strong, but again the service held to the UPC form. As I was sitting there the Lord brought to my attention the number of times, during the singing and preaching, the words, “just believe” or “all you have to do is believe.” Well my friend to really walk with the Lord believing is not enough there is a conversion process that must happen in our lives if we are going to walk with the Lord to any degree. Yes we must believe (many verses in the Scriptures bear this truth out), but believing is suppose to lead us to the conversion process of being converted. I see this process play out daily in my life and I choose whether or not I will believe and allow God to work in my life moving me further down the line to His dealings and judgments. I am ever amazed to find in my life things I thought once destroyed still alive and well in me and when (not if) they rear their ugly head I must be quick to allow the Holy Spirit to slay them in my life. My friend we are the gate keeper of our soul. We are the one who can separate ourselves from the love of God. God in His intention and will for our lives wishes none to be lost (in both application and in an objective in our lives), but in reality sadly we know many are daily lost and go out into a Godless eternity because they chose not to accept God’s free gift of salvation. Now this conversion process I speak of is a very painful process in our lives. It hurts when God begins to expose us for who we really are and begins to pull down areas in our lives we are built on for support and strength that are not of Him. All of our religious traditions and practices we hold so near and dear to our heart and identity with who we are in Christ. Ministry, gifts, abilities, all we do for God is not to be our identification in God, oh no my friend, our identification in God is what Christ has done for us. I find the longer we have walked with the Lord the more of these areas we seem to gather into our lives. A new born babe in the Lord knows nothing, but Jesus the One who has saved them from their sins, the lover of their soul. What a wonderful, fresh heart condition to have. But all too soon things will change, our sinful heart will be exposed to us and the approving by God will begin in our lives to conform us into the character and image of Jesus Christ God’s precious Son. Our salvation in Christ is far more than just believing there must be an inward conversion (that will manifest outwardly) that must take place in our heart and spirit, if not there can never be a newness of life in us.
Jesus taught much on the topic of this conversion process, especially with the Disciples. The Disciples (like us at times) really had character and ego problems. Childish displays of anger and arrogance often portrayed their behavior and wrong thinking leading them to think they were greater than what they really were. One day they asked Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (Mathew 18:1) Jesus was a master at crushing their egos and haughty spirit with simple, but very powerful examples. Jesus replied, “Verily I say unto you, Except (no other way) ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.” (Matthew 18:3-5) They were dashed “become as a little child” (not just a child, but a little child), “humble himself as this little child,” but we are adults, mighty men of God we cast out demons and heal the sick we do not need to be humble do we? Jesus was talking about a heart conversion not a size or ability conversion, a need to come down in their own eyes and allow God to open to them the mysteries of their sinful hearts. They were saved (they believed) and even walked with the Lord, but still there was a great need in their lives for more work to be done. Most Christians (here I am again at times) are not willing to endure the purifying fire of the Lord and only believe in Him. But God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29) and we do not like to get too close to God we may get consumed, but that is God’s intention in this conversion process if we are consumed He then can give us His beauty for our ashes. Sadly many main stream denominations and religions seize or recognize this point and take their folks only so far. No need to get the folks too stirred up and unhappy they will not support our programs and agenda. Again believing is a must, but there is much more work we must allow God to do in us. Jesus again said, “For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” (Matthew 13:15) Most Christians never allow God to convert them and thus the, “people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed.” This is not God’s intention for us. God’s intention for us is “any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted and I should heal them.” What a wonderful promise from God.
In Luke Jesus is talking with Simon Peter and said, “Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” (Luke 22:31-32) We cannot strengthen the brethren unless we have been converted, unless we undergo this process of God’s dealings and judgments in our lives. As a matter of fact we will destroy the brethren and bring death to every relationship we enter into unless we allow God to strengthen us with might in the inward man. I guess Peter understood what Jesus was talking about because in the Book of Acts we read Peter saying, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;” (Acts 3:19) Now we see for our sins to be “blotted out” we must repent (about face or flow in the opposite direction we were going) and be converted, much more than just believing. Please notice “and be converted” has been set a part with commas to highlight a second and very different action required to have our sins “blotted out.” “And when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” what a seemingly impossible task. How can we do this? We cannot, God must be allowed to work in our lives to convert us to His way of thinking, to His way of life.
Written by David Stahl
THOUGHTS FROM KAREN:
Abandon to Jesus
We humans can throw ourselves into almost anything one hundred percent, but how about abandonment to Jesus? How about throwing ourselves headlong into following the Precious Son of God? Look in God’s universe its whole hog or no hog, brother it is past time to come off the fence! Two things that are related hinder us from abandoning ourselves to Jesus: 1) we’re afraid to lose ourselves. We’re afraid God is going to make us do weird things or we’re going to become religious robots. When Jesus sits on the throne of our heart He makes us better and if you don’t think you need any improvements—I’m here to tell you, you do—big time, we all do. We don’t lose our personalities He makes us better. He helps us get rid of the “bad” stuff and helps increase the “good” stuff. But we have to let Him. “Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith…” (Mark 4:40) 2) Our free will. Our free will is almost scary. If you really think about it devils must flee at the name of Jesus. Jesus just told them to go as did the disciples and they had to go because of Jesus’ authority. Those that are sold out to Jesus have that same authority. But we humans, on the other hand have free will we don’t have to do anything. Unfortunately we don’t submit ourselves to God’s authority and we don’t do things his way. yes sir we have quite the will, and at times we’re our own worst enemy, we think the wrong way, and act the wrong way no wonder why things don’t go well for us. Truthfully I cringe when I hear someone say “I will” it’s usually because they want their way in something or another. “I will” should never come out of a Christian’s mouth. “Yes Lord” is really what God wants to hear. (besides a few prayers and thanksgiving) Hanging on to our will and our ways and our so called independence will in the long run be detrimental to our own souls. God wants us to have total faith in His Precious Son Jesus so that we just fling ourselves with total abandon following Him. Our faith in Jesus must be more than our wanting to do our own thing. The blessing is in obedience to God, the blessing is in following His ways. The blessing is in learning about Him. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to GOD must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) Abandoning to Jesus is NOT in being religious, in fact the more you follow Jesus the more you will see the hypocrisy of religion (just pick any denomination) and become less religious yourself. Yes, real abandoning to Jesus is like damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead, and let the chips fall where they may. After all it’s all about Him isn’t it? “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) What more assurance do we need?
Written by Karen Stahl
NEEDS NO WANTS:
1. In Silistra, Bulgaria Pastor(s) Niki Marsov and Emil Nedelchev. Included now are missionaries from Romania Nicu and Elena. Times are troubled in Bulgaria much prayer and support is needed.
2. Constanta, Romania Pastors Luke and Jacob at Bethel Church and George Ritisan at the Romanian Center for Cross-cultural Studies Bible School and the Faru (Lighthouse) Church.
3. In Suceava, Romania Pastors Nicu and Marcel at St. Andrews Church. They are still standing by God’s grace.
4. Pastor Joseph Mutua in Nairobi, Kenya needs your prayer and financial support.
5. Pastor Mike Olufemi in Aveile, Nigeria. He needs our prayers and support to be a light in great darkness.
6. Pastor S. J. Peter, Founder of DAWN Ministries in Hyderabad and Pastor Wilson and his son Pastor Julian in Sankaraguptham, India.
7. Pastor Metin Mintaz, Dan, Cathy, and members of Uskudar Son Buyruk Kilisesi in Istanbul, Turkey.
8. Pastor Elieti Msangi in Dar Es Salaam and Pastors Isreal Mutaitina and John Balone in Bukoba, Tanzania.
9. Monthly financial support for Vivian’s Maternity and Child Care Clinic project in Aviele, Nigeria.
10. Pastor Tek Dahl at Gethsemane, Church (his church) and their radio station “Good News 105.1 FM” in Kathmandu, Nepal.
11. Bishop John, Samuel Kamanzi (from the Congo), and, Emmanuel Ndolimana in Ruhengeli, Rwanda.
12. Money for an industrial strength potato peeler at the Mission School in Romania.
Next Home Group Meeting:
Our next Home Group Meeting will be TUESDAY 26 July 2016
232 Everett Drive
Sneads Ferry, NC 28460
7:00 pm please RSVP
Home: (910) 741-0489
FUTURE SCHEDULE:
July: Local Ministry
August: Local Ministry
September: Local Ministry
I am still available to share what God has given me at churches and/or home groups. If God moves on your heart to support BHG or other ministries we personally know we would be honored to serve as a go between. Remember, if we want a blessing from God the spiritual principle is we must bless others. Remember, God is to you what you are to God.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Address:
David and Karen Stahl
232 Everett Drive
Sneads Ferry, NC 28460
Phone:
Home: (910) 741-0489
Mobile: (910) 382-9287
FAX: (910) 741-0489
Email:
Ministry E-mail: dstahl@beholdinghisglory.com
Personal E-mail: mtnebo@hotmail.com
Online:
Beholding His Glory Website
Beholding His Glory Blog
The AuthorHouse link below will lead you to our latest book, “Thoughts for Consideration.” Just copy it into your web browser and return. Also you can purchase two of our other books “Adventures with God.” and “God Still Performs Miracles: A Book of Personal Encouragement.”
http://www.authorhouse.com/AuthorCenter/Protected/BookHome.aspx?bookID=61464
Please take a minute and take a look, they all make for a great encouraging gift, giving hope and sharing God’s love through a deeper teaching that someone can enjoy again and again. All of our books can be purchased at all book stores like Barnes and Nobles, Borders, Book-A-Million, and etc., any Christian Book Store that orders, and all book ordering on-line companies like Amazon.com. Or if you are like me from the old school just contact us, we will let you know the price and then we will mail it out to your home address. Postage and handling is on a case by case basis.
If you know someone you think would enjoy receiving this newsletter or if you receive this newsletter and do not wish to please let me know. Contributions to this ministry is always appreciated and needed the more time continues. Please feel free to contact us with the above information. The cost is great, but the cost for not supporting to others is even greater. And remember, all donations are tax deductible.
